Lockers Orphanage

[Nowo's POV]

It all started at that magical place called HIA. It is an agency-slash-orphanage, where all orphans are allowed to work for their own living when they reach the legal age of 18. They were taking care of neglected children by adopting them, providing their needs, and by showing them the real love of a parent they were all longing for. To share and bring fun is what the HIA aims for. I know, right? It is indeed amazing to have met such a great place like this. Also, I'm really thankful to have met the most naughty and a little bit nice best buddy of mine. Omo, I really do miss him a lot.

I thought everything I knew about HIA will be the last things I will ever know about it. I thought it's going to be that easy since it all went right when a person took me there. But when I reached 18, everything turned different from what it was before. I got trained, started to work, and do whatever task is on me, I even became like the attentive agent before when I was starting. Kidding. My mind was always gone with the wind, so I received a lot of bad compliments rather than good ones. I give my whole life working there, 'cause I just find it like a safe haven. I mean it, no jokes. It seemed happy from the first few weeks, until one day.

"A reminder just came from our founder, please check your lockers immediately. Good luck and have a sweet nightmare."

Why in the world would he say such a word? Like 'Oh my Lord', what's with the "Have a sweet nightmare?" It gives me the creeps and goosebumps every time that anonymous person is on MOD stand. He never showed his face to anyone, I guess, but who knows? About the lockers, once you turn eighteen and complete training, your trainer will give you a key which is for your locker, obviously. Well, I'm on high rank now, but I've never opened that locker. Since we were told to do so, I'm going to see what's inside for the very first time, and I'm freaking nervous. As I walk down the stairs, 'cause the locker room is an underground room, someone bumps into me like she did it on purpose. I'm about to nag on her, but she disappeared like a ninja. I'm serious; she really did. I just ignore it, since I'm not sure if it's just a part of some hallucinations of mine because of that order. Not only that, but I finally got here, and I'm now standing in front of my locker. The key is already inside the keyhole, and I'm going to open it right now; my heart is pounding like a drum whose drummer is so angry at hitting it. At the count of three, I did slowly open it.

"Waaaaaaaaaah!" I screamed.

There is someone who startled me :(

"You're so freaking cute, Nowo," he said, and then laughed like there's no tomorrow.

"You know, Moha, I'm just cute, but I'm not freaking. So will you please get out of my face or I'll give you the cutest punch you deserve?" I calmly said.

"Woah, haha, take it easy, I just miss my best friend." He murmured. "Alright, it's ok. I miss you too, but not that much, 'cause my life's way peaceful when you're not around." I added.

"Woah, that was hard." He gave me his unfamiliar look. "Well then, bye for good, my dearest Nowo." he added. I got his right hand when he's about to leave.

"Sorry, I was just suffering from depression these past few weeks. I have no one to spill these things out since you left. Hope you did understand." I said.

"I'm sorry then. I didn't mean to do that; I was just forced to." He uttered.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Nothing." He smiled. "Come on, let's open our lockers together or else someone will come here to give us a warning for not following what is said to." he added.

"Aye." I answered.

As I opened my locker, lights came out, everything turned white................. And then black, and It feels like I'm blinded now. It took a few minutes, I don't know how long, until I got my sight back. When I finally am able to see everything, all of it truly shocks me.

"What just happened?" I murmured.

I slowly orbit, to see everything clearly. Not only that, but I even pinch myself to know if it's a dream or reality. The orphanage is not what it used to be anymore. What I'm seeing right now are places to train different kinds of martial arts, battle areas, there are lots of unfamiliar creatures which I've never seen in my eighteen years of existence here in an orphanage. What even made me shocked is I know what to call them, like those fairies, gnomes, centaurs, mermaids etc.

'By the way, where is Moha? Is he here as well? I am pretty sure we've opened our lockers at the same time.' I uttered in my mind.

I started to walk with a task on my mind, which is to find my best friend. Furthermore, I honestly don't want to be alone anymore. But it looks like I'm destined to live alone. I feel like everyone hates me. It's not like I have some kind of contagious disease which is a valid reason to get away from me, but that is not possible. I'm stronger than Hercules to beat the illness.

As I was taking my own path to find Moha, someone called me.

"Nowo."

It is some kind of little voice which I guess is coming from the right side. I quickly search for that someone who just spoke my name, then I see a fairy. She's very lovely and pretty.

"Hiya," the fairy said, and then she smiled at me.

"Uhm...hi," I answered, and then I smiled back.

"I'm Lane, your guardian. I will be your weapon to protect yourself from danger until you have learned how to fight on your own, I will also be your guide in everything you do, everywhere you go. You and I will share just one life, so we must protect each other. But don't worry, I'll never let someone harm you as long as I can," she murmured.

