5.- Names

'...What?'

I told them they could ask me for help if they ever needed it. Yes. But I didn't expect them to ask for it immediately.

And that they would also ask me to take care of them.

Me?

Take care of them?

Do I even have the right to...?

"Please! Just take care of us until we can live on our own!"

Seeing that I didn't respond, the boy continued speaking.

"We'll look for our own food! We'll take care of the things we need! Just! Just..."

"..."

"...Please... don't make us go back..."

The boy lowered his head more and more with each word.

In the end, what came out were words as low as a whisper, and he stayed waiting for an answer, while his sister held his hand tightly.

"..."

It is not something I can take lightly.

Even if they say they will take care of themselves, they are still children.

They can't take care of everything.

"..."

I have to investigate the gates.

I can't spare the time to take care of them.

Wouldn't it be best to simply ignore their request and take them to the humans?

At least they would know how to take care of them better than I would.

"..."

But I was the one who gave them the scales.

Rejecting their request right after saying I would help them...

Couldn't I tell them that I can't fulfill that favor and for them to think of something else?

"..."

But...

Deep down...

I know these are just excuses to not accept these children's request.

'Aunt Lunaria, you can’t go on like this! Please!'

I know...

I know, but...

I'm still not able to leave it behind.

"..."

The children are trembling.

They haven't looked up from the ground.

Still waiting for my answer.

"...I..."

I don't think I am the best option for this.

"..."

The children finally looked up from the ground.

They looked at me with expressions full of anguish waiting for my answer.

And facing those gazes, I...

"...I will take care of you... Until you can live by yourselves"

Just that.

I will take care to protect them and teach them to live by themselves.

That was my answer.

...And what I kept repeating to myself.

---

"Since I'm going to take care of you, I can't keep calling you 'children'."

After making my decision, what followed was to start organizing my next actions.

To do that, the first thing I have to do is know the names of the children in front of me.

I can't keep calling them him or her.

"What are your names?"

But the answer I received was not the one i expecting.

"...We don't know"

"..."

The girl shook her head from side to side following her brother's words.

'What? They don't know? Their own names?'

The boy continued speaking.

"One day, before we knew it, we simply realized we didn't remember our names."

"..."

"...In that place, those people-"

"It's okay, you don't need to continue"

There is no need to relive bad memories when they barely got out of there.

But them not remembering their names complicates things.

In that case, what I should do is...

"...I understand, then I will give you a name"

I will take it upon myself to give them a name, it is the least I can do in this situation.

"Only if you agree with it"

A name reflects a being's identity.

It is not something that can be given lightly.

So the act of giving a name is not something that can be belittled, no matter the species.

The children nodded at my proposal.

Receiving their confirmation, then what remains is...

"Let me think..."

First, the boy.

Short hair of a dense grey.

Violet eyes.

Even when he thought everything was over, he didn't seem to want to give up and continued waiting for an opportunity in order to protect his sister.

There are several names that can reflect his personality, but I think the one I will give him is...

"From now on, your name will be Nash; it won't be easy, but keep resisting and overcoming what life has in store for you"

So, now...

The girl.

Grey hair, if compared to her brother it is a color closer to silver, the dirt doesn't let one see well but one can see it resembles white more than grey.

Dark Violet eyes just like her brother's.

Taking advantage of the opportunity her brother gave her, she managed to overcome a sea of adversities in order to save him and that led her to find me.

"I will give you the name Isla; perhaps you believe this situation is only due to your brother's efforts, but do not deny your own. It was thanks to your determination that you managed to find an opportunity even surrounded by dangers"

Nash.

Isla.

"Don't forget them again"

Because from now on, those will be your names.

---

"So, Nash, Isla"

I called both by their names.

They still don't seem used to them, but time will solve that.

"Let's wash you up, I can't keep leaving you full of dirt"

I decided the next thing to do was to wash them.

I could simply use magic to clean them, but I already said I was going to teach them how to live on their own.

I can't use magic for every little problem.

