Morning Verdict

A scream torn through the encased cell echoing off each wall. Heavy panting followed next as Fumiko sat up soaked in sweat. Her eyes wide and shaking still raw from the experience.

Awake now, she stared empty at her legs as her body heaved slamming her lungs against her ribs. The scream still seemed to bounce around her. It nearly made her body vibrate or maybe that was her heart knocked against her. Her mouth demanded water as if the sweat dehydrated her.

Fumiko reached over to the table in her room. ‘Mom probably heard me…damn…’ She blindly threw her arm around looking for the water bottle that she knew rested on her desk. Studying for exams left her focused and her mother insisted she didn’t forget to drink water regularly. If she didn’t intend to come down, she’d better have some with her.

She needed that water.

Where was that damn water?!

“Oh…right…” It washed away in a clean wipe. She stared at the newly crafted cell walls. Some strange creation meant for a monster like her. “Atlantis.” A fantasy world all prepared for someone like her.

Her breathing finally calmed that she wasn’t shaking on the cot. Fumiko tossed the basic cloth blanket aside to sit up properly with her feet on the floor. She rubbed her hands over her face hoping it’d wipe everything away. Only sweat.

Looking down at her hands, she could see them shaking uncontrollably. She stared deeply at them, feeling it spread through her body. Panic and shallow breathing claimed her once more. Fumiko fell over grasping at the ground trying to manage her body. Nothing

She saw it again. Saw them again.

Blood. Screams. Death. Death.

Death.

Murderer.

Fumiko gasped for air. It felt like a hand squeezed on her lungs. Nothing would stay down. She pressed her hand to her chest panting for it to stop. The shakes spread through her whole body running her even colder.

Long seconds dripped out until she managed to calm her mind. The blood, the faces disappeared finally. She pulled herself back up leaning against the cot. Her arms limply hung at her sides. “Dammit…it happened again…” Fumiko dropped her head back against the padding. Her eyes stared up at the ceiling. “What am I going to do?”

Did this happen because it finally ended? Was it a mental release? She had to fight so her mind wouldn’t let her stop? “No…it was because of her…” She could only be in this situation because of what happened. Because that manipulative bitch.

Her eyes narrowed as flashes of the past crossed her. They paraded around her mental space without thought to how it made her feel. Everything just existed for the same reason. Only one reason. She knew that. She understood that.

Just one reason.

“It’s only right that I suffer. Isn’t that right?” She tilted her head to stare off in the corner seeing someone in her empty cell. A silent watcher. They always had the same demand. “This is the way it should be. You agree, don't you? The hero’s path can only be paved in pathos, isn’t that right?”

Chapter 284 – Morning Verdict

Morning still sat an hour away, but Yuki could feel things already in motion. He knew that the Council didn’t sit still. They expected him to do something. He knew that much, which made it even easier to make his plans.

While he marched back with Demosthenes to the Palace, a voice popped up in his ear. “They’ve finished their positioning,” Chiharu said. It still unnerved Yuki a little, but found it to be incredibly clever of her. Due to always being under watch, she stuck in the shadows most of the day. Whenever she needed to report something to him, she could open a portal from her world to his inner ear. Her voice would travel straight to him and no one knew a thing, not even Demosthenes.

Naturally, it was only a one-way communication. Under constant watch, he couldn’t make any overtly suspicious actions. But Chiharu was very intelligent and picked up on intentions quickly. He didn’t have to tell her much after the initial request. ‘Chiharu seems to be enjoying her role as a spy.’ She really dove into the role after Yuki’s initial push to get her to accept it. It made it even easier since she always got all of the details he needed.

“As you already figured, they’ve got assassins planted around the execution grounds. Since they had the grounds constructed for this specifically, they were able to craft it in such a way to give them the perfect spots. But it makes them very easy to find.”

Pressing his finger to his temple, he gave the only signal he could manage. A very subtle tap gave her an answer. He continued to rub his forehead as though weighed by the stress. ‘That’s the easy part…the rest…’

“And the three of them will be of use. It’s like you thought. The best use for them will be in handling the snipers. They have the right team composition to bring the best success. I’ll get in contact with them.

‘Excellent…I can trust that’ll be handled then. I just have the hardest hurdle to handle then…’

Chiharu finished with the rest of her report in detail on what to expect. As always, she was thorough. Just before she disappeared, she left him with one last thing. “I never expected you to be so shrewd. I might have to stop calling you a weakling after this. Maybe!” She disappeared promptly afterward.

Yuki wanted to smile thinking about what Chiharu said. ‘She just needs a little more of an adjustment to the way she talks and she’d be a classic Tsundere.’ Thinking about Chiharu as a typical anime trope made him laugh a little inside. She had plenty of the traits to fit the bill.

