In a dark narrow alley, Two tall boys could be seen beating a boy with seemingly average build. The boy lying was facing a barrage of kicks and punches with his body but the most interesting part about the whole scenario was that the boy didn't let out even a single sound.
"What's wrong with this kid, jake? The pipsqueak hadn't even screamed a single time. Are you sure he is not a retard?" One of them said.
" Nah, paul. It's just that your pp is not big enough to make him scream." Jake Snickered as he threw a jab at Paul.
"I'm serious mate! you sure we won't be in problem? What if he tells someone?" Paul said to Jake while raising his concern.
" Relax. He lives in an orphanage. Who is he going to tell on us? His mother? haha" Jake clarified Paul's doubt while laughing.
" If you say so." Paul said
" Tch. let's go, the kid isn't even crying for help. This is kinda' ruining my mood." Jake said with a bored expression.
" Yeah, i think so too. let's have our fun somewhere else." Paul agreed and started walking out the alley alongside Jake.
"You wanna go to the forest? We could kill some wild beasts."
"Nah, I'm not bored of living yet. Let's go to the guild hall, maybe we can pick something worth our time there."
As they two boys left, the sound of talking got lower and lower untill it ceased to be. The only one left was a boy lying with blood trickling from his head.
' Just wait you bastards. I'll give you the taste of your own medicine very soon.' The boy said in his mind as he got up with some effort and made his way towards the orphanage.
As the boy passed through the streets with his bloody head, people walking by his sides didn't seem to give him any weird looks as if injuries were a common occurrence here.
The boy finally reached the destination and made his way towards the apothecary center in the orphanage. The woman saw his condition and frowned
" Arthur! you again. Who did you mess with this time?" She said and started tending to his wounds.
" I did nothing! Madam Emily. I was just passing by the streets when those two assholes picked up on me." Arthur grumbled but still told her the story.
" Language, young man. Are you that much desperate to clean this whole floor with your wound?" Emily said angrily.
"Sowwy..." Arthur meekily said as tears threatened to form in his eyes after seeing Emily angry at him.
"Sigh..just go to your classes. I'll talk to the headmistress about all this." Emily said as she calmed herself down.
Arthur silently walked out from the hall and went directly towards his room. It was a room big enough for housing only a bed, table and a chair. The orphanage made sure to make the room as much as comfortable for the childrens.
Arthur jumped on his bed, his feet hanging as his face facing the ceiling. His eyes focusing at the mana stone embedded into the ceiling as his face was filled with longing for something or someone. He closed his eyes and shook his head slowly as he brought his right arm up.
He looked at his right arm and focused on his palm. Suddenly he felt like something inside his body moved towards his palm and the next moment cracks of blue lightening surrounded his palm. He then willed those cracks to converge in his index finger but the next moment the cracks of lightening vanished into thin air.
' Thought so. But why isn't it converging like that book said?' he asked himself but only silence came into response.
Arthur was now four and half years old for the world but his thought process was more mature than kids his age. Maybe the constant threat of bullies and survival forced him to adapt this thinking, or maybe not. No one knows the sure answer for it.
But there was one thing Arthur always made sure of -to always act like his age in anyone's presence.
It was also the reason his lie was bought by Emily easily about roaming the streets, but the truth was that he went to the library today for the first time in search for his answers.
Arthur hasn't told anyone -both literally and figuratively- about his blue lightening. Mainly because he himself didn't have any worthy information regarding it, which resulted in his trip to the library.
He wasn't able to find anything useful today except a basic lightning helpbook simply because he simply didn't knew where to start from and hence decided to visit there again Tommorow.
After sorting his thoughts, he went to attend his classes unless he wanted a fuming Emily on his back. The day passed just like that and Arthur went to his bed with a smile on his face and expectations for the next day.
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[Peter's POV]
Peter was in a dilemma. He was currently sitting in an open restaurant near a dark alley, sipping large cup of wine slowly.
His eyes occasionally glancing in the alley and the reactions on his face indicated that the darkness of that place wasn't enough to hinder his sharp eyes.
He was given an order by his master to keep a watch on Arthur but strictly prohibited him from interfering in his life. That leads to his current dilemma, he watched Arthur getting beaten by those two pipsqueaks alas he couldn't lend a hand in his predicament unless he wanted to die a gruesome death by triggering the seal.
So... He watched, untill the two brats had their fun, he watched. When Peter's glass was about to be empty, he saw the two brats finishing their business and exiting the alley.
Peter couldn't understand why his master had told him to watch the boy as he got beaten on a regular basis if he has no intention of giving a hand. He had an inkling about his master's thought but he didn't confirm it.
He sat rooted on his seat for full five minutes before he saw signs of Arthur standing groggily and watched as he too exited the alley while limping.
Peter followed him in the streets, the indifferent stares Arthur got didn't frowned him as he got the thought that the boy was probably misunderstood as an adventurer.
Although he was just about five years old, It wasn't unusual for kids his age to become adventurers as the adventurer's guild didn't have any age restriction to join and that is why many kids -mainly from the slums- join early with hopes of making a big harvest someday.
He followed him till he reached the orphanage and only when Arthur entered the boundary of the building, Peter took a sigh of relief and changed his direction to Dane's house for today's briefing.
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[Emily's POV]
" Emily dear, fetch me a health potion please?"
"Cominggg."
It was a normal day for Emily the apothecary.
She was doing here usual work when her eyes subconsciously moved towards the entrance of the hall. Her face filled with worry when she saw Arthur groggily making his way in.
She hurriedly walked towards him and helped him sit as she fetched her medical supplies.
"Arthur! Who did you mess with this time?" Her words filled with worriness as she tended to his wounds.
"I did nothing! madam Emily. I was just passing by when those two assholes picked up on me." Came a reply from the boy as his face was filled with innocence.
" Language, young man. Are you that much desperate to clean this whole floor with your wound?"
Although Emily said those words, she believed that the boy didn't said anything wrong but alas she had some responsibilities to maintain as a teacher.
In her eyes, Arthur was just a five years old kid who was prone to constant bullying due to him being a orphan.
"Sigh..just go to your classes. I'll talk to the headmistress about all this." Emily she finally said when she saw the boy bring intimidated.
When she saw Arthur back leaving the hall, her face filled with worry as she thought
' Hope you don't come here like that next time.'
When Arthur was gone, she looked in the direction of an old lady sitting at the counter and said
" Miss Vale, I'll be back in a moment. Please take care of things for me, please."
The old lady looked at her and smiled and said
"Okay. Okay. Just don't take too much time, there is a lot of traffic here."
"Thank you miss Vale. You're the best." Emily said as she smiled
"Just go. No need to butter me up." Miss Vale said
Emily scratched her cheek nervously while smiling, as she walked out of the apothecary hall as she hurriedly made her way towards the headmaster's cabin.
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