With great haste, the soldier who had recorded the demonstration of the system user Aeron walked towards command central, passing several military installations he ended up in front of the general's tent.

  About to go in he heard voices inside and made his presence known.

  "General Maverick Sir! I bring the recording of special priority target Aeron sir!"

  The people inside became quiet before a deep and authoritative voice reverberated from within.

  "Great timing, come in Lieutenant"

  Entering the tent a wooden desk with a stack of messy papers was found, sitting at the head was a sturdy looking man in his sixties with gray hair. He had a piercing gaze like that of a predator, opposite to him sat Kassie.

  Both looked at him expectantly.

  "So Lieutenant, how did the demonstration go?"

  "Aeron followed the instructions sir, and the demonstration was a success"

  "And how destructive was this lesser fireball skill?"

  Worry appeared in the lieutenant's eyes as he remembered the exhibition, "I would say the damage rivals that of a grenade without the fragmentation,".

  Maverick's fingers tapped against the desk as he processed the information. His expression darkened slightly, and with a nod, he gestured for the lieutenant to set the camera down.

  "Understood, you're dismissed"

  With a salute, the lieutenant exited the tent, leaving Maverick and Kassie alone. Silence hung in the air for a few beats before Maverick exhaled through his nose, rubbing his temple.

  "So," he said finally, "do you still think it's wise to let an untrained human grenade launcher join the reconnaissance team?".

  Kassie didn't even flinch before responding, "Of course, not only will we be able to get a more accurate representation of their power, but it will also be the first user in the force, and since they are stronger and faster than regular humans training shouldn't take to long, and most importantly from the conversation I had with the kid…. he has no living relatives or even any friends I reckon".

  Maverick clearly knew what Kassie hinted at, and mulling it over he couldn't help but agree.

  While monsters were currently the biggest problem for humanity, after they had been subjugated the biggest threat would likely be themselves, although for now these supers were weak but if the information was correct and they could continuously become stronger, then at some point he doubted the army and much less the government could control them, so finding any weakness to exploit when that time might arrive was imperative.

  "Alright sign Aeron up for the recon squad, I heard he had saved a previous team right, assign him to them, should make cooperation for both parties easier, and also give them a brief to keep an eye on Aeron and give a continuous report about his actions and behavior in the field".

  Kassie smiled as she stood up and saluted the general, before exiting the tent ready to relay her orders.

  ......…

  Trotting along the camp, the others had split up on our way back to the clubhouse with me wanting to explore the camp and the others having their own business to attend to, I was now alone moving along the muddy streets.

  The people I passed looked bored, dirty, and malnourished, although it wasn't close to starvation levels, you could tell they were hungry, giving them a lifeless look in their gaze.

  'If this continues for long a mutiny is bound to happen'

  While the military was obviously in an advantageous position, holding power and the threat of monsters making people want to stay in the camp, but if these conditions lasted much longer the people would leave the camp, and the military would have no choice but to capitulate as it had to be remembered there were 90 thousand civilians, and only 10 thousand soldiers.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  For now, though, things remained manageable. People still found solace in the fact that they were safe.

  Which was preferable for me. If chaos broke out, the chances of finding Lily would be even lower. That was the reason I was scouring the camp now.

  I also kept an eye out for the people I met in the sewer, but having forgotten their names I couldn't exactly call them out.

  Asking around if there was a place orphans were housed, I was eventually led to the northern part of the camp, close to where the soldiers and the exit to the camp was.

  A long tent stood before me, makeshift and worn, but sturdy. People had told me this was the orphanage. Taking a deep breath, I entered.

  Inside I saw a scene that suddenly made me pause. There were two adult supervisors in the room, while the rest of the tent was filled with about 20 children all of them silent. Their expressions were weathered, like the men and women outside. Nothing like the lively children I had seen running around.

  Reminiscing I stood in a daze.

  For a moment, I felt like I was somewhere else. Somewhere far away.

  "Young man?" A voice pulled me from my thoughts. One of the supervisors, an elderly woman, was watching me warily. "Can I help you?"

