When Kyle woke up the sun had barely risen. His usual waking habits had been ingrained in his body and not having any dreams, there was nothing to keep him asleep. With a yawn he stretched his body and looked outside the window. The sky which he was still not sure was fake or not was beginning to light up. Although it was still dark, he could make out the far walls of the Garden. The long house was settled near the back end and surrounded by trees. To Kyle it felt like a private getaway from the world as hidden as it was.
He quickly got changed and made his way outside. This was his chance to make a good first impression. The house was quiet and there was no one to show him around but from Lillia's brief description he found his way to the kitchen. To his pleasant surprise the equipment was all quite new and much better than those he had used back at home. Beside the kitchen several long tables sat in a row. Counting the number of seats thirty people could sit down easily. If it was anything to go by it meant he had quite a bit of work to do now.
The pantry was fully stocked and having received permission already he began to take out the ingredients he needed. For this morning's breakfast it would be pancakes served with fruit jam. At the same time Kyle also began baking some bread for later. He had woken up too early and breakfast still wouldn't be for a while yet. Before long however the pleasant smell of cooking batter filled the room.
"You're actually baking," the voice came from Maila surprising him. The young women had come out of nowhere and was far closer than he expected. "Bethial was right. If you really were military you would have heard me coming."
Kyle flinched away and awkwardly laughed, "I thought I should prepare something to ease my arrival."
"Not a bad idea but Edgar doesn't like strawberries and Falli doesn't eat pancakes without chocolate chips. Some of them can be real picky as well but don't let them build bad eating habits."
"I also made some different jams and I did see some chocolate chips. I hope you don't mind me using everything." He was quite used to people being picky eaters especially the village children back in Tomph. His father was one of them and unless he cooked himself, they'd end up having the same things every week.
"It's fine so go ahead. I was a little harsh on you yesterday and I could use the help." Kyle completely understood. If it had been him and he'd found out someone he cared for wasn't coming home, he'd be the same if not worse. The fact that she wasn't more melancholic surprised him. Maila looked outside, "We usually have breakfast about 8ish but the biggest problem is getting everyone up."
The sun had risen now and the morning light lit up the outside yard. To Kyle it felt like he was still living in his isolated village. The Garden despite being so close to the hustle and bustle of the city had been completing enclosed. Initially he thought it would take him awhile to get used to everything but if it was like this he'd be fine.
Maila reached past him and took one of the ready pancakes. She paused after a single bite her expression softening, "Okay I admit you're pretty good. Lillia was right, the children will love it."
"Thanks I really tried," Kyle gave her a pleasant smile in return.
She blinked and stared at him directly, "Has anyone told you you're quite feminine?"
Kyle winced feeling as if a stake had been driven through his heart, "All the time but I guarantee I'm a man."
"Just don't put on a dress or you'll confuse the kids," she giggled and patted down her apron. "I'll start waking everyone up. They're not quite used to strangers so they might act a bit weird but just smile and they'll come around."
With Kyle still preparing breakfast she left and headed for the nearby stairs leading to the second floor. From what he knew, the second floor was where the rooms of the Hero's candidates were. Other than that, there was the reception area which also acted as a lounge, the kitchen where he was now which connected to the dining room, a small library and a classroom of sorts. Outside, the immediate area around the house had been cleared. There was a small garden, a field for them to play in, and a large open space for anything else. Beyond that was the forest and the paths that connected them to the outside world. He had even seen some birds flying around before and even some small animals.
"Good morning," the pleasant greeting came from beside him causing him to jump. He turned in surprise only to see Lillia smiling. "Sorry didn't mean to spook you."
"Does everyone here like to sneak up on people?" Kyle sighed trying to control his heart rate once more.
"It's because you're not all too observant," her reply was blunt though he could tell she was teasing. "You should get used to it. Everyone here has to train almost daily so we're pretty good at hiding our presence."
"I'll note that," he couldn't help put on a wry expression at the thought of more scares.
Luckily the rest of the house's lodgings weren't so graceful and the sound of cheerful running bounded down the staircase. The first few entered energetically and quickly began to mess around the dining room. They didn't take much notice of him or Lillia and continued on their own. The next group walked in slower and turned to greet Lillia but froze when they saw Kyle. Unsure on how to react they avoided his eyes and moved to the tables. The last few children were being guided by Maila and were barely awake.
Kyle watched them all with an honest smile. Their ages looked to be between 6 to 14 and they were all a mix of personalities. Including Lillia there were 24 of them in total. The older ones moved about helping Maila settle the younger kids down. There seemed to be a gap with only a few of them being older than 12. There were the three girls he had met before and a boy who hadn't stopped glaring at him since he came in. Lillia who was close to his age seemed to be older by quite a few years.
