September 23
Kingdom of Khura'in – Bazaar
Seraph Angelique was, to put in a lighter way, culture shocked. Having worked nonstop for years in her stint as an international prosecutor meant that she had to deal with serious confrontation.
However, being guided in the bazaar made her see a different perspective of native life. Seraph noted how the people were free-spirited, sometimes lackadaisical, but she also felt that there was a dark cloud looming over the heads – after all, the place was under attack just a few days ago. Seraph was shocked to see the people move on very quickly with their lives, almost as if nothing happened.
Her guide was checking out a store that seemed to sell pastries, all very foreign to Seraph. As Seraph approached Ahlbi, she could feel the stares of mixed reactions from the passersby. They were speaking in a tongue she could interpret but not understand.
("This unnerving feeling, this discomfort. I guess this must be how these people treat foreigners.")
Ahlbi was buying two of the same sweet pastries he was munching earlier, and he gave one to Seraph. "Here, I have one for you."
"Oh… uh, thanks."
("I guess generosity is plentiful in this side of the world.")
Ahlbi stepped out of the store's shade and into the bazaar's cacophony. There were voices of laughter and animation, of conversations of news and gossip, and even from cats, dogs, and grunts of oxen. It was just as a marketplace would be – something that Seraph was never used to.
"This is the bazaar, our marketplace," Ahlbi told Seraph. "It's very noisy this time of day. But there's no other good place to buy necessities."
Seraph nodded, looking around and absorbing the ironically peaceful chaos. ("So this is everyday life in Khura'in. This can turn out to be a meaningful experience. Too bad I don't have time to immerse myself in this environment.")
"I hope you're enjoying yourself, Seraph," came a voice behind her. Seraph wheeled around to find Devine standing a few feet away, her merry smile beaming. Seraph chuckled.
"You seem to be enjoying yourself," responded Seraph.
"This place really stands out for a foreigner," remarked Devine. She turned to Ahlbi, "And this young man is your new friend?"
Seraph looked at Ahlbi. "He's from here."
Ahlbi introduced himself as a monk in training, which pleased Devine.
"Anyway, how goes your part?" Devine asked Seraph.
"Nothing much," answered Seraph. "I'm still getting a feel of the environment."
Devine nodded. "Well, well… that's a little disappointing. I have one lead myself."
"R-Really?"
Devine shared her investigation that shortly after the police force and the army repelled the invaders, a person was arrested in suspicion for abetting the invaders. She and Ha'khim had walked around the palace after the brief separation when they overheard some gossip among the police officers. She also said that because there was no defense attorney available, the suspect had been in detention awaiting trial for the weeks since the raid. "Ha'khim even suggested that I stand in for the defense."
"I-Is it possible? I mean, why can't Ha'khim do it himself?"
"He's helping out with the aid," answered Devine.
("Oh right. Figures.")
"I think most of the legal personnel are busy with the relief effort," commented Devine. "But it's pretty ironic that no one's willing to help out a potentially important suspect in the whole scenario."
Ahlbi piped up. "Oh, but I think there's someone who can help."
The two lawyers turned to Ahlbi.
"He's an American who spent his early life here in Khura'in. He's actually responsible for bringing out the complete change of the legal system here."
Seraph nearly flinched. ("W-Wow. One man was able to do that for a country?")
Ahlbi frowned. "Though I am not sure if he can extend his services. I'll try to convince him."
"Alright, Ahlbi," said Seraph. "We'd like to know where the detention center is."
Ahlbi gave the directions to the detention center from the bazaar. He assured the two attorneys that it was not far from where they were, and they only had to follow the main road to the police station.
"I'll see you around," he told the lawyers in parting as he bowed to them. "I'll let you know if he'll be available." With that, Ahlbi strutted down the main street of the bazaar, his dog merrily perched on his head.
The two lawyers exchanged looks.
"Well, Khura'inese people can be unique," remarked Devine.
Seraph smiled. "He'll be going a long way. Shall we head for the detention center?"
"Let's go," answered Devine.
("I hope the directions don't let us end up lost.")
