Zen'no stood before them, an eerie silence cloaking the room like a thick fog.
Sanichi and Sagira stared in stunned disbelief—frozen in place—as a crown gleamed ominously from their son's forehead.
She stumbled back and put her hand to her mouth.
"A crown? On his forehead? Am I... am I seeing things?"
Sagira's hand remained pressed to her lips, but her eyes – wide and glassy – tracked the ominous light emanating from the crown. She swallowed hard, a visible bob in her throat, yet her gaze remained fixed, unable to look away from the impossible.
"That doesn't look like any ordinary crown. There's a power radiating from it."
Turning her head slightly towards Sanichi with wide, questioning eyes.
He met Sagira's gaze, a silent understanding passing between them.
"We'll figure this out."
Sanichi stepped forward slowly, eyes narrowing.
The crown was ancient in design—iron-gray with a tall, central spike and two sharp, angled wings on either side.
Diamond-shaped gems traced along its face, with a larger, obsidian gem centered like a third eye.
But what unsettled him most—it wasn't merely worn.
It was embedded in Zen'no's forehead.
It was pressed into the skin as though some unseen force had driven it there. It didn't bleed, didn't bruise—but it was clear it wasn't meant to be there. Trying to remove it looked like it would cause pain—not because it had fused, but because it had lodged itself deep, unnaturally.
Zen'no stood there, unaware—completely calm, as though nothing was wrong.
Then the gleamed light suddenly disappeared.
"It's stopped... Just like that? What does it mean? My love, did you see that?" Sagira said, though a tremor in her voice betrayed her uncertainty.
Her hand, which had been pressed to her mouth, lowered slowly, her fingers still twitching slightly. A fragile smile touched the corners of her lips, but her eyes remained wide and darting, betraying the hope her words attempted to convey, before settling back on the now-unlit crown, a deep shadow of doubt clouding her expression
He met her gaze, his own eyes still wide with a mixture of shock and apprehension.
"I don't know, honey. It just... vanished. It's unsettling."
He blinked, eyes wide, confused for what they talking about.
"What are you talking about, Father?" Zen'no was wondering.
"Sweetie… where did you get that?"
Sagira asked quietly, her voice thick with a rising panic.
Zen'no just looked at her, his head tilted slightly, a silent question in his eyes.
"The crown—in your head." Sanichi's voice was steady, but his jaw tightened. "Where did it come from?"
Zen'no's brow furrowed in bewilderment. He slowly lifted a hand, fingers tentatively brushing against something cold and hard on his forehead.
The moment he felt it—his breath hitched, a choked gasp escaping his lips. His eyes, wide with sudden terror, snapped to his parents.
"Eh? W-What is this?" His voice cracked, trembling uncontrollably. "I... I don't remember putting this on! What is this thing?!"
Instinctively, his hands latched onto the crown. He pulled—hard.
It didn't budge.
Panic sparked in his eyes. He gritted his teeth and tugged again. Still nothing.
His chest rose and fell rapidly. Though it felt like nothing—no pressure, no weight—it was as if the crown had fused with him. His knees buckled slightly under the mounting dread.
Sanichi rushed forward, kneeling in front of him, his face contorted in concern.
"Calm down, son," he said softly, hands reaching up in a comforting gesture. "Tell me what happened. You disappeared for a week, Zen'no. We were terrified. Your mom nearly collapsed from worry. We'll get this crown off. I promise."
Zen'no nodded weakly, his lips quivering.
Sanichi reached out, his fingers hovering just inches from the crown object—
SHLACK.
A sickening slice echoed through the air.
For a heartbeat, no one moved.
Sanichi's eyes widened in disbelief. Blood burst from his right arm, streaking across the wooden floor in crimson arcs.
His body jolted back, and then the pain came—a burning, white-hot fire that tore through his entire being.
"AARRGGHH!" he roared, collapsing backward as his hand instinctively clutched the wound. Blood spilled through his fingers.
Zen'no screamed, stumbling toward him, eyes wide in horror.
"F-Father?!"
Sagira dropped to her knees and caught Sanichi just before he hit the ground, her voice breaking into a scream.
"No! My Love—!"
Zen'no hovered nearby, paralyzed, his hands shaking violently. His breath quickened. His mind raced.
"I… I didn't do anything! I swear—I didn't mean to—!" His voice was choked with guilt and disbelief.
Sanichi groaned, sweat beading on his brow, his entire frame trembling as realization dawned.
"The crown…" he rasped, "It has a will of its own…"
Footsteps thundered in from every direction. Doors slammed open. Gasps filled the halls.
Maids huddled at the threshold, their faces drained of color.
Then, a heavy, thudding step. Zen'no's grandfather burst into the room like a storm—his eyes aflame with fury.
He took one look at the blood. At his injured son. Then at Zen'no.
And he snapped.
"You…" he growled, voice trembling. "What did you do to my son? Stay away from him!"
Zen'no flinched as if struck. He barely raised his hands in defense before his grandfather's roar hit like a thunderclap.
"You are a DEMON!"
Zen'no's legs gave way. His knees hit the floor with a soft thud. His breath turned shallow. His eyes welled with tears as the words pierced him.
"I don't have a demon for a grandson!" the old man spat,
"We searched for you—we wept for you! And this—this is how you return? Bringing curses and blood into this house?"
Zen'no's small hands curled into tight fists. His nails dug into his palms.
He wanted to speak. To say he didn't know what was happening. That he hadn't meant for anyone to be hurt.
But no words came. Only silence.
The boy turned.
And ran.
His sobs echoed through the hallway as he disappeared into shadow.
Behind him, Sagira cried out, reaching desperately.
"Sweetie, wait! Don't go!"
But he was already gone.