" Father..."

"...."

"It has been 3 decades; we tried again... and again..."

"..."

"But to no avail... there's—  there's STILL no untattered thread."

".."

"...Two more days, we will move on to the sixth, will I see you then?"

"."

"...It annoys me. You misplaced your trust."

" "

"...Father— should our vessels triumph this time... I'm coming for you."

----------------------------------------

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PROLOGUE

              ||  'THUD!' 'THUD!'  

               The Gavel was hit.

the Royal Judge walked down his podium— a slim man adorned in all sorts of jewelry from head to toe. He wore a hat of exquisite cotton and wool, a silken cloak with the color of scarlet, and a uniform made from leather of the highest caliber.  

in his hands was a worn down scroll— 'ancient', as big his entire contour. It glowed as it was embedded with magic, or as it's called; Lodia. With a thousand words listed on it, he began to speak with a voice so loud the entire colosseum-sized court could hear. 

    "Under Oath, Abide thou 'Clutch Obznitelo', the royal court will now recite-!"   

Humans, Elves, Aleles, Mages, and even the Beastens, all stood in tandem and silence. There were more than ten thousand witnesses to this event, including the King who was sitting on the golden throne at the center of the Court.... All to witness the judgement of one.

    "We are now in accord with the conditions set by the spirit of Justice and Judgement. In their presence, and of the King's, BRING THE CRIMINAL OUT—!"

the wind swept in suddenly... From the windows, the dark and eerie night peeked in, and it stole the warmth of the bright yellow lights. The Royal Court, a symbol for judgement and peace, made everyone feel completely vulnerable. 

oh how the wooden gates creaked so loud. 

that sound was distressing... 

unpleasing and chilling... 

For it exposed everyone to the embodiment of fear itself. 

A dark fog released from within the gate below the audience, sounds of steel shackles clattered with the ground as a group of footsteps leered closer. The Judge's voice became weary, he started to shake— he could see the Criminal walking in.

    "Everyone may now remain seated— For Under our Oath, we are protected. We abide thou, 'Clutch Obznitelo ',"

    hereby witness— 

"THE TRIAL OF GACHIZEN DAUZE!"

              ||  BANG! 

              The gates closed in on them ever so loudly. And in their first sight, everyone gasped, paralyzed.

standing affront the gate, was a dirty middle-aged man that could easily be mistaken for a beggar. The Criminal stood on the bloodied bronze podium, but still, nobody could see his face— not even the King on the throne or the Judge right in front of him.  This Criminal was wearing nothing but ripped pants and a ragged shirt, with not even shoes beneath his feet. But still, he had two heavily armored guards shackling and constraining him from both sides, and a line of knights and Lodiacs watching his every move.

    "Heh-heh-eh~" The criminal chuckled. His smile was so big, like that of a demon, considering he was also overflowed with bloodlust. 

    "G-Gachizen Dauze...!" The Royal Judge spoke, 

    "You were judged for your actions... Heinous crimes against both human and nature's law: 

BRIBERY

FRAUD 

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IDENTITY-THEFT, 

KIDNAPPING 

and PERJURY—! "

everyone turned to the criminal, who had clearly still no remorse. 

He looked up, and through his dark and prominent hair, glared at the King like an owl locking in on its prey. The King in return stared him down with that stern look of 'pity'.

the royal judge continued:

"ASSAULT, GENOCIDE, AND TERRORISM— All done without a sense of guilt?! You're a MONSTER, you're the VILLAIN...!"

Nothing was said for an entire minute... until the Royal Judge broke the silence.

    "Do you have any last words, Gachizen?" 

    "..."

…why... why are you all so ungrateful...? 

              ||  SHATTER!

suddenly, Gachizen's shackles were broken with a mere pull. he shouldn't have been able to cast anything- he was completely disabled— But now he's free.

I'll take you all there soon— TO WONDERLAND.

The Royal Judge was quick to act, he rose his hands and positioned his feet outward. Suddenly, he unleashed a burst of his Mana to cast a barrier on the King and himself. It looked like a turtle's hard shell, but as blue a deep ocean.

