With her vision disrupted, Dagian quickly brought the sun chariot to a halt.

It wouldn’t do to accidentally stray away from tracing the Clear Heart Formation’s paths, otherwise it would lose its potency and everyone below might be plunged into endless nightmares! That would be terribly inconvenient, and that was not to mention what might happen if Dagian herself fell into an illusion. It would be sad if she ended up hurting her darling peers.

For that reason, when she felt a blazing heat approaching, she didn’t shy away from it. And anyways, as a walker of the Sun path, if she was afraid of fire, that would be such an embarrassment.

Forming mudras with her hands, she absorbed the unknown heat harmlessly into her sun chariot. It pulsed underneath her like a second heart. Dagian smiled and stroked its rim.

As she dispelled the heat, her vision gradually restored itself to clarity, giving her a clear view of the disastrous mess her allies had made of things in the few moments she’d been busy.

Acacius had vanished. New fires had sprung up in the dark forest, scattering her allies and driving them further away from the paths. The most intense of the fires burned merrily where the nodes of the Clear Heart Formation had been, driving the formation masters far from where they were supposed to be.

Because of that, the formation had lost its power, and although Dagian’s light still shone, the dark trees were rapidly solidifying.

Additionally, since everyone had been lured off the paths, they’d all started behaving erratically and swinging their weapons about — doubtless besieged by illusions. In streaks of dark red light, Rhoswen’s arrows sent two disoriented allies out of the Illusion Stage. A few more were simply eliminated by each other in their daze.

Dagian sighed.

She should’ve told Jules to recruit more reliable people. Now, their assault had turned into a rescue and retreat operation. It really didn’t fall in line with her sensibilities.

“Mehran,” she called. “If you can hear me, tell everyone to rally themselves! Anyone who cannot find the way out should send a signal flare for me to find.”

The wind curled by her ear.

“Be careful,” Mehran’s voice whispered, and it dispersed.

The Garuda path enhanced her eyesight like an eagle’s. She picked out her allies’ locations, plotted a path of retrieval in order of importance, and steered her chariot forward.

First, she dropped down to retrieve Jules.

Jules had established one of her “zones” around herself, presumably to prevent the influence of illusions, and thus was clear-headed. Roxana was there with her, maintaining a barrier to block off external attacks. She parted the barrier to allow Dagian in, and Dagian, in turn, guided them onto her chariot.

“One minute, Dagian,” said Jules as she sat down. “Allow me to establish this zone upon your chariot. You will need to be careful not to dismiss the chariot if you want the zone to last!”

Jules’ zones were stationary things; once laid down, they couldn’t be relocated or expanded. Placing the zone upon a movable platform was a good workaround.

Once done, Dagian’s chariot had the freedom to move through the Nightmare Forest without fear of the illusions — though naturally, that protection didn’t extend to anyone who leaned outside the chariot’s bounds. Roxana peeked over the side from where she was sitting for stability and lamented, “It’s so hard to enjoy the view like this. Who are we picking up next?”

In the distance, there was an explosion of darkness, reminiscent of a wolf’s jaws, that razed the forest around it in one go. Amidst the wreckage, a glimmer of blue shone like dragon’s scales, pushing back against the dark. A thick mist was rising from the ground.

“What happened?” Jules asked.

“Luka’s done something mysterious and wild again,” Roxana said. “I think Veric’s trying to stop him.”

“No need to get caught in that fallout. Dagian, what say you to finding Mehran next?”

They picked Mehran up from where he’d been walking along slowly on the forest paths.

“Did you manage to dodge Acacius’ scare?” Roxana asked.

Mehran shook his head as he sat down across from Roxana. It was getting pretty crowded under Dagian’s feet now. “I was caught by his… visual stunt. But I used earth magic to protect myself until my sight cleared.” He turned his gaze to Jules. “That wasn’t in our initial estimate of his capabilities.”

Jules hummed, tapping her fingers on her cane.

“It isn’t within the capabilities of perspective magic as we know it,” she agreed. “So it may be a capability of the mysterious Eye of the Kaleidoscope. According to the research, it can access others’ visual senses and disrupt the sight of those who meet its gaze; however, the usage of the Eyes generally requires an extended period of training and adaptation, as they are an additional, augmented sense.”