"We share just one life, which means-"

"Yes, which means if I die, you'll have the same fate as me," she said.

"W-w-wait," I said, stammering. "Everything happened so fast, and I really am confused right now, like, where is everyone? What am I doing here? Where is my best friend? What is happening? I used to be a worker, and now what am I now? A person who just popped into this kind of weird place?" I added.

I do feel really nervous and confused at the same time.

"I'll explain everything to you when you're ready." After she said those words, which really makes me curious about what is behind all of these?

She moved both of her hands, and then she spilled some kind of glowing dust on top of my head; I felt sleepy, and my feet are like going to collapse anytime.

'What is happening?'

'I thought she'll be my guardian?'

'Yet she did manage to hurt me like this.'

After I uttered those words in my mind, I suddenly lost my consciousness.

****

"When you suddenly feel like you're not safe anymore, and no one in this place you can trust but yourself. About trusting someone, you must let them gain it, not just give it. 'Cause you'll never know who's real and who's just a part of a dream. It might be confusing, but let your heart lead you to your destination. You have it pure. So you can continuously walk on your path without any worries. Remember to be wiser than smarter."

[NOWO's POV]

Every flower starts as a seed, and logically, every seed of a flower comes from another flower. It's just a cycle from which something is created by or comes from some other thing. Compared to all individuals existing in this human world, each one of us has our own source. I see myself as one of those flowers. The place where I grew up symbolizes water, and it has made me a better person now. But would I possibly grow up properly even without sunlight? What kind of grown-up person am I if my life has been gloomy since I was born? I will never find the light I need, but I do hope to encounter that light soon. I want to end the darkness inside me. Not only that, but I never wish to live this kind of life eternally.

"Wake up." I slowly open my eyes as I hear that very familiar voice. "Nowo, wake up."

My vision is kind of blurry, so I blinked for a second. "M-m-moha?" I asked.

I felt so weak that I couldn't even move my hands. Clueless-that's the best word to describe me now. I wonder why mysterious and creepy things suddenly happen, but the most important thing now is that he's here, and I have nothing to worry about since I'm not alone anymore.

"Thank god," he joyfully said.

As I regain my strength, I tour my eyes around us, "Where are we?" I curiously asked.

"I don't know either," he answered. "Maybe we are sent to a place like a forest or something." He shrugged. "That locker was the best teleporter I've ever seen in my whole life, Nowo." He added.

"You know what?" I asked.

"Ummm?" he answered, and then he smiled at me.

"I wanted to beat your face for answering such a non-related answer to my question." I murmured. "Why would you say something about the locker when my question is referring to a place?" I rolled my eyes. "Forget it. You seemed calm and not afraid of what's happening here." I added.

"Of course I am, but how am I supposed to feel afraid when I know you are? Who will be your strength then? If we are both afraid, what is going to happen to us both?" He said seriously.

It feels creepier that Moha is being serious for the very first time. Well, it makes him even more than I thought.

"Sorry." That was the only word I could respond to in this kind of situation.

"It's ok, apology accepted." He said and then smiled.

I smiled back.

"So, what are you planning to do now?" I asked.

"Hmmm...let's see. Since everywhere we went is familiar, I'm planning to go underground to search for the locker room. I mean, if you would notice, we're still in HIA, but I guess it's the different side of it." He stated.

Yeah... He's totally right. It's still the same HQ we were in before, so we can still find our way back.

"I don't understand." I answered.

"Who? Me?" He replied.

"Nah. It's not you I couldn't understand, but those whose rank is higher than us. Why did they let us open that locker without any warning?" I asked.

"They did give us a warning." He said seriously.

"Did they?"

He nodded and said, "Have a sweet nightmare."

"Oh........that's right. Why did I realize that just now? I'd prefer to do tasks, train and promote thousands of people in headquarter than being in here." I cast.

He chuckled.

"I'm serious. Don't make me give you the prettiest kick on earth." I said, and then I rolled my eyes.

"Don't worry, I promise everything is going to be alright." He said and then smiled.

Well, it's because I trust him a lot, I believe everything he said and will say. I should thank him because he's simply here with me again. I feel really safe.

I was thinking about where that lovely fairy went? Yes, I really am not trusting anyone easily now because of what's happening right now. But I just can't ignore these questions I wanted to ask her. Also, I admit that I'm a bit concerned about that fairy.

*****

[LANE's POV]

I'm flying back to the place where I left Nowo; she's still sleeping, I guess. I brought her some delicious and lovely fruits so she can eat and gain her strength back. As I got nearer and nearer, I noticed that she's no longer there, :o I quickly went near that place where she used to sleep. I suddenly bumped into a male fairy. We both fell to the ground, and our little bodies, including our heads, were both aching.

