Chapter Two

The Morning's Dark

Athena woke up the next morning, her head aching. She stumbled out of bed, standing in place as her vision went out. After a second it was back, and she started to mindlessly get ready for her morning run. She rubbed her temples, looking for some medicine. Usually she was more perky than this.

What was wrong with her? She fell asleep almost as soon as she got home, and yet it felt like she hadn't slept at all. Maybe she'd tossed and turned a lot last night. Maybe it was that dream she'd had.

Because surely that's all that was. A dream. Seeing Simon go free had reminded her of all the crazy things she'd done on her way to save him. Part of her mind still didn't believe it was real, so it came up with supernatural justifications for how yesterday had happened. Athena knew things like this occurred on occasion. She'd had more than one argument with her uncle about what constituted a miracle, and whether or not lucky coincidences truly existed. Each time she'd walked away feeling like she'd won.

As for why she'd seen that man, of all people... it was simple. She'd heard about him before, and knew he'd been Apollo's boss before Mr. Wright. Maybe her subconscious had simply been reminded of that fact when he testified against her yesterday. It was nothing serious.

Or so she wanted to believe.

Athena did her best to stop thinking about it, trying to focus on happy thoughts so she could have a good day. Psychology studies agreed: people who chose to focus on the good things in life could turn themselves into optimists, and live a happier life because of it. She grabbed her water bottle, bolted through the door and down the stairs. And thus begun her daily run through the heart of LA.

The air was colder than normal, but not chillingly so. The city didn't get that cold in the winter, she'd discovered. Not like her uncle's place at all.

It was relaxing, to run her thoughts away. Athena found that when she just focused on the movements of her body, she could solve any problem. Or at least, be calm enough to do so when she got back.

This run was particularly cathartic. So much so she almost didn't want it to end. But her route was almost complete, and she needed to get to the office soon. Having a big day yesterday was no excuse for being late.

So she turned in to her apartment complex, running up the stairs and to her door. She fumbled with her key, stepping into her place with a pant and a sweat.

She finished off her water bottle, tossing it into the recycle bin and stripping down for the shower. Ohhhh that water felt good.

When she told Apollo that she ran at least a kilometer every morning before showing up at work, he'd been in awe. When Athena told him it woke her up better than coffee (and didn't come with an addiction), he nearly left the room.

But Athena liked her morning routine. It made her feel better, especially on mornings like these when she had dreams about Simon, or about Mom, UR-1, or… random ex-lawyers coming after her soul. Yeah, that last one was weird.

She didn't even know if the guy was dead. How could he possibly show himself to her in the afterlife?

Athena shook her head. It wasn't worth thinking about.

She stepped out of the shower, put her suit on, and powered up Widget. The little screen flashed a bright green as it came to life.

"Good morning, Athena!"

"Good morning, Widget."

Oh, so you are used to talking to yourself. This should make our situation easier.

"Gaaaah!"Athena froze five feet from her doorway. "Who said that?"

In the most technical of terms, I'm not speaking. I'm communicating telepathically from my place inside your body. This, however, is not possession, as you retain full control of your physical self. In this state, I cannot control anything you do, only see what you see and communicate my thoughts in a way that only you can hear.

As for the question of who I am, I would hope my earlier explanation has jogged your memory. But if you truly forget this easily, posing as you in court is going to be more difficult than I anticipated.

"Holy... you're real?"

Indeed. One thing I would like you to understand about me, Miss Cykes, is that I do not joke around. If you can please keep that in mind, it would be most helpful.

So much for thinking that was a dream. Unless it wasn't, and she was imagining this too.

Trust me when I insist you are not, Miss Cykes. I understand this arrangement may take a certain amount of adjustment, but do try to keep up. The sooner you come to terms with your situation, the simpler this will be for the both of us.

She couldn't believe this was happening. "How long have you been in here?"

I haven't left since we last spoke. My boss was informed of my whereabouts, and assured me I wouldn't be needed for the foreseeable future. But if I ever don't respond to you, it means I have business elsewhere.

"...And you can read my thoughts?"

What do you think you're doing with mine?

