CHAPTER 22: THE INQUISITOR’S VERDICT

Dawn broke cold over Thornwick. Raze stood at the warehouse window, watching the city transform. Royal banners hung from every building. Guards in ceremonial armor lined the streets. The capital’s authority had arrived overnight, remaking the city in its image.

Behind him, his team prepared in silence. Kael organized documents with shaking hands. Mariabel adjusted her formal dress for the third time. Aslan sat motionless, silver eyes reflecting lamplight.

"She’ll know," Kael said quietly. "Everything. My unauthorized treatments. The black market materials. All of it."

"She’ll know we saved forty three children," Raze countered. "That has to matter."

"Does it?" Mariabel’s flames flickered nervously on her fingertips. "We broke laws. Destroyed property. Killed people. Even if they deserved it."

The door opened.

Crack.

Sophie burst through, Mary following apologetically. The little girl’s face was determined despite the early hour.

"I know you have the important meeting today." Sophie rushed to Raze. "So I made you this."

She held out a bracelet. Woven from colored thread. Clumsy knots. Obviously handmade. The kind of gift that meant everything because it cost nothing but time and love.

"For good luck. Miss Helen helped but I did most of it myself." Sophie tied it around his wrist. Her hands were gentle. Careful. "You always come back, right big brother?"

The question hit harder than any blade. Raze knelt, meeting her eyes at level.

"I always try my hardest to come back."

"That’s not the same."

"No. It’s not." He couldn’t lie to her. Wouldn’t. "But it’s the best promise I can make."

Sophie hugged him. Fierce. Desperate. Ten years old and already understanding the world wasn’t fair. That promises could break. That people left and didn’t return.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too."

Mary led her away. Sophie waved until the door closed. The bracelet felt heavy on Raze’s wrist.

"She doesn’t know you’re leaving after this," Aslan observed.

"No. I’ll tell her. When the judgment is done. When I know I’m still alive to leave."

Through the window, a figure stood on a distant rooftop. Divine light subdued but unmistakable. Alex Dawnsblade. Watching. Waiting.

"The Chosen is here," Mariabel noted.

"Of course he is. Divine witness. The Goddess probably told him to observe." Raze checked his weapons one final time. Azure Edge sheathed at his side. The blade felt cold. Ready. "Let’s go face judgment."

The streets were packed. Citizens lined the route to Magnus’s manor. Some cheered. Others whispered nervously. The Four Stars walked between hope and fear.

Guards parted before them. The manor’s gates opened. Inside, the receiving hall had transformed into a proper court. Rows of seats. An elevated platform. The trappings of authority made manifest.

Lord Magnus stood to one side. Official but subdued. This wasn’t his show anymore.

Elena was barely visible. Shadows in corners. Ready but restricted. Night Wardens couldn’t interfere with Royal Inquisitors. Politics. But she’d be watching.

Alex stood near the front. Divine light casting soft illumination. His presence drew eyes. Made people feel safer. Holier.

Then she arrived.

Whoooosh.

The doors opened. A carriage of pure white rolled through. Not pulled by horses. Pulled by mana constructs shaped like celestial steeds. Their forms shifting. Translucent. Beautiful and wrong.

The pressure came first. Before anyone saw her. The Judgment Authority manifesting as weight. As certainty. As absolute conviction made real.

High Inquisitor Lyanna Ashford descended from the carriage.

She looked like judgment personified. Mid forties. Silver hair pulled back severely. Violet eyes that didn’t just see. They pierced. Understood. Knew.

Her robes were white and gold. The royal crest prominent. Her presence commanded silence without words.

Raze’s Inspect activated involuntarily.

Ding.

[Royal Inquisitor]

Name: Lyanna Ashford

Age: 44

Rank: Master (Mid)

Core: Crystalline (Mid)

Authority: Judgment (Divine)

Strength: B

Agility: C

Endurance: A

Mana: S

Will: S

Perception: S

Skills:

[Truth Sight S]

[Soul Reading A]

[Divine Execution S]

[Absolute Verdict A]

[Mana Suppression B]

Status: Clinical, Determined, Impartial

Master Mid. Three ranks above Viktor. S rank in Mana, Will, and Perception. Divine Execution at S rank.

She could kill them with a thought. Literally. Her Authority allowed execution of the guilty without trial. She was judge, jury, and executioner compressed into one person.

"Thornwick’s Four Stars." Her voice was controlled. Neither warm nor cold. Clinical. "You stand accused of unauthorized enforcement. Destruction of property. Multiple homicides. Operating outside legal authority." She ascended to the platform. Sat. Her violet eyes swept over them. "How do you plead?"

