Chapter Eleven: The Murdering Malice
"Mr. Edgeworth, is there something you want to talk to me about?" Maya ran a gloved finger along the floor and grimaced when it came back covered in dust.
"No, not really. Why do you ask?" Edgeworth retrieved the carbon monoxide detector from the pocket of his coat that she still had draped over her shoulders, unhooked the wand from the detector's main body and punched in a few numbers on the stopwatch.
"Because for the past twenty minutes, I've been catching you looking at me when you think I won't notice."
"Hmph." Edgeworth tapped the side of the detector with the flat of his hand to jar it into service and waved the wand around. "That's a good trick since I wasn't even looking at you."
"You were a minute ago." Maya's cheek puffed out. "Then when you noticed I was looking back, you looked away. It's like I'm playing the 'I'm not looking at you' game with a cat."
"You're imagining things, Miss Fey." The CO detector in his hand beeped twice and stated that no carbon monoxide was present inside the sword chamber, so Edgeworth bent down, replaced the detector inside his coat pocket, stood back up again and peered around the now lit room instead.
Admittedly, he had been sneaking glances at her, but that was only because the excruciatingly painful stabbing sensation in his sternum was becoming impossible to ignore. The pain in his chest had grown exceedingly worse in the last half hour and it hadn't gone away, not even when he'd attempted to distract himself with focusing on the gruesome crime scene instead.
However, until the case was finished, he resolved to bear the pain quietly. He'd told himself as much when out in the front hall and he was going to stick to his decision. After all, Edgeworth was a being tempered in stoicism from a very early age, and something as trifling as this wasn't about to break his self control.
The fact he kept staring at her was just a side effect.
"Mr. Edgeworth, you're doing it again." said Maya. "What's up? Do you want your coat back or something?"
"No. It's nothing." Disregarding a pang that felt as if someone had twisted a blade in his chest to the left like the dial on an egg timer, Edgeworth let his gaze rove around the sword chamber for anything that he could use to distract Maya long enough to get her to cease her inquiries.
Other than the door covered in charms and the streamers attached to the rusted broadsword in the center of the chamber, there wasn't really much to the room. It was fairly sparse with its dark wood flooring and equally dense wooden walls painted with murals, and the only thing of interest, other than what he'd already noted, were four cream pillar candles set in designated alcoves carved into the wood, one on each wall, and two sizable pools of blood splattered on the wooden flooring, each from a different victim.
"Miss Fey," Edgeworth pointed to a nearby candle. "If I might, what can you tell me about these candles?"
"The ceremonial candles?" Maya got up from where she'd been on the floor and approached the candle. "Well, first and foremost, they don't work like a regular candle. They aren't lit by your typical combustion matches, but rather they're ignited by spiritual power. Regular fire won't catch on these wicks."
"They're lit by spiritual power?" Edgeworth raised one very skeptical eyebrow. "How does that work?"
Maya grinned at him.
"Watch this." She arranged her hands in an intricate triangle formation, held them to the center of her chest and sharply shifted them downwards.
With a whoosh, a green flame flared into life and settled happily in the candle's white wick.
"Pretty neat, huh?" Maya beamed as Edgeworth leaned forward and squinted at the healthy viridescent flame. "That little fire right there is fueled by the spiritual power of the medium who lights it, right now that medium being me. I transferred a little bit of my power outside my body and the candle captured the essence and sparked it into a fire. So, what do you think? I've taken the phrase 'going green' to a whole new level, wouldn't you say?"
"That you have." In spite of himself, Edgeworth was fascinated by the strange green flame. "Do all flames from these candles look like this?"
"Hm. It depends." Maya closed her eyes contemplatively. "The brightness and clarity of the flame depends on the conjurer, mostly. Do you see how bright my flame is and how it has a clear, emerald sheen to it?"
"Yes."
"That's because I just came back from a world tour of purification rites training. I'm soaked with spiritual energy right now, so my flame right here is a testament to that. If say, someone who had less energy than I do produced a flame, the color would be significantly weaker and the flame wouldn't shine as brightly."
"Hmph." Ever the cynic, Edgeworth reached a hand towards the flame, but stopped just short of touching it. "The heat is present enough, that much is certain. However, it doesn't feel like a regular flame."
"That's because it's not a regular flame. It's my spiritual energy burning outside my body. Here, let me show you."
