After Werf and Jil had dressed, Hild eyed them carefully before speaking. "Go to the backyard. Play. Test yourselves. See for yourselves how different you are now."
Werf and Jil exchanged excited glances before bolting out the door, Fenr yipping as he scrambled after them.
The wooden door creaked as it swung open, revealing the vast grassland that stretched beyond the orphanage's yard.
In the far distance, the shadowy outline of the great forest loomed, its towering trees swaying gently in the wind.
The moment Werf stepped outside, he stopped in his tracks. Everything looked… sharper. The sunlight felt brighter, the colors of the grass and sky more vibrant than he ever remembered.
He could see further, his eyes picking out the distant entrance of the forest with surprising clarity.
Jil gasped beside him. "Whoa… everything looks so clear!"
Werf turned to her, noticing how every strand of her red hair gleamed under the sun, how her freckles stood out more than before. She was staring wide-eyed at the landscape, her mouth slightly open in awe.
They ran into the open field, laughing as they tried to test their newfound senses. Jil crouched in the grass, plucking a tiny wildflower and bringing it to her nose.
Her expression lit up. "It smells so strong!" she exclaimed. "I never knew flowers smelled like this before!"
Werf knelt beside her, picking up another flower and inhaling deeply. A rush of scent hit him—not just the gentle sweetness of the petals, but something more.
The dampness of the soil, the crispness of the air, even the faint scent of the wind that carried hints of the forest beyond.
Excited, they turned to each other and started experimenting. Jil reached out and ran her fingers across Werf's face, her eyes widening. "I can feel everything!" she said, amazed. "Your skin, the little bumps, even the tiniest scratches!"
Werf copied her action, brushing his fingers against Jil's cheek. He could feel the warmth of her skin, the slight roughness where she had fallen the other day and scraped her chin. It was strange—almost overwhelming.
Their excitement only grew from there. Jil ran off into the field and shouted, "Werf, can you hear me?"
She was far away—much farther than she usually would be when playing. Yet, her voice rang clear in Werf's ears, as though she was standing right next to him.
He cupped his hands around his mouth and yelled back, "I can hear you just fine!"
Jil's eyes sparkled with excitement as she ran back to him. "This is amazing! What else can we do?"
Werf grinned. "Let's see how food tastes now."
They rushed back inside, heading straight for the orphanage's small kitchen. After rummaging around, Jil managed to snatch two apples from a wooden basket. She tossed one to Werf before taking a big bite out of hers.
The moment the apple touched his tongue, Werf froze.
The taste was… different. The sweetness was deeper, richer, but there was something else—something he had never noticed before. A faint sourness, subtle yet present, like a hidden note in a song.
Jil chewed slowly, blinking in confusion. "I never noticed apples were a little sour before."
Werf nodded, taking another bite and letting the flavors settle in his mouth. "It's like… I can taste more."
Jil grinned. "This is the best thing ever!"
Fenr let out a playful bark, wagging his tail as he jumped up at them, eager to join in their excitement.
Their curiosity only deepened as they continued to test themselves. Werf walked barefoot across the wooden floor, feeling every tiny grain in the wood as though his skin had become more sensitive.
Jil tossed a rock into the field, and both of them tracked its landing with ease, noticing the faint disturbances it caused in the grass.
As the sun began to set, they sat by the back fence of the orphanage, gazing toward the distant forest.
The once blurry and indistinct tree line now stood in vivid detail, each tree sharp and clear even from afar. The world had opened up to them in a way they had never imagined.
Werf looked at Jil, and she looked back at him. They had spent their entire lives as ordinary kids, scraping by in a world that valued strength above all else. But now, something had changed. They had changed.
Jil clenched her fists and grinned. "This is just the beginning, isn't it?"
Werf nodded, determination shining in his eyes. "Yeah. Just the beginning."
And this was only the start of their journey.