Silence stretched. Then Raze stepped forward.

"Guilty of the actions. Not guilty of the crimes."

Lyanna’s eyebrow raised. "Explain."

"We acted without authorization because authorization would have been too slow. We destroyed property that was being used for evil. We killed people who were murdering children. We operated outside legal authority because legal authority had been corrupted." His voice was steady. "The actions are facts. Whether they’re crimes depends on context."

"Context." Lyanna’s expression didn’t change. "Let me provide context then. My Authority allows me to sense deception. Lying in my presence causes physical pain. Attempting to hide truth triggers my perception. You cannot deceive me. You cannot obscure. You will answer every question completely and honestly or suffer consequences. Understood?"

Four nods.

"Good. We begin with you." She gestured to Kael. "The alchemist. You created an unauthorized cure for Black Cough. Used black market materials. Administered treatment without proper licensing. Explain your actions."

Kael swallowed. Stepped forward. His hands clenched.

"The Healing Hall was charging fifty gold for a cure that cost fifteen to produce. Families were watching children die because they couldn’t afford treatment. I had the knowledge to create an alternative. Not as refined. Not as tested. But effective." His voice grew stronger. "I tested it on animals first. Rats. Rabbits. Seventy percent success rate. Then on one human volunteer with full informed consent. It worked. So I scaled production."

"The volunteer being Sophie Dragonheart. A ten year old child."

"A ten year old child whose brother gave consent on her behalf. Who would have died without intervention."

"And the black market materials?"

"Sourced through legitimate dealers operating in gray areas. Nothing stolen. Nothing illegal. Just unregulated." Kael met her eyes. "I broke licensing laws. I don’t deny it. But those laws were being used to maintain a profitable monopoly while children died."

Lyanna’s expression remained neutral. But something flickered in her violet eyes. Recognition? Approval?

She turned to Mariabel. "Lady Valtee. You infiltrated Duke Valdris’s estate. Stole documents. Destroyed property. Justify these actions."

Mariabel straightened. Her flames flickered briefly before she suppressed them. Noble training evident.

"The Duke was trafficking Old Kingdom artifacts. Authority amplification devices. I understand the danger those represent better than most." Her voice was controlled. "We were asked by a Night Warden to gather evidence. We did so. The destruction was necessary to escape when discovered."

"You have an Authority." She asked sensing Mariabel was different. "At twenty two years old. Rare. Very rare." Lyanna’s perception focused intensely.

"Yes. Three months ago. Spontaneous awakening during emotional stress."

"And you immediately joined vigilantes rather than reporting to proper authorities for training?"

"I joined people who were saving lives while proper authorities did nothing." Mariabel’s flames grew larger. Her control slipping. "The Healing Hall was corrupt. The city guard was infiltrated. The nobles were complicit. Where exactly should I have reported?"

Lyanna’s lips curved. Not quite a smile. But close. "Truth acknowledged. Sit."

She turned to Aslan. Her perception intensified. Violet eyes seeing something others couldn’t.

"You’re different. Fundamentally different. Your core structure is wrong. Modified. Enhanced." Her voice dropped. "You’re not human."

Gasps from the assembled crowd. The word spreading. Horror. Fear.

"An experiment. The children. Five hundred subjects. All confirmed dead." Lyanna stood. Descended from the platform. Approached Aslan directly. "Yet here you are. How many others survived?"

Aslan’s silver eyes met hers. No fear. Just resignation.

"Just me. As far as I know."

"The reports said the Mercury in your veins cause you to enter berserker states. Becoming a mindless killers. An uncontrollable weapons." She circled him slowly. Evaluating. "Yet you sit here. Conscious. Restrained. Choosing not to transform despite clear stress."

"I’ve learned some control. Not perfect. But improving."

"You killed Viktor Ashborne. A Master rank cultivator. How?"

"Full transformation. One hundred percent. I lose consciousness completely at that level. Become pure instinct." His hands clenched. "I remember everything after. Every broken bone. Every scream. It’s worse than dying."

"Yet you did it anyway."

"Children were dying. Viktor was preventing the cure. I did what was necessary even knowing what it would cost me."

Lyanna stopped in front of him. Her perception boring into his soul.

"A weapon choosing not to kill when it could. Remarkable restraint." She returned to the platform. "The Mercurian experiments were atrocities. Their subjects were victims. You included. That colors my judgment significantly."

