Orphan 1

KiNa wasn’t much of a thief. He just had the ability to make people look the other way. Like right now, as he crept up next to the rickety fruit cart, holding his breath, hoping his rumbling stomach wouldn’t give him away. He wasn’t much of a thief. But if he didn’t steal, he didn’t …

Orphan 2

KiNa made sure to bite into every piece of food put on his plate at least once, before he proceeded to eat his meal properly. He learned that more often than not, people didn’t try to swipe food after you already bit into it. This didn’t always work, but SoYa didn’t seem the type to …

Orphan 3

It was like something out of one of those super-secret spy stories, and KiNa was sneaking accordingly. True, there wasn’t anything to sneak from. True, it was only SoYa who was leading him down a worn path through the forest. Yet, he had been sworn to secrecy on what he was about to see, so …

Orphan 4

KiNa slipped on the pair of boots that SoYa left for him. They were a size too large, but certainly better than what he had before. The man also provided him with clothes, all much more sturdy than what he was used to wearing. Though SoYa didn’t say anything about the origins of the garments, …

Orphan 5

KiNa had no time to ponder the strange vision from the Stone. The forest around him came to life with agitated chirps and hums and other strange sounds. It was a clutter of dissonance, fighting to straighten itself out within his mind. It didn’t quite work. Large, pointed-eared, furry beasts appeared at every exit of …

Orphan 6

“You’re here early, Hunt.” SoYa’s cheerful voice seeped into the quiet depths of KiNa’s slumber. The boy shook himself awake, at first not remembering his appointment with the Ingway. The creature’s voice took care of that, though. “Here to train. Where is SnoopyTu?” Train? Oh! That’s right! Today is… The boy scuttled out of bed, …

Orphan 7

“Are you ready for our first lesson?” SoYa asked, dropping his pack on the table near the window. KiNa still ached from the training with Hunt earlier, but that wouldn’t keep him from learning something new. There was only one problem, one thing that he never addressed with his new teacher yet. “Sure… uh… just something …

Orphan 8

“SoYa, I’m not sure if there’s a nice way of saying this,” KiNa wiped his brow after chasing the last of the black smoke out of the kitchen window. “But, you’re a really lousy cook.” The mind mage just sighed, taking that like he took everything else. “I know. Most the time AsaHi won’t let …