Chapter Ten: Judge, lest ye be judged
The next morning, as Jacob woke from his sleep and groggily looked around the room, he saw no sign of Esdeath anywhere, and assumed she had already gone to marshal the troops for the long march to the north. Swinging himself out of bed and getting dressed, he looked out the window briefly, thinking about last night and his thought to himself before shaking his head and moving to the door, slipping the mask and cloak over him as he did so. As he swung open the door to the hallway, he was greeted by the large, imposing figure of Daidara standing in the door, nearly taking up his entire field of view. Smiling, the big man clapped him on the back as the two began their walk down the hallways towards the outside, Daidara chuckling to himself.
"That was some fight yesterday, huh? I can't really speak for the others, Nyau especially, but as for me, I just wanted you to know I'll be looking forward to a rematch! I'm sure I'll level up at least twice once I beat you! Haha!"
Surprised by the big man's sudden change of attitude, Jacob paused for a moment before speaking.
"Rematch…..yeah."
Looking at him from the side of his eyes, Daidara frowned.
"Not a talker, are you? That's fine. Anyway, let's head outside, eh? We have a looooong walk ahead of us today…"
Nodding as the two continued down the corridor and stepped out into the crisp morning air, Jacob paused momentarily as he glanced up at the sky, thinking back to his friend Alex, and what had become of him….
"Hey! Get your ass in gear!"
Nodding, he trotted down the hill and caught up with Daidara as the two went to go meet with Esdeath…..
Elsewhere, about a month ago
Watching with blurred vision as he watched Jacob get swept down river and farther into the city, Alex barely had time to feel regret and being separated from his rescuer before he too was swept away, but in contrast to Jacob Alex found himself being swept farther and farther out of the city, finally managing to catch himself on a rock and haul himself out of the river, flopping down on the riverbank as he caught his breath.
"hahh…..hoo….damn…..that was…..close. Where…..am I?"
Struggling to his feet and surveying the area, Alex found himself, by chance or by some strange twist of fate, in the backyard of the cottage he had lived in with his parents before their deaths, and his subsequent imprisonment.
"No way…..back here? It's the last place I wanted to come back to, but while I'm here I suppose I'll go in, see if there's anything left to scrounge up, maybe a place to sleep…."
Ignoring the bruises around his body and the general feeling of pain that seemed to be permeating his body, Alex stumbled across the ground, his clothes dripping water as he finally made it to the back door, where faint white letters could be seen, some clearly aged and worn.
HOUSE FONTAINE
Remembering all the times he had seen those words as a child, he smiled faintly as he pushed the door open, a draft of old dusty air blowing outward to meet him, making him cough as he slowly entered his childhood house, looking over the walls and the floor to see how it had fared. To his dismay, it had not fared well. To him, it seemed as though the house had been looted many, many times, and as he finally locked eyes with the faint outline of blood staining the floorboards of the living room, he found himself very nearly on the verge of weeping as he remembered that night two years ago, when his life had changed forever…..
TWO YEARS EARLIER
Alex heard the front door open as it had many times before, and he grinned with glee as he walked down the stairs and into the living room, entering it as he saw his father by the front door, taking off his suit and tie as he put his hat on the hat stand. Hands in pockets, Alex smiled as he spoke.
"Yo, dad. How's it going? Was your day good? How were things at the courthouse?"
Seeing his dad smile faintly and slug him in his shoulder as he slipped his shoes off and sat down on the couch, his dad seemed to be troubled by something as he looked up at Alex, a twinkle in his eyes.
"Oh, not much different than usual, I suppose. The minister keeps hounding me about things, but don't you worry. Your dad's tougher than he looks. Say son, why don't you go upstairs for a bit and play some of those games you love so much? I need to take a nap or something….."
Nodding, Alex bid his father farewell as he trudged up the steps just as his mom walked into the room as he left, coming up behind his father and wrapping her arms around his head playfully, her voice filled with concern as she listened to her son's trailing footsteps going upstairs. After she heard him close his door and his TV come on, she turned to her husband and spoke to him.