September 23
Khura'in – Detention Center
Despite the directions, the two attorneys still needed to ask for help from some locals to find the police station. From the time Ahlbi left the duo to seek help for their information, it took nearly twenty minutes for Seraph and Devine to arrive at the detention center. The police officers did not seem welcoming, but Seraph had to present her prosecutor's badge and a document certifying her as an international prosecutor to allow them access to the detention center. Devine whispered her thanks.
"On one condition," Seraph told her. "I'll be doing the talking."
Devine reluctantly agreed. "Fine, fine. I'll be a good girl."
("I know Devine can run her mouth the wrong way. Her presence could be unnerving at times.")
When they arrived at the visitor's lobby and the cubicle where they would talk to the suspect behind a barred panel – contrary to a bulletproof glass panel in the United States – the police officer briefed the attorneys that the suspect was held in suspicion of aiding in the raid against the kingdom.
"Virtually, he would be one of the guerilla soldiers," said Devine.
"Hmm, I won't know unless I get answers from him," responded Seraph.
The two lawyers sat down on wooden chairs, Seraph positioning herself to face the suspect beyond the metal bars.
"Do you think he'll talk?" Devine asked, slightly worried.
"He'll talk, but it might take a while to get some useful information," answered Seraph. "He might even be wrongfully accused."
Devine chuckled. "Heh. People like those who don't talk on the outset have something to hide, even if this person isn't actually one of the invaders."
Seraph turned around and smiled. "Don't worry. I have something in mind."
"I'd love to see it."
The door on the other side of the room opened and a uniformed guard led the suspect into the area. Seraph blinked and nearly gasped when she saw the suspect. Devine's mouth hung open, her expression equally shocked.
The suspect was a young woman hardly into her twenties. The two weeks in detention made her physical outlook very pitiful: clear eyebags, ruffled brunette hair as if she hadn't taken a bath since her arrest, tattered clothing, and hands stained with dirt. Upon she lifted her head to see the people in the other side of the metal bars, she cast a dark look on the lawyers.
("This condition is terrible. How are they treating their suspects?")
The guard ordered the suspect to sit down on the chair and face her visitors before he stood post near the doorway.
For a while, Seraph and the suspect sat across the metal bars. The suspect didn't want to look at Seraph, who was shocked at the unexpected.
("Did this woman really aid the invaders?")
"I think you should say something," whispered Devine to Seraph.
Seraph composed her thoughts.
("Back home, I am known as 'the Cobra' for my slightly brutal tactics in getting information from witnesses and suspects. But… I cannot do it here. I don't have the capacity to do it here.")
"Well?" Devine said, her volume clearer.
Seraph cleared her throat. "I am Prosecutor Seraph-"
She was cut off immediately by the suspect. "You a prosecutor? Lying, filthy, scumbag of a prosecutor like those other ones?" Her voice rasped with every fiber of anger.
("I will have to remain calm.")
Seraph took a deep breath. "Your opinions on prosecutors are your own. I am an international prosecutor."
The suspect snapped. "Same thing, you filthy mother-"
"That's enough," said Seraph, her voice almost commanding. "If you will be so kind for me to explain my reason for visiting, otherwise I will have to ask the guard to put you back in your cell."
Through the threads of hair on her shriveled head, the suspect glared at Seraph.
Seraph waited for the suspect to calm down before she continued. "I am not here to be the prosecutor of your case," she said. She observed the suspect's sudden change of attitude: her eyes became less disdainful, replacing it with skepticism. "There is something that I am investigating, and I am hoping to get some meaningful information from you."
"What information?"
("I'm walking on thin ice here. If I say the wrong things, she'll clam up and we won't get what we need.")
Seraph said that she was investigating into the matter of the raid in Khura'in, but she was only going after the source. "If you are not one of them, then there should be no problem, right?"
"H-How do I know that you won't rat me out?"
"If you are telling the truth – and I will know in the conclusion of my investigation, I can help arrange the Prosecutor's Office to rescind your case if you are innocent." Seraph explained in simpler terms that as an international prosecutor invited by the kingdom's royal authority, she was given extension of her powers to cooperate with police authorities and the Prosecutor's Office, including rescinding and dismissing cases. "I can dismiss this case should you be innocent, and there will not be a trial," she finished.
