Distorted World, Book 1: Uprising

Chapter 1 - Taken

A/N: Thank you to all the readers who have read or voted for my work! Well, to be honest, this chapter might not be as good as the preface, and I have to apologise for that. This chapter and the following one is particularly difficult to write because of the rather unnatural storyline, so if you have any suggestions on how to make it more fluid, feel free to message me about it!

(And lastly, I'm sorry for not being able to thank you personally because the Wattpad server in my area is temporarily faulty.)

[14th March 203 post-unification]

"Sis, wake up~"Hizushi, my younger brother called out while shaking me awake.

I got up, blinked a few times and folded up our bedding neatly, storing them into a corner.

"Sis, I'm hungry...." he whined.

I sighed. Hizushi is ten, yet he's still acting like a child. Well, he is the youngest child, but that doesn't change the fact that he must grow up sometime. I wonder when the time will come.

"There are some rice cakes in the kitchen. You can have some first. And when you're done please help me to sweep the floor," I said.

I looked into Father's room, but he wasn't there, his bedding already folded up. Father was out at work - again.

"He's dedicated to his job, even though he's so old," I thought while shaking my head. At the ripe age of 56 (not a good age to keep swinging a sword and barking at students), he still insists on teaching kendo 6 hours a day, although I've told him tons of times to take a break.

I scooped up some water from the tank to prepare Father's favourite roasted tea, poured it into a bottle and left the house to collect firewood, delivering the tea to him on the way.

After I had collected enough firewood, an hour or so had passed. I hurried back home to prepare breakfast, afraid that Hizushi would be complaining that he's hungry again.

When I passed the kendo training school, a weird, gruff voice reached my ears, startling me.

"Mr Hiroda, as you can see, you have been listed as a theft suspect. We would highly appreciate your cooperation..." He sounded strangely formal.

Wait, what? My father, a thief? Impossible!

I quickly walked through the main gate to investigate what was happening. Father was talking to a masked man dressed in black. Some young students gathered around Father, curious.

I approached them. "What happened? And may I ask, who are you?"

"I am a member of the Special-Ops Squad, working under the Royal Police," he said while showing me a list of names. "And this man, Mr Hiroda, has been listed as a theft suspect. I'm trying to get him to the court for investigation, but he's a bit... well, reluctant."

I peered at the list. It was indeed issued officially by the Royal Police - their insignia was stamped clearly on the paper, and all the details that were supposed to be there were present. Also, on the man's clothes was the same insignia and the words "Special-Operation". Not suspicious at all. Maybe Father was just mistaken for someone else.

"Sir, maybe you've got the wrong man. As you can see, he is a kendo teacher, and do you think kendo teachers commit theft?" I said, defending Father.

Oh crap. I should have said something better, and not this...

"It's not that bad. If he can prove that he's innocent, then he'll be released," the man explained.

"It's nothing. I'll just go and prove my innocence. Nothing to be worried about when you're not guilty, right?" Father said calmly, sporting his usual smile.