Were you also always told that family stands above everything? Or that family must always be respected and loved?

  But is that really true, or is it just a fairy tale that has been drilled into us since childhood?

  This story is not only full of magic, battles, and mysteries, but also explores the meaning of the word “family,” and how that word does not always represent something good.

  “This letter is for Father, this one for Naki…” murmured Najun, the son of the Sakiko family’s patriarch, as he sorted the family’s mail.

  His father had condemned him to sort and store all of the Sakiko family’s mail. The reason for this punishment was his ability. His Birth-Protection, named Space Reader, allowed him to read the space around him. He had perfect seismic vision. With this ability, he could sort the mail perfectly and always know where everything was. He carved the names of each compartment into the wood so he always knew which slot he needed.

  Najun had accepted his fate and had even become somewhat happy with his life task, since it was safe and harmless.

  However, something very important was missing: his parents’ love.

  His mother was “not herself,” and his father only cared about strong offspring. With seven siblings, it was difficult to shine as the family’s mailman.

  “NAJUN!” someone shouted through the entire basement.

  “Yes?” Najun asked, startled yet calm.

  “How is my favorite little brother doing?” asked Naki, Najun’s older brother, with a radiant smile.

  “Good. You?”

  “Very good. Do you have a lot to do today?”

  “Yes.”

  “Dry answers, as always. You know I don’t like it when you’re so cold to me. It makes me sad.”

  “Sorry. That’s just how I am.”

  “That’s always your excuse.”

  Although Najun was naturally cold and quiet, he became even colder in Naki’s presence. Najun believed he wasn’t worthy of talking casually to such a strong warrior like his brother. Unlike him, Naki was far more useful and received much more love from their father.

  “Did you get a letter for me today?” Naki asked.

  “Yes. I almost forgot.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Who is the letter from?” Najun asked with a hidden curiosity.

  “Mhm, that’s… a secret.”

  Najun looked at him, offended, and continued his work. He was so focused that he didn’t even notice Naki leaving.

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  “One last check and then I should finally be done. After that I’ll treat myself to a nice bath and sleep properly,” Najun thought with complete indifference.

  “So, everything is—

  Huh?! Someone is beneath me. Someone I’ve never sensed through my Protection before. Who is that?”

  Najun’s curiosity was sparked, but he didn’t know what to do as the person below him began to move.

  “The person is moving to the right. The person seems to be a woman. She is in the tunnels that lead to the underground hall. But no one should be there. Only the core family is allowed down there, and all the female family members are either gone or I sense them somewhere else. Should I go down? If it’s an intruder, what could I even do?

  Maybe I should get Naki.”

  Najun stopped his thoughts when the woman suddenly started running.

  “Shit. I have no time to call Naki. What should I do? What should I—”

  He cut off his thoughts and simply dashed forward. Without a clear thought, he took the shortcut to the underground tunnels and ran straight toward the intruder.

  “Najun, what are you doing? This isn’t like you…” was his last thought before he encountered the woman.

  They stood face to face.

  He saw a veiled person with a cautious posture.

  “This is the end. You’ve been discovered.”

  The woman just stood there, staring at Najun with an intense gaze.

  Najun seemed intimidated by her look and took a fighting stance.

  “It would’ve been smarter to bring a weapon if I have no combat abilities… but everything happened so fast,” Najun murmured while trying to maintain eye contact with the woman.

  “I’ll say it again: This is the end. Surrender, or there will be serious consequences.”

  After a moment of silence, the woman began to laugh.

  Not a normal laugh—

  The laugh of a psychopath having a mental breakdown.

  Najun was terrified. Nearly traumatized.

  The woman vanished.

  She appeared behind him and launched a close-quarters assault that she completely dominated. Although Najun wasn’t a fighter, he did have some experience in hand-to-hand combat. They fought very quickly. The woman moved as if she were dancing—like a leaf in the wind.

  Najun could barely keep up and took several hits. However, he managed to land one good punch, buying him a small advantage.

  The woman fell to the floor—unconscious.

  “That was close. I should inform Father.”

  As Najun dialed his father’s number, he felt a strong gust of wind.

  He looked—

  The woman was gone.

  “Huh? Where—”

  Before he could finish his sentence, he was slammed to the ground by the woman, who now held a revolver to his head.

  His attempts to free himself were useless. She stepped hard onto his back as she performed a large leap backward. She kept the revolver trained on him.

  “Where did you get that weapon? I should’ve sensed it.”

  “That might be because this weapon didn’t exist earlier.”

  “Wait, are you saying—”

  She interrupted him with a shout.

  “You have a Birth-Object?!”

  “Yes. Obviously.”

  Najun thought intensely about how to escape this situation. His Birth-Protection wasn’t meant for combat, but he had no choice but to use it.

  “There are two exits: the one I came from, and the one she used. I should take my exit—shorter path. I could try throwing dirt into her eyes and run.”

  Just as he attempted to put his escape plan into action, a loud bang echoed.

  The woman shot him in the leg.

  “Ahhh! Fuck!” Najun screamed in pain.

  “Oh, sorry. You see, I have to fire my gun for a full six minutes or it disappears. Then I have to materialize it again, blah blah. It doesn’t matter whether I aim at someone or not, but I figured you might try to escape, so I just wanted to make sure you stay put.”

  Najun lay on the ground, with no chance of winning.

  The woman kept the revolver pointed at him.

  “So now there are five minutes left until the next shot.”