“Hey… hey wake up.” The boy opened his eyes, wondering at the pain in his side as he looked around wearily, before his eyes came to rest on a girl.

The girl had long black hair, straight and beautiful, with her eyes being the warmest shade of brown the boy had ever seen.

“Where… why am I here?” the boy asked, and the girl smiled, moving her chair as the boy realized belatedly that it had wheels on it, the girl likely being incapable of standing.

She moved to the side, placing a cloth into a wash-basin before wringing the water out of it, then placing it on his head after lightly wiping his cheeks.

“You’re an interesting boy… you were on my roof, passed out…” the girl noted as the boy looked around, wanting to stand up but feeling a pain in his gut as the girl looked to him with a frown before rolling her chair away.

She returned a few minutes later, with a bowl and spoon in her hand.

“Come on, eat… you look starved.” The girl noted, making the boy look away as he groaned in annoyance.

“I’m fine. I don’t need your pity.” The boy noted, and the girl sighed at his words, before she grabbed his hand, causing him to turn to her…

And in that moment she forced the spoon into his mouth, making the boy swallow reflexively before he hacked and sputtered indignantly.

“W-w-what the heck is that!” The boy shouted as the girl looked to the bowl and to the boy with a tilt of her head.

“Porridge? What else would it be?” The girl asked as the boy tried to rub his tongue onto the blanket, wishing to get the taste out of his mouth.

“Porridge? Porridge doesn’t taste like that! How did you make that?” The boy groaned out as the girl looked to the porridge before putting her finger to her chin in thought.

“Oh, I put the porridge in, added milk, and added some sugar and cinnamon… or maybe it was salt and Chilli spice…” the boy groaned as he palmed his face.

“Maybe test the taste next time, because that tasted vile.” The boy said as the girl pouted as she glared in return.

“Not my fault I don’t know how to cook, I’m in a wheelchair!” She shouted as the boy shouted back, gaining some energy to stand as he rolled his legs out of the bed, and standing as he looked down to the girl with his own glare.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“You should learn! Now come on, I’m going to make some proper breakfast! Watch!” he got the girl to follow as he raided her kitchen for supplies, turning on the stove.

Within a few moments there was egg, toast and bacon, and a glass of milk in front of both of them as they ate, and the girl sighed.

“Oh you make good food… could you teach me some more? I don’t get out much, as you can see…” the girl looked to her legs with a sad look as the boy frowned.

“Why don’t you get an operation for your legs, medicine is pretty advanced you know?” the boy wondered, knowing that many ailments could be cured by the hospital, though curing blindness and deafness was still a bit iffy… as for how he knew this, he had a habit of going into places he wasn’t supposed to be.

“I can’t afford it. I’m an orphan. My parents died quite a few years ago, when I was six. My dad was a security guard at the lab where my mom worked, and apparently someone broke in and killed them.” She looked a bit depressed at remembering her statement as the boy looked a bit confused at her words.

“Where did they work exactly?” he asked as the girl looked to narrow her eyes in thought.

“I think they worked with Valhalla. My mom was working on making armour or something, but my dad was the guard for some of the weapon programs.” The boy looked away.

“…When you were six?” the boy asked as the girl nodded, smiling at the boy.

“Yep, I’m fifteen!” The girl said as the boy looked away for a moment, considering something before he nodded and turned back to the girl.

“Can I ask you something?” He asked as the girl giggled.

“You just did.” The boy rolled his eyes at her attempt at humour, before he continued.

“What’s your name?” he asked, as the girl blinked before she giggled.

“Sorry, I guess I got caught up in breakfast and forgot. My name’s Dawn, Dawn Claire.” The girl said with a smile as the boy looked upon her… knowing that he was the cause for the death of her parents… for the first time in his life coming into contact with proof that his lifestyle hurt others.

“I see… Well Dawn, before I introduce myself… what’s your dream?” The boy asked, making the girl blink as she looked lost in thought for a moment, and then nodding, as if coming to terms with her own thoughts.

“My dream is to be free.” She said, making the boy blink at her words… then smile as he shrugged looking suspiciously happy at her words.

“I see… well, that’s kind of my dream too…” the boy said, making Dawn gasp and clap in delight, and the boy pondered at her childish nature, before deciding that it was nice… it was innocent.

“That’s great! We can help each other… hey, you didn’t introduce yourself yet.” Dawn switched from a smile to a pout quickly catching the boy off guard before he chuckled.

“I guess I didn’t… my name is-”

The man jolted with a scream as he awoke from his dream, panting and sweating as he looked around wildly, seeing himself in a glass container, no one around.

He attempted to remember his dream, finding it fleeting, as he clutched his skull in anger, slamming his head into the floor of the container, wishing he could remember…

Odysseus, they called him… he didn’t care for that name… he knew it wasn’t his, wasn’t what she called him… and if he wanted to find out his name… he needed…

“To be free…” his voice was raspy from over use, but he knew what he had to do… he had to be free… for her.

“Khul Ja… Shem-shamayim.” Odysseus looked to the corner of the glass chamber… he remembered the first time he entered the room…

The first time he spat that tiny pin nail to the corner, the moment he wasn’t under watch. His key to victory… he could see it.