Chapter 38

Judgment: In the End

A/N: In my original notes Mer. Shai Collens get's to Yuan and drags the Seraph up to his feet by the throat. Bryan Collen kills his adopted 'father' in Yuan's defense. I gentled Bryan a little with the final draft, and gave Rene a more prominant role in the intro scene because of that.

"You're telling me…" Mer Collen's eyes went wide as he stared at his son. "That, my daughter… that you…"

Face pale, eyes streaked with red grief, Bryan Collens stared straight ahead. His hands quaked, the spears tip bobbed and weaved, it slowly drooped as his father's anger settled upon him. He did not turn to acknowledge his sire, could not turn, and his pale reflection was now shone in the three mirrors. Behind them, there was cast a backdrop of awed silence. Nearly forty half bloods, stood, pale, shaking, as they silently recovered from the shock of having two thousand years of unnatural life rammed down their throats.

"Private Bryan's actions, however tragic their consequence were, are not his fault. He carried them under my order, and because he is not of age all responsibility and guilt falls upon me." Yuan whispered; at last opening the eyes he'd closed in a futile attempt to stop the damning tide of memory.

"A hell of a lot more than just guilt falls upon you, Seraph!" Z'eh's champion spat, he pushed his way past the shocked Second and Judgment, advancing on the Seraph, violence written in his every line.

The man stopped, as the black tipped spear was turned in his direction. Lips curling back into a soundless snarl, the half elf reached out to wrench the weapon from his son's hands.

"With all due respect, Mer Collens." Bryan whispered; his face twisted to show both terror and resolution. "My orders are to protect Lord Yuan."

"I'm your damned father, and you will stand aside!" The purple haired half elf roared.

"No." When Bryan finally gathered his courage and spoke, his tone and frame were both shaking. "You married my mother after the attack and took us in, that doesn't make you my father. Maybe you loved Shala, but you never loved me! You're the one who made me go to that monster, to get trained. To toughen me up." Bryan laughed, the sound twisted into something awful by his hate. "You didn't care, not when you saw the damned bruises, not when you saw Z'eh beating me. You don't care now, all you want is someone to blame, someone to hate."

There was a hiss, the half elf champion drew his short sword and grimly advanced.

"No son of mine, no ward of Collens, would slander their elders. They would never protect a beast who's so obviously seeped in the blood of our own."

Gritting his teeth, Bryan stood fast, braced the spear in his hands. The elder Collens lifted his weapon, his violet eyes gleaming insanely, his blade hissed through the air and meant first to shear through the raised staff of the spear then through the skull of the spear weilder.

If never got that far though. There was a dry creek, a hiss, and the sword flew from the older Collen's hands.

"There will be order." Rene snarled, "Even if I have to disarm and execute ever homicidal bent half elf in this room. Bryan, put up your spear, you won't be needing it any longer. Judgement?"

"Go right ahead, Rene, it's not like I could stop you even if I wanted to." Yashin said wryly.

"Mer. Collens, you have ten seconds to take five steps back from Yuan, you don't and I shoot, is that clear?"

"You wouldn't da-"

Cooly Rene reloaded her bow, her green eyes blazing.

"I've had a hell of a three days, Mer Collens, I will shoot, and shoot to kill. Try me, whiping you from the face of the Sylvarant would really make my day."

"You're as much of a traitor as he is!" The older Collens snarled.

"No, Mer. Collens, I am my father's daughter, that's all."

X

"Judgment, has been rendered."

Yashin spoke, it was perhaps the third time he had done so in the last few days. While the break in the small newly made custom was excused, it wieghed a little bit on Yuan's mind. An oath of silence had been put in place to hopes that the Judgment would consider all set before him during the silence dictated by his duty, not that he'd accuse Yashin of any form of flipancy in this hearing -or any other- but it could set a bad example for future generations.

Setting that worry aside, the Seraph lifted his head, looked upon the man -a friend- who had laid the blade of Seraph's Bane across the table before him. It's edge would dictate who would die, for death had been the general consencious, death was demanded.

