In a quiet room, the sunlight filtered through the window, gently bathing the bed where Xitlari rested. Her four arms, an uncommon feature, made her stand out among the crowd, but it was her inner beauty and strength of spirit that truly made her special.
As the sun continued to rise in the sky, Xitlari remained unaware of the world around her, deep in a peaceful, restorative sleep, wrapped in a light blue sheet. The golden light flooded the room, creating an atmosphere of peace and harmony that seemed to envelop her completely. When the sunlight reached her face, she slowly opened her eyes, and thus began a new day for her.
Upon entering Xitlari's house, there was a staircase leading to the second floor and a door to the left that led to the kitchen, which had a small dining area and several pieces of furniture. To the right was a living room with a large sofa and some training equipment. On the second floor, there was her bedroom, a bathroom, and another room. After a good session of exercise and practicing handstands, Xitlari prepared to go to the agency; she took a shower and had breakfast in a blue bowl before leaving her house. From the beautiful sunlight that illuminated everything, we moved to rain that blocked the light, bringing freedom, sadness, melancholy, and the rebirth of light.
Raindrops fell steadily, soaking the streets and wrapping the city in a cloak of melancholy. Amidst this atmosphere, a solitary woman walked along the sidewalk. Her hair was brown, and her eyes were green; she wore rubber boots and a yellow dress, shielding herself with a blue umbrella.
Her footsteps echoed on the wet pavement as she approached an old building that loomed before her, its stone walls weathered and its windows adorned with faded curtains. With a sigh of resignation, the woman stopped in front of the entrance door, where a small figure wrapped in blankets lay abandoned in a basket.
Gently, the woman lifted the baby into her arms, shielding her from the rain with the cover of her umbrella. The little one's eyes opened with curiosity and fear, reflecting the confusion of a life just begun, already filled with uncertainty.
Without a word, the woman opened the door of the building, carrying the child who would now become her ward.
"Who could have left you there all alone, little one?" said the woman as she placed the baby on a bed, taking her out of the basket she had been in.
The woman removed the blankets that had wrapped the little one and was surprised, stepping back. The baby had four arms. She was laughing joyfully, moving around the bed with curiosity.
"You have four arms... Hehehe," she said, surprised. "How is that possible?" The woman approached with a bit of awe, showing her hand. The baby touched the woman's hand with the four small hands she had. The woman stared into Xitlari's eyes and smiled.
We moved away from the scene as they were seen through a window at the orphanage while the rain began to ease... The sun reigning once more. Xitlari was in the research room with Kassie.
"I'm glad to see you both! We've had a little problem in the water zone. I need both of you to go to the city center and fetch a baby quiritánidas that caused a leak," Mei said, handing them a capsule of water, two meters tall.
"A quiritánidas?! How the hell did it get there?!" Kassie exclaimed, a bit surprised.
"Guess what... The water zone hasn't been maintained for a month because of that idiot, so..." Mei said, annoyed but trying to stay calm.
"Now we have to clean up the mess of an incompetent. Don't you think it would be better to wait until he realizes?" Xitlari mentioned while checking the weight of the capsule.
"I won't let the people of the kingdom suffer because of him... Besides, we get more evidence to use against him when we talk to the priest. Well, go and catch that thing," Mei said, looking worried when she spoke about the kingdom, but her expression shifted to a more serious and firm one.
Kassie and Xitlari left the agency and headed toward the city center.
"Mei always looks sweet, but she must have a lot on her plate running a kingdom with a jewelry business, all so the money goes to that dwarf," Xitlari said, annoyed, while carrying the capsule on her right shoulder, holding it with three of her hands.
"Yeah... Hey, isn't it heavy? Want some help?" Kassie asked, feeling a bit guilty leaving all the work to Xitlari.
"No, it's fine, it's good for exercise, and you'll be the one going in to find the quiritánidas; I don't have any experience with marine animals," she responded easily, walking with the capsule on her shoulder.
"Okay, but don't let anyone get too close," Kassie said with a smile.
"Don't worry, no one will, I promise," Xitlari said confidently.
"Did you hear that the church is affiliating with all the kingdoms?" she commented, pulling out her communicator.
"Really?! I thought they were only human?" Xitlari was shocked by the news, so much so that she slowed her pace for a moment.
"Yes! Even my kingdom is already affiliated. Maybe they've changed their mind... Louis!" she said as she saw Louis coming out of a store.
