CHAPTER 241: SEVEN JUDGES OF THE SUPERNATURAL COUNCIL

Everyone was engrossed in the lecture of Supreme Judge Solon. Introduction to Supernatural Ethics & Law was proving far from the dull exercise they had expected.

Solon’s voice carried with clarity and weight, resonating with every cadet. "Before we drown ourselves in the ’boring’ laws, I want you to know my fellow Judges. They will share this course with me. Some of you may know their names, but I want you to hear of them from my lips. The Judges stand without hierarchy... each worthy of equal respect for their service to Midgard. But let us begin with Judge Hatshepsut, the Pharaoh-Queen of Egypt."

He paused, then continued, "Hatshepsut was among Egypt’s most successful rulers, presiding over two decades of peace and prosperity. She did not carve her legacy through conquest, but through creation... monumental building projects, the restoration of trade networks, and the enrichment of her people. Her most celebrated expedition was to the Land of Punt, which returned laden with gold, ebony, incense, and exotic beasts. She commissioned hundreds of works, structures that still stand as testaments to genius in stone. As a woman ruling in a man’s world, she cloaked herself in divine right and proved that power could be founded not on destruction, but on stability, prosperity, and splendour."

His gaze sharpened. "As a vampire princess, she embodies the aristocratic ruler whose reign endures as eternal as the monuments she raised. Her authority is absolute, her wisdom accumulated over millennia, her court woven from ancient oaths and bloodlines. She is the embodiment of law’s permanence."

Solon’s eyes swept the class before he went on. "Now, Judge Theodora, the Co-Augusta of the Byzantine Empire. She rose from the seemingly humblest of origins... an actress, the daughter of a bear-keeper... to become the most powerful woman of her age, wife and equal partner to Emperor Justinian I. Her moment of greatest renown came during the Nika Riots, when the city burned and the Emperor’s council urged flight. It was Theodora who stood unyielding and declared, ’Royal purple is the noblest shroud.’ Her defiance steeled Justinian, saved his throne, and preserved the empire."

"She was a fierce champion of women. Under her will, laws were passed to outlaw the forced prostitution of young girls, to grant women rights in divorce, and to secure mothers’ guardianship over their children. She established convents as sanctuaries for the broken and the fallen. To Theodora, law was not abstract principle, but a living shield for the most vulnerable."

His voice dropped lower, carrying a different weight. "As a Banshee, her voice is more than speech... it is fate itself. The cry that quelled rebellion and saved an empire is the same cry that makes verdicts ring with terror in the hearts of the guilty."

He paused, then continued, "Now, about Judge Ashoka. Ashoka the Great of the Maurya Empire. His reign began with ruthless conquest, culminating in the blood-soaked fields of the Kalinga War. Yet in that carnage he was transformed. The endless suffering he witnessed broke something within him... and in its place arose compassion. He renounced the path of the sword and embraced Buddhism, and with it the principle of Dharma... non-violence, tolerance, and moral virtue."

"He carved his edicts into stone... rocks and pillars scattered across his vast empire... proclaiming kindness to all beings, respect for every creed, humane treatment of servants and prisoners, and reverence for nature itself. He sent emissaries of peace to lands far beyond India, spreading this message of compassion. Ashoka is the proof of redemption... a conqueror who laid down the sword and used absolute power not to enslave, but to enlighten and nurture both body and soul."

Solon’s voice deepened. "As one of the Naga Royals, he embodies the duality of his race... both perilous and divine. The Naga may take human or serpentine form, they are always the guardians of sacred law and hidden treasures. Ashoka’s metamorphosis from tyrant to protector reflects that dual nature... fangs of destruction, yet coils of wisdom."

He let the weight of the words sink in, then turned. "Now, Judge Yu. Yu the Great of Xia, the founder of the Xia Dynasty. Emperor Yu was not merely a ruler, but a mythic force at the very roots of Chinese civilisation. In his time, cataclysmic floods devoured the land. His adoptive father failed to control them and was executed. The burden then fell to Yu."

