I thrust downwards in a direct shot for Laina’s throat. Unfortunately, the only thing my knife stabbed was another blade.

This one was massive, like a black iron wall, blocking my view of the Queen. I turned to the hilt to see who it was, but found no one there.

The sword moved, allowing me to see the face of Queen Laina, frozen in fear. I looked to the left and right of the throne, and saw Un and Three frozen in very much the same fashion.

“Very funny X. My brain can handle the strain just fine. Return time to normal and let me finish this!”

“Oh? So your Judgment has evolved that far, huh?” A woman’s voice came from behind me. A familiar one at that.

Turning around, I was greeted by the massive frame of Starlord Alexstasia Bloodcrown winking at me.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I said between labored breaths. My obvious hostility just bounced off her aura of positivity, and she walked up to me.

“You know, I had it rigged so that the system notified me if you ever became a criminal?” I arched my eyebrow, but said nothing, allowing her to continue.

“I was really worried that my candidate would get himself into a dumb mess of his own creation. Turns out that you were lured into a dumb mess of someone else’s creation.”

“You know… it’s not my fault.” My breathing was becoming stabilized. “Which begs the question: why did you stop me?”

Alexstasia’s hand grabbed mine, and she pulled me in close. She whispered into my ear, “I’m willing to overlook breaking the mind of the seventh prince in line in the Metron Kingdom. Unfortunately, targeting someone actively in charge of a country is a different matter entirely.”

“I don’t understand that hypocrisy.” I said, trying to wrench my hand out of her iron grasp. “You’re ok with people taking out the future, but laying hands on the present is a no go?”

She lifted me up to her eye level by my hand. “I don’t understand it either. It wasn’t like this was all decided by me. The Starlords have a council, one that I wasn’t on when this rule was made.”

“As such,” she continued, releasing my arm and dropping me to the floor, “Those currently in power are afforded special luxuries.” Her blade resheathed itself in a scabbard on her back.

“Unfortunately for her,” She pointed to Laina, “I don’t think she’ll be enjoying those luxuries much longer.”

Alexstasia snapped her fingers, and the scenery changed around me. No longer were we in the dimly lit throne room, but instead in a banquet hall.

At least, that’s what I assumed it was. The only indication of such was the fancy crimson rug on the floor that matched Alexstasia’s hair color, and the small round table present.

The table was dressed in a pure white cloth, and had several cups of tea, as well as cookies and other confectionaries on top.

There were no walls to the place, as if the room stretched on into infinity. It was a little unnerving, but at the Starlord’s behest, I took a seat. She did the same and began to pour me a cup of cinnamon-smelling tea.

“Oh, how rude of me!” She commented, blushing a little. “I forgot about your tools!” She snapped her fingers again, and four seats sprung out of the ground.

“How magnanimous of you, Starlord Bloodcrown. Allowing us programs to join you at the table.”

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X, Un, Three, and a fully sized Cin. They all sat around me, leaving Alexstasia’s side of the table relatively empty.

“Aw, and here I was hoping to have a reunion. Oh well. All of you, drink up! I made it in a way that even Judgment’s can experience.”

The programs all eyed the beverage warily, and eventually Un was the first to break. He took the cup up to his face, his hand shaking all the while.

Putting the cup to his lips, his eyes widened, and a large smile spread itself on his face. “That’s fantastic! I’m glad I can experience taste again after so long!”

X followed suit, and made a complicated expression. “I can’t tell if this is good or not. It’s… really tingly.”

“I think spicy would be more apt.” Three chimed in, taking more of her drink in.

“Cin like spicy tingly.” The blue angel said in his broken speech.

Alexstasia smiled, and said, “Good! It’s my own mix, so I’m happy it turned out well. There’s plenty where that came from, so just drink up for now.”

“Where are we?” I asked incredulously. “Can you just edit anyone’s subspace to your liking?”

The Starlord laughed and wagged her finger. “Of course not! I just took you into my own personal subspace is all.”

We were collectively stunned into silence, but that didn’t stop the woman from rolling on to her next point. “So, now that you’ve attained your fifth Judgment, what do you think of the second phase of the trial?”

To that question, X awkwardly raised a hand. “You don't have to ask for my permission to speak.” Alexstasia huffed.

“Very well then, Ms. Bloodcrown.” X replied. “We actually haven’t properly installed him, as doing so in a foreign base of operations wouldn’t be sound security-wise.”

Alexstasia’s mouth hung open, and she groaned. “Why do I always get the cautious ones? Fine. Contact me when you actually receive your set of instructions.”

“Couldn’t you just tell them to us?” Un asked after taking a bite of a cream-filled biscuit. “Surely you know what they are, and we already meet the qualifications.”

“Hm.” The Starlord looked thoughtful, and a playfulness seeped into her eyes. “You know, I suppose I could-”

A booming thunder echoed in the distance. Myself and the Judgments paid it no mind, but Alexstasia looked as white as a sheet.

“What’s wrong?” Three asked, putting down her cup. Alexstasia slowly turned to her, and she let out a deep breath.

“It looks like I can’t tell you. You may not have felt that, but the Starlord of Plasma just warned me against it. He’s always been a stickler for the rules, that old bastard.”

Another boom in the distance, but this time Alexstasia just looked annoyed. “I didn’t tell them, you senile asshole!”

After screaming at the ceiling, she sighed and rubbed her temples. “Well then, tell me what you do know.”

That sent Un, Three, and X into discussing how the trials would find a King, why they were named the way they were, and theories on what exactly the Judgments were.

Meanwhile, Cin just sat down and happily consumed his baked goods and drinks. “I see.” Alexstasia said after listening to it all. “I suppose that after you activate your fifth, you’ll get about seventy percent of the answers you seek.”

“How about our opponents? How many of them are there still? Has anyone amassed five cores, like I have?”

Alexstasia opened her mouth to say something, when a bolt of lightning fell from the ceiling. It happened so fast, the only way I could register it was from my memory.

Alexstasia had deflected it, and put away her weapon in a huff. “That was a warning. I don’t want to piss off the old man any more than I already have, or he might start taking it personally. Sorry, but that means you have to go.”

As soon as she said the words, the world folded in on itself, and we were back in Laina’s throne room subspace.

“You’ll be given a method to contact me when you activate the fifth Judgment. Let me know when you do.”

She bent over her ten foot frame and gave me a kiss on the forehead. “Until next time, Paladin.”

I felt as though I was being sucked backwards, and my vision went black again. When it cleared up, I was standing beside a shivering Viina, and an equally as frightened Reya.

“What’s wrong?” I was immediately alert, and when Reya pointed behind me, I instantly turned around.

It was a massacre. Charred bodies piled on top of each other, and the fire on the floor lapping at the run in the center. Queen Secela stood in the middle of it all, white as a sheet.

A white notification box had been placed in front of her, and in a message loud enough for the four survivors in the room to hear, the system spoke: “SYSTEM OVERRULED BY STARLORD BLOODCROWN. PALADIN JOSHUA COLE IS DEEMED INNOCENT.