"This Trial Shall End Today , With One Side Reaching The Conclusion Of Their Story." The words coming from the voice of the Pillar of Conclusion was all it took to make everyone realize , lives were now at stake.
The courtroom was silent. Not the Silence of Order—The Silence of Imposition , every person could feel it this time , Especially those that have witnessed what happened when the 3 Pillars made a statement.
Cael Lucian was standing in the defendant box , his eyes were calmed even as his hands were cuffed.
The lead Prosecutor rose , his mouth opened—And what came out wasn't the carefully crafted accusation they had prepared. It was the Truth.
"His influence scares me , A Remnant could climb so high in our ranks undetected , if one could it means more will come , We'll lose control , It must not happen"
The Prosecutor's face paled , those weren't the words he planned on saying , as the Grey fog surrounding the entire place seemed to pulse slightly like it was alive.
This is indeed cruel , that is a fact , but when human justice fails what does one rely on? In real life there's nothing… But here at the very least there exist powerful Remnants , those with powers similar to Judges.
Whether it be Anubis from Ancient Egypt , or Themis the Greek Goddess personification of Justice , divine order , law and custom . Of course these higher ups had dismissed them as "Uncontrollable Variables."
But the Pillars? They've read reports on what their mere words can do , but truth to be told a saying that most humans would know is "Seeing is Believing" which unfortunately for them they never saw.
Not Directly.
"If we Die then the human race will—" One of them tried to speak up
"Question our resolve." Said the Pillar of Conclusion , it was confusing in a way? Saying that with no other explanation , yet after that she stayed silent , waiting as the trial continued.
"Thus I speak , as the Father of Kiana and Klein , Husband of Alena and once known as the God of Contracts in Teyvat , I shall act as a judge that favors none."
Aldric spoke , his words were the truth as Klein's words also bind him , the battlefield had changed , to be exact , it was no longer one that could be bribed nor manipulated.
"Cael Lucian do you have anything to say"
"…" yet Cael Lucian stayed silent , his face obscured , one could not see his expression as he remained silent , not even bothering to defend himself , perhaps in the eyes of some this was arrogance , which was what the directors saw.
"Are we allowed to act as a lawyer?" Reana asked , her silver eyes glinted with an unconcealable rage yet it was managed well , like a coca cola bottle witt mentos waiting to be unleashed.
"Wait- according to—" One of the directors said frantically trying to deny yet
"Silence." The Pillar of Conclusion's voice echoed once more though currently in her Void form , why not Flamescion you asked? It was only reserved for those worthy enough , the same could be said for Finality.
"If he loses , what are you prepared to sacrifice?" The Pillar of Deviation asked his tone gentleman like , one could not tell what he was thinking as Grey fog concealed his facial expressions
Clack*
It was a cartridge , Honkai Star Rail fans would know that this was basically the canon silver wolf's full power as an emanator of elation , unfortunately many did not understand what it meant except 2 beings in this room.
"Heh—I see. You may , and the others?" The Pillar of Conclusion gave a slight smirk ,
"That is?" asked Aldric as if trying to understand the said cartridge's value , not even any member of Task Force X knew well except our one and only researcher friend.
"When used , she'd have the power equivalent or similar to Acheron" Cael Lucian finally spoke as the room went silent , everybody knew the only sane Vestige known as Acheron , and to think their friendly gacha addicted Hacker Girl—
"THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS , ACCORDING TO ARTI—MHPMH?" As the directors tried to speak the truth , using their laws to condemn Reana, suddenly they couldn't talk. It was as if they had their intelligence forcefully lowered.
"To stake such an important item , I the Pillar of Deviation commend you , you may choose one person to act as a defendant , the others will only be witnesses."
Step Step
"Very well. Hiromi Higuruma and Reana the both of you shall act as the defendant's lawyer."
"Honorable Pillar of Deviation , you are favoring the Remnants far too much , according to arti—"
"No Laws shall be used , only the cold harsh truth and logic" Aldric said calmly , as if telling both sides , if you wish to survive then no loopholes shall be allowed , using only logic to beat your adversary.
In a way it was both an advantage and disadvantage for the Humans , no articles or laws mean no loopholes to exploit , however humans are always great at adapting unfortunately , these 'Remnants' are also 'Humans'
Aldric rose as his amber eyes swept across the courtrooms—The Directors while pale still stood tall , was this a last stand or were they confident in winning in this battle of logic.
Members of each Faculty or Faction could also be seen as some cowered or avoided his gaze while others stared right through him , and finally his gaze returned to Cael Lucian , still looking calm after everything.
The lead prosecutor stood shakily. His earlier involuntary confession still hung in the air like smoke. But he had no choice now—the grey fog pulsed, and his mouth opened.
"Cael Lucian… is a Remnant." The words came out steady, but his eyes betrayed him.
"He hid this fact. He rose through The Silentium's ranks undetected, gaining access to classified information, strategic resources, and the trust of this organization—all while concealing his true nature. This is a breach of the most fundamental trust between an organization and its members."
