You watch the kids eat, letting them enjoy the meal they've been deprived of. Though, Mag's occasional stares fill you with grief.
Seeing her unable to enjoy your food made you feel regretful.
I'm going to get some fresh air.
You say, fanning your shirt before heading out.
You know they don't need food anymore. And while having to feed multitudes of kids in the future can be costly, this is a necessity they shouldn't be taken away from.
Like everything, it's not just always material.
No matter how much you have, it almost feels like nothing if you can't treasure it.
Material things don't last, but the memories tied to them do.
You mutter, softly chuckling as you repeat one of the most valuable lessons you've learned.
Growing up poor taught you so many things. But most of all, it teaches you to treasure what you have.
It doesn't matter if you're playing with a car toy while the other kids enjoy games on their phones.
It doesn't matter if other people have multiple friends; you may only ever need just one.
It doesn't matter if your experiences differ from others. The important thing is you have experiences of other things and memories to cherish and remember.
This is what these kids need to learn.
They all talk about being heroes. The ones to destroy evil and bring peace.
Yet their reasons to do it only revolve around it being a responsibility. A command by Lotus that they feel they need to follow.
Even now. Even when Lotus doesn't want them to, they still feel obliged.
They don't enjoy doing this... well, at least that's what you hope they feel.
You know it's part of them now. Being mixed with a Warframe has gifted them unimaginable power, and it's good that they think these powers should be used for good. But sometimes, not all good choices are the best ones.
You were often taught in school that being a bystander is almost as bad as the one doing it. "If Someone doesn't do anything, then who will?" as they often say. Though sometimes, standing still and doing nothing is good.
You don't always have to be the hero...
After a while of stargazing, you return back inside and see the kids all gone, having left the empty plates on the table.
A chuckle leaves your lips as you see they've left some for you.
But moreover, they seemed to enjoy it and the company they had while eating.
This is a good start.
The chuckle turns into a wide smile as you pick the plates up to clean.
Up in the room, the four kids are getting ready to meet Lotus.
You will love her! She's like the mother you never had.
Volt says, zipping around the room and around Rhino.
I can kinda tell already after hearing her earlier.
Rhino chuckled.
And... I uhh... never knew who my mother was... nor my father...
Then welcome to the team.
Excalibur says, walking past him and placing some pillows on his bed.
Wait... you guys...
Yeah. Like you, we didn't get to know our parents.
Some of us grew up in orphanages.
Excalibur says, glancing at Volt.
While some of us...
He looks at Mag, who is already tucked in and is desperately trying to sleep through the talking.
... were left to fend for themselves.
Enough of this, we have a new mother, and she's really great.
Volt says, jumping onto his bed to lie down.
Does that mean, Caretaker is our-!
Before he can finish the sentence, a pillow flies directly onto his face.
Mag, that's mean.
Excalibur scolds.
What he said was meaner.
Mag retorts.
Excalibur apologizes before grabbing the pillow and giving it back to Mag.
How about we go to sleep. Maybe tomorrow, Mag will wake up in a good mood.
Excalibur says, rolling his eyes, not liking what Mag did to Rhino.
I'm sure I will, Excalibur.
She hisses before covering herself with her blanket.
Again, I'm sorry.
No biggie, it's not like it actually hurt me.
Rhino chuckles as he happily lays on the new comfy bed.
Rhino stares at the ceiling before dozing off.
He opens his eyes, feeling like he's not asleep at all.
Instead of the room, he is met with a regal place. He instantly recognizes Excalibur as he talks to the woman he assumes to be Lotus.
Excalibur quickly hops off his seat and jogs towards Rhino before whispering something to him.
Lotus chuckles.
Oh, Excalibur, there's no need.
Excalibur ignores her and walks back. Rhino takes Excalibur's instructions and kneels.
Thank you for taking me in, Lady Lotus.
The Lotus stands up with a smile and casually pinches his cheek.
It's nice to meet you again, Rhino.
