Veyron couldn't move.
His mind refused to accept what his eyes were seeing. The butterflies drifted lazily through the darkness, their wings beating in soft, rhythmic pulses of glowing pink light. They weren't projections. They weren't tricks. They were there. Real. Alive. His throat tightened. This wasn't a rumor. This wasn't a forum post or a buried headline. This was his sister.
"Akari…" he said quietly, voice strained. "Turn them off. Please."
She hesitated, then slowly lowered her hands. One by one, the butterflies dissolved into faint sparks, fading like embers in the air. The room returned to darkness. Silence rushed in to replace the magic. Veyron dragged a hand down his face, pacing in a tight circle. His heart was racing too fast, thoughts colliding, refusing to line up.
"This is bad," he said. "This is really bad."
Her excitement dimmed. "Why? I didn't hurt anyone. They're cute, right?"
"That's not the point," he snapped, then immediately winced. He exhaled sharply, lowering his voice. "Listen to me. You cannot tell anyone about this. Not friends. Not school. Not even—"
"Not even mom?" Akari interrupted, tilting her head.
Especially not mom, he wanted to say. The words stuck in his throat.
"No," he said firmly. "Not mom. Not yet."
Her expression shifted, confusion creeping in. "But why? She's our mom. She'll understand."
Veyron turned to face her, eyes sharp, fear bleeding through his anger. "You don't understand. People are dying because of this. People who awaken wrong. People who get noticed."
He clenched his fists. "If the government knows… if anyone knows… they don't ask nicely. They don't care how old you are."
Akari frowned. "You're exaggerating."
"I'm not." His voice cracked slightly. "I saw someone die today."
That shut her up.
She stared at him, really stared this time, noticing the tension in his shoulders, the dark circles under his eyes, the way his hands trembled just a little.
"But… it's amazing," she said softly. "I woke up and they were just… there. Like they were waiting for me. How can something like that be wrong?"
Veyron didn't answer immediately. He didn't have one.
Instead, he said, "You hide it. You act normal. You don't use it unless your life depends on it. Do you understand?"
She crossed her arms. "That's not fair."
"This world isn't fair," he shot back. "And this power thing? It's not a gift. Not like this."
She scoffed. "You sound like one of those paranoid forum people."
"Because they're right," he said. "And you don't see the whole picture yet."
Akari opened her mouth to argue again, then suddenly ducked low.
Veyron barely had time to react before she slipped right beneath his legs, her shoulder brushing his knee as she sprinted past him.
"Akari—!"
Too late.
Her footsteps thundered down the stairs, and then her voice rang out, loud and excited, echoing through the house.
"MOOOM!"
Veyron's blood ran cold.
"Akari, stop!" he shouted, rushing after her, panic flaring. "Don't—!"
He skidded to a halt at the bottom of the stairs just as Reina Okami emerged from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel.
"What is it?" she asked, concern already in her eyes. "What's wrong?"
Akari bounced on her toes, barely able to contain herself. "Mom, I have to tell you something. Something crazy. I woke up this morning and I—"
The doorbell rang. The sound cut through the moment like a blade.
Reina blinked. "That must be your father." Akari froze mid-sentence. Veyron felt his heart slam into his ribs.
Reina turned toward the door, already walking. "We'll talk in a second, sweetheart."
As she reached for the handle, Veyron stood there in the hallway, staring at his sister, the echo of glowing pink wings still burned into his memory.
The door opened with a familiar creak.
Kaito Okami stepped inside.
At first glance, nothing was wrong. He looked the same as always—tall, broad-shouldered, his dark jacket still smelling faintly of oil and cold air. He smiled when he saw them, a real smile, warm and tired.
"I'm home," he said.
Reina's face lit up instantly. "You're back early."
Akari forgot everything in an instant and ran straight into him, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Dad!"
He laughed softly, ruffling her hair. "I missed you too."
Veyron watched from the hallway.
Something was wrong.
