Rei Ryghts: Ace Attorney

The High School Turnabout

By Derald Snyder

Investigation, Day 4 (Part 2)

Court Record:

-Ghost Article

-Byleth's Sword

-Byleth's Planner

-Crime Scene Diagram

-Combat Knife

-Security Footage

-Kyoko Tachibana's Glasses

-Byleth's Testimony

-Solon's Robot

February 17, 1:15 PM

Lowee Basilicom

Conference Room

"Damn, so a high-school stabbing case turned out to be connected to an undercover op by the Guild?" Blanc summarized, she and Rei sitting at opposite ends of a table while Financier served them tea. "And that John Smith that became friends with that alien goddess is involved?!"

"R-right, it was his c-classmate and f-friend th-that was arrested," Rei nodded, taking a sip. "Th-thankfully, she's p-pretty much all b-but acquitted now... we only d-delayed th-the verdict t-to t-try and c-catch those who slither in the dark..."

"Right... I think we met one of those bastards before, actually," Blanc recalled. "Tried to lure Rom and Ram into a trap, but thankfully Mina saw through him. Then he tried to blow himself up along with them, but Rom and Ram just transformed and flew away with Mina in tow. Of course, because the bastard blew himself up, there was no evidence left afterwards..."

"W-well, th-that Solon was a lot smarter th-than the other one... I only escaped his t-trap th-thanks t-to that Sharicite you g-gave me..."

"Guess I made the right decision giving that to you, then," Blanc mused. "By the way... where did that sword come from?"

"Huh? Oh, um, it b-belonged t-to the victim, and was t-taken into evidence after his stabbing," Rei explained. "B-but that Solon k-killed and replaced Detective Brightman with a hologram, and t-tried to steal it f-for some reason..."

"They killed a detective?! Damn, these guys are ramping up their game, huh?" Blanc growled. "But, I think I might know why they were after this sword... it looks similar to historical drawings of a sword from long ago, said to be made from the remains of Lowee's first CPU..."

"Huh?!" Rei gasped in disbelief. "B-but, d-don't CPUs j-just d-dissipate into Share Energy when th-they d-die?!"

"That's right," Blanc nodded. "But, a lot the lore around Lowee's first goddess has been obfuscated by legend and time... most of the info we have on her was from writings by her successor. Even her origins are shrouded in mystery... Some say she was created from the Shares, like we four CPUs were when we were born... some say she was originally a human girl who was given the power of Shares and became a goddess that way... and then there's those who say she came from a distant star, which I personally think is bullshit."

"E-even after Neon a-and the other aliens c-came?" Rei pointed out.

"I still don't think Sothis was an alien," Blanc deadpanned.

"HOLD IT!" Rei suddenly cried with an outstretched pointer finger! "Did you say Sothis?!"

"This isn't a courtroom, Rei," Blanc grunted, caught off-guard by the sudden outburst. "What brought that on?"

"Umm... maybe th-this will help explain it..." the lawyer took an object from her briefcase.

*Ghost Article handed over to Blanc.*

"What's this...? Rumors about a ghost in North High School?" Blanc skimmed over the paper.

"Y-yes..." Rei nodded. "Th-that's kind of how I g-got involved in the f-first p-place... But, I met the ghost in person, and she called herself Sothis The Beginning..."

"You're shitting me!" Blanc stood up in shock. "What did she look like?! Could you see her?" So Rei described the ghost's appearance to her... "Hmm... that does kinda fit with how her successor described her, except for looking like a kid..."

"I d-don't know," Rei shrugged helplessly. "I know that Professor Byleth- the victim- is able to perceive her, and she d-demonstrated th-the ability t-to t-turn back t-time b-by a few seconds... Sh-she saved my life when th-that fake detective t-tried to shoot me d-dead..."

"Holy shit..." Blanc fell back into her chair in disbelief. "To have that kind of power, even beyond the grave... she really must be Sothis, then... Where is she now?"

"Um, after I killed that Solon, sh-she said she needed t-to rest..." Rei replied. "She's p-probably sleeping or something right now..."

