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"Brother Dan~!"
The other kids came running, surrounding him in a tight circle.
Dan set Little Orange down and hugged each of them one by one. At this moment, they weren't just kids and a guardian—they were family, bound for life.
The tall man who'd been playing with the kids noticed Dan and quickly pulled a photo out of his pocket, comparing it.
"You're Mr. Dan! You're the new director, right?"
He was clearly excited.
Dan nodded, studying the young man in front of him.
"And you are…?"
The man wiped his hands, then extended one to shake.
"Hello, Director. I'm Nissen Mosti, a new staff member here."
Dan shook his hand politely.
"Nice to meet you. Welcome aboard."
After thinking for a moment, Dan added:
"Actually, could you gather everyone from the orphanage together? There are some things I'd like to say."
"Right away!" Nissen ran off toward the building.
Dan smiled at the kids. "Alright, you all go play for a bit. I need to talk to the uncles and aunties."
Soon, the entire staff of Valentin Orphanage was assembled in the hall—thirty-seven in all, from security guards to janitors. Only two of them had survived the attack; the rest had been hired later by Stark.
Dan stood at the podium and held up his ID.
"I'm sure all of you have heard about what happened two weeks ago. Some of you even lived through it."
He spoke slowly, almost like telling a story.
"That night is something none of us want to remember… but it's also something we can't ignore. For me, this place has always been like home. I was adopted when I was six, but I'll never forget the nun who raised me. She's gone now… but this orphanage still has to go on. The kids here still deserve a bright future.
So I want to work with all of you to make sure they grow up healthy and happy, ready to embrace that future."
He'd been through so much that sometimes he forgot—he was only sixteen. But people grow fast when they're forced to. Dan had just grown a little faster than most.
"That's all I wanted to say. You can all go."
As the staff began to leave, Dan's eyes caught on a familiar figure in a security uniform.
"Frank."
The man stopped. "Something wrong, Director?"
Dan scratched the back of his head. "Let's talk in the office. Not here."
Inside, the two of them sat across from each other.
Frank spoke first. "Didn't expect our next meeting to be like this."
Dan let out a long breath. "That night… I owe you. Erik told me. If you hadn't warned him, things would've been even worse."
At the mention of that night, Frank's fists clenched tight. He couldn't hide the killing intent radiating off him.
"It's my fault! If I wasn't so useless, none of them would've died!"
Regret and hatred twisted his face. He hated his weakness. He hated that he hadn't been able to save the orphanage… just like he hadn't saved his wife and children years ago.
"No. This wasn't your fault. It was those damned parasites."
Dan's voice was cold, his own killing intent no less than Frank's.
The office fell silent. Both men knew that night would forever be a scar they carried.
"Save the kids!"
"Kill me! I don't want to turn into a monster…"
Those last cries still echoed in Frank's head. Vampires. Monsters. The world itself felt stranger by the day.
After a long silence, Dan finally asked, "So why are you working here?"
"I needed a job," Frank answered simply.
A job? Dan studied him more closely. He'd recognized him back during their masked encounter but hadn't put it together until later—this was Frank Castle, the Punisher, one of Marvel's most notorious mortal anti-heroes.
But this Frank wasn't exactly like the one from the movies. That version was pure ruthlessness, looking at everyone like they were already corpses on a butcher's block.
The man sitting in front of him still radiated that aura of death… but there was something else too. Humanity. Confusion.
And really, the movies were just movies. What he saw now was a man of flesh and blood, carrying pain and emotions.
Once, Dan wouldn't have understood him. But now? He did.
He understood what it felt like to lose everything. The fire of revenge, the emptiness that followed.
Dan sighed. "Alright. Stay here, do your job. Just… tone down the killing aura when you're around the kids."
Frank nodded. "Got it. I'll get back to work."
He grabbed his hat and left.
From the window, Dan watched him walk away. Nissen spotted Frank and immediately rushed over, practically glowing with admiration as he tagged along.
Frank, of course, said nothing, just went straight to his post.
Dan rubbed his temples, then unrolled a blueprint.
His plan was simple: arm the entire orphanage. Turn it into a fortress.
Valentin's location was tricky—right at the edge of Queens, bordering Hell's Kitchen and the Franklin ruins. And this was New York. If a future battle ever broke out here, the orphanage would be caught in the crossfire for sure.
So if he'd accepted responsibility for this place, then planning was no longer optional.
"This is where it starts."
Standing outside the orphanage chapel, Dan felt like he was back in his childhood days. He used to sneak away from the noisy kids and sit quietly here. Every Sunday morning, the nun would come to this very place to pray, her voice soft but steady.
He walked inside. The tables, the chairs—they were all familiar. But the crucifix had been completely rebuilt, since the cursed Count Vlad had once emerged from beneath it.
"....."