The boy rubbed his butt as Klaus dropped him to the ground. The boy had skin like copper and hair like black fleece. Fear radiated from his eyes when Klaus looked into him.
"You're just a kid, but you have the nerve to kidnap someone. Where is Sheila?"
The boy turned his face away. "I don't know."
"What?" Klaus grabbed the boy's jaw. "Don't mess around with me, you little shit. You took the ransom I put on the park bench."
The boy just shut his mouth and gave Klaus an annoying look. Not getting the answer he wanted, Klaus searched for him. The boy started screaming and attracted people around the park. They just watched but didn't want to get involved.
Klaus snapped his fingers, and the boy lost his voice instantly. The boy tried to scream, but no matter how hard he tried, no sound came out of his mouth even though his throat was vibrating.
"Scream and ask for help if anyone cares."
Klaus found a smartphone with a pink hard case in the boy's pocket. He had never seen Sheila's phone, but he knew a brat couldn't possibly like the color pink.
The boy struggled and was about to get the phone back, but Klaus just pushed the boy's head. Klaus was relieved when he saw Sheila's photo on the lock screen wallpaper.
<I see some of the awakeners watching us.>
"How many?"
<Eight people, my liege. But they are all very young.>
Klaus raised an eyebrow. He looked back and saw a group of kids about the boy's age peeking behind a tree or bush. As he cast an intimidating look at them, they quickly hid themselves.
Instantly, a question came to his mind.
"Don't tell me they planned this kidnapping?" Klaus wondered to himself.
Klaus glanced at the boy. He seemed to be trying hard to wrestle the bag away from Klaus. Klaus pulled it, and the boy fell to the ground. The boy whimpered in pain as his face kissed the ground for the second time.
Snapping his fingers, Klaus dispelled the magic that had muted him. Naturally, the boy screamed, and Klaus instantly silenced him.
"Stupid brat. Why did you plan this kidnapping? Where is Sheila?"
Klaus removed his hand from the boy's mouth. "I'm not a brat! You bastard! My friends will beat you up!"
Klaus chuckled. "You mean those little shits!" He pointed at the bushes and trees behind him without turning around. "Tell me your name. Because I'm still doing good."
Squinting, the boy looked angry at Klaus. "You think I'd be scared! Guys! Come out and beat this asshole!"
Not long after, ten boys jumped out of the bushes and trees.
Finding a group of kids surrounding him, Klaus only raised his eyebrows in astonishment. Some looked much younger than Joanna, around twelve or thirteen. One of them was even a little girl.
Even more surprising, they were all awakeners. They manipulated the elements; lightning, light, and fire swirled in their hands. Those kids drew more attention. People began to gather to watch. They seemed to be used to things like this.
Klaus sighed. Luckily, he was using the [Thousand Face Bracelet].
"Hand over the bag if you still want to live!" the boy shouted at Klaus.
Of course, Klaus didn't take him seriously. From the boy's expression, Klaus knew this kid was scared but trying to be brave. The same could be seen on the faces of the other kids. They looked ready to fight despite their shaking hands.
Klaus sighed deeply. "This is going to be troublesome," he muttered.
"Hand over the money or—Ah!"
Klaus pinched him before the boy in the black jumper could finish his words. He twisted the boy's ears until he cried out in pain. At the same time, the other kids gulped as they watched their leader being taken down.
"Kids," Klaus said in a calm tone. "I'm here to find my friend. Her name is Sheila. If you think you know her or have kidnapped her, tell me where she is."
Klaus smiled broadly, trying to put on a friendly face, but the kids were shaking with fear.
"Don't tell him! Or our plan will fail! Attack him! And take the bag!" The boy shouted, warning his friends.
They looked doubtful. On the one hand, they wanted to save the boy. On the other hand, they were afraid to fight Klaus. Twisting their faces in confusion, the boys looked at each other, speaking through their eyes.
Klaus sighed in annoyance for the umpteenth time. "Calm down. I won't hurt you or this little shit. Tell me where my friend is."
They looked doubtful. Then, one of the girls said in an innocent tone, "You promise to let go, Denzel?"
"Emma! No! You'll mess everything up!" The boy yelled warnings to the girl while whimpering in pain.
Klaus raised one of his eyebrows. "Oh, so this brat is Denzel." He smiled as he twisted the boy's ear. "Emma, tell me where my friend is, and everything will be fine."
The girl nodded innocently. Denzel warned Emma not to fall for Klaus' trickery.
Klaus thought for a moment. If those kids were desperate for those monster cores, they must be in financial trouble.
"I promise I'll help you guys and let Denzel go. You tell me where my friend is. It is the last time I say it."
Emma and the other kids were surprised when they heard that. "You promise?" the girl asked in an innocent tone.
"I promise."
Her friends, not knowing what to say, chose to remain silent. Only Denzel shouted, warning Emma not to trust Klaus.
"No, Emma, we need that money, don't trust adults!" Denzel shouted.
The little girl bit her lip. "Sorry, Denzel. But Sheila has already given us a lot of help. I don't think this is right."
The vortex in Emma's hand vanished. The other kids also did the same, stopping manipulating the elements.
"Sheila is fine. We didn't kidnap her. We lied to you because we needed money."
Hearing the answer from Emma, Klaus released Denzel. The boy whimpered in pain as he rubbed his reddened ears.
"Where is she now?" asked Klaus.
Emma shrugged. "We don't know. But he used to visit our house regularly."
Klaus frowned.
He didn't know much about Sheila's personal life. He only saw Sheila from her bio; her life was pretty normal. It never occurred to him that Sheila would be interested in children.
At the same time, a woman's shouting voice was calling Klaus. Sylvia emerged from the horde of people.
She approached Klaus, and her brow furrowed as she saw the kids. She thought that her boss was in a fight.
"Who are these children?" asked Sylvia in a surprised tone.
"They're the masterminds behind this mess."
Naturally, Sylvia raised her eyebrows. The shock was painted on her face. Even more so when she saw these kids, they were so young.
Klaus put the bag of monster cores into the spatial ring.
"Emma. Tell me where you live."
The girl looked at her friends, asking for approval. She then nodded her head.
"Alright. Follow us."
"Hey! You want to tell this stranger where we live! Seriously!" Denzel still couldn't accept her decision.
"He's Sheila's friend. You want to blackmail the friend of the person who helped us?" Said another boy.
Gritting his teeth, Denzel couldn't answer but could only hold his temper.
The crowd of people watching began to disperse. They seemed disappointed that the epic battle didn't happen.
Afterward, the kids led Klaus and Sylvia to their house.
Exiting the park, they went north and walked through several apartment blocks. They entered a neighborhood of project houses with worn-out buildings of the same style along the street. At almost every turn, Klaus encountered a group of young people the age of these children.
They stopped at a four-story building. Just like the houses around it, this building looked worn out. The black paint on the walls was partially peeling off, and there was mold in some spots. Kids were playing outside. Some played soccer, and some chased each other.
The screams and laughter of those kids echoed as Klaus stomped his feet in the courtyard.
"Here we are. This house is our home," Emma said.
At that very moment, Klaus knew this place was an orphanage.
