Ultimately, even though Ezekiel had been enjoying his time with his friends and family, he and his parents knew that the time after his return was just a lull in the chaos that had been occurring.
During this time, Ezekiel knew that his parents were trying to find a way to deal with things without concerning him. It seemed like they had arranged something.
But, they hadn’t mentioned anything, hoping that he could continue being their little boy for a while longer, but Ezekiel knew that that couldn’t happen anymore.
Given what had happened to the Ruins, there was no way that the Empire could leave things as they were. Someone needed to take responsibility, and given that the Guilds lost the most, and were no longer bound by any agreements, there was no way they would get any help from Gerome or the others.
The cessation of contact between Ezekiel and the Titans seemed to be proof of this.
Finally, a couple of days after the rest of the Guilds returned from the expedition, as Ezekiel and his family were having breakfast, the Church was paid a visit by a number of people, all dressed in the uniform of the Willowbrush Imperial Inquisition.
As the doors to the cafeteria opened, and three Inquisitors entered the room looking for Ezekiel, it was Warren and Evelyn who made the first move.
First, Evelyn moved her daughters onto her lap from where they were sitting, and Reya hopped onto the table in front of them. Next, Warren had Theo climb onto Ezekiel’s shoulders and lay there.
“Ezekiel Luminance, you will be coming with us to the castle where your crimes against the Empire are to be discussed.” The lead Inquisitor, a woman with a blue snake wrapped around her shoulders stated as she approached.
At this time, the cafeteria was mostly emptied, but as the Scholars and Acolytes saw what was happening, the room quickly cleared out.
“Interesting. I wasn’t aware that Imperial Inquisitors were permitted to take children from their families without consent. Good to know, for future reference and such.” Warren said as he stood up from the bench he was sitting on.
The two Inquisitors behind the woman with the snake fanned out to surround Warren and began channeling their mana.
“You dare question the operations of the Empire!”
“You’d best take back your words else you will be brought in as well!”
Warren just glanced at the two others before clicking his tongue in frustration. The next thing either of the Inquisitors knew, they were face first in the floor as Warren released his mana, putting an immense amount of pressure onto the both of them.
Ezekiel was shocked when he saw this, as he didn’t think that either of his parents would be so willing to act against the Empire so directly like this. Everything he knew about the Inquisition painted them as this untouchable force that couldn’t be messed with.
Evelyn saw this as well, but she looked resigned and determined. As if she was expecting this.
The Inquisitor with the snake just raised an eyebrow as she witnessed this happening, having felt the pressure being released, but was unaffected due to it not being directed at her, as well as the fact that she was at a higher Step than Warren.
“Hmph.” The still standing Inquisitor made a noise of annoyance before the pressure on her subordinates was let up. The two immediately dashed forward to attack Warren, only to be put back into the ground, this time from the snake on their leader’s shoulders.
“Enough, you incompetent peons. You’re here for experience, not to actually do anything.” The woman said with a sneer as she looked down on her subordinates who had slowly climbed to their feet.
The two men stood at parade rest, their mouths shut, but both had a large red welt on the sides of their faces where they were literally slapped into the ground.
Turning her face back up to look at Warren, she gave him a once over, appraising his abilities after seeing what she had just witnessed, and although she didn’t show it, she was somewhat impressed.
“How did you know they weren’t official Inquisitors?” She asked.
“I used to be a member of Harkem’s city guard, and I can tell that they’re not Tier four.” Warren stated.
The Inquisitor nodded her head. She was well aware of the fact that those who worked for the security and defense of an Imperial city were always informed of the Empire’s primary forces, ranging from the military to the Inquisition, and the various sanctions towards Guilds and other groups.
The fact that Warren knew that Inquisitors at Tier three were merely aids and investigators would’ve been information that Warren would’ve learned during his time as a city guard.
Having made the right connections in his head, Ezekiel made a mental note of this information for his own potential use in the future.
“I’m surprised that you’re still willing to act against them in my presence.”
“I don’t consider you to be a threat.”
The Inquisitor and Warren stared at one another, neither giving away any emotions as they both refused to back down.
“Regardless, your son is coming with us. Whether or not you come as well is your decision.” The Inquisitor looked at Evelyn and the twins as she said this, completely ignoring Ezekiel and Warren as she looked at what she considered to be the one vulnerability Warren likely had.
She was proven wrong as Evelyn flared her own mana, showing that she wasn’t afraid, or incapable of, defending herself if things became violent. Though she didn’t do much else, as she would prioritize protecting her children first and foremost.