He stood up first and flew near me, "Sorry." He smiled and slightly scratched his head.

"It's alrighty, little one." I replied as I held his hand. "Thanks." I added.

I tried to fly, but both of my wings seemed to have a problem, "I can't fly." I said and frowned. "My wings are broken." I added.

"Don't worry, I can get 'em back." He joyfully said. "Will you please turn around, little one?" He asked.

"O-oh, o-of course." I did what he said, and then suddenly I felt that my wings are fine.

"Yay! Thankie, little one. I owe you a lot." I joyfully say.

"Well, uhm, you're welcome." He smiled. "But it's ok, you didn't have to owe me anything." He added.

He's so nice to me, like an angel. Let me rephrase that, 'like a little angel' u

"But I want to pay you back for saving my poor little wings." I said while pouting.

"If that's the case, then sure." He smiled. "Will you help me find Moha? I'm his guardian. We got attacked by centaurs and got separated from each other." He stated.

"Sure thing. I'm actually looking for someone too. Her name is Nowo, and I'm her guardian." I flew near the place where I left her. "She used to sleep here before I flew out to get some little fruits, but when I got back, which is just now when I bumped into you, she's already gone." I replied.

"I see. We should find them before the sky gets dark; it's too dangerous for them both, since they still don't know how to fight." He murmured.

"Alrighty. Let's go now!" I shouted as I raised my fist, which looks like I'm ready for a big fight u

He chuckled and then whispered something.

"What did you say?" I asked.

"What I've said is, you're really cute, little one." He said, and then he slowly flew away from me.

Oh no, he's so charming and cool. I'm blushing. Waaaaaaah! Maybe not? I'm not, I'm really not blushing because my whole body is totally red. Kidding.

I flew near him, "Wait for me!"

*****

[NOWO's POV]

"What are they?" I asked Moha.

"I don't know," he replied. He moved his right arm to my chest, trying to protect me. "All that I know is, we are not supposed to trust anyone, anything, here on the other side of HQ." He added. He looks very serious, looks like he's going to kill those unknown with his sharp looks.

I think I've seen them before, in a book or on the internet. I do guess they are centaurs, a half human, half horse mythical creature. They have the body of a horse and the torso, head, and arms of a man. They were considered to be the children of Iion, king of the Lapiths, and Nephele, a cloud made in the image of Hera.

"Hey Moha." I whispered.

"Why?" He asked.

"I think I do know what they are." I said.

"Really?" He asked again.

"Mm." I nodded. "Centaurs."

"Knowing their name wouldn't save us, Nowo." He replied.

"Of course, I know. But I did manage to remember not just their name, but how to defeat them." I again whispered.

He gave me the 'are-you-serious?' look, so I nodded. That is one piece of evidence that we really knew each other well.

"How?" He seriously asked.

"Run." I grabbed his arms and ran away as fast as we could.

Centaurs are getting nearer and nearer, I didn't even think about them, that they are half horses. When they were about to jump on us, I thought they were going to be dying cockroaches crushed by a big, heavy rock. But then something happens, those centaurs were floating like balloons. :o As we managed to look around and see who did that amazing thing, I saw two fairies, which the girl one looks familiar with.

"Hiya, Nowo, Dear." The fairy said.

She's the fairy I've met before. The one who made me sleep. "O, Moha? You're here too?" The little guy fairy said.

"Nice to see you again, Talaa." Moha said.

"You guys know each other? How come? Is he your guardian or something?" I asked them.

"Well, yeah. He said he's my guardian. But how did you know about guardians? You mean?" Moha replied.

"Uh---yeah, Lane is my guardian and the reason why you found me sleeping in the middle of nowhere." I murmured.

"Sorry about that, my dearest Nowo, I just want to give you some little fruits to eat, but when I come back, you're already gone." Lane said.

"That's right." Talaa uttered. " And we are here 'cause we're both looking for ya." He added.

"O----sorry centaurs. I forgot to put you down hihi~" Lane said.

The little guy, who is named Talaa, made a big hole under those big centaurs before Lane put them down. He closed it quickly after all centaurs had sunk below.

"Perfect!" They both said in chorus.

I enjoyed watching them both; they look so perfect together, like partners fighting the evil creatures. I don't know why, but I think I'm starting to trust those cute little fairies who saved us from a deadly situation.

*****

"When everything is going down, and you felt like you're already at the end of everything, you must learn to have faith. Have faith that there's always help to come for you, to reach your hand and to take all the fear you had in your heart. Just don't think of dying; you must think of living, 'cause a person who has no hope is already dead even if his or her heart's still beating."

