3 days into the journey.

The children were tired. They had been walking all day, and then slept at night, and repeated it. They had been walking so much, that they didn’t even know how much they had walked.

Meanwhile, in the carriage, Raize had awakened. The headmistress gave Raize the pill and had him swallow it. After he had taken the pill, the headmistress made a sling and put it on him.

“Try not to move your arm. It could cause the bones to heal in a strange way. And make sure to get more rest. You are going to need it, where you are going.” The headmistress made sure that Raize understood everything, and then left the carriage to check on the children.

After the headmistress left, Eliza scooted closer to Raize.

“How are you feeling, Raize? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Eliza, you don’t have to worry about me.”

“Yes, I do. You were thrown into a wall, and if the headmistress hadn’t of gotten there sooner, you could’ve died. I think I do need to worry about you.” Eliza was exasperated. Raize was acting as if nothing had happened, as if it was just a normal day. She didn’t understand how he could act so lifeless.

“Eliza, I know you talk bad about me with the others. You don’t have to stay around me if you don’t like me. I don’t need you to stay around me anymore. And I will be leaving with Erthan when we get there.”

Raize pushed Eliza away.

“I can’t have you stay close to me. So just stay with the other kids in the orphanage, or just wait until you get adopted. You have such a nice personality, and you look nice, so i bet you will be picked almost immediately. So why don’t you…”

Eliza scooted closer to Raize and hugged him tight.

“I’m sorry for talking bad about you with the other kids, but i just couldn’t allow them to react badly to me. I’m not mean to you when you are around because I don’t want you to think badly of me. I really want you to stay with me. I really like to have you around. You are the only one who hasn’t judged me on how the headmistress feels about me. All the other kids just want the headmistress to like them, so they are nice to me, but i know that they don’t actually like me. Just please don’t leave me.”

Raize was taken aback. He finally understood Eliza. She only cared about herself, and her own popularity. She only wanted someone who liked her because she was nice to them. She didn’t care about Raize at all. She just wanted him to be around so that she would have someone who could make her feel good about herself.

Raize pushed her away again.

“Please stay away from me. I don’t want you around me anymore. I don’t think that you are a good person.”

Eliza was shocked. She had always been nice to Raize, and this was how he treated her, by saying that she was not a good person?

“How can you be so mean? After all the things I have done for you? I tried my hardest to be nice to you and yet...”

Eliza started to cry. Raize didn’t know what to do. He had never been mean to someone before, and he had never caused a girl to cry. He usually wasn’t even around the kids at the orphanage this long, unless it was because of a meeting that the headmistress had called. He had cried plenty of times, but he had never had anyone to cheer him up after it, so he had no idea what to do. And on top of that, he felt that she deserved it, but he still felt bad.

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“I’m sorry Eliza. I didn’t mean to be rude. I just feel that you have been using me. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

Eliza started to calm down. She started to think about what she had done, and started to realize that she had been using him to make herself feel better.

“You don’t have to be sorry, Raize. I just realized that I have been using you. I am so sorry for that. I never thought that I was using you for myself, but I do know.”

After Eliza apologized to Raize, the carriage was quiet. It stayed that way for the next few minutes until the headmistress came in.

. . .

2 days later

The carriage and caravan of children came to a stop in front of a tavern. The journey had taken a toll on the children. They were all extremely tired from walking, and they were all soaked in sweat from the heat. After five days of hard walking, they had finally arrived at the city. Everyone was excited.

Raize, Eliza, and the headmistress exited the carriage, and Erthan got off of his horse. The four people started to walk into the tavern.

“Children, please stay close to the caravan. It wouldn’t be good if one of you got lost in the town. And don’t worry, the carriage driver will watch over you all.”

After the headmistress told them that, she left them and she went into the inn. Inside the inn, the smell was extremely foul, and the look of the place wasn’t much better. When she entered, she walked right up to the bar counter and sat down.

The owner of the bar went straight to her.

“Welcome back, Elaine. It is nice to have you back again. I am guessing you are here for the Adoption day? Because I already have the rooms set up for you, Erthan, and the children.”

“Thank you Boritan. I am here for the Adoption day, but Erthan and I have found two new children for you to train. One is for the guild, and one is to be my successor. I have brought them with me. This is Raize, he is Erthan’s apprentice, and this is Eliza, she is to succeed me.”

Eliza and Raize were startled. They were planning something for both of them.

Raize was the first to speak his mind.

“Headmistress, what do you mean? I thought that I was free to go away and do whatever i wanted. Why am I joining your guild?”

“Raize, Erthan is your guardian. He accepted you as his adopted son when he gave you the name Diviano. He wants to have the ability to protect you, and for you to have the ability to protect yourself. And as for you, Eliza, I want you to succeed me because you are the most fit for the job. You are kind, and you have a great magical ability. You will need that in the future if you are to succeed me. You two are the ones chosen because of your abilities, and other circumstances. And neither of you need to call me headmistress anymore, just call me Lady Elaine.”

Elaine/ the headmistress explained everything to them. They finally understood why they went into the inn with Erthan and Elaine.

“Children, you two don’t have to worry about anything. Elaine and I will watch over you for right now. You will be under our protection.”

Erthan tried to lessen the fright that it gave to Raize and Eliza.

Elaine, Erthan and Boritan continued to talk for a few more minutes, and then they split up. Elaine left to take care of the other children, Boritan left to help the other customers, and Erthan took Eliza and Erthan.

“Where are we going, Knight Erthan?” Eliza inquired.

“We are going to where you are going to spend the next few years, children. We are going to your new home.”

Erthan led them into a dark alley, filled with sick and starved people everywhere. Raize started to feel Déjà vu, but he continued following Erthan. Erthan continued through the alley, until he reached a place where the alley was empty. He then looked around, made sure that no one was around, and then walked up to a wall, and knocked.

Knock. Knock Knock Knock. Knock Knock. Knock.

Raize finally remembered where he had seen all of this before.

Erthan took a step back from the wall. After waiting for a bit, the wall suddenly opened to reveal a tall man.

“Password?” The tall man asked.

“Regent Archer” Erthan answered.

“Ra’thar,” Raize said.

Erthan was startled. He whipped around to Raize, grabbing onto his shoulders.

“Where have you heard that name before?,” Erthan screamed at Raize.

“I-I heard it in a dream.”

Raize was scared, and started to cry. He didn’t know what to say to Erthan, so he just told him the truth.

Erthan looked at Raize, saw how scared he was, and pulled himself back.

“I’m sorry, Raize, it’s just that the name you just mentioned is a name you cannot say right now. Please don’t say it anymore.”

Erthan started feeling guilty about Raize, so he picked him up and hugged him tight.

“I really am sorry. I didn’t mean to freak out that much. I’m sorry.”

Raize started to calm down, but Erthan kept ahold of him.

Erthan talked to the tall man for a little, and then he led the children into the dark room.

The children’s new lives had begun.