Re:START/If {Book 1.0}
Chapter 61: Aswad 8 of 15 “To know who I am” (Part 03)
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The sun began to rise, a clear day welcoming the city located on one of the sea coasts of Luke's region, the Kingdom of Felixia. At the Inkara orphanage not far from the city harbor, the orphans living there had started their activities even before the sun appeared at the end of the horizon.
The boys cut wood from the barn for the fireplace, while the girls went to wash clothes into an artificial canal on the outskirts of town. For the little ones who could not do the hard work, they helped the nun to prepare breakfast in the kitchen. Such daily life is what becomes their routine on ordinary days in spring.
On the orphanage page, Daniel — A tanned-haired boy with blood-red eyes looks just finished cutting firewood. After putting the axe into the barn, he returned to the front yard to tie the wood with the rootstrap and would take it to the kitchen to fuel the fireplace.
“Daniel, Firkaf to where? How is it alone?” asked Nesta who had just returned after washing in the canal.
She is a brown-haired girl with a single braid tie, her eyes are bright blue and have slightly pale skin. While carrying a basket full of freshly washed clothes, he opened the gate with his feet and stepped into the courtyard. Looking to the right and left, Nesta again asked, “Did she run away again?”
After tying the firewood and shouldering it, Daniel put on a sullen face and replied, “I think he's coming with you. Otherwise, it means Firkaf goes straight to the iron beach place again. Yesterday he said there was an important lesson that should not be missed, anyway.” Without elaborating, the boy stepped towards the entrance of the orphanage.
“Then Nanra?” ask Nesta back.
“Ah, this time it is very rare that she does not run away.” Daniel stopped, turned to Nesta and said, “Nanra is helping Sisikisik in the kitchen. Brother seemed to have come home last night. She woke up late and made breakfast.”
“Wah, tumben once Kak Siska misadventure.”
Daniel slightly frowned. “Aren't you the one who woke up first? If you see Siska is still sleeping, why not wake up?” said ketus.
Nesta looked away, then jokingly replied, “I am also now in a hurry today. After I finished sunning, I should immediately go to the Main Church as it got a call to come yesterday.”
“Hmm, you have been accepted as a Nun, yes?”
“No, not yet!” Nesta got upset and felt the question was a satire. “I was only told to help with the christening ceremony later this month,” he explained in a grumbling tone.
“Ah ..” Hearing this, Daniel slightly remembered the age of the twins Mila and Erial. Realizing something, both his eyes opened wide and said, “True too! They both are now seven years old, ‘kan?”
While walking to the clothesline in the side yard, Nesta slightly smiled slightly and said, “New dander? Their age is now seven years. For orphans who do not know when the date of birth, at the beginning of the year is usually set as their date of birth.” Putting a wicker basket filled with laundry cloth, Nesta began to sunbathe on the clothesline in the side yard. While squeezing wet cloths before drying, he again explained, “At the age of seven children will do baptism to purify them, he said, then at the age of twelve they will perform a second baptism for the ceremony of maturity.”
“By the way, I've been baptized yet huh?” Daniel turned his gaze away and stared at the dawn sky doubtfully. Looking back at Nesta, the boy said, “I don't remember it at all. Even before to stay here, I ...”
“Not you and I have been baptized?” Nesta glanced at a glance, then kindly said, “You were last year and I was yesterday again. At the beginning of each mid-spring, around the beginning of the year like this.”
“Not the Ceremony of Maturity so that we are allowed to start studying at an internship at our job, but the beginning,” said Daniel while bowing his head in front of the entrance.
Looking at that grim expression, Nesta was a little anxious at first glance. Daniel was a carefree and feisty child, but sometimes such a dark aura was seen when he discussed the past. “I think already,” said Nesta while returning to lower the cloth to be dried back to the basket.