“You two are the one’s Harper mentioned. The couple that changed the flow of the battle and gave Harper’s forces the chance to win with a relatively clean victory.” The Inquisitor stated as she realized who she was talking to.
“No one mentioned that you were the boy’s parents. That doesn’t change anything, of course, but you may actually get to see your boy’s sentence, rather than hear about it after the fact.”
Warren and Evelyn clenched their hands at the mention of Ezekiel’s punishment. At the same time, Wendy and Ellen were growing nervous as they saw their parents growing frustrated at this strange woman in front of them.
Ezekiel, on the other hand, was internally seething at the Inquisitor in front of him, and try as he might, he couldn’t help but think that letting his emotions be dulled might be a good thing in this situation. Acting out wouldn’t be helpful right now, after all.
“We’ll come with you, but we’ll walk there ourselves.” Warren stated as Evelyn bit her lip as she looked at her husband and son. Desperately wanting to go with them.
“And your wife and daughters? Will they be coming too?” The Inquisitor said with a smirk as she looked at Evelyn and the twins.
Just then, the doors opened once again, and in strode Lina and Issa, who looked around the bare cafeteria for a moment before seeing the stand-off occurring on the far side of the room.
Given that the repairs within the city had been completed, Lina and many other healers were finally let go from their required assistance to the various workforces.
The two quickly strode over, their footsteps echoing through the room as they moved.
Seeing this, and the robes that they were wearing, the Inquisitor glared as a look of comprehension appeared in her eyes.
“Boys.” She said to her subordinates.
The two Subordinate Inquisitors dashed forward with the intent of stopping Lina and Issa from approaching, but the moment they got within five feet, their vision went blurry, and their limbs grew numb, resulting in both of them falling over.
They were both moaning while they laid on the ground, incapable of forming any words or getting up as Lina continued to walk forward, Issa nervously following behind her.
The Inquisitor, seeing what had happened, immediately flexed her mana, expecting Lina to go down like her subordinates had when Warren had done the same.
To her surprise, nothing happened. Lina continued to walk forward. Issa did pause, and sweat began forming on her brow, but she continued forward with shaky steps as she followed her master.
As they reached the Inquisitor, they both bowed, Issa did so with some difficulty, but Lina was just fine.
“Greetings, Inquisitor Tasha. I welcome you to the Harkem Grand Cathedral. I apologize that none of the Scholars were there to greet and welcome you into the Cathedral directly, as protocol dictates when the Inquisition visits the Church of Ten’s facilities, regardless of circumstances. Perhaps, next time, you might be willing to announce your presence so that such incidents won’t happen in the future.”
Hearing Lina’s words, Ezekiel finally realized why his father was being so confrontational. The Empire was trying to pull a power move against the Church, who could be considered as part of the winning side in the recent conflict, as it was the nobility that supported the losing side.
If not for the Church taking what little action they did, it was likely that the Empire would have granted Count Forret the rulership of the city so that Duke Harper could remain in the military until he broke through to Tier five, at which point he would be summoned back to the capital to become an Imperial Councilor.
Warren was no doubt aware of this, given the amount of support the Church had given their family so far, and was thus buying time for a Scholar that would be willing to step up and support them to show up and confront the Inquisitor for this breach in protocol, thereby putting them on the back foot.
Currently, due to their involvement, Harolt and Naeri were still in Harkem Castle, dealing with the issues there directly, and the third Grand Scholar wasn’t as well known to them, and likely stayed out of things so that the Church would retain at least one pillar of support if things went badly.
“Greetings, Scholar. I will be sure to pass on the word so that this won’t happen again.” The Inquisitor grit out as she spoke to Lina.
“There won’t be any need for that. I’ve already sent word to your fellow Inquisitors within the city, as well as let them know that word of your conduct has been sent directly to the Inquisitor headquarters in Trillious. No need to thank me. I know you must be so busy after all.” Lina said with a smile.
Issa didn’t say anything, but she looked at her master nervously before giving a shaky smile towards Inquisitor Tasha.
Inquisitor Tasha just grit her teeth as she forced out her response.
“Thank you. Now, do tell me what you did to my subordinates.”
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“Why, I did nothing. It’s not my fault they seemed to be suffering from head injuries that threw them off balance as they dashed towards us.”
Ezekiel watched this back and forth continue as Inquisitor Tasha tried to get one up on Scholar Lina, a woman nearly a full Tier lower than herself, but failed to do so.
“Enough! Why are you here?” Inquisitor Tasha asked after finally having enough of the older woman in front of her.
