Freon and everyone in the courtroom narrowed their eyes — that was a heavy accusation. The empires on Earth competed with each other, sure, but it was just a fight over resources and artifacts. After all, all life on Earth depended on those.
High Humans needed everything they could get their hands on just to survive and make sure Earth and their families could thrive. The competition between them was fierce, but still fair.
The empires, in turn, relied on their strongest High Humans to support the weaker ones so they could live. That's why there had to be strict rules and no room for chaos. In the end, no empire aimed to destroy another or conquer more land.
Earth really was a peaceful place — on the surface, at least. If you were a regular human but had a High Human or someone from an Empire in your family, you could live an extremely peaceful life.
And the reason behind all this peace was simple: the powerful knew that other planets existed out there in the universe, some of them not even having humans. And they were very aware of the kind of evil that came with visiting other universes.
Knowing there were equally powerful places so close had brought humanity together. They stopped thinking they were the center of everything and started realizing they had to build a safe place to live.
Earth was home for everyone, and they could only make sure it stayed safe and prosperous if they protected it. That's why anything beyond healthy competition was shut down hard by the empires. But the neighboring planets... those always had to be watched closely.
Of course, Earth's humans were super close and friendly with a dozen other planets. It wasn't like everyone else was an enemy and only Earthlings were good. There were messed-up people everywhere — including on Earth.
But betraying Earth? That was something so outrageous, no one would rest until everything that belonged to the traitor was burned to the ground.
"That's an extremely serious accusation, kid. If you say something you can't prove, the accused will want your head — and no one will be able to save you."
The Supreme Judge's voice came out way heavier than usual. He had changed completely now — no longer looking amused or even interested, that's how serious things had gotten.
Darian gave a nod. "I understand perfectly. I don't have the proof on me, but you can find it…"
He said it while locking eyes with the Judge, not saying anything more. No one was dumb — everyone got the message: some people *in that very room* might be involved. Saying something huge out loud could give them a chance to act.
"Very well. If you're going through with this, then be ready," the Judge said, and everyone heard the sound of his fist clenching tight.
In that instant, a subtle golden mist spread in every direction. The Judge's eyes lit up like bright white beacons. On his forehead, everyone felt their breath hitch as his rings became visible.
There were eight of them. He was, without a doubt, one of the most powerful people on Earth — and in the whole universe. That was his blessing, something everyone knew about, and the reason he'd become the Supreme Judge.
It was called the *Blessing of the Null Field*. He could create a space where artifacts stopped working, and even the universe's laws couldn't interfere. Everyone inside had to rely purely on their own inner power. A bunch of blessings, especially the ones that changed reality, stopped working too.
Of course, only the people he allowed would be free of those restrictions.
This blessing wasn't useful in just any fight — but in certain situations, it gave a judge the power to punish someone with no way out.
The whole building was now covered by the blessing — a subtle golden domain, but one no one could escape from.
"With this, no one here can run or send messages to the outside world," the Judge's voice boomed like divine thunder. His aura was so powerful and heavy, everyone felt like a giant hammer was pressing against their chests.
He nodded. From inside his spatial ring, a small gray artifact floated out. He let it drift gently toward Darian.
"This artifact is made to transmit confidential information."
Darian understood. This was safer — better than saying it out loud in front of everyone. Anyone involved wouldn't know what he said or even if he actually knew anything.
He took it. Then, a red aura glowed from the ring on his hand. It was like sending a mental message to someone — Darian's message was stored inside the artifact.
Everyone in the courtroom was locked in on him, silent and dead serious. Everyone was on edge. A traitor *that* deep… sitting among them? Slowly, they started suspecting one another.
It only took a few minutes. Then Darian let out a breath and looked at the Judge. The artifact floated back toward him, slowly, while all eyes followed with tension thick in the air.
"Mom…" Leander's voice cracked the silence, full of pain.
Rhea's eyes closed and her consciousness faded. She stayed standing thanks to the chains binding her. But the wounds on her body and soul were already serious — even before Darian showed up.
Darian broke into a cold sweat. She wouldn't last more than a few minutes if he didn't heal her. But he couldn't do that until everything was settled. He didn't even know much about the betrayal — just that everyone already seemed to see her as guilty.
'It's gotta be a setup from Freon… I need to get him to slip up and say something shady — expose him fast…' Darian thought in a panic. Everything he'd done up till now was to pressure Freon, hoping to fish something from someone that could turn the tide.
While the Judge read the contents of the artifact, Darian focused on Leander... maybe he knew something that could help?
"!"
Suddenly, Darian realized something terrifying.
'He... he's already accepted that he's going to die. And there's no chance they're getting out of this alive.'
Leander wasn't upset about any kind of injustice — which meant... he knew about the accusations against his mom and brother. And probably... they were true.
'Rhea really did betray the Empire,' Darian was now sure, completely stunned, 'But with her karma being totally pure... that means she's right about what she's doing. And for her to drag her kids into this...'
Darian remembered the feeling he got when Leander mentioned his dad. Rhea, Leander, and Damon didn't want to talk much about it. But the pain they felt — it was so raw and intense, it had put Darian on edge.
It felt like there was something huge hiding in the shadows. For them to do something this serious, everything pointed to that death being tied to all of it.
'... what the hell can I even do?' Darian's mind was racing. Rhea had helped him so much — she was a rare kind of person.
'She's undeniably good... and even so... she betrayed the Empire? Why? What the hell could justify that? Shit...'
Two long minutes passed in silence.
Then, the pressure in the air — that golden weight — suddenly doubled. Breathing became almost impossible — it felt like the whole world was crashing down on their shoulders.
*Crack*
The Judge crushed a crystal in his hand.
At that exact moment, across every major building of the Empire, a top-level alert was triggered.
All the military personnel froze, eyes wide. The highest-ranking figures rushed to a secret underground facility.
Once they arrived, a message appeared on a glowing green screen. Letters formed, and everyone read them, stunned.
"What? That's not possible!" shouted a white-haired man.
A red-haired woman with short hair muttered, "It's gotta be fake... but we can't ignore it. If it's true, it's serious."
"Quick, activate every city with a military base. We need to move all at once to make sure we get all the evidence," ordered a muscular man.
With artifacts, advanced tech, and the Empire's extreme organization, within less than five minutes, every soldier on the continent was ready to move.
Inside the courthouse, everyone stayed silent, locked down under the Supreme Judge's blessing. These were powerful people — they knew the response wouldn't take long.
Fifteen minutes later.
The Supreme Judge made a move, and everyone turned toward him, tense and anxious.
He pulled out a long-distance communication artifact, then listened to the message mentally, face completely blank, showing no emotion at all.
When it ended, his eyes shifted.
The Judge locked eyes with Darian.
Then, a cold, murderous light appeared in those eyes.