"Honey, why don't you tell him you aren't the good judge he thinks you are? He thinks the world of his dad, you know…."
As he heard this, Alex's father's facial features drooped, his face looking haggard and worn, as if a great tornado of conflict was raging inside of him, threatening to blow them all to bits.
"How could I tell him, my son, that his father accepts bribes from the minister to convict who I'm told? How the hell could I tell him that I'm corrupt like that? Sure, I'm doing it for the sake of my family, but that's no damn excuse! I hate everything about what I do; I just wanted to be a judge who put the bad guys away!"
Exhaling slightly, he sighed.
"Ah, the naiveté of youth…everything looked so….bright when I was a kid, you know. I thought I could change the world…..But now, all that's left is a never ending hell, a hive of filth as this empire falls apart at the seams, boiling over with gluttony, rage, pride, lust, all of it! How can one man hold his own against such an onslaught of evil? If someone can, I guess I wasn't strong enough….."
Getting up from the couch and walking over to the bookshelf that lined the far wall, he ran his fingers along the innumerable books of the law the lined the shelves until he gently pulled out the one book he had always treasured: a crisp, clean looking tome with a flaming hammer exquisitely drawn on the cover, with one word written in elaborate writing at the top:
Penance
As Frank, father of Alex, looked at the book he has holding in his hands, he gazed at the cover as he rubbed it, still finding himself unable to see what lay within. Sighing, he turned to his wife and looked grim.
"The Fontaine name has stood for generations as those who judge the wicked and save the innocent, but I fear that I will be the end of that legacy…..I Fear my inability to stand against the tide of evil banging upon our door will only lead to our destruction….."
Feeling his wife's hand upon his shoulder, Frank smiled and was about to ask her what as for dinner when they heard a loud BANG at the door….
Up in his room, Alex was staring out his window and absentmindedly listening to the TV that was on beside him, thinking about how much he wanted to be a judge when he grew up when he heard a loud BANG come from downstairs! About to dismiss it as his mother dropping a dish or something, he suddenly turned off his TV as he heard his dad's firm voice speaking downstairs, followed by the voice of a man he had never heard before…
"…..have failed to do as Honest told you to, frank. You just had to go and get high and mighty on us, didn't you? You just couldn't send the man to jail like you were told, huh? Well, Sorry to say but we've got order to kill you….along with your family. Sorry. Oh wait, no I'm not! I LOVE MY JOB!"
Gasping as he heard the sound of gunfire downstairs, he found himself unable to move, stricken by fear as he heard the same stranger voice a few seconds later.
"Not even a fight? Oh well. Yo, Oscar! Go check upstairs, we got orders to find their kid and bring him back to Honest."
Even as he heard the sound of footsteps coming up the stairs, Alex was unable to move as the man grabbed him and slung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, as Alex still found himself stricken with fear. What was going to happen to him? As the man named Oscar carried him downstairs and into the living room, Alex looked on with horror as he saw the remains of his parents, the man in charge holding the book his father had been holding. As Alex began to thrash about and finally attempt to get free, tears streaming down his face as he did so, the leader casually tossed the book over his shoulder, throwing it perfectly so I landed behind the bookcase as he motioned for the squad to move out.
"Come on boys, let's get this brat back to honest and go home, I'm bushed."
Screaming as he was carried out of his house and tossed onto a waiting caravan, Alex watched as his house dwindled to a speck in the distance…..
As his mind came back to the present, Alex shook his head as he fought back tears, his eyes looking around the room as he saw the bookcase, now tipped over and shattered in several places, and saw that strange book he had seen his father holding a lot, the book with the word Penance written across it in bolded, italic letters. Feeling some sort of strange tug from the thing, he found himself unable to resist as he walked across the room and bent down, and as soon as he touched it his vision went white! Seconds later, he found himself in an endless expanse of white, a space which seemed to stretch on in all directions for eternity with no signs or any discernable landmarks, and merely reserved himself to lounging around until a bright flaming figure appeared before him, the things' outline looking bestial, yet elegant as it spoke.
