"Shido… before we move on to the important matter I want to tell you," Vlaneth said quietly, her gaze lowered toward the table, "before i need to ask of you one request if you'll hear me out?"
"Hm. If that's the case, go ahead," I replied casually, giving a simple wave of my right hand.
Vlaneth nodded.
"Do you remember three months ago," she began, "when you and I discussed finding alternative methods for an ability-less person to awaken their ability? After extensive research, we discovered that one of the nation's top ten ability-centered high schools might hold answers to your situation. That's when we agreed to send you to one of them—Douma High. Its second term begins in a week."
She paused briefly, then continued.
"But now that you've somehow awakened your ability… do you still plan on attending Douma High?"
"Hmmm… Douma High?" I murmured to myself.
At that moment, a familiar sensation washed over me—one I had already grown used to. Memories surfaced naturally, filling in the gaps of the events Vlaneth had just mentioned.
"Huh… Douma High?" I nodded lightly. "Yes, Mother. I still plan on attending. After all, it's an opportunity for me to experience a real school instead of being taught exclusively here at the Urazaki manor."
It was the truth.
From the memories that had just resurfaced, Douma High was one of the most popular—and strongest—ability-based high schools in the entire nation of aldai.
A manic smile crept onto my lips, momentarily distorting my usual lazy expression.
Interesting…
I immediately realized what I was doing and quickly covered it by gulping down the rest of my green tea in one swift motion. I placed the cup down lightly and met Vlaneth's gaze.
"I see," she said with a gentle smile. "If that's your decision, then you have one week to prepare before your first day of school."
Her expression suddenly hardened. Even her tone shifted drastically.
"Shido," she said seriously, "my trial will take place within the month—on May 11th, Tuesday, at 19:00 at night."
The moment the word trial left her lips, something stirred within me.
A specific memory resurfaced instantly.
Hours ago, I had gone through a trial myself—the Urazaki family trial against Renji. One of the lowest-tier trials, known as the Trial of Finger Supremacy.
Within the Urazaki family, trials are ranked as follows:
Fourth (Lowest): Trial of Finger Supremacy!
Third: Trial of Battle-Aura Supremacy!
Second: Trial of Hierarchies!
First (Highest): Trial of the Strongest!
The Trial of Finger Supremacy, as its name suggests, carries the meaning: "You're not even worth a full fight—just a single finger of effort."
This trial can only be issued by a higher-ranked family member. If you belong to a lower hierarchy, refusal is not an option—and the consequences of refusing are already well known.
In truth, it serves as a controlled excuse for family members to "settle things" through violence.
The Trial of Battle-Aura Supremacy, the third-ranked trial, is used to forcibly bind a family member to specific rules or conditions agreed upon prior to the trial's declaration.
The Trial of Hierarchies, ranked second, is issued between two Level-2 family members when one challenges another of higher standing. Victory grants the challenger the opponent's hierarchical seat.
However… this trial has another, darker purpose within the Urazaki family.
In family marriage or slavery of one.
In this parallel Earth, ability users are categorized under a simple hierarchical system:
Level-5 Ability User:
A beginner—someone who has only just begun learning how to use their ability. Most are children around the age of four, when full consciousness begins to develop.
Level-4 Ability User:
An individual who has upgraded their ability more than twice. "Upgrade" refers to improving and refining an ability to a higher level of mastery.
Level-3 Ability User:
To reach this level, one must be capable of manifesting and fusing their battle-aura into inanimate objects—such as swords, bows, or other weapons—without any fluctuations.
This alone requires surviving countless battles. Simply unlocking battle-aura demands fighting numerous enemies and living through it.
In other words… you'll have to be a true battle junkie.
As for level-2 and 1 i didn't know a bit.
As reaching Level-3 was already incredibly rare. Officially, only about 10,000 Level-3 ability users existed worldwide—roughly 30 percent of the planet.
As for unregistered ones…
Who knows?
The trial Vlaneth was actually referring to was the second trial—the Trial of Hierarchies.
As for what this trial truly entailed… I had a feeling Vlaneth would explain everything herself anyway, so there was no need for me to jump ahead.
I looked at Vlaneth.
"So the Trial of Hierarchies," I said. "What exactly is it about? I doubt it's anything like mine. Renji only wanted to humiliate me in front of everyone—to bully me, to beat me, because he never had the chance before. I'm pretty sure I just got under his skin."
"Well…" Vlaneth began, shifting uncomfortably.
Her face turned a bright red. She opened her mouth to speak, but her voice cracked in places. She kept looking down at the table, then back at me, repeating herself slightly as if trying to gather the courage to continue.
"…Do you remember when you were a child, learning about the Urazaki rules and traditions?" she asked softly. "Long ago, in our family, in-family marriages was considered normal. Our ancestors believed it kept the bloodline pure and our family ability was untainted."
