~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 40 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Once a lofty phoenix that would only perch upon the finest parasol trees, he now sat disheveled—hair in disarray, dark circles under his eyes—before the Santa Barbara County District Attorney, Andrew Will.
Jack Arden, who should have been the next helmsman of the Arden family, once a privileged heir supported by the family's foundations, had instead scraped together money from various sources—even relying on old family connections—just to afford the trip to the West Coast.
They say a tiger's might lingers even after death. Though the Arden family had recently been besieged from all sides—especially by that ruthless bastard Tony Stark—
Even if those at the core of that elite circle knew that once the attack began, no one would leave the Ardens any chance of recovery,
There were still many outsiders who believed this old-money family, tracing its lineage back to the Mayflower Compact, might one day rise again.
That was why Jack Arden had been able to meet Andrew Will so easily.
The moment he sat down, he demanded, "What progress has been made in the investigation of Henry Brown's murder case?"
Andrew Will sighed helplessly. "No progress. The case simply can't proceed."
"That bastard killed my grandparents! There were so many witnesses!" Exhausted and disheveled, Jack slammed his fist onto the table. Though fallen, the airs of a former young master hadn't diminished in the slightest.
A flicker of displeasure crossed Andrew Will's mind. Still, he stood, closed the office door, and shut the blinds.
Only then did he say, "Mr. Arden, without a body, without a murder weapon stained with blood, witness testimony alone is not enough to build a case.
"If there were surveillance footage capturing everything—from your grandparents being alive, to their murder, to their complete disappearance—we could invoke statutes regarding crimes committed using mutant abilities as supporting evidence.
"Then we could attempt to replicate such abilities to verify the authenticity of the footage, rather than dismiss it as special effects from film or television."
He paused.
"Without footage, no number of witnesses will help. In fact, their testimonies alone are enough to get them committed to a psychiatric institution for life."
Jack growled, "So that's it? We just let this go? Use another body as a substitute, fabricate evidence—I don't care! I just want death certificates for my grandparents!"
So that's what it comes down to—a death certificate, Andrew Will thought.
The Arden family's current predicament stemmed entirely from the "disappearance" of its ruling couple.
Even if family members attempted to forge authorization documents, others would scrutinize them relentlessly. The slightest flaw would result in charges of document fraud.
Under normal circumstances, no one would go to such lengths to verify authenticity. But now, no one would show mercy—not when so much was at stake.
In short: as long as James and Lilith Arden did not appear, no one else's moves would stop.
And that was precisely what the Arden family could not achieve.
With a regretful expression, Andrew Will shook his head. "Mr. Arden, that's impossible. Fabricating evidence carries enormous risk. The moment a third-party forensic agency gets involved, it will be exposed.
"Furthermore, according to Stark Industries' legal investigation, from the moment Henry Brown entered the Montecito estate to the moment he was arrested, there is a complete timeline supported by video evidence.
"If this had happened at a third-party location with unclear circumstances, we might explore the possibility of accomplices. But he was apprehended inside your family estate—there's no possibility of accomplices.
"And without accomplices, he didn't have the time to destroy bodies and eliminate all traces under the watch of multiple bodyguards—not to the extent of leaving no blood evidence whatsoever.
"From every angle, the evidence does not support the claim that your grandparents were murdered. The only reasonable explanation is that they left voluntarily and disappeared from public view."
Jack took several deep breaths, then seemed to steel himself. "I can tell you a family secret. My grandparents were turned by a vampire elder—they became vampires.
"I believe Henry Brown used this opportunity, employing specialized anti-vampire weapons, to kill them. Would that constitute murder?"
Andrew Will shook his head firmly.
Did he not know this possibility? Of course he did. Among all the absurd testimonies, this was the only explanation that made sense.
But it was not one that could be used in court.
"For a murder charge to stand," Andrew Will said, "there must be motive, a weapon, and a victim.
"Without motive, it may be reduced to manslaughter. Without a weapon, we may still infer its existence through supporting evidence.
"But without a victim, there is no case—no matter what.
"No matter where a body is hidden—even if reduced to bones—it must be found. Even if dissolved with chemicals and washed into the sewers, there will still be trace evidence.
"A scientifically verifiable explanation is essential. Claims like 'they became vampires and left no trace upon death' have no place in court. No judge would accept that."
Jack slammed the table again. "But it's the truth!"
Compared to Jack's fury, Andrew Will grew calmer. "Vampires, magic, curses—these are things that belong in bedtime stories.
"If they were to enter the real world—if courts accepted them—do you understand how dangerous that would be?
"Anyone could accuse someone of killing a vampire with silver. No body required. How many people would be imprisoned simply because someone disliked them?
"We wouldn't even be able to verify whether the accused was innocent. No body. No weapon. Just witness testimony—and a guilty verdict.
"In such a system, how could an innocent person defend themselves? And this wouldn't only affect ordinary citizens—what about those of status and influence?"
Jack's anger gave way to helplessness. "So my grandparents just… die for nothing?"
Andrew Will replied, "Unfortunately, this is no longer just about your grandparents.
"There's already internal debate within our system. But no one supports opening this door—granting vampires the same rights and protections as humans.
"And as far as I know, even the vampires themselves oppose it."
Jack looked confused. "Why?"
Andrew Will answered, "Beings who consider themselves more evolved than humans would find it beneath them to be governed by human laws—let alone protected by them. To them, that would be an insult to their dignity.
"Moreover, if they want special legal protection, they must first be legally defined—like the disabled or the mentally ill. They must be registered. Who is and isn't must be clearly identifiable under the law.
"Even mutants haven't achieved that. Do you think creatures that must hide from the sun and operate in the shadows would accept such conditions?
"As for your grandparents—frankly speaking, if they no longer wished to be human, why should they receive the protections meant for humans? Sometimes, you can't have both."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
🎉 Power Stone Goal Announcement! 🎉
I'll release one bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones we hit!"
Let me know what should I do
Your support means everything—let's crush these goals together! Keep voting, and let the stones pile up! 🚀
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~