He paused, as if hoping someone would stop him. No one did , as he seemed to gain more confidence
"If a Remnant can ascend to the position of Director without disclosure, then our system is compromised. That itself is dangerous. Therefore, regardless of his intentions, Cael Lucian's concealment of his identity constitutes a threat." He sat down. His colleagues avoided his eyes.
Higuruma Hiromi stepped forward. His expression was calm, his voice measured—the voice of a man who had spent his life in courtrooms, seeking truth in a world that often preferred lies.
"The prosecution's argument rests on a single premise: that concealment of Remnant status is inherently a threat. Let us examine this logically."
He turned to face the directors.
"First: was Cael Lucian's concealment active or passive? Did he fabricate a false identity, or did he simply not disclose a truth that no one asked? The record shows he never claimed to be a Remnant—nor did he claim to be fully human."
"He simply… existed. No one inquired. No protocol required disclosure at the time of his recruitment. Is silence a crime?"
A murmur rippled through the room.
"Second: did his Remnant status cause harm? The prosecution has offered no evidence that Cael Lucian used his power—the 'Blessing of Wisdom,' three questions per day—to harm anyone in this organization. On the contrary."
He gestured toward Task Force X.
"The witnesses here will testify that he used it to save lives. To prevent containment breaches. To protect comrades. If his power caused no harm, where is the crime?" "Third." His voice hardened.
"The prosecution's true argument is not about Cael Lucian. It is about fear. They fear the precedent. They fear losing control. They admitted this themselves, under the Pillar of Deviation's binding.The truth is already spoken."
"Fear is not evidence. Fear is not logic."
He inclined his head toward Aldric. "The defense rests its opening."
Another director rose—an older man, his face lined with decades of bureaucratic instinct
"You speak of harm as if it must be immediate and visible to be real," he said, his voice raw with enforced honesty.
"But the harm we speak of is structural. If Remnants can hide among us, then every security protocol is compromised. Every background check is meaningless. Trust—the very foundation of this organization—erodes."
"Cael Lucian may be a good man , but does that mean every remnant will be like him?" He turned to Aldric.
"A Remnant Director, appointed without disclosure, makes decisions that affect thousands. What if the next Remnant who conceals themselves is not as benevolent? What if they use their position to sabotage, to spy, to destroy?"
"Cael Lucian's case cannot be judged in isolation. It must be judged using logic without exceptions" The man said as he finally sat down again.
Reana stepped forward. Her silver eyes blazed, but her voice controlled
"Speak" Aldric's aged voice echoed as Reana started her speech
"They ask: what if the next concealed Remnant is malevolent? I ask in return: what if we punish the benevolent ones? What message does that send to every Remnant who has served this organization loyally?"
She gestured at Mira, at Sorya, at herself, at the other Remnants in Task Force X.
"We are Remnants. Whether we came here willingly or unwillingly we have served. We have bled. We have saved countless lives. If Cael Lucian is punished for not disclosing, what does that tell us?" Her voice while calm was filled with emotions
"That our service matters less than our paperwork? That our loyalty is measured not by our actions, but by our willingness to register ourselves like assets in a database? Tools to be used? Lower Life forms? Or perhaps even slaves?"
Her voice rose, just slightly.
"The prosecution says they fear the precedent. I say their fear is the threat. A system that punishes loyalty breeds disloyalty. A system that treats Remnants as dangers to be managed rather than allies to be trusted will find itself without allies."
"That is not speculation. That is logic."
She met the older director's eyes.
"You said good men do not set good precedents. I say good men make the best precedents. Because they prove that the system can work. That Remnants can be trusted. That we are not our powers—we are our choices."
She turned to Aldric. "The defense rests."
Silence , it was silence, complete silence , only the slight pulsing of the grey fog continued for a while and after a long time Aldric finally spoke .
"I have heard the arguments. The prosecution's case rests on fear of precedent. The defense's case rests on the principle that actions, not identities, determine guilt."
He turned to the directors.
"Your fear is real. I do not dismiss it. But fear is not a verdict. You have failed to demonstrate that Cael Lucian's concealment caused harm. You have failed to demonstrate malicious intent. You have failed to demonstrate that the precedent of punishing him would produce a better outcome than the precedent of judging him by his actions—However."
"I have said before that I will only act as a judge that favors none , the final choice however remains with the masses. Everything that has been said here was broadcasted. To every single living being Humans or Remnants alike without fail without censorship"
"We only ensured a fair fight. The choice is theirs." He said before closing his eyes as holographic screens appeared before everyone's eyes , from it they saw how their voices were altered and their faces were blurred ensuring privacy.
It was in a way a fair trial without any blackmail without any loopholes, only cold hard logic , and thus a timer was seen , 5 minutes to vote.
And 5 minutes later the results were clear.
Combined Results :
Directors Side 39.22% (Remnants)Task Force X Side 60.78% ( Remnants)
Humans Results :
Directors Side 49% Task Force X Side 51%
Remnants Results :
Directors Side 0.1% Task Force X 99.9%
"Why-?" That was all Cael Lucian could mutter.
[For those confused at this moment the population ratio between Humans and Remnants is 8 : 2 as there are still far more humans than remnants.]