She paused, clenching her hands.
"But that belief was eventually broken by the Seventh Patriarch of the Urazaki family. He realized that whenever family members married each other, the children were often born with… strange deformities. It went on for generations before he finally put a stop to it."
Her voice steadied slightly.
"He made a rule forbidding in-family marriages, forcing us to find spouses outside the family. Over time, the bloodline expanded, and abilities began to diversify. That's why individuals like Renji's—whose abilities aren't directly connected to ours—started to appear."
She swallowed. "But the rule came too late."
Her eyes darkened.
"My two older sisters, and my older brother the current patriarch… and I—we were of course also born with deformities due to the seventh's son was born from him marrying his sister. So of course later generations still got deformities. And my father was born with a deformity. So the damage has not fully faded. Even if we don't visibly show it, we do carry deformities. We just don't know what they are yet."
She shook her head.
"But that isn't the real problem."
She looked straight at me now.
"Some people still wanted and still do want to in-family marriages. And when our grandfather became patriarch, a group known as the Elders—members from the previous generation—began manipulating him."
"They didn't break the rules outright," she continued. "Instead, they created a loophole."
"That loophole is the Trial of Hierarchies."
Her voice grew colder.
"If someone desires another person from the same family, they may issue a formal challenge. The opponent has no choice but to accept. Before the trial is announced, rules are established—rules that bind both sides."
She clenched her fists.
"One of those rules can be in-family marriage. If someone wins, they may claim the other as their spouse. And as you know in the Urazaki family, a promised vow—especially one made by a member of our family—is absolute. It cannot be broken. It's part of our very nature. Bounded by our own family ability."
"That's why Urazaki men and women are so sought after," she said bitterly. "Our word is unshakable."
She hesitated… then continued.
"But later, something worse emerged."
Her voice dropped.
"Some people didn't want marriage at all. They wanted to release their contained lust."
"In those cases, a different condition could be imposed."
Her nails dug into her palm.
"Sexual servitude, aka sex slaves."
"If you lose under those terms, you become the victor's personal sex slave. You must obey every command. You cannot deny them—physically or otherwise."
Her eyes trembled.
"In that moment… you are no longer a person. Only property. To be used anywhere, anytime."
"Ever since I was a child, I knew this day might come."
Vlaneth's voice was quiet, almost resigned.
"Urazaki women have always carried a… strange trait. We're born looking overly sensual—enough to constantly provoke men's instincts. Because of that, I always knew someone would eventually try to claim me."
She took a slow breath.
"So I prepared myself for it early."
"Many men challenged me wanting me as their wife. While one just wanted…" her lips tightened, "…me as his sex slave, someone he could use to satisfy his twisted urges."
Her fingers trembled slightly.
"I didn't want that."
"Even though I'd trained myself mentally for it since childhood… even though this already happened to my two older sisters."
Her voice dropped.
"One of my older sister's--venessa became a sex slave to a family member. The other i don't really know how became both a wife and a sex slave of another."
Silence hung heavy.
"For the past nineteen years, I managed to postpone my own trial. I kept using my father's former name as a future binding excuse—just enough to delay things."
"But it won't work anymore."
She clenched her fists.
"Within a month, the trial will be held. I can't delay it any further. The Elders are pushing hard now."
Her eyes darkened.
"I still don't understand why my brother allowed himself to be trapped too… though in his case, it was the opposite. He was forced into a marriage chosen entirely by the Elders. He's practically chained down now."
She exhaled.
"My opponent is someone at the same level as me, Level-3. Normally that alone wouldn't be an issue."
She looked away.
"The problem is his ability."
"It perfectly counters mine."
"No matter how much I train. No matter how much I think about it. Every outcome ends the same—we're evenly matched."
Her voice cracked slightly.
"And he's wanted me for a long time. I know his desire for me is so strong that, in a direct fight… I would lose."
She paused.
"But this trail also exists a loophole."
I felt it before she said it.
"The rules allow me to appoint a representative—to fight in my place. If that representative wins, I won't belong to 'him."
She fell silent then.
Not because she was done speaking—but because she didn't want to say what came next.
Something crucial was missing.
And I already knew but what exactly came after i didn't but i did know something, vlaneth had chosen me as her representative in this trail.
"…When you were born," she continued quietly, "I thought you would be the one."
Her voice stopped again—only for a second—then rushed forward.
"But when you were born without an ability… I was disappointed."
Her words didn't feel cruel. Just honest.
"The child I thought would one day free me… the one I believed would be my liberation… wasn't blessed with an ability."
She looked at me.
"But that didn't matter."
"You were still my child."
"So I loved you. I raised you. I made sure you loved me too."
Her eyes softened painfully.