"You who would seek justice be done for the murder of your parents, I welcome you to my domain."
Taken aback by the flaming figure before him, Alex raised an eyebrow.
"Yea, I would like to see that bastard Honest get what's coming to him, and maybe even that woman Esdeath for torturing me like that….But never mind that, what the hell are you? And why were you in my house?"
The beast was still for a moment, and then its voice boomed in his head once more.
"I am Penance, the Teigu of Judgement, made in eons past by the first of the Fontaines as a tool to mete out justice, passed down through their line as a tool to help them in their daily lives. Unfortunately, your father was…unworthy of my power. That man….he committed great evil for his family, a thing he was forced to do to survive these times, I'm afraid. But you…..you are worthy….I sense great potential in you, boy. And So! What say you, Alex Fontaine, sole heir to the line of the great Fontaine name and dynasty, successor to all that name represents….will you join me and become a tool of justice, a harbinger of penance for the wicked and salvation for the righteous?"
His eyes wide as he took in what the beast had just said, he fell to his knees as he thought about the beast's proposal.
"I…I…I don't know…"
Seeming to think for a moment, the beast spoke again, it's tone harsh.
"Justice waits for no one, boy. Justice is pure, and unyielding…..it is a thing that recognizes neither good, nor evil…it merely distributes recompense to those who deserve it. To justice, whether a person is good, or whether they are evil holds no meaning to it, and the same should be said for the one who would distribute it….namely, you. Justice only judges people based on their actions in their life, and the pain and suffering they have caused to others, and sees they get their just desserts for it. Be aware, boy, if you vow to walk the path of justice, it will not be an easy one. You must never let emotion cloud your judgement; you must look upon every situation from a neutral standpoint and with an impartial outlook. Can you handle such a life?"
Listening to the beast before him speak, Alex suddenly shot to his feet and grinned devilishly as he spoke.
"Of course! If I did any less, I couldn't call myself a Fontaine, could I? Besides, I've seen the darkness of the capital first hand….I know what evil lurks within this vile nation, and I won't rest until I see it brought to heel. So yes, I swear to use you with a clear mind and conscience, and swear to look upon every situation from both sides, this I swear."
Nodding in satisfaction, the beast suddenly floated towards Alex, its burning outline glowing even brighter.
"Very well, then you shall have the full power of me, Penance, the Teigu of judgement at your disposal!
Screaming as the beast's flaming form shot into his mouth, Alex suddenly found himself back in his old house, the book firmly in his hand, and smiled as he gently opened the book to see what was inside. As he looked upon the inside of the book, he saw that the entire book was empty, save for some kind of chant on the first page underneath the title Incantations: A guide:
"Pain for Pain,
Suffering for Suffering,
And Torment for Torment.
You who would sow misery in this world,
Feel now the wrath of your victims,
For this is your Penance."
Realizing that this incantation must be how to activate and use this new power of his, Alex smiled as he gathered what supplies he could from his house, bid it farewell, and began his long journey back to the city as he read more from his book as he walked. Seeing one more incantation titled Judge's wrath, he scanned it as he walked:
"Let my hands be the hands of justice,
Unbound by restrictions and my aim true,
Judge's wrath!"
Realizing it must be some sort of offensive spell, he decided to try it out later as he finally found himself before the massive gates of the capital, his book in hand as the gates guards approached him, eyeing him suspiciously as the night air blew gently around them.
"Hey there, father. Looking to get into the city?"
Father?
Looking down at his outfit, he realized that whenever he was in that strange world talking to Penance, it must have changed his outfit to what he was wearing right now, what looked like a priests' outfit, but bearing no religious icons, merely gray stripes going down the sleeves and chest!
"Um….Yea."
Finding himself realizing that this costume could be useful for getting around, he decided to go with it. Not to mention, he thought he looked pretty damn cool. As the guards looked at him strangely, they nodded and moved back to their booths as they opened up the gate for him.
