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[color=FD5E53]”Sir Ansel. It saddens me to be ordered to subdue someone who has supported the community as much as you have. What a shame this is.”[/color] Yalen paced back and forth in front of a man with a canvas bag wrapped over his head, tied to an expensive looking chair by his arms and legs. For a nobleman of his status, Sir Ansel’s bedchamber was quite modest in size. There wasn’t much in the way of decoration either, save for a few family portraits and some tastefully arranged ceramics. The room had already grown dark, as the sun was beginning to fall beneath the horizon. Only a faint wisp of candlelight was present to illuminate the shapes of Yalen, his captive, and another man in the corner wearing the vestments of a High Somnian. He had the phenotype of a Revidian, and a somewhat tall one at that, with light brown hair and a fairly muscular build. He cooly leaned against a wall with his arms crossed, apparently content to spectate the scene that was unfolding.

[color=FD5E53]”My associate and I plied your servants with questions during our investigation. Unsurprisingly, they had a lot of good things to say about you.”[/color] Yalen raised a hand and cleared his throat. [color=FD5E53]”He treats his employees like family. He distributes alms to the poor. He is a devout worshiper of the Pentad...”[/color] Though his face was firmly neutral, there was a subtle edge to his voice as he sung the noble’s praises. [color=FD5E53]”Your butler even went so far as to call you a saint.”[/color] Yalen sighed and paced towards the still form of Sir Ansel. He pinched his fingers around the sack and ripped it off the man’s head, revealing a middle aged Perrechman who was staring daggers at the priest. He made a muffled grunt, but his voice was trapped due to the length of rope tied between his teeth.

[color=FD5E53]”You have invented a rather clever identity for yourself. With all the good you do for this community, nobody would suspect you of being a murderer.”[/color] Yalen reached behind and untied Ansel’s mouth binding. The older man loosened his sore jaw while the young priest waited expectantly with his back turned. Though he was free to speak, the master of the house didn’t seem to be in a hurry to say anything in his defense. Yalen turned his head sideways. 

[color=FD5E53]”Have you nothing to say for yourself?”[/color] 

“There is no point in saying anything.” 

[color=FD5E53]”Excuse me?”[/color] Yalen faced his prisoner properly and stepped closer so he could hear the man more clearly.

“Enjoy this farce while you can. It will do you no good in the end. I know your justice system inside and out. Even if you subject me to a trial I guarantee that I will be a free man in a matter of days.” Sir Ansel grinned. “You have no evidence to convict me with.” Yalen crossed his arms behind his back.

[color=FD5E53]”That would seem to be the case wouldn’t it? Those girls you took in were always illegal immigrants. Not only did they lack documentation of their existence, but you could hire them right off the streets while skipping the formal paperwork. Though they always suspiciously disappeared from your household, you came up with some excuse about finding them proper housing and employment outside of the city. Somehow your gruesome activities only served to strengthen your… saintly image.”[/color] He shivered in revulsion.

[color=FD5E53]”We caught your groundskeeper skulking around the animal farm last night. He was in the middle of cleaning after your latest mess when we snatched him up.”[/color] Yalen’s face grew dark with animosity. [color=FD5E53]”He confessed to everything as your accomplice, including the location of your hidden chambers. I couldn't tell if I was walking through a dungeon or a butcher's shop.”[/color] 

Ansel’s jaw hardened, but he did not lose his cool. "With my connections I can easily cut my tail and pin all the crimes on him. You cannot prove anything in court. I will be a free man before long.”

[color=FD5E53]”Indeed... I hate to admit that you cleaned up after yourself rather well. Other than the faint smell of blood there was little evidence remaining of your torture sessions. If I were to push a case forward you would likely be exonerated, just like you said.”[/color] Yalen patted the man’s cheek. [color=FD5E53]”But, I never said anything about staging a trial.”[/color] He looked at his fellow Somnian and nodded. [color=FD5E53]”Brother Pierce.”[/color]The man paced forward and assumed a position behind the captive nobleman. 