[NOWO's POV]

"So where are you both going?" Talaa asked.

Moha and I looked at each other and nodded a little. That is sort of a sign that we let each other trust both of them.

"We're planning to go to the underground room, where lockers are located," Moha said.

I nodded and said, "We believe that everything that begins in a certain place will end in the same place. With that belief, we are going back to that place. Maybe we could find any hint or answer to our question, which is how to go back to the normal HQ."

"Are you both sure that the underground is the safe place for the both of you?" Lane asked.

I shrugged, "No one knows." I uttered. "But we're going to at least try. As a matter of fact, there's really no safe place here on the other side of HQ, so what's the point of knowing if that place is safe or not?" I added.

"Maybe we can do that tomorrow? It's already midnight, and it's too dangerous to walk around here," Talaa suggested.

"Day or night is just the same. Danger is not afraid of the sun. It's just now or never," Moha said. "We'll never know if we're still alive when tomorrow comes." He added.

"I'm afraid you both will get harmed by stubborn creatures out there," Lane murmured. "So I'm going with you both."

"Lane is right. I'm going too," Talaa said.

It's a relief that we have them on our journey. We at least have a little chance to survive in this unfamiliar world. They were right; we didn't know what's waiting for us below, but we are doing it now and just now. We should gather courage from no one but ourselves. Not just a little courage will do but a big one. There's no time to feel afraid and weak. We should learn how to take it seriously, or else it will be impossible for us to get back.

Before we began heading to the underground, I gave my final stares around this unfamiliar place we are currently in, as if it is the last time I would be seeing it.

I took a deep breath and looked straight into Moha's eyes, giving him a slight nod. A signal that we need to start finding our way to get back to the place where we truly belong.

Sweet nightmare, huh?

How long will it take for us to finally wake up?

*****

[THIRD PERSON's POV]

"Headmaster, two of the orphans named Nowo and Moha were both heading to the underground."

Those words I've just heard drew my attention. I turned around and began to face the guy named Arphen- the son of Arges, a cyclops- and Placid, the daughter of Aphrodite and Zeus. He has the ability to track down the whereabouts of the orphans by casting a magic spell on their key necklaces.

"Let them be. There's no way they could escape this world anytime sooner," I responded to him.

"Please pardon me, Headmaster. But how sure are you about that? You knew the kind of ability they both have."

I started walking and then stopped to give him a gentle tap on his right shoulder.

"Strong abilities yet still unable to use." While flashing a smile from ear to ear, I tilted my head and looked at him. "A sweet nightmare isn't like a dream, Arphen. It takes a very long time to reach its end. And it hasn't even started yet."

Without wasting too much time, I ordered Arphen to gather the centaurs that are under my power to lead Nowo and Moha here in our place.

After almost two decades of waiting, my mission to gather my chosen warriors is finally over. I'm glad that the two of them were both safe. It will be a huge problem if something bad happens to any of them.

*****

[NOWO's POV]

"Uhm...Lane?"

"Yes, Nowo dear?" She responded.

"Will you please stop hiding in my nape? You're making me feel uncomfortable."

She began to flee away from my nape, still shaking. This time both of her hands are covering her eyes, like she really doesn't want to take a peek around this place.

"Hey, watch out!" Talaa shouted.

Lane almost bumped into a big tree while she was moving away. Talaa made a cloudlike barrier between the big tree and the little fairy.

My little guardian was supposed to be taking care of me yet it seems like she couldn't at least protect herself now. Good thing is that Talaa was so attentive that he even cast a magic spell right before Lane fell into an accident.

"Are you trying to hurt yourself?" Talaa nearly shouted, furrowing his brows.

Lane started flying towards us lowering her gaze. "I apologize for such a careless act, everyone. It's just that, I am too afraid of the dark." She murmured with a shaky voice.

"It's okay, Lane. I believe that it's my fault for not letting you hide on my nape." I murmured.

"No, it's alrighty. You don't need to apologize, my dear Nowo. I will try to keep my distance so that you won't feel uncomfortable." She uttered.

I took a deep breath and answered, "Hmmm...I don't mean it that way, Lane. You can sit on my shoulder if you want. But burying your face in my nape is tickling me."

Her smile broadened from ear to ear while flying towards me. "Yey!" The little fairy shouted after sitting on my shoulder.

Being with Talaa and Lane even just for a short period of time, made me realize that they are more likely to have the same personality as us- humans.

They care for each other and even small things can bring them joy. I guess they are not as weird as I thought they would be.

They are not scary but sweet.

