Psychokinetic Eyeball Pulling

Chapter 105: The Old World

Astrid scratched her head.

Did she just offend a little kid somehow? Why were they so difficult to understand? She was tempted to send Mind Domain into his little skull, but it was only a fleeting thought.

It wasn’t something she was willing to do against an innocent person let alone a child.

“It’s not your fault,” Losef said.

Astrid’s shoulders jumped at his sudden appearance. Despite being a warrior, he was damn quiet when he wanted to be.

Astrid asked. “I must have said something wrong?”

“It’s about his parents,” Losef said with some struggle. “They died to a group of system users down in a town."

Losef leaned up against the wall and looked up at the ceiling. “We were too far away. We arrived just in time to hear their dying pleas.”

Losef placed his finger to the baby as it grabbed hold of it tightly.

“When did this happen?” Astrid said.

Loss isn’t anything new, but to lose his parents at such a young age. Astrid felt for the child.

She couldn’t imagine being in his shoes.

Astrid wasn’t naive. She knew that with the resurgence of the Leviathan that was only a matter of time before her father and the other elders would have to fight to the bitter end against the primal monster.

She just hoped that she would have the strength to help him when the time came. It was the major reason she wanted to become stronger.

Her grandparents and ancestors had to constantly sacrifice themselves in order to protect the remnants of humanity on Rebirth. She wouldn’t allow her parents to become the next.

“Three years, three months, and six days ago.”Losef said as if he had counted every day since then.

Losef glanced at Astrid and lifted up the corner of his lips.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Losef said. “After all we’ve been through, why does this one affect me so?”

Astrid nodded.

Losef’s eyes scoured the room filled with children.

Astrid’s shoulders slumped at the sight. She wasn’t stupid. There was no need for further explanation as she gazed at the children.

All the Wayfarers that died on that mission… this should be all of their children, or most of them. Astrid thought as she felt something form in the back of her throat.

All of a sudden, the elderly woman sitting in the chair clapped her hands, and the children came running. From the upstairs rooms, Astrid heard them all running down the stairs and plopped their rears on the coarse rug in the middle of the floor.

They patiently waited.

Astrid cleared her throat and kept the thought at the back of her mind.

Astrid asked. “What’s happening now?”

Isobelle overheard her question. “Story time.”

“Oh,” Astrid exclaimed. “I love story time.”

Astrid walked forward and sat at the back.

“It’s lovely to have some guests,” she said.

The kids looked back and chuckled to each other.

“My name is Nella and I’m the caregiver here at this little orphanage.” Nella interlocked her hands, crossed her legs and rested her hands upon them. “Your presence here is very welcome, the kids think highly of you--Astrid.”

“It’s a pleasure to be here,” Astrid said.

She was a bit embarrassed. Astrid didn’t know whether to stand up to talk or stay cross-legged as she currently was. Thankfully, the woman continued.

“Today, the story time is about the Old World.” Nella said as the children broke out into cheers.

The Old World. Astrid had heard so much about it during the time she grew up.

Most Wayfarers had to study the land before the apocalypse as that’s what all the civilisation down below on the ocean floors was.

It was important to learn about the artefacts that were lost long ago, although a lot of the surroundings had changed due to the abundance of mana.

Man-eating plants, evolved life-forms, and tree’s that one couldn’t wrap their arms around even if they had stretchy arms.

She was curious if the elderly woman Nella knew something she didn’t. Maybe the commoners held a different perspective on the Old World.

“Well children,” Nella began, “it was this time around eight hundred years ago or so now, it seems like forever since it happened now, doesn’t it? Well, I suppose it is to all of you young ones.”

Nella chuckled. One of the young girls barely the age of three spread her arms open, seemingly wanting something.

Nella reached forward and placed her onto her lap. “It all started when monsters appeared from tears in the sky, unfathomable to us at the time. They swarmed the planet and devoured anything they could latch their maws upon.”

Nella smacked her dried lips together. “Molly, fetch me a drink, will you sweety?”

Molly, a little girl not a day over seven rushed to the kitchen and returned moments later with a glass of water.

“Thank you.” Nella smiled and took a sip of the specky water. “Our planet’s resources were stripped until nothing remained. They left naught but sand and rock in their wake and not even the bones of their victims remained. Scientists of new believe that they even attempted to consume Ruitera’s core.”

The children shivered despite the kindling fire roaring through the living-room.

“But hope was not yet lost.” Nella declared.

“Goddess Iara!” The children screamed

“Yes, that’s right.” Nella beamed. “The guiding grace of humanity. With the granting of her system, we were able to hold on for as long as possible. She gave us great powers, powers capable of creating this very ship.”