"Kassie, Xitlari! Huh? What's that?" Louis asked when he saw the capsule Xitlari was carrying.
"We're going to catch a baby quiritánidas in the water zone, want to come? It's to your benefit..." Kassie said, happy to see him, whispering her last words.
"Huh... Sure! I just finished delivering the packages," Louis replied, blushing a little when he saw Xitlari after hearing Kassie.
"Perfect! Let's go then. *Sigh*, it's been a while since I saw something surprising," Kassie mentioned, putting away her communicator and walking a little ahead of Xitlari and Louis.
"You’re talking about the quiritánidas, hahaha. If you had seen when Donquichua bit that diamond," Xitlari mentioned, vividly remembering Donquichua’s expression at that moment.
"Again with that... You two have been talking about the diamond for two weeks," Kassie said, tired of hearing the same thing.
"It’s true!" Xitlari and Louis insisted at the same time.
"I believe you... Hmm, I wonder if Donquichua’s teeth could break Mern’s golden Gyverna," Kassie said, putting her arms behind her back while continuing to walk.
"Good question... Pure golden Gyverna is harder than diamond, according to the book Mern gave me, but it's not a gem, and chameleons only eat gems like emeralds, rubies, sapphires, but I never read that they could eat diamonds," Louis mentioned, remembering the things he had read in the past.
"And how would you explain Donquichua, Louis, bookworm?" Kassie said sarcastically while continuing to walk without even looking back.
"Hmmm... The chameleon’s jaw gets stronger as they age... So the only way it could do that is if Donquichua is already in his last years of life," Louis answered after thinking for a moment.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
"That makes sense to me. You really like reading, apparently," Xitlari mentioned, glancing at Louis for a moment.
"Well, that worked out," thought Kassie as she listened to Xitlari. "Hey, Xitlari, don’t you have any exciting stories to tell us? Something from the past?"
"Past..." Xitlari murmured. For a moment, she lost herself in thought while continuing to walk with the capsule on her shoulder. That word resonated, and one single memory passed through her mind.
"10 years ago"
In the same building where a different girl was found, we see many boys and girls waking up with much energy, preparing to be accepted.
But among them was Dahlia, a 10-year-old girl with brown hair and bright brown eyes. She stood out among the other children in the orphanage due to her four arms. Her shirt, with two extra holes, allowed her to fit her two extra arms. But unfortunately, what made her stand out the most were the teasing, rejection, disdain, and being alone all the time. Being different isn’t easy, and even harder to find someone who understands who you are. Lily, the woman who had found her at the orphanage door, was the only one who cared for her all the time.
"Dahlia! Come, look!" Lily said, who wore a black and white dress, hiding from the others, holding a blue shirt in her hands.
"What’s up?" Dahlia said, running toward her curiously. "No way! Where did you get one like this?" Dahlia was small, with long hair, and wore a shirt with holes so all her arms could fit. Additionally, her two extra arms were bandaged. Dahlia was surprised to see the blue shirt with four sleeves.
"A friend. Try it on!" Lily responded with a smile when she saw Dahlia’s reaction.
Dahlia changed into the shirt and, excited, said, "Look! It fits perfectly!"
"Yes... It looks really nice on you," Lily expressed, feeling both happiness and sadness as she adjusted the shirt slightly.
"We won’t have to make two extra holes in more shirts... Do you think someone will adopt me now?" Dahlia said joyfully.
"Ah... Honey, don’t get your hopes up. I bought it so you wouldn’t have more trouble, but..." Lily said with sorrow, momentarily looking away, her voice softening at the end of her words. "Go play and don’t pay attention to the others, okay?".
"Understood... Thank you," she said, a little sad, giving Lily a hug before leaving.
We now see an older woman with white hair and blue eyes. She wore a black dress, a blue robe, and a silver necklace around her neck. She was walking down a hallway until she reached a door, which she opened to find Lily frantically searching through many papers.
"Lily? What are you doing here?" asked the older woman in her wise and worn voice, surprised to see her there. The room was small; it had several shelves full of folders and a small window through which the full moon could be seen.
"Headmistress! I've... *sigh* I've been reviewing the adoption requests," Lily said, jumping slightly with surprise before showing her the documents.
"For Dahlia... right?" she said with insight, a faint smile on her face.