She giggles, giving a blush to the kid.
As the two meet, Mag suddenly appears behind Rhino, surprising him.
Lady Lotus! I have a question!
Mag shouts, her eyes flaming with anger.
MAG!
Excalibur says in disappointment and irritation, glaring daggers at the girl.
Mag caves in and instantly kneel.
Sorry, Lady Lotus. But I need to ask a question.
She meekly says, looking down.
As powerful as ever, Mag.
Lotus says as she also pinches her cheek. Mag instantly pushes her hand away and pouts.
I'm not a kid anymore.
She says, giving a hearty laugh to Lotus.
That won't stop me.
She teases.
She notices the look on Mag's, and her smile drops.
I knew this question would arrive soon. But before I give you any answers, let's wait for your brother Volt.
She says, returning to her chair.
Mag nods.
For someone so fast, he sure is always the last to arrive.
She comments.
Someone so full of energy needs a lot more time to recharge.
Lotus says as Volt arrives, yawning as he stands up and kneels in front of Lotus.
Now please, answer my question.
Mag says, unable to control herself.
Why did you kill our last Caretaker?
He did nothing wrong! He was the perfect Caretaker!
MAG!
Excalibur shouts.
No! I won't hold back this time!
She shouts, glaring back at Excalibur before turning to look at Lotus again.
So why!? Why? He was perfect!
He knew everything about us.
He taught us how to further improve the use of our powers!
And he made sure we were always ready to fight.
You killed him and replaced him with this airhead.
Mag asks, stepping close and closer to Lotus.
He was perfect, wasn't he?
Lotus agreed, surprising Mag.
Too perfect.
He is and was a great Caretaker. But his methods didn't align with what I wanted.
What your new Caretaker said was true. What the old Caretaker wanted for you, I didn't.
Lotus answers, angering the little girl more.
So why kill him? Why not talk to him just like you did with the new one?
I did, and he-
Lotus tries to reason, but Mag isn't having any of it.
No! I refuse to believe it.
I was with him most of the time, and it's impossible we're talking about the same person.
He was caring, considerate, and intelligent. I looked up to him.
Excalibur, Volt, and Rhino can feel the tense air inside the place as the two argue continuously.
Excalibur sees Lotus move in her seat.
Then let me say it to you in words you will understand.
Lotus calmly says, almost to an unnerving level.
If I didn't kill him, he would prey on others.
She continues as Mag stammers for a response.
B-But it's not the same! Ca -Caretaker is a human, l-like us, like you! He's not some beast made to kill.
Living or not, wouldn't it be better for everyone if he's gone!? He's a threat to human life and should be killed.
She continues, letting Mag's tears fall as she continues to rip her apart using her own words.
Excalibur and the others wanted to run and comfort the girl, but they dared not to interrupt Lotus.
B-But he's a p-person that was only trying to li -live.
She says, looking down.
How hypocritical, Mag.
Lotus says.
Y-You killed him just so you could teach me a lesson? What does that say about you, then?
I am already many things, Mag. But you are not.
Come here.
She beckons, gesturing to all the kids in the room.
I'm sorry if I made you wait. So now, I'll give you the answer you need.
He refused my goals and even tried to use you against me.
He's a powerless guy that thought he could have what he wanted with you.
Lotus stands up and walks over to Mag, embracing the crying girl.
I'm sorry for what I did. You needed to learn, and this was the best possible way.
I know you looked up to him.
Like you, he had a sense of heroism, independence, and righteousness.
But like many others, the power we have given him corrupted him. He wasn't the same man I assigned to be your Caretaker.
It hurts me to see even a semblance of him on you.
I didn't mean to kill him that soon. But how quickly I saw him change you made me afraid.
Too much that I did this because of that. I needed to remind you that the old Caretaker is not what you see him as.
It's a facade that he put up just so he can manipulate you.
I could tell you the things he told me... The plans he wanted for this world through you. I would say it all to you -I really would.
But for him, I won't.