[color=56f082]”Victor Ansel. The Dark Somnians find you guilty of twenty-seven counts of kidnapping undocumented minors, twenty-seven counts of unlawful torture, twenty-three counts of murder with a bladed weapon, and four counts of manslaughter. We have been ordered to take you back to our sanctum for mental reconditioning.”[/color]
 
“Dark-” Sir Ansel’s voice was silenced when Yalen shoved the rope back between his teeth. The noble struggled against his restraints, and there was a spike of power as he attempted to draw energy into himself. However, the amount of energy he was able to gather was a pittance, not nearly enough to manifest magic into the world. Though he could not speak, the fear and confusion in the criminal’s eyes was clear.

[color=FD5E53]”It’s plushtail oil.”[/color] Yalen opened his palm to show the lord of the house a metal dart. [color=FD5E53]”For the next few hours your magical aptitude will be no better than a child’s. Brother Pierce, please hold him still.”[/color] Victor Ansel was startled when the blonde priest suddenly jabbed his thumbs into the sides of his head. 

[color=FD5E53]”Getting stabbed hurts you know. You probably can’t imagine how terrified those girls felt in their last moments. If you could understand their pain then maybe you wouldn’t have killed them. Before we take you with us I will burn that agony into your brain.”[/color]

Without warning, Yalen’s magic suddenly surged.

[color=FD5E53]”...One.”[/color]

Sir Ansel’s eyes widened, and he began thrashing around in his seat. His convulsions were suppressed by Yalen’s partner, who held the man’s chair down so that he wouldn’t tip over. The seizure lasted for nearly a minute, and when it was over the captive noble was slumped over in exhaustion. Yalen stopped channeling the spell to let him catch his breath. 

[color=FD5E53]”What you just felt was the sensation of a knife digging into your chest. It hurts doesn’t it?”[/color] Yalen explained. [color=FD5E53]”This is the pain that you have been callously inflicting upon innocent people. Doesn’t it feel horrible?”[/color] He channeled the spell once again. Ansel’s eyes searched the room frantically. He was too weak to use the gift, but he could feel Yalen’s power.

[color=FD5E53]”Two.”[/color]

Even with the rope in his mouth, Sir Ansel’s anguished voice was audible enough to be heard just outside his bedroom. Unfortunately for him nobody was listening as his guards were taking a nap in their quarters, thanks to some clever chemical wizardry.

[color=FD5E53]”Endure it Sir Ansel. Endure it with all your might. This won’t be over until you’ve felt the wounds of every single one of the girls you killed. Three.”[/color] The struggle session continued for about half an hour, during which the murderous noble lost consciousness several times. Each time he did, Yalen shocked him awake, giving him no respite from the mental assault. He wondered if this killer treated his victims the same way. Ansel’s desperate thrashing slowly abated until he finally became still, sobbing quietly in his seat. When Yalen was finished with him, his clothes were soaked through with sweat and urine, and his wrists were reddened in the place where he pulled against the restraints. Brother Pierce patted him on the shoulder with a heavy hand.

[color=56f082]”You can rejoice, for it is over. For now.”[/color] He cut Victor Ansel loose and pulled him up roughly by the nape of his neck, causing the prisoner to flinch at the touch. The once proud nobleman was a shivering mess. 

[color=FD5E53]”Do not resent us for this, Sir Ansel. We want only the best for you. In the next world you will eventually find yourself crossing a valley of death. You will not eat. You will not sleep. What I have done to you will pale in comparison to the torment you will face there. If you want to have any hope of escaping that hell, you should try to comprehend the suffering of others and repent.”[/color]

[hr]

It was Vardes the 26th, and Yalen arrived at Balthazar Square bright and early. He had been busy ever since returning to the academy grounds a few days previous. His job gave him plenty to do even when school was in recess; because of the cover story fabricated for him by the Dark Somnians, he had to juggle double the amount of work of a normal clergyman. He was also in the midst of reorganizing his personal effects, as he had just received an unexpectedly daring proposition from his wife-to-be. It was finally time for them to try cohabitating, and there were various things to sort out before Yalen could properly move out of his dorm.

[color=FD5E53][i]Ah, since she is a Tan-Zeno now, that means I will get to see her on stage.[/i][/color] His heart swelled with happiness. Jocasta had tried hard to become a person he could be proud of, and her efforts finally bore fruit when she was invited to become a lecturer for the school. For her to trust others and be trusted in return, he could not see this happening a year ago. It took a great deal of heartache for her to come this far.