“Then what!” a little boy shouted.

Nella frowned. “A little patience please, George.”

“Sorry Nella.” The boy dipped his head.

Nella continued. “After that, despite the desperate struggle of the survivors, Ruitera could no longer sustain itself. The lack of natural resources, and the unstable core had caused an imbalance within the world. Earthquakes of cataclysmic proportions wreaked havoc on the planet. Entire buildings fell to the ground and nothing but rubble remained.”

The children sharply inhaled.

“Then the raging volcanoes erupted. Violent clouds that reached from one corner of the world, to the other suffocated humans and monsters alike. The molten lava was so hot that, just like the monsters, devoured anything it touched within fractions of a second.” Nella took another sip of her water and adjusted the girl on her lap.

“Lastly was the apocalyptic tsunami that swallowed what was left of Ruitera, but thankfully we were ready just at the last moment.” Nella continued. “The science users created two ships. One to survive the apocalyptic waves and water, the other to travel into deep space to find life elsewhere.”

“They left us!”

“Stoopid migrators!”

“Nothing great about 'em!”

The children exclaimed.

“Yes, well that is an argument for someone not as old as I.” Nella shook her head. “In the end, the Migrators believed the best possible chance for humanity was in space, while we stubbornly stuck with Ruitera. Who was right or wrong, well that is a question for if they ever return.”

Astrid nodded at the story. It was everything she had learned and nothing seemed to be out of place. Although now she knew the classes were most likely something similar as Pupil and Voidmare.

Each person of humanity had most likely bonded with their very own class-giving black blob.

After that, Nella continued to tell the children all about the Old World and what it used to look like. Verdant green fields filled with livestock for hundreds of miles. People drove around the country in metal vehicles and flew in aeroplanes through the skies.

The children had most likely heard of it all before, yet their eyes sparkled and they soon changed into one of hope.

Hope for the future. Hope to leave Rebirth. They turned to Astrid.

Why are they looking at me like that? Astrid recoiled.

With Nella finishing her story, It was play time once again.

Astrid created an entire show out of her illusions. The most requested illusion were the monsters that she had faced down in the towns. Although she refused to create the Walkers. She didn’t want to terrify them to the point they were unable to sleep for months.

The children swung around any object they could find as if they were deadly weapons. When they would strike the illusion and it would disappear, they would yell out a mighty war-cry

Astrid had to erect Mind Barriers around them all so that they wouldn’t clang into each other.

She glanced over to Losef with a pair of eyes that begged for help, yet only a grin was returned her way.

Why is dealing with children worse than monstrous voidlings? Astrid sighed.

Her energy was being sapped away at record pace. She created a mist illusion and escaped from their sight.

As she wandered through the large house, the dilapidated state of it shocked her. Floor boards were missing, the walls were letting in a cold draft, and there was an annoying leak now and then that dripped onto the wooden floor.

The smell of mould was in every nook and cranny within the orphanage. She placed her hand on the wood and with Psych Warp in mind, she created a perfect hard-wood from her imagination.

Although Psych Warp used a disproportionate amount of mana compared to the rest of her skills, even [Crash].

Astrid massaged her temples, she had a lot of work to get done.

Better get a move on. Astrid’s lips turned into a grin as she altered the matter within her body to focus on speed.

She dashed throughout the house, dodging any stray child that wandered into her path as she fixed anything that she could find.

All the rotten, mouldy, or broken floor boards were swiftly repaired.

With the help of Psych Domain, she stripped entire floors away and located any leaks that were being caused from rusted or cracked pipes. Then she placed the floors back together.

The children thought it was a fun game to chase Astrid around as she attempted to fix their home. They had even started giving each other points for who was able to locate the golden haired noble first.

After a couple of hours of running around, and multiple mana potions later, she had completely revamped the entire building. Inside and out.

New soft and fluffy rugs lined the halls for the kids to snuggle.

She had created toys for them to play with–the ones that she had personally played with during her childhood.

The building had no mould in sight, and was finally able to retain the heat that the fire in the living-room desperately attempted to create.

Job done. Astrid clapped her hands together as if they were dusty.

A little girl stared at her within the hall as she picked her nose with a vacant expression on her face.

Damn, it looks like one brain cell is trying to communicate with the other. Astrid thought.

The little girl looked at Astrid, looked at the vase sitting on the table next to her, then nudged it to the floor.

With a smash, it fragmented into pieces.

What the hell is wrong with kids? Astrid thought as she gazed at the eldritch horror with a frown.