Chapter 1 The Trouble Maker
"Nami, it's okay! Don't cry, okay? You can have my share of the cake," Aiden said. He stroked Nami's hair, the little girl still sobbing, she hadn't gotten any cake this week because she was considered the most disliked "troublemaker."
"But what about you, Aiden?" Although she desperately wanted the cake, she felt awkward with Aiden, who this time also gave it to her.
The hazel-eyed boy smiled gently. He displayed the strength and devotion of an older brother, even though they weren't related by blood.
"It's okay, I don't really like cake. Eat the cake! After this, there's something I want to show you."
"Show me what?"
"A secret until you see it for yourself."
That afternoon, with the spring air carrying the scent of flowers, Aiden and Nami walked up the hill nearly one mile from the Everdeen Orphanage, where they lived.
The chirping of birds greeted them with melodious, cheerful sounds. Nami was mesmerized, she had never seen such a beautiful place before, of course, because no one would take her there other than Aiden.
"Forest?" She asked innocently, as this forest was unlike anything she had imagined.
"We're on a hill, and from here we can see the city and the ocean near the orphanage." Aiden took her hand and led her to the edge of the hill, right next to an old tree that still stood strong.
Her beautiful eyes sparkled as she took in the view of the city and the ocean, which seemed so close, as if she could just jog to it. Seeing her face, Aiden smiled. He had never seen Nami this happy. This made him grateful he had brought her here.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
"Yes, very beautiful."
"Want to come here again tomorrow?"
"Of course! But what's the name of this place?"
"I don't know, I don't know the name of the place either. But there are lots of irises growing around here."
"Irises?"
"Yes, like the ones near your feet!" Aiden said, pointing to the blue flowers growing near the old tree.
The flowers were blooming beautifully, but a flat stone that looked like a tombstone was half buried in the ground. They looked at each other in confusion, it was clearly a strange stone. Even though they tried to clear the dirt covering it, they still couldn't find an answer.
"What is this stone?" Nami asked, quite curious about what they had found.
"I don't know, but it looks like this tombstone belongs to someone who died a long time ago."
"S-so this is someone's grave?"
"It could be a human grave or maybe an animal grave. The inscription is no longer visible, it must have been a very long time."
"Ten years?"
"Maybe decades."
"Or hundreds of years?"
"Because hundreds of years seems unlikely, because even though it looks very old, this grave is still quite well-maintained."
"Why would someone be buried in a deserted place like this? Isn't he lonely?"
"A dead person doesn't feel lonely, Nami."
"Really?"
"Yes, it's the person left behind who feels lonely. Because if someone dies, that means we won't be able to see them again. Even if we cry and wait, we won't be able to see them again."
Kingdom of Evangelia
City of the Hellenes
April 27, 2048
"Nami? Nami...!"
Hearing someone call her name, Nami woke up and opened her eyes. Levi's cold face greeted her, stunning her.
Levi was standing a few steps in front of her, holding an umbrella. This made her realize she had fallen asleep under this old tree in the rain. The dream had brought her back to this place.
"Levi? W-what are you doing?"
"I should be the one asking, what are you doing here? You look like trash." The young man hurled a sharp insult with a straight face.
Hearing Levi's question, Nami didn't answer immediately. She just remembered the only reason she had come here was because she was in a bad mood. Everything had been a mess since she had failed another audition to become a singer and actress.
Looking at her gloomy face, Levi could easily guess. This wasn't the first time he had taken Nami to the large, old tree on the hill. It could be said that this was the 29th time since they first met.
"You failed the audition again? And you're being made to pay for damages for breaking something?" Levi tried to guess, and often he was right. Nami was silent for 10 seconds before finally bursting into silly tears.
"Levi, what should I do? I failed the audition and I accidentally destroyed the door in that building." Nami cried hysterically, making her face look even more ridiculous and pathetic in Levi's eyes.
Levi stared at her for a moment with a look that said "I knew it" for five seconds and then sighed. It felt like déjà vu to him, as this kind of thing had happened so many times.
Nami clearly belonged to the "Esper" class, a group of superpowered humans born after a mysterious eclipse that plunged the world into darkness for three weeks 28 years ago. Some children born after the eclipse experienced a strange genetic mutation that remains an unsolved mystery.
A small percentage were born with mysterious powers that enable them to do things normal humans cannot. However, most of these children had genetic mutations that gave them birth defects.
"I warned you to be more careful in using your powers. What if the scientists from ERI saw you and became suspicious? You know the consequences, right?" Levi felt that he had warned Nami too many times about the dangers that lurked if she exposed her crazy powers too much in public.
It was clear that spies from the ERI (Esper Research Institute) would be, or were already, watching him. People with superpowers were the perfect guinea pigs, especially those who were so young and didn't yet know how to control their powers.
"Take me to that place!"
"W-What place?"
"The audition venue whose door you broke!"
"Okay."
Nami led Levi to the audition building for aspiring artists, which she had abandoned a few hours earlier because she refused to pay compensation. Seeing the damage Nami had caused, Levi remained silent with an indescribable expression. Yes, this was no small damage, a large wall had been destroyed, along with the door barely visible.
Nami hid behind Levi's back, like a puppy seeking protection from its mother for the trouble she had caused. Meanwhile, Levi stood motionless before the three men in charge of this building.
"P-Professor Levi? What are you doing here? Do you need something?" Asked a middle-aged man in a formal suit.
"I want to pay for the damage to this building."
The three men looked at Nami, who smiled awkwardly, holding back shame and guilt. She was completely relying on Levi's compassion to resolve this matter.
"Do you know that girl, Professor?"