By this point the two Subordinate Inquisitors had regained their full physical facilities and had climbed to their feet. They moved to subdue Lina and Issa, but a harsh glare from their superior made them stand at rest a distance away.
They both bowed their heads in shame and embarrassment at what had happened to them.
“I’m here to pick up my godchildren. Why else?” Lina then proceeded to walk over to Evelyn, who passed over a fidgeting Wendy and Ellen to both Lina and Issa.
“No! Momma, no!” Wendy cried out as she and Ellen were taken away.
“Momma, no! Take us with you!” Ellen cried alongside her sister.
Evelyn stood up and hugged her daughters whispering softly in their ears, and using her magic to ensure that the Inquisitor didn’t overhear her. Wendy and Ellen finally calmed down, sniffling slightly as Lina and Issa finally took them away.
“Good day, Inquisitor, I’m certain you can find your way out on your own. You found your way in that way after all.” With those parting words, Lina and Issa left the cafeteria with the twins, and silence descended on the remaining occupants.
“Well then.” Warren said as he pulled Ezekiel to his feet and wrapped an arm around his shocked and confused shoulders. “Shall we be off then, Inquisitor? I don’t think you want to be late after all.”
Inquisitor Tasha just grit her teeth as Ezekiel stared at his father with a gob smacked expression.
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Not much later, after a long and awkwardly quiet walk from the Church to the Castle in the center of the city, Ezekiel and his parents were ushered into a large open hall where several people were seated on tall chairs set in a semi-circle facing toward the center of the room.
Around the edges of the room were several more people from what Ezekiel assumed were various other factions that were there either as witnesses or to answer questions regarding what had occurred both before and during Ezekiel’s time at the Ruins.
Ezekiel recognized several people, including Naeri, Trissy, and Gerome, but was somewhat surprised to see none of them sitting in the chairs in the center of the room. Instead, it seemed like they were there as witnesses, as they were all lining the halls off to the side.
The hall was ultimately quiet as Ezekiel and his parents walked forward. None of them were slouched or held postures that would imply guilt or fear.
Warren was marching forward with his head held high and proud, Theo standing on his shoulder, gazing around the room as if everything was beneath him, as if he was expecting something but found everything before him to be lacking.
Evelyn was walking with her face forward, but her eyes were darting around for signs of possible threats and other weaknesses to exploit. Reya was lazily slouched over her shoulders, but her awareness was anything but lazy right now, as she too glared at everyone around her.
Finally, Ezekiel, while not as proud or as perceptive as either of his parents, was just as focused, walking forward without even a second look at those he knew in the audience.
It was obvious to all the Tier fours in the room that he was nervous, but some of them begrudgingly felt approval as they watched a child walk in without showing any definitive signs of fear.
Others internally scoffed, thinking him as nothing more than an ignorant child who didn’t understand what was happening, and some thought he was only acting tough because he was surrounded by two Tier four Hunters and their Spirits.
As the family of three plus two Spirits stopped in front of the semicircle of Chairs, Ezekiel took a look at all of the people sitting in front of him.
There were six chairs, all intricately carved, and almost throne-like if not for their relatively smaller size from the more grandiose symbols of majesty that most thrones tended to have.
Three of the chairs were carved with the symbols of the Roaring Ruins, Wander Titans, and Reaching Spires Guilds, but only two were filled, each with a Tier four Hunter that Ezekiel didn’t recognize.
Obviously, it was the Reaching Spires chair that was empty, and in fact seemed to have been broken into scrap wood that barely resembled a chair anymore, but the symbol was still slightly recognizable.
The other three chairs held the symbols of the Church of Ten, the Winged Goat representing Duke Harkem, and a Willow Tree symbolizing the representative from the Willowbrush Empire.
Ezekiel didn’t recognize any of the representatives, and other than Harolt, who sat in the chair for the Church of Ten representative, neither did Warren or Evelyn. At least, not by name, as they recognized the two Guild Leader representatives as having taken part in the battle alongside Duke Harper.
Just from the symbols alone, it could be clearly understood that these were the highest authorities currently stationed within Harkem right now.
Taking a knee in front of Ezekiel and his family, Inquisitor Tasha and her two subordinates greeted the representatives.
“Greetings, Grand Inquisitor Yeren, Duke Harper Harken, Grand Scholar Harolt, and Guild Leader Marrik of the Roaring Ruins and Guild Leader Justine, of the Wandering Titans. As per the command of the Grand Inquisitor, I have retrieved Ezekiel Luminance for his trial, questioning, and sentencing, as well as his parents, the Tier four “Legend Rank” Hunters, Warren and Evelyn Luminance.”
