Two Dominion officers stepped inside, clean, sharp, composed, nothing like the soldiers the siblings had seen patrolling the streets, yet the air around them carried authority, precise and careful, like a predator measuring its prey.
The taller one nodded politely.
"Good morning. I'm Captain Genji Takahara. We're here for a routine house check regarding misuse of Kigen, nothing to be alarmed about."
Ren froze. A captain? For a "routine" inspection? And what was Kigen?
The second officer stepped in beside him, a woman with a calm but subtly sharp expression, her dark eyes scanning the room with meticulous precision.
"And I'm Lieutenant Shiori Kanzaki," she said, her tone light, almost teasing in the tiniest way, "We'll just ask a few questions while our men poke around, don't worry, I'm not here to redecorate."
Hikaru leaned toward Ren, whispering, "Why are officers like them even here?"
Oh yeah , let me just tell you now , these two soldiers are NOT ordinary officers.
The taller man is Captain Genji Takahara, code name The Bear. It is said that he had once orchestrated the suppression of a rebellion in Vastoria, the cold, mountainous nation to the north of Ardenfell (the country where Kagekawa is situated, and where the Fiend siblings were born.
His tactics demolished the country's fortified town of Ishikawa Keep almost entirely, quelling the uprising without losing a single key soldier.
Beside him, the woman was Lieutenant Shiori Kanzaki, code name The Raven.She is quite infamous across the Akahama Empire, a desert nation to the east of Ardenfell, for tracking and capturing rogue Grace users who had evaded authorities for years, returning them quietly and without leaving a trace.
Ren said nothing, he only noticed the way their mother stood a little straighter, her calm gaze not breaking, her hands folded at her waist as if she were daring the officers to push. There was a quiet weight about her presence, nothing flashy, nothing overt, but it made Ren swallow hard. She isn't scared, she's never scared.
Two foot soldiers moved behind the officers, splitting off quietly to check the hallway and the back rooms.
Shiori tilted her head, surveying the children.
"So… eight children. That must get… noisy."
Kaede shot back, voice sharp, "E-EXCUSE ME? You just waltz into our home and call it noisy?"
Aya muttered under her breath, "Friendly for a house check, huh?"
The mother's polite smile didn't waver. "We do our best."
Ren noticed the officers were calm, almost casual, but their eyes were anything but, they were careful, controlled, calculating, and his mother's composure? He couldn't stop thinking about it.
Genji's gaze swept across the siblings.
"And how old are you all?"
Kaede snapped, "OLD ENOUGH!"
Aya elbowed her. "She means fifteen, or sixteen, not that it matters to you!"
Genji chuckled, a low, warm sound, human, almost… approachable.
"Fair enough, standard procedure, really."
Hikaru muttered under his breath, "Standard procedure my foot, they personally came here."
From the hallway, one of the foot soldiers called out, "Captain! The guest room check is complete."
Genji's eyes didn't leave the siblings. "Proceed."
Shiori's lips curved slightly, "Nothing to worry about, just routine, I promise I won't bite… much."
Ren swallowed hard, noticing the almost imperceptible twitch of their mother's fingers, calm, controlled, like she had everything under control without moving a muscle.
Finally, Shiori asked, "So… misuse of Kigen, do you know what that is?"
Ren shook his head. "K-Kigen? What's that?"
Shiori's tone softened, still calm but patient, "Every human has latent spiritual energy, that's Kigen. Some awaken it fully, some barely notice it, and some, if uncontrolled, can cause serious harm, to themselves, to others, or even attract attention from the Dominion."
Aya frowned, "So… it's magic?"
Genji's voice rumbled in the quiet room, "Not magic, think of it as energy tied to your mind, body, and will. You can enhance physical abilities, sense others' presence, or manipulate the environment, but it's dangerous if uncontrolled."
Hikaru whispered, "Uncontrolled… like what we do for fun?"
Shiori gave a tiny smirk, dry humor in her eyes, "Well, fun is subjective, but yeah, let's call that 'reckless practice.'"
Ren swallowed again, he looked at his mother, whose eyes were calm, unreadable. Something about her posture, the way she didn't flinch at the discussion of power or Graces, hinted at something beneath the surface. He didn't know what, and he didn't want to.
Genji's gaze sharpened, "Ever heard of a Grace?"
Ren's stomach tightened, "Grace?"
Shiori leaned closer, "Imagine your Kigen, amplified by a soul from someone who has passed on, that soul lends you abilities far beyond normal Kigen, but there's a cost, strain, conflict, sometimes even control, that is why the Dominion monitors for Graces carefully."
Kaede muttered, "So… we could be in trouble just for existing?"
Genji's expression softened slightly, "Existence alone isn't the issue, reckless use is, reports suggest unusual activity here."
Aya crossed her arms, "Energy fluctuations? What does that even mean?"
Shiori's eyes narrowed, "It means someone powerful enough to be noticed, that is all you need to understand for now."
Ren's thoughts raced, he had glimpsed power he couldn't control, but now he realized, the Dominion had noticed, they knew.
Minutes of tense, careful questioning passed, then a sharp exhale from the foot soldier in the guest room.
"Captain… you'll want to see this…"
Genji's eyes flicked toward the hallway, he motioned for Shiori to follow.
The siblings froze.
The soldier returned, dragging something from under the carpet, dust rising like smoke.
Ren squinted, it was a wooden oni mask, carved roughly but unmistakably.
The soldier's voice was low, tight, "This… this is exactly what we were expecting."
Genji raised his hand, signaling calmly, "Confirm quietly, don't speak further."
Shiori's polite smile disappeared, replaced by icy focus.
Genji turned to the mother, expression suddenly cold, "…Well, that changes everything."
The mother stepped forward, shielding her children instinctively, her calm, collected gaze made the siblings stiffen. She didn't move, didn't raise her voice, didn't look angry, and yet, in that stillness, she radiated authority.
"Listen," she said, voice quiet but firm, "No matter what happens next, stay behind me."
Ren's stomach tightened, every muscle went rigid.
Genji nodded once to his soldiers, "If you'll excuse us…"
CRACK
The back door exploded inward, two more armed soldiers poured in, boots slammed against the floor, shadows stretched across the walls.
"It looks like my judgement was correct , you are the infamous Fiends…" spat shiori , chaos was soon to come…