He might've lost most of what I saw him as before assigning him to be a Caretaker, but I won't ruin his reputation with you.
Remember.
It's not immoral to be the guiding hand for others. But when it comes to thinking that you control their lives. It's just wrong.
Know that what I did was for you and the others.
She says, trying her best to calm the crying Mag.
She releases her from the hug after her crying has gone down.
Let's stop all this drama and consider it behind us.
And like before, let me ask you.
Is the Caretaker taking care of you properly?
Volt instantly raises himself and is about to answer, but Lotus stops him.
Mag?
Mag looks up at Lotus and sees a warm smile on her face.
Well... he's nice.
Mag says, trying to force herself to compliment you.
And?
Lotus says coaxingly.
And lazy, cowardly, irritating, controlling, arrogant, and domineering.
She says with a smug smile right after.
Lotus sighs, shaking her head with a smile.
We'll continue working on your attitude next time we meet, Mag.
But for now, you actually need to rest.
Excalibur is about to ask something but decides against it.
The area disappears, leaving the kids in pitch-black darkness as they feel sleep overtaking them.
While the kids sleep, you play with the powers you confiscated from Mag.
Just because you'll soon be covered by kids with godly powers doesn't mean you don't need to learn to fight for yourself.
And besides, you're currently wielding a ridiculous arsenal of skills, even in the universe of Warframe.
You glance at the metal plate, now left under your care as the Caretaker of these kids, waiting for any inputs from the Lotus.
You reach out your hand and use Mag's power to pull it over.
A smile appears across your face as you see it budge.
You pull it towards you, not anticipating the force of your pull as the tablet smacks across your forehead.
You try to scream, but it might interrupt the kids. Even worse, their meeting with the Lotus.
You bite your tongue and quietly endure the pain as you continuously rub your forehead, hoping to lessen the pain faster.
You turn around to look for the plate only to find it on the edge of a shelf, threatening to fall as it wobbles with every little movement.
You quickly stand up, hoping to get to it before it falls, but the moment you do, it falls off the edge.
Now threatening to make a loud clanging sound, you have no choice but to use pull again.
The uncontrollable nature with the panic makes you pull harder as the plate flies across the air and hits you straight in the gut.
Only a peep escapes your lips as you slowly bring yourself to the ground in a fetal position, rocking yourself back and forth to endure the pain.
Once the pain subsides, you stand up, taking the plate with tears in your eyes.
I'm going to sleep.
You mumble, defeated and hurt, as you enter what Volt told you is your room.
The night passes, and you find yourself awake super early. You've never really been used to sleeping in other places.
Even when visiting relatives' places and sleeping there for the night, you're always up early.
It's like a fucking defense mechanism.
You curse, pushing yourself to stand up and start the day 'cause god knows your body refuses to go back to sleep.
I'm up super early...
Hmm? Maybe it's because I'm in another world...
You ramble to yourself as you walk into the kitchen to cook breakfast for yourself and the kids.
You open the cabinets and find absolutely nothing.
Oh... right. Last night's meal was what I could make with the remaining ingredients.
You mutter, scratching the back of your head.
You quickly return to the room, scouring the drawers, looking under everything in hopes of finding something.
Thankfully tucked tightly inside one of the pillow covers is a coin pouch.
Your eyes glisten upon finding it. A quick look inside shows you a bunch of copper coins with some silver coins.
And with that, you quickly head off, hoping that this money is enough to atleast get you something for the day.
As the door closes, Excalibur wakes up, surprised to see Mag already up.
He stares at her in pity, sitting on the edge of her bed as Lotus' words repeatedly echo in her mind.
He stands up, instantly walking beside her. He sits beside her, letting the girl cry on his shoulder.
What's the problem, Mag?"
Excalibur asks.
Nothing. I -I'm just letting Lotus' words sink in.
I-It hurts me to realize that the person I've defended endlessly wanted nothing but to use me as a weapon for his own gain.