“Like how aura beginners need an adaptation period to the additional sensory feedback, or 6E users need to acclimatize to ether sensing?” Mehran clarified.

“Exactly. Now, I’ve surmised that Acacius is blind while using his transformation, and that he uses others’ perspectives to compensate for it. However, I believed that he’d only be able to focus on one or two additional perspectives at most. How very capable of him to target everyone at once! Clearly, he is more adaptable and talented than we thought.”

Dagian tilted her head.

“Can it really be that hard?” she asked. “It only took me a few hours to get used to aura sense when I tried it out. It’s just like using your hands, but with a little more to it!”

The chariot fell silent.

Oh… Maybe it was that hard for them.

Feeling a pang of pity, Dagian offered, “Of course, I like the frames my family uses better, so I stopped practicing. Perhaps I never reached this period of adaptation you mentioned.”

“The EE frame’s manifold forms must have given you a broader perspective,” Mehran said diplomatically. “We are fortunate to learn from your experiences.”

“In any case,” said Roxana, “Acacius’ disruption of vision must not last very long, or he’d love to have us running blindly in circles while Rhoswen picked us off. The only one of us who’d be fully functional in that situation is Jules.”

“We should also note that he is quite capable at frame-switching,” Jules added. “He was the one to set those fires, wasn’t he? Then he should have been rapidly switching between the KP frame, to locate us, and the 6E frame, to manipulate the fires themselves.”

As Dagian flew her chariot over the forest, she saw more flashes of light as people were picked off and sent out of the Illusion Stage. It really didn’t seem worth it to rescue them; they would be back after the penalty period, anyways. Better to focus her attention on the important ones.

“Mehran, how are Luka and Verica doing?”

Mehran peeked out over the chariot rim to the cleared-out section of the forest, lips moving soundlessly. The shadows there had calmed down, and the dragon phantom had disappeared. The mist, however, was not dispersing.

“Their situation is stable,” he finally reported. “Let’s retreat from the forest and consider our next steps. The losses have been severe; everyone should weigh the benefits of continuing the campaign against Acacius and Rhoswen.”

Jules pursed her lips. “And leave Rhoswen to run wild? That won’t do.”

Roxana sighed and twirled her hair. “But then what is there to do? Everyone has their ambitions, but not everyone has the capability to reach them.”

They didn’t, but Dagian did.

“What else is there to consider?” she said kindly. “Left unchecked, they will win.”

She tapped her wristband, allowing it to project information from one of the perks she’d taken. It was a live ranking. Acacius and Rhoswen’s group were at the top, their total token count nearly double that of second place. As everyone watched, their token count shot up again. They must have just claimed the territory hub of one of the eliminated alliance students.

Roxana blinked up at her with limpid purple eyes. “Then do you have a plan, Dagian?”

Dagian smiled. “Naturally.”

Nastaran wouldn’t be happy, because her plan would require Dagian to gamble with all her power. But if she didn’t make the gamble, then how would she earn first place?

So it simply had to be done.

Of course, there were a few considerations to be made; she should act with honor befitting of a deva and righteousness befitting an angel, she shouldn’t do anything that might bypass the wristbands’ protection, and she shouldn’t damage the Illusion Stage itself. Therefore, some of her methods were off the table.

But didn’t those limitations just make things more interesting?

“Jules,” she said, “I respect you very much. I admire your sense of justice against the wicked. And Mehran, I admire your heart for the people, and your compassion for the weak and incapable! So I was happy to join you. It was a good plan that would have allowed many people to benefit with minimum risk… if it had succeeded. But since your soft approach has fallen through, let’s do something bold!”

The chariot accelerated with her excitement. Her guests gasped and clung on as it swung for Luka and Verica’s location. “Wait just a moment,” Mehran called. “We haven’t agreed yet. What exactly do you want to do?”

Oh, Mehran. As if she would let him say no.

“We’re going to hold an inquisition trial!”

---

Dagian’s declaration was not met with enthusiasm from her allies.

Iyiria, as a country, was quite accepting of different frames, perhaps owing to its position at the crossroads of three continents. In that respect, it was quite unlike Dagian’s homeland, the Kingdom of Kalarastriya, which was dominated by the EE frame. However, for all of Iyiria’s tolerance, there was one frame that was particularly fraught with tension: the celestial-infernal frame.