The suspect's mouth hung open. "Y-You can do that?"
("Based on her expression, she seems desperate to be liberated. Now I have to establish my initial thoughts.")
Seraph nodded. "It's a prosecutor's job to get to the truth."
The suspect looked away. "I… I'm sorry for earlier."
"Very well," responded Seraph. "Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, let's begin with you."
The suspect introduced herself as Aymin No'sehn and that she was only eighteen years old. When asked for her movements on the day of the raid, Aymin said that she was in the bazaar doing market errands for her family. For her occupation, Aymin said that she was a student. When asked about her family, Aymin hesitantly shared that she lived alone with her mother and an older sibling, her father died years ago.
When asked for the reason for her arrest, she said that police found some incriminating article on her clothing. Aymin pleaded to the police that she was not involved with the raid and that she was fleeing from the area when she tripped and lost consciousness having bumped her head into a pole.
"What was this incriminating thing?" Seraph asked.
"I… I do not know," answered Aymin, sounding fearful.
("The police here are not in friendly terms. Perhaps I should show her something.")
Seraph only had three items in her possession: her international prosecutor's badge, the courtroom battle sketch she kept from her sister – which she didn't find any usefulness for the meantime, and the photograph of the unusual weapon. The third item seemed the most logical, so she showed it to Aymin.
"Aymin, do you know anything about this item?"
Aymin looked at the picture. Immediately, her demeanor shifted quickly. She looked shocked.
("I get that she knows something.")
"What do you know about it?"
"I-I-I I know nothing," Aymin stuttered, her voice raised. She sounded scared. "I-I-I don't want to know."
("Don't want to know?")
Seraph leaned forward. "Is there something you want to tell me what you don't want to know?"
Aymin shook her head hysterically. "I-I-I know nothing!"
Seraph sighed and shook her head. She put the picture away. ("She's really hiding something. However, I don't have any further evidence to show.")
"Hmm, it looks like we're at a stalemate," remarked Devine, frowning on Aymin's stubbornness.
Seraph's eyes lit up as she turned to Devine. "A stalemate? I wonder about that."
"What do you mean?" Devine asked for clarification.
Seraph smiled. "In my off time, I compete with our chief prosecutor over a game of chess if he isn't busy as well. I mentor my younger brother who participates in chess competitions."
"Oh? And what's got chess to do with it?"
"It's beside the point," answered Seraph hurriedly. "The fact is that Aymin has something to hide and I'm going to draw it out from her."
Devine raised an eyebrow. "And… how are you going to do that?"
"In chess, you play defensively or offensively as you protect or take pieces from your opponent," answered Seraph confidently. "Now let's apply that principle here. Aymin has become defensive, wanting to hold on to this information she's guarding. And she'll be agitated in an attempt to rattle me in my questioning."
Devine looked at Aymin, who had looked away. "That's true. But how is this going to change anything? Are you just going to pop some chessboard for the two of you to play?"
("Sometimes, I really question how Devine got this far into her life with her dry wit.")
"No," said Seraph firmly. "Instead of chess pieces, I will simply have a look into her mind as I question her further. Just know that every defense can always be broken down when there's an opening. Watch and see."
LOGIC CHESS: The Raiders
"In order to get Aymin to give this crucial information, I need to employ the right strategy. Using chess as my background, I will have to think ahead and think fast." Seraph turned to face Aymin. "Let's analyze the situation."
"I'm telling you that I did not participate in the raid. Why don't you understand?"
Seraph envisioned her opponent to have a pawn and a knight guarding the information she needed. Behind the two pieces stood a king.
"She's hiding information behind her agitation. She'll continue to do so when I press her on the matter about the weapon. If I waste too much time or let impatience get the better of me, I'll lose the lead abruptly. Therefore, the only way I can proceed is for her to calm down. If she becomes agitated, I'll simply wait and observe. I'll strike when I see an opening.
"First, I'll ask Aymin about what she knows about the weapon. Let's begin."
