His mother flinched.
She knew he was right. The mass destruction Atrial had unleashed under the guise of fighting the Guardians—entire southern towns razed. And the mid-belt region could be next if they even suspected Guardian presence here.
But she pushed the thought away.
"H-how can you say that?"
She forced brightness into her voice. "Besides, why not join the government instead? You could make changes from the inside, right? Just like your grandfather!"
Her smile was strained, desperate.
Craig stared at his plate. His appetite was gone.
"Yeah, right. Name one person who's made real change from inside that system."
"Craig."
His mother's tone went cold. Hard.
"Don't make me take unnecessary steps."
Her expression darkened.
Craig's stomach dropped. A month grounded—minimum. Maybe worse.
"Let him be."
A man's voice cut through the tension.
Craig's head snapped toward the door. His father stood there in a black suit, cane in hand, removing his top hat.
"Besides, he's still young. He has a long way to go."
"Welcome back, Dad!" Craig smiled brightly, relief flooding through him as he ran toward him.
Saved.
His father crossed the room, squatting down to Craig's eye level. "Looks like my boy almost got himself in trouble."
He leaned closer, voice dropping to a whisper. "Be more careful next time. The doctor said her emotions run high at this stage."
"What are you two talking about?" Craig's mother demanded, eyes narrowing.
Father and son looked nearly identical—same face, same dark hair color, and dark grey pupils. Only their height gave them away.
"Oh, nothing." His father stood, handing her his hat and cane with a grin. "Just some man-to-man advice."
"Like what?" She held out her hand, waiting for his jacket.
"Just reminding him to be careful with your emotions." He shrugged off the jacket, still teasing. "Don't want him ending up like me during your pregnancy with him."
Her face flushed. "Get over it."
She snatched the jacket from his hand. "Besides, that was your fault!"
"Well, that shouldn't give you an excuse to starve me for a week!" he shot back, grinning.
"Anyway, where's Ani?"
"She went upstairs." His wife glanced at Craig. "After someone enraged her."
Craig frowned and looked away.
She sighed. "Please talk some sense into him. Maybe he'll listen to you."
With a final look, she headed upstairs.
Craig sat beside his father on the couch. The TV flickered with evening news. Craig knew what was coming.
His father's hand settled on his head, warm and steady, as he flipped through channels.
"Now tell me—what exactly is your goal if you join the Guardians?"
Craig's head snapped up. His father smiled faintly, eyes still on the screen.
"I overheard you and your mother. And while I hate the thought of my son joining a group that's likely going to lose..." He paused. "You have a point."
His gaze shifted to the news. Casualties in the south: thousands dead. The numbers kept climbing.
"We can't predict the future." He looked down at Craig. "But you're smart enough to see the pattern. Atrial's plan. And yes—they might eradicate us eventually."
Craig's eyes widened. His father was confirming it.
"Does that mean we might get attacked?" Fear crept into his voice. The war extending to the mid-belt—to here.
His father's expression grew serious. "I'll be honest with you, son."
He gestured at the screen. "It's probably best we move north. I'm already working on it."
Craig's eyes went wide. North.
The north—all five states—was the most developed region in Astra. The capital, Mainia City, sat there. The royal family lived there. Government members, elites, middle-class families, few refugee communities. His grandfather lived there too.
"So we're going to live with Grandpa?" Craig's tone soured.
They weren't on good terms. Not even close.
His father sighed, a faint smile crossing his face. He stood up.
"No. We're not living with him."
He looked down at Craig. "Anyway—let me know once you've figured out exactly what change you plan to bring by joining the Guardians instead of working within the government."
He started toward the stairs, then paused.
"Think about it. Front lines?" He glanced back with a faint smirk. "Or advocate for them from inside the system?"
Craig sat frozen, eyes still wide.
His father rarely took sides. He usually played mediator between Craig and the rest of the family. But tonight—this was different.
"Your choice, son." His father climbed another step. "Just think wisely."
He disappeared upstairs.
Craig stared at the TV. Casualty numbers scrolled across the bottom of the screen, the light lancer mechas vs guardians.
Upstairs, Craig's father walked down the hall, a faint smirk still on his face.
Craig wasn't like other kids. He'd always been sharp—brilliant, even. But his thoughts ran deeper than academics. Ever since he was a toddler, he'd sat beside his father during work, watching the news, absorbing everything.
"Perhaps he's more connected to what's happening around us than I realized."
"Oh well." He chuckled quietly to himself
Craig sat on the couch, staring at TV blankly.
Join the government and advocate for the Guardians... or become a guardian.
He turned to the TV. A congressman appeared on screen, face calm, hands folded.
"If we want to rid Astra of these Guardian terrorists and restore peace, then the Atrial government must continue their war."
The news anchor—Celina—leaned forward. "And these deaths are just... natural consequences of war?"
"Precisely. Once Atrial wins, it's a win-win for everyone. We can return to peaceful days."
Celina's expression hardened. "So you're saying the massacre of journalists and southern civilians in a war with no end in sight is acceptable, Congressman James?"
She didn't let him answer. "And while we're at it—how are you sure we won't be attacked? What happens when Atrial finds Guardian members in the mid-belt? Or the north? What's your response then?"
James cleared his throat. "Well, Celina, we're working closely with the Atrial government on that. I assure you, we won't let it escalate. The war will stay in the south."
He adjusted his tie. "Besides, the hub of these radical terrorists is—"
"But you're their representative, Sir James." Celina's voice cut like a blade. "Shouldn't you be negotiating with the Guardians? Understanding their perspective?"
James's smile faltered.
The Guardians already occupied his state. And three others in the south. Completely separated from Astra's rule now—under their own governance.
Craig couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"What did we expect? Most of them are just Atrial's puppets anyway."
He stood and walked to the door. Behind him, James and Celina kept arguing.
"After all, didn't that representative flee to the northern region?"
Craig opened the door and stepped outside. The evening sky stretched above him, soft and fading. Distant sounds of neighbors talking, laughing, kids playing—it made the weight pressing on his chest feel a little lighter.
He took a breath.
"Anyway. I need my daily candy."
His favorite: chocolate milk candy bars from his favorite store in Zone 0.
"Besides, I'm joining the Guardians. If I stay around that corrupt government, they'll twist me into one of them."