It was the frame most popularly used in the neighboring Lemirian Empire, and thus was deeply tied to Lemiria’s religion and nationalistic pride. Unlike Iyiria’s population, which was largely atheistic about any higher powers beyond the Tripartite, Lemiria’s state religion believed that the God of Radiance had created the world and the Tripartite were His half-fallen messengers. Iyiria’s issue was not with a belief in a power above the Tripartite, of course, or else Dagian’s fellow students wouldn’t be so polite about her Kalarastriyan belief in an Ultimate Reality beyond this one. Rather, the issue was that the Lemirian Empire considered Iyiria as land that was originally theirs, as decreed by the God of Light. They had often used the pretext of “reclamation” to wage various wars of conquest.

Since the two nations were neighbors, there were inevitably Iyirians who practiced the CI frame as well, but many of them went out of their way to disassociate themselves with the Lemirian religion by visibly signaling themselves as sworn followers of a Triarch or an infernal power, rather than one of the angels or hailed saints.

Dagian, with her dark hair and skin, did not bear much resemblance to an ethnic Lemirian; however, her peers were distinguished enough to be aware that her father was a Lemirian prince who had married into Kalarastriya.

That, and the fact that an inquisition trial would require their active participation on the celestial side of the CI frame, was enough to earn her the Dragon Priestess’ wary stare, the Sattari’s assessing gaze, and the aspiring lawmaker’s weighing of the scales.

“Even if we agreed,” Mehran said, “there must be title requirements to carry it out.”

“That won’t be a problem,” said Dagian. “After all, we have here a judge, a representative of the people, and a devoted giver of alms. I’m sure you each have a title that qualifies you for the role!”

It wasn’t polite to press for others’ titles, and Dagian liked to be considerate of others. But if she was always so mindful of others’ opinions, she wouldn’t be here, would she?

And just as she’d expected, her classmates’ titles happened to perfectly align with the roles needed by the inquisition ritual. The world had a way of giving her what she wanted.

So once Dagian reunited everyone with Luka and Verica, it was easy to persuade them of her plan.

Rhoswen and Acacius were too effective together, so Dagian wanted to tear them apart. Everyone was of the agreement that Acacius was clearly not in his right mind, so once the symbol of the Hunt had been stripped from him, he’d naturally turn on the one who manipulated him, and the Nightmare Flower would no longer shelter him.

The inquisition trial ritual of the CI frame could also let them dispose of the collar directly without struggling in battle; perhaps they could also use the opportunity to eliminate Rhoswen afterwards, giving them time to deal with Acacius before her penalty period ended.

Of course, to pull off the ritual, they’d have to lure Rhoswen out, and they’d need to ensure that Acacius wouldn’t interfere.

After discussing the details, Roxana used one of her perks to confirm that Acacius and Rhoswen were still in the current territory. Then Dagian took Luka and Verica onto her chariot with the others and faked a retreat across the territory border. If Acacius and Rhoswen were still paying attention to their hub notifications, it would show that they had left.

Dagian landed where Luka estimated they would be out of Acacius’ sensing range. The others pretended to part ways and leave, just in case Acacius was still watching, before Dagian turned her back to them. Until the time for the ritual came, she would need to keep them out of her sight.

The one exception was Jules. Because of her relationship with Rhoswen, it was plausible for her to return to the forest on her own even if the alliance had disbanded, and it wouldn’t be out of the question for her to attempt a confrontation with Rhoswen on her own.

They would be relying on Jules to bait Rhoswen out, and so, Jules needed to be protected.

From here on out, Dagian would be gambling with her time.

Dagian switched to the CI frame. As her prana was replaced with divine energy, the sun projection she’d left behind in her territory disappeared. If their plan didn’t succeed, all of her and Nastaran’s efforts would be devoured by the forest.

She gathered her celestial power, summoning forth two pairs of wings, one for every angelic rank she’d attained. When she held out her hand, her greatsword of light manifested in her grasp, rippling along its blade with a heatless flame.

Jules knelt down and bowed her head, and Dagian stepped forth, placing her blade upon her shoulder.

“Under the authority of the prince of the heavenly host, I, Dagian Naveen, bestow upon thee this blessing to defend thee in battle. By thy faithful prayer shall I rebuke thine enemies; by the power of heaven shall I judge those who seek the ruination of thy soul. I shall be thy safeguard against the wickedness of the world.”