He momentarily stopped drying his clothes, looked towards one of the orphanage children he had considered to be his younger brother and began to throw a light smile. “You came here after the age of more than seven years, it's natural already, isn't it?” he said as he walked towards Daniel.
The boy was facing Nesta, about to refute but at once the words stopped when he saw him walking closer. Standing before Daniel, Nesta pressed her forehead against the red-eyed boy's forehead.
It took the boy by surprise and almost dropped the bearded firewood. But feeling a strange warmth, he momentarily closed his eyes and felt no problem at that sort of thing.
Daniel was a little different from the other children who lived in the orphanage. Unlike those who have a past to serve as the foundation and reason for life, or with the twins Mila and Erial too small to remember anything they had gone through before reaching the orphanage, Daniel has no recollection of his past.
When he was born, who his parents were, or where he came from, such things he did not remember at all. What Daniel knew, the first time he woke up he was in a forest of cypress trees and was once saved by a soldier from the commotion caused by the bandits. That's why he aspires to be a soldier and admire the profession.
Daniel was once told that he was the son of a merchant who was robbed by bandits in the forest. Memory loss due to severe trauma and a severe impact on the head. But after his mentality began to recover and heard all that directly from Siska and the soldiers who helped him, it still did not trigger Daniel's memory back as if it was not his.
Daniel opened his eyes, stepped back and said, “Thank you, Nesta.” Putting on a firm smile, the boy who aspired to become a soldier excitedly said, “Don't worry! A man like myself would not falter just because of that kind of thing! I don't have a past or anything! As long as there is a memory with you, I will always be strong!”
“Huh!” Nanra sniffed lightly, immediately turned around and sneered, “Who worries a fool like you!”
“Not stupid is excessive?” Daniel pouted a little, looked away and insecurely said, “I'm not too stupid, you know.”
“If you are that excited, after putting firewood behind help me sunbathe, yes!
“Eeeh?” Daniel put on a reluctant face. But at a glance at Nesta's slightly grim expression, the blood-red-eyed boy asked, “We rarely discuss things like this, but you came to this place before me, ‘kan? At what age? From where?”
In a sense of wonder, Daniel was stunned at a glance to see the expressions and words that seemed very different from the usual Nesta. When he was about to ask, suddenly the door of the orphanage opened and pushed him firmly until he fell forward. The wood he was carrying fell scattered, the rope fell off and some fell on him. Nesta looked over anxiously at the loud sound of falling wood.
But when he saw it was the carelessness of Nanra who opened the door without saying anything and made Daniel fall down, a smile began to appear on the face of Nesta who previously had a somber glance.
“Sorry, Daniel .... I didn't know you were,” Nanra said with a flat look. He had absolutely no intention of helping Daniel clear the scattered wood.
Finished reassembling all the pieces of wood and tying them up, Daniel stared dejectedly until his two eyebrows almost fused to the center. He pointed at Nanra and snapped, “More help me clean it up! Even stand up!”
Not paying attention to that, Nanra turned her face away and got sucked up, “You're a boy, ‘kan? Do not be noisy about trivial things like that, at least try to emulate the attitude of Mr. Odo who is generous.”
“He~eh~?” Daniel stared suspiciously, feeling that Nanra's relationship with the Marquess' child was getting closer. “You have also been returning home since the Young Master built a shop in the business district, ‘kan? What are you doing?” ask her with a soft tone.
While raising her chin and puffing out her chest, Nanra proudly said, “Something great! It's none of your business! You just work like a muscle lunatic, you dumbass.”
Daniel's forehead puckered a little, then with annoyance he grumbled, “You two just want to say so, huh? My heart could be broken, nih.”
“You?” Nanra immediately looked towards the side courtyard where Nesta was sunning. A bad taste began to appear in his mind and immediately offered, “You want me to help, Nesta?”
“No need,”teen Nesta while turning towards the two of them. Putting on a grim face, he was seen trying hard to hold back the laughter. Turning his gaze away, Nesta with a slightly leaked laugh asked, “A ... Eng, you've changed a lot, haven't you? Did something happen? That is, to wear clothes that don't suit you like that?”
