The strict rules of Viatores clan

Wanna was rushing to the main buildings of Viatores clan. Since she was at the lowest rank possible, she had to cook and clean for all the members of the clan and do various other tasks for them. Other people that are in the same rank as her are Viatores who failed to find Amare, their one and true love partner for life. Every Viatore has one, but not everyone manages to find theirs. It is a hard task for some and easier for others, but everyone has only one chance to do it, right after they get their time-traveling powers.

As far as anyone else in the clan is concerned, Wanna does not even have her powers. She should have gotten them right around her eighteenth birthday, just like everybody else in the clan. She was already nineteen and a half. The member that got their powers last was a little less than eighteen and a half years old.

The highest ranked members of the clan closely follow the progress of everyone under eighteen. Some members start to have very short and vague dreams of the past almost a year before they get their real powers. As soon as that starts, the leading members track them even more closely, to the point that they don`t have almost any personal life. A special order of Viatores has a task to get into their dreams every night and write long research about them.

One good thing about Wanna`s position in the clan is that nobody pays too much attention to what she does outside her usual daily chores. Others, even ones of her rank, treat her with absolutely no respect. She always gets the worst and the most unpleasant tasks and she has to put up with a lot of yelling and insults from various clan members, but at least she has some free time during which no one is interested in paying attention to her. Other Viatores treat each other with courtesy and respect, no matter which rank they are. They have strict rules that they all obey, but Wanna is somehow not a part of that. She always thought that she would trade all the freedom she had for the powers and respect that others in her clan get, but that changed last night when she had her unusual dream.

The more she thought about it, the more she found it exciting. She also felt confident that her grandma would accept her dreams and agree to keep them a secret from others, for Wanna`s wellbeing. After all, her grandmother always showed compassion and empathy for her nightmares and was by her side through every hardship, so there is no reason to think she would behave any differently this time. All of Wanna`s good memories are mostly attached to her and their home.

However, the black sheep of the clan didn`t become an outcast overnight. Her parents were the first Viatores in many decades that didn`t obey the strict rules of the clan. They were not destined Amares and they tricked their clan so that they would think that they are. Although her parents were not meant for each other, they loved each other beyond any limits or regulations and wanted to stay together forever. It was a tough discovery for everyone in the clan, especially because Wanna`s mother had already given birth to her. The clan members made a decision to banish them from their land. They wanted to send their baby along with them, but both Wanna`s parents and her grandmother fought for her to stay in the clan. They all assumed Wanna would gain her powers and have a decent status amongst Viatores. They didn`t want an uncertain future for her.

The clan made a final decision and sent her parents to the world beyond the borders of Viatores land. They agreed not to banish Wanna with them. It was not because she was just a baby that did them no wrong. Viatores are not very compassionate, but they did value the power grandma Ava and her late husband had. They were both respected, they did a lot for the clan and they were high-ranked Viatores. So, the main members agreed to let Ava keep Wanna and be her legal guardian, but that would make her lose most of her possessions. They had to move to the poorest part of the land and grandma would also lose her high rank. She agreed to lose almost everything in exchange for her granddaughter`s safety.

All Viatores were surprised by her decision. It was unimaginable for them that someone would agree to lose respect and rank in the clan, as well as material possessions for a family member who, they assumed, would cause trouble because of their origin.

We have to understand that they had moral beliefs that a person in our society would consider cruel and unethic. That sure does not make them right, but it makes them a lot different. They believe in survival of the fittest and ensuring long-term security and prosperity for the clan above everything else. They place the most significance on the rules and respect from others in the clan. That includes a position in the clan, which naturally leads to better material status for a member and contributes to the prosperity of the land.

They also respect lower-ranked members that do less flattering jobs, don`t have their Amare and are unable to form a family, because they know someone has to finish those less pleasant tasks in the clan and a childless worker is a perfect fit for that job. That is why they also value less fortunate or less capable Viatores. They went by the book, did what is best for the clan and didn`t make "weak" children with someone who is not their destined partner.

They based all of those rules on the assumption that a child from a marriage that is not destined will cause only trouble with their weak genes. Their assumptions got even more deep-rooted when Wanna didn`t get her powers. But, as we know, genetics are complicated and Wanna might never have gotten her unique powers if her parents went by the book and didn`t marry each other.

When grandma Ava shocked them by deciding to keep Wanna, she also lost respect of the clan. But, considering her great power and previous rank, as well as the rank of her late husband, who was her destined Amare, people still feared her, even though they thought she lost her mind. None of them would dare to put a family member before the wellbeing of the entire clan, even if their family member was a powerful Viator.

Wanna was always happy that her grandmother was not that much hated by the clan as she was. She didn`t know the whole story, or how much her family sacrificed for her when she was a baby. Grandma didn`t want her to feel guilty because she chose to give up her rank, so she never told her how powerful she was.

No one really knew what happened to Wanna`s parents after they were banished, because it is unknown what is behind the borders of Viatores land. It was forbidden to go out there, because it was considered that it would ruin the peace, safety and prosperity of the land. There were many different speculations about what was hiding behind the border. Some thought that there were monsters and dangerous creatures that were nothing like Viatores. Others think that there were creatures similar to Viatores, but with different abilities. Either way, it was forbidden to excessively talk about that and if anyone dared to cross the border, an energy wall would appear along the border and that person would never be able to get back to the Viatores clan, even if anyone wanted to let them in. There might have been some desperate Viatores who crossed the border for various reasons, but they could not go back to tell others about their experience.