She focused on Raze last. The longest examination. Her perception peeling back layers.

"You. The tactician. The leader. Everything traces back to your decisions." Her voice was sharp. Clinical. "Viktor Ashborne’s death. The Syndicate operation. The cure development. The noble infiltration. You planned everything. Directed everything. You carry the greatest responsibility."

Raze stepped forward. Met her eyes directly.

"Yes."

"Why? What drove you to such extreme actions without seeking proper authority?"

"Authority was the problem. The Healing Hall was corrupt. The guard was infiltrated. The nobles were complicit. Going through proper channels meant children dying while bureaucrats investigated." He didn’t look away. "I had the knowledge to save them. I had people willing to help. We acted because no one else would."

"Knowledge. Interesting word choice." Lyanna’s perception intensified. "Your tactical planning is exceptional. Far beyond normal for your age. Your understanding of cultivation theory is comprehensive. Your ability to coordinate diverse abilities suggests extensive experience you shouldn’t have."

Raze’s blood ran cold. She was circling something. Getting closer to the truth he couldn’t reveal.

"I read extensively. Study combat theory. Learn from observation."

"Truth. But incomplete truth." Her eyes narrowed. "You’re hiding something fundamental. Not about your actions here. About yourself. Your origin. But..." She paused. "Interestingly, it doesn’t feel malicious. Just... private. A secret kept for personal reasons rather than criminal intent."

She couldn’t see everything. His reincarnation remained hidden. Thank the gods for small mercies.

"My past is complicated. My present actions speak for themselves."

"Indeed they do." Lyanna returned to her seat. "Chosen Dawnsblade. You were present during the aftermath. Witnessed the healed children. Please testify."

Alex stepped forward. His divine light grew brighter. Filling the room with warmth.

"I arrived in Thornwick expecting crisis. The Goddess guided me here for urgent need. But when I arrived..." He paused. "The crisis was resolved. Forty three children who should have been dying were healthy. Laughing. Playing. The corruption poisoning the district was eliminated. A Master rank criminal was dead."

"And your assessment of those responsible?"

"Confused." Alex’s honesty was disarming. "The Goddess doesn’t guide me to completed quests. She sends me where I’m needed. Yet I was sent here after everything was already handled." He looked at the Four Stars. "Which suggests their actions were righteous. Divinely approved, even. Otherwise why would She confirm their work by sending me to witness it?"

Lyanna absorbed this. Her expression thoughtful.

"Divine guidance supporting vigilante justice. The irony is not lost on me." She stood. "I require a moment to deliberate."

She descended from the platform. Walked to a private chamber. The doors closed.

Silence fell. Oppressive. Uncertain.

Magnus approached quietly. "That went better than expected. She’s actually considering your justifications."

"Or she’s deciding which execution method to use," Kael muttered.

"Have faith. Truth is your strongest defense."

Twenty minutes passed like hours. Finally the doors opened.

Lyanna returned to the platform. Her expression was neutral. Unreadable.

"I have reached my verdict."

The room held its breath.

"The Four Stars are guilty of unauthorized enforcement. Guilty of destruction of noble property. Guilty of multiple homicides during combat operations." Her voice carried absolute authority. "These are facts. The actions occurred. The laws were broken."

Raze felt his stomach drop.

"However." That single word changed everything. "The circumstances were extraordinary. The corruption was pervasive. The threat was immediate. The victims were children who would have died without intervention."

She stood. Her presence filling the room.

"Guilt without malice. Actions justified by extreme necessity. Results that saved forty three innocent lives and exposed systematic corruption reaching the highest levels."

Her Authority manifested. Judgment made real. The pressure was crushing.

"My verdict: Justified. All charges dismissed. Official recognition as Thornwick’s protectors maintained without restriction."

Relief crashed through the room. Gasps. Cheers. Someone sobbed.

"However." Lyanna’s voice cut through celebration. "You four are dangerously competent. Your methods work but risk catastrophic failure. Therefore I impose one condition: Major operations must be reported to Lord Magnus beforehand. Not for permission. For coordination. For backup if needed."

She descended. Approached them directly.

"You’re far too dangerous to operate completely unchecked. But you’re also far too effective to restrict. This is my compromise. Accept it or I reconsider my verdict."

"Accepted," Raze said immediately. The others nodded agreement.

"Good." She turned to Magnus. "Duke Valdris. The documents provided by anonymous sources prove conspiracy to traffic forbidden artifacts. Multiple counts. I’m issuing arrest warrants immediately."

