To his surprise, Randidly didn’t mind being present in that small room for the trial. The furtive glances he earned left him somewhat anxious, but they died down as the two sides began presenting their arguments. Most of the people present were either witnesses, trusted media outlets, or competent representatives from the Zones.

They knew enough not to bother him, not with such an important event occurring in front of him.

And Randidly felt how correct Tatiana was, for encouraging him to be here. He was the focal point of most of the attention, even as the camera wasn’t on him. But he could feel the way he was just part of one more connection, using his name to channel attention toward the crimes of this woman.

The lack of fixation on him left him some spare time to close his eyes and just let his Nether Core settle back into its own alignment. The tension he entered the room with slowly bled away and his mental acuity recovered. He could relax his shoulders and pay more attention to the actual content that the two attorneys began to present. Although soon, he regretted that he listened as closely as he did.

In the end, the arguments boiled down to this: the prosecution listed the crimes of Missy Carp, including her close sponsorships of some of the most brutal flesh industry rings on Expira. The defense claimed that the tribunal didn’t have jurisdiction because they presented crimes from all across Expira and therefore didn’t possess the standing to judge her. Her crimes needed to be tried individually, in the areas where they had been committed.

Randidly barred his teeth. So she can’t be held accountable for her actions because she’s committed crimes in too many places? That sounds idiotic.

Despite his simmering emotions, Randidly didn’t say anything. He simply observed as the trial continued. Several witnesses were brought in, testifying to the veracity of the claims against Missy Carp. The people in the courtroom learned about the training centers to breed the image virus, her brainwashing organization to create zealots, and her many examples of assault and blackmail that she had used to hide her activities. The lawyer for the defense did ask some questions of the witnesses but essentially repeated the same tired message the entire time.

There was no standing for the World Council to engage in a judicial hearing. This whole assembly, including the defense attorney’s employment, was an egregious breach of justice.

Gradually, as more and more details of Missy Carp’s actions came to light, Randidly felt his tension return to his body. His chest thrummed with barely controlled anger. His face stiffened as he prevented himself from snarling at this woman. It was all well and good for him to say that he wanted Expira to be able to handle problems on its own. But when he knew the details of the problems, it became increasingly difficult for him to think of reasons why he shouldn’t just skip this farce and punish her.

Congratulations! Your Skill Soul Bond has grown to Level 503!

Yet Neveah was there with him, in spirit. She soothed his emotions, not with any sort of communication, but only with her presence and the obvious empathy that she had for him. It helped Randidly settle, if only just slightly.

Because he felt Neveah’s anguish toward the current situation as well. She shared the same opinion.

Missy Carp was a squat, uncomfortable-looking woman. But what really captured Randidly’s attention was the fact that she was the only person present who didn’t glance at him during the proceeding. The whole time, she kept her eyes down on the handcuffs that prevented her from moving. Yet the Nether swirling about her body clearly resonated with him. It seemed like she was very pointedly ignoring him.

That is, until it came time for her to speak.

“Missy Carp,” The judge said in a clear voice. Below her, the stenographer rapidly typed away, noting down everything that was said. “You’ve heard the crimes arrayed against you. Would you like to make a statement? Please note that anything you say can and will be used against you in further proceedings.”

For several seconds she just continued to stare down at her hands. Then Missy lifted her chin and looked at the judge. “I would like to make a statement. However, I don’t just want to monologue in front of you. In fact, I would like to conduct an interview.”

Missy Carp turned and met Randidly’s eyes. “With you, Mr. Ghosthound, if you’d be so kind. Thank you so much for joining us today.”

The crowd in the courtroom muttered and once more the cameras whipped around to focus on Randidly. He felt a headache brewing, still slightly sensitive to Nether. And when his eyes met Missy Carp, Randidly felt everything about her. He felt her surprisingly resilient image and her determination to hurt him. In addition, he felt the way she had groped blindly in Nether to reach this point.

His eyes narrowed slightly, taking some small pleasure to see that despite her resolve, Missy Carp flinched and looked away from him after asking for an interview. She… feels like she arranged my being here? But does that mean she was caught on purpose? Hum… feels like several things didn’t go according to plan, but she still considers it a victory to get this chance.

Interesting. The predatory side of the Grey Creature raised its head. The Stillborn Phoenix hummed softly, hungry but waiting.

The judge cleared her throat. “Order in the courtroom, please. Mr. Ghosthound. Normally, I would dismiss this request out of hand. But technically, this is considered an arbitration. As such… the rules on unexpected participation are less strict. If you wish, you can contribute to Miss Carp’s interview. However, you are not required to.”

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Randidly tilted his head to the side. Nether began rushing through his veins, icy and grounding. That cool pressure spreading through his body did a lot to mask his rising heart rate as he looked at Missy Carp. It had the added benefit of eating its way through the remainder of his headache. “I don’t mind answering a few questions.”

Be nice to her, Neveah whispered quietly.

Randidly had to hide a smile because his Soulbound companion didn’t mean that statement at all.

With remarkable alacrity, some of the courtroom staff produced a cushioned chair so Randidly could move out of the watching pews and participate in an area that the cameras could record him more readily. The middle-aged stenographer blushed as he approached. He moved slowly, sitting down without letting his eyes leave Missy.

She fussed with her hands, letting him situate himself without trying to meet his gaze. Only when he settled down did she raise her eyes, her wide face curling at its edges with a smile. “I don’t need to waste everyone’s time. Especially yours, Mr. Ghosthound. I am oh, so happy that you managed to make it.