"A ghost needing to sleep, huh?" Blanc pondered. "Weird, but whatever. I guess I might as well tell you the rest of the story... Anyway, when Sothis first appeared, Lowee was mostly frozen tundra with nomadic tribes who only had LCD games to play, at best... but her technological knowledge was beyond anything they'd ever seen before. Within a year, the whole nation was unified and terraformed by the CPU's power into something much more habitable. And while the tech she created would be considered primitive or 'retro' by today's standards, it was revolutionary back then."

"But of course, with such advancements in technology came those who would abuse that technology... and in time, an antithesis to Sothis arose, who used lines of code to cheat at video games, known as the 'Game Genie'. Some historians belive this entity was actually the first incarnation of the Deity of Sin, but that's not important to the story. To keep it simple, Sothis disagreed with the cheaters, saying they should 'get good' and complete video games by their own skill and effort. She and the Game Genie clashed several times, but after a long struggle, the CPU prevailed, destroying the Game Genie, rendering his cheats inoperable, and scattering his followers. She then restored the land that had been devastated by their battle, before creating the first CPU Candidate to watch over Lowee while she rested to recover her strength. And that's when tragedy struck."

"Wh-what happened?" Rei inquired.

"The Game Genie's former followers managed to regroup, and upon learning of Sothis' condition, plotted their revenge... they hired the leader of a bandit gang to sneak into her chamber while they distracted the CPU Candidate, by causing trouble elsewhere... unfortunately, the plan was successful, and Sothis was murdered in her sleep."

"No...!" Rei's hands went to her mouth in horror. "And th-they made th-this sword...?!"

"That's right. The Sword of the Creator, which the bandit king wielded to try and conquer Lowee... of course, the CPU Candidate- Seiros- wasn't going to take that shit lying down, not to mention she was furious when she learned how she'd been duped. But the bandit king's power with that sword rivaled her own, so she rallied the people and raised three armies to do battle: the Black Eagles, who were the tip of the spear, so to speak; the Blue Lions, who specialized in defensive tactics, acting as the shield; and the Golden Deer, who utilized underhanded tactics and guerrilla warfare. After a war lasting several decades, Seiros finally met the bandit king in combat and bested him, stabbing him to death, and reclaiming the sword that had once been her mother. It took a few more years before the war properly ended, though."

"S-so what happened after th-that?"

"Well, once peace was reestablished, Seiros vanished and took the Sword of the Creator with her. Her final words were as written: 'I am going to take my mother's remains and ensure that no-one will find and abuse her power ever again.' Not long after she vanished, the Shares brought forth a new CPU to watch over Lowee's development. And that's pretty much the end of the story."

*Sword of the Creator updated in Court Record.*

"A-actually, now th-that you mention it, th-that Solon c-called this the Sword of the Creator as well," Rei recalled.

"Did he? Then those who slither in the dark must be the descendant of those followers of the Game Genie," Blanc theorized. "And if they worship the Deity of Sin now... yeah, it makes sense. So what's the victim's connection with these bastards?"

"Th-they murdered his f-father in c-cold blood," Rei began, explaining what she knew about Byleth...

"So he used this sword during his mercenary days? Do you know how he got it?" Blanc pressed.

"I have no idea," the lawyer shook her head. "Y-you'd have t-to ask him y-yourself... b-but you should wait until he's d-discharged f-from the hospital..."

"Fine," Blanc agreed. "In the meantime... I think this sword should stay with you, it's probably where it's safest for now..."

"A-all right," Rei nodded, gently taking it in hand. "I-I'm g-giving it b-back to the p-professor when he's d-discharged, though. He and Sothis are g-good friends, f-from what she's t-told me..."

"Fair enough, I guess," the CPU sighed. "I'll call a cab for you, then..."

February 17

Lowee Basilicom

Main Entrance- Outside

As the two CPUs exited the building, Rei's phone suddenly rang. "Oh, excuse me..." Answering the phone, she greeted, "Hello, Koizumi?"

"Ah, Miss Ryghts, where are you now?" Koizumi's voice spoke.

"I-I'm with Lady Blanc right now, actually," Rei replied. "D-did you f-find the suspect?"

"Well, let me put it this way..." Koizumi cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen... we got her."

(Music- 'Baby I'm Yours', Breakbot)

"Dammit to hell! You just HAD to do the meme, didn't you?!" Blanc yelled, her face shadowed with one red eye glowing.

"Now you know how I feel, Lady Blanc," Kyon's voice was heard.

*To be continued...*