A Village Out in the Boonies: Hage
The sun rose gently over the distant hills, casting golden light on the quiet village of Hage. In the center stood a small, humble church. Inside, peaceful silence reigned—until a faint sound of crying broke the morning calm.
Pastor Orsi stepped out of his office, his brows furrowed at the unexpected noise from outside.
Orsi: "Hmm...? Is that... crying?"
He opened the heavy wooden doors and paused.
Three infants lay swaddled in blankets on the church's doorstep, their tiny faces scrunched in distress as they wailed.
Orsi(sighs): "Here we go again..."
Kneeling down, he gently scooped the babies into his arms, his heart aching at the sight of the abandoned children.
Orsi: "Who would leave babies out here like this...?"
Inside the church, he laid them on a wooden bench and examined them closely.
One of the babies—a quiet one with jet-black eyes—looked around with surprising awareness. There was something strange behind those eyes... something thinking.
Unknown Baby (in thought): "Where am I...? Reincarnated? Not heaven or hell, huh...?"
He turned his tiny head and looked at the surroundings, eyes catching the large cross behind the altar.
Unknown Baby (in thought): "Is that... a church? I guess I'm an orphan... part of me wishes I had parents, but whatever. I was an orphan in my past life too, so I'm used to it."
Then a noise interrupted his thoughts. He glanced to his left and right—the other two babies were crying their lungs out.
Unknown Baby (in thought): "So loud... That ash-blond one's got lungs. The black-haired one's not as loud, but still annoying."
Despite the chaos, his eyelids drooped.
Unknown Baby (in thought): "Can't believe I'm falling asleep to this noise… whatever. Guess I'll take this life."
As he drifted off, Orsi tried calming the two crying infants.
Orsi(gently rocking them): "There, there... easy now."
One of the babies—the black-haired one—settled down quickly (Yuno).
Orsi(smiling faintly): "You calmed down fast, huh?"
He turned to the jet-black-eyed baby, already asleep (Unknown Baby).
Orsi: "You're already out cold… Guess you're not too bothered by any of this."
The last baby, the ash-blond one, was still wriggling. Despite the movement, he had a wide grin on his face even while sleeping (Asta).
Orsi(raising an eyebrow): "This one looks excited."
He stepped back and looked at all three babies in a row.
Orsi (thinking): "Are they brothers...? No, can't be. Their skin tones, hair colors, and eye colors are all different."
He looked at the one with golden eyes.
Orsi(glancing at Yuno): "This one... has much lighter skin."
Then at the sleeping child in the middle.
Orsi(looking at Unknown Baby): "This one... look normal."
Finally, his gaze landed on the one still twitching with energy.
Orsi(chuckling): "And this little guy's got ash-blond hair—and an attitude to match."
As he observed them, he noticed something tucked into their baby shirts—name tags.
He checked the first one.
Orsi: "The first one... Yuno."
He moved to the second baby, the one with the mature, sleeping eyes.
Orsi: "The second one is... Hans (Unknown Baby Name)"
He reached for the last one's tag.
Orsi: "And this one—"
Suddenly, a tiny foot jabbed his shin.
Orsi: "Ow! Hey—spunky, aren't you?"
The baby let out a gurgle that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
Orsi(grinning): "Asta, huh?"
He looked at all three again—one calm and alert, one fast asleep, and one brimming with fire.
Orsi (softly): "Right. Asta, Yuno, Hans. You're safe now."
He stood, gently rocking them in his arms, as the morning sunlight spilled warmly into the church.
Orsi: "From now on... this is your home."