As if more blood could bring back the dead, he'd have sighed, but his toxicocious seemed heavily set upon him that day. He'd risen after a span of shamed sleep barely able to speak. Only able to utter a few words at a hourse whisper.

"It's the mana, my lord. The dark mana. Whatever internal mechanism you hold to maintain your humanity are being worn away by the continuous exposure to your oposite." Feruon had explained as she'd checked and changed the bandages she'd wound around his still scorched head. Rene had frowned, poointedly not looking at him. Were his wounds so horendous? He doubted that. Rather the sight of his pain and suffering made it that way for the girl.

"It will pass..." He croaked. It was a statement, not a question, and Rene looked upon him then and her lips twisted into a sad smile.

"Eventually, it'll probably take a few weeks though. I'll have to remember so I don't take advantage of it."

"You presume..." Yaun coughed. "That.. command... is mine."

"If not here, than somewhere else." Rene told him. "I'll stop the execution myself and we'll get out of here, if that's what's needed."

"I've supplies packed, for both of you. Just in case." Feruon informed them. "Yashin, Clavk, Bryan, Bruen, Vryce, and most of your guard have plans to withdraw quietly if it comes to that. Z'eh might win, he's got most of the older ones, we've got the younger, however this ends it's going to strip us of half our people."

"You presume,-" Rene frowned, perhaps uncomfortable to find that Yuan's word chocie was rubbing off on her. "-that the younger will be willing to leave thier families."

"If they don't leave, Z'eh will drive them off, or kill them." Feruon had predicted grimly. "Remember, one of my duties is to check for sanity. I had to scan Z'eh's mind, not a fun experience, but it's useful to see just how depraved that bastards' become."

"When was he ever sane?" Rene had snorted, then winced. "Damn it... I really think that whole mirror spell had made me more like you Yuan, in a bad way."

"When you were a child, he was." Feruon said, a small smile gracing her motherly features. "His condition deteriated right after the Silver's attack, I'm guessing the strain of his hate, the sight of hte bloodshead, coupled with the responsibilities he had to take on would have done it. But it was the call of the Devil's Arm that pushed him to the edge."

Yuan had said nothing to agree or dispute. He had his own theroy's on the matter, his own guilt to carry for this. He looked up into the black silver cast, black topaz hilted, black onix tipped, blade, and had to admit, at least the blade of his bane was monochromatic. He could almost taste the friction in the air, there would be hate, bitter blood, but if authority was restored to him he would do his best to mend what he could, and those who remained would bare his closer scrutiny.

now whether his scrutiny, interfieance, and the like were a better thing fo them or not, the Seraph wasn't quite sure. But his ignorance, his lack of action, had lead to this. He'd try the opposite track, and pray for the best, and hope... that whatever gods were left in these forsaken shattered worlds were merciful ones.

Silence riegned as Yashin stood, and with a shaking hand plunged theblack blade into the wooden desk before him. It's cold steel would be lifted again only to deal the killing blows. Forsaking his vow, for now was the moment to do so, he pulled out a paper from the pocket of his robes and laid it out before him.

"The stones have been counted, white for yes, black for no. For the first quiery, whether Yuan Vor'esse should not be killed for crimes against this organization, black seven, white twenty six... Whether Z'eh should be killed for crimes against this orginazation, black... eight, white twenty five... Whether any punishment should fall upon Mer Bryan for his actions during his span of authority during th crisus white ten, black twenty three... whether the actions of Ms Rene Vor'esse during the crisus are permissable to allow her to retain both rank and life...

There was a murmur from that, and Yashin raised a hand to call for quiet.

"Ms. Voresse has made it clear, she does not want one without the other, hence two seperate subjects were merged into one."

And so it went on, a droaning of decrees an votes, a ploding yet thurough process that slowly, surely would indicate the loyalty of those who remained within Triet's Ranch.

X

"We've ten, two familes refusing to cooperate, my lord."

Yuan nodded, leaned back in his chair and stared in numb wonder at the office that was his again.

"You orders."

"Gather them up," THe seraph whispered, "it is time for them to learn thier judgments, by my hand."