Who are you?

Part 27

Shiori woke up in the morning too tired to get up from the bed. The events of last night have taken a toll on her. She wanted to get up and get ready for the day, but she had a fever.

Her self-diagnosis suggested chakra overuse. When someone suddenly increases their chakra use by a large amount, the body would try to compensate by also overworking and producing the used amount of chakra.

The body would try to maintain its normal level of functionality, but the sudden change can become taxing if the period is extended. So, the body would get overworked and shut down.

The symptoms were usually a high fever, extreme exhaustion, and everything that came with it, such as hallucination, delirium, loss of appetite, and so on. The cure was to wait it out and rest.

So Shiori stayed in bed. She couldn't get up even if she wanted to. She was extremely thirsty but couldn't get her body up and go to the table to get some water.

There was a knock on her door. She tried to invite the person in, but only a weak groan came out. Akira entered the room with a tray.

"You're awake. Let me check you over," he said as he gently reached a hand to her forehead to check her temperature. He looked concerned. Her fever must have been higher than she thought. He then checked her pulse as well.

"You will need a lot of rest, Shiori-chan. As I'm sure you also know, it's chakra overuse. I will help you eat something so you can take your medicine," he said as he gently helped her up to a sitting position.

Shiori did her best to help him along, but her body was too heavy, and she couldn't move. She felt like a doll with its strings cut off. Akira had no problem moving her on his own.

He gave her a watery soup. It was simple, but she didn't think she could handle anything heavier in her stomach. He then gave her the medicine. She had to admit that she felt better after eating.

"Is there anything you may need?" Akira asked as he reached with a napkin to clean her face after the meal.

Shiori could feel herself blush. It wasn't something she would feel comfortable expressing, but she needed to tell him. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "I'm sorry for asking, but can you help me get to the bathroom?" She finally got out. She felt embarrassed, but she hadn't gone to the bathroom since the day before, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could hold it.

Of course, Akira agreed to help her to the bathroom. Thankfully, once he carried her there, she mustered enough energy to take care of things alone.

When she was done, Akira helped her bathe as well. She wasn't shy about her body or modesty, and Akira was more than respectful. She was the one insistent on bathing since she hated the feeling of sticky sweat on her body.

When it was done, Akira helped her dress and dried her hair. By then, she was falling asleep again, so he lifted her up again and carried her back to her room. He put her in bed, and as soon as her head touched the pillow, she fell asleep.

She barely heard Akira wishing her good reams and patting her head.

It's been a few months. Now, he had a name: 317. After bringing them to the camp and giving them a bath and a checkup, they were given the names 316 and 317. They were then taken to another tent.

This tent had many bunk beds, all very close to each other, and nothing else. They were shown two empty beds and instructed to sleep. He had a top bed, which he preferred. A boy was sleeping on the bed below him, but it was too dark to see, and he seemed to be sleeping.

The day after, someone woke them up and called their names one by one, which they had to answer to. Then, they were taken to a hall and stood in a queue to take a bowl of congee.

Everyone was eating in silence, so he didn't dare make any small talk. After breakfast, they were taken to a field. A man ran them through exercises. By the end of the day, many children had already fallen from exhaustion. Each time someone fell, the instructor hit them until they got up. If they couldn't, they would be taken to somewhere called the pit. He didn't want to know what it was, so he pushed himself beyond exhaustion. When it was time for dinner, the children who had fallen during the training were sent to the sleeping tent without food. Food was a privilege for the worthy.

So , for the past few months, he made sure to never fail. He pushed and pushed without failing. He could clearly feel the changes happening in his body. Some days, they would spar against other children, and while he didn't always win, he was getting better and better with each fight.

His skills were developing nicely, and while he never got praised for them, he also never got punished. One day, a new batch of children joined them, and 324 cried that he didn't want to continue. Everyone was shocked that he spoke.

Two guards immediately grabbed him. One held him while the other forcefully opened his jaw and cut out his tongue. They were reminded to never speak unless spoken to. Now he knew why no one talked.

324 didn't last long. After three more weeks of failing his exercises, he was taken to a place called Gilded Veil. He didn't know what it was, but punishments could never be good, so he pushed himself even harder.

It had been almost a year since he was taken to the camp, and he had finally risen in the ranks. After completing the basic training, he was promoted to a foot soldier. He was moved to a new tent with 10 other people.

Although he was still not allowed to ask questions, he now had an idea about the structure based on what he had learned.

People who joined the camp without training would first be trainees. They would receive basic training. Their only task was to train all day. Then, they would become foot soldiers. They would join a tent with real warriors, and they had to do whatever they were ordered to. In the mornings, they would receive more training, but in the afternoon, they had to take care of all the needs of warriors.

They had to clean armor, weapons, and clothes and do anything they were asked to so the warriors could do their job. If they proved themselves worthy, they would then become real soldiers and join battles. By proving themselves in battles, they would get higher ranks and better equipment or a team.

His current tent was one of the lowest ones. They were soldiers tasked with patrolling the camp, and while it was an important job, they didn't see much fighting and weren't considered high-ranking warriors.

He wanted to become stronger, to get a higher rank. He didn't like fighting and violence, but if he had a higher rank, he could find a way to escape. Maybe he could find his mother's clan and live in peace. If he could escape, he could find out what happened to his father.

He knew it was selfish, but he didn't care. He just didn't want to become a killer. He wanted to return to the peaceful days of living with his family.

Shiori woke up later that day. Akira woke her up to check on her again. "Akira-sensei, you don't need to waste so much time with me. I feel much better now, so I can care for myself." Shiori said as she finished drinking the bitter medicine.

"Nonsense. You are my ward, Shiori-chan. It's no bother to take care of you." Akira said as he took the empty bowl from her.

"But don't you have more important things to take care of?" Shiori said with a pout. She really didn't want to bother the man so much.

"Not at all, little one. The world will not fall apart if I take a little break from work. Plus, the guardians are always here to pick up the work if it becomes too much. As much as I don't want to admit it, they have cared for me for years. So it feels good to take care of someone for a change." Akira said with his kind, warm smile. Shiori felt warm on the inside whenever she saw that smile.

Deep down, she could feel that there was more to the smile, that there was more to the man in front of her. There was a pull towards him, a feeling she only felt towards certain people. But she could also tell that he was a good person.

"But..." Shiori tried to protest, but Akira put a finger on her mouth and stopped her.

"No buts little one. You don't need to worry about anything. Just take a rest and get well soon. Alright?" He said as he helped Shiori lie back down.

"Ok," Shiori said. She could feel the sleep pulling on her. While her fever was much lower, she still needed a few more days to be back on her feet.