Tropes aside, morning finally started to arrive. Judgment day finally came for all involved. The day left to test him. Could he make his goal a reality?

He would know soon.

The execution brought out quite the audience. Positioned in front of the Palace walls, it stretched out towards the Capital. They opened up a significant amount of the area around the Palace exclusively for the execution. The Council easily made it into the biggest event possible. But it was important for another reason. They planned to hold the selection process for the next King at the same time.

It was the promise of a new King that brought many out. Their plan to do both was meant to show strength and stability in Atlantis. That order and justice still held firmly. After all of the chaos and destruction caused by Yuki and his friends, it only made sense to give them something that would reassure them that they were safe.

Nothing like what happened over the last week had happened in more than twenty years. And it was made even worse than the rebellion when the degree of chaos was carried out by less than ten. Especially in the Capital, the general public mood had become very unsettled by everything. They feared the lack of a King and saw the destruction as signs of their future. Assuring the country’s future was the most important.

Dimitris walked with Yuki and his friends bringing them to their selected seats. All of the nobility and honored individuals were giving positions behind the execution. Yuki’s seat placed them the furthest away from the execution grounds.

As Yuki moved towards his seat, Dimitris leaned down to his ear. “Don’t make a scene, kid. Just sit and pretend you’re part of the background. Any movement will be treated as a violation of our agreement.”

‘Threatening me already, this is going to be a fun morning.’ Yuki sat down and looked ahead. He smiled his fake smile for everyone. “I understand.”

“Good.”

The façade on Yuki’s face dropped momentarily when Dimitris walked away. Dark lines formed around his eyes as a sign to his resolve. ‘I hope you have a good execution day.’ He quickly put his face back on for the crowd.

Saki sat down along with Yumi next to him followed by Yori. Seiji and Chiharu moved in after, though Seiji looked very rigid. It was clear that he wanted to do something, but it was only Chiharu that kept him at bay. A rampage wasn’t something they needed, fortunately even Seiji seemed to understand that or else Chiharu wouldn’t have been enough.

At Yuki’s side, standing as if he was a Canadian Royal Guardsmen, Demosthenes stood as selected guard unflinching. He looked completely natural in his position.

After everyone on the stage gathered, the main event started. Hardly intended as a massive spectacle, it was hard not to see it as one given the sight. Eudokia, Simonides, Athene and Nerine had normal escorts. They were bound like criminals given only the most simplistic of clothing needed. However, Fumiko and Haruo were taken to the extreme and became the largest focus.

Yuki couldn’t help but think it looked like some movie over playing how threatening the villain was because they had to be given excessive protection and bindings. It seemed almost comical. However, it was all completely necessary. Both of their strength and power made the need for cages to drag them out all the more important. Fumiko’s magic had to be neutralized and Haruo needed something strong enough and fortified to keep his strength in check. Even though neither planned to escape.

The thing that Yuki noticed and expected was that the regular citizens didn’t understand the purpose. They stared at them confused. ‘I figured as much. The Council has kept all of these details secret. All the public knows is that there was a rebellion and they put it down. This is almost too easy…’ The smile on Yuki’s face grew a little bit.

All of the pieces moved into the designated place. The stage was set and all of the players had their plans in motion already. But Yuki grinned still. ‘Let’s get things started…’

The executor came out from behind the tall chairs set for the audience. They were a tall man, but lacked the usual expectations of being massive muscle bound or even carrying a weapon needed for the execution. However, they wore the white uniform of a MP. They just seemed like another one of the mob.

They positioned themselves before the first target, Eudokia. A ripple came out from their feet as they prepared for their job. Tension ran through the entire gathering. The Council all looked with anticipation for Yuki to make a move that would seal his fate with the rest. The nobles looked forward to the death of traitors and the citizens waited for a sign of returning peace.

‘They’re already making their move. It’s time to make mine…’ Yuki glanced over at Demosthenes. He immediately slid back a step, already in on the plan. Taking in a breath, Yuki gathered up everything he had. ‘Time for the game to start…’

Yuki looked around suddenly in a panic. “What’s that? I see something!” He targeted it to the front to get the nobles looking around. A flash of light went off on cue far in the distance from one of the towers. It started a wildfire among the nobles inducing their panic. At that point, it didn’t matter who started it, the whole thing took on a life of its own. No one even remembered it was Yuki.

Playing things out further, Yuki jumped up as the crowd started to reach a peak. “Look out!” He dove over top of all of the chairs pushing around everyone. Dimitris stood in front of his path. Thanks to the panic, many already started pointing out the projectile that clearly flew towards the Councilor. “Get down!” Yuki leapt at the last moment taking Dimitris down to the ground, but not before taking the hit for the old man.