For a moment, Ezekiel almost wondered if he should take a knee as well, but upon seeing his parents merely bow instead, he decided to just do that.
The Guild Leaders both raised an eyebrow, but seeing as the other representatives didn’t say anything they kept their silence at the shallower show of respect.
“Indeed, Inquisitor Tasha. Word of your actions at the Cathedral reached our ears a little while ago. Leave the room. We will discuss your and your subordinate’s behavior at a later time.” The Man sitting in the chair for the Willowbrush representative stated with a level tone.
He was a man with pure white hair due to age, but his eyes were the most vibrant shade of green that Ezekiel had ever seen, and wrapped around his torso was an emerald-colored snake whose head and neck were draped over the man’s chest.
He showed no emotions on his face, and though his Element was clearly Life, Ezekiel honestly believed that the man could have been carved from stone due to how emotionless he seemed to be.
Before the man continued, Harolt, who sat next to him, spoke up with a sarcastic tone.
“I do hope you’ll let me sit in on that, Yeren, as I would be greatly interested in what exactly made your subordinate think she could disrespect the agreements between the Empire and the Church of Ten.”
“You act as if the Church of Ten is above the Laws of the Empire.” Yeren said in reply.
“It is not, but unlike the Empire, who only controls this small portion of the world, the Church of Ten has connections around the whole of the world. It would be such a shame if those connections were to be made aware of the Empire’s disrespect. Why, I imagine that many of the factions beyond its borders might very well decide that trading and allying with others would be more beneficial in the long run.”
“You would betray your Empire!?” Yeren exclaimed in shock. The stone-faced man he portrayed himself as was nowhere to be seen as he turned to Harolt.
The Grand Inquisitor was not the only one who showed his shock. Everyone in the room was looking at him in varying degrees of disapproval. Even Evelyn and Warren were in shock, as they were fully aware of how much Harolt respected the laws of the Empire.
This was to the point that he wasn’t even willing to step in when he mentioned that Duke Harper might punish Ezekiel for being a target of the Cult of Light, and indirectly beginning the conflict due to the changes he was making with his progression of Void Magic.
Something truly shocking must have occurred for him to act in such a way.
“The Church of Ten holds my loyalty first and foremost, and let’s see what the Empire has done to it recently, shall we? First, the Inquisition and other Imperial agencies ignore the messages I’ve been sending for the past near decade regarding the Cult of Lights operation in this city, then, the Duke, whom I am friends with and who was, admittedly, bogged down at the central northern border with skirmishes from the Cruor and therefore unable to rule directly, is forced to return home when his brother decides to overthrow him.”
Harolt’s voice was growing louder as he spoke up about the various events that had occurred. The other representatives were growing a bit restless as Harolt began releasing his mana. Duke Harper especially, as he was right next to the man.
“Then, when the conflict has ended, thanks to the aid of two Tier four Hunters that are officially affiliated with the Church, you Inquisitors arrive, not to punish Forret for his transgressions, but to award him the official rulership of the city of Harkem, in his brother’s stead, regardless of his intentions to remove the Church of Ten from this city, which is a violation of the Ancient’s Accords, which dictate the Church’s presence in this Empire, as well as the various Relics we supply to your forces.”
Many in the room were now growing uncomfortable as Harolt was subconsciously releasing his mana, and a feeling of death looming over the occupants was felt by all.
Not even Ezekiel and his parents were spared, and it was only thanks to Ezekiel’s innate fortitude, as well as his recent near-death experiences that allowed him to remain standing.
“And, next, when that mess is all sorted out, after nearly a week of arguing who is at fault, and trying to punish those who operated under their liege lords command, just because they fought against a man that wasn’t even their official lord just yet, you decide to sweep everything under the rug, all while keeping me and my fellow Harkem city compatriots locked up in this castle so as to not spread any word ow what’s going on beyond what you allow.”
“That’s enough Harolt!” Yeren tried to interject but found himself unable to stop the ranting Grand Scholar.
The Grand Inquisitor was beginning to grow weary at the possibility that his intentions for this trial were going to be revealed by one of the only people in this room that could match him in individual might and influence.
“Finally, you find out from the returning expedition that the newly discovered Ruins with an ancient Temple of the Void were destroyed through uncontrollable circumstances, connected in some unknown way to the Void Mage child that’s been making significant strides in the development of Void Magic, which, I may add, will only lead to the betterment of all humankind! Yet, here you are, TRYING TO PUNISH HIM IN ORDER TO STRONG ARM HIM INTO CONSCRIPTED SERVICE TO YOUR EMPIRE! TO TAKE HIM AWAY FROM HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY, WHEN HE DOES NOT OWE THE EMPIRE ANYTHING AT ALL!”
