He stepped toward the grove-
*COUGH!!*
A sharp cough cut through the air.
The matron.
Eiji turned instantly.
She leaned against the doorway, hand pressed to her chest, breath trembling. The kids didn't notice. But he did.
She wiped her mouth quickly, forcing a smile when she caught him staring.
"Don't mind me Eiji," she said lightly. "It's just the dust."
Eiji didn't believe that for a second.
He got up from the ground and walked toward her, worry etched across his face.
"Matron…"
"I'm alright," she said quickly, waving him off. "What are you frowning for? Go and play with the others."
He hesitated.
"Eiji." Her voice softened as she rubbed the top of his head. "You don't have to be an adult here. That's my job. So until you grow up, I will take care of you"
He looked down at his hands.
"I just don't want you to push yourself," he said quietly.
Her expression melted, touched and sad all at once.
"Come here," she said gently.
He stepped forward.
She crouched down and hugged him lightly. "You're such a good boy, Eiji."
Her hand shook.
She pulled back before he could notice. But he already had.
"You really are," she added softly.
He swallowed.
"I'll get stronger," he whispered, almost too quiet for her to hear.
Her brows arching up curiously. "Stronger? What brought this on?"
Eiji raised his head, staring straight into her eyes.
His gaze was steady.
"Because I want to help you," he said simply.
The matron froze.
For a moment, she didn't know what to say. Her lips parted, then closed again. She exhaled shakily, regaining composure.
"Eiji… you're-"
But before she could ask what he meant, a chorus of shrieks echoed behind them.
"AHHH"
"THE SQUIRREL STOLE MY SNACK AGAIN!!"
The moment broke instantly.
Kids scattered in every direction, chasing a surprisingly nimble squirrel across the yard. The matron sighed and went to intervene before someone got hurt.
Eiji watched her departing figure, the slight stiffness in her posture.
He clenched his fists slowly.
"I have to do something"
Later that afternoon, when chores were done and the kids crowded the living room to play with the toys and each other, Eiji slipped back outside into the quiet backyard.
The sun had dipped lower, washing the world in warm orange.
He sat beneath the the tree, legs crossed, hands resting gently on his knees.
Okay. Again.
He took a breath.
Slow.
Steady.
The world quieted.
He closed his eyes.
And deep within him…
The familiar warmth returned.
A faint pulse.
A tiny spark.
It was warm and somehow felt alive. Waiting for him to call it
His brows furrowed lightly.
'Come on… Show me again.'
He concentrated, not too hard, but with steady intent.
The warmth flickered.
Then surged faintly.
Then—
Something in his head clicked.
A whisper. So quiet he thought he imagined it.
[ …progress… detected… ]
Eiji's eyes snapped open as a sudden heaviness fell on both his body and mind.
"Who was tha-"
The world spun.
His breath hitched.
Wobbling as he tried to stand.
The warmth roared up his spine turning into a fiery heat, wild and uncontrolled, flooding his nerves with tingling heat.
His vision blurred.
His knees buckled.
*THUD*
And the last thing he heard before everything went dark was a soft, broken whisper in the back of his mind.
[…initializing…]
"EIJI!!!" He could hear the Matron's scream
Eiji collapsed onto the grass.
Unconscious.
Darkness held him for a few long moments. Thick, heavy, almost cold. Sounds echoed faintly as his mind clawed its way back toward consciousness. Someone was calling his name.
"...#i….J%.."
'Who is that?'
"…ji… Eiji…!"
A sharper voice broke through.
"Eiji!!"
His eyes snapped open.
The world came back in fragments. Blurred ceiling, the smell of antiseptic herbs, something damp pressed to his forehead. A shadow hovered over him, trembling.
"Mat…ron…?" he croaked.
"Oh thank goodness." Her voice cracked. The matron pressed her hand over her chest, relief and fear tangled on her face. "You scared me half to death, you foolish boy…"
He tried to sit up, but his head spun violently. She pushed him back down with surprising force.
"Lie down," she ordered, voice stern but soft. "The doctor hasn't cleared you yet."
Doctor…?
He blinked, slowly taking in his surroundings. This wasn't the orphanage. The room was cleaner, brighter. Shelves lined with neatly packed herbs. Tools hanging from the wall. A kettle of steaming medicinal water bubbling quietly nearby.
A clinic.
He swallowed. "How… "How long was I out?"
"A few minutes," the doctor said, stepping forward. She was a middle-aged woman with sharp eyes softened by experience. "Your matron brought you here immediately."
He turned to look at the older woman. Her hands were still shaking.
His chest tightened.
"…Sorry," he whispered.
"Don't you dare apologize," she snapped, eyes watering. "You collapsed out of nowhere! Of course I was terrified!"
He shut his mouth.
The doctor checked his pulse again, fingers steady and cool. "Your breathing was irregular when you arrived. Chakra exhaustion, though very mild. Nothing life-threatening."
Chakra exhaustion.
'So what was that whisper?.'
"But you're very young," the doctor continued, frowning as she looked him over. "Children shouldn't be pushing themselves like this. Especially not without supervision."
Eiji lowered his gaze.
She wasn't wrong.
But he had no teacher to ask, no guide, no clan techniques. All he could do now was learn from trial and error.