"'Show me'? And how do you plan to do th-" Maya latched her fingers around Edgeworth's wrist and aimed his hand at the candle. "M-maya, what are you doing?!"
"Relax." Maya squeezed his wrist reassuringly and winked at him. "It won't burn you. Trust me."
Edgeworth began to protest that touching fire of any kind, regardless of its origin, would undoubtedly burn him, but once the tip of the fire grazed his outstretched hand, he found to his astonishment that no pain came forth.
"See?" Maya smiled. "It's perfectly safe. Now, what do you feel?"
"What do you mean?" Edgeworth apprehensively watched the fire lick the skin of his palm.
"I've never gotten the chance to ask a null how a spiritual flame feels before." said Maya. "I'm curious what it feels like from an external point of view."
"You used that term before. Exactly what is a 'null'?"
"In layman's terms, you." said Maya with a goodnatured glint in her eye. "In more of a wordy explanation, a null is a person with virtually no spiritual energy at all. They've got just enough to keep their spirit anchored inside their body, but that's it. If spiritual energy were water, they'd be the Gobi desert."
"And I'm a null?"
"The nullest null there ever was." beamed Maya. "You're a man of cold, hard science and anything of an unexplainable nature isn't possible, or, at least, according to you, it's not."
Edgeworth frowned at her. She was far too ebullient when she said that. It was disconcerting.
"Why are you so pleased by that? From the way you described me, one would think you would be repulsed by my stance on your livelihood."
"Oh, no, not at all." said Maya. "I find it refreshing, actually."
"... why?"
"You're honest about being a null, Mr. Edgeworth. You don't make any bones about it and you don't shy away from who you are. A good portion of nulls aren't like that. They like to pretend they have spiritual power and can see what they can't, but they're only lying about their abilities to impress other nulls. Those nulls then pretend they can see it too, because they don't want to look stupid or foolish, and so the cycle continues."
"Oh. So, it's like 'The Emperor's New Clothes', you mean."
"Exactly. There used to be a huge problem many years ago with nulls pretending to be spirit mediums and conning people out of their hard earned money by promising them messages from their loved ones that had passed on. Having witnessed it yourself, you know that an actual physical transformation occurs when a proper medium channels a spirit, but because that wasn't common knowledge way back when, charlatans got away with a lot by exploiting the uneducated public." said Maya. "So, when a little kid, or someone like you, comes along and exposes the emperor for being naked, or, in this case, the nulls for being frauds, it actually makes life easier for the rest of us who truly can deliver on our claims, that one incident with my mother notwithstanding."
Edgeworth staved off the urge to cringe.
"Let's... not talk about that."
The memory of the earthquake was still fresh in his mind.
"Right, agreed. Anyway, people like you really do help the medium community, Mr. Edgeworth. Back in the day, the only people who pointed out the obvious and tried to expose fakes were mediums and those filled with spiritual power, but that didn't usually work out too well for them when they cornered a fraud."
"How so?" asked Edgeworth.
"It was often dangerous for them because, when exposed, those pretenders tended to get really nasty. The fakes would turn the tables, accuse the mediums of being frauds and sic their followers on them instead. Many a medium's ended up dead because all they did was point out the phony and no one would believe them."
"Hmm. I didn't realize how much of a need for skepticism there was in such a woolly profession in order to keep it honest." Edgeworth frowned. "Or how dangerous it was without a fact checker."
"Mm, there's more danger to being a medium than just fending off usurping family members, y'know." said Maya. "On a different, but slightly relevant note, It's also kinda cool to see somebody not need any mysticism in their lives. I'm surrounded by mediums and channeling and all sorts of metaphysicality on a daily basis. You, on the other hand, use logic, facts and figures to get where you need to go and I think that's fantastic. I like it when people are themselves and don't try to be something they're not. The authenticity is a breath of fresh air."
"And my dubiety doesn't offend your professional pride?" Edgeworth inquired while sparing her a suspicious glance from the corner of his eye.
"Nope. That's just you." chirped Maya. "You're not me, and I'm not you, and that's fine. I've got my strengths and you've got yours. They don't have to match. Besides, if everybody was the same, the world would be a really boring place, don't you think?"
Not having expected such an answer, Edgeworth stared at her silently for a moment and then sheepishly coughed into his fist.
"I... suppose it would."
Honestly, he'd never really thought about it.
