Melena and her handful of friends were waiting in the far corner of the debate room. They were clustered together in a tight formation, as far away from Feng and his larger group as was possible. There was a mixture of fear hanging around her group that seemed to affect everyone but Melena. It was true that the teacher had left her thoroughly confused, but she had been thinking about it constantly since then. She doubted that he truly did not care, as that simply made no sense, but at the same time he rwas not the type to tell a lie. All things considered she had drawn the conclusion that it was his intention to confuse her with the intention of making her think about things. About everything. Honestly, given that he droned on how critical thought was the mainstay to advance during every single lesson, that should have made that clear from the get-go. Then again, as he had also pointed out, there was a major difference between understanding and quoting a line of wisdom and actually comprehending it.
Or so she thought. At the very least it assured her that Feng wouldn't escape neither judgement nor punishment. Not that the arrogant twat had any chance in her against a debate. He had only ever focused on honing his martial skills, whereas she had studied more psychological topics, such as techniques to strengthen her mind and subjects that enlarged her knowledge of the inner machinations of the sentient psyche. According to Evon, the man who had freed her from her former life and had brought her to the Mansion, she had displayed quite a bit of skill when it came to diplomacy. Well... He had called it manipulation, but the teacher had said that the two were just opposing sides of the same coin.
Feng stood on the other side of the room, in the defendant's booth. A group of about a dozen students stood behind him, all of them human. They were milling about him, confidence oozing from every single one of them. The majority of his friends came from wealthier families or were born in the household of minor nobles. There was a variety of topics that they studied, Melena knew. Most were focused on martial arts, like Feng, but plenty of them also studied mathematics and other subjects that may help them in later life. All of them, without exception, had a family to return to and a business or title waiting for them later in life.
Feng caught her looking at him and gave her a lecherous grin. His mouth moved as he silently spoke to her, well aware that lip-reading was one of the skills she had acquired during her stay here. If you beg for forgiveness and play nice from now on, I'll let you off.
The old her would have cowered from such a threat. The new her had been complimented by the teacher. A man who was as mysterious as he was wise and... weird. She felt confidence well up from within her. She would not lose this debate and it would be Feng who would be begging for mercy at the end of this. Feng's grin faded when he saw Melena react to him with a wolfish smile. From the way he shivered, she assumed she must had taken on quite the evil look. If she hadn't been so focused on her opponent and had taken the time to look at the several dozens of students that were in the seats of the audience, she would have noticed a goodly number of them recoiling as well. Labelling it as an evil look wasn't doing it justice. Having donned the blood-red dress of the accuser, her long, straw-blonde hair falling behind her in a graceful plait, her pale skin, without wounds or scars thanks to the teacher's healing, and with her violet eyes she seemed more like an agent of death itself than a human girl. The way her pearly white teeth were bared in a feral smile further enhanced that image. As it was, she remained blissfully unaware of it.
Feng, on the other hand, wearing the deep-blue of the defendant, didn't strike half as much of an imposing figure.
The chattering was cut short when the teacher appeared. He usually never stood on decorum, but even he had changed out of his eternal not-quite-leather outfit and had shown up wearing long, white robes that slid gracefully across the wooden boards with every step that he took. He didn't bother calling for silence as the stern look on his face made the entire room quiet down on its own. He took to the central booth in a few short strides. The slight elevation added to his already imposing length, conjuring a regal image as he looked around the courtroom. He nodded curtly when he noticed that no one was absent and began the trial, opening up with the essence of the case.
"Feng has been accused by Melena of breaking the rules. Melena claims that Feng harmed another student when he assaulted her with the intent of either violence, rape or murder." The room burst out in a soft murmur that was silence instantly when the teacher threw them an annoyed glare. "Feng, how do you claim?"
"Not guilty!" the young man shouted, pronouncing the word with care.
The teacher nodded once towards Feng, then a second time towards the accuser. "Melena, you may commence your accusation."
Melena took a deep breath and took to the front. "As you all now, Feng has long since flaunted his status. Even though the rules state that all students here are to be judged by their ability and their ability alone, Feng has often disregarded this. Most of us do not know where the rest of us came from, nor what position we held in the past, but there is not a single one of us who does not know exactly what position he holds. As such, he is used to having his way, despite lacking ability."
She took a deep breath and made sure to look into the eyes of every member of the audience, subtly forcing them to pay attention to her.
"Giving in to his baser desires earlier today, he approached me with the roughly phrased invitation to go to his room for sexual intercourse while I was on my way to report news of having reached the third fragmentation level to you, sir," she said, tilting her head towards the teacher.
"Lies!" Feng interjected even as the audience muttered appreciatively. Most students hadn't even managed to split their mind in two fragments, let alone in three.
"Keep in mind that while in the courtroom, lies will not be tolerated," the teacher interjected, talking to both. "What was the exact phrase he used?"
