(Octavian 28, 59 / 10:01AM)

  (Military Complex)

  Out of a brown van came its passenger and driver, with the driver having red hair and the passenger having light brown hair.

  Both young men walked toward the back of the automobile, their hands on either side of their bodies as they reached the back van door. Luke, who saw the familiar lock and pin on the door, used his fingers to unlock the set of metal doors that bound the rest of the Dark Angels inside.

  And at long last, the door swung open, pouring out four Dark Angel soldiers and four behind-the-scenes soldiers who helped them.

  (Miles) Finally, some fresh air.

  (Gary) Kind of feels nostalgic to be back here.

  (Diego) Not really.

  (Fred) Nope, not at all.

  In front of the ten of them was the Flegel Judicial Courthouse, one of the many government buildings located right along the center of the complex.

  The building was clastined in pure white and stood about five stories tall. The front entrance had many large column pillars that had statues carved into them, with animals such as the peregrine hawk, the griffin, and the basilisk all in repeated order.

  Leading to the front entrance of the columns of justice, was none other than a large row of stairs that led up toward the hill that the building was on. Surprisingly enough, no elite guards were designated on the edges of the row of stairs that they were ordered to.

  Luke looked around the building’s columns to find a massive front door opened wide, the door being tinted in pure black and metal.

  (Luke) Let’s go, I think they’re waiting for us.

  (Jack) Sure, but aren’t we supposed to wait for Boris, David, Jenny, and Loraine?

  (Luke) Boris said he had to do something, so he’s going to arrive late.

  (Luna) Boris, arriving late … doesn’t seem to match his character.

  Luke, being the leader of the group, entered inside first as a gust of cold air shrilled onto his face.

  Being inside of the courthouse, Luke took note of the whitish colors of both the roof and the walls that allowed the morning sun to set ablaze in the room. As the light was still drawn inside the room they were in, Luke slouched his body compared to his stiffened hands which kept him at bay.

  Many statues of famous people that Luke learned in History were all hanging onto both ends of the walls that trapped him in. People like Mauro Ticia, Bertant Kepputha, Rener Haxouburg, and Anna Aizzonia were replicated and duplicated on every corner of the courthouse.

  (Luke’s thoughts) That’s a lot of statues for the founders of the four nations…

  The rest of the group took in the cold air and stone-grizzled statues, followed by the white-marbled floor that some of them were accustomed to. As they finished sightseeing, the real reason why they were there was right in front of them.

  There were three areas of pews that held a good chunk of people. On the left and right sides of the group, were all agents that sat behind wooden pews. With an entire battalion of agents seemingly waiting for the event to start, it only formed a sense of paranoia as some of the agents kept their eye on The Dark Angels.

  And in front of the group, was none other than a large section of pews that held in many senators and judges. On the left side front of them were pure senators, all wearing black suits with a button-up white shirt along with it, followed by black suits and church shoes. On the right side were cardinal judges, with red gowns that covered their bodies from their shoulders down to their toes.

  And right in the middle, were three people with one of them being on the top seat, as the two others sat down below him.

  (???) Come in, don’t let the agents scare you.

  Even though the televisions in Kepputha were mostly black in white, the group never expected the man in the center to have a rare hair color. A hair color that was a deep crimson red.

  The man wore a simple tuxedo and bow tie, his hands placed in front of him with his palms caressing the wood of the table. Instead of regular lenses, he only used a simple molecular eyeglass for his left eye.

  (???) As you may have heard my voice through the radio or television, I am none other than the President of this country. I take it you’re the leader of this group young man?

  President Reed let out a confident smile as he remained still while looking directly at Luke.

  Luke’s face started to melt under the clear gap in authority, placing his right hand along his nape with sweaty palms. Letting out a nervous chuckle, he closed his eyes and rubbed his neck.

  (Luke) Y-Yes sir… I-I’m the lead—C-Commander of the Dark Angels…

  (President Reed) At ease. Don’t worry, I don’t bite.

  (Luke) Oh ok…

  President Reed quickly glanced at a young man who was next to Luke, a young man with red hair the same as him. Ignoring the well-groomed, eagled-eyed man, Reed glanced at the rest of the members of the group, mostly at a young woman with blue eyes who had her hands clasped together.