"There should be a lake nearby, follow me"

With the children following me, we left the cave and walked toward where I remembered seeing a lake.

I tried to walk as slowly as possible, but the lake was farther than I thought and we had to rest several times along the way.

Even if they managed to eat well today, that alone isn't enough for them to recover from a long period of abuse, but their physical condition will improve with time. I will make sure of that.

Once at the lake I took charge of bathing them and giving them new clothes. I can't leave them with those rags if I'm going to take care of them.

The clothes, made from my mana, consisted of a navy blue shirt with golden borders similar to those of my cloak and light blue shorts.

Wearing a skirt in a place like this would be difficult so both received similar clothes.

Didn't I say I wouldn't use magic for every little problem?

This is not a small problem, it is an important matter.

If I'm going to teach them, I can't leave them with their previous appearance.

"It fits you well"

Thanks to the bath, the appearance of both improved quite a bit.

Nash had short hair of a dense grey color that contrasted with his sister's almost silver hair.

Seeing them side by side, it seems they are going to grow up well, but at this moment their bodies still show signs of malnutrition.

"Thank you for the clothes"

"!"

Isla nodded along with her brother's words.

She still hasn't spoken to me.

Now that I think about it, when we met, it was quiet, but she could clearly speak.

Could it be that due to the stress of the situation she lived through she refuses to speak?

It's not something I can force her to do either, this is something she must overcome on her own.

For now, what I can do is start teaching them how to survive on their own.

And for that, I must start with:

"The first thing I will teach you is about mana"

Both looked at me while sitting on the ground next to the lake.

"Let's start with this, do you know what mana is?"

Isla shook her head while Nash:

"The awakened get mana upon awakening and thanks to that they obtain skills to be able to face monsters"

"...That isn't correct, but it isn't entirely incorrect either"

Nash's answer isn't correct, or rather, it shows a lack of understanding of what 'mana' is.

"It is true that those people use mana to use what they know as skills, but saying they get mana upon 'awakening' is not correct"

The children tilted their heads and I continued with my explanation.

"Mana is inherent to living beings, everyone has it, some possess more than others. What you know as awakening is something that happens when, in a specific situation, a person instinctively learns to handle their mana."

"Then, why are there people who one day simply awaken without the need for complicated situations?"

Nash asked a question. It is good that he asks about things he doesn't know.

"As I said before, a person instinctively learns to handle their mana when they 'awaken', this is usually due to stressful situations. But if we see it from another perspective, this stressful situation is not the key to handling mana, it is simply a possibility. There are several reasons why a person could learn to handle their mana: that a part of their body suddenly heats up or cools down, that from one moment to another their eyesight becomes sharper or their body gains strength even without training. Even another person circulating their mana through another person's body could help. There are several ways to become aware of one's mana, but each person has a different sensitivity, that is why some can come to feel it by chance and realize its existence, while others need a greater effort"

I think I talked a little too much, because Nash and Isla were looking at me with confused expressions.

"The point is, each person is different, what works for one might not work for another. There is also the fact that the nature of each person's mana differs. This, while it doesn't make learning what others do impossible, does greatly facilitate learning things compatible with one's nature"

"?"

Now Isla was looking at me with an expression of curiosity.

"Let's take Isla as an example. The mana she possesses is related to stealth. This will allow her to more easily learn techniques that apply this concept: Hiding in plain sight, making monsters and people lose sight of her more easily, even eliminating natural sounds like her breathing or her heartbeat. But this doesn't imply she can only learn things related to stealth, if she wants, she could also learn to throw fireballs or create water using her own mana. The nature of mana simply facilitates the learning of some things over others"

Isla nodded at my explanation and Nash seemed like he was still a bit confused.

After this, I continued teaching them how to handle their mana during the day, and, when it started to get late, we returned to the cave after gathering fruit for them to eat.

Thus a small new routine was born in my life: wake up, feed the children, bathe them, train during the day, a second meal, sleep, and repeat.

And.

About a week later.

"...Should I go to a human territory?"