"Go on in, sir. Good night."
Nodding to them as he walked by, stepped into the city and began walking down the streets with no particular goal in mind until he suddenly felt a strange sensation in his brain, like a rope was trying to pull him somewhere….
That's your senses telling you that someone in need of judgement is nearby, Alex.
"AH!"
Nearly leaping out of his skin as he heard Penance's voice in his head, he finally shook it off and mumbled a reply.
"For fuck's sake….Don't scare me like that. Anyway, thanks for the tip….."
Deciding to go check it out, Alex sauntered around the corner and saw a carriage rolling down the street towards him, guards walking beside it as he saw a man sitting inside, drinking wine and grinning. Looking at him from about 20 feet away, Alex could actually see some of the man's crimes playing out before his eyes, like some sort of moving picture show or something….in one moment, he saw the man grinning as he seemed to be selling someone at an auction…in another, the man was sitting in an office, surrounded by money as he seemed to be smoking a cigar.
"This man….is not a righteous man….time to test out my new powers, methinks…"
Mumbling his attack incantation to himself, he gasped in awe as his hands began to glow a ghostly gray, a strange aura surrounding them as he began walking towards the carriage, the guards moving towards him. As they neared him, he yelped and raised his hands to block as they suddenly swung their swords at him with no words at all! Fearing he was about to die, he shut his eyes for a moment, and it wasn't until he heard the men yelp in surprise that he opened them again to see the swords they had swung at him melt as the touched his arm, instantly falling to the ground as they were neatly cut where they had touched him. Realizing what this power let him do, Alex stepped forwards and into the guard of the nearest guard, swinging his outstretched hand at the mans' head as he saw the man's action play out before him, much like the man in the carriage's actions had. Alex winced as he watched them, their content disturbing. Just as he finished watching, he saw his hand neatly pass through the man's head where it would have made contact, acting like a blade as he let his motion flow perfectly into a lunge with his other hand at the next guards chest, and as he made contact with his chest he watched as his hand plunged deep into his chest, blood spurting from the wound as he yanked out his heart, still pumping in his hand as he tossed it aside, disgusted.
"Never Have I seen such a wretched hive of Scum and villainy, this capital…..What a terrible place…."
Sighing as he swung open the door of the carriage and drug the still whimpering man out onto the pavement, he slammed his foot into his chest and grabbed his head with his left hand, turning off Judge's Wrath so he didn't kill him. As he forced the man to his knees, his hand grabbing his head, he began to recite his incantation:
"Pain for Pain,
Suffering for Suffering,
And Torment for Torment.
You who would sow misery in this world,
Feel now the wrath of your victims,
For this is your Penance."
As he spoke the final words, he watched as the man suddenly arched back, pure white light streaming from his eyes and mouth as his arm vanished and the sound of bones shattering filled the air, his arm replaced by a neatly severed stump! Nodding as the man screamed in pain, Alex knelt down.
"Your sins have been repaid to you, scum. Be lucky they only amounted to a few broken bones and a missing arm….."
Seeing no more reason to stay now that punishment had been meted out, he had just tossed the unconscious man back onto the pavement as a laser blast knifed through the air where he had been standing a moment before! Instantly on guard, he swung the man over his shoulder as he leapt out of the way of yet another laser shot, whispering his attack incantation as he swatted a third blast aside.
"Who goes there? Show yourself, fiend, lest ye be judged by my righteous hand!"
Waiting for someone to show up, he watched as three women appeared from the night, one dressed in bright pink and carrying what looked like a sniper, another dressed in black and red and carrying a katana and the third dressed in yellow, with not as much clothing as the other two. As they neared him, he gently set the man down on the ground beside him, keeping one eye on the girl with the gun as he stood back to his feet, wary. Just as he was about to speak, the one in black and red lunged forward at the man to his left, and Alex only barely managed to swat the blade away. To his great surprise, the blade survived contact with his enhanced hand! As the girls looked at him suspiciously, he moved in front of the man he had just judged, whereupon the one in yellow spoke to him.