"Furthermore, who else would shout at sci-fi films for not being possible if you weren't there to do it?" continued Maya with a puckish grin. "You have quite a niche to fill, Mr. Edgeworth. The world wouldn't be the same without you."
"Good to know." said Edgeworth flatly.
"So, what are you feeling?"
"Confused, mostly."
"No, not that. The flame. Describe it for me. Please?"
"Oh... very well." Edgeworth closed his eyes and focused on the flame brushing against his palm. "It feels... warm. Very warm. Almost hot, like running your hand under water coming from a bath tap, but it's not uncomfortable. It's a rather pleasant temperature, and definitely not one that I would expect from a flame."
"Uh huh." Maya eagerly gestured for him to go on. "What else, what else?"
"It feels a lot like a liquid." He turned his hand skyward and allowed the flame to dance on the back of his hand. "Its viscosity is thicker than water, but it's fluid enough that I actually can feel it dripping off my hand, if that makes any sense. I'd put it more akin to boiled tree sap, or a texture thereabouts."
Maya looked appalled.
"My spiritual energy feels like maple syrup to you?"
"Essentially."
Maya's face grew grave.
"... Mr. Edgeworth, I'm going to ask you a question and I want you to answer me completely honestly because this is very important. Lives depend on it."
Edgeworth raised an eyebrow at her surreptitiously stern expression.
"Yes?"
"Is it the real syrup, or the fake syrup?"
He stared at her.
"... The real syrup." Edgeworth felt a headache pulse behind his left eye; was she twenty eight or five? "It's not sticky, but the viscidity is the same in terms of consistency, so-"
"I hate to interrupt, but you two are violating about five Fey laws right now, so if you would kindly get your hand out of that fire and step away from the candle, I'd appreciate it. There's enough of a mess in here, we don't need your smote corpse all over the floor too."
Both of them froze.
Standing right behind them was Dr. Bolysm, leaning on her walking stick and smirking at them the same way she had when he'd first met her at the hospital.
"Hello there." Dr. Bolysm wiggled her fingers at them. "I was wondering when one of you would notice I was back here."
"How... how long have you been there?" Maya pulled Edgeworth's hand out of the fire and let go of his wrist.
"Oh, I don't know, the whole time, give or take a few seconds? You two didn't even notice I was watching. It was actually kind of cute, if not for the whole blaspheming part."
Edgeworth glowered at her.
He really did not like this woman.
"Ooh, what's with that look?" Dr. Bolysm grinned impishly at him. "Are you mad I interrupted you while you were having your fun playing with the master's heat?"
"... That sounded wrong in so many different ways." squirmed Maya.
"I'm more annoyed at your insistence on barring the investigation until Miss Fey was present, if you must know." Edgeworth replied tartly. "You cost us the better part of an hour's worth of investigation time."
"You'll live. Besides, it was good for you." said Dr. Bolysm. "Everyone needs time to come to grips with a shock. Don't, and it'll come back to bite you in the rear later on in life."
"I highly doubt that." snorted Edgeworth.
"Oh, I bet you do." Dr. Bolysm chuckled and angled her walking stick at Maya. "And you, Mystic Maya. You know better than to show your abilities off and especially not to random men. You don't want him to get weird ideas, do you?"
Maya scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"Dr. Bolysm, please. This is Mr. Edgeworth we're talking about. 'Weird' isn't something he does. 'Weird' is something he has inflicted upon him. Ask anybody, they'll tell you."
Despite wishing it were otherwise, Edgeworth wholeheartedly agreed with her on that front.
"Mmhm." Dr. Bolysm didn't look convinced. "Well, call it whatever you like, but it was still in violation of the Fey code of conduct. Spiritual power is for show and business, not for playtime and messing around."
"He wasn't messing around." Maya countered. "I'm the one who stuck his hand in it. He had my full permission to touch it."
"Yes, and we all know how well that worked out once upon a time, now don't we?" Dr. Bolysm's fogged glasses shot over to the other side of the chamber like a hawk that'd spotted a tasty trout. "Hey, Spiky! Watch those streamers! I'm not having you unleash a calamity on all of us because you're not paying attention to where your gunboats are going! Don't think you get a 'get out of jail free' card just because you're cute-!"
"What was she talking about?" Edgeworth watched idly by as the doctor stomped across the room and proceeded to dress down Ema and Wright because Wright had made the unfortunate mistake of sidestepping too close to a streamer.
