Demons of the Past

Chapter 3:

Sentence


There was a recess while the Celestial Council decided on a verdict. Leo was back in his cell but Capricorn had gotten permission to have it unlocked so they could go in and be with him. Aries sat on the bench with him and put her arm around him for support and comfort.

"What's with that lawyer? It's like she's a vulture circling a dying animal," said Gray.

"That's because she is. Her name's Veronica the Vulture of Victory. She wins at everything. She's the Victory Spirit but, because she's a bird lady and vicious, she's nicknamed Veronica the Vulture," said Aries "She's never lost at anything!"

"She even managed to beat you in the Miss Spirit World Pageant a while ago," Leo said and she blushed since everyone else didn't know she had entered in the first place.

"Well, she may win at everything but that doesn't mean she wins the way she wants too. She wants to get you on full charges but she'll still win the case even if you're only charged with one crime," said Capricorn "In other words, there's a chance of giving her a hollow victory,"

That made everyone feel a bit better about going up against the Victory Spirit.

"She's also Capricorn's ex-wife and she took everything he had in the divorce," said Leo with a snicker but Capricorn didn't react.


When the trial restarted, everyone took their seats and hoped Leo would only be charged with his father's lesser crimes. Aries was shaking with fear of what would happen to Leo and Lucy put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. A Spirit resembling a fox stood up and looked at the typewriter Spirit to read the verdict.

"As members of the Celestial Council, we find Leo the Lion undeserving of being punished for his father's war crimes and treason against the crown," the fox read.

Everyone signed in relief as he was let off the hook for the worst of it. However, there was still the matter of the rest of the charges. But, it was up to the Celestial Spirit King to decide on his punishment. Said Spirit sat up in his seat and looked down at Leo.

"Leo the Lion, you are charged with your father's crimes due to the Hereditario Scelera act but it is obvious you are undeserving of his punishment," he said as Leo waited for the sentence to be declared "I hereby enact the *Poenitentia law meaning you have a day to bring in your father to face trial or be punished yourself,"

Leo looked mortified. He didn't know where his father was! He hadn't seen him in years! How was he supposed to track him down in one day?

"That's a day in Spirit World time, right? As in three months in Earthland?" he quickly asked.

The Celestial Spirit King nodded and everyone sighed in the relief of having more time. Aries was terrified at the thought of finding Leo's father. She had always been scared of him but she was still certainly going to help Leo with finding Claec the Lion.


*Poenitentia: Latin for "Repentance" according to Google Translate.