Wanna finally arrives at the Grand Hall of Viatores clan. She was not allowed to enter the main building, so she rushed a couple of blocks away from it and stopped in front of a nice and big house she has to work in today. She went in the back and knocked on the servants' entrance. She glanced at the big clock nearby.

"It is almost 7:30 AM... Thank God I am not late. I shouldn`t have stayed with Benji for so long, but I couldn`t help it. It was such an exciting adventure. I am really starting to enjoy that cat's company. It sounds silly, but I am lonely and although he seemed unpleasant at first, that cat is actually pretty decent. I feel calm and carefree when he`s around." Thought Wanna while trying to catch her breath from running before her superiors opened the door. She had to arrive at least half an hour earlier to prepare and the punishments for being late were very strict.

Finally, a big lady with an apron opened her door with a frown.

"Oh, not you again... To bad you are not late. If you came just a few minutes later, I would have the right to punish you...Ungreatfull girl. You know the procedure by now. Wait for me to bring you the box. I will slap you if you touch anything with your dirty hands," said the maid while still frowning towards Wanna.

"Yes, Ma ` am. I am sorry for causing you trouble," replied Wanna.

The woman rolled her eyes at her and went to get the box. She put it on the floor and Wanna took the plastic bags out of it. She put two on her feet. Then she took a plastic cap and placed it on her head. Finally, she put on the apron and slippers and went inside.

"As you know, we have an extremely important event tomorrow, so I don`t want any mistakes or complaints about missing classes. I have no idea why you get to go to school anyway. We will start from the kitchen, because some of the meals from this house are planned for the main event in the Great Hall. First you have to scrub the oven clean, wash the dishes and wash the floors. After that, you will go grocery shopping. There are only two extra pairs of bags in the box next to the stove, so you have to buy all the groceries at once. Use the clean pair when you come inside the house again, or you will be punished. After bringing the groceries, you have to cook all the meals from this list. I don`t have to tell you what happens if you don`t follow exact recipes. I am informed that you will have the right to enter the Great Hall tomorrow, because everything is hectic. We don`t have enough servers, so you will have the honor of serving the meals too. You will be wearing special gloves the whole time. I don`t want you to get the food dirty. If they asked me, I wouldn`t even let you in this house. You would be working only on the fields and with cattle, or in town unplugging shafts and cleaning the streets. But, our superiors are generous. Good knows why they didn`t banish a cursed girl like yourself from town. You should be eternally grateful... Now get to work quickly, I will smack you if I see you sitting or if you are sloppy and slow. Come to me to give you more tasks when you finish. "

"Yes, Ma ` am. I will get right to the tasks," answered Wanna.

She learned that there is no use in arguing with her. That only makes things worse. She complained about skipping school once and the maid hit her with a belt because of it. She doesn`t get hit often, but she is one of the rare members that, by the rules, can be physically punished when needed. So, she decided not to make her life even more miserable by complaining. She was absent from school a lot and that will affect her success. Nobody cares that she is an excellent student and no one asks why she was absent. Even though she is a curious and fast learner, she does not have a chance to get a better job in the future because of her rank, but she is still hoping and trying to do better every day.

The lower ranked Viatores usually treat Wanna a lot worse than the higher ranked. She was thinking about that a lot and realized that they probably feel like she shouldn`t do similar jobs as them. She has to take orders from every Viator, but they probably think that is not enough. This maid was especially unpleasant towards her. She is always treating her like she has a contagious disease and making her always wear gloves, especially while working with food. She is also very bitter because Wanna has a chance to get an education and that was not available to the lowest ranked Viatores when she was a young girl.

Wanna was cleaning as fast as she could when she realized that she probably shouldn`t sleep at all tonight. She didn`t want the maid to discover her secret if she started dreaming or having nightmares again. Though she probably won`t have time to sleep tonight even if she wants to. She was a bit disappointed she wouldn`t experience adventures tonight and that she would miss school tomorrow, but she was also thinking that her life might slowly be turning for the better. She had never been allowed into the Great Hall before and she heard people give tips to the servers.

"I wonder what the big event is. Everyone has been talking about it for weeks, but it seems like nobody really knows what it is about..." thought Wanna "Oh, I have no idea how to tell grandma that I won`t be home. She would be worried and I promised her I would talk to her about the events with Benji. This hag would never let me use the phone," she thought.

Suddenly, a cat with ginger red fur knocked on a window again. Wanna quickly opened, looked around to see if the maid was around and let Benji in.

"Hi, Benji. I have to send a note to my grandma. Will you help me?" asked Wanna hopefully.

He nodded.

"You`re the best! Please hide until I write it. I will be in big trouble if someone sees you," she said.

The cat hopped outside the window again. Wanna wrote a short note and took a few chicken bones out of the soup and put them on the window. Benji quickly snatched them and ate them. Then he carefully took the note, winked at Wanna and disappeared.

"I like this cat more each time I see him. He`s so caring. Kind of like a guardian that senses when I need help, " thought Wanna and a small smile appeared in the corner of her mouth.

"His gaze is very warm and pleasant, too...Oh God Wanna. What`s wrong with you? It`s a cat. You are way too lonely for your own good," thought Wanna, embarrassed.

Suddenly, the maid came in.

"What are you smiling for?! Stop that it is annoying. Hurry up with that cleaning and go to the store!" yelled the maid.

"Yes, Ma`am," answered Wanna.

"This is going to be a very long day," she thought.