The couple was shocked into silence, looking at the devastation at the front entrance. The door was blown to splinters, its pieces scattered all over the place. The only chair the couple had, did not survive the attack.

They could hear footsteps in the dark, approaching their house.

Graciana was terrified, but she couldn't move her body. Devery tried to stand and move in front of his wife. Judging by the way they made their entry, the intruders did not have any good intentions.

As they waited, the flickering light, created shadows that played with their perception. They saw a silhouette. It looked tall, taller than the gate. It bent down while entering, and they finally noticed his armor.

It was an Investigator. His armor sparkled blood-red, with black spots interspersed in between. For the commoners, the color signified horrific pain and violence. He wore a helmet, but his thick locks of black hair spilled out.

Their blood ran cold.

He slowly straightened himself up to a towering height. With deliberate movements, he carefully removed his helmet.

"How have you been, Mom?" said the man. He had a chiseled face with a trimmed beard. His eyes seemed warm and soft. The only thing that marred his beauty, was an ugly scar, that ran from below his right eye down his chin.

Graciana could not believe her eyes. She stumbled towards the man. "Lorius? Is that really you?"

She went ahead and hugged her son. The diminutive woman and the imposing man created a sharp contrast as they hugged.

Devery looked ahead with a complicated look in his eyes. He never believed he would see this son of his again, before dying. They had broken off contact years ago, when Lorius wanted to join the investigators. He had been devastated by his son's decision. How could he join that band of murderers? Where had he gone wrong in his parenting?

Lorius looked over at Devery with barely disguised hatred.

"Mom, I have come here in an official capacity. I've got to ask Devery some questions," said Lorius.

Graciana backed up and looked at him. "LORIUS! Be respectful to your father."

"Respect is shown only to those who deserve it, Mom. This man, for sure, doesn't," said Lorius with venom in his voice.

"Lorius..."

"Speak! What do you want from me, you murderer? Killed village folks to your heart's content?"

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"And have you lost all sense of propriety? Could you not have just knocked?" sneered Devery.

The space around Lorius became a sinister kind of dark. There was a sense of malevolence in the air. With great patience, Lorius restrained himself, but a grinding sound from his teeth still leaked out.

Devery felt grim satisfaction in his heart. Graciana, though, was heartbroken. She did not know whose side to take. This was the same as years ago, when she had watched as her family crumbled in front of her eyes.

"Devery, please! Lorius has come back to us after such a long time. Can we not try to get along, like a family? You could solve your differences with him," said Graciana.

"How can you even say that, Gracy? Look at what he is wearing. How many innocent lives must he have taken, just to get some favor with those pieces of shits, Guardians," retorted Devery.

"Enough!" Lorius walked past his mother and loomed over Devery. "Now, let's go somewhere we are not disturbed, old man."

He tried to push Devery towards the room he was previously sleeping in. Devery shook him off. "Don't you dare touch me with those filthy hands. I can walk just fine."

He walked towards the room.

"Mom, please wait a while here," Lorius made some mysterious gestures, and there was a translucent barrier that popped into existence. Graciana felt a stiff resistance when she tried to enter the room. She could only watch, as even the voices, could not pass the barrier.

"Ask," said Devery.

"Always on your high pedestal, aren't you, Dad?" scoffed Lorius. He walked over to the bed and sat himself down. The bed creaked in response.

"I would recommend lying. You know, I will take quite a pleasure in bringing the truth out of you," said Lorius.

Devery grunted in response.

"Did you see someone who looked like a Guardian, today? He would probably have been flying. We have a search out for him. He stole something precious from the empire's capital," said Lorius. Devery really did want to lie, and say that he knew nothing. Just to piss him off.

"Yes, I did."

Lorius raised his eyebrows. He did not expect his father to tell the truth. He had already investigated, and found out that his father was the only one from this village who was out on his farm, at that time. Revered Guardians had also found out that the man had stopped near his father's field. His job was to find out why. He might be taking liberties in the way he conducted the investigation, but he was sure that his superiors would not find fault with him if he did not go too far.

"Did you see him stop? What was he doing?" asked Lorius.

Devery thought about his situation. It was quite precarious. If he told Lorius all that had happened, he was sure that he would never be heard from again. But he couldn't lie explicitly either. Investigators could detect outright lies.

"I did see him stop. He was hovering there for a while," said Devery. Both relatively true statements.

"Did he do anything suspicious?" asked Lorius. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at his father.

Devery thought for a while and said, "It looked like he was talking to himself." Lorius's face went pale. This needed to be communicated up the chain. And quick. They had been told to look for specific signs, and that man talking to himself, was the worst of them.

"Anything else?"

"Not really."

Lorius really wanted to stay and take some petty revenge against his father. Guardians knew he deserved it. But it seemed like breaking the front gate was the worst he could do for now. He stood up and started to leave, not saying another word to Devery.

He saw his mother while leaving. "Something urgent came up. I'll be back soon, Mom. I won't disappear like before."

He did not wait for her to reply and hurried out of the house. This house always dredged up horrible memories. He would blow it up if he could.