The doctor turned to the matron. "He needs rest. Warm meals. Light activity for a few days. And no more intense focused chakra exercises."
The matron nodded vigorously. "Of course."
Eiji opened his mouth to argue.
"It wasn't intense-"
"Don't even try, Eiji" The matron cut in sharply. "I saw the way your eyes rolled back before you fainted."
'So much for arguing.'
The doctor stepped away, preparing a small sachet of herbal medicine. "Give him this tea twice a day for three days."
The matron accepted it with both hands.
"How much do I owe…?" she asked, voice tight.
The doctor hesitated.
Eiji looked up at her instantly.
'Don't you dare lie…'
"It's seventy five ryo," the doctor said quietly. "I've discounted the rest."
The matron flinched. Her fingers tightened around the medicine packet.
Seventy five ryo.
That was too much.
For a normal family, fine.
For a small orphanage with multiple children to feed?
Painful.
Very painful.
"Thank you," she murmured, bowing deeper than necessary.
Eiji watched her shoulders shake slightly. Not from fatigue this time, but because she was trying not to show the strain.
Guilt stabbed through him.
'This is my fault…'
He swung his legs off the bed.
"Eiji—!" the matron yelped as he stood too quickly and swayed.
He steadied himself. "I'm okay. Really."
"You collapsed, child!"
"And you paid for it."
That shut her up.
Her lips parted, then closed again. Emotion rippled across her face, raw and vulnerable.
Eiji bowed his head.
"I won't be a burden," he said quietly. "I promise."
The doctor glanced between them before stepping back politely, giving them space. "He may go home now if he can walk steadily."
He could. Barely.
The matron helped him down the clinic steps, one hand firmly on his back. The late afternoon sun washed over them, gentle yet chilling in its reminder of how fragile everything was.
Once they were outside, she finally spoke.
"Eiji." Her voice was low. Tired. "You scared me… and you cost us money we don't have."
He winced.
"But." she continued, placing a hand on his cheek, "I'd rather spend every last ryo we have than lose a child."
He couldn't look her in the eye.
Not when she said things like that.
Not when he knew the truth.
This orphanage wasn't stable.
Food portions were shrinking and becoming simpler.
The roof leaked in heavy rain.
The matron's cough was still getting worse.
And now medical bills?
He clenched his small fists.
'I can't let this continue.'
They walked home in silence, the matron's hand never once leaving his shoulder. Children cheered the moment they saw him return, tackling him with hugs and loud questions.
"Where'd you go?"
"Did you faint like Yuji did last winter?"
"Eiji-Nii… Are you dying?" Mizu asked through watery eyes.
"Do dying people look normal? Look at him!"
Eiji forced a small smile.
"I'm fine guys. Just a little tired."
"NO MORE RUNNING OUTSIDE ALONE!" the matron scolded the group.
""Yes, Matron…"" they chorused.
But her eyes kept flicking back to Eiji. Always checking. Always worried.
Later that evening, after dinner and chores and the usual chaos of eight children preparing for bed, she called him aside.
"Eiji," she said quietly. "I meant what I said earlier."
He braced himself.
"You don't have to carry anything alone. None of this is your responsibility."
He stopped breathing for a moment.
'Not my responsibility?'
Maybe not to her. But it was to him.
Instead, he bowed politely. "Yes, Matron."
She paused.
Sighed.
"…You strange, lovely child," she murmured fondly, ruffling his hair before sending him to bed.
The moment he reached his futon, Kota flopped down beside him.
"You scared Matron a lot you know," he said bluntly. "And me. But mostly Matron."
Eiji let out a soft breath. "…I know."
Kota poked him. "Don't do it again."
"I'll try."
"You better," Kota mumbled before falling asleep instantly.
Eiji stared at the ceiling for a long time.
As soon as the matron's footsteps faded and the room quieted, he sat up silently.
His chest still felt warm.
Not the feverish warmth from earlier. It was the other one. The warmth of the chakra alive beneath his skin.
He pressed a hand to it.
The system's whisper echoed faintly in his memory.
[ …progress… detected… ]
[…initializing…]
'So I wasn't imagining it'
Something inside him awakened.
If he trained it, maybe he could control it, master it.
He could help the orphanage. Protect the matron and the kids. Survive this world.
Slowly, he stood.
The other kids were asleep.
The matron was downstairs finishing chores.
The night was quiet.
Perfect.
He quietly grabbed his worn sandals and slipped outside.
The air was crisp and cool. Lanterns glowed faintly along the village street. The moon shone overhead, bathing the village in silver.
Eiji walked toward the backyard tree again.
He sat down.
Crossed his legs.
Closed his eyes.
And breathed.
Slow and steady.
A whisper stirred in the dark.
Warm.
Alive.
Waiting.
Eiji focused.
The warmth grew, pulsing stronger than before.
Not painful, just present.
He exhaled slowly.
'I'll get stronger. I'll earn money. I'll protect this place.'
Whatever it takes.
His heartbeat steadied.
His mind cleared.
And then.
A faint shimmer lit the darkness behind his eyes.
Not a voice.
Not quite.
But unmistakably something.
[…System Booting…]
[Stabilization Recommended]
Eiji's hands trembled, not with fear.
With resolve.
His new life had truly begun.
(To Be Continued)
A/N
If you want to read ahead, you can follow my journey while supporting me at;
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