  (Jack’s thoughts) Am I really that ugly…

  Reed looked over to the judge that was below him to the left, with some of the judges already glancing back at the red-haired man. Reed, still having a confident smile that didn’t seem warm nor cold, glanced at the judge’s bald head that shone in the morning sunlight. Even though the top of his head didn’t have any hair, the judge did have a blonde mullet that covered his neck.

  With his right hand, Reed instructed the semi-old judge to stand up.

  (President Reed) Judge Golden, would you allow this event to start now?

  (Judge Golden) Absolutely, Reed.

  A paper in front of him, Golden used his left hand as he placed the paper at an appropriate eye level so that he could read without squinting. Scratching his skimpy facial hair along his right cheek, he tilted his head upward so that the button that held his red robe wouldn’t create a chokehold along his neck.

  While all tilting his head to the right.

  (Judge Golden) For the Fallen, for the heroic, and the Joe; all are given a right to pursue a jocular life free from sin. For the damned, for the wicked, and the devil himself, all are sinners that stain the principles of what beliefs we prepare for our people.

  Golden placed the sheet of paper down onto the wooden pew, as he looked up to see the Dark Angels all silently watching him give out the starting speech. As if he somehow memorized the entirety of the speech by just skimming it, Golden clasped both of his hands behind his back while staring into Luke alone.

  The rest of the group noticed that many of the agents kept eyeing Luke himself, as even the senators and judges all analyzed Luke from top to bottom.

  (Judge Golden) A jocular life is a life that is worth meaning, a simple life that we, the masses of Ordered Governments, all collectively agree upon. Would the Vice President continue forth in my stead?

  Passing onto the Vice President who was on the bottom right of the main President, he pushed back some strands of his thin brown hair from his rectangular glasses. Using his left hand, the Vice President put the paper right in front of his face, the tip of his nose slightly touching the white paper.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Clearing his throat, he hunched his back forward as his knees were given a good amount of pressure on the wood.

  (Vice President) Oh judge of the people, I hear your words. As I, Vice President Kennedy hereby start this event to begin its court of procedure.

  The same as Golden, Kennedy placed the white sheet of paper down onto the wooden pew, having both of his hands on the wood. Like the rest of everyone, Kennedy pinned his attention onto Luke, who started to shake as he got close to both Luna and Hope who were in the back of him.

  Letting out a sigh, Kennedy made a deadpan stare with his eyelids already heavy with dark eye bags.

  (VP Kennedy) Luke Fenix. Commander of the Dark Angels. Are you willing to commit from the beginning to end?

  (Luke) Y-Yes sir.

  (VP Kennedy) Then I’ll let the President pass forth on my stead.

  Reed gave Kennedy a simple nod before looking toward the rest of the group with pushed-down eyes. Instead of having his back slouched or hunched like Kennedy, Reed tilted his head upward as he clapped his hands together to create a vibration amongst the stone walls.

  Hearing the simple loud clap, caused every single agent that sat like good soldiers to all collectively stand up.

  (President Reed) As President of this country, I only want to protect the interests and civilians of this great nation. Along with the rest of the world, I only want to lead the rest of what’s left of humanity to a light that will shine brighter than our own star.

  Reed looked down at the wooden pew that was in front of him, as a sheet of white paper was already in front of him, to begin with. Without even glancing one bit at it, Reed continued to have his head down, leading to him seeming as if he was remembering an unforgiving nightmare.

  A nightmare that he had to deal with six years ago. A nightmare that shook the entire world like a pacifist hornet's nest.

  Every senator and judge that were side by side collectively looked down as they allowed their faces to frown upon the unholy memories. Memories, or rather decisions that required the hardest choices.

  (President Reed) After the fall of Ticia, most Tician refugees called Kepputha home, causing one of the worst housing and renting crisis ever in Kepputhan history. The central banks, the economy, everything went into a full-blown depression that lasted half a decade.

  Even before The Array, Lagefor wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Because of The Depression that caused a widespread economic collapse on Kepputhan soil, money became a luxury to the average Joe, a necessity to the rich, and a dream to the poor.