Athena didn't know how to respond to that. Aside from the gross oversimplification of the brain's thought process, this invasion of her privacy was more than she was ready for. She didn't even want to think about earlier. Back in the... Ugh.

"So, you're coming with me to the office?"

Yes. If I'm ever going to use your body in court, I will need to be able to convincingly portray you. Such a feat will be impossible unless I acquaintance myself with your personality. Your body language. Your experience.

Athena felt sick. She hadn't thought agreeing to this deal would involve quite so much... cohabitation. Though to be fair, she hadn't given the logistics of demonic possession much thought to begin with. Who would? This was completely absurd even for her!

"Alright, fine. But... can you be quiet when I get to the office, at least until I'm alone? I don't want anyone to hear me talking to you."

Very well.

Athena waited a second to make sure he was done, then took out her key to the apartment and stepped outside. After she locked the door, she began to walk her familiar route to the Wright Anything Agency, trying not to think about what just happened to her. She had to act normal.

She walked in to Mr. Wright cleaning the office with Pearl and Trucy, his eyes widening with surprise at the sight of her. Did she look different than usual?

"Athena. I wasn't expecting you to come in today."

"Huh?" Athena's hands flew up to her face. "Why not? Today's a work day, right? Is the office going to be open?"

Mr. Wright stopped what he was doing to talk to her. "You had a rough day yesterday, Athena. I just got off the phone with Edgeworth, and he said he gave Prosecutor Blackquill vacation until New Year's to get his life back together." Mr. Wright studied her with a fatherly concern. "I was thinking of giving you some time to help him out. I can handle the office alone for a few days."

"Alone? What about Apollo?"

"He's helping Clay's relatives prepare for the funeral. I gave him until the day after Christmas." He gave her a hesitant smile. "Why don't you take the same thing? I want you two to be at your best when you get back. Get the rest you need, okay?"

"And stop by for the agency Christmas party, you got that?" Trucy entered the conversation, pulling Mr. Hat out from... somewhere. Athena had never learned where. "Mr. Hat and I are planning a very special show for the celebration!"

"Is that alright, Athena? I don't want you to feel like you have to be here after everything that happened. Take some time for yourself."

"That's fine, boss." Athena threw her hands together, purposely hiding Widget from view. "Thank you."

The boss smiled, and Athena felt a wave of revulsion ride through her, nearly knocking her back. What was that?

"Good. Edgeworth said Prosecutor Blackquill might be going to the Detention Center to check on his sister. You might be able to wait for him there."

"Sounds good, boss!" Athena flashed a smile and a peace sign, not even noticing that Widget had turned red.

"Um... Athena," Pearl spoke hesitantly. "Are you upset about something?"

"Huh?" Athena looked down, only to watch as Widget turned from red to yellow. That was weird. "No, I'm not. My... my mind just went somewhere else for a second. Maybe you're right, about taking a few days." She slumped for effect, wiping her forehead as she did so. "I might need them."

"Well, do what you need to do." Mr. Wright was watching her, and she did her best to look normal. "I'll see you in a few days."

"See ya!" She forced some extra cheer into her voice, practically skipping out the door. She ran down an alley, making sure she was alone before talking.

"Was that you?"

Hm... I must say, I wasn't expecting that to happen.

"Well, it did! How am I supposed to hide you if Widget can sense you're here?"

...Your device around your neck. How exactly does it work?

"Widget? Well..." Athena tried to think. "He picks up on what I'm feeling based on his bio-scanning mechanisms, and is programmed to broadcast it with different colors, one for each of the core emotions. If I focus on a single thought hard enough, he'll blurt that out too, so be careful."

And if you were to take him off? What would that do?

"I haven't tried recently, but if I didn't wear him when I was younger, my ears would confuse me, and I wouldn't know which emotions were mine. I'd just react to all the emotions coming from people around me. Don't tell me..." she drooped. "Widget can't tell the difference between the two of us, can he?"

I wouldn't know, Miss Cykes. Medical technology was never my area of expertise. But based on your description, it would appear I need to be more cautious in how I express myself.

"This could make things difficult." Athena fiddled with her earring, trying to think of how to cover this up. "I guess if it starts to happen too often, I can just say he's malfunctioning, or not fully calibrated on me. It's essentially the truth."

