"Cute... No, I mustn't fool myself with that smile." Isakawa was not going to be swayed by Iris's puppy eyes. But the look in her eyes kept pestering him.

Isakawa continued frowning and glaring at Riko, but eventually, he sighed. "You want my daughter to protect your daughters? Fine. But this is now your task to get along with others."

"Thank you, Daddy!" Iris jumped into her father's arms and gave him a big hug.

"Father, I don't know much about the Subaru household. Could you explain it to us? And as Iris asked, what are the family games about?" Shelia inquired with an innocent look.

Riko became serious and began to explain the family games.

"Once in every new generation, all the children of each Subaru branch family enter the family's secret grounds for a test to determine who has the potential to become the next leader of the Subaru household.

The family games are far from normal because, in most cases, these children had to fight and kill until only one was left standing. Our ancestors accepted this, but over time, they realized it was foolish. We lost many promising children, which weakened us compared to other powerful families that focused on household growth. Eventually, killing was banned.

As time went by and people began to develop Abilities, the family games changed entirely. The Subaru household was excited when they heard about Abilities, but no one in their generation gained one. So, they resorted to a desperate measure: giving their children fake Abilities.

This was no easy feat. They conducted countless experiments on different test subjects, who all died miserably. The scientists could only pity those poor souls and continue their work. The Subaru family managed to conduct these experiments using monster cores they purchased. Despite their lack of Abilities, their political power and extensive business networks made them a powerful family. No family member was less than a millionaire."

Through many trials and errors, the Subaru family still couldn't create genuine Abilities. So they decided that every Subaru member must marry an Ability User. During that time, Abilities were highly regarded, and those who possessed them elevated their families' social status and power. The Subarus wanted this too and pushed themselves to achieve it.

The current head of the Subaru family has three wives—two Ability Users and one ordinary human. He eagerly anticipated the birth of his four children, hoping they would inherit Abilities. Unfortunately, none of them did, which drove him to the brink of insanity. But he didn't give up. He decided to sacrifice his youngest son for the fake Ability project in hopes of finally creating an Ability User within the family.

After years of experiments, they finally succeeded. They created an Ability User, but things didn't go as expected. The child loathed his parents and sought to destroy them, eventually running away. The head of the Subaru family regretted losing such a precious test subject, but they couldn't catch him due to his strange Ability.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

They decided to proceed with the family tradition and hold the family games, but that year it was different. The children who participated were not to kill but were allowed to severely injure each other. The games involved a series of Rift monsters released at specific parts of the game grounds while Subaru family members spectated and watched the children fight for their lives. If a child was severely injured, a special agent of the Subaru household would save them, but they would be disqualified from the games. This came with consequences—the child would not be treated by the special healer squad the family owned, and their parents would have to pay a minimum of five million dollars for treatment. Despite being family, they didn't show kindness to each other.

The family games became a challenging battleground for the children, yet a new experience. They were allowed to fight with any weapon they could use.

___________

"Hmm, so did Daddy participate in the family games?" Iris asked curiously.

"Your dad did, Iris. He was the child that ran away and came back during the family games, destroying most of the Subaru main house," Riko explained without hesitation. Everyone in the Subaru household knew that Isakawa was the child his father had sacrificed to gain an Ability. Moreover, he showcased his Ability during the family games by destroying the Subaru's main family house.

When Isakawa did that, his father ordered the best Ability Users the Subaru family had trained to kill Isakawa. However, the boy was much stronger than anyone anticipated and mercilessly killed all the B Class Ability Users. He left with a warning to his father and disappeared.

"That's how I became fascinated by Isakawa," Riko said, her tone filled with admiration.

Iris stared at her dad with a sorrowful expression and patted his back. Isakawa understood that his daughter felt sad for him, realizing he didn't have a pleasant childhood.

"Father, you haven't finished explaining yet," Sheila fumed, her cheeks puffed out cutely.

"Oh, yes, sorry. Let me continue."

__________

Once Isakawa left the Subaru family, the head became even more motivated to create more Ability Users like Isakawa. He didn't care that Isakawa had run away. Now that they had found a way to produce an Ability User, they announced to every family member with a child below 16 years of age and without an Ability to bring them to the main house to receive one.

Many of the Subaru family members were terrified for their children, but they had no choice. Most didn't want to sacrifice their children, but they were guaranteed that their children wouldn't die, though they would endure intense pain. None of the Subaru family members were exempt from this, not even the family head's children's children.

That year, every child in the Subaru family had to undergo the painful and gruesome experiment to awaken an Ability. Most succeeded, but a few didn't and ended up crippled. However, it didn't matter to the family, as the majority received an Ability.

"So, does that mean your children...?" Jennifer asked, looking concerned.

"Yes, indeed. Her girls had to go through that experiment too. Those bastards said there were no side effects," Sana cursed, biting her lips. "Shelia can't be considered normal anymore because of that stupid experiment. My poor baby," Sana cried as Krumi comforted her mother.

"Mother," Sheila called out hesitantly.

Krumi gritted her teeth and yelled, "Sheila can't see anymore."

"Krumi, that's enough," Riko warned her.

"But, Father, ever since Sheila lost her sight, she hasn't been happy, even though she gained an Ability!" Krumi retorted.

"Sister, please don't worry. I'm fine," Sheila comforted her sister. She didn't want to feel any more pitiful than she already did. What was the use of an Ability if she couldn't see her own family's faces? She didn't want to cry; she had promised herself to be strong.

"Now that I look at Sheila closely, her eyes are dull," Iris muttered to herself.