"Yes... I... I can't stand seeing her sad. No one wants to adopt her. The children tease her, and from what Xavier told her yesterday, she... hurt her arms, and I imagine you’ve already seen the bandages," Lily said, almost in tears, sitting down on a chair after placing the papers on a table full of folders and papers.
"Do you think she will be accepted in other kingdoms?" the headmistress asked while reviewing the documents. "You've been at this all day, and you didn't even realize it’s already dark. I think it’s time to rest," she mentioned, approaching her and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I can't rest... I don't want Dahlia to cry or hurt herself again... I don't want her to be alone," Lily expressed, letting a tear escape.
"I know..." The headmistress paused for a moment and said, "Listen, Lily, even though she feels alone, you must understand that everything in this vast universe is connected in some way. Just as the moon exerts its influence over the tides," she said, pointing to the moon with her finger through the window, "and the natural cycles, there are also invisible forces at play that guide our steps and lead us to where we need to be," she added while touching the cross around her neck. "She needs you, so go and comfort her," she said, smiling and helping Lily get up.
"You're right, Headmistress... Thank you," Lily said, standing up and hugging the headmistress before leaving the office.
Dahlia... She was watching the full moon through the window downstairs, while watching some people walking far away on the sidewalk across the street.
"Because of these arms, no one even wants to get close to me," Dahlia said, looking at her two bandaged arms. "Why was I born with them?" Dahlia lowered her gaze and pressed her bandaged arms with her other two arms.
The moonlight began to shine, pointing to the window where Dahlia was.
"Huh? It got brighter..." Dahlia focused her gaze on the moon, stood on a stool, and, with her four hands, touched the glass of the window, lost... staring at the beautiful moon that was turning blue.
A silhouette approached. "Where are you taking me?" said a man with an energetic and carefree voice. He was 182 cm tall, with dark blue hair tied in a messy ponytail, with some loose strands framing his face. His eyes were blue, without pupils, and had small stars in them. He wore a light blue long-sleeve shirt with straps and golden details; his pants and boots were navy blue.
The man walked up to the window where Xitlari was, and upon seeing her, he was surprised. He turned to look at the moon and asked: "Do you want me to be... a father!?" he asked, astonished, shouting in surprise at the end of his words. He turned again to look at Dahlia, quickly approaching the window with his face, scaring her and making her fall.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you... Oh, right, you can't hear me. Hmm... Okay, you lead," he said, after glancing at the moon for a moment, heading to the orphanage entrance.
"Dahlia, are you okay?" Lily asked, approaching Dahlia and checking her arms.
"Yes, I'm fine, but there was a man at the window, he scared me," Dahlia mentioned, a little confused.
"A man?" Lily helped Dahlia stand up, and then the entrance door was knocked. Lily approached and opened it, finding the man with dark blue hair. She was shocked to see his pupil-less eyes with small stars inside.
"Do you... need something?" Lily asked, surprised and almost speechless.
"Good evening, my name is Lum, and I would like to adopt the girl with four arms," he replied with a slight smile, adjusting his shirt.
"What...? You... Eh..." Lily expressed, not knowing what to say after hearing his words. She took a deep breath and then said, "Are you... serious?"
"Of course! It’s my destiny, apparently," he responded confidently, full of excitement.
Lily quickly ran off to find some documents, leaving Lum with Dahlia without presenting them.
"Lily! What’s going on?" asked the headmistress, worried as she saw her hurriedly pulling papers without care.
"He wants to adopt! I have to hurry!" Lily exclaimed excitedly as she continued searching through the folders.
"But it’s too late! Tell him to come back tomorrow," the headmistress mentioned, trying to stop her, when she found what she was looking for.
"I can’t... I might miss the chance for Dahlia to have a home," Lily said through tears as she left the office.
"Dahlia?" the headmistress commented in surprise, watching her rush out the door.
"Come, don’t be afraid... I’m sorry I scared you," Lum knelt in front of Dahlia and extended his hand to her.
"Doesn’t it bother you that I’m close to you?" she asked, approaching him with some doubt.
"What? Of course not... What happened to your arms?" she asked, noticing the bandages on two of her four arms.
"I... I did it," Dahlia whispered, lowering her gaze.
"Why would you do something like that?" Lum asked with concern, moving closer to her.
"Because of them... No one wants to adopt me, and... Xavier hates me," she said with sadness, unable to meet Lum's eyes.
"You won’t have to worry anymore, I will take care of you now," he said, gently taking Dahlia's bandaged arms.
