“Welcome, I am Dan,” I looked at one head.

“I am Sam,” the other head spoke.

“What? How?” I looked at what could only be called two children merged together.

“We were born together. We are basically waiting around for the Healers to either kill us,” Dan said.

“Fix us,” Sam said.

“Or they might have forgotten we exist,” Dan added.

“So, what are you here for?” Sam asked.

“Alchemical toxicity being purged from my soul. It was pretty bad, but the Healers fixed it, I hope. I can’t remember everything they did, but it was very painful,” I answered.

“At least you are getting out of here,” Dan said with a sigh. It was like a second person was growing out of another one. “The rest of us are stuck here. They won’t kick children out, but no one will pay for our treatment.” The sigh seemed exaggerated, but maybe that was just how they were, he was. I felt confused.

“So, you just wait here?” I asked.

“Until we are 16 and they kick us out or put us to work. They do a bunch of charity cases a year, but we count double,” Sam said.

“Two people, not just one, so it is twice as hard for us to get on the list,” Dan added.

“When you walk about the long term care area, you will see the rest of the Forgotten,” Sam said.

“That is what we are,” Dan said right after.

“How does your status even work? Do you have two different statuses?” I asked, I couldn’t hold myself back.

“That is the problem. We share one. If we are separated one of us might not end up with a status. That’s why they keep hesitating to do anything,” Sam explained.

“Also, the cost. They would need to grow organs, practically a new body. My guess is that some Master Fleshcrafter is waiting until they hit a bottleneck and then using us to get past it,” Dan said.

“Only reason to keep us charity cases around,” Sam added.

“Well, are you going to die if you walk around?” Dan asked me.

“No, I can walk around. Just a bit unsteady,” I replied.

“Then let’s go. I can show you the rest of the Forgotten,” Sam said. I got up and followed the misshapen double child out of our shared room. Each of us were wearing a gown tied in the back.

They knocked on the door. I had no idea how they controlled their joined body. “New temporary stay,” Dan said.

“What’s your name?” Sam asked me.

“Justin Burnstock,” I replied while I stared at the two other kids in this room.

“Share your problem,” Dan told me.

“Oh, I had a high level of Alchemical toxicity that was forced out of my soul into my body,” I explained.

“I am Allen the Allergic. I have the never before heard skill Food Resistance. One day I will starve to death,” the thin boy said.

“We blame him for the horrible food around here,” Sam said.

“Then we have Multi-Eye Marven. He doesn’t speak, no mouth you see,” Dan joked. A boy with just eyes covering his face gave me a wave.

“How does he eat?” I asked nervously.

“Face hole. No teeth or jaw, just a hole and eyes,” Sam said.

“Now for the next room,” Dan said. We made our way to the next room. All three children here looked deformed. One had tentacles for arms. Another had a wolf’s head. And the last had scales covering parts of their body.

“Hello, I am Justin Burnstock,” I said and introduced myself again.

“Kagen, wolf child,” the boy with a wolf’s head said.

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“Terra, tentacles as you can see,” she replied.

“I am an elf, Alphonse,” the last boy said with a glare at everyone else.

“This lucky group of Forgotten are when mommy and daddy took in a bit too much monster Mana over their lives or while pregnant. You get cases like this,” Dan pointed out.

“And then their parents either run off or die, leaving them behind here,” Sam explained.

“No one wants a deformed freak,” Dan added on. I didn’t know what to say and felt incredibly self-conscious.

“At least they didn’t lose their status. If that happens, well you aren’t a child anymore, but a monster. They chuck you into the dungeon,” Sam joked.

“That’s it for children who have a status, but aren’t yet adults around here,” Dan said.

“Only five?” I asked in surprise. I thought there would be a lot more.

“Oh, others come and go,” he said as I followed him back to our room. “But most charity cases that are treated are the beast children. The group is always rotating in and out. Complicated cases like ours, who knows when the Healers will finally get to us,” Sam replied.

“So, Alchemical toxicity coming out through your soul. That is new,” Dan said.

“Um, yes?” I wasn’t sure what to say as we reached our beds and sat on them.

“You paid up? They are big on that,” Sam asked.

“Yes, my mother covered the costs,” I said.

“Well good for you. You don’t want to see what happens if you can’t pay. While the Healers treat you, the Nurses smile, their Enforcers will suck your soul out,” Dan said.