BEGIN LOGIC CHESS
OPENING 1: The unusual weapon
"Aymin, why the surprise? You know something about it, don't you?"
Aymin shook her head again. "I-I-I know nothing!"
"You have to calm down. I'm here to help you."
Despite Seraph's assuring voice, Aymin felt overwhelmingly nervous, almost paranoid. "T-There's no one to help me! M-Maybe I ought to be found guilty!"
- I agree that you're guilty.
- Wait and see.
Seraph made sure that Aymin would calm down before she would continue. It was best for Aymin to rant out anything she had on her mind.
"I-I-I don't know anything!"
Seraph pressed a finger to her forehead as she processed her thoughts. "From what you're saying so far, I do think you have something to hide. But I do not believe that you're involved with the raid."
Aymin blinked. "Y-You believe so?"
"Of course," responded Seraph. "So why can't you place your faith in me? I need important information."
"But what can I talk about?"
"We're back to where we started," said Seraph as she sighed. "If you have no involvement in the raid, then you shouldn't worry one bit about the thing I showed you earlier, right?"
Aymin seemed agitated. "Then I believe you're out to get me all along!"
- You're getting a little hopeless.
- I'm not questioning what you believe.
- Wait and see.
Once again, Seraph paused, allowed Aymin to continue her tirade. She had to switch to a different strategy.
"D-Do you really believe my innocence?"
Seraph smiled. "As I said earlier, I can dismiss the charges against you should you be completely innocent. However, I can't take a step towards that if you don't talk."
Aymin sighed. "F-Fine."
"What do you know about the weapon?"
Aymin turned away. "I… I still know nothing. I… never even used it when it happened."
- So it was used in the raid!
- Wait and see.
Seraph found her opening. She conjured her first piece to take on Aymin's defenses.
"I see, so despite you claiming nothing, you insist that you never used it when it happened. This implies that the weapon was used during the raid, am I correct?"
Having been caught, Aymin flinched, her pawn taken out from Seraph's offensive.
LEAD 1: Weapon used in raid
"Y-Yes, it was used," stammered Aymin. "B-But I don't know about it."
Seraph nodded. "This is going to be my first lead to build the grand offensive when I figure out the information I need."
"Now that her pawn is out of commission, I will be able to obtain the second lead when I take out her knight. It's clear that Aymin knows something about the raiders. This will be the next topic to tackle."
OPENING 2: Raiders in Khura'in
Seraph resumed her interrogation. "It's clear that the raiders used this weapon when they attacked Khura'in. Given the damages in the area, I'm sure that the weapon would deal substantial damage if it were fired on structures." She turned to Aymin. "I apologize for this, but I need more details on what the raiders looked like."
Aymin turned away. "They're a mix of different nationalities," she answered. "But I know some are from Khura'in."
Seraph blinked at the unusual lead. "From Khura'in? How do you…?"
Aymin rolled up her right sleeve to reveal a symbol, a deep, dark red etched into her. She explained that when Khura'inese brand their skin with a mark that describes who they are. When asked about the meaning of the mark on her arm, she said that it was about justice.
"So you're studying to become a lawyer?"
"Y-Yes. Th-That's what I want to be."
- You're better off with another profession.
- Why are you still hiding something?
- Wait and see.
If Aymin calmed down at this moment, Seraph would get nowhere. She had to rile her up a little to keep her talking. To shake up the opposing piece of the chessboard, Seraph's mental side conjured a pawn. "It's not good when a future lawyer has something to hide. After all, being a lawyer also means pursuing the truth." Her bishop attacked the other knight, only making a slight dent.
"Y-Yes, you're right," Aymin admitted meekly.
"There's something that you know about the raiders, and I intend to get the information."
"Y-You're not going to leave, are you?"
Seraph shook her head. "Persistence is one of the defining traits of an international prosecutor, I'm afraid. So what do you know about the raiders? Aside from some of them being Khura'inese?"
Aymin looked away. "Not much. They just stormed into the town one day. And I was fleeing for my life when they fired it!"
- How destructive was it?
- Wait and see
Seraph already had a good idea of the destruction it would cause when the unusual weapon would be fired. She decided to wait it out.