“Eh? Doesn't fit?”
What Nanra was wearing right now was a white shirt that was quite overstuffed on the chest, while for her subordinates was a long black skirt to the ankles. At the waist of the circular singel strap and a red ribbon tie as an additional knick on the chest, then on both feet wear a pair of leather shoes with a wooden base.
With just one look, Nesta immediately knew that what the silvery-white haired girl was wearing was the clothes and shoes of the Siska Nun as a child.
Finished drying the last clothes from the basket, Nesta put the tip of the palm to the front of the mouth and offended, “Yeah, how to say it. Usually ‘kan you only wear trousers the same tunik doang dress, anyway.”
Nanra did not feel at all strange about what she was wearing, because it was like that should be the appearance of a secretary at work. Gazing at Daniel and Nesta's tense modest dress of tunic t-shirts and dull dresses, Nanra at first glance began to feel what she was wearing now was quite excessive.
“Ka-If you think about it, right too! I'd better replace the usual.” He immediately turned around and was about to enter again to change his clothes.
But on the doorstep, Siska who had just finished cooking and was still wearing pajamas came to an end. The blonde haired woman placed her right palm over Nanra's head, then gently reprimanded, “Today you want to work at Mr Odo's place, ‘kan? Then, wear proper clothes so as not to embarrass him. It doesn't matter if you borrow from your brother now. When you have earned a wage, you can buy your own later.”
Daniel and Nesta were surprised when their guardian figure came out from the inside and prevented the silvery-white hair girl like that. Siska immediately stared at the two children in turn, then gently reprimanded, “Nesta also do not talk like that. When you officially become a nun, you will also wear different clothes than what you wear everyday. Gradually, the clothes will also be attached to you and become commonplace.”
“Ma-Sorry ...” Nesta lowered her head in regret.
“No problem as long as you understand,” said Siska while putting on a smile.
Despite the groggy trembling, Nanra raised her face and loudly said, “Ka-Then, I leave first! Sister Siska!”
“Hmm, good-bye.” Siska raised her hand from Nanra's head, then in a soft voice prayed, “May your day be pleasant and the gods bless.”
“Ya!” The girl immediately turned around, walked towards the gate and went to the place where she found what was her way of life. Despite looking careless and clumsy in the face of new things, Nanra still stepped up excitedly.
Watching her departure to the place that made her grow older, Siska briefly smiled and felt proud in her mind. He was relieved to see that one of his foster children had found a clear purpose in life, feeling endowed with his soul and body.
Daniel and Nesta's perspective on Nanra changed slightly after hearing their guardian's words. The two children thought that Nanra was a wayward child and had absolutely no life motivation or dreams. But after seeing him take the starting line earlier than they did in people's lives, a sense of insecurity began to envelop the two children.
“Why are you guys moody?”
Siska stroked Daniel's head, then called Nesta to come closer by waving her hand. In a step full of doubt, the girl walked over with a downcast face. Swiping the heads of the two children, the nun immediately embraced them with warmth.
Every child will inevitably mature bodies, find their own future and leave their homes. Siska knew it would happen and the children she nurtured would become adults, moving towards their dreams. It is grateful that they can continue to live and move to achieve dreams with pride.
But as the woman who had taken care of them, Siska could not hide her sadness and anxiety. By keeping hold of Daniel and Nesta, in softly the Nun whispered, “May a bright future welcome you, may you find greater happiness and share it with others.”
At first glance in Siska's mind fear began to mix, recalling yesterday's events that seemed to make his sense about the world began to collapse. Tighter hugging the two of them, the blonde-haired woman was truly grateful not to take the children out of the building. He was so grateful that they did not know about the monstrous skull figure that could easily destroy their dreams like waves crashing into an unfinished sand castle.