  Luke looked down onto the white marbled floor that sparkled and shined against his black leather boots, as he then began to tap it with his right heel. Staring into one of the lines of the floor, he let out a small smile as fun yet somewhat gloomy memories of when he was in training played in his mind.

  (Luke’s thoughts) Most of the time, dinners were mostly rationed about a week into the program. Our very first week of training was the last time that we had a buffet until five years later.

  To his right, Luke noticed a familiar agent that was on the front row of the pew of agents.

  The agent wore a typical tuxedo suit, along with a black fedora that didn’t let the morning sun hit his pale face. Having both of his hands underneath the pew where he sat, the blonde-haired agent continued to look down with motionless eyes.

  Two other agents were right beside him, with a silver-haired man and a short woman with glasses being to the right of him.

  And a woman with sunglasses to the left of the cold agent, who had her right shoulder nudging against his.

  (Luke’s thoughts) Is that Agent Briggs and his group? Why does he seem different…?

  Turning his head back in front of the red-haired man in the center, Reed already cleared his throat and adjusted his bowtie that began to burden him despite a mark already left behind on his skin.

  Using two of his fingers, he neatly positioned it so that it would remain straight. Spreading his arms out wide, he made himself look bigger despite his height being practically the same as Briggs.

  (President Reed) But after six years, I finally was able to pull Kepputha out of The Depression with my own hands, and yet the economists say that we’re in an economic recession. But still…

  Reed looked up toward a statue that was right in front of him, the statue carved right along the entrance from which Luke and the others entered.

  The statue was none other than a replica of Bertant Kepputha, a man wielding both an umbrella and a suitcase that suited the entirety of what Lagefor stood for. Instead of the statue using the umbrella to cover itself from the imaginary rain, the statue was depicted to be of him looking down onto the ground, walking through the hardships ahead.

  Hardships in the rain, problems that came from up above.

  Puddles that reflect upon the very said person of which they stomp forth.

  Continuing to analyze the statue with his slanted eyes, President Reed slightly opened his mouth, his fingertips now hovering over the wooden pew that blocked him from moving forward.

  (President Reed) Humanity moves on, with or without the damned and unfortunate.

  Taking a small step back, he looked down on Luke as he narrowed his eyes.

  (President Reed) Then our city was attacked. What was supposed to be a jocular day for the people turned into another day of remembrance for the fallen. Our way of living was merely disrupted again, and for what…

  He then pushed both of his hands down rather than slam them on the wooden pew. Putting an intense amount of pressure on the wood, small cracks could be heard by both VP Kennedy and Judge Golden who looked up to see Reed gritting the ends of his teeth.

  Kennedy widened his deadpan eyes at the unusual sight in front of him, leaning his body away from Reed as Golden did the same. Many of the judges and senators who watched the man wrinkle at his pew started to look at one another with furrowed brows.

  (President Reed) Why would they attack this innocent city with their own sintered hands? What was their goal, their drive, their passion? Did they do it out of blood? Spite? For fun?

  As the pew started to let out two small cracks from the ends of which he forced his palms onto, Reed pushed himself up from his wrinkled stance as he stared at the Dark Angels with glaring eyes.

  Everyone else beside him, even some of the agents that were on opposite ends of the courthouse started to slowly shift their bodies away from the frustrated man. Luke, being the main attraction to the glaring President, took a step back as he slowly lifted his hands to form a mini surrender.

  (President Reed) I want you to tell me everything that you know… I command it…

  Placing his right hand onto his left shoulder, Luke began to rub it up and down as he shyly looked up at the man with the highest seat of the courthouse.

  Luke inhaled a multitude of air inside of his small yet strong pink lungs, while also letting it out with a quick huff. Putting both of his feet together side by side, he slanted his hands and arms to be parallel to his body, while straightening his back.

  And sweating profoundly.

  (Luke) During the attack on Lagefor, almost all of the liches, who were zompires that were given blessings or already had blessings, all were connected to some part of us, one way or another…

  (President Reed) Connected? How?

  (Luke) Two liches were Dark Angel trainees that were … died of natural causes…

  Reed tilted his head to the right while letting go of his hands from the wooden pew that was in front of him. Placing both of his hands onto his sides, he slowly nodded up and down as he continued to mold the info into his head.

