"What are you doing?" The woman took a step back as Aeolus' aura became increasingly terrifying. She saw faint golden scales slowly appearing on his cheeks.
"According to the Synapse Code, Education Law…" Aeolus began, reciting the familiar legal text expressionlessly, before delivering the final verdict.
"As of today, you and your husband are stripped of all parental rights. From this moment on, you are no longer permitted to raise or have any future offspring."
Aeolus removed his white cloak and wrapped it around the little girl who was staring up at her mother with a numb expression. He picked her up gently, holding her close.
Neither the woman nor the anxious father sitting at the table reacted much to seeing their daughter taken away. To them, she was insignificant, a disposable part of their lives.
However, when Otto, the young man who had come with Aeolus, took a step toward their son, both parents became visibly nervous. They stood up, blocking Otto's path.
"What do you think you're doing?" The woman's face filled with panic.
"Didn't you hear? According to the Code, you've been stripped of your parental rights. That means we're taking both of your children," Otto's eyes flashed blue, crackling with the power of thunder.
"We passed the parental qualification test!" the woman shouted desperately. Her love for her son was genuine, unlike her apathy toward her daughter, but Otto remained unfazed.
"Passing the qualification test doesn't give you the right to abuse your children," Otto said, his voice tense with barely contained fury. "If it weren't for this uniform, do you think I'd let you stand here in front of me without consequences?"
"Dad, Mom, I'm scared!" The boy whimpered, clutching his mother's leg.
"You don't deserve to be parents. I'm taking this child with me today, even if I have to use force!" Otto's eyes burned with an intense blue light, the storm of his anger barely held back. He wouldn't hesitate to strike these two abusers if necessary.
"Otto, don't waste time!" Aeolus called from the doorway, already holding the little girl.
"Understood!" In a flash, Otto's body blurred with a trail of lightning, vanishing from in front of the couple and reappearing behind them, carrying their son in his arms. In an instant, he was by Aeolus' side, ready to leave.
"Don't worry, your children will be fine. You, on the other hand, should prepare yourselves for the court's summons." With those cold words, the two enforcers disappeared, leaving the desperate couple behind.
…
"Brian Cullen and Sherin Chopra, you are hereby sentenced to ten years in prison for the deliberate abuse of your daughter, causing severe physical and emotional harm, as per Synapse Code, Education Law, Article 172. Sentence to be carried out immediately!"
As the verdict was delivered, the little girl, cradled in Aeolus' arms in the audience, showed a spark of life in her once-vacant eyes. She heard that her parents were being imprisoned for the years of abuse they had inflicted on her. There was someone—a force—that had stood up for her, seeking justice on her behalf.
"That's too light!" Eddie, the dragon girl, grumbled in discontent upon hearing the court's decision. Her eyes were filled with pity as she looked at the girl.
Eddie had been the one treating the child's injuries after Aeolus brought her back. She knew better than anyone just how severe the damage had been. Healing her surface wounds and damaged organs had been easy, but fixing her deformed bones from years of abuse required breaking and resetting them, a painful process.
What surprised Eddie most was how the little girl didn't make a sound throughout the ordeal. What kind of suffering had she endured before, to the point where she could silently withstand the pain of broken bones?
"They were lenient because they treated their son well," Aeolus explained.
"What kind of backward continent still holds onto such sexist beliefs?" Eddie's irritation only grew.
"Let's go," Aeolus said as he stood up.
"Captain, with the parents in prison, what will happen to the children?" Eddie asked as they prepared to leave.
"The welfare center will take care of them. When the parents are released, depending on their rehabilitation, they might be allowed to reclaim their son. But as for the daughter, after what they did to her, she will have no further ties to them."
...
"Thud!" As Aeolus and his team were about to return to their office after the trial, a middle-aged man who had been lingering near the door suddenly rushed forward and knelt before Aeolus with a loud thump.
"You are…?" Aeolus was momentarily stunned by the man's sudden action. He took a closer look at the man's face, realizing that it was somewhat familiar.
He quickly remembered. This was a man whose child Aeolus had taken away, a gambling addict whose parental rights had been revoked because his addiction had spiraled out of control.
"Sir, I haven't been to a casino in a month. I've quit gambling, and I even passed the parental qualification test. Could you please return my son to me?" The man's face was full of desperation as he looked up at Aeolus.
"It's possible. However, to confirm that you've truly quit gambling, you'll need to undergo a six-month observation period. If you don't gamble during that time and prove that you're qualified to be a father, your son will be returned to you."
Aeolus studied the man. His mental state seemed much improved from before.
"Six months? That's too long!" The man's face showed his anxiety. "Can't you shorten it a bit?"
"No, that's the observation period set by the Code," Aeolus replied firmly.
The Synapse Code wasn't entirely heartless. Parents who lost their children under the law still had a chance to reclaim them, as long as they corrected the harmful behaviors that had jeopardized their children's futures in the first place.
"Can't you make an exception?" The man pleaded.
"This is the law. We can't change it. But you don't need to be so worried. After a month, if you've stayed away from gambling, I'll give you the address of the city where your son is. You can visit him, but until the observation period ends, you won't be allowed to have direct contact with him."
"One month? That's acceptable. Thank you, sir!" The man's face lit up with gratitude at the thought of seeing his son again.
"If you care so much for your child, you shouldn't have let gambling ruin you in the first place," one of the enforcers remarked, shaking his head as he watched the man leave.
"Are we really going to let these people take their children back?" Eddie asked. She was still dissatisfied with the idea of parents who had once failed their children being given a second chance.
"Humans are a flawed species. Throughout their lives, they will make all kinds of mistakes. But those mistakes can be corrected. That's why every parent has the opportunity to reclaim their right to raise their children," Aeolus said, sharing his reflections from enforcing the Code over the past few months. "The Code takes children from parents who can't provide for their futures, but it also gives those parents a chance to improve and reunite with their children. The Synapse Code is not heartless; it still leaves room for compassion. Its purpose is to punish the guilty, warn those who would commit crimes, and ultimately make this world a better place for everyone."
...
"Aeolus, we've got a new mission. This time, they want us to go dispel rumors among the common people," a young enforcer walked in, holding a mission sheet, looking rather exasperated.
"Rumors? What kind of rumors?" Otto, who was nearby, raised his head in confusion.
"There's been a misunderstanding because of our recent actions. One of the rumors claims that the Code only allows nobles to have children and that commoners don't have the right to reproduce. They're even saying that the children we take are forced into becoming cannon fodder."
"Who came up with that nonsense?" Otto snorted angrily, slamming his hand on the table, leaving a deep imprint. "Cannon fodder? Are they joking? The children we take aren't even qualified to become cannon fodder! I'm not even qualified to be cannon fodder!"
Otto laughed bitterly. "To join the empire's army, you need to at least reach the gold rank. How many of the kids we take in are ever going to reach that level? Cannon fodder, my foot!"
"And nobles are the only ones allowed to have children? Whoever spread that rumor didn't bother to check their facts. Synapse hasn't even officially recognized any nobles yet! And when did the Code ever say commoners couldn't have children? The law is clear, but some people just love twisting it around," Otto huffed, clearly irritated.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]