Moha and I keep on walking here in the underground for like hours now, and we still haven't found where the lockers are. My legs feel heavy and tired, and I bet Moha feels the same thing too. My determination to go back home is what keeps me going, even if I don't feel well anymore.

"Let's have some rest." Moha uttered.

"Rest?" I turned around and faced him while raising my eyebrows. "Remember what you have said before? Dangers are not afraid of anything even in the sun. What more now that it's getting so dark?"

He placed both of his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. "Yes. I said that. But what can we do? Walking here for hours but still no lockers. Isn't that exhausting?"

I pressed my lips and shook my head. It never came into my thoughts that Moha would easily give up.

"So, are you telling me to stop?" I asked.

"No. I was just suggesting that maybe it's time for us to get some rest. Our strength as well as our energy are both limited, and admit it or not, we are running out of it."

Moha has a point, so I stopped arguing with him for a while. His words woke me up and made me realize that I was being too emotional.

"Sorry."

"It's okay, Nowo. I knew you were determined to go back to our normal HQ, but seeing your swollen feet makes me feel worried about you."

He started moving his feet and stopped next to a big rock. The moment he sat on it, a sudden earthquake began messing the whole place. The wall behind us started splitting into two; it looks like a passage from a different location. Most of the small rocks that fall from above are sharp enough to cut our skin, but we both managed to be safe from it, through the help of our little fairies.

After a few seconds of shaking. A one-eyed man and four centaurs suddenly appeared behind the split walls, and seeing them increases my heart rate. I should learn how to hide my fear now. Even though I've never been into a fight, I badly wanted to defend Moha and myself from these creatures.

I started gathering enough courage and began to pick a few rocks near my feet. "No more running. I am not afraid of any of you anymore."

The one-eyed man flashes a friendly wide smile on his face. "Is that the right way of greeting your superior?" He asked.

I'm completely clueless about the words he just spilled, even Moha seems to be wondering about it. I tried searching for a hint by looking at him from head to toe but failed to see anything.

"I'm the man behind the MOD stand whom you are all dying to see." He added.

My mouth is wide open, and I can clearly feel that my heart is pumping. I didn't expect that our MOD is one of the weird creatures here in the unknown world. Though I feel like my heart is going to explode, my best friend Moha didn't show much emotion on his face and remained silent.

A few seconds later, he took a deep breath and threw his stare in the stranger's direction. "How are you going to prove it?" Moha asked.

"Your little guardians can prove it."

Lane and Talaa start to flee near the one-eyed man who claims to be our superior in the normal headquarters. They both flash a wide smile on their faces.

"It's alrighty, my dear Nowo," said Lane. "We both know him, and he's not an enemy," said Talaa.

Seeing those two safely flying near him made me think that I should believe what he just said to us, but then I find it hard trusting anyone in this unknown world. Plus, the creatures standing behind him are the same ones who attacked us a while ago.

Taking a step near them, I started to throw him a glare. "If you are telling the truth to us, then why are you with those centaurs who nearly killed us both?" I asked.

He smiled at me while nodding his head. "Yes. They may be centaurs, but they are not the same creatures who tried to harm you. It might be really hard to get your trust, but you have to go with us, and I will explain everything to you once we get into a safer place."

Those words made me raise my left eyebrow and stare at him with a blank expression. "Are you expecting us to just go with you? We need to find the lockers and leave this place immediately." I responded.

"The lockers are right behind you." said the one-eyed man.

We both turned around to check if he's stating the fact.

"Hey. Are you trying to trick us?" Moha started furrowing his brows. "We are not in a mood to joke around."

"No. I wasn't trying to trick you. The lockers are placed right there..." He said, pointing his index finger somewhere behind us. "The reason why you are not seeing it is that your visions and your keys have no longer access to them."

It may be too difficult for us to believe what he just said, that it even made me want to throw him endless questions, but then being in this world seems like everything can be possible.

"Do you know how we can gain our access back?" Moha asked.

I nodded my head, "If you really are the man behind the MOD stand, then you must know the answer to our question."

"Come with us, and the Headmaster will tell you everything."

"Headmaster?" I asked.

"Yes. He's the only one who can answer all of your questions."

"What if we don't want to go with you?" Moha asked.

The man shrugged his shoulders. "Then we have no choice but to just leave you here. Though the Headmaster badly wanted to see the two of you as soon as possible, he let me give you the right to choose your own path. Either you would like to come with us or continuously try your luck around this unfamiliar world without any help and guidance."

*****

"In this world filled with impossible things, you don't have the right to choose whether to believe or not. There's no way of escaping the fact that no person could ever survive from a strange water on their own."