Celestial power flowed down her blade to envelop Jules in a gentle glow before fading out of sight.

Ritual complete, Jules quickly straightened up and brushed off her coat with a sigh of distaste.

“Let’s finish this quickly so this blessing may be recanted sooner. Well then, I’ll be off!”

Tapping her cane before her, she turned back and crossed the border back towards the dark forest. Her red coat soon disappeared into the fog.

Dagian smiled. It was wonderful to work with such strongly goal-oriented individuals.

“Go on,” she called back to the others. “Get into place quickly, or I won’t be able to do anything even when the time comes!”

She closed her eyes and listened to them pass.

First came Luka’s gait, soft but steady. Verica followed after him, footsteps firm; a whiff of cold mist breezed over Dagian’s skin as she passed.

Then it was Mehran, who must have had the wind guiding him. The one shuffling after him, then, was Roxana.

“We’ll be counting on you, Dagian,” said Mehran.

Finally, it was just Dagian, alone, waiting.

In the distance, she felt her blessing of protection flicker, and a voice sounded in her mind.

Dagian, my dear guardian, come quickly!

Dagian laughed.

“As I have promised, so this humble servant shall answer the call!”

Following her will and invocation, she was summoned in a flash of light to appear before Jules.

With one glance, she took in the scene. Jules had established a zone around herself for protection, but its borders had been broken by a sudden frenzy of branches and vines growing out of the forest. Rhoswen stood opposite her; her bow had been discarded in favor of two long hunting daggers, edges gleaming. A crimson light burned in her black eyes as she lunged at Jules with a beast-like scream.

Dagian blocked with her greatsword. It was like she’d hit a bird. So light a strike, and Rhoswen was sent tumbling back as if she was naught but feather and hollow bone.

The shadows in the forest shifted, and Acacius materialized out of the darkness, facing Dagian with a warning smile. Two black knives had appeared in his hands. “Now, now, Dagian,” he said. “Let’s not get involved with their personal affairs, shall we?”

Dagian looked at him with a smile.

“Hello, Acacius. I think I like this new side of you.”

As his eyebrows went up, she turned her gaze back to Rhoswen and planted her greatsword into the ground.

Acacius’s expression changed, and he lunged for Rhoswen, arm outstretched. Before he could pull her away, however, he abruptly twisted to the side and rolled away. A deadly strike of black aura passed narrowly over his head.

Luka emerged from the mist, eyes closed, dark sword in hand. Leaping forward, he pressed the attack against Acacius.

It gave Dagian the time she needed to finish her chant.

“By my faith in the Almighty and my devotion to the truth, I, Dagian Naveen, the [Idolatrous Aspirer of Radiant Conduct], declare an inquisition against Rhoswen of the Hunt!”

Gold light flared as it drew itself over the ground in formal patterns, sealing the boundary just in time to prevent Rhoswen’s quick escape.

However, it wouldn’t hold for long unless all the ritual roles could be played.

“I ask the heavens! Who is qualified to bring the charges?” Dagian called.

When there was no immediate response, Dagian frowned. How difficult could it have been to walk forward towards the dark forest with one’s eyes closed?

Moments later, however, Mehran came running out of the mist, panting.

“I, Mehran Sattari, stand before you as the [Toiling Mediator of Broken Ties].” He wiped the sweat off his face, straightening into a posture more befitting of a king. “As counselor of the people, I shall speak for those who were wronged.”

The golden lines on the ground glowed brighter. Dagian smiled.

“I ask the heavens! Who is qualified to defend the accused?”

Roxana, holding her skirt as she ran, came hurrying out of the mist next. “I, Roxana of the Dragon Shrine, stand before you as the [Alleviator of Shared Sorrows].” She caught her breath, smoothing out her hair. “As dispenser of mercy and compassion, I shall speak for the defendant.”

A growing pressure weighed down on Dagian’s shoulders, spreading through the ritual lines on the ground. The grass around them flattened, rippling as if blown by a great wind.

Dagian took a deep breath against the growing weight and spoke once more. Her voice rang through the air.

“I ask the heavens! Who is qualified to make the judgment?”

And Jules answered from behind her.