Randidly pursed his lips. Missy continued. “Let’s start simply. You are acknowledged to be the most powerful individual in the world. Do you believe that gives you the right to make unilateral decisions about Expira’s future?”

Everyone tensed slightly as the question stretched itself to fill the silence. As the stenographer finished typing the question, the lack of keystrokes seemed to ring in the empty air. Randidly could feel the attention of much of Expira narrowing to him. The clumsy Nether threads that Missy Carp created had all been designed exactly to get him here, in front of the world, to try and put him on trial. He felt curiosity toward these bindings because although they were clearly stitched together from lint and string for all the guiding effect they had, they behaved in unusual ways.

He tilted his head to the side. I see it. This woman… views Nether as the alternate layer. Flowing inward, pulling energy toward a Nether Core. Because in a very real way, I do take from the Alpha Cosmos with the PP tithe and by borrowing their significance. But if she thinks that's the only way this works-

To her credit, the judge recovered first and frowned at the question. “Now, I allowed you to conduct an unusual statement, but I can tell you mean to put Mr. Ghosthound himself on trial for unrelated-”

Randidly waved a hand. The air hummed with his movements, as though he lowered the volume on the rest of the world. He sat in the middle of those swirling patterns of Nether and savored his throne. He moved and those weak threads began to fray. “It’s fine. I don’t mind answering this sort of thing. Do I think power gives me the right to make those decisions? No, of course not.

“However, I have something else: Knowledge. Understanding of the Nexus and the threats it poses, and that’s why I make those decisions without consulting anyone. Because no one on Expira but I possess the requisite experience.” Randidly’s expression hardened. In his chest, he felt the First Authority crowing with pride and happiness to take such a domineering position. He could have avoided her questions, but Randidly knew that Missy Carp would just try and make him look like a liar.

He leaned forward. Randidly didn’t regret cutting off the Alpha Cosmos from the Nexus. He didn’t mind scrutiny and muttered talk that he shouldn’t possess this much power. What he minded were dishonesty and confusion. Better to speak clearly now and cut through the bullshit.

There was no need to dance around the relationship between himself and the Alpha Cosmos and the Nexus.

Randidly’s impression of Missy Carp went up by several ticks when she didn’t seem thrown by his acceptance. Her smile even widened. “Indeed, understanding, is it? Well, you’ve certainly made sure that no one else can challenge your knowledge of the Nexus. But there is another matter on which I mean to speak. You had a deep influence on the first Calamity, didn’t you? You helped shape it. Because it’s not just that you refrained from helping… but you also orchestrated the whole thing, didn’t you?”

Missy’s face showed flashes of triumph behind her wariness. Randidly couldn’t help but laugh. This was the truth she wanted to use to crucify him? His insides seared him with guilt as he felt the answers coming out of his mouth. “Orchestrated? No. But I will agree that the task was handled by my subordinates, with my blessing. I’m afraid that I won’t always be enough. The day that I stop protecting Expira, it needs to be ready to take up the mantle.”

“You felt it was necessary for thousands to die to prepare for some possible eventuality? Those deaths must weigh heavily on you.” Missy’s eyes narrowed to slits. Randidly could feel her tugging on the Nether bindings. “But you don’t deny that you shoulder the blame for those months of tragedy?”

Inwardly, Randidly assented. But outwardly, he lifted his chin. Nothing would be gained by appearing weak in the face of the truth. “Quite a distance exists between responsibility and reprehensibility. I can both mourn those deaths but also know that exposing Expira to danger is necessary.”

Something shifted in the world’s attention as he said that. He felt them hearing his answer. Perhaps not accepting it, but understanding his firm stance.

Missy wasn’t willing to let him go with just that. “You are the one with all the power. You toy with our lives like you feel like some sort of god. Can you not see how your perspective has been warped?”

Of course its warped, Randidly almost replied as he stared at Missy. His eyes burned. Do you know what its taken to get here? How many times I gambled with my life? I stripped away my senses or my personality to train more efficiently? How many times I’ve broken my body down to try and build it back stronger? How many friends or companions I’ve watched die or be broken struggle to survive?

And if I fucking share even a fraction of that anguish with Expira-

“I think there’s been quite enough of this,” The judge began as he remained silent, but Randidly again raised a hand.

He looked at Missy Carp’s bright and wild eyes for several seconds. He couldn’t believe what he was about to say, but as he looked at her he knew it was the truth. As he looked at her near-feral expression, he just thought of Helen and ached. “You don’t understand. None of you… none of the people of Expira understand what’s out there. And that’s preventing you from realizing the threat… that’s my fault. That’s something I can rectify.”

Randidly turned to look directly at the camera. “One last statement, before this interview ends. No matter how much Missy Carp wants to make her crimes not about her, I think we’ve all seen enough. In two weeks, there is going to be a tournament to determine Expira’s strongest fighters. For this one… Let’s expand it to all of the Alpha Cosmos. Everyone may participate And I would encourage all of the previous winners to come back and attend, vying for the crown.

“I will personally reward the winner by refining their image. And in addition, to demonstrate to the entire planet how horrifying the Nexus can be… I will face the top eight of Expira, all at once, after the tournament concludes. Maybe if you see the power a figure of the Nexus wields, you’ll understand why I’m so worried about protecting the planet.”