Chiara and Harris stood in the center of the grand room, their wings fluttering slowly as the room’s pressure and ambiance made their hearts sink. All around them stood tons of tall sprites with orb-shaped lanterns floating above their hands. In front of them, an older woman with red hair and a crown rested her elbow on a pedestal, glaring down at the two beneath her.

The rest of the sprites continued to boo and belittle the duo, spouting insults and the like towards them.

“They should perish. They deserve it!” One of them shouted.

“They’re demons in disguise!” Another accused. “They don’t value others and only care about themselves!”

“No, there’s got to be some mistake!” Harris exclaimed, slamming his fist on the podium.

“Yeah!” Chiara added, leaning over. “We wanted to do something fun and different from our everyday lives!”

“Those two have impure hearts.” A third sprite insisted, pacing the room and pointing at them. “They tried to use their jobs as a selfish means for their benefit.”

“That’s not true!” Harris and Chiara cried.

The Fairy Queen, Meredith, slammed the podium, silencing the room as everyone focused their attention on her.

“Well, it seems like everyone is against you here.” She taunted the siblings.

“Wait, can’t you hear us out?” Chiara questioned, her hands clasped together.

“Don’t we get anybody to back us up?” Harris asked, gripping the edge of his podium.

“I can’t imagine anyone helping you at this point.” Meredith manifested a gavel and raised in the air. Harris and Chiara hugged each other and tried to hold back the tears. “The people have spoken. Therefore, I‌—”

“Hold it right there!”

The slamming of the doors and a sudden cry stopped her in her tracks. The feeling of dread increased as everyone turned to the source of the sound. Benjamin ran over across the hallways until he caught up to his familiars. He panted and gripped his knees before looking up at Harris and Chiara with misty eyes.

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“Benjamin?” Harris’ eyes widened as he wiped his face. “You came back?”

“Of course.” Benjamin stared at them in the eyes. “I’m so sorry I didn’t listen to your side of the story. I let my anger—”

“We understand.” Chiara interrupted with a hopeful and tearful smile.

“You, what?” Benjamin blinked, the tears rolling down his cheeks. “After what I said, how can you forgive me?”

“Well, we didn’t say that we forgave you.” Harris brought up. “Now’s not the time for...”

“Huh?” The magician finally took notice of the surrounding area. He stumbled, nearly falling on the floor. He had to use the podium as leverage. “W-what’s going on?”

“We’re in the middle of a council trial meeting,” Chiara whispered to him. “We’re being judged for our actions.”

“Without defense?”

“Who are you?” Meredith inquired, resting her hands on her chin. “How dare you interrupt us?”

“That doesn’t matter.” Benjamin stood firm, clenching his fists. “You’re being unfair to my familiars. I trust ‌their intentions aren’t malicious.”

Harris and Chiara’s hearts were moved, ‌until the whispers from the crowds emanated throughout the room.

“He’s brainwashed.”

“That guy must be under a spell.”

“Well, well...” Meredith grinned as she brushed hair behind her ear. “Looks like you got a lot of people against you, mister. Unless you have proof of their true intent, then I’m afraid you’ve already lost.”

“Hold on, it’s too soon for that!” Benjamin thundered. “At least give me time to think...” He scratched his chin and contemplated the possibilities of what to do next. His face brightened up when he thought up an idea. He looked around through the crowds until he spotted Scarlet floating in the background. “Hey, you!”

“I have a name,” Scarlet muttered as she flew over to the group. “Anyway, what did you need?”

“Listen, I know I shouldn’t have done it, but we need to see the reflecting water again.”

“Are you crazy? That’s not—”

“Go ahead.” Meredith interrupted. “But I don’t see how that’ll affect anything. That guy already saw the vision that made him leave his ‘familiars’.”

How does she...? Benjamin shook his head. Now was not the time to question it. “I didn’t see it all, and I’m going to. You’ll also know!”

“Are you out of your mind?” Harris and Chiara asked, their eyes widening. “We can tell them—”

“They won’t believe you otherwise. We need to see the truth with our own eyes.” Benjamin turned to the sibling sprites. “I believe in you guys.”

Chiara and Harris smiled as they wiped their eyes and tried to keep it together as the group put the meeting on hold. Scarlet reluctantly led Benjamin and Meredith to the poolroom to check and inspect properly. The Fairy Queen set up her wand and dipped it into the waters, showing a portal from the gem that reflected the flashback from before.