Still, she didn't want the boss to think she was angry with him, no matter what the demon inside her felt. Would Gavin be able to control himself around Mr. Wright when he took a case? What if Mr. Wright was her (his?) co-counsel at some point? What would they do then?

And how could Athena react that way to him? Mr. Wright was the kindest, more caring boss she was ever going to have! He found her when she was struggling, motivated her to continue, and completely accepted her for who she was, ability and all. She couldn't stand that feeling she'd gotten in her stomach earlier.

That feeling, that strong revulsion... Athena didn't have too much experience with hate, but she had to imagine that's what it felt like. How could anyone hate Mr. Wright so much?

Hm... Maybe you weren't the ideal young lawyer to take possession of to continue my career, but it isn't like I had many options. Not everyone sets themselves up for such an opportune scenario.

And as for your opinion on Wright... hmph. Trust me, Miss Cykes. If you knew him the way I did, you would understand exactly how I feel. You haven't seen him at his worst. I have.

"I don't care what you say about Mr. Wright, just... don't use me to go after him! That wasn't in our deal."

I recall. And quite the deal it was. You were very brave to stand your ground when I first came to you, Miss Cykes. Not everyone can.

Though perhaps I shouldn't praise you too much. After all, you also put yourself in this situation.

"Yeah, yeah, I messed up. But I was fifteen! What sort of organization lets fifteen-year-olds sign contracts involving their soul?"

According to most codes of afterlife law, fifteen is well past the age of adulthood. In the Judeo-Christian code, the age of adulthood is thirteen... not that it would matter. Anyone capable of calling out to the lower order is also capable of making a contract, no matter what the higher order attempts in order to ban it.

"And I thought our legal system was messed up."

Oh, it is. And yet, I'm here because I still miss it.

Did Athena sense actual nostalgia behind those words? Or was she imaging it?

Whatever it was, Gavin did see fit to comment on it. So, where are we going now? Will you take Mr. Wright's suggestion and visit the Detention Center?

Athena thought about it. Yesterday, she would have been thrilled to see Simon in his state of freedom, but now... she was hesitant. She didn't want to take her 'alter ego' anywhere, let alone near more people she cared about.

But if she didn't go, people might realize there was something wrong with her. Athena was slowly leaving her state of disbelief about the situation... and entering a state of shame. She didn't want anyone else to know what a stupid deal she'd made all those years ago. And besides, wasn't Simon the whole reason she'd done this? If this demon got to enjoy the benefits of her deal, she should too!

So she turned to the opening of the alleyway, ready to depart.

I see you've made a decision. Am I expected to remain silent once more?

"Yes. And keep your feelings to yourself."

Athena left the alley, turning down the path to the Detention Center... only to get there and realize visiting hours weren't open yet. She still had another hour. Not to mention, Simon was nowhere to be found. She snorted in frustration.

Luckily, Athena had a plan for passing the time. If she remembered correctly, the courthouse library opens at eight. Maybe it was about time she did a little research about her new partner.

"Okay, here's the archiving system." Athena sat down in front of an old looking computer. She couldn't believe anyone still used Microsoft 2016. "How do I use this thing...?"

If you're searching me, as I suspect you are, simply enter 'Defense Attorney Gavin' into the archive search engine, and it will point the way to all relevant files, not to mention give you directions to finding the physical copies. Or you can merely open the browser to the internet, and use it to find articles about me. Whatever you prefer.

Though I must say, I don't know why you'd go through this trouble. Anything you find in these documents I could have easily told you myself.

"Maybe. But would it be the truth?"

No response. Athena figured that was the case. So she pressed on, typing what he told her to into the search engine. Over a hundred case files popped up instantaneously, all sorted by date. The most recent article was locked, labeled 'Jurist Test Trial- State v. Misham'. So Athena clicked on the next file, dated April 27, 2026. Upon clicking, she was redirected to another file, dated April 20, 2026.

