Aperio stepped out of the room Caethya and herself had appeared in. They were not greeted by the large open hall that was the entry to the Court but a well-lit corridor, the walls of which were lined with more doors like the one they had just walked through. She knew that there were thousands of these rooms, but seeing them with her eyes and not her aura made her appreciate the scale a little more.
"My Lady," the nearby Celestial said, pausing briefly as they offered Aperio a sealed scroll. "The Judges have prepared a small brief for you. What they uncovered was deemed classified and not to be shared with a messenger like me."
A touch of her magic lifted the parchment from the Celestial's hand and into her own. "Thank you," she said as she split the enchanted seal with her finger.
Whatever magic had been infused into the seal stood no chance against the All-Mother as it simply fizzled out without doing much else. As soon as the seal was undone the parchment unfurled, revealing neat handwriting Aperio assumed belonged to one of the Judges.
The All-Mother motioned the Celestial to continue onwards as she started to read through the letter. Most of it was simply reiterating what she already knew, whether she had learned it from Epemirial directly or through reading some of the many scrolls in her Dominion.
A few things did stand out, however. The number of people the Judges had brought in for what Aperio assumed was going to be a trial was perhaps the most notable. The list of names might not have been as long as the ones the Repens Nabu had for different worlds, but still longer than Aperio had first assumed.
"How did they find all of them?" she mumbled, mostly to herself. Aperio recognised some of the names on the parchment, sure, but most of them were not ones she had heard before. The ones she did recognise were some of the Gods that had been known during her time as a slave — like Lor'Kem — but also ones she knew now only because she had viewed Moria's memory.
"They are very good at what they do, my Lady," the Celestial replied with what Aperio guessed was a hint of pride. "You picked them, after all."
Aperio squinted at the back of the Celestial, not quite sure if they truly meant what they said or if they were trying to be nice because she was the All-Mother.
"That does not make it less impressive," she finally said. "I do not even know all the people on this list."
Caethya brushed her hand over Aperio's folded wings, smiling at her once the All-Mother had turned to face her disciple. "See, they did not let you down."
"Yes," Aperio replied, shifting her gaze back towards the parchment. "For once I am not surrounded by incompetence." Except for my own.
While the people around her knew what they had to do, Aperio could not say the same. And I am supposed to be someone they look up to… She might have accepted what she was — at least somewhat — but her role in her own creation was still not something she was sure about.
"I would like to believe the people here are better than the ones who ran that empire," Caethya remarked, lightly touching Aperio's arm. "A bit of trust is all you need sometimes."
"We still have to see how all of this plays out," Aperio said, raising an eyebrow at the parchment in her hand. Just like the other one she had read — Need to finish reading. — this one, too, let her swipe through different 'pages'. A seemingly endless amount of them.
There were lists upon lists of things Aperio did not even know were important. Or what even counts as evidence. Apparently, the Judges had not only brought people here but also a good chunk of their belongings: ledgers, pictures, clothes, entire cabinets, and even an entire church that supposedly belonged to Lor'kem. Where did they put that?
The question as to where the Judges stored buildings in their realm would have to be answered later as they came to a stop in front of a small, yet somehow grand door. Aperio sighed as she let her aura seep into the parchment in her hand, the information that had been written on it simply appearing in her mind. Weird…
Merely knowing the information like this somehow felt… unsatisfying to Aperio. Why exactly that was would have to be determined later, as for now she had to deal with whatever the Judges had come up with.
She could already sense the room they were about to step into. It was not the chamber the trial would be held in: that honor would go to the large hall that was just beyond it. At least, Aperio assumed that was the case. Sure looks like a courtroom, though.
Aperio gave the Celestial a nod as she stepped past them and into the chamber beyond. She reached out with her mind to offer her thanks, before thinking better of it and offering a verbal "Thank you" instead.
The Celestial hesitated for a moment, the light in their face growing in intensity briefly before they bowed and closed the door behind Caethya, who gave a quiet giggle at the interaction.
"Please excuse them," the Light Judge said, offering a small bow of their own. "The-One-That-Moves has been anticipating your arrival for quite a while, Lady Aperio. They even pulled all their copies that usually guide people around the Court back to themselves just so they could lead you as a whole."
"I am flattered," Aperio said, tilting her head slightly. "I think."
The idea that someone had ignored what appeared to be their duty just so they could guide her down a hallway — a journey she most assuredly could have completed herself — felt nice, but also very wrong. Just treat me like a normal person, please.
"It was a nice gesture," Caethya said, setting herself down on the couch the Dark Judge gestured towards. She gently tugged at Aperio's arm, guiding the All-Mother to sit next to her as she slipped her arm past Aperio's wings. "Even if you do not like the special treatment, you have to admit that."
"It was," the All-Mother replied, shifting her wings to make herself a little more comfortable on the sofa. "I merely hope it will not become a common occurrence."
"It will not," the Light Judge said. "The-One-That-Moves had requested exactly one exception to be made so they could do this. Now it is done."
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Why would they plan for that? Aperio wondered. It's not like I was going to profess some profound wisdom to them… The thought caused Aperio to stifle a sigh. Everyone expected her to be the one they remembered, but she was no longer that person. Nor could she just tell them that, either. Would probably cause even more chaos.