"Unlike his father, he did not rely on futile barriers. For over a decade he roamed the land, cutting new river channels, dredging waterways, and opening paths for the floods to reach the sea. It was a well-known fact that he passed his own home three times in thirteen years but never entered, so unyielding was his devotion. In the end, he subdued the waters, carved order from chaos, and made the land fit for life and cultivation. During this time, he awakened his dormant dragon bloodline by himself and founded the Xia Dynasty, the first in China’s long dynastic line. Yu is the archetype of the lawgiver... he did not merely write laws, but imposed harmony on the primordial chaos, crafting the foundation upon which civilisation itself could rise."

Solon’s eyes glinted. "As an Eastern Dragon, Judge Yu embodies wisdom and storm. His essence flows with rivers and rain, with storms and lightning. He does not merely command water... he is the embodiment of water, and with it, he is a superpower all over the world."

He continued, "Now, Judge Hammurabi, the King of the Babylonian Empire. Hammurabi is immortalised for crafting one of the oldest and most complete written legal codes in human history, the Code of Hammurabi. Carved into a towering black stone stele for all to see, its 282 laws declared the principle of ’an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.’ Yet it’s true genius was not in vengeance, but in order."

"The law standardised commerce, set wages, established liability, and laid down rules for family, property, and personal conduct. Though harsh by modern sensibilities, its achievement was profound. For the first time, law stood above the ruler. Justice became a public, predictable system... visible, knowable, and applicable to all within the empire. It was civilisation learning to codify itself."

Solon’s tone grew weightier. "As a Werehyena, Hammurabi embodied the primal enforcer. His code was not a suggestion, but a command... unyielding, seemingly brutal, and uncompromising. Yet, it was effective at that socio-economic context. His presence on this council is the reminder that law, at its heart, must have teeth."

He paused, letting the silence thicken, before speaking again. "And finally, Judge Lycurgus, the legendary lawgiver of Sparta. Whether man or myth, his name endures as the architect of Sparta’s iron society. He is said to have drafted the Great Rhetra, the constitution that forged an entire civilisation into a weapon. He created the council of elders to check the kings, assembled the citizens to give voice to the state, and instituted the agōgē... that relentless education and training system which shaped every Spartan into a soldier first and foremost."

"His most radical act was the redistribution of land into equal shares, and the banning of gold and silver coinage, crushing greed and dissolving class division. His laws elevated austerity, discipline, and the absolute submission of the individual to the collective. Lycurgus is the embodiment of law as iron will... unyielding, harsh, and utterly effective in shaping society for survival."

Solon’s gaze swept the room, sharp as a spearhead. "As a Werewolf, and commander of mighty Spartan warriors, Lycurgus was more than a battle-leader. He carried the pack’s instinct into politics... fierce, disciplined, and bound by loyalty. In our circle of Judges, his presence balances strong will and reason, strength and structure."

Solon paused for a moment, his gaze sweeping across the silent lecture hall. Then he said, "I have told you about the Judges because they will be very real in your lives once you pass this academy term. When you decide to join the SRUs, or when you are called upon to collaborate with them, you will find yourselves working under the authority of the Judges and the Enforcers. Now that you know who we are, and as you begin to study the many aspects of the Supernatural Act, there remains but one task after graduation... to know your local SRU. But that is a matter for later in the term."

He allowed the weight of his words to settle, then continued, "The Supernatural Act is the bedrock upon which the fragile peace between mortals and the supernatural world is built. Established by the Supernatural Council, it stands as the supreme legal framework, granting jurisdiction over supernatural affairs to national governments. Its most vital function is the enforcement of the Veil... a strict mandate of secrecy that prevents mass panic among humans, while at the same time protecting supernaturals from persecution."

"The Act defines supernatural crimes, outlines rights for all beings, and sets unyielding boundaries on the use of powers. It is the sole source of authority for the SRUs, legitimising their operations and empowering them to investigate, detain, and, when necessary, enforce. Within its clauses lies the protocol for escalation... the formal procedure by which teams may summon the Enforcers when a threat exceeds their ability to contain it. In this way, every action is anchored within a unified, global law."

He continued, "Without this Act, the delicate balance we have fought so hard to achieve would collapse... into chaos, into bloodshed, into war."

The lecture continued, and the cadets sat utterly absorbed, listening to every word spoken by Supreme Judge Solon.