"I-I was in the market, and I looked around and it was a stampede of people."
"The situation was chaotic, right?"
Aymin looked more rattled than ever. Seraph knew that Aymin would be bound to slip up something, so she let Aymin continue.
"I was fleeing and looking around for a place to hide. But they just seemed to be everywhere, holding those weapons! I was even more shocked."
- More shocked? How?
- Wait and see
This was new for Seraph. Seraph was interested in the fact that Aymin was more shocked at something else rather than the raid itself. Her pawn stood up to face Aymin's knight, colliding with it but not enough to take it out from the logic chess.
"Shocked to see the people with the raid. There were men, women, and even children younger than me! And some people that I also know as well!"
CLUE: Someone she knows
Seraph's lips twitched – she had a clue on her hands. "So, one of the raiders she saw during the incident is someone she knows. This can be a valuable clue."
OPENING 3: Indirect involvement
With that clue, it was time to steer to another topic. "The raid must have been traumatic for many, yours too," Seraph told Aymin. "However, you're still hiding something."
Aymin looked irritated. "I'm telling you! I was not involved in the raid!"
Seraph nodded. "That's true. You weren't part of the raid operation itself, but you were indirectly involved."
Aymin clenched a fist. "That's absurd, you filthy mother-"
Once again, Seraph had to cut her off from spewing verbal indecencies. "That's enough!" ("Let me try using that clue.")
- You know someone involved in the raid!
- Wait and see
Seraph's rook stepped forward to confront Aymin's knight in the logic chess battle. "It's true that you're not directly involved, but you said earlier – and I quote, 'some people that I also know as well'. You can't tell me that you know nothing!"
With that revelation, the rook collided with the opposing knight, making a significant dent in the defensive strategy.
Aymin flinched. "I-I-I uh…"
"And that's the next line of questioning," continued Seraph, keeping up the offensive. "Who was it whom you know was involved in the raid?"
Aymin turned away. "L-Leave me alone, already!"
Seraph leaned forward. "You might have ended up here because of this person. You have to tell me."
"I'm not about to rat him out, okay?"
- It was a male person!
- It was a female person!
- Wait and see.
Seraph's choices were narrowing. Another of her pawns rose to face the opposing knight. "'Not about to rat him', so it was a man."
Aymin flinched again, her knight damaged once more. "I-I don't want to talk. Please."
"Do you stand by your innocence?"
"Yes!"
Seraph leaned back on her chair. "Then you have to tell me who it is."
Aymin looked down worriedly. "I… I don't want to rat him out. He's someone I… I trust. Please!"
- You'll have to challenge that trust.
- Wait and see.
Seraph was almost there. As long as Aymin continued her tirade, Seraph would eventually catch her.
"Things are already going badly in my family. How am I going to explain to mom about this?"
- It's a family relative who's involved.
- Wait and see.
Finally, Seraph had the lead she was looking for. With that lead, a final pawn was ready to take on the knight. "So, your family is involved in this mess. This explains your extreme hesitation to give me the information in the first place."
The pawn collided with the knight, shattering it. At the same time, Aymin's head hung low as she began weeping.
"Please, no. I can't bring myself to this."
Seraph felt sorry for Aymin. She could have stopped her questioning at any time in the face of her opponent's fragility, but she knew that it would lead her away from her purpose in coming to Khura'in in the first place. ("I'm sorry, Aymin. But this is necessary if I can save you from this false charge.")
LEAD 2: Aymin's relative
The pawn and the knight were gone, leaving Aymin's king remaining. Seraph knew it was time to connect the leads together to come up with a conclusion that would deal the checkmate, ending this verbal struggle.
("Now that I have these leads, I can piece them together to deal the checkmate. What do these leads have in common?")
- Aymin's relative is a victim of the raid
- Aymin's relative used the weapon
- The weapon is Aymin's own relative
CHECKMATE: Aymin's relative used the weapon
With this conclusion, Seraph conjured a pawn and a knight, preparing to take out the final opposing piece – the king – arising from the information she obtained.
"Aymin, the pieces are fitting in place," said Seraph. "You are directly not involved in the raid, but your family member is. Specifically – your brother!"