“I, Cardinal Jules, stand before you as the [Restrained Architect of Unconscious Law]. As balancer of law and life, I shall judge the trial.”

Dagian lifted her hands to the sky in prayer.

“Transcriber of the World, witness our history! If you find us worthy of the legacy we claim, then—”

The sunlight above them flared, as if it wanted to burn the dark away.

“—let the inquisition begin!”

Light poured down to form the phantom of a courtroom. Jules was lifted to the judge’s podium, Mehran and Roxana to opposite stands, and Rhoswen to the defendant’s stand at the center of the court. Dagian was placed behind her, a waiting executioner. Robes of light condensed on Jules, Roxana, and Mehran’s bodies; golden chains formed around Rhoswen’s wrists.

Beyond the circle of light that delineated the bounds of the court, Acacius took flight, fleeing from the power of Luka’s sword strikes. He circled around above, but the mist around them thickened and condensed into claw-like blades that continuously blocked him from reaching the court as well. Small cuts littered his arms, staining his clothes red.

It seemed like Verica’s new tricks were serving her quite well!

At the judge’s podium, Jules felt around, grasped the gavel, and brought it down with a bang. “Order to the court! The session begins. Prosecution, bring forth your case.”

“Rhoswen stands accused of trickery, deceit, mental manipulation, and intent to harm,” Mehran said calmly, heedless of the violent clash above them. “She has placed one of the Hunt’s wicked and heretical magicks upon Acacius Duval, violating the sanctity of his mind and coercing him into sinful deeds. If she does not undo her witchcraft, his soul will be bound to the service of the infernal powers forever.”

“What proof have you of your claims?”

“One need not look any further than the collar upon Acacius’ neck.”

The chains on Rhoswen’s wrists rattled as she struggled against her binds. The haze of a red moon flickered above her head, but it couldn’t quite break through the golden light.

“That collar,” she spat, “was donned willingly and with full knowledge, you fool!”

“Alas,” said Mehran. “With Acacius’ mind under your influence, his testimony can no longer be trusted.”

Rhoswen sneered, moving her gaze to Jules. “You have nothing but your preconceptions and personal agendas on your side. Jules, is this what you call the law?”

“Judge, these personal attacks are baseless, without evidence, and an obstruction to the trial.”

“Motion passed. The defendant must remain silent,” said Jules, and although Rhoswen’s mouth continued to move, no sound reached them again. “Defense attorney, make your case.”

“My client’s guilt is clear as day, your honor,” Roxana sighed. Rhoswen snarled silently. “No one sane would willingly don the Wild Hunt’s chains. However, my client is not a fundamentally evil person — she has simply been raised wrong by the forces of darkness. I pray that you will have mercy upon this poor supplicant, that she might have the chance to turn to the light and mend her ways.”

“Then the case is clear,” Jules said. “Rhoswen stands guilty of witchcraft and beguilement! As rectification, I sentence her to undo the bond between herself and Acacius Duval; as punishment, I sentence her to take one blow from the Inquisitor.”

As she banged the gavel, it rang like a celestial gong, sinking into their bodies with a binding power.

“Thus shall all sins be paid, and the record wiped clean. As it is stated, so it shall be done!”

Dagian smiled playfully, hefted her sword, and met Rhoswen’s eyes.

“Then, heretic, will you abide by your judgment?”

The more Rhoswen resisted, the more pain it would inflict on her soul. Dagian was sure that a little thing like that wouldn’t give her pause, but if Rhoswen was eliminated here, it would be a simple matter to send the lonesome Acacius out after her. And then, all their team’s precious tokens would have no one to protect them.

If Rhoswen wanted a chance at keeping the tokens, it was better to gamble amd remove Acacius’ collar, hoping that he would value his grades over immediately settling the score with her. Hoping that he’d be able to protect their gains to the end.

Rhoswen gazed at her for a long moment. All the golden light around them couldn’t illuminate the darkness in her eyes.

Finally, she tilted her head back and sighed. Pursing her lips, she let out a long, clear whistle.

“Acacius!”

Without needing to be told, Luka and Verica ceased their attacks and drew back, leaving the way clear for Acacius to approach.

Warily, he alighted at the boundary of the court. The cuts and tears on his clothes had increased, and blood dripped down his hand.

“You may enter the court,” said Jules.