"The Duke has fled," Magnus reported. "Left the city three days ago. Destination unknown."

"Then he’s a fugitive. I’ll coordinate with other Inquisitors. He’ll be found." Lyanna’s expression hardened. "No one escapes Judgment forever."

She prepared to leave. But paused at the door.

"You four. You’ve changed something fundamental here. The natural flow of events. Divine guidance disrupted. Destiny altered." Her violet eyes were distant. Seeing something beyond. "I don’t know if that’s good or ill. But consequences will come. Be ready."

She departed. The celestial carriage rolled away. The pressure faded.

The crowd erupted. Celebration. Relief. The Four Stars were vindicated. Officially.

But Raze barely heard it. His mind was on Lyanna’s final words. Consequences will come.

He already knew that. Had known from the moment he started swallowing the plot.

The question was: Could he survive what came next?

---

The next morning arrived with frantic preparation. They had Magnus’s blessing. Travel documents. Letters of introduction to the capital.

Mary packed supplies with shaking hands. Her eyes were red. She’d been crying.

"You’ll write. Promise me you’ll write."

"Every week," Raze assured her. "And we’ll return. This isn’t forever."

"It never is. Until it is." She pressed a package into his hands. "Food for the road. And this." A small pouch of coins. "It’s not much but it’s yours."

"Mary, I can’t..."

"You can and you will. You saved Sophie. You saved this entire district. This is nothing compared to that debt."

Sophie hadn’t been told yet. She was at the Healing Hall. Playing with other children. Unaware her brother was leaving.

That conversation would come later. Would hurt. But necessary.

The base was secured. Trapped with alchemical wards. Protected by Magnus’s guards. Their sanctuary would wait for their return.

Elena appeared one final time. Materialized from shadows in their warehouse.

"Leaving already? The capital is dangerous. More dangerous than Thornwick."

"We know. But we need what it offers. Power. Resources. Training."

She produced four cloaks. Dark fabric woven with shadow essence. Her Authority made physical.

"These will help. Minor stealth enchantment. Won’t make you invisible but will help you go unnoticed when needed." She handed them over. "The capital is politics and power. Every street corner is a potential trap. Watch each other’s backs."

"We will."

"And Raze." She met his eyes. "The favor is paid. But if you need help in the capital, send word. I have contacts there. Not as much influence but some."

"Thank you."

"Don’t thank me. Just survive. I’ve invested too much in you four to have you die stupidly."

She vanished. Shadows swallowing her completely.

Alex arrived as they loaded the hired cart. His divine light was subdued. His expression troubled.

"You’re leaving."

"For a time. Training. Growth. We’ll return stronger."

"The Goddess is confused about you. Her guidance falters when it concerns the Four Stars." His eyes searched Raze’s face. "You’ve changed something. Disrupted destiny somehow. I don’t understand it."

"Neither do we."

"But I know this: We’ll meet again. The Goddess assures me of it. Our paths are intertwined." He extended his hand. "Try not to die before then. The kingdom needs people who fight for others."

They shook. Two young men. Both powerful. Both uncertain. Both shaped by forces they didn’t fully understand.

Alex left. His divine light fading into the city.

The cart was loaded. Supplies secured. The team climbed aboard.

Creak creak creak.

The wheels turned. Thornwick began to recede behind them.

Raze looked back once. Saw the city they’d saved. The people they’d protected. The life they were leaving.

But forward was the capital. Was growth. Was preparation for what came next.

The road was long. Four days by cart. The landscape shifted from urban to rural. Fields. Forests. Small villages.

Kael spread research notes across every available surface. Planning. Calculating. Making lists of materials to acquire.

"Phoenix Marrow. Essence crystals. Cultivation manuals. The capital has everything."

Mariabel practiced flame control. Tiny fires dancing between her fingers. Shaping them. Controlling them. Her Authority growing more refined with each attempt.

Aslan read advanced cultivation theory. Books borrowed from Magnus’s personal library. His silver eyes tracking text rapidly. Absorbing knowledge like water.

Raze sat at the front. Watching the road. Thinking.

The capital. Finally. Three objectives burning in his mind.

First: The Temple of Light.

Temples possessed the highest concentration of pure mana. Natural cultivation accelerators. In the game, players used them constantly. Two gold per two hour session. Painful. The mana flooded your system faster than normal cultivation. But it worked.

He needed to reach Blooming Peak. The metaphor came back clearly.

