Multiverse: by Nick Venomz (best books to read for beginners .txt) 📕

Meanwhile, Aksel faced the deers, ready to fight them. His energy was running low as the constant barrage of attacks and having to parry every single one was tiring him out. However, there was no need for any more fighting as the deers in front of him burned to ashes without a single warning. They lit on fire without a plausible explanation aside from magic.

“Who are you?” A female’s voice asked, some distance from him. Aksel turned his head to see a woman seemingly in her mid-twenties with hair bright pink, stopping at her chest, and crimson eyes that memorized him. He was also memorized by how her hands were engulfed in flames, which were being pointed at Aksel. “Don’t make me repeat myself.” She barked.

“I-I’m Aksel. The leader of Hornsville.” He said.

“Why do you have Kat? One of ours.” The fire witch asked, glaring at him. She spoke to him in a degrading tone of voice. 

“W-We saved her from the slave trader that i-imprisoned her.” He told her, breathing heavily thanks to his fight with the deers.

“Natasha!” Kat shouted. “He did save me. He even saved the lives of the other slaves caught with me.” She said.

“He did?” Natasha said, raising an eyebrow. She looked Aksel up and down in search of malice, but couldn’t find anything. He didn’t look the part and his contributions in regards to Kat’s safety were almost enough to convince her that he was good.

“Yeah, he claims that his village is nice towards witches. There is even a barrier to protect from outsiders. It could be a nice place to stay.” Kat told her.

“A home base?” Natasha muttered.

“Yes, a home for witches,” Kat claimed.

“T-that sounds good, b-but no. We must leave and get as far as we can.” Natasha told her.

“She’s right you could-” He was interrupted by the sound of a plane flying overhead. “A striker!” He shouted.

“What’s a striker?” Natasha asked.

“A plane that is built for the Injection. Why are they here?” He asked out loud. He mustered up the strength to get up and run towards the village. Roman and Liliana followed behind them.

“We need to help them,” Kat said. She turned around to run after the group.

“No!” Natasha shouted. She grabbed Kat’s shoulder and pulled her back. “We need to leave. Let them deal with their own issues.”

Kat freed herself from Natasha’s grip with ease, glaring at her. “No! We will not!”

TBC…

“We won the war!” A person shouted.

“All hail the Kingdom!” Another person shouted.

“The war is over!” A third person shouted before being followed by several chants of acknowledgment. People roared in laughter and tears, all of them happy to see the war over. 

Randolph, who watched the scene from a dark alleyway near the action, saw people hugging, kissing each other, and cheering. They were all happy, filling the streets with their laughter and tears.

Randolph glanced at the kids behind him, all dressed in torn beige and black clothing. Only one of them had a single boot in good condition.“It’s over? We won?” A kid asked him.

Randolph nodded. “I… I think we won.” He said. We won? Does that mean everybody returns? Will I get to see my parents again? He thought, a smile sprawling over his face. He had been waiting for his parents for a long time, ever since the war had begun. After much waiting, however, the war was over and it was time for the troops to return home. Randolph looked up at the sky with a big smile. “I… I-” His voice was teary. “I get to see them again.”

Over the next several days, the armies were disbanded and its soldiers were allowed to return home. Their families waited with their arms wide open, embracing them with great warmth. Even some of the children wandering the streets---which happened after the economy tanked and many caregivers assigned to children were forced to leave, leading to the increase of children on the streets---got their parents back. Some got their fathers back while some got their mothers back. Broken families were being repaired with large smiles and tight hugs.

However, not everybody had the luck of reuniting with their parents, Randolph being one of these orphans. As he waited for the day of his parent’s arrival, he was given two coffins by his parents’ superiors. His parents had been killed during battle with their bodies barely able to be recovered and shipped home. 

The superiors handed Randolph little money before leaving him to his own devices. Without enough money to buy a house or even bury his parents, he made a makeshift grave for them before leaving their marked graves behind. It was the least he could do for his parents who had cared for and loved him. Unfortunately, he couldn’t do much aside from that. 

He wandered around the city, which had been hammered with propaganda that painted their enemies in a worse light than ever. His aimless wandering had found himself visiting the wealthier and cleaner parts of the city, being discriminated against for his torn clothing and poor hygiene. In the poorer and dirtier parts of the city, he struggled to fit in amidst the small and tight cliches of street rats and orphans. He was regarded as an outsider right off the bat.

Randolph, after finding out he wasn’t allowed in a certain alleyway by a pack of feisty street rats, laid his back against a wall, sliding down and looking up at the sky overhead. It was night and the moon shined brightly. However, the moonlight didn’t light up a path for him, but the general area around him. 

