When you are born, people wish you a good life. They hope for the best, for a better life than theirs.

  Astor was one of those individuals that had memories of their time as a baby.

  When he was born, he recalled some noises. But he couldn't pinpoint what they meant until later in life. It went along the line of “it was a mistake” to “we should get rid of him.” One came from a soft voice he would often hear and the other was a grumbling voice that he feared.

  ***

  News broke out. The First Land had fallen and the World Boss was heading toward them. Adventurers and citizens alike took arms to fight back. Bel was one of them, saying boldly that she could at least get rid of the low level monsters, easing the danger of the stampede. Cayn decided to stay here and use his proficiency as a [Priest] to help out. Astor did the same, although he wasn’t that great, he could at least heal minor injuries alone.

  ***

  Having an eidetic memory isn't a blessing. Not for Astor. He loathed his capacity at absorbing information like a sponge and retaining the water indefinitely.

  At the age of five, he tried to break his head. To stop thinking and remembering the moment he was tossed away. He hid from the caretakers, found a wall and repeatedly hit himself to the point of fainting. It was hurting less than his memories.

  He often wondered what he would be now if the [Priest] or [Archpriest], whomever, didn't heal him that day. If they let him forget. If they let him bleed away. If they let him go.

  ***

  Astor toured, healing anyone in need. Any injuries. The influx of refugees seemed unending. Sometimes there would be monsters who somehow sneaked in the camp, wreaking havoc until being subsided. Young Astor, with a fresh System Access, would probably hurt the monsters, using the skills mindlessly. Then people would look at him like he was some sort of monster himself. It took him a very long time to understand that hurting monsters was frowned upon. But once he understood, his personality changed; or rather emerged. Kindness. It was the word he learned and made him realize.

  ***

  In the orphanage, if you didn't step on a trap and waited for help idly, you would get less food than usual. Not enough to satisfy the belly. So they were coerced to do as commanded, trained like animals.

  “Step into the trap,” a caretaker would say, “it's fun.”

  Young Astor didn't know any better and genuinely thought it was what fun meant.

  Traps didn’t hurt, it didn't damage the “goods” as the caretakers said. It was some simple things like getting lost in a labyrinth for hours. Or getting stuck in a room full of ropes, unable to move for what seemed an eternity. They could feel sore and the sensation of uncomfortableness could linger, but not too much; you get used to it.

  Helpers would then get in, “help” the kids and get their blue screens. Some words like “kids helped” or “experience points” would appear. Astor could only retain the ideograms but not comprehend them. Caretakers never cared to teach him how to read.

  ***

  Earthquakes grew in number. They became less frequent but each one increased in intensity. So much that some would crack the walls and ground.

  Cayn came to Astor. “He woke up.”

  He sprinted to the tent, clenching his heart. Why was he so attached to this old man? Ovid. That wasn’t a name he was aware of. He never saw his face either…

  Ovid spoke, “I am fine.” The old man smiled at Astor. And that’s when he remembered. He knew why he felt that way. The old man reminded him of the talkative Helpers.

  If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  ***

  Helpers would often talk to the kids while helping. They would apologize a lot, trying to amend for their sins of funding the orphanage. The most interesting persons for Astor were the non-apologetic ones.

  They often taught him a variety of things like explaining why they were trying to gain “xp,” as in Experience Points, in the first place. Most were originally level 100, but it was easy to lose some xp and downgrade. A simple slap to another human being would cost them.

  One Helper theorized that the line between good and bad behavior relied on the species. If a dog with a System hurt another dog, they would be flagged. But if they hitted a human, it would be dismissed. That Helper did multiple experimentations, to quantify the loss in experience and have a better understanding of it.

  Whether the information was veracious or not was up in the air. And Astor didn't care that much, because he didn't understand what a System was in the first place, but it was nice knowing the reason why every Helper was here.

  ***

  Further check-ups were conducted on Ovid. His brain wasn't so badly injured. He could go on with his life as he usually did. Might have to rebuild his house though.

  Astor felt reassured. Without thinking, he took off his cloak and handed it back to the old man. He didn't deserve it, yet Ovid talked, “Keep it, you saved my life, it’s yours now.” Astor was stunned, he didn’t really know what to do. Confused look on his face, he turned to Cayn.

  “It’s just a cloak, and it seems to make him happy. Keep it,” Cayn smiled at Astor.

  Astor felt the need to smile. How do you smile?

  ***

  Ignorance is bliss. When Astor heard this saying, it became his mantra. He wished so hard for the ability to forget, even for a moment. And as if it wasn’t enough, he was also curious. So many questions rose up as he grew up. Wanting to know more about the world, he snuck out once.

  He was seven years old and knew that the orphanage wouldn't move out for many months ahead. Perfect, he thought, just wanting to go out in the wild and learn a thing or two before returning.

  He got lost.

  “Of course,” you're gonna say. Well for the little orphan it wasn't so evident, especially with his memory. He knew the world was big, but didn't have a sense of scale in the first place. The only unattainable distance was the sky for him. So he thought a little stroll wouldn't be that bad.

  That day, he learned about monsters. He knew of them from some Helpers but couldn’t really picture them before. He wasn’t scared even after dodging some attacks. He just found them fascinating. Yes, animals existed but monsters were different. They exhibited a raw behavior. No ruse, no fakeness. Only them and the purpose they were made for: survive. And a question prompted into his mind: could humans be monsters as well? If Astor turned into one, could he finally forget?

  Luckily, or maybe not, he was rescued by his caretakers.

  ***

  “You should go fight the World Boss,” Ovid said after being filled in through small talks with Cayn. He knew about everything so far, including the [Class switch] skill set. “The System doesn’t make any mistakes. It’s not luck or anything. You were chosen, and I knew that by instinct the day I saw you all.”

  Was it right? But why Astor of all the people? Bel was from the Pink tribe, it was understandable. Cayn, him, was renowned for being an astounding [Priest]. But Astor? Not even his parents wanted him, no way the System needed him.

  ***

  At the age of ten, he managed to make two friends. He tried before, but couldn't really fit in with the other kids. Sometimes you want to be friends with someone but it doesn't work out, it's just the way it is.

  They were siblings, the brother was six years old, and the sister a year younger. Unlike Astor, they weren't abandoned. Their parents died in an accident and had no relatives.

  They taught him what they could and they'd often play together. Thanks to them he learned how to read, partially. And thanks to him, the siblings were reassured, they began to think that the orphanage wasn't so bad. In retrospect, he must’ve caused them more harm than good.

  Astor liked his life with his friends, it was the best, not that he knew any better. He managed to satisfy his curiosity's hunger by learning anything he could. Either from the Helpers, who kept talking about everything and nothing. Or by spying the caretakers, who were busy counting coins, talking as they did so.

  He'd often lurk around with his two friends, equally curious. It was kinda fun.

  One day, a Helper appeared and told every kid to accept the System Access. He taught them the written word “Yes.” He told them to press it and if they did, they could get out of the orphanage and have a better life. Accomplish their dreams even, whatever they may be. That Helper was particularly insistent with the older kids, like Astor. He asked them to not tell the caretakers too. Anyways, he disappeared one day and never came back.

  Age fifteen. Words were spoken into his mind.

  System Access granted.

  Accept?

  Yes / No

  He pressed “Yes.”

  Words got out and the caretakers took care of a problem: Astor.