You are now in the dining room. Full of noisy and active children. You count 15 just in this very room.
There were 3 long dining tables, but only one is being used since it’s enough for everyone in the room
You simply sit still in your chair as Marisa and her maid prepare dinner while Riley tries to discipline the kids.
“Can Marisa even tolerate this?” You say, “Actually, they’ve been here for 1 year.”
You want to help but even you’re busy being surrounded by kids.
They ask questions such as, “Where did you come from?” or “Mister, are you very strong?”
You can’t answer all of them at once so you just stay silent.
…
Suddenly, a kid pokes you in the back. Though you want to avoid reacting to it, she asks you a question: “Is it true you can revive dead people?”
“Huh,” you subtly react. She must’ve been one of the kids who spied on you.
Before you can say anything, Marisa takes the kids away from you: “Alright, kids, don’t ask the silent man over here. He’s focusing on what he has to do next.”
You just brush the question off and just children are curious.
It was dinner time.
…
The kids begin sitting down as well as the girls. Riley sits next to you while a kid takes the seat on your other side.
Marisa claps once to get the attention of the kids, “All right everyone, let’s eat.”
They grab their utensils. Some eat slowly and calmly while others do it messingly.
You look at your meal. It’s not like you can taste it. “You don’t have to state the obvious.”
“What was that?” Riley asks.
“Oh, nothing,” You grab your utensils and begin eating.
…
“Miss Marisa, do you have another story to tell later?” One kid says with their mouth full.
“Yes, I have millions of stories to tell, but kindly swallow before you speak,” Marisa replied.
The other kids start to hold conversations on their own. They seem to be interested as to what story comes out next.
As you finish eating, you give Riley a question, “So, the kids have been isolated here for one year, right?”
“It’s for their own good,” She answers unconfidently.
You add another question, “Did one of them escape this place before?”
“I-”
…
“Yes,” The kid beside you interrupted Riley.
You turn to the other side and notice that it was the same kid who asked about your abilities.
Riley tries to refute, “Listen, No-”
But you stopped her and let the girl explain, “What happened to them?”
Before the kid can answer, “Okay, that’s enough.” Marisa stands up as she notices the both of you and the kid.
“C’mon Hunter, I’m gonna show you your room,” Riley gets out of the chair and grabs your shoulder before you follow.
The kid only stayed silent and behaved.
…
You and Riley walk through the hallway without striking a conversation.
It’s like the orphanage is hiding a secret on what happened to the escaped kid.
Maybe Marisa didn’t want the kids to remember that particular event.
Maybe it’s predictably worse than what you think.
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“Okay, here we are,” Riley stops in front of a door.
…
She opens it and shows a room with two somewhat tidy beds, one desk and a window with a curtain. Seems standard for a bedroom.
“We’re gonna share this room together,” Riley announces.
You react, “Hope you know how to knock.”
“Uh? What does that mean?” Riley acts surprised.
“Nothing,” you went to the bed near the window and sat there, making it yours to sleep in.
You notice outside your window is a sole grave. You thought of the escaped kid.
…
You hear the kids scream in awe, “What was that?”
Riley smiles, “Marisa is telling another of her stories. Want to check it out.”
Both of you go to the living room and see all the kids sitting down on the floor as Marisa continues her story.
“She grabs the sword from the fallen hero and rushes to the orc lord. Is this attempt futile or will she succeed? She thought as she risked her life!”
“Wooooah,”
…
“She’s been telling stories since the start?” You ask Riley.
She replies, “I’m not sure if she’s been doing this for a year, but I do know she’s done this for a long time.”
She then adds, “It’s just, this is the most she can do to entertain the kids. I’ve heard the previous owner went outside in an attempt to find supplies but…” She went silent.
“Oh…” You didn’t act surprised. You only wonder who the previous owner was.
You say, “It’s a dangerous world out there, huh?”
Riley silently nodded.
…
“Well, we better go back. We have a long day tomorrow,” Riley says as she walks into the hallway.
You notice Marisa making a little glance on you before continuing on with her story.
You turn to your back and whisper, “She has a lot of responsibility, huh. No wonder she doesn’t trust me, but what about Riley?”
You go to your room afterwards. It’s time for a good night's sleep.
…
“Hmmm… why am I still here?” You lie in your bed, trying to catch sleep.
You stayed as quiet as possible to not wake up Riley, “Oh, right! I want to check the grave outside.”
You slowly raise your upper body and move your legs outside of your bed. Riley is fast asleep so you don’t need to bother her.
“Hopefully, everyone should be asleep,” You silently walk to the door and get out of the room.
The hallway was barely lit, but it shouldn’t be a problem.
Then, you hear footsteps.
…
You looked both ways, only to see a source of light coming towards you.
“Mister?” A familiar voice speaks out.
Your vision becomes clearer as the kid who answered your question before comes out of the darkness while holding a candle.
You fear she might call you out so you try to convince her, “Hey… kid, what are you doing out here in the middle of the night?”
She answers, “I want to show you something.”
…
The kid is taking you somewhere in the orphanage.
That was convenient. You only stayed awake so you could explore the house for anything valuable.
You only have to be wary of Marisa and especially the maid, who’s name you assume to be Elma, as she seems capable of killing.
You wanted to check the graveyard outside, but now the kid has taken all your interest.
You weren’t far from your room but it feels like you’ve been walking for a while.
…
“Here we are,” you both stop at a door, not different from the others.
She’s gonna show you something that shouldn’t be shared.
She slowly opens the door as your curiosity peaks.
“This is what happens if someone escapes this house,” She refers to her answer during dinner.
As you step right in, you prepare for whatever is placed inside.
…
It is a young boy you haven’t seen before who’s deep asleep.
But there was something off with him, like he’s covered in some kind of barrier.
The closer you look, the more you notice that he is frozen in place.
You then notice that one of his arms is covered by Substance C.
“How long has he been here?” You ask the girl.
…
“For a while now,” a different voice answers, someone you haven’t talked to directly before.
You turn around and see Elma at the door. “I’m just doing my nightly routines and seeing one of the things Master Marisa feared, not that it would make a big deal or anything,” she says.
You reply, “So he’s the one you didn’t want me to see?”
Elma steps in, “Yes, and as what you think is happening to him, he’s in a frozen state.”
Before she continues, she points to the kid, “You will be punished for staying out late in the night, so get back to your room!”
The kid walks out of the room, making a small glance before returning.
…
She explains, “Master Marisa promised the original owner of the orphanage that all the kids would be safe, before turning into one of them and me killing him. We didn’t tell the kids what happened but this kid wanted to find him. He got infected and Marisa ordered me to cast a spell to freeze him in order to not spread the infection to his body. Marisa was disheartened that she broke a promise so she became more strict, which is why she doesn’t trust you and didn’t want you to find him.”
You ask, “Where’s the previous owner now?”
“I assume you’ve seen the grave outside, right?” She states, “That’s where the previous owner was buried.”
…
You ask another question, “What’s gonna happen to me?”
“Nothing,” She quickly answers, “You clearly haven’t done anything aside from the fact you know one of our secrets. Just pretend you haven’t done this or remember anything, since I cannot make any moves without my master’s permission.”
One more, “What’s the kid’s name?”
“Joshua, his name is Joshua.”
....