[color=FD5E53][i]I have to try harder too. For both our sakes.[/i][/color] Yalen pumped his fist silently. He observed the people milling about the square and noted how sparse their numbers were. It was mostly the second and third years who were arriving this early, having already completed the ceremony a year ago. He could already feel the yearlings arriving at the Parade Gate in twos. The Zenith would be standing atop the battlements ready to greet them yet again, just as she had when he was a freshman. Yalen could still remember his stomach cramping up with nervousness that day. It was his first time being around so many people at once. Would there be someone out there like him, a clueless country kid with no exposure to the outside world? Did other Tethered exist who were loved by their parents, and unburdened by the shackles of the refuge system? These were the thoughts that popped into his head when he imagined the fresh new faces attending the academy.

[color=a187be]”Whatcha thinking about champ?“[/color] A familiar voice broke through Yalen’s silent rumination. He was all smiles in an instant. 

[color=FD5E53]”Izzy!“[/color] When he turned to look at her, Yalen was taken aback. Isabella had already shown an interest in eccentric fashion design, but her appearance quite frankly left him shocked. Rather than a dress, she had shown up to school wearing a rainbow colored leotard and a pair of dark linen hose. She wore a headdress that was full to bursting with monkeybird feathers, and golden bracelets around her wrists and ankles. It was like being greeted by a peacock. 

[color=a187be]”You like?“[/color] Isabella twisted her upper body left and right. 

[color=FD5E53]”What in the world are you wearing?”[/color]

[color=a187be]”I’m trying out some new fashion for Pelova Fascino. It’s not bad right?“[/color]

[color=FD5E53]”Pelova… what?”[/color] Yalen’s eyebrow was raised in confusion.

[color=a187be]”Oh. Duh.“[/color] Isabella rapped her knuckles across her forehead. [color=a187be]”I guess I never told you. Some of our chums at school pitched in to renovate that smoking heap where the Emporium used to be. They wanted to start some kind of fashion line and asked me to take charge of development.“[/color]

[color=FD5E53]”That sounds wonderful. Won’t your schooling be affected though?”[/color]

[color=a187be]”Nah. I make the designs, I don’t stitch them up. Someone else makes the actual clothes.“[/color] Isabella shrugged. [color=a187be]”How about you? Staying busy with anything?“[/color]

[color=FD5E53]”Nothing much I suppose. I have a newly hatched dragon tearing up my furniture and a pair of sea goats living in my wash tub. I’ve also bought a piece of land in my hometown. Then there’s all the work I have to do for the church, and I have to sort out my new living arrangements this year.”[/color]

[color=a187be]”New living arrangements eh? You finally thinking of flexing the Castel name and moving into the noble dormitories?“[/color]

[color=FD5E53]”Not quite… I’ll actually be, uh, moving in with someone.”[/color] Yalen sheepishly looked the other way. Isabella was a smart cookie though. She picked up on the hidden meaning right away and gave her friend a good punch on the arm.

[color=a187be]”Wow, look at you Yalen! Jo Jo will make you a proper house husband in no time!“[/color] Isabella clapped her hands and let out a cheerful laugh. Yalen’s face grew red as a tomato. He endured Isabella’s lighthearted teasing for a few minutes, until finally the rumbling of a hundred students on horseback could be heard in the distance. Atop the battlements he could feel the presence of Zenith Upta and the other faculty moving along at a steady pace. Yalen smirked at the thought of Jocasta saving herself the trouble and simply teleporting over to the square, but ceremony was ceremony. 

[color=a187be]”The rest of our friends should be here soon I think. Let’s go save ourselves a spot up front!“[/color] Suddenly, Isabella was surrounded by a cloud of static as she proceeded to float out of her wheelchair. Yalen looked up at her in awe.

[color=FD5E53]”You can float!? …Hey, wait up!”[/color] Isabella didn’t hesitate to leave Yalen behind as she carried herself and her chair to the front of the gathering crowd. He hastily squeezed his way through the crowd while offering hasty apologies, earning himself a smack on the head from some lady’s purse on the way. Maybe he should have spent more time studying kinetic magic.

It was good to be back at Ersand'Enise.