"It's from an old Fey-ry tale." said Maya. "Everyone in the clan hears it before they begin their spiritual training. It's more or less a cautionary tale about discretion towards revealing our energy to outsiders, especially men, in an attempt to impress them. Do you want to hear it?"
"Perhaps later." Edgeworth turned back to the candle. "So, who can see these candles without assistance?"
"Anyone with enough spiritual energy would be able to see a regular ceremonial candle glow, even an untrained person." said Maya. "However, these aren't your run-of-the-mill ceremonial candles. Only natural born members of the Fey clan can see these without help. The flame burning off this sort of candle has a special property that can be seen only by a chosen few for precautionary reasons."
"If that's the case, why could I see it?"
"The only reason you could see the flame was because a high ranking member of the clan lent you her power. You were using my power to see, so it stands to reason that you'd be able to see what I can, even if you normally wouldn't be able to see anything at all. With my energy, I just altered you a little, like an ill fitting suit in need of tailoring."
"You altered the composition of my eyes?!" Edgeworth was horrified. He wouldn't even get lasik and she just went and-
"What? No." Maya smiled amusedly. "You don't see spiritual energy with your eyes, silly. You see it with your soul. I basically got out some jumper cables and zapped your battery. That's all. You don't need to panic, your eyeballs remain untouched and safe inside your head right where they should be."
"I... I see." Edgeworth put a hand to his chest. That was a relief. He really didn't like the idea of anyone mucking about with his eyes.
His soul, fine.
Just not his eyes.
"No, these candles aren't for regular ceremonies and we don't light these ourselves, barring my one example. When a flame crops up on this candle, it crops up on its own, and when that happens, it's cause for an emergency."
"An emergency?" Edgeworth watched as Maya went back over to the candle, waved her hand over it and whooshed the flame away.
"Yep. Y'see, these are ceremonial harbinger candles." Maya gestured to the winding trails of paper charms looped above them with her slender index finger. "You see those conjuration streamers and how they trail down to the sword in the middle of the room?"
"They're hard to miss, Miss Fey." Edgeworth glanced at a streamer near his head. "Just because Wright doesn't pay attention does not mean I am equally obtuse."
"My name's Maya, Mr. Edgeworth." sighed Maya. "Anyway, this room is usually completely off limits to virtually everyone because there's something really nasty sealed in here. Those charms and streamers around the room aren't just for show. Whenever the seal starts to weaken and whatever it is that's inside begins to stir, the candles react to the oncoming storm's spiritual energy signature and flicker into life. They warn us before the spirit breaks the bonds so we can perform a sealing rite and stuff that sucker back where they came from."
... Sealing rite?
Urgh.
Edgeworth could already feel his eyes rolling into the back of his head.
"What is... allegedly sealed in here?" He folded his arms against his chest. "Or, more likely, what is believed to be sealed in here?"
"That I don't know." said Maya with a puzzled frown. "You'd have to ask Dr. Bolysm. Mrs. Voyant was the guard and only the Synod of Elders' members have ready access to this room. Not even the Master can just go wherever she wants, y'know."
"I would, but it seems she is a trifle busy at the moment." Edgeworth spared Wright a pitying look. "So, could Mrs. Voyant see the flames react?"
"Yeah, she was the guard, so she could see the flames just fine- hey, wait a minute." Maya glared disapprovingly at him. "Mr. Edgeworth, that was dark, even for you. When I said you should try developing a sense of humor, I didn't mean a morbid one."
"Wha-I didn't mean it like that- Grrnnk~!"
Something struck Edgeworth square in the leg and he doubled over in pain.
"Mr. Edgeworth!" Maya rushed over to where he knelt on the ground, muttering angrily under his breath while a dull, horrid pain radiated through his leg. "What happened? Are you okay?"
"No. I was so focused on the candle, I didn't see what was on the floor next to me." Edgeworth grimaced as stars danced in front of his eyes. "I hit my shin on something."
"Ooh, ouch." Maya winced sympathetically. "I bet that hurt. Here, lemme see."
Edgeworth blanched.
"Miss Fey, I'm fine, you don't need to loo- Maya, let go of my trouser leg!"
"Ooh. You left a deep scuff in the leather of your boot. You must've hit it harder than I thought. Well, you don't look that mangled in any case, so I doubt we'll have to chop it. See, there's some good news for ya." Maya clicked her tongue, dropped the burgundy fabric back overtop the leather boot and craned her neck around him in search of what he'd accidentally struck. "Ah, and there's the culprit right there. It appears the object that attempted to slay you is a small storage chest of some kind."
