The Author's Extra: My SSS Skill Turns Souls into Anything!

The morning came fast and cold.

Alden stood in the center of the Judgment Hall with his wrists locked in heavy anti-mana cuffs, the metal pressing cold against his skin. He kept his back straight and his face still. Around him, the hall was completely full. Nobles, royal ministers, representatives from the Upper Academy, witnesses who had been formally summoned. The seats went all the way up to the stone pillars along the walls.

At the far end of the room, elevated above everything behind a marble bench, sat the Chief Magistrate. To his right sat King Alistair, pale and drawn, flanked by royal family members and the heads of the most powerful Duke houses. To his left sat Headmaster Darius, and behind Darius sat Nicholas, Roselle, and Leon on the academy bench.

Alden was in the open floor between both sides.

Nobody was looking anywhere else.

The Chief Magistrate rested both hands flat on the bench surface. "The court is now in session." He looked around the room slowly. "We convene today to examine the circumstances surrounding the death of Crown Prince Augustus Solaris, and to determine whether the accused bears full criminal responsibility for his death." His eyes settled on Alden. "The court will hear from both sides before reaching a verdict. Decorum will be maintained at all times."

Silence fell over.

Alistair had not moved since Alden was brought in. His eyes were red from either grief or sleeplessness or both, and they stayed fixed on Alden with a hollow, burning intensity that never broke.

The Magistrate looked toward the prosecution side. "Does the prosecution wish to open?"

A senior prosecutor in dark velvet robes stood and smoothed the front of his coat. He bowed toward the bench before turning to the gallery.

"Your Honor." His voice was trained and carried easily through the massive space. "The matter before this court is simple." He turned a sharp look toward Alden. "A member of the royal family has been killed. Not merely any member." He paused. "The Crown Prince of the Astern Kingdom. The first heir to the throne and the future ruler of this realm."

Heads nodded in the noble rows.

"The accused openly admits to ending His Highness’s life. Whatever circumstances preceded their confrontation, a royal bloodline has been deliberately cut." He clasped his hands behind his back and stepped forward. "For the stability of this kingdom and the integrity of the crown, the individual responsible must be held fully accountable. We request execution."

He bowed and sat.

The Magistrate made notes on his scroll. When he finished he looked toward the defense side. "Headmaster Thorne. What does the defense present?"

Darius rose without hurrying.

He adjusted his robes once, then stepped forward and faced the bench.

"I will not waste this court’s time with emotional appeals or speculation," he said. His voice filled the room the way water fills a container, completely and without effort. "I will present what was personally verified, what the academy’s investigative corps documented, and what the students seated behind me witnessed with their own eyes."

He glanced back once at Nicholas, Roselle, and Leon, who sat rigid and ready.

"First. Crown Prince Augustus Solaris arrived at the mountain pass adjacent to Astral Academy accompanied by a fully armed force of rogue vampires."

The noble rows shifted immediately. Whispers broke out.

Darius did not pause. "Vampires are recognized under royal decree as hostile enemies of this realm. The Crown Prince arrived at our borders standing beside them. That is fact."

He let the room absorb it.

"Furthermore, according to multiple eyewitness accounts, the Crown Prince had willingly undergone a dark ritual, consuming progenitor blood and acquiring the physical attributes of a demi-vampire."

The murmuring doubled. The Magistrate did not stop it yet.

"He then personally commanded that vampire force to advance on Astral Academy." Darius’s eyes swept the royal court. "Had that force reached our gates without being stopped, I cannot estimate how many students would have died."

A noble on the prosecution side shot to his feet. "That is pure speculation!"

BANG. The Magistrate’s palm hit the bench. "Order. Allow the Headmaster to finish."

The noble sat back down with his jaw tight.

Darius continued exactly where he left off, as though the interruption had not occurred.

"Before the vanguard could breach our perimeter, I traveled personally to the royal palace to deliver a report to His Majesty." He offered a brief bow toward Alistair. "Given the threat, I also informed Lady Seris Ravenveil, who was the Crown Prince’s publicly recognized fiancée. She and her escort were en route to assess the situation."

He paused.

"They were ambushed by Crown Prince Augustus and his vampire force. They were attacked. The three students seated behind me were among those who fought for their lives."

His voice dropped.

"The person who sustained the most severe injuries was Lady Seris Ravenveil herself. She was struck down by the man who was publicly engaged to marry her." He let the sentence settle in the room. "She remains unconscious in critical condition at this hour."

The hall got louder.

A senior minister from the royal council stood and slammed his fist against the railing. "You speak about His Highness as though he were some criminal from the streets! Mind your tongue, Thorne! You are addressing the crown!"

The noble rows erupted in agreement.

"Show proper respect!"

"How dare you!"

BANG. BANG. The Magistrate struck the block twice. "Silence in this court! Any further outbursts and I will have individuals removed." He turned a hard look toward Darius. "Headmaster, I advise care with your phrasing when addressing members of the royal lineage."

Darius bowed with complete, polished deference. "Of course, Your Honor. I apologize if the factual account caused unnecessary discomfort."

A few prosecution ministers turned red around the collar.

Darius pivoted smoothly back to his testimony. "Returning to the sequence of events. While our students were fighting for their lives on the mountain pass, Alden arrived and intervened immediately."

He looked toward the center of the room. Toward Alden.

"According to every surviving witness, he engaged the vampire force directly to relieve pressure on his peers. He eventually came face to face with Crown Prince Augustus." His eyes went to Nicholas briefly. "By that point, Nicholas, Roselle, and Leon had already suffered severe injuries and mana depletion. Alden ordered them to fall back to the academy rather than perish on the field. They complied and retreated. From that moment, only Alden and the Crown Prince remained."

The hall went absolutely still.

"Based on the magical residue analyzed at the site and the accounts provided, the Crown Prince refused to cease hostilities. He continued his attack with lethal intent." Darius’s face turned solemn. "And ultimately, Alden ended his life."

The royal side bristled.

"I do not stand here to claim that Alden’s actions had no consequence," Darius said, and he looked directly at the Chief Magistrate. "But I maintain that the full context of this event must be weighed before this court labels a student a murderer." He turned briefly toward Alistair. "Alden did not plot an assassination. He did not seek out the Crown Prince with malice. He arrived at an active war zone where the Crown Prince of this kingdom was leading a monster force against our academy."

He straightened.

"According to all evidence, Alden attempted to stop the threat. When the Crown Prince refused to yield and escalated his attack, Alden was forced to use lethal force to survive."

He bowed to the bench.

"Alden was not hunting the Crown Prince." He let the last line land on its own. "He was stopping an invasion."

He turned and took his seat.

The hall stayed completely quiet for several seconds.

Then the Magistrate turned to the prosecution. "What does the prosecution have in response?"

____________

Author’s Note:

Bruhh... I’m actually mad at myself right now.

I LITERALLY gave you guys a Chapter for free out of pity because I somehow convinced myself it was the end of the week!!!

And then I realized IT WASN’T.

So yeah, I made a stupid mistake. I’m also a human, okay?!

BUT! If you guys complete the criteria for PS, I’ll still give you 1 extra Chapter because apparently I’ve already donated one to the cause.

And yes, you have to accept this decision because I’M THE AUTHOR, I control the drafted Chapters, and therefore I make the rules. Muahahahaha!

...Please ignore the fact that I’m also the idiot who gave away the Chapter in the first place.

Anyway, excuse my stupid ass, and as always... Ahem!

Happy reading!

Yours dumbly,

LayzQuill

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