Acacius furrowed his brow, tilting his head to the side. After a moment of thought, he pressed his hand against the barrier that surrounded the ritual court. When it didn’t repulse him as before, he decisively stepped in, coming to a stop before Rhoswen.

“What’s with the whistle?” he said. “Do you really take me for a dog?”

Rhoswen smiled, a little sad.

“You don’t like it? Then come here.” She held out her hand. “I will free you of your bonds.”

Acacius stepped back, out of her reach.

“I don’t think so. Bonds aren’t something you can one-sidedly decide to cut. Do you really think it’s so easy to take back what’s been done?”

“Give it up, Acacius,” said Roxana. “It’s going to happen one way or another. Take the easy way out for once.”

Verica cleared her throat outside the barrier. “Um, guys. Let’s not press Acacius too hard, okay? This is just an exam.”

“Too late for that, Veric,” said Acacius affectionately. “I’ve told you before, haven’t I? If I can’t have it…”

He smiled meaningfully, holding up his bloody arm.

“Anyways, did Jules tell you how the Nightmare Flower is controlled? Rhoswen’s the one who fed it, but…” Acacius winked. “She’s not the only one connected to it right now, you know.”

Dagian blinked.

How much blood had Acacius shed around them just now?

Shadowy tendrils erupted in and around the court, sprouting into saplings whose crooked branches threatened to cover the sky. Their roots quickly covered the ritual court’s floor.

Ah, Acacius. He’d tricked them into entering the forest again.

Dagian felt the sudden urge to laugh a bit, to shout a bit. To kick her classmates away for being so useless; to sigh that she was all alone. She spread her wings and flew away, leaving the world behind in a distant patchwork far below, only to realize that she’d only imagined it, and she was still standing in the Illusion Stage. She swayed, shook her head, and lifted her sword.

In a daze, she thought she saw herself, alone, laughing happily, holding a bloody greatsword over bodies she couldn’t see clearly. When she blinked, she realized that it wasn’t her, but that blonde figure, her father’s greatest taboo. It turned towards her, mouth parting once more to say…

…

No… Dagian had been doing something else just now.

What was she supposed to say?

Distantly, Dagian heard herself speak.

“The heretic refuses to abide by the divine judgment. By the grace of the Almighty, we shall enforce it in His stead.”

She dreamed she was lifting her hand, pointing it towards the red-haired figure and the butterfly that tugged helplessly at her chains. How funny. The inquisition’s target couldn’t be released until they had died or the judgment was complete.

Dagian declared, “Deprive!”

A red light unwound itself from Acacius’ neck and disappeared. Rhoswen let out a scream.

Dagian struggled to keep her eyes open. She saw Rhoswen at the defendant’s stand, straining against her chains, and Acacius, stumbling back with a hazy look in his eyes. “Acacius!” Rhoswen cried. “Look at me! You must stay awake!”

Silly Rhoswen. If she didn’t want Acacius to dream, she just needed to leave, and the Nightmare Flower would wither on its own.

Dagian could help her.

Divine power poured down her arm, into her greatsword. She lifted it up and stepped forward.

“Nuna,” Acacius mumbled. His butterfly wings glowed and disappeared. His eyes slowly focused on Rhoswen. “Don’t go…”

“Dagian!” Rhoswen whirled towards her, face pale with rare panic. “You can’t! Not while he’s like that—”

There was a blonde woman standing behind Rhoswen. Her crimson eyes bored into Dagian’s. Her bloodstained hands beckoned.

— Come forth, young hero.

— It is righteous because you declared it so.

And Dagian was happy, because of course she was right.

Her greatsword ignited in a great blaze. She swung.

The moment it touched Rhoswen’s neck, the Illusion Stage’s safeguards activated, transporting her out in a flash of light.

Acacius made a strangled noise and fell down to his knees. He was trembling.

“It’s okay, Acacius,” Dagian said dreamily. “We’ve saved the day!”

His mouth worked, like he wanted to say something, but not a single word came out. Gradually, he stopped trembling, and his expression became perfectly calm.

Blood started trickling down from his nose, then his eyes.

“That’s right,” Acacius murmured, with perfect and utter serenity. “This world should just go to hell.”

Fire ignited beneath his hand, leaping out in incandescent sparks.

The forest went up in flames.

Chapter 53 Back to Index