Scarlet gradually began to recall her previous life, eventually realising and firming that she had been reinated into a new world when she was five.

  She lived in an orphanage – well-maintained by its caretakers, but still visibly old and worn. Faulty lightbulbs had gone weeks without rept, and the water heater was only avaible on cold days sihe orphanage director had to stretch every penny; she o ehere was enough budget for hospital visits and costly medications for the children in need – about ten of them suffered from iditions such as heart and lung problems. The medical expenses were overwhelming for any low-ine household, which was likely why these children had been aba the orphanage’s doorstep.

  The orphanage was strategically located, as Madame Brown had deliberately chosen a pear a church – just around the er - and a school within walking distance, allowing the children easy access to education. Scarlet suspected that Madame Brown had once lived a fortable life, but her devotion t for abandoned children had likely drained her savins. The building itself reflected this history – it had once been a well-designed home for forty children, but over the years, it had fallen into disrepair. Maintenance costs were rising, and Madame Brown likely couldn’t afford the necessary repairs with the orphanage’s current finances.

  The orphanage art of a slightly below-average-ine unity and was run by a single director, six staff members, and a handful of church volunteers who visited weekly to che the children. The director and two staff members stayed ht, while the others worked only during the day. In emergehey could always call on the church for assistanbsp;

  Like tonight, when one of the children came down with a high fever, and it was Scarlet who noticed.

  She quickly knocked on the director’s door, and one of the staff members rushed the child to the church to borrow a car and take them to the hospital.

  Madame Brown, the director, sighed with relief when she received a phone call from the staff member at the hospital, saying the child was being treated by the doctors and that she would stay there until further notibsp;

  “Thank you, dear,” Madame Brown said, patting Scarlet’s head as the girl waited with her for the call. “How did you notice?”

  “Well, he usually eats a lot, but tonight he gave me some of his dinner, so I thought something might be wrong. I didn’t feel he had a fever at the time,” Scarlet yawned and tinued, “He went to bed early, so I thought I’d che him befoing to sleep myself, just in case, and that’s when I found out he was burning hot.”

  “You’re very observant,” Madame Brown said, clearly impressed by the little girl. “Thanks again. Now off to bed with you.”

  “Yes, Mama Susan...” Scarlet rubbed her eyes as she walked towards her bed, situated among her children. Suddenly, she remembered something she’d been p for a few days and decided to ask now that the opportunity had preseself. “Um, Mama?”

  “Yes, darling?”

  “Could I have a word with you tomorrow, when you have a moment?”

  “Of course.”

  “I mean, in private - to talk about my education.”

  Madame Brown sensed something odd; now that she thought about it, the way Scarlet spoke was far more mature than what one would expect from a typical five-year-old. However, she didn’t dwell on it and agreed to Scarlet’s request, tug her in and giving her a kiss on the forehead before leaving the room.

  The day, after breakfast, Scarlet met her in her office. All the school-age children had beeo the nearby school, so before the staff returned, Madame Brown was the only adult present in the orphanage. Scarlet khis was the perfect time for their private talk, ensuring no one would overhear.

  “Good m, Scarlet,” Madame Brown said, sitting down on a small stool so that her eyes were level with Scarlet’s. “Now, about that eduatter you wao discuss?”

  “Yes, about that,” Scarlet said, pulling out a book, “This is Edgar’s homework from st year, and I realized I could solve it quite easily.”

  Madame Brown was taken aback by Scarlet’s words. She examihe book; Edgar’s writing was as messy as ever, but beside it was a mueater script, with answers far more accurate than Edgar’s. “Good heavens!”

  “Although I’d rather keep a low profile, I’ve been thinking about the financial side of things,” Scarlet suggested. “Could you look into the possibility of me skipping a few grades? That way, we could save some money on my education, and I could finish school earlier and head off to uy sooner.”

  Madame Brown was momentarily stunned before she patted Scarlet’s head, “Don’t worry about the fees, dear. Our funding may be tight, but it’s enough to cover your primary school expenses. You don’t o push yourself.”

  “Actually, I’ve got other pns in mind,” Scarlet slowly revealed her i, “I’m hoping to start earning money earlier so that I save up for travelling the world. It's, going to cost quite a bit, isn’t it?”

  Madame Brown was silent for a moment, her mind rag with thoughts before she voiced her . “That’s quite an ambition. I arrange for you to skip grades if you’re set on it, but...you might find it lonely. You’d be the only little one among older children. It could be difficult to make friends...”