"Why do you stop us from attacking that man?! He's evil, and deserves to be killed for what he's don-"
Raising a hand, Alex interrupted her, clearly disturbed by her words.
"Kill him? Why? Can't you see I have punished him according to his actions?"
Shaking her head, the woman spoke again, angry.
"Not good enough! People like him deserve only death, no mercy!"
Now feeling angry, he spoke again, gesturing back to the man as he did so.
"Why?! Why kill this man when this punishment will suffice?! Do you not stop and think about what he's been through, or why he did what he did? You may not know, but this man had a wife, and a son, whom he cared for very much! Do you not ask yourselves the WHY of things before you do them?! Do you simply kill people Willy-nilly?! Are you such Children that you think no one but you has reasons to fight in this world, that no one deserves a second chance at life?! WELL?!"
As the women looked at each other, the yellow one seemed to tense up.
"Of course we knew that! But that isn't a damn excuse for him to sell people as slaves, or condone the butchering of their families! No matter the reason, such actions CANNOT be forgiven!"
As Alex and the yellow woman seemed about ready to fight, the one in black and red put her hand on the yellow one's shoulder, and whispered something into her ear that Alex only caught part of.
"….capable…..offer…..job?"
As he watched on as the two whispered to each other, arms crossed, he jumped as the one in pink suddenly spoke beside him.
"You don't seem bad, guy, I'll give you that. I can't speak for those idiots over there, but anyone who can swat a blast from my pumpkin aside and out-argue Leone is ok in my book."
Glancing over her shoulder at the man, still missing an arm, she sighed.
"I can't exactly agree with leaving him alive, but I can tell you have your reasons for believing what you do….and at least you want to punish them…In that, we share a common goal. Looks like Akame and Leone are done talking….Well, nice chat. Bye."
As she walked back over behind the other two, Alex turned his attention to the ones she had called Akame and Leone as the one in black and red stepped forward as the one in yellow huffed angrily, stomping off into the night. Looking up into his eyes, the girl who stood before him didn't move for a long time, eventually he began to fidget as she did so, uncomfortable with having a woman in such close proximity to him. Finally, she stood back a few steps and held out her hand, her face showing no emotions.
"You are a capable warrior, and your goal of judging the wicked isn't actually too far off from our goal, despite what Leone may say. So, putting that aside, I was wondering…."
Now genuinely interested, Alex perked up, listening intently now.
"….how would you like to join us? Our organization, Night raid, is dedicated to flushing out and killing those who do wrong, such as this man here. Besides, a man with talent like yours would make a good addition to the team. So, what say you, priest?"
Sighing at being called a priest again, he thought about what she had just said.
She may be right…..and as long as they wouldn't make me kill a person who didn't deserve it, or try to make me dole out justice to those who don't deserve it, we may even get along.
Shrugging, he smiled as he shook the girls hand.
"Your offer intrigues me, and I think…."
Smiling as he looked up into the sky, thinking of Jacob and how glad he was that He had let him out, Alex wondered briefly where he was, and if he would see him again one day… Turning his attention back to the girl, he continued.
"….I accept your invitation!"
And there you have it, chapter ten. I know I said this chapter would begin the Northern kingdom arc, and I'm sorry if you were super hyped for it, but I figured that I could take this chance while Jacob was busy marching north to the battlefield with Esdeath to flush out Alex a little more. I personally love him and how his teigu works, and I love writing about them both! I kinda pictured him as a cross Between Alexander Anderson from Hellsing Ultimate, in terms of power and dedication to his cause, and Kiritsugu Emiya from fate/zero, in terms of willingness to do anything to achieve his goal. Anyway, Next chapter I'll go back to Jacob for sure, so look forward to it! Again, I've gotten a few reviews and I'm always open to more! (just don't be pointlessly critical, okay?), and if you really loved this story, favorite it!