Melena felt herself turn slightly red but barged on. "The exact phrase was: 'Why don't you bring that sweet ass to my room and I'll show you a good time.' Given that this was accompanied by a slap on said sweet ass, I do not believe there is any room for debate on the point of that invitation."
The room chuckled slightly and this time the teacher did not silence them. Instead, he voiced a question of his own. "No room for debate on the sweetness of aforementioned ass, or on the meaning of his invitation?" he asked, maintaining a complete dead-pan expression.
Melena blushed furiously while the rest of the room burst into laughter, with some of Feng's friend hooting at her. She glared at the teacher and decided to not be outdone. "Both!" she shouted back. When no response aside more laughter came forth, she continued. "I denied Feng, telling him I was not interested. I tried to leave and he took offense to that. He grabbed me by the hair and pulled me to the ground. When he tried to force himself on me, I kicked him in the stomach, forcing him to back off."
"How hard did you kick him?"
Melena blinked, taken off guard by the sudden interjection. "As hard as I could."
"Do you think it would have left a bruise?"
"I... think so, yes."
"Feng, lift up your shirt."
"Sir—" Feng began, before a truly murderous glare from the teacher shut him up and he mutely pulled up his shirt. As Melena had predicted, a bruise was visible. The teacher nodded in confirmation and silenced the murmuring that sprouted from the audience, before motioning for Melena to continue.
"Using this momentary distraction I got up and made a run for it. He caught up with me and..." she gulped, audibly. She closed her eyes for a moment as she found a shiver of fear running through her, her hands going up to her throat instinctively as she recalled the dreadful moment. "He grabbed me by the neck. Threw me into the ground hard enough that I crashed into the wall and broke several bones. He then grabbed me again, throwing grave insults at me the entire time. I... must admit I do not quite recollect what he said to me specifically. I had retreated into my mind at that point. He threw me once more, picked me up once again by the neck, started to crush my throat..." She felt a single tear run down her face and hated herself for it. She forced down the others and made herself stare at the audience, daring them to defy her.
"And then the teacher arrived", she stated, gesturing towards the man. "Which made Feng back down. This ended the confrontation between us."
The teacher nodded solemnly and turned towards Feng. "Defend yourself," he merely said.
Feng made a graceful bow, polite noble from his toes to his fingertips, and took to the front of his booth. "Ladies and gentlemen, fellow students, esteemed teacher. I stand before you falsely accused."
Melena could barely suppress a hiss. How dared he!
"As a matter of fact, the entire tirade of the accuser is nothing but a mismatched collection of wishes, unlucky circumstances and lies. A fancy a pretty girl dreamed up when I didn't give her everything she wished. As the truth stands, ladies and gentlemen, there is a long history of courtship between Melena and I. She has often expressed an interest in me, through either physical gesture or spoken word. If you deem it necessary, sir, I will repeat what she said, but to save both her and me embarrassment, I would hope you are kind enough to forego that." He nodded deferentially towards the teacher, who, to Melena's shocked surprise, nodded in turn, allowing him to continue unhindered. "It was a long and subtle dance of courtship, teasing and playfully challenging the other. As good things go, however, I called it to an end, telling her I tired of the games between us. That I wanted things to either continue further, or cease all-together. A fair thing to ask for, in my humble opinion. When my requests for clarity were met with more playful teasing, which was encouraging in nature, I may have resorted to using more crude language, which paints me in a bad daylight when taken out of context." He pronounced the word crude as if it left a bad taste in his mouth. "She then surprised me by asking me what she would receive in turn, hinting at monetary rewards."
Melena's eyes flashed with anger and her mouth fell wide open in shock as she couldn't believe what she heard.
"I... politely told her that I wasn't interested in her in that capacity. If she was up for some harmless fun I would have had no qualms with it, but a man of my status can't afford to have such scandals haunting him. I told her in no uncertain terms that if she wanted to whore herself out, that she ought to seek others."
Melena's beautiful face was now contorted in barely suppressed anger.
"Sir, please, I kindly ask you to keep in mind that my father and I are men of honour. I never wished for things to spiral out of control to this extent over something as minor as a dispute over bedding rights and you would have my eternal gratitude if this case could be concluded quietly, without both parties having to hang their head in shame." He looked towards the teacher with pleading eyes, the perfect image of innocence, as if he disliked having to trouble the girl as well, despite that she was at fault.
Melena was flabbergasted. Feng had never shown himself to be more than a crude knuckle-head, but here he was being diplomatic, influencing the entire room. She could feel the audience shifting away from her. She had never interacted much with them, unlike the much more sociable Feng. The earlier comment she had proudly made about her rear had ended up further reinforcing Feng's statements. But the teacher had forced her to say that. Why had he—
"Noted. Continue." Melena looked at the teacher, a mixture of desperation and disbelief in her eyes.
