The Virtues' Magecraft

Page 62: More Ordeals

Alexander's knees buckled under the weight of his relief, leaving his already dirtied clothes to crash into the steel platform beneath him. Noise itself emanated from his shackles, whirs and twists, the clicking of gears all rang out, before a pop and a hiss was heard, before his chains and cuffs slipped off his hands and wrists and fell to the floor, clattering onto the metal.

He was free.

Free from those shackles, and free from fear.

The jury as a whole continued to spew out jeers and sneers at the Demon-Born, at the prosecutor, the judge, at the court itself, just as the public did. Still, in between the rows and rows of civilians and their shouting, Alexander's family and friends cheered and hollered in joy.

Well, some of them. Liam only smiled and pumped his fist, while the scattered Paladins already made their way to leave the courtroom.

Alexander spun around to meet the public, his lips still spread apart with his wide smile. His eyes met those of Emilia and Carmen and Anastasia and Gabriel and each of the Virtues, each of his friends and loved ones.

Just a second later, a flash of grey light burst into his light. Magic.

Spatial magic, at that. It transported him out of the room and into the sun. He landed outside, knee first onto the brick pavement and clear sky. His thoughts didn't linger on the magic, turning his focus over to his surroundings in an instant.

What Alexander breathed in was his first breath of fresh air in five days. All he could do was scream, shout out into the empty, cloudless sky from the bottom to the top of his lungs. His fists were clenched, his dirty nails digging into his skin.

He understood how putrid his own smell was, how raggedy his own clothes were. His breath, his skin, his hair- All of Alexander was dirtied and rotten. Still... He was a boy overjoyed.

"Congratulations, Demon-Born," Julius Richter called out. He waved with a steel transporter in his hands, before shoving it into his pocket. "It seemed it all worked out for you."

Alexander spun and faced Julius, pushing his foot against the ground and forcing himself back up to stand. The man stood just a dozen feet away from him, still onto the steps to the courthouse.

He began to step down, buttoning his suit jacket. Richter didn't have time to complete such a menial action inside, turning all his focus and transporting himself and the Demon-Born.

The boy was freed, and so, his actions didn't matter. Or rather, his location didn't. Ichter simply took the liberties upon himself.

"Charles Archibald is the man responsible for this," Richter spat out, a sigh leaving his lisp all the while as he faced Alexander and the golden sun behind him. "You understand that, don't you?" he asked.

Alexander nodded.

"Listen..." he said.

"...I wanted you to die, Demon-Born. I did what I could to make it happen. It was simply a matter of influence." He paused to himself, silently scratching his chin. "Rather, a matter of fate. Just as I did everything to ensure you were found guilty, Charles Archibald did everything to ensure you were found innocent. Fate pitted me against Charles Archibald. He won, and with him, you were allowed to live. That was all."

Alexander smiled. He nodded. It didn't matter to him that Richter had just declared his wish for Alexander's death. All he focused on was Archibald. All he thought about was the next time he could see his old friend, shake his hand and hug him in pure gratitude and awe, a man who could overcome the devil's curse.