"In any case," Aperio said, removing a few barely perceivable wrinkles from her dress with a thought. "We have not come here to discuss your people's conduct. What do you intend to do with Epemirial and her ilk?"
"Try them for their crimes, of course!" the Light Judge exclaimed, almost too excitedly for Aperio's tastes. "Once we started looking into her a bit more, finding the connections turned out to be remarkably simple."
"Looked into her?" Aperio inquired. The way the Judge had phrased it had caused a feeling of unease to settle in her stomach. Almost like they just tore open her mind. She might have been willing to do that as a last resort, but most definitely not as the preferred option. Even for others.
The Light Judge gave a hesitant nod. "Yes. Ask her questions, judge the answers. Taste her Truth."
"Hers was twisted," the Dark Judge continued. "Foul, even. She believes her words to be true, but the taint on them is all too clear. The same was true for most others we questioned. Their Truths are lies to all but themselves."
Why must they speak in riddles? Aperio wanted to sigh in exasperation, but held it in. What the Judges described did not sound like ripping into someone's mind to get what they wanted – more like some form of truth-telling that Aperio did not yet know.
Using magic to discern what was true and what was not was nothing new to her. The very first magic she had used upon her return had been a very simple version of truth-telling, after all. Just with reality and not another person.
"So they are convinced my sole purpose is to enslave them, and the best solution to that problem is killing me and then enslaving everyone themselves?" Aperio asked. "How can they be that stupid? They are Gods."
"Gods are not safe from delusions," the Dark Judge said, pulling a stack of papers from its desk. "Usually you would have removed them from their position if they started to show signs of being tainted like this."
"But you were gone," the Light Judge continued, taking the papers from its colleague and handing them to Aperio. "So it was allowed to continue. Letting their delusions fester."
"But how did this even happen?" Aperio asked. "Did I miss something when I checked Epemirial's Soul? Did they somehow break themselves?" How could I miss that, though?
She might not remember how a Soul worked, but she knew when something was wrong with one. There was an understanding of how a Soul should look — should feel — in her mind, and while Epemirial did disfigure her own, it was not broken. Or did I lose the ability to tell when one is broken and only think I know?
There were a few other possibilities that entered her mind. The broken System could also be a reason, though the older Pantheon of Gods did not depend on it as much as the new ones, and those seemed to be fine. So maybe it was my absence? But how?
Aperio doubted she had micro-managed the other deities before her disappearance, and she knew they weren't merely some weird copies of herself. She had the memory of Vigil and Inanis ascending in her head, after all.
"Perhaps this can help," the Light Judge said, offering the papers it held to Aperio. "We are not well versed in the matters of the Soul. We deal with the truth of experience, not the truth of existence."
"Could it be that they needed your presence?" Caethya asked. "They carry a bit of your divinity, after all."
Her disciple’s words were accompanied by a mental message that caused Aperio to almost drop the papers she had just received. The possibility of her mana being responsible for twisting the Gods into what they were now did not sit right with Aperio. Not because it was not possible — to her it was the most likely scenario — but because it would mean that Caethya and Maria might face an even worse fate.
The All-Mother wrapped one of her wings around her disciple, pulling her closer. She had to make sure that whatever happened to Epemirial and the others would not happen to Caethya and Maria.
"I hope not," Aperio mumbled. "If that is the case, there are a great many more things that will be broken."
"It might be the cause," the Dark Judge said, "but I doubt it. The [Court of Heaven] depends on the All-Mother just as much — if not more — than the Elder Gods, and not much has changed during your absence."
Nothing you noticed, Aperio corrected in her mind. A glance at the parchment she had received from the Judges caused her to raise a brow. It was a list of yet more names. She did not need to know them to figure out that every one of them had been deities at one point or another. They had all been stripped of their positions and blessings by her, following what was only listed as 'abnormal behaviour'. What did I do?
"Do you know what was wrong with them?" the All-Mother inquired, handing back the stack of papers.
Both Judges shook their heads. "We do not," the Light one said. "It was never our duty so we never asked. If you wish to enlighten us, we would listen, of course, but we do not expect to know how the divine works."
"Perhaps it would even be preferable that we remain ignorant," the Dark Judge added. "Knowing the exact nature of those we are to judge might make us liable to feel compassion, or despise them. It is best to remain impartial."
"Perhaps," Aperio agreed, her eyes wandering to the door that led to the courtroom. "What happens now?"
"There will be no normal trial this time," the Dark Judge said. "They have already been found guilty of deicide, heresy, and a plethora of other crimes. We now also know how some of the less powerful Gods evaded judgements; they simply had Epemirial, or someone close to her power, who was able to ignore the rules of the Court. Thankfully, that is no longer possible.”
"We will proclaim the judgement we have come to," the Light Judge continued, "and then it is up to your grace to decide how you wish to render it."
Aperio let out a sigh at the words. She was certain what the Judges had come up with was beyond what she had planned. At least they are leaving the final decision to me… Not that I want that. "Let us proceed, then," she said, carefully pulling up Caethya with her as she stood. I want to be done with this.