She says as more and more tears fall from her eyes.
We couldn't have known.
But because of Lotus, we are saved from feeling more pain than we do now.
And for that, we should thank her.
Excalibur says, patting her back as his own tears start to fall.
After a while, Excalibur wipes his tears and asks.
So. Are you ready to give our new Caretaker a chance?
No.
She instantly answers, giving a weak chuckle to Excalibur.
Why!?
Volt whines, making Mag's hair stand on end.
You were listening!?
Mag screams, throwing a pillow at Volt.
Rhino stands up from behind Volt and gets hit instead, not even flinching from the hit.
You too!?
She growls in irritation.
H-Hey! We're family, right? I was just worried about you.
Give brother Volt a hug.
Volt teasingly says, moving closer.
Mag picks up another pillow.
Rhino, protect me. We need to give support to our only sister.
Volt says with a teasing smile.
Sure.
Rhino says, getting in front of Volt and moving toward Mag.
Mag continues to throw pillows at the immovable object, even going as far as taking Excaliburs' pillow.
Go away! I don't need your pity. I -I can handle my own just fine!
Mag scoffs, throwing two more.
After getting closer, Volt instantly dashes at Mag and starts tickling her.
Come on. It's not often you show us any emotion rather than grumpiness.
Get off!
Mag says, trying to hold her laughter as Volt's onslaught of electrifying tickles overtakes her.
You sit on the streets, carefully analyzing the coins you know identify as Dwarven coins.
You now have a grasp of how many coins you need every day. It's enough... if not for the ever-growing arsenal of super-powered kids.
And the certainty that the last Caretaker's stored-up money will soon get extinguished.
With that in mind, you stare at the remaining copper pieces in your hand.
I need to get a job or something here.
Hey, kid.
You feel someone lightly kick you. You look up and see a man. He's wearing a rogue-ish outfit with a nasty scar from his cheek to his lips.
I see you've exhausted our down payment. You've made us chase you around, and we're getting irritated.
But since our boss is nice, we'll let your stupid attempt pass. Now hand over the kids as promised, and we'll deliver you the money.
He said, gesturing to more of his buddies. You stare at him in confusion. You have never met this man, much more talked to him.
Huh?
You mutter out.
The man grits his teeth. He grabs you by the shirt collar and pulls you up. He pushes you to the wall with a growl.
You're starting to get on my nerves, Caretaker.
You have been nothing but a nuisance to us even after we were kind to you.
The man continues to ramble on some deal. You watch in fear and confusion until it clicks.
The last Caretaker was planning to sell the kids.
Your eyes widen, feeling the anger well up inside you. What kind of freak does that?
You are snapped back to reality as a dagger is pointed at your side.
I said, what will it be? You get us the kids, and you live safely with money. Or! I let you bleed out in this alley?
The man asks as his lackeys surround him.
I need to get the kids to safety. But I need to get out of this first.
You stare at the man and start apologizing.
I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I'll ready the kids for transport and will deliver them to you tonight.
You plead, raising your hands.
The man scoffs and drops you to the ground.
We'll be waiting just outside the gates.
And don't think of running away again, or I will cut you up and hang you to dry, got it?!
You instantly nod, grabbing the supplies you bought and running away.
Where do I bring the kids?
You mutter as you speed-walk towards the house.
▲▼▲▼▲
Yo, I'm back.
This chapter gives a brief explanation of how the old Caretaker was.
Fun fact, the old Caretaker was supposed to be the main character in this story.
He was the original draft of the character because this story was supposed to be a lot different than it is now.
The character was supposed to be evil and would have fought with Lotus over control. He was also supposed to build his own Kingdom akin to Rimuru's and challenge others before ultimately conquering the world.
But the idea was scrapped and replaced with this after thinking it through.
Warframes aren't bad. They're just powerful weapons that were taken advantage of. They would've been that again in the old draft, so I planned to change things in this story.
Thanks to those who read the last two chapters, and see ya'll in the next one.