But in the midst of doing so, a pair of heads swept past him, and splattering a crimson red all over the pale white floor. The Royal Judge had broken a nerve, and his Lodia had been cast, now him and King are safe... for now. But what seems to have just been a barrier had another effect, he called it— 

    "RALLY, face the wraith of every Lodiac of Justice, amplified tenfold—!"

The knights and Lodiacs all jumped down from the upper balconies of the court, casting their own Lodiac spells:

LODIAC TECHNIQUE OUT—! NOTION RAKE. gurgled a man with black raven-like clothes, swerving his knife-like index finger in the air.

TECHNIQUE OUT, SPIRIT WHIP—!  whispered a woman with glowing translucent hair, a pair of thunder formed from her hands.

TECHNIQUE OUT, FRICTION BLAST!!! now a man with steel gears from head to toe, shooting a powerful blast of invisible force toward Gachizen.

OUT, CRYSTALIS STARFIRE...! A lion beasten engulfed in flames releases a crystal-like burst of fire.

The combination of these powerful forces shook the building, and now the grand chandelier started falling down above them. The royal court has lost its light and was on the path to destruction. 

Gachizen took notice and turned toward the group.

LODIAC TECHNIQUE, IN—INTENTLESS

In just a moment, torrents of incomprehensible dark energy reflected the attacks at way more than the initial power, but not only back at those who casted at him, but in every direction. Their bodies shattered and turned to a pool of blood except for the beasten who managed to evade some of it and lost only an arm. In an instant, out of all ten thousand living beings—only four remain.   

    "woahoh-!" Gaten smirked, approaching the Beasten 

    "You're different-! I couldn't send you there right away! Perhaps... perhaps I should heal you first...!"

the beasten clenched his fist, his Mana flowed rapidly, clumping into a solid form of crystal and a blazing fire. And he swung his fiery hand at the murderer.

    "Now, now, I wont hurt yo—" 

Gachizen dodged it. But the hot particles and fragments of the Beasten's Lodia at least landed on the criminal's eyes. "Argh-!" He tried to retaliate, but it was a weak swoop. The Beasten dodged it, and he immediately dashed outside through a broken framework of glass.

Gachizen wiped his eyes, then slipping on the floor... "Urgh- What in the..." 

    "...!" a hint of realization

The criminal looked around all confused suddenly. It's like he just noticed— That there were blood and bodies everywhere.  

    "Gaten, how was it? " 

a man with solemn old voice spoke out behind him. It came from within the barrier that the Royal Judge had created. "You felt the need to commit more than the crimes you already did before..."  

    "n-no—! I didn't—" Gachizen muttered

    "What is it...? Suddenly aware? You killed everyone, it doesn't matter if this is all a dream... You still did it." The King walked out of the barrier, his hands hidden within his cotton-tailored robes, and his crown glimmering a bright and painful yellow. The King looked extremely sad himself, and yet looked pitifully at Gachizen, who was in plain disbelief as to what he had done.

    "Gaten..." The King's arms suddenly reverberated and spun like a drill, eventually forming a loud and buzzing spinning hand sharper than a serpent's blade. "Reiterate, and Overcome. Wake up Gaten."

suddenly, he dashed toward the stunned Gachizen, his arms extended forward in a fast and wild fashion. The sound of ticking time began to grow louder, but so did the King's growling footsteps. Gachizen was still stuck in a daze, even after the drill had already pierced through his upper body.

****

A sudden silence, the sound of pierced flesh, and adrenaline rushing in—   "HOFFSH!!" 

              ||  'BANG!'

a young Gachizen sprung up, he hit his head against the concrete wall. 

    "Argh..!" with his hands on his head, he rose up from his bed still covered by his blanket. It was cold weather, especially cold inside his small antique room as the windows were unintentionally left open. The breeze let in, along with it were a few stray leaves now scattered on the wooden floor. The sun was dawning, but so was the young boy's energy.

Gachizen whimpered under his blanket, tucking in his legs. He started to cry silently, entire body convulsing— a response to trauma.

….

Within a few moments, Gachizen finally calmed down, laying down on the bed yet again for a few seconds before leaving its comfort; fixing it, and embracing nature's cold morning breeze. He wiped his tears and runny nose with tissues on the desk next to his bed. 

of course, he also wouldn't forget a proper stretch to prepare the body for a beautiful day. 

    "The sun is pretty high already... What time is it?" Asked Gachizen.