"Storage chest?" Edgeworth looked where Maya indicated and watched as she plucked a chest out from where it was wedged upside down next to the wall.
"Yep. It looks old." Maya tilted her head at an angle and did the same with the box. "I don't recognize it, though."
"I do." Edgeworth gently rubbed at the raw spot on his leg; that really did hurt. "That is Mrs. Voyant's chest. I retrieved her notebook from inside. However, the last time I saw it, it was safely secure inside her chambers at the front room, not buried upside down in here."
"What's this doing in here, then?" Maya undid the latch and flipped open the lid. "Was someone after the contents?"
"It's a possibility." Edgeworth peered inside with her. "She kept an old tape recorder in here, but it doesn't appear to be here anymore. Aside from that, however, all the other things I saw are still accounted for."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes." He pointed to all the strange tools. "Every one of these tools were present when I went to take the notebook at her instruction. Nothing else is missing."
"Huh. Weird. Hey, do you think one of these tools is the murder weapon?" asked Maya. "Do we even know what the murder weapon is?"
"Not until the autopsy report on Mrs. Voyant comes back." Edgeworth plucked one of the tools from the chest and rotated it with his latex gloved fingers. "Also, I highly doubt the murder weapon is one of these."
"What about this one?" Maya picked up the poker looking tool. "This looks ice pick-y."
"It might look like it could stab someone, but all this does is indent paper. It's not sharp like an awl, though they share a resemblance in form. It can't puncture anything other than punctuation."
"Oh. Well, shoot." Maya dropped it back into the box, looking rather disappointed. "There went that theory. And here I thought somebody went all Trotsky on Mrs. Voyant and- Mr. Edgeworth, there's blood on the chest!"
She quickly flipped over the box and held it for him to see.
Smeared across the underside of the box's back edge was a long, slick streak of blood, along with a few light brown hairs.
"Oh. Well, isn't this disgusting." Edgeworth ran his finger down the edge of the box and scowled when the red smear came back on his glove.
The blood was still fresh.
"I think... we found the thing that hit Pearly." Maya barely managed to stifle a shudder. "Yeesh, and you thought your shin was bad. Poor Pearly."
"So it would seem." said Edgeworth with an equally grim countenance.
"Hey, Edgeworth, Maya. C'mere a second." Wright called over to them now that Dr. Bolysm was back in her watching spot near the talisman covered door and was no longer yelling at him. "I found something."
"What'd you find, Nick?" Maya, box in hand, trotted over to where he was, Edgeworth hot on her heels.
"This was right in the corner near the doorway." Wright held up a small white lighter with a blue star on the side. "This look familiar to you, Edgeworth?"
"It's the same design from the train." Edgeworth took the lighter and turned it around in his hands. "However, unlike the one we found, this one is perfectly intact. It's been used, but still intact."
"You guys found a lighter?" asked Maya.
"Yes, it was in a vent. I still haven't gotten the fingerprint analysis back for it yet, though."
"It's being processed right now, sir." Ema called from her spot near the outline tape where she was pressed to the floor. "We just haven't found a match yet. All the known databases are being swept for it as we speak."
"Y'know, I was wondering what that lighter looked like before it got melted." said Wright. "It's fairly pretty. Well, this one's in perfect condition, so that means it didn't get munched when the train went up in smoke."
"Hey, should you really be crouching on the ground like that?" Maya pointed at Wright's back. "You already threw your back out once today, didn't you? You're risking a sequel."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. I'll be fine... probably. Besides, you're not my mom, Maya." Wright patted around in the dark looking for another piece of evidence. "I can make my own life choices."
Maya snorted.
"That right there's a stupid life choice, Nick."
"Hey, it's not my fault this murder's in the atmosphere of the short people. I have to bend over." A foul popping noise came from Wright's back and he groaned. "Urgh. Just once, can't there be a homicide that happens on a tall shelf?"
"Wright, stop crouching like that, you fool. You'll only throw your back out again if you aggravate it beyond its limits." Edgeworth placed the lighter in a plastic bag and tossed it at Ema while Wright cracked the small of his back into place with his palms. "Detective, get that tested for fingerprints, will you?"