"Okay everyone settle down," Maila's voice wasn't loud but had a piercing tone that caused all the children and even Lillia beside him to pay attention. "Thank you. We have a few announcements today." She pointed towards the kitchen where Kyle stood. "From today onwards we have a new caretaker. His name is Kyle and he'll be working with me to look after you all. Just because he's here doesn't mean you can slack on your chores. Please treat him nicely."
There were a few murmurs between the children as some watched him shyly and others stared blatantly. The three girls from the previous night even waved and smiled.
"It's nice to meet you all," Kyle said trying to show his sincerity. "If there's anything you need feel free to ask me. My specialty is baking."
"Oh pick me!" Himila the green haired girl he had met before raised her arm. "How old are you?"
"I'll be 18 in the next few months."
Another hand raised up beside her belonging to Kara, "Where did you come from?"
"I'm from a village in Trentheim called Tomph."
Just as Himila's hand shot up again, Maila cut in, "Okay we can ask questions later. Kyle has prepared a special breakfast for you all. Remember to pray before you eat and say thank you when you're done. Form a line and-,"
One of the smaller girls close by her raised her hand tentatively. Her head was turning looking around the room for someone who wasn't there.
"Yes Gira?" from her expression Maila could tell what she was going to ask.
"Is Sister Jana not here?" the girl asked with a tender hopefulness.
Maila slowly shook her head, "Jana won't be coming back." She looked at the children who had quietened down with a resolute gaze. "She completed her duty admirably and saved our world defeating the demons. Lillia is now the current Hero. We'll prepare a proper send off for Jana this afternoon." The mood in room dipped. The little excitement and curiosity that had pointed towards Kyle had been washed away.
"Come on everyone let's eat breakfast," it was Lillia who spoke. She was forcing a genuine smile trying to raise their hearts. "Remember what Jana used to say, 'a good Hero eats a hearty breakfast'." A swirl of light flew around her fingers and moved towards the already plated pancakes causing them to float and gently settle down on the table. The children looked at the food but it was clear their appetite was gone.
"It's delicious!" Himila squealed suddenly. Although she didn't have a plate in front of her she had leaned over and eaten someone else's.
"H-hey," the other girl complained and snatched the plate back before quickly trying some herself. Her expression loosened into a mirthful joy. "So sweet and fluffy."
"I want one too!" a hand raised up aimed at Lillia.
"Me me!" the children began to make a racket as those who hadn't been served started to become jealous of the others who already began eating.
"Settle down and line up," Maila called over them with a soft smile. "What did I say about playing with magic? That's a warning to you Lillia." Despite her words her eyes expressed thanks.
"There's plenty for everyone," Kyle quickly began serving the bright haired children as they clambered in line. "There's even enough for seconds so take your time and enjoy it." A warm feeling spread through his heart as he watched them eat. It was the same sensation when Jana first talked to him. Her bright smile as she exclaimed her joy about the cookies he baked. For a moment he imagined a life continuing like this and smiled. If he could make the children here happy then it was definitely worth something.
As the line ended Kyle pushed a plate towards Lillia, "Have some as well. Like you said a Hero needs to start with a hearty breakfast."
"Thank you," the girl smiled and brushed back her purple hair before taking a bite. "It really is good."
"Thanks, though honestly I think it's quite ordinary," he nibbled on his own pancakes. "With such a big city you've had to have eaten better."
"I mean we've had good food before but your cooking just feels... so much nicer." She laughed, "Maybe it's because you're weird."
"It sounds like you're the weird one to me," he looked out towards the dining room. 24 children, though Lillia was basically an adult. Yellow, green, purple and blue. All of them had interesting hair colours and about one quarter of them were boys, the rest girls. Looking at them now he realised that all the boys had the same blue hair. He wondered if that was a specific trait of a Hero candidate. In fact he had never seen hair like their's anywhere else. It was no wonder why Lillia and Jana wore hats when he first met them. Their hair colours ranged in different shades of the four colours but were all striking in their own right.
"Seconds please!" Himila bounded up to the kitchen counter her plate extended.
"Here you go," Kyle flipped a pancake onto her plate straight from the pan he was cooking them on.
A pair of children behind her oohed with wide eyes before pushing their plates forward, "Do it for us as well."
Kyle looked down "These ones aren't done yet." Seeing their dejected expressions he couldn't help but smile, "But how about this." He took one of the readymade pancakes and flipped it into the air before spinning it and letting it land on their plates.
The two girls giggled and scampered away to eat them.
"You shouldn't have done that," Lillia laughed.
"Why?"
"Because now they'll all want you to do that." There was a line already forming again. The children really did eat quickly.
Kyle rolled up his sleeves, "Bring it on."