The courtroom broke into agitated murmurs. The judge had to slam her gavel a couple of times for the room to be silent. "The defendant has chosen to not contest his charges. You are now given the opportunity to provide any explanation or any special circumstances that would lessen the charge. Do you wish to say anything before sentence is imposed?"

"Nah, I'm good." Ryan shrugged. This action was so controversial that the room exploded into another round of noisy discussions.

At this point, Lara's mind went into a frenzy. What the hell was this guy thinking? Did he even know the severity of the situation he's in? In spite of her shaking legs and blocked windpipe, she bolted upright and screamed, "Ryan, you idiot! Now is not the time for you to be acting cool!"

Everyone in the room went silent once again; every pair of their eyes bored into the Earthling girl. Jun tugged at her shirt and whispered frantically, "Hey, sit down, you're not allowed to do this!"

Lara ignored him. "He's- He was ordered to terminate the realms!" she shrieked. "Please, it's not his fault at all! First Lady Elena used her Gift on him!"

"Would the defendant like to add a few words about that?" the judge asked.

Ryan looked at Lara, his eyebrows raised as if mocking her. "Nah, she's stupid, don't listen to her."

Lara wanted to retort, but the judge slammed her gavel. "The defendant has admitted to his charges. As such, Ryan Carland is guilty as charged. Following Karzian Penal Code 453B and Intergalactic Law Section Three Code 620A, I hereby sentence Ryan Carland to the death sentence for his crimes."

For the last time, the courtroom erupted. Loud chatterings, exclamations, and cheers filled the air. Some people were giving each other high-fives, while a few others even stood up for a standing ovation. The mood in general was hopeful and buoyant —justice prevailed, and was finally served.

Lara, on the other hand, slumped onto the bench, her face wet and sticky against her quivering hands. The whole world seemed to be spinning, and the pounding of her heart drowned out all the sounds around her. Slowly, her vision faded into an empty white, and she realized: she was all alone. All by herself, lost and floating in this unfamiliar realm, meaningless, powerless, helpless.

She had no one.

She was six. Her ice cream had fallen onto the ground. She was kneeling over it, sobbing. It was the only treat she'd get this week, and it was gone. Just then, a chocolate bar appeared in front of her. "Come on," Ryan said, "have some of this. I'll get you another one."

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Lara stood up and began to make her way to the witness stand. Jun grabbed her hand.

"Lara, don't-" His eyes met hers and he froze. Lara serenely extracted her hand away from him and continued.

She was nine. Her hands were blistered and bruised. It was the first time she held a gun, and she was already made to practice for hours. A tube of aloe vera gel was thrown in front of her. "Crybaby," Ryan said with a frown, "I got this for you. Might help with those ugly hands of yours."

A strong gust of wind blew across the room; papers, hats and coats circled around the room. Lara walked in the middle of this, unfazed.

Arthur also ran over to her, as if wanting to say something. But when Lara turned to face him, he immediately backed away.

She was eleven. She was pushed onto the ground. Ryan had stomped into her training session for no reason, his face flushed and he stunk like alcohol. He kicked her gun away and screamed like a madman. "Stop training, you fucking idiot! Stop trying to be an Operative!" She bawled from the shock and bolted out of the training room.

She ambled towards Ryan. The brown-haired man was frowning and shaking his head. Was he telling her to leave? It didn't matter. She walked past the rows of benches, walked past the thousands of appalled faces, walked past the police officers who stood aghast and unmoving, and walked past the judge.

She was fourteen. Ryan was passed out on the floor, drunk. Lara rolled her eyes and reached for him. What an idiot, he needs to stop going out to the bars. But when she held him up, he grabbed onto her shoulders, as if clinging onto dear life. "Lara, I'm so sorry," he whispered, "it's all my fault, it's all my fault, all my fault..."

Ryan was staring at her, his expression unreadable. She grabbed the handcuffs on his hands, and with an effortless pinch, she shattered it into pieces. The metal fragments rained down onto the floor; the light, tinkling sound juxtaposed the deafening, gusting winds that were becoming stronger and stronger by the second.

"Let's go," she said. Her voice was so unfamiliar that it scared even herself, but she remained surprisingly calm about it. "Let's get out of here."

Ryan sighed. Then, he gave Lara a hard smack on her head.

The winds stopped. The items that were swept away fell onto the ground with a swish. Lara staggered from the impact, her hand on her throbbing temple. She blinked as her mind gradually cleared.

"Learn how to control your Gift, baby Lara," Ryan said with a low voice.

"B- But Ryan, we have to redo this trial!" Lara shrieked. Her normal, wimpy voice was back. "You can't die!"

"I told you, I'm going to atone for my sins." Ryan patted Lara's head. "But you're in good hands now. I'm happy for you."

"No!" Lara yelled. "You're not leaving me! I'm not letting anybody leave me anymore!" She grabbed Ryan's hands as tightly as she could. "My parents are dead, Madam has been lying to me my whole life, Arianna is not here, please, Ryan, I only have you. Please."

"Don't be such a baby." Ryan snorted. "You stay alive and happy, okay? Don't ever be sad about a guy like me."

And then, with a forceful thrust in the chest, Ryan pushed Lara away. She stumbled backwards and fell on her butt. Her teary eyes watched helplessly as Ryan strolled towards the police officers behind him.

"Hey, come on, my handcuffs are gone, you gonna give me another one, or what?"