“Not literally, but even if we are treated we will be working here for a long time. At least we have the job of orientation for new people to the long term treatment area,” Sam said.

“That’s why you have an empty bed in this room?” I asked.

“Got it. Have to make sure you know your way around this place, not like there is anything. The Nurses bring food and check up on us, but otherwise we just wait around,” Dan explained.

“You don’t have a Teacher or someone?” I asked.

“If it isn’t money being spent on advancing their healing skills, the Healers hate spending money. There is a library in the common room if we want a book,” Sam answered.

“Okay, why do you two keep switching back and forth?” I couldn’t take it anymore.

“It is our deal with ourselves. We each take a turn talking and then let the other one go,” Dan said.

“That’s it?” I asked.

“Yes. Oh, there is a shared common room with a window that overlooks the gardens. But we aren’t allowed outside. Too risky for our health and the Healers don’t want to see us until they finally decide to treat us,” Sam explained.

There was a knock on the door and a Nurse entered. “Sorry to break up the conversation, but you have a visitor in the common room Justin,” she said.

“Go on, we aren’t going anywhere. The normal people get scared by us,” Dan replied. I nodded at them and followed the Nurse. In the common room was Tutor Damian, with his books. I was never escaping them, unless I was literally dying. Once I got better, it was back to grinding up those skill levels without a long period of rest.

“Justin, I am glad you are okay,” he greeted me with a smile.

“Thank you, Tutor Damian. My mother said I am here for two months and then she will be returning,” I replied.

“Yes, she told me the same thing. I am technically your guardian while you are here and she is away. I brought you your study materials,” he said as I looked at the books he had stacked up. They were much thicker and newer than the books on the small couple of shelves in the common room.

“This is light studying?” I asked.

“For what both you and your mother want to achieve, then yes. While you might be concerned that she is pushing you too far, you haven’t seen the craziness they get into at the College of Advancement. They have a full team of Healers on staff for a reason,” he replied.

“I…my head knows that my mother was only doing what I asked. But the pain…I can’t forget it,” I replied.

“Hmmm. Perhaps we have been focusing too much on improving skills. Give me a day, and I should have a book that will interest you. The Neverending Journey by Bastian. It isn’t a book that will help you improve your skills, but it should give you the perspective of the greatest Supreme Legend of all time,” Damian said.

“Greater than my mother?” I asked.

“She is in contention, but while his name his spelled slightly different, he was the Adventurer to found the Last Bastion on the 20^th layer of the dungeon. People say it was named in his honor. His last known level was 164, before he made his final descent to go as deep as possible into the dungeon,” Damian said.

“And his book? Just a bunch of motivational phrases or something?” I asked.

“No. It is only about his immense suffering and…other things. He constantly warns people away from his path,” Damian explained.

“And my mother is okay with you letting me read this, Neverending Journey?” I asked.

“The Neverending Journey, and yes. It isn’t popular and is only considered famous because of the author. There are no great insights or secret skills to be learned from its pages. Just the unrelenting suffering of one man to become stronger and his inner thoughts,” Damian explained.

“Alright,” I said quietly.

“Don’t worry, I will dig up a copy. I doubt they keep one here. It truly is depressing, but they say that anyone who wants to be an adventurer after reading it, is truly destined to become at least an elite,” he said. I wasn’t sure if I believed that, but I would hold my judgement until I read this story.

Today there was studying to do. This was what I wanted and my mother made sure to do her best to arrange everything for me to advance as quickly as possible. After seeing the Forgotten, I didn’t dare be troublesome or petulant. I needed to work hard to make the most of the opportunities that had been given to me. Not complaining that things were too difficult.

“Thank you, for watching out for me,” I said quietly.

“Don’t worry Justin,” he said. I knew my mother was paying him quite a bit, like everyone else she hired, in one form or another. But it couldn’t have been easy for him to rush all the way here. I was inconveniencing so many people. While they were understanding, if I had such issues in the future, I would only be able to count on myself one day.

While that day wasn’t today, it would be one day. I was still under the aegis of my mother’s protection and care. But if I truly wanted to surpass her, I needed to keep pushing. She had been correct. Results were the only thing that mattered. If I had died, then she would be to blame. Since I got better, she also got credit for helping me get stronger without dying.

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