Guardian
The waiting room of the guild’s secondary processing facility was stark, white, and smelled overwhelmingly of medical antiseptic.
Ruyi sat on the hard plastic bench between Rion and Leo, her arms folded across her chest. Paramedics had already bandaged Leo’s swollen knee and cleared Rion for minor physical exhaustion, leaving the three of them sitting in a strange limbo while administrative staff processed their incident files.
When a clerk finally called their names, Ruyi stood up immediately, gesturing for the two boys to follow her down the polished corridor.
She held out a faint, desperate hope that the investigator assigned to their debriefing would be some random administrative officer she had never met. But the moment she pushed open the door to Room 204, those hopes evaporated into thin air.
Sitting behind the heavy metal desk, folding a crisp Manila folder with methodical precision, was Vance.
The gray-eyed senior investigator looked up, his scar twitching slightly as his gaze landed on Ruyi. A flicker of genuine surprise crossed his face, instantly settling into the weary, calculating demeanor of a man who dealt in impossible coincidences.
"Ruyi," Vance said, his low voice echoing in the small room. "I shouldn't be surprised, yet somehow I am."
"Investigator Vance," Ruyi replied flatly, taking the center chair opposite his desk while Rion and Leo cautiously took the seats on either side of her.
Vance checked the tablet in front of him, tapping the screen twice. "According to the intake report, you were recovered near the perimeter by Officer Mark after assisting in the extraction of these two students from the eastern sector." He looked up, his gray eyes sweeping over Rion and Leo. "Since you are an adult family member present on-site, you’ve requested to stand as temporary guardian for both minors during this interview so we can consolidate the report. That works out well. You’ve already been through this process last week, so we can skip the standard orientation."
"Good," Ruyi said smoothly. "Let's make it brief."
Vance began the questioning, directing his focus toward Rion and Leo. He asked about the initial timeline—when the gate opened over the glasshouses, how they were separated from their classmates, and the specific routes they took while fleeing the scene.
Rion, remembering his sister’s strict commands, answered carefully. He kept his tone nervous, describing their chaotic sprint through the botanical paths, how they hid behind stone pillars, and how Ruyi had miraculously appeared near the maintenance shops to guide them out. Leo, still terrified of getting cuffed across the head by Rion again, echoed every word like a well-rehearsed script.
Vance listened intently, writing down notes, though his sharp gaze occasionally flicked to Ruyi’s face. She sat perfectly still, an immovable wall shielding the two boys from his intense scrutiny.
"Alright," Vance said, closing his notebook. "That covers the basic timeline for the incident report. Now, moving on to standard post-breach health and diagnostic procedures." He reached into his desk drawer and pulled out two official consent forms, sliding them across the metal table. "Given the high mana density in Sector 4 during the breach, both boys need to undergo a standard awakening evaluation using the Model 4 Core."
Ruyi didn't even touch the papers. She reached out, placed her palm flat over both forms, and slid them straight back across the table to Vance.
"No," Ruyi said, her voice dropping into an absolute, unyielding coldness.
Vance didn't look shocked, but his eyebrows pulled together in a firm line. "Ruyi. This is standard protocol for minors exposed to a Class-2 spatial rift."
"I can't speak for Leo's parents, and his family can decide what they want to do later," Ruyi stated, her amethyst eyes locking onto Vance's with uncompromising force. "As for my brother, I am acting as his guardian right now, and I am refusing the test. I won't put him through it."
Vance set his pen down, leaning forward over his crossed hands. "The testing process is entirely safe. You know that from personal experience. It takes thirty seconds, causes zero physical pain, and ensures we catch any lingering ether-contamination before it affects his health."
"Safe. Yes," Ruyi countered dryly, her tone dripping with quiet skepticism. "I still won't allow him to undertake it today. And you don't need to rope our parents into coming down here to sign off on it either. I will make sure they don't give consent."
Vance stared at her, his jaw tightening slightly as he assessed the absolute lack of hesitation in her eyes. "You're being unreasonable, Ruyi. If your brother manifested an ability during that breach—which is statistically common for survivors in close proximity to a Spawn Core—registering him grants him access to guild medical care, legal protections, and specialized training. At one point, he will need to be tested, you know. The law requires mandatory evaluation for all citizens by age eighteen."
"Then we wait for that point," Ruyi replied instantly, not backing down an inch. "He is seventeen. He has time. Right now, he is an exhausted high school student who just survived a nightmare, and I am taking him home."
A heavy, suffocating silence descended upon Room 204.
Vance stared at Ruyi, his gray eyes searching her impassive face for any sign of crack or fear. Ruyi held his gaze without blinking, her posture rigid, an invisible shield standing between the Guild's invasive reach and her family.
Rion watched his sister from the side, a deep wave of warmth and awe swelling in his chest. He finally understood why she fought so hard against the system. The Guild didn't view people as individuals; they viewed them as resources, combat units, and numbers on a roster. Ruyi was fighting to keep him human.After nearly half a minute of an intense, unyielding staring contest, Vance let out a long, weary
sigh. He picked up his stamp, inked it, and slammed it down onto the top of their incident file with a loud THUMP.
"File cleared," Vance said gruffly, sliding three temporary exit passes across the table. "You are free to leave. But remember what I told you last week, Ruyi. The Guild keeps records. If an anomaly manifests later, avoiding the system won't protect him."
"We'll manage," Ruyi said, snatching the passes off the table. She stood up immediately. "Let's go."
Rion and Leo jumped out of their chairs, following her out of the room before Vance could change his mind.
They walked through the grand glass exit of the facility, stepping out into the cool evening air where streetlights were just beginning to flicker on across City CC. The sense of oppressive weight lifting off their shoulders was instantaneous.
As they walked toward the transit station, Leo scratched his head, looking up at Ruyi with genuine confusion.
"Hey... Miss Ruyi?" Leo asked cautiously. "Why didn't you want us to take the awakening test back there? I mean... if Rion or I got a high score, wouldn't we get like... cool guild scholarships or something?"
Rion immediately gave Leo a warning glare, but Ruyi didn't get angry. She kept her eyes fixed on the road ahead, her hands resting comfortably in her jacket pockets.
"It is better to just focus on your studies at the moment," Ruyi said smoothly, using a classic, boring older-sister excuse that left zero room for argument. "Living as an Awakened sounds flashy on television, but in reality, it just means people expect you to jump into dangerous places for their convenience. Finish high school first."
Leo blinked, thinking about the terrifying Razor-Hide Hound that had tried to tear his throat out three hours ago, and shuddered. "Yeah... you know what? That actually makes a lot of sense. Studying for math tests suddenly sounds amazing."
Rion looked at his sister, a subtle, knowing smile touching his lips. "Thanks, Sis."
Ruyi didn't answer with words. She simply reached over, gave Rion's shoulder a firm, protective squeeze, and continued leading them home through the quiet streets.