He couldn't explain it. His father's voice sounded normal. His smile was right. His movements were familiar. But the air around him felt… heavier. Like the space he occupied resisted him slightly, as if reality itself had stiffened.
Kaito looked at Veyron last. Their eyes met.
For just a split second, his father's expression changed.
Not fear. Not anger.
Warning.
Dinner passed in a strange, fragile calm. Reina cooked more than usual, filling the table with warm dishes, trying to stitch normalcy back into place with routine. They sat together like they always did. Plates clinked. Chopsticks scraped softly against porcelain. Akari talked too much, nervously. Reina asked questions about work trips. Kaito answered vaguely, carefully. Veyron barely touched his food.
Then everything stopped.
The sound of chewing vanished. The clink of metal froze mid-air. Even the hum of the refrigerator seemed to stretch and distort, as if time itself had slowed down. Not in a dramatic way. Not flashy.
In a wrong way.
"You all need to leave this country."
Kaito's voice cut through the silence, calm and flat.
Akari blinked. Reina's hand froze halfway to her mouth.
"What?" Reina asked, forcing a small laugh. "Kaito, what are you talking about?"
Veyron didn't react.
He just watched.
Kaito set his chopsticks down slowly, deliberately. The sound echoed too loudly.
"I'm serious," he said. "As soon as possible."
Akari frowned. "Dad, is this a joke?"
"No."
Reina's smile faded. "Did something happen at work?"
For a moment, it looked like Kaito might lie.
Instead, he exhaled and leaned back in his chair.
"You all know I worked as a helicopter pilot for the military," he said. "That's not exactly true anymore."
Reina stiffened. "You were demoted?"
Akari's eyes widened. "Are we in trouble?"
"No," he said. "I was promoted."
That made it worse.
Veyron felt it immediately. The weight in the room deepened.
"I'm a Red Level Gunner now."
The words meant nothing to Akari. To Reina, they meant fear. She didn't know why yet—but her instincts screamed.
"There are three gunner levels," Kaito continued, voice steady, almost rehearsed. "Yellow is the lowest. Standard operations. Border conflicts. Crowd control. Blue level handles advanced operations. High-risk zones. Strategic warfare."
He paused.
"Red level gunners don't officially exist."
The room felt colder.
"They were formed four years ago," he said. "When things started happening."
Veyron's jaw tightened.
"Something happened in two thousand three hundred ninety-six," Kaito said. "No one knows exactly what. Not even us. But after that… people started changing."
Akari swallowed. Reina's hand trembled slightly on the table.
"They call them anomalies," Kaito said. "Individuals with abilities that shouldn't exist. Flying. Speaking to animals. Bending physical laws."
He looked at Reina. "You've seen the news. You just didn't know what you were looking at."
Reina shook her head slowly. "No… no, that can't be real."
"It is," Kaito said quietly. "And the military is hunting them."
Akari's breath hitched. "Hunting…?"
"For research," he said. "For containment. For something called awakening."
Veyron's fingers dug into his palm.
"They believe the powers people show are incomplete," Kaito went on. "Base-level manifestations. Not the real thing. Awakening is supposed to unlock their full potential."
"And what happens to them?" Reina asked, her voice barely holding together.
Kaito didn't answer immediately.
"That's why I want you to leave," he finally said. "Because no one is safe. Not anymore. If they suspect anything—bloodlines, proximity, genetic markers—they don't ask permission."
Akari looked between them, confused and scared. "Dad… are we in danger?"
Kaito's eyes flicked, almost imperceptibly, toward Veyron.
"I don't know," he said honestly. "That's the worst part."
Reina stood abruptly. "Then you come with us."
Silence.
Kaito shook his head.
"I can't."
"Why not?" she demanded. "We're your family."
"Because once you're Red Level," he said, voice hardening, "there is no quitting. No leaving. No betraying."
He leaned forward.
"If I try… I die."
The word settled into the room like a loaded weapon.
"And if they think I've compromised?" he added quietly. "They won't stop with me."
Veyron finally spoke.
"How long do we have?"
Kaito looked at his son. Really looked at him.
"Not much."