'Case Overview (written April 27, 2026. Last updated May 6, 2026): After the discovery of a dead body in the early morning of April 17th at the Borscht Bowl Club, Phoenix Wright (age 33, piano player) was arrested for the crime. Evidence against him included fingerprints on the believed murder weapon (a bottle of grape juice- See Evidence List for details), an uncooperative nature surrounding discussion of the case, and being engaged in a game of poker with the victim (Shadi Smith, age and occupation unknown) at the time of the crime. The initial investigation was conducted by Prosecutor Winston Payne (age 61, now retired), as was prosecution during court proceedings.

'In regards to the defense attorney, Wright called his personal friend Kristoph Gavin (age 32, now incarcerated) about the incident before being arrested. Though it appeared he would be asking Gavin to become his attorney, Wright switched to new lawyer Apollo Justice (age 22, lawyer) at the last possible moment without stating his reasons. The trial was conducted three days after the incident at 10:00am in Courtroom No. 2, Judge..."

"Are all Case Overviews this boring?" Athena complained. "Who writes these?"

I suspect interns, but I suppose court stenographers may also be to blame. But if you're ever here late at night searching for legal precedent, it's best to get used to this style of writing.

Athena groaned, scrolling down to the bottom of the overview to find out when Gavin was arrested for the crime. She was pretty sure this would be the one.

'...took the stand as a witness to explain his knowledge of the case. At first, Gavin merely claimed he had seen the crime scene through a window and described a scene that implicated Wright as the killer. This testimony seemed satisfactory until Justice presented a previously unseen card to the court: an Ace of Spades, flecked with a drop of blood. Upon seeing the card, Gavin became enraged, insisting the card was a fraud and illegal under evidence law. Wright interrupted Gavin by claiming that only the person who removed the card from the scene could possibly make such claims, and that this outburst implicated Gavin far more than any previous comments had (see Trial Transcript for details).

'Furthermore, the drop of blood on the card implied that Smith had been struck while facing the wall of the room (and not the defendant as originally claimed). This fact revealed that the cupboard behind the victim's chair had been moved at the time of the murder to uncover a secret passage, thereby covering the window Gavin claimed to have viewed the crime scene from. After explaining away the fingerprints on the bottle as being switched with the true murder weapon upstairs, there was nothing left to implicate Wright as the murderer, and enough to arrest Gavin. The trial ended in a Not Guilty verdict.

'Though the rationale behind the arrest sparked much controversy, the trial for Kristoph Gavin (held a week later) ended in record time, with Gavin confessing and a Guilty verdict rendered soon after. After prosecuting the trial, Payne officially retired from the local prosecutor's office, saying his career had lost its drive long before, and standing before greenhorn Justice had only reminded him of the fact.

'Afterwards, the trials of State v. Wright and State v. Gavin became the center of several conspiracy theories, particularly in regards to the identity of Shadi Smith, the true motive for murder, and the appearance of the bloody ace. Many claim that such cases are perfect examples of the so-called "Dark Age of the Law" of our time and demanded a retrial, but Gavin himself stated he had no intention of seeking an appeal, and claims he killed Shadi Smith because he is a "evil human being".'

Athena sunk back in her chair, digesting what she'd just read. No wonder Apollo didn't talk about his first case. She knew Mr. Wright had been a piano player for a while, but he never mentioned getting accused of murder!

You mean, your precious boss didn't tell you? He didn't mention what it took for him to regain his badge?

A dark laugh reverberated through her head, sending shivers up her spine. This wasn't possible.

She saw what was wrong with the case, but she didn't want to believe it. Not until her colleagues had a chance to explain themselves. Even now, the demon's words echoed through her mind, planting the seeds of doubt.

But Athena denied that was the case. She wasn't going to let this get to her. He wasn't going to get to her.

So she turned to trials that Kristoph Gavin had served as the defense attorney on, all while the demon laughed.

The time came and went for her to revisit the Detention Center, all while she sat there. She read over a dozen case overviews, all the while wondering what exactly she'd brought back into the world.

A/N's: Sorry this almost took a year, guys. I'm lucky I had The Scollard around to pull me out of my funk. He helped talk me through my ideas for this chapter (and later on), so I should be able to update more now.

Also, I want to think kirbyfan1996 for taking the time to PM me and share some of their ideas. Those were also quite helpful in motivating me to continue. I hope this update lives up to expectation.

Thanks for reading, let me know what you think below, and I'll see you on the far side!