Blood sprayed everywhere from the wound. Screaming erupted throughout the crowd and the citizens below. Shouts of rebellion and groundless fears flew quickly. Yuki rolled off Dimitris, wincing from the pain. “Are you alright, sir?”

Dimitris' eyes flooded in panic and confusion. He couldn’t say anything to him, but his expression played too well into the scene. The reasons behind it were different, but no one knew the better. All of the other Councilors ran up to him to try to recover.

Yuki pushed them all aside and stood up. Blood poured down his arm from the jagged rock left in his shoulder. He slowly walked towards the front of the stage. Demosthenes managed to appear next to him. “Everyone! Please calm down!” he shouted. His voice barely even carried through the jungle of noise. “Shut the hell up!” Suddenly, his voice went through all corners of the site. “Thanks, General Alexander.”

The name drop got everyone’s attention. Yuki finally had everyone’s attention. The panic started to calm. Blasts of pinkish-red orbs went off from the location of the assassination attempt. “Everything has been dealt with now. That explosion you heard just now was my team capturing the last of the rebels. You don’t know me, but I’ve been hunting down these rebels for months, though it feels like years at this point.”

He laughed a bit and could see that he already started to lose some people. “This has all been a large secret put into act by the Council of Atlantis you see behind you. They knew about their leader, but could not make a move openly. So they sent me. I can now tell you all about this finally as we’ve finally captured the last of the rebels today right here.” Yuki saw the confused looks from both sides of the wall. ‘It was their mistake to keep me completely hidden, not even the nobles know what I look like, they only mentioned me by name in the trial. Pretending to be someone else is almost too easy…’

Yuki walked forward with the help of Demosthenes. He moved out in front of his friends. The closer to the citizens he could see how much they feared the uncertainty. They just wanted to know they could live peacefully. “I’m here today to assure you and confirm that peace has returned to Atlantis. You do not need to fear for your lives anymore!” A quick rise in voices from the citizens pushed into cheering.

“However, I need to clear up some confusion. These criminals you see here have stolen the faces and identities of those you see here. They want to tear us apart from the inside and make us question everyone! I will reveal their true identities before you now! People who even managed to fool our honorable and just Council!”

Giving Demosthenes the signal, he had him suddenly alter his Field. Those that were Fumiko, Haruo, Simonides and everyone else captured changed. Complete strangers appeared before everyone even for Eudokia. Gasps went through the whole audience, even the nobles.

As Yuki turned around to see everyone’s reactions, he gasped in shock as well. He pointed quickly out to one of the Councilors. “I don’t believe it! General quick, we missed one of them!” Demosthenes leapt into action as the revealed fake Councilor tried to make an escape. Rheia appeared in their path to catch them, cornered by the two.

Yuki turned back to the audience, displaying his surprise. “I’m sorry, I must apologize. I thought we had found them all, but it looks like one slipped into the Council. But it explains why they wanted to place blame on Eudokia and Simonides. They sought to bring down those that protect and care the most for this country!”

The sudden reveals carried out by Yuki had everyone’s attention. No one looked away. He had them completely. They were hooked on his every word now. He walked out a little further speaking directly to the citizens.

“I know this is all very shocking to you. But now you understand why this day was so important. The Council knew the rebels would take this chance to free their comrades and try to strike at the heart of this great country! They put themselves in harm’s way to see that you had peace tomorrow.

“I make this promise to you now before all of you that we will keep fighting for peace and see that this sort of thing never happens again!” Another round of cheers went through the crowd. They were pretty easy to work up. Even the Council knew how easy they were to use. It was actually a little sad how desperate they were for a sign of peace and stability. Even with a twenty-year-old rebellion behind them, they still lived in uncertainty and fear constantly.

Yuki glanced back at the Council. They all glared at them. He had the stage and they could do nothing to him. He had the crowd and their plans already fell apart. Even the nobility questioned the Council after what they saw. Uncertain looks fell upon them. ‘One matter resolved…now for the next part…’

He took in a deep breath. It was the hardest part for him. It was his plan. It was his decision. So he knew what he did and accepted it. However, it didn’t make it any easier to carry out.

Demosthenes walked up behind him, the fake Councilor arrested by Rheia. He stood stiffly behind Yuki giving him the sense of confidence, but also no escape. Yuki smiled a little and relaxed. “There’s one more thing that I have left. Right now it’s just a promise and promises are just words until they have something real that supports them.”

Turning his head to the ground for a moment, he gathered up his resolve. “There’s a reason I’m here in front of you rather than say the General here telling you all of this. You don’t know me and I don’t know all of you very well either. So making promises as a stranger is meaningless. So I’m going to tell you who I am.”

A ripple tore through the entire Capital in an instant from Yuki’s feet. He wiped away everything in the Capital using his Field along with a significant expansion of the fields beyond. The display had everyone in complete silence. “I’m your new King!”