“Oh, Mei Li, you came out early? No wonder I didn’t see you inside,” Tiny said the moment he spotted the small figure standing a short distance behind them. Nash turned to look as well.
A girl stood amid the faint light of dawn. Her deep black hair was dry and coarse, as if it had never known any kind of care. Her face was pale and wan, the outer corners of her eyes tilted slightly upward. Her eyes weren’t small, but they held a wary glint. Her dirty clothes were no different from Nash’s and Tiny’s in the slightest.
If he hadn’t had the original owner’s memories in his head, Nash would definitely have wondered why, in a medieval world with a distinctly Western feel, there was a girl from the eastern lands standing before him.
Mei Li’s family had been new wandering merchants. They had traveled from the eastern kingdoms to open a trade route in this territory. But before they could establish themselves, their merchant caravan was ambushed and robbed by bandits.
Fortunately, a patrol happened to pass by in time. But “in time” didn’t mean they were able to save everyone.
Her father and mother had stood in front of her to protect their daughter, but they hadn’t survived like she had. All that remained was a six- or seven-year-old girl forced to watch her entire world collapse before her eyes.
After that, she was sent to this orphanage. From that day until now, she had survived for a full year. And because Tiny had invited her into their group, asked her to go look for work, play, and talk with them, she had slowly forced herself to keep breathing and moving forward.
At first, she barely spoke at all. She would simply sit there, staring blankly at the floor, her eyes empty. Sometimes she cried without a sob, as if the tears flowed on their own without passing through her heart.
Though she seemed much stronger now, the way she still startled at loud noises and the dullness that sometimes clouded her eyes made it clear that those wounds had never truly healed.
“Is something wrong, Nash?” Mei Li asked when she noticed him staring at her for an unusually long time.
“Nothing. Hey, Mei Li, are the eastern kingdoms you came from big?” Nash asked in a casual, offhand manner, even though he wanted to understand the structure of this world more clearly.
The girl raised one eyebrow slightly. “Why are you asking all of a sudden? We’ve known each other for so long, and I’ve never seen you interested in things like that.”
She paused briefly before continuing. “The one I came from is considered big, but it isn’t the only kingdom. There are several kingdoms in the east. Their cultures are different, and so are their ways of life.”
Nash nodded lightly. That information was enough for him to piece together a rough idea that this world wasn’t as small as it appeared.
Just then, a soldier’s voice rang out. “Kids, line up! Come get your food!”
The orphans scattered around the front of the orphanage hurried over and obediently formed a line. Coarse, hard bread was handed out one piece at a time until all the dozen or so children had received theirs.
Nash looked at the two pieces of bread in his small palms and muttered, “What is this supposed to fill?”
“Fill what? Are you sick?” Tiny immediately asked. “You can have mine too, like you gave me yours yesterday.”
“Are you feeling really sick?” Mei Li asked, frowning.
“It’s nothing. I’m just complaining,” Nash said with an awkward smile.
The two of them continued staring at him suspiciously before asking at the same time, “You sure?”
“Of course,” he replied.
Afterward, the three of them went to sit beneath a tree beside the orphanage. Nash turned the bread over in his hand and sighed. “It’s so dry I could choke to death without even realizing it.”
“Then get some water from the stream. That’s what we usually do,” Tiny replied.
“You don’t boil it first?” Nash blurted out.
“Then go gather firewood and start a fire. There’s a pot in the sleeping hall,” Mei Li answered, looking confused. “You’re never usually this fussy. You’re really acting strange today.”
Nash immediately realized that he had shown too much difference from the body's original owner.
Before either of them could question him further, he took a huge bite of bread, followed quickly by another, until both pieces vanished into his stomach. “It’d be nice if we had some sweetened condensed milk.”
“You already finished it?” they both exclaimed.
Nash shrugged. He was this hungry—why would he leave any behind?
“What are you going to eat at noon?” Tiny asked worriedly. “Just take mine.”
“No need.” Nash shook his head. “Today I’m going to try going into the forest and look around the stream. Maybe I can find some fish or wild greens.”
“What are you going in there for? There’s a dungeon in the inner area!” Tiny fired off one question after another. “Do you know how to hunt? Do you have a weapon? Do you even know which plants are edible?”
“I’m not going in deep. Just around the outskirts,” Nash replied evenly, though the word “dungeon” had caught his attention.
“What if you don’t find anything?” Mei Li asked.
Nash flashed a wide grin. “I’ve got you two, don’t I? You wouldn’t let me starve to death, right?”
The two exchanged hesitant glances. Nash really was acting strange today. His words, his manner of speaking, his gestures—everything about him seemed like it belonged to a different person.
In the end, though, they both gave a small nod.
“Mm-hmm.”
But Nash had no intention of relying on anyone. He would never go hungry again, no matter what it took.
“So how do you start a fire?” he asked.
“You can ask the soldiers for some flint, or have an adult who can use a little magic help you light one,” Tiny replied.
“Then I’ll try using a fire drill,” Nash said, recalling a method he had once read about in passing.
“You know how to do that?” Mei Li asked in surprise. “My great-grandfather used to do it.”
“I’ll give it a try. I heard some hunters talking about it when they brought animals into town,” Nash replied, bluffing as smoothly as he could.
“All right, you two go look for work,” Nash said. “I’ll head into the forest by myself.”
“Be careful,” Tiny said before the two of them split off to get their baskets.
Nash suddenly remembered that he had a basket of his own—a rough, crudely woven backpack made from bark and vines. Tiny had made it for him.
He picked it up and slung it over his back, then took one deep breath. Before him was the clear stream flowing alongside the forest. Behind him was the life of an orphan doomed to die from hunger.
Nash stepped forward and silently headed into the forest.