The Harvest of Souls

CHAPTER 48

VINDOBONA

20.01.8462 - 10:37 AM

The following five days passed slowly. Mila spent several hours trying to access the chip Fernand had given her, but it didn't seem to be compatible with any MC or computer she had tried. As Vaughan slowly regained consciousness, everyone began to develop a feeling of claustrophobia and despair, trapped inside the hotel, as they fruitlessly asked for news of Fernand. They had no idea where Fernand was. He might already be trapped in the Ice Prisons or somewhere in Arkadia or Vindobona for what they known.

On the fourth day after the location of Fernand by the Globapol, Lélia received information that the trial would take place the following day in Vindobona. She immediately called Charlotte demanding permission to go to Vindobona.

Charlotte complied with Lélia's request, but none of the forced guests at the Kotakahuana Palace were allowed to travel with aircraft from Asturias. They could only go to Vindobona with an official transport from Arkadia and accompanied by Rouge agents. The group was transported on an Arkadia Phoenyx Ship and accompanied by six agents, all women dressed in red. The Phoenyx model ship, just like Richard's, was already approaching the territory of Östliche Reich when Mila decided to ask.

"Lélia, I'm sorry, I wanted to ask a question, but if you're not comfortable answering, you don't need to, okay?" Said the girl, all tied up by a series of belts in one of Phoenyx's seats.

Lélia looked around to observe the officers before answering.

"What would it be?"

"How is a trial? I've read about it, but I've never seen one."

Lélia looked deep into the girl's blue eyes.

"Well, basically, you're put in a chair, someone presents the crimes you're being accused of, and then Anjeamons come up to assess whether you're guilty or not. There are usually seven Anjeamons, and it rarely happens... happened a unanimous condemnation."

"What do you mean?" Questioned Scarlet. "Do they vote?"

"Not quite," Lélia spoke. "Anjeamons are different beings: some believe they are superior to us, their powers are different from ours, they can teleport, can access areas of a wizard's mind that even the being is unaware of. I particularly find them a threat to our individuality and free will. Fortunately, they don't like to mix with us, and no one really knows where they live, but they were a very useful tool for us, used hundreds of years ago in judgment. The idea is to make the judgment fairer.

"But I don't understand. Do they say the person is guilty? Do they vote on a wooden box? How it is done?" Mila asked again.

"An Anjeamon has the ability to transform into two different figures. Their natural state is that of an enlightened being, which transmits peace and harmony, but when placed in front of a certain wizard, if these Anjeamons decide to judge him, their form can change, for something more obscure, an evil figure, which makes the whole environment apprehensive," Lélia took a deep breath. "So they don't vote, Scarlet. They go into the depths of an accused's mind and then demonstrate what's in it and decide whether the accused should be convicted or not."

"But there is no unanimity, you said?" Said Mila.

"No, there has never been a trial where the seven Anjeamons agreed to a verdict, whether one Anjeamon assumes an evil form while the others remain in enlightened form or vice-versa. Therefore, the conviction is based on a simple majority. I think it's absurd."

"But how can there not be unanimity? Can't they define whether or not the person committed the crime?" Mário raised his eyebrows.

"Mind you," This time it was Richard who spoke. "They don't read the mind, the thoughts, for them this is fleeting, they access parts that we don't really understand, and we are dual, we have good and bad in us, we take good and sometimes bad attitudes. They believe that Anjeamons can analyze a specific fact. Still, even a specific action can have good intentions and generate a negative result. The Anjeamons reflect all the complexity involved: some can perceive the good within a bad attitude or the bad within a good action, this ends up in a result that is usually around five against two."