"When I denied her, she started threatening me. That she would slander my name and would see me expelled, among other things. There were several insults added as well, that I do not believe should be repeated. When I ignored those threats and wanted to walk away, she started hurting herself. She threw herself against the walls, started choking herself... It shocked me and I am ashamed to say I was late in responding. I tried to stop her, keep her from hurting herself, but she kicked me, which has lead to the bruise I have shown you all. I must admit that the pain angered me and I used force to restrain her, attempting to block the blood-flow towards her head to knock her out to keep her from doing more harm to herself, as we have been taught. That is when you appeared, teacher. I immediately understood how the situation must have appeared, to you,, and feared the misunderstanding that would and did flow forth from it. I do not hold any ill will to you, sir," he said with a deep bow. "Your actions were commendable and I would have done the same, had I seen what you had seen. In the end she had played us both the fool."
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The teacher leaned down onto the booth on his elbows, his head resting on his hands. A small smile played around his lips. "Anything else to add, Feng?"
"None, sir. Although, if I may be so bold as to ask, would you be lenient towards Melena? I know of her background and understand that she has many hardships behind her. I would not want a momentary mistake to harm her future."
Melena's friends were chattering worriedly behind her, confusing reigning between them, whilst Feng's group patted him on the back and congratulated him on his speech, expressing empathy for what he had gone through and other words of similar support. Feng himself remained the perfect example of graceful innocence. Willing to be generous despite being wronged.
Melena, on the other hand, was caught in a middle of two raging emotions; fear and anger. Had the teacher been bribed? Had he lured her into this trap? She paled when another possibility presented himself. Had this been their ploy from the start? To exile her so they could let her disappear and leave her at their mercy?
Then she caught the small glance he threw her way and her rationality kicked in. No. If he wanted to toy with her that way, he would have only had to ask. It would have been a small price to pay to let her stay here. He had known that. Besides him having shown no interest in her in that regard, he was strong. He wouldn't need to have asked. He could have taken her at any time he wanted. Being bribed was similarly unlikely. The wealth this building possessed was unimaginable. Favours? Unlikely. When Evon had decided she'd make a good student he had killed several high ranking nobles and officials without batting an eye. The teacher had no need for favours when his students acted with that much confidence. Then what was going on?
"The jury may now vote on the verdict," he announced to the audience. "Do you believe Feng is guilty of harming another student?"
Plates went up. There were a handful of green ones, indicating a 'yes', but the red representing 'no' was by far in the majority.
"Do you believe Melena is guilty of harming another student?"
The same as before, except that this time the colours were reversed.
"Noted. The jury has judged. Feng is found innocent of harming another student, while Melena is found guilty of the offense she accused Feng of."
Melena opened her mouth to protest but was shushed by a raised hand. The teacher looked up, a truly vicious glare forming on his face and his eyes turned red. Blood red. When he spoke there was a viciousness to his voice she had never heard before. "I hope you all enjoyed the debate. It was fun. Entertaining even. A good, interesting lesson. Melena was a good accuser, we even added in a bit of raunchy comedy that you all ate up. Feng defended himself in a truly exemplary manner. His noble upbringing really showed through in the way he swayed you all."
The audience remained quiet. The raw fury that was in his glare fused them to their seats. Though the teacher's voice was calm, pleasant even, the aura that hung around him was anything but.
"Now, I all taught you how important thinking for yourself is. A global rule that we all should abide if we want to get ahead in the world. A vast majority of you failed me in this regard. So instead I'll teach you another rule. One that is undeniably true and supersedes every other rule and belief you could come up with."
He breathed in and leaned forward, his voice a loud thunder that shook the room.
"Might! Makes! Right!"
He slammed the palm of his hand down onto the booth. "Feng defended himself damnably well. Managed to fool all of you. Your verdict declared him innocent." There was little left of the calm teacher. Instead it was a demon standing in the booth. Powerful. Dangerous. Radiating energy with a murderous intensity. When he spoke his voice was laced thick with venom. "Now hear mine! He is guilty! He harmed another student, lied despite having been ordered to speak the truth, and disobeyed me. Three times he broke my rules, three times he will pay. You may call him innocent, but all of you are worthless maggots compared to me! Do you understand that? This important lesson? You are weak! I am strong! My word is law! There are many types of strength. Feng used his strength in manipulation, his social standing, being popular and spinning a good tale to delude all of you! You became his strength! You gave him the ability to let him get away with harming others! Melena, on the other hand, lacked that strength! Yet she stands here now, victorious! Because in this case she can use my strength! And my strength dwarves yours!"
He slammed his hand down again, allowing silence to return to the stunned court. Slowly, the demonic appearance departed and the teacher looked like himself again, his eyes returning to normal.