"Because I knew that one day, you might have to witness your own mother being claimed… turned into a sex slave… in front of our entire family."
"I couldn't bear the thought of you looking at me with disgust."
"So I raised you with love."
She stopped.
And then, almost in a whisper—
"But now… you've awakened."
"I know what I'm about to say may sound selfish," Vlaneth said quietly. "It may even sound like something I've been planning for a long time. And… maybe it is."
She lifted her gaze toward me.
"But I still love you."
"I just wanted… someone. Something. Anything that could spare me from this painted madness we call a family."
"There are two more things I still need to tell you," she continued. "But those are things I can only say after the trial is over—after you win."
Her eyes sharpened.
"Because I have absolute confidence in you."
"When I watched you defeat Renji today—when I saw your ability—even though I couldn't understand what it was, I knew something for certain."
"If you continue training… you'll grow strong. Very strong."
"So, Shido," she said softly, "keep getting stronger."
"Using the loophole in the trail, i will make you my representative."
She paused, then added, "Normally, representatives must be of the same level. Since you're still officially considered a Level-5 due to you just awakening, normally this level difference should disqualify you."
"But this loophole…" a faint smile appeared, "…allows me to make you fight anyway."
"You have one month."
"You'll attend Douma High. You'll fight. You'll clash. You'll train."
"Because in this world, abilities only grow stronger through conflict."
"Fight. Train. Survive."
"That's one of the laws of this world."
As soon as she finished speaking, a memory resurfaced in my mind.
But unlike the others, it didn't linger.
It flashed.
A woman with neck-lenghth white hair wearing a hella revealing red and black swimsuit.
Then another women with white mixed with pale blue hair.
And just as quickly as they appeared… they vanished.
Gone. Momentarily forgotten.
Yet it was enough.
Enough to make me realize one thing:
There were things about this family I had to investigate.
Because the Urazaki were much darker than the they first appear.
I poured myself another cup of tea.
Dina looked like she was about to do it for me, but I stopped her gently with one hand and continued myself.
"So," I said casually, sipping, "I'm going to be your representative."
"I'll fight for you."
"For your freedom."
I smiled.
Vlaneth smiled back—but it was complicated. Like she wanted to confirm it… and deny it at the same time.
That confused me at first.
But then I understood.
There was something she still wasn't ready to say.
I didn't push.
One month.
That's all I had.
Honestly? That was more than enough.
All I needed to do was fight powerful opponents—ones strong enough to push me to the brink of death and with my new adaptive factor, I'd grow stronger absurdly fast.
As for what the ability—Golden Verdict, that i requested from God—and this new adaptability factor i keep mentioning is? That explanation can wait.
First, I needed to settle this situation.
Vlaneth waited quietly, watching me, clearly nervous.
I must've taken too long to respond—long enough that she thought I was angry with everything she just revealed.
Then I smiled.
"Just so you know, Mother," I said calmly, "I'm not angry."
"This actually works out perfectly for me. I've been looking for stronger opponents anyway."
"So really… this just gave me the perfect excuse to beat another arrogant Urazaki."
I stood up.
Dina moved to follow me, but I shook my head.
She stopped.
I turned slightly—just enough for both of them to see my eyes.
"I've got one week to prepare for school," I said. "And one month to get strong enough to crush a member of my own family."
I let out a small breath.
"Honestly? I don't know if the universe is just handing me opponents on purpose."
"But why complain… when this is exactly what I wanted?"
I paused.
Then added quietly, "Don't worry."
"I'll win."
"I'll get stronger."
"Now, if you'll excuse me—I need to start training."
The reason i stopped Dina was because I could tell that she still had things to discuss with Vlaneth. So i used my authority as her master as an excuse to make her stay.
I said all this without words and Dina looking directly in my eyes understood my intention.
As expected.
I walked away.
Dina watched my back until I disappeared down the corridor.
Then she turned to Vlaneth with a serious expression.
"You're not going to tell him," Dina said flatly, "that you're not actually his biological mother?"
Vlaneth lowered her head.
"I plan to," she replied. "Just… not yet."
Dina scoffed.
"If I didn't know your character—especially that part of you—I'd think you actually wanted to cross that line. Or should i say you actually plan to cross it."
She narrowed her eyes dangerously.
"But honestly? I think you're enjoying this way to much. After all I'm basically giving you the opportunity to do something very indecent."
Vlaneth smiled faintly. "You know me well."
Dina returned the smile slightly.
"Of course I do," she said. "I uncovered your secret. You had no choice but to explain everything to me."
Silence followed.
And that was everything that happened after I defeated Renji.
That was the reason I was heading to Douma High.
The beginning of my so-called school life.
Whatever that was supposed to mean.
Honestly? I was too lazy to question it right now.