A core was a container. Start as a cup. Small. Limited. Fill it completely and you hit Peak rank. Then advancement meant forcing the container to expand. Cup to jug. Jug to barrel. Barrel to cistern. Each expansion larger. More violent.

Because it wasn’t gentle. It was catastrophic.

Every cell flooded with mana simultaneously. Pathways screamed. The body rebelled. Rush it and the container cracked. Permanent damage. Death.

His reconstructed core gave him advantage. Pristine pathways. Optimized channels. But still dangerous. Still agonizing.

Temple sessions would accelerate the process safely. Force his cup to fill completely. Prepare him for the violent expansion to Adept rank.

Second: Oziel Radcliffe.

The name echoed in Raze’s mind. The Gallant Failed Knight. History said he failed. Let his lord die. Was disgraced. Exiled from the royal guard.

But Raze knew better. Knew the truth hidden in late game lore. Secret conversations with NPCs who remembered. Forgotten documents in abandoned libraries.

Oziel hadn’t failed. He’d been betrayed. Set up by rivals who wanted him gone. His lord’s death wasn’t his fault. But he took the blame anyway. Accepted disgrace rather than expose the conspiracy.

And in his shame, he’d refined his swordsmanship to absolute perfection. Master rank technique. Possibly approaching Saint rank. In the game’s future timeline, he became the Strongest Knight across all twelve nations. Even trained Alex eventually.

But that was years from now. Currently, Oziel was just a disgraced failure drinking himself to death in capital taverns.

If Raze found him now. Before fame. Before redemption. Before anyone else recognized his potential.

He could learn. Actually learn proper swordsmanship. Not just survive through skills and stats. Not just rely on movement techniques and enhanced perception. Truly master the blade.

Third: The Academy.

He didn’t speak this objective aloud. Not yet. The team didn’t know. Wouldn’t understand.

But Elmbridge Academy. Where the real story began. Where legendary cultivators were forged. Where the plot accelerated beyond anything Thornwick offered.

Enrolling meant positioning himself at the center of everything. Meeting crucial characters. Gathering resources. Being exactly where he needed to be when events cascaded.

But that was months away. First, survival. Growth. Preparation.

"Lodging arrangements?" Kael’s voice broke his thoughts. "We’ll need somewhere to stay. Preferably not too expensive."

"There’s an inn district. Reasonable prices. We’ll start there."

"What about training facilities?"

"Temple for me. Various dojos for sword work. You’ll have the Alchemist Quarter for materials. Mariabel can access noble training grounds with her family name."

"And me?" Aslan asked quietly.

"Private training. Away from crowds. I know places. Abandoned warehouses. Underground chambers. Spots where you can push limits without exposure."

The cart rolled on. Trees gave way to farmland. Farmland to suburbs. The capital’s sprawl extending miles beyond its walls.

Then, fourth day, sunset.

The walls appeared.

Massive. Stone that gleamed white in dying light. Fifty feet high. Ten feet thick. Enchanted with defensive wards that made the air shimmer.

The city beyond was vast. Thornwick could fit inside twenty times over. Spires reached toward clouds. The Temple of Light’s dome glowed with captured divine radiance. Visible from miles away.

The team’s reactions varied.

Kael leaned forward. Eyes wide. "So many resources. So much knowledge. I could spend years here and never see everything."

Mariabel’s expression was complex. Nostalgic. "Used to visit with family. Before the disgrace. Before everything fell apart." Her flames flickered. "It’s strange being back."

Aslan shrank into his cloak. "Too many people. Too many potential triggers. How am I supposed to maintain control in that?"

Raze’s gaze swept the sprawling metropolis. Somewhere in those streets, Oziel was drinking. The Temple waited with its painful acceleration. The Academy loomed in the future like a storm cloud.

"The capital. Where real cultivators are made." His voice was quiet. Determined. "Where the weak become strong or die trying."

The cart approached the gates. Guards checked documents. Waved them through.

Clop clop clop.

Horse hooves on stone streets. The capital swallowing them. A million people. Endless opportunity. Infinite danger.

Raze touched Sophie’s bracelet on his wrist. Felt the rough thread. The clumsy knots. The love woven into every fiber.

He’d promised to come back. To be stronger. To survive.

The capital would either forge him into something capable of that promise.

Or break him trying.

The gates closed behind them with finality.

Clang.

No turning back now.

Only forward. Into growth. Into power. Into whatever destiny awaited in this sprawling monument to human ambition.

Raze Dragonheart had swallowed the plot in Thornwick.

Now he’d learn if he could digest what the capital offered.

Or choke on it.