SYSTEM ASCENSION

Flashback

The structure stood old and ancient, the new place she had gotten a job. For someone who came from a small town with no education or awaken ability, getting a job to work in an orphanage was a huge deal.

She smoothed her rumpled dress with her gloved hands and clutch tighter on her bag, then adjusted her hat.

"Calm down Amy." She mumbled a few words. "They are just kids."

A lady was already there to receive her.

"Lady Amy?"

"Yes!"

"Call me Cara." The lady pushed the rusty gate open and ushered her in. "Come with me."

Amy began to observe the place as they walked in. It was fairy large, and a few number of kids could be seen playing. She glanced at another direction where some practiced their abilities with the help of teachers.

"So young and already awakened."

Cara glanced at the children. "They are children who lost their parents to the portals."

The smile on Amy’s face dimmed into a saddened expression. She couldn’t relate, because she grew up with her parents and had never experienced a portal incident, yet she felt sympathy.

"You’ll be placed to watch non awakened children since the awakened ones can hurt you." Cara continued.

"Aah! Yes! Of course!" She subconsciously smoothed her dress again as they arrived at the main house. Cara took Amy to the ladies lounge and show her her assigned room. She dropped her bag, was given a key and proceed to touring the orphanage.

"The cafeteria is right there." She pointed.

"Do the awakened and non awakened ones ear together?"

"We can’t promote peace between them if you seperate them, so they eat together," she explained. "We made sure to teach the awakened ones how to increase their strength and use their abilities. When they are old enough, they’ll take an entrance exam into an awakened school. For the non awakened ones, we teach them business, biology, geography and more. They would take the exam into the non awakened school."

Amy smiled. "I understand."

She proceed to showing her everything they came across. By the end of one hour, Amy had already familiarise herself with the surrounding.

"Thank you for the tour."

"It’s my job."

Just then, her eyes drifted to the yard. Although children were playing, one of them seem to be an exception. He didn’t look bored, but lost. His gaze was fixed on the children’s activities like there were performing a strange feat.

She narrowed her eyes.

"Who is that?"

Cara’s eye drifted to the boy. "Aa, that one was brought here two weeks ago. Apparently, an old woman found him in a pit once filled with crawlers."

Amy flinched. "Crawlers?!"

"Yeah. It seems the raiders cleared it but happened to miss the boy, but I don’t think it was that easy."

"What do you mean?"

"She said she heard crying for a week when the crawler’s were still rampant, and after it was cleared, they didn’t come out with any child. She went in after another week because she couldn’t shake it off, and found him sitting on the pile of corpse. The question is..."

"How did he stay alive and the raiders couldn’t find him?" Amy completed.

Cara nodded. "He’s most likely an awakened one and somehow, his ability helped him."

"Invisibility perhaps?" Amy shrugged. She had heard stories and that was the only ability that mentally match the description.

"He hasn’t made a sound since he was brought here. The only information we were able to get is the necklace he was holding. It says Zeal. That’s probably his name."

Amy eyes returned to the boy.

"I called a specialist to check him," Cara was already walking to the main hall. "Go bring him."

"What? Me?!"

"Your first job!"

She watched the lady walk away before walking to him. She haven’t gotten close to him before she called out.

"Hey kid."

No reaction. He didn’t even glance at her.

She got to him, and squat down before him. His attention finally moved to her.

"Hi." She smiled.

"..."

"You’re Zeal right?"

"..."

"I...was asked to bring you to the main hall."

"I don’t think he understands you." A male voice said. It was a little boy that was sitting not far away. "I also tried that."

The boy looked at Zeal and waved at him. It took him a few seconds before he raised his hand and waved back.

"See? Use body language." The boy added.

She huffed quietly. Looking at him, he look to be about five or six of age, but didn’t seem to understand a single word.

She pointed back to the hall, then herself, then him.

’I hope he gets it.’

She streched her hand to him and he took it. That brought a smile to her lips as she lead him to the main hall.

"I wonder what happened to you, like your family and all. Who knows, we might be able to find anyone and you won’t have to stay in the orphanage right?"

He just stared up at her lip, not understanding a single word.

When they got to the hall, a woman was standing close to the lady that was giving the tour earlier.

"Sit him down on this stool." The woman pointed to a stool.

Amy carried him and dropped him on the high stool. During that time, she noticed how lean he is. He barely had flesh and she could feel his rib.

It brought a bad taste to her mouth.

The woman pulled her own stool to him and sat, before carefully taking his hand.

"Ability activate," she shut her eyes. "Memory lane."

"..."

Nothing happened physically like Amy was expecting, and that just got her tilting her head to understand what was going on. The boy looked conscious, just staring at the woman’s head.

She finally pulled back after a minute.

"It’s hopeless, he doesn’t remember anything."

Cara tilted her head. "Can’t you dig deeper? I know you can."

The woman huffed. "It’ll cost you more."

"The authority will pay it anyway." Cara shrugged.

The lady grabbed his hand again and shut her eyes. This time, the air around them was denser. She didn’t shut her eyes.

"Ability activate! Memory invasion!"

Zeal flinched at her eyes glowed. He tried to scramble back, almost falling off the stool, but she held him tighter.

"Is he in pain?" Cara asked.

"No. He’s just confused." The woman replied.

She invaded every little bit of unconcious memories and dug dipper. Fortunately, she arrived at what happened.

Cara and Amy continue to watch, and it seems to be progressing well, but not until the woman abruptly shoved him away, knocking him of the stool.

She flew back and retched on the floor.

"What..." Cara gasped.

Amy simply helped the boy up, taking note of how he made no reaction to what happened.

"Why did you push him?"

"I’m sorry," the woman cough. "It came as a shock."

"What is it?"

Before she could say a word, Zeal pulled out of Amy’s grip. He began to walk back to the open door. When they turned their gazes, they could see the boy earlier waving at him.

"Leave him." Cara sighed. "So, what did you see?"

"He’s an awakened one, like you suspected," the woman said, cleaning her mouth.

"What’s his ability?"

"Regeneration."

Amy’s eyes lit up. "Regeneration? That’s quite rare. It seems..."

She quickly caught the grim look on Cara’s face.

"Is...it bad?"

Cara glanced at her.

"How do you think a child with regeneration ability survive in a camp of crawlers?"

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