  “Oh, about that...how shall I put it?” Scarlet scratched her head, “I’ve always felt like the odd o among kids my age. It’s not that they don’t want to be friends - they’re really nice - but I just ’t seem to find mu on with them. I’m not ied in the games they py or the cartoons they watch. Sometimes I don’t even uand what they’re talking about, I doubt they uaher.”

  Madame Brow a pang of sadness in her chest.

  “I tried to fit in with Edgar and his lot, but as you mentiohey don’t really ect with me - a five-year-old, after all. So... I re I’ll be a bit lonely regardless, at least until I’m older. But I think it might be easier for me to make friends as an 18-year-old at uy, where I meet all sorts of people.” Scarlet noticed the passionate look in Madame Brown’s eyes and smiled. “Don’t worry, Mama. I don’t mind being on my own. In fact, I see this as a good opportunity to foy studies, like drawing and other subjects, and to explore my is for further education. The unity library has everything I need for self-education.”

  Madame Brarded Scarlet for a long moment before speaking. “It seems like you’ve got quite a detailed pn.”

  “Yes, I do.” Scarlet nodded, “In fact, I’d like you to help me open a bank at so I save any earnings. I pn to enter maths petitions and simir events, and if I win, there’s often a cash prize. I’ll need somewhere to save that money.”

  Seeing the determination in Scarlet’s eyes, Madame Brown was vinced. “If you’ve made up your mind, then I’ll do what I to help. Just...don’t push yourself too hard, will you?”

  “I won’t,” Scarlet promised.

  Later, she was taken to the unity library, where she was left uhe care of a kind librarian, an elderly dy called Madame Robinson, while Madame Brown began the paperwork and applied for Scarlet’s school leave for the week.

  “What sort of books would you like to read today?” Madame Robinson asked.

  “Books about mythologies and legends,” Scarlet replied eagerly.

  Madame Robinson, who knew every book in the library, soourned with three thies. They were filled with deext and old-fashioned illustrations that might put off most children, but she knew Scarlet was capable of reading them. “Here are a few I think will suit you.”

  Scarlet thanked her and dove into her studies.

  Though most of what she’d told Madame Brown was true, she hadn’t revealed her deepest motivation: world travelling was just a surface reason. What she truly sought was to find a spirit to believe in, like the Harvesting Fox from her previous life.

  She had been a priestess for nearly her entire previous life, aced to the bond with her spirit and the feel of elling spiritual power. It wasn’t that she longed for powerful or destructive abilities; rather, she missed the gentle ripple of air when she waved her hand, the little flowers and grasses that sprouted at her touch, and the f presence of a cuddly fox that relished her affe.

  I hope my Harvesting Fox has found a suitable caster to bond with and isn’t too sad about my death, Scarlet mused as she immersed herself in the books.

  She wasn’t sure if a caster association or such spirits existed in this world, but the legends and mythologies were worth expl. She hoped to discover a new belief, a new anchor point in this life. Why did she still retain the memories of her past life? It’s wasn’t natural for a newborn mortal to carry more memories than one life should hold. She had already begun to notice how her thoughts and as felt out of sync with this world.

  Loneliness, feeling misuood, being an outlier in every group, sleepless nights, the inability to fully ie into this world, the pain of her death, the loss of her abilities that had almost bee sed nature, as if she’d lost a limb...She feared she might sink into depression if she couldn’t find a suitable way forward.

  She needed a new belief, and Christianity wasn’t her answer; she had tried, but it hadn’t worked.

  She his new belief, sooner rather than ter. Ideally, it would be a spirit or belief rooted in Engnd or Irend, somewhere she could reach by train and where she could vince Madame Brown to let her visit by attending petitions. If the belief she sought wasn’t within Engnd or Irend, she’d need a bigger budget to reaearby tries and a work of tacts to uhose legends, as the books in the unity library might not suffice. Uy libraries, especially those in old institutions, might hold the answer she sought.

  No one knew Scarlet’s true iions. But Madame Brown did her best to aodate Scarlet’s requests, starting with the grade-skipping. This became quite the loews, bringing more visitors to the orphanage and increasing donations. With the increased funds, Madame Brown was finally able to repce all lighting and renovate the bathrooms. Some even expressed i in adopting Scarlet, but she politely deed their offers.

  “I’m quite tent living here,” her words were quoted in a small se of the loeer. Though a modest piece, it still brought positive attention to the orphanage, Madame Brown, and the staff.

  As a result, Scarlet gained more freedom to move about, always uhe supervision of a staff member, of course. She could explore different streets and uo find petitions she could enter. And beyond that, antique and old curiosity shops became her favourite destinations.

  Qiya