  (President Reed) And the others?

  (Luke) One lich supposedly knew us, but we don’t remember. Another was best friends with one of our friends but got killed during the attack on Ticia, and another lich was friends with … I forgot…

  Scratching his cheek with his right hand, Luke used both corners of his eyes to notice some agents starting to move around in their pews. Briggs, one of the few agents that continued to remain still, tilted his head down as not even his face could be seen.

  Which caused the woman to the left of him to use her arms to cradle his left arm, wrapping them in a tight hold.

  (Luke) But we didn’t just face liches … there was an enemy that was not a lich.

  (President Reed) You’re telling me that you had to fight with humans? Particularly humans that must’ve sided with the opposing forces?

  (Luke) One of our comrades has a good nose, and she confirmed that particular enemy was 100% human. I’m sorry sir, but there must be something much more than just the undead army…

  Luke cradled his chin with his right hand, allowing his knuckles to hold his head upward. Continuing to tap his right heel on the white-marbled floor of the courthouse, Luke turned back to see the rest of the group with furrowed and sweated faces.

  Jack swept away some bits of hair from out of his eye, while Miles and Stan both clasped their hands on the pressure that dawned on them from the agent’s looks.

  The rest of the group felt as if an anvil was dangling right on top of their hands, like a guillotine that was secretly hiding in wait. Luna, the only person who didn’t feel the least bit of worry, put her hands into her pockets as she walked right next to Luke’s shoulder.

  (President Reed) Hmm… is this particular enemy powerful? A leader of some sort?

  (Luke) Unlikely. The woman right next to me fought with him one on one, and he is powerful, but didn’t give off a sense of assertiveness compared to our previous commander…

  (President Reed) But she was killed during the attack. Do you have any idea of who might’ve killed her?

  (Luke) She didn’t tell us … she only said that it was someone much more powerful than her … someone much smarter than her…

  Reed used his right hand to scratch the top of his head, digging his unusually long fingernails to scrape against his scalp. As he messed up his somewhat groomed hair, Reed continued to keep his hand on his thinning head.

  Reed huffed out a long breath.

  (President Reed) This person, is he or she the one that led the attack on Lagefor?

  (Luke) Most likely. If this person could kill our strongest soldier … then…

  (President Reed) What about The Bringer of death…?

  Everyone noticed the way Reed’s hands continued to grip both ends of the wooden pew. Letting out a nervous chuckle, Luke started to rub both of his hands together.

  (Luke) Me, The Dark Angels, and a small platoon of agents and soldiers all managed to take her out.

  No response from Reed was given.

  Luke however took a step forward, dropping his hands while pinning his head to look down on the shiny white marbled floor of the courthouse.

  (Luke) Even though I may look weak, I was the one who dealt the finishing blow. By just using a simple highly pressurized water bomb, along with rocket boots to outmaneuver the giant, I got off lucky that—

  (President Reed) I heard enough.

  The tone of the man in the center completely changed. His voice, his attitude, even his posture almost made Luke flinch.

  Reed slowly moved his head upward from the cradled position that he tried so hard to maintain. Letting go of the wooden pew, he placed his right hand onto the top of his head. Reed tilted his head while clicking his tongue once.

  (President Reed) You protect this city? You? Of all people? Do you honestly expect me to believe in such a pitiful lie?

  Widening his eyes, Luke’s face began to turn pale as his breath began to get stuck in between his throat.

  (Luke) W-What…?

  Reed hunched his body forward as he leaned his head forward. Replacing his gritting teeth with a cold frown, he then lowered his irises so that he was fully looking down on Luke with emotionless and lifeless eyes.

  That caused none other than Luna to glare back at the tension unfolding.

  Extending his left arm to his side, he held back the glaring woman.

  (Luke) B-B-But we’re telling the truth, sir! We protected this city from the liches! Briggs and a few agents were all there to—

  (President Reed) Testify? Do you want to go to a different court of procedure then?

  (Luke) Please sir! We’re not against humanity!

  As the morning rays outside soon began to dim from the clouds above, the cold air that couldn’t break into the front doors finally blew against their backs.

  (President Reed) Then we should make this ceremony into a tribunal. A tribunal to determine if you’re really on humanity’s side.