“THAT’S ENOUGH!”
Finally, Yeren could no longer take any of Harolt’s outburst, standing up from his chair, the ground cracks as tree branches and weeds begin to grow from small crevasses throughout the room.
Ezekiel is finally forced to his knees as the purposeful and focused release of Mana from the elderly, peak Tier four, Grand Inquisitor is released. Almost everyone in the room flinches back slightly from the Inquisitor’s own outburst, and the two subordinate Inquisitor’s have fallen unconscious from the pressure.
Something that a few noticed didn’t happen to Ezekiel, as he slowly pulled himself to his feet with his father’s help.
As the mana finally recedes in full, Harolt and Yeren are glaring at one another. One in righteous fury at the thought of an innocent being conscripted, and the other in indignant anger at having his intentions seen through and revealed to everyone so easily.
“I was fine staying in my little corner of the city, and simply protecting my people when the conflict began. I’m even fine with Ezekiel being punished by the laws set forth by the Empire and the Prime Guild when it comes to what is ultimately decided here. That is fair, as per the laws that have been set down.”
Somehow, Harolt’s glare grew in intensity as he focused entirely on the Grand Inquisitor next to him. He completely ignored the rest of the room as he spoke.
“However, after learning of what you all intended to do, I don’t care if you banish me from the Empire. I’ll go to a Cathedral in the Morathi Alliance, or perhaps the Endless Archipelago, but no matter what happens to me, I will not enslave that boy, just for your own selfish gains.”
Yeren clenched his fists at Harolt’s statement, knowing that Harolt’s words were not idle threats. The man was old and had served as a psychopomp of the Empire and beyond for decades.
He was owed favors from numerous places, and while his pull wasn’t the greatest in the Church of Ten, his name was well known, and his influence wasn’t small. Something the Inquisition was aware of.
The Empire had indirectly allowed the Church of Ten to come into conflict with the Cult of Light in order to weaken the Church’s grip and influence, and hopefully force them to owe the Empire a favor when they stepped in and forced the Cult out after the Church was in dire straits, but the conflict occurred earlier than they believed it would, and the outcome was against what they had hoped for.
Yeren didn’t know how Harolt had possibly learned of this, perhaps he had contacts that he could now reach since he wasn’t focused on the events happening in the city.
But Yeren knew full well that now that the conflict and immediate danger from outsiders had passed, and the direct threat of his Cathedral’s destruction was gone, Harolt would be able to fully bring to bear all the influence he had in order to get what he wanted right now, but only to an extent.
The Church was not allowed to directly interfere in the affairs of the Empire, after all. Only indirectly cause problems that would make the Inquisition’s job a fair bit harder for a while. Something that would get Yeren into a world of trouble if word got back to the capital.
The Church also couldn’t directly interfere with the affairs of the Guilds, meaning that Ezekiel’s punishment according to the laws of the Empire and the Guilds could still be put into place. Yeren would just have to be more careful about how he proceeded. Targeting Ezekiel’s family and making threats wouldn’t work, so he was stuck with going by the book so long as Harolt was against him.
“Tasha! Get your men and get out!” Yeren barked with frustration.
Duke Harper and the two Guild Leaders seated in the representative chairs watched as Tasha physically carried her subordinates out of the room, walking at a fast but still polite pace.
Honestly, these three representatives couldn’t help but feel like they were there as show pieces, more than judges, when faced with the wrath of the two old behemoths sitting next to them.
Duke Harper, who had always intended on punishing Ezekiel for stirring up trouble in his city, was feeling incredibly frustrated. This was his city, and Harolt had always supported his decisions when it came to his rule, but it seemed like things had changed, and he wasn’t sure he liked it.
He wouldn’t let his emotions get the better of him, however, as his main concern was his city, and his breakthrough. Enforcing the Laws was simply his job, and he would do it to the letter.
The Guild Leaders, on the other hand, simply wished that their fellow Guild Leaders hadn’t gotten directly involved with Ezekiel, so that they wouldn’t have been forced to take their senior’s places as representatives.
“If there are no other impending interruptions,” Yeren glared at Harolt once again, only receiving a glare from Harolt in response, “then perhaps we can get this Trial started properly.”
At those words, the room, as one, turned their attention to Ezekiel.