Aymin flinched then admitted through gritted teeth. "Th-That's right. I admit it. It's not me. But I don't want to implicate him either."
This made Seraph realize something. "And it's most likely because of him that you ended up here. You were implicated because of him!"
Seraph's final offense knocked out the last opposing piece. Aymin let out a soft shriek as she clutched her arms and pounded on the desk in front of her.
"And that's that," said Seraph softly, Devine having paid attention behind her. "Checkmate."
LOGIC CHESS COMPLETE
Seraph turned around. Devine looked impressed.
"With simple words, you managed to get the information out from her," commended Devine. "Now I know who not to face in court if I have to defend someone." She snickered.
("A valid point. I know who not to face in court if I will be the prosecutor.")
Seraph turned back to Aymin, whose head was still hung low. She looked defeated and miserable.
"Aymin, I –"
Just then, Aymin snapped her head up and faced Seraph. The Khura'inese's eyes showed anger. "Happy? Happy that you already know who's behind it? Are you going to break my family now?"
It was Seraph's turn to be silent. In her silence, she remembered the reason for becoming an international prosecutor. Her eyes met the suspect's eyes of anger and – in some depths – sadness. ("In some ways, Aymin's situation is not that different from mine. I became a prosecutor to search for my missing mother. She could be anywhere in the world now. I need to find answers to achieve some personal closure.")
Seraph took a deep breath and chose her next words carefully. "Aymin, this is painful for you as it is for me. To have a close relative be involved in something that could be traumatizing is… not an easy thing to digest."
Aymin slammed a fist on the desk in front of her. "So, you're just going to catch him and throw him here? Is that how your job is?"
Seraph folded her arms. "Aymin, you said that you're studying to become a lawyer. Why?"
Aymin did not respond.
"Is it for personal reasons?"
After a few tense seconds, Aymin put her fist off the desk. "Yes. Yes, it is."
"Then you and I are not so different."
Aymin blinked. "W-What do you mean?"
"I am here to pursue the organization that wreaked havoc on your kingdom because I fear that, if left unchecked, may cause greater chaos in the future," she told Aymin and reminded her that this organized raid involved multiple nationalities.
"But I don't see how this is personal."
Seraph sighed. "I am also looking for someone. Someone… very close to me. And to that end, I am willing to go to the ends of the earth to seek out the truth."
Aymin turned away slowly.
"Will you be a defense attorney to seek out the truth?"
Aymin nodded slowly.
"Then help me," finished Seraph, almost pleading. "I need more information and more details about the raiders. I will have to talk to your brother, should it come to that."
Aymin sighed as she wept again. "I… I… Alright, I will help you."
Seraph smiled.
This time, more passionately and with little hesitancy, Aymin bared details she knew about the raiders. She narrated about her brother, who studied abroad in the United Kingdom to learn more about computer science and shared his vision of Khura'in keeping up with the modern age of technology. She said that her brother's once carefree and passionate attitude had changed once he returned from abroad, and she knew that things were taking a turn for the worse.
("Is her brother related to the organization called INCOGNITO by any chance?")
"There was unsettling presence even months ago," continued Aymin. "We listened to news of security hacking, though very little of us knew what it was."
"The Khura'inese prefer their traditional way of living," commented Devine. "Having to adapt to advanced technology could jeopardize their way of life."
Aymin nodded. "That's right. So when the raid happened and all the madness broke out, we didn't know what to do."
This made Seraph wonder. "How was the police force able to drive out the raiders despite the disadvantage?"
Aymin frowned. "I'm not sure. As soon as they started their raid, they suddenly left. It happened in a matter of just a few hours."
"And your brother?"
"I… I could not find him."
"How did you know your brother was involved?" Devine asked gently.
"I just found out," Aymin answered, her voice squeaking. "One day, I was cleaning out the house when I stumbled across unusual parts in a secret compartment in his bedroom – I just found it by accident."
Seraph leaned forward. "What did that secret compartment contain?"
"A lot of things I don't know," answered Aymin. "I suspected he was connected to those raiders, but I couldn't verify. But now I know."
"How?"