"Doesn’t it... bother you?" Dahlia asked, surprised and a little unsure.
"Of course not!" Lum responded sincerely and emotionally as he stood up.
"Mr. Lum!" Lily shouted, running toward them. "I have the papers, come with me," she said, taking Lum to a room.
"It looks like your day has come, Dahlia," the headmistress said as she arrived with Dahlia.
"But... what if it's a lie?" she said, a little insecure.
"Let’s hope it’s not... Pray to God that it’s not," the headmistress raised her collar again and closed her eyes.
Lily led Lum to a room to begin the interview. She sat silently while Lum began observing how clean and well-organized the office was, with a large shelf next to the window filled with many books, and Lily sitting in the desk chair in front of him.
"First, please hand me your identification," Lily said, trying to calm herself.
"Of course!" he said, pulling out his identification and handing it over.
Lily read all the information on the identification, becoming a little concerned. "He’s not married... How do you plan to take care of her?"
"Don’t worry. If it’s about money, I own the spiritual rice," he said confidently, tapping his chest lightly.
"You own it? I’m sorry, I’ve never tried it," Lily felt a bit of distrust despite everything.
"Do you have family? Do they know you’re adopting? And what do they think? Will there be issues because of Dahlia’s difference? And most importantly! Are you sure you can handle this responsibility?!" Each word from Lily was a torrent of concern, filled with anxiety. Her voice, though firm, trembled slightly.
"Eh... I... I no longer have family," Lum felt the weight of each word from Lily. "But I’m sure I can handle this, and also, Dahlia’s difference doesn’t bother me at all. As you can see, I’m also different. I’m sure I can handle this responsibility!" he said firmly and determinedly, opening his eyes wider so she could see that he had no pupils.
"I had already noticed it... I need you to tell me about your past," she said while wiping her face.
At first, Lum hesitated, but after seeing the moon through the window, he agreed to share his past. "I have to convince her" Lum thought. "I’ll ask that you don’t tell anyone what I’ll show you here. Give me your hand," Lum raised his hand, which emitted a blue aura.
Meanwhile, outside the office, the headmistress was talking to Dahlia.
"What’s wrong, Dahlia? Aren’t you happy?" the headmistress asked, noticing Dahlia's sad face.
"Yes, but... what if he’s faking it?" she said with a sad face. "I don’t want them to make fun of me again like Mari did."
"Don’t worry, that won’t happen again," the headmistress said with a smile while touching Dahlia’s head.
Suddenly, a blue light came out through the door. Dahlia and the headmistress were surprised, and the headmistress quickly entered the office, but before opening the door, the light disappeared.
"Lily! Did something happen?" the headmistress asked, a little scared.
"No, Headmistress... everything is fine," Lily said, teary-eyed and smiling. "Prepare Dahlia, Mr. Lum Xitlari will take her."
" 'Sigh' Alright, but... what was that blue light?" she said with concern and relief.
"Don’t worry, it was me," Lum said, showing his magic to the headmistress.
"Ah! I see... So, will you take her?" The headmistress was a bit surprised upon seeing Lum's magic.
"Yes, I’ll go prepare Dahlia." Lily left the office and took Dahlia to pack her things.
"Is he a good man?" Dahlia asked while walking, holding Lily’s hand.
"You couldn't be more fortunate, my girl," she replied, still with a few tears on her face.
"That's great! What is my mom like?" she said excitedly, running to gather her things in a small room that only had a bed with a window beside it and a dresser next to the bed, with a backpack hanging from a nail.
"Uh... You'll only have a dad, but he will take good care of you, I could see it..." she answered with a gentle smile, trying to convey assurance in her words.
"And will I be able to see you again?" Dahlia approached Lily while gathering all her things.
"Of course... You'll always be able to see me!" she said, hugging Dahlia with affection, rubbing her hair.
After packing her things into a pink backpack with little dolls stuck on it, Lily handed Dahlia over to Lum. He bent down and gave her a hug, and Dahlia cried... Someone else had finally accepted her. Lum took the backpack and gave Dahlia his hand, and they both left the orphanage.
"Please take good care of her!" Lily said, happy and in tears as she watched her leave, recalling a bit of what she saw when she was alone with Lum, while the director comforted her.
"Of course! You saw it yourself!" he replied with a smile on his lips, and then the door closed, leaving the headmistress and Lily embracing.
End of the chapter.