  Realizing I was rooted on the spot, I turned to the woman, "Yes, actually I am looking for a girl named Lily"

  Still suspicious she tried to recall a girl named Lily but came up blank, "Sorry, but no one named Lily has visited or joined the orphanage".

  Thanking her for the information I left the tent.

  With a sigh, I gazed up at the sky, my thoughts swirling. 'There's a chance Lily made it out alive… but it's slim. She could have been taken in by those others. I remember a brother and sister… and the girl I saved.'

  'Anyways I'll look around for a while maybe I'll run into them'

  Just as I was about to move, I froze. A woman passed by, carrying an armful of supplies. Auburn hair, green eyes. Even beneath the grime and exhaustion, she was striking. But that wasn't what made me stop.

  She looked familiar. It was hard to recall the features of the girl I had saved, after all, it had been dark in the sewers, and she'd been covered in filth, but the more I studied her, the more certain I became.

  She was the one.

  Seeing her walk away, I quickly caught up and grabbed her shoulder. She let out a startled yelp, spinning around in alarm.

  At first, her expression was one of confusion. Then, as recognition dawned, the supplies slipped from her hands. Her eyes widened, and she stammered, "A-Aeron?"

  I barely acknowledged her reaction. Instead, I met her gaze and asked, "Where's Lily?"

  "H-how are you alive? The goblins, you were stabbed… I saw you bleeding out"

  Seeing she was rambling on I grabbed both her shoulders and looked her dead in the eyes, "How about you lead me to where Lily is and then I'll explain how I survived, ok?"

  Her mouth snapped shut. A beat passed before she hurriedly nodded as if just realizing how much she had been panicking.

  Then, suddenly, she grabbed my hands.

  "You saved my life." Her voice was resolute. "I-I never got to properly thank you"

  I pulled my hands away. "There's no need."

  Amanda blinked, caught off guard. Then, shaking off her surprise, she quickly gathered the fallen supplies and motioned for me to follow.

  As we walked, her initial shock faded, replaced by curiosity as she began bombarding me with questions along the way.

  We passed a few tents before stopping in front of a common green one. She pulled back the flap, and a voice from inside immediately called out, "Amanda, you brought the food?"

  'So her name is Amanda, also the other voice sounds familiar was it the sister"

  "yes, and someone else" Amanda replied as she entered the tent, with me following behind.

  "Someone else? wh-"

  Before she could finish I entered in behind and the woman who I recognized as the sister was sitting inside along with a small child with blond hair.

  The woman was similarly shocked like Amanda, while Lily when she met my gaze became excited before her expression dampened and she looked away turning around curling in on herself.

  Confused at her attitude, the other woman's words distracted me "You're alive! How did you survive?"

  I looked at her with a blank expression "Yeah I survived, I'll tell you how in a bit, but first what's wrong with her?", I pointed at Lily.

  Her face darkened, "After we thought you had died, Lily began blaming herself thinking she was cursed, she hasn't spoken much"

  I frowned and took a step closer. "Lily."

  She flinched but didn't turn around, all I could hear was a very soft barely audible 'sorry', escaping her lips.

  Thinking I understood the situation, I knelt beside her, keeping my voice firm. "Lily, look at me."

  Slowly, she turned, her blue eyes were red on the verge of tears.

  While I wasn't good with words at least this much I could say," You have nothing to be sorry for I'm still alive aren't I"

  Her lips trembled. "B-but you were covered in blood after fighting the goblin, you looked to be in so much pain, you were dying like daddie, just to protect me"

  'The last image she saw of me was in the sewer, it must have been traumatizing.'

  I gave her a small smile, "Lily me and your dad chose to save you, beside I didn't only fight to protect you but also the others", what I said was a lie but it seemed to work, the two women behind me also seemed touched, and I continued, " What happened wasn't your fault Lily, so no thinking your cursed".

  Tears welled in her eyes. And, without warning, she threw herself into my arms, sobbing into my chest.

  I awkwardly patted her head.

  Lily wasn't cursed. She was just a scared little girl going through a messed up situation. And besides if there was anyone cursed, it would be me.