"Do you all understand, children?" he asked, his voice quiet and pleasant again, as if he was teaching a casual lecture. "At the end of everything, might makes right. The strongest can dictate how life will go. Feng, dear, you truly put up an exemplary defence. Honestly, it was quite a feat. You lulled all of them into eating up your story like it was coated in honey. I didn't think you had it in you. I'm touched. That's a lie you see, but you'd like to believe it because you're scared shitless given that you're caught. Oh, don't worry my boy. You don't have to be scared."
The teacher turned towards the room again, the perfect image of a caring professor. "You see children, being scared in front of a future you cannot avoid is truly just a waste of thoughts. You could try to steel yourself for it instead. Prepare yourself for the oncoming storm, perhaps try and think of a way to get around it, minimise your losses and the damage you'll take."
He turned towards Feng, who had gone as white as snow. "Well Feng, since you broke my rules three times, I'm really not going to be lenient towards you. I'll tell you what I'm going to do to you. I'm going to put you in front of the Sitimi wing, you know, where all the non-knuckle head classes are? Then I'm going to lock your mind into a state of permanent torment. Not the one you're thinking of, oh no. It will be worse. Your own nightmares will come alive and devour you whole. You'll be perfectly conscious throughout the whole process, as I won't give you the option to pass out. Little by little, your mind will be devoured and you'll stay in a perpetual state of suffering through the worst pains imaginable. I'll even make sure your feeble spirit will be properly reinforced, so you can withstand an even greater amount of pain, for a longer period. You always wanted to know why the older students don't talk about what happened to people who break the rules, don't you? It's because the screams of those stupid enough to defy me still haunt their dreams. You aren't even aware yet of how much pain you'll be going through. And the best part?"
The teacher casually hopped over the booth and started approaching Feng. His friends fell over themselves trying to get away, abandoning their friend. "It will take you over a month to die. Slowly. Painfully. Agonisingly." With every word the teacher got closer, his grin becoming more monstrous as the demon returned, even more fearsome than before.
"M-my father—"
"Will have his dukedom razed to the ground, his farmlands salted and will receive your head on a pike as a reminder who he has to thank for his fate, which will be in a month or two or so. Mind you, he'll die in the end. Screaming like a pig and cursing your name."
"You monster!" Feng shouted, stumbling backwards, falling over his own robes. The teacher hovered over him in an instant, his hand covering his mouth as his fingers steadily started exerting more and more pressure on Feng, who let out a muted scream in rabid fear. Blood-red eyes gazed into his.
"Oh yes. I'm quite the monster. And you poked it, you bloody worthless maggot. You knew the rules Feng. You played, you lost. Have fun in the afterlife, if it exists."
With those words Feng's fate was sealed and the screaming began. The sounds tore themselves out of Feng's throat at an unimaginable volume. The young man started spasming violently, coughing up blood as the noise somehow intensified and became even more horrifying. The teacher was true to his word, the screams would haunt the dreams of everyone present, even those of Melena, who had wished a horrible fate on him. She hadn't expected the teacher to inflict a torment so far beyond her imagination on the man, though. As the students began to run out of the courtroom, vomiting and crying as they went, the teacher called Feng's friends back with a stern voice.
"Put him up in front of the Sitimi wing. Then come back here and clean up everything the rest dirtied. You were his friends in life. Don't abandon him in death." The glare he gave them made it clear that he was not to be refused on this, and his voice was strangely solemn. From monster to instructor in a heartbeat.
"Don't worry, you'll run out of stuff to vomit soon and then you can carry him without having to clear up the entire path there. Best wait a bit until it's all poured out," he advised them. He glared at Feng and the spasming stopped instantly. The screaming, however, did not. Clasping his hands together, he walked out of the room at a brisk pace.
He caught up with a crying Melena, who had sunk down in the hallway, her beautiful body, the cause of her torment, covered in bodily fluids and her face marred with grief and tears. "There you are!" he said, giving her a friendly wave. "You and I ought to have a chat." The grin he gave her was friendly and calming. It was hard to connect such a pleasant looking person with the monstrous acts he had committed only scant moments before.
He pulled her up by the shoulder, gently, his eyes soft and radiating worry for her. He wrinkled his nose as he smelled her. "Oh dear, best take a detour to the baths first. Get you cleaned up. Must be unpleasant to smell like that, although I do fear you have different things on your mind now. Best not to dwell too long on that, he had it coming one way or another and his ilk is better of dead anyway. Come along."
He picked her up like she weighed nothing more than a feather and strolled off. Melena felt a mental presence stroke against her mind, distracting her from the nightmarish screams that still echoed through the building. She looked up and was greeted by a warm and comforting smile. Both mentally and physically exhausted, the girl nestled herself against her teacher's broad chest and let exhaustion take her. Despite everything that happened, despite the horrors she had gone through and what she had witnessed, his arms made her feel safe and she drifted away to a deep, dreamless sleep.
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