“Is this how I’ll live my life? What did I do to earn this life? Why did my parents have to die?” He asked out loud. “What crime did I commit to live like this? Is it because I was a bad kid? Did I… Did I take my parents’ love for granted before their death? Do I even deserve their love… Maybe that’s why they died.”

“They died for you,” Somebody remarked. Randolph spun to his right, noticing a woman dressed in a habit and with a hood over her head. “They wanted you to live your life to the fullest.”

“Who are you?” He growled, inching away from her. “Who sent you?”

The nun shook her head. “My name is Sister Alecia, I come from Greenfire Orphanage.”

“O-Orphanage?” Randolph questioned. “What’s that?”

“Orphanages were created to take care of children like you. They are places where children abandoned or orphaned get to live better lives. I can take you there if you wish.”

Randolph bit his lip. Can I trust this woman? I’ve seen people dressed like her, but… are they trustworthy? They can’t be right. No, they must be… No. What can I do anyway? I’ve been living on the streets ever since that day. Even if she wants to harm me, it’s what I deserve. He thought to himself before nodding his head. “I’ll go,” he told her.

Sister Alecia smiled, extending her hand out. “Then follow me to your new home.” Randolph nodded, taking her hand. She instantly led him into Greenfire Orphanage where he was quickly introduced to the other Sisters and the children of the orphanage.

“This is Randolph, please treat him with kindness.” Sister Alecia said. The children nodded, surrounding Randolph immediately. At first, he glared at them and tried to keep his distance but was overwhelmed.

“My name is Alex, what’s yours?”

“Hi, I’m Debby.”

“I’m Grant, do you like action figures?”

“Do you think Space Rangers or Television Attack is a better movie?” Another child chimed in. They flooded him with questions, overloading his brain.

Sister Alecia stepped in. “Please, don’t overwhelm him.” She said; the children nodded, apologizing. She thanked them before turning to Randolph. “Don’t worry, they’re all just a bit excited.”

Randolph nodded, looking around the huge building. “This is the orphanage?”

Sister Alecia nodded. “Welcome to Greenfire Orphanage,” she said, “As you can see, there are many children here.” Randolph nodded, looking at the children in front of him. “This will be your new home and they’ll be your new friends.” Randolph nodded for the third time, this time shedding a tear. Sister Alecia comforted him immediately, reassuring him that everything would be okay.

New home? He thought in his mind. Those were my parent’s last words. ‘Once we get back, we’re going to move. To a better house. We’ll decorate and fix up the house. Our new home.’ The tears couldn’t be stopped, streaming down his cheeks. Is this what I deserve?

Randolph, a few years later, had now hit double digits. He had grown accustomed to his life in the orphanage and had made many friends, many of which were present during his introductions. 

He enjoyed his life, basking in the warmth of the overhead sun on the outside area of the orphanage. Randolph sat down on the grass, playing with dandelions. He plucked them and blew on the seeds, watching as they were carried off by the window and repopulating on farther stretches of grass. 

He laid back, his back being tickled by the grass, and stared up at the sun. Thank you, God… It truly feels like the sins I’ve committed have washed over me. I feel better thanks to your protection. Thank you, again, God and the other Saints.

“Hey, kid.” A deep-voiced man growled. 

Randolph shot up, looking around for the voice. It appeared behind him, a man dressed in a trenchcoat. The man’s eyes were shielded by a large flat-top hat, but his mouth could be seen, grinning. 

“Who are you?” Randolph asked, taking a step backward. “Sisters! There is-”

The man jumped forward, covering Randolph’s mouth with his hand. “You can call for the Sisters, but then you’ll never be able to know about your last relative.” Randolph furrowed his brows - he never knew he had any relatives. “I can tell you where the person is, but… I need something from you.”

Randolph thought the man’s offer over. I have a living relative. Is it an uncle or an aunt… Wait, my parents never spoke about any relatives. Or… maybe they didn’t like each other. Will they accept me or should I… Should I not see them? No, I want to see them. I could live with my family. My real family.  He nodded his head. “What do you need?”

“There’s a girl that recently entered the orphanage. We’ve been tracking her. I want you to take a photo of her real identity. She’s a vampire.”

“Vampire!” He shouted. The man shushed him. “Sorry… I thought all of the vampires died in the last Vampiric War?”

The man shook his head, brandishing a tool that resembled an early 21st-century camera, loaded with several tens of buttons. He handed it to Randolph who took it, feeling the immediate weight of it. “This is the last vampire that we know of. She’s inside the orphanage, all we need from you is to take a photo that shows her true identity. It has to be a picture of her vampire features or it won’t help us. If you can do this, then I’ll take you to meet your last living relative.” He told him.

Randolph