"When you showed me that picture."
"So why were you hesitant?"
Instead of Aymin, it was Devine who answered. "Because she doesn't want her brother to be thrown in jail. I think you should ask her more about her life in general."
Following Devine's suggestion, Seraph asked Aymin about her life and her family. As mentioned earlier, Aymin lived with her brother and her ailing mother before her brother left for the United Kingdom. She bared to the two lawyers that her father was in jail for illegal possession of drugs and firearms and was convicted of murder. Aymin was studying to become a lawyer in the Kingdom of Khura'in after the end of the former queen's reign.
("Having been wrongly accused of inciting the raid and learning about her brother's involvement while trying to take care of an ailing mother was too much for her to handle. No wonder she's so disheveled.")
"So you believe me?" Aymin asked weakly when she finished her story.
Seraph looked into Aymin's eyes. And one look was all it took to reevaluate everything about herself so far. She had to close her eyes.
("I have prosecuted cases here and there, traveled abroad and had gone across the world to investigate cases left and right. I know a criminal when I see one, but there's still a lot for me to learn. And here I am in this difficult scenario. I feel like I am a defense attorney here.")
When Seraph opened her eyes, she did not find a specific answer. To consult with her thoughts and feelings, she turned to Devine.
"What do you think of all this as a defense attorney?"
Devine folded her arms. "If you ask me, I'd say her life is in your hands. There's no trial set; it would seem the circumstances landed her here."
Seraph sighed. Devine was right – there was no trial set for a day if no concrete proof could be found pointing to Aymin as the coordinator or mastermind of the raid.
("That's right. She was thrown here for aiding the invaders. To release her from this charge, I would need to find out who is the mastermind of the raid.") She smiled. ("I think I know what to do now.")
Seraph turned back to Aymin. "Aymin, I am a prosecutor, and it is my job to make sure that criminals are caught and brought to justice." She took a deep breath. "I believe your story and I'll make sure to find the person who caused chaos in your town."
For the first time since Aymin stepped into the visitor's room, she smiled. "Thank you. Thank you!"
Seraph felt overwhelmed, almost close to tears to see Aymin smiling at a ray of hope from the despair of the charges against her. ("So this is what a defense attorney would normally feel like. It's… definitely a learning experience.")
Devine tapped a hand on Seraph's shoulder. "Now you feel how defense attorneys feel, huh?"
Seraph nodded. "I think it was good for you to come along. I needed this experience."
Devine chuckled. "Nothing the youth can't handle, am I right?"
Finally, Seraph asked for Aymin's home location. Her home was in one of the hills close to the kingdom's center. Aymin wasn't sure what the lawyers would expect, but she said that her mother could be cranky at times but was generally kind to visitors, especially foreigners. For landmarks, Aymin mentioned about a flowing river, some rice paddies, and a statue bearing the country's revolutionary. Seraph and Devine hoped that they wouldn't end up lost – like they nearly ended up so while looking for the detention center. With the new information and the permission to visit their home, Seraph and Devine left the visitor's lobby after a Khura'in bow.
Author's Notes: Logic Chess. I really love the logic chess in the Ace Attorney Investigations 2, so I put my own spin to it in this area. I highlighted important parts as OPENING, LEAD, CLUE, and CHECKMATE.
OPENING refers to the opening questions. LEAD refers to important pieces of information brought up by the person indiscriminately or accidentally revealing them through their actions and/or words. This will "remove a piece on the opposing board" in the logic chess sequence. CLUE refers to clues that can be used to make attacks on other questions. CHECKMATE can be made when all the leads are gathered and only the opponent's "king" remains in Logic Chess. In the courtroom sequence of the main games, the CHECKMATE is equivalent to the conclusions drawn from the visualization sequence near the end of the trial.
In summary: OPENING brings about CLUES which can be used to obtain LEADS. After gathering enough LEADS, Seraph can deal a CHECKMATE by piecing the LEADS together and form a conclusion from the information gathered. Anyway, that's my spin on Logic Chess and I hope you like it.
I'm working on a new chapter and I hope it'll be uploaded in the near future. See you!
PowerZone
