A royal magistrate stepped forward, voice amplified by magic.

  “Akitsu Shouga. Student of Fiester Academy. You stand accused of the following crimes: unlawful infiltration of a noble estate, destruction of property, mass murder of royal guards, violation of sacred containment laws, conspiracy with the Hero Kael Ardent, and actions bordering on rebellion.”

  Murmurs rippled through the hall.

  The magistrate turned.

  “Hero Kael Ardent. You are charged with dereliction of duty, misuse of authority, and collaboration in said massacre.”

  Kael clenched his jaw.

  Akitsu remained silent.

  The magistrate raised a hand. “Before judgment, the Eight Figures shall conduct moral interrogation.”

  The headmaster beneath the red flag leaned forward, voice sharp.

  “You slaughtered trained guards like animals. Do you deny it?”

  Akitsu lifted his head slowly.

  “No.”

  The bluntness unsettled the room.

  The blue flag headmaster spoke next. “Did you consider lawful alternatives?”

  “No.”

  The gold flag figure scoffed. “Then you admit guilt without remorse?”

  Akitsu’s eyes flicked upward.

  “I admit necessity.”

  That word lingered.

  Renjiro’s fists clenched.

  Kaoru inhaled sharply.

  The green flag headmaster narrowed his eyes. “You claim necessity. For what?”

  Akitsu’s gaze drifted, briefly, to Kaoru.

  “To save someone who would have died.”

  The yellow flag headmaster slammed a hand against the armrest. “So you believe one life outweighs dozens?”

  Akitsu tilted his head slightly.

  “I believe I already lived the outcome where I didn’t act.”

  Silence fell.

  The magistrate frowned. “Explain yourself.”

  Akitsu did not.

  A cold breeze swept the chamber.

  From the shadowed columns at the far edges of the hall, two figures became noticeable—as if they had always been there, and only now chose to be seen.

  One stood with hands clasped behind their back, form obscured by layered garments that absorbed light unnaturally.

  The other leaned against a pillar, translucent at the edges, smile faint and knowing.

  No announcements were made.

  No names spoken.

  Yet the air itself recoiled.

  Itsuki Shiraishi’s fingers tightened slightly on her cane.

  Her voice, when she spoke, was gentle—almost kind.

  “Akitsu Shouga,” she said. “How many times have you died?”

  The hall erupted.

  “What kind of question is that—”

  “Order!”

  Akitsu’s breath slowed.

  “…four.”

  Kaoru’s knees nearly buckled.

  Rikuya gasped.

  Kael snapped his head toward Akitsu. “What?”

  The grey flag headmaster whispered, “That’s impossible.”

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  Itsuki’s eyes gleamed faintly.

  “And each time,” she continued, “did the outcome differ?”

  Akitsu nodded once.

  “Yes.”

  The pink flag headmaster swallowed. “This isn’t testimony. This is madness.”

  From the shadows, one of the higher figures chuckled softly.

  “So he remembers,” the voice murmured. “How nostalgic.”

  The other spoke, voice distant and hollow.

  “A soul that slips the ledger repeatedly… rare.”

  A pressure bore down on the chamber.

  The magistrate slammed his staff down. “This trial is hereby—”

  Akitsu suddenly laughed.

  It was quiet.

  Hoarse.

  Broken.

  “I know how this ends,” he said, lifting his head fully now. “You execute me. The Hero becomes a symbol. The kingdom pretends order was restored.”

  The banners trembled.

  “I also know,” he continued softly, “that in three days, the eastern provinces burn.”

  The gold flag headmaster stood abruptly. “Enough!”

  Itsuki raised her cane slightly.

  He froze.

  She looked at Akitsu not with fear—but with something dangerously close to respect.

  “This trial,” Itsuki Shiraishi said calmly, “is dismissed.”

  The hall exploded into chaos.

  “Dismissed?!”

  “Headmaster Shiraishi, you overstep—”

  “The council will hear—”

  She rose slowly to her feet.

  “I have lived long enough,” she said, “to know when judgment no longer belongs to us.”

  Her gaze flicked briefly toward the shadows.

  The two figures inclined their heads—ever so slightly.

  Acknowledgment.

  Later — Royal Prison

  Night smothered the prison in silence.

  Akitsu sat against the cold stone wall of his cell, wrists free but body aching. Moonlight filtered through the narrow bars.

  A familiar presence stirred.

  Green light shimmered.

  Seraphine Orion appeared before him, floating quietly.

  Akitsu exhaled. “You weren’t at the trial.”

  She nodded. “If I showed myself, higher beings would’ve noticed me.”

  “…They already did.”

  She smiled faintly. “Yes. But they didn’t notice me.”

  Another presence formed.

  Frost crept along the stone floor.

  The small spirit girl with white hair and blue eyes stood silently between them.

  “Father,” she whispered.

  Akitsu’s chest tightened.

  Seraphine stared. “She followed you.”

  The girl pressed her palm to the bars.

  Everything froze.

  Absolute silence.

  Metal, stone, magic—locked in ice.

  “I’ll help,” the girl said softly.

  Akitsu swallowed.

  “…Thank you.”

  Kael stared as the cell door opened.

  “You’re kidding me,” he whispered.

  “Move,” Akitsu said.

  They ran.