Three Spheres

Chapter 120 - Demon

Flavi's capital, Rongyao, is the most populous city in the world. The Public Action Forum, a Chinese palace-like establishment, is where the emergency meeting of the Court of Paragons starts. The public letter written by the Mind Aberration was what instigated it, whit only 7 members present. Yomi En, in her formal clothes, exclaims:

_ I was against Fortescue taking over as Magnum from the beginning, because I figured that she was using some "non-legal" ways to ascend. Now, with these accusations and Godeve's exhumation report, we can't pretend to be deaf, and let her do whatever she wants!

_ That letter proves nothing! _ A man replies _ A bunch of testimonies of random people written by a 13-year-old girl can't be considered evidence against a Marescallum ducis.

_ The letter isn't an evidence _ Another Paragon responds _ but the facts it contains are real.

_We summoned Fortescue to come today for an interrogation and she didn't show up. No one has heard from her in the past few days, apparently. _ The oldest of the presents says.

_ The situation is unfavorable for Fortescue, but who is going to assume the role of interim?! _ The first man says _ Lan Tchata, the only Marescallum ducis here, doesn't want to be Magnum and the other 3 still alive couldn't come due to "important reasons"!

_ Besides the Witches, we will first collapse due to the absence of a leader. Ridiculous. _ The woman says.

_ We can create a temporary council, I don't know, but we can't let Fortescue roam free! _ Yomi growls _ I saw what the Witches are capable of! I fought their Doppelgänger! Fortescue being an infiltrator makes sense to explain the madness of these last few years! And if it's true... we...

Several voices interrupt her. The Paragons are loved for being the closest to an ideal person. However, they are flawed, fearful, and unprepared. Nobody there experienced a threat like this. No one was ready to see their ivory tower collapse...

After a knock on the door, a dark-robed Priest enters:

_ As requested by the Court, I bring Amadeo Alscher to the stand. _ He pushes the boy _ Alscher was in Albam, in the fort where Eloah Fortescue was last seen yesterday.

Hesitantly, Amadeo enters. He doesn't have the empty eyes as he used to, but he still feels a lump in his throat, strangling him. He knows what will happen next, but his body doesn't obey, as if he's just a spectator of himself. "AAAAH SHIIIT", he screams in his mind.

_ Welcome, Alscher, to the Court of Paragons. Your presence was summoned to testify against Eloah Fortescue. Explain the events of the past few weeks and inform her whereabouts.

The young man struggles to separate his teeth but can't get a word out. How can she be so strong?! Even after regaining his whole consciousness, why is her control so strong over his body?! His emotions swirl. "I'm hers... that's why... I'm hers... shit", he thinks, feeling his heart pound, with a bizarre feeling of near-pain. It isn't his heart that moves him. It's hers...

"Why is Amadeo still weird...? Sayuri sent me a letter saying that they managed to free him... I was so happy to know he was okay... So why...?", Yomi thinks, watching the boy suffocate with his own thoughts.

The rest of the Paragons order him to stop "fooling around".

"I will allow you to say something. Choose carefully", he hears a voice inside his mind. Finally, his lips move and he manages to vomit the words he brooded:

_ Fortescue is... the Witch's... _ Everyone's eyes widen _ I'm sorry... I... with... Demons...!

He stutters. Yomi gets up from her chair and approaches him with quick steps. Without hesitating, she hugs him. The only thing the Witch can't control are his tears...