"I'm on it!" Ema caught it like a cat pouncing on a dove and pulled her trusty fingerprinting powder out of her bag. "This'll be a quick read, so give me a few minutes and I'll have your prints in no time."
"Oh, and while you're at it, Detective, print this box as well." Edgeworth took the box from Maya and flipped it over to show Ema the blood stain on the bottom edge. "If you look here, you can see there is blood on the flat edge of this chest. I want it completely analyzed."
"Sure thing, sir. Just set it down right there and I'll handle that next." Ema covered the lighter in powder, lifted the prints off the surface and scanned it into her handheld PDA.
"Do you have a match yet?" Edgeworth mildly glanced over her shoulder at the PDA's screen.
"Not yet, it's taking it's time matching up the print markers... Oh, here we go! I've got a match!"
"Excellent." said Edgeworth. "Whose prints are on the lighter?"
"Hm... there's only one set, so that narrows things down a bit." murmured Ema. "Let's see here... oh."
"What?" asked Wright. "What's 'oh'?"
Ema looked up.
"It's Pearl's fingerprints."
"Pearl's'?" Edgeworth and Wright shared a confused glance.
"Why would Pearly's fingerprints be on a lighter?" Maya's nose wrinkled. "She doesn't smoke. She thinks it's a horrible habit and rightly so. It's really gross. Speaking of which, Nick, why would you care about how pretty a lighter is or not? You're not taking up smoking, are you? That stuff kills people, Nick-"
"Hey, there's more than one use for lighters, y'know-"
"Like what? Arson?"
"Well, he did threaten to burn down someone's house earlier."
"Ema, you said we shouldn't talk about that."
"Of course you shouldn't, I'm still in the room. Wait until I leave before you discuss your firebug preferences, Wright."
"This is so discombobulated. How do any of you ever get any work done? If this is how investigations are run these days, I fear for the legal system."
"You and I both, Madam-"
"Everybody, quit it!" Maya clapped her hands together three times to get everyone to put a sock in it. "Nick, no burning down people's houses, Mr. Edgeworth, remember to breathe- both ways- Dr. Bolysm, you're not helping, and Ema... you're fine. Anyway, we need to focus on the matter at hand. So, let's have ourselves a little brainstorm. We need to figure out why Pearly's prints are on that lighter and why she was in this chamber in the first place. I, for one, find that the strangest part about this whole case. Everybody knows that certain chambers are out of bounds for all except the Synod of Elders. So, why would Pearly, who never breaks the rules, come in here? She must've had a good reason. She doesn't break rules like I do."
"You break rules?" Edgeworth raised an eyebrow.
"Only the stupid ones." said Maya. "Alright, people. Discuss."
"Maybe she needed the lighter to see when she was in here." suggested Wright. "It was pitch black, so she'd need a light to get around."
"Not quite, Wright. She would've been able to see because of the ceremonial candle's flame." corrected Edgeworth; it appeared he wasn't the only 'null' in the room.
"Ceremonial what now?" Wright and Ema looked confused.
Maya repeated her explanation of the candles to them as she'd done with Edgeworth, but that did little to dispel their bewilderment.
"Yes, I know. Outlandish as it seems, it is an aspect of this case that cannot be overlooked." sighed Edgeworth. "If the flame was lit, that meant she wouldn't need the lighter and when Miss Fey and I came in, the flame was already lit, Pearl was unconscious, and Mrs. Voyant was dead."
"Was the ceremonial candle lit when Pearls came in here, though?" Wright ran a hand over his mouth. "If it wasn't, then she'd need the lighter, regardless of whether or not she could see the flame."
"Unfortunately, that we don't know just yet." said Edgeworth. "However, since there was a lighter in the area with her prints on it, that shows premeditated intent to enter the chamber regardless if the candle was lit or not."
"I think the candle had to have been lit." said Maya. "Pearly wouldn't have come in here without a reason. The only reason I can think of that she would come in here is if she saw the candle was lit and decided to investigate."
"Do you have any proof to substantiate that claim, Miss Fey?" asked Edgeworth. "Evidence is everything. If you can't back up your claim with solid proof, it won't hold water."
"I have extensive knowledge of the temperament of the person whom we're discussing, which is proof enough on a psychological level." Maya's tone of voice grew serious. "While it might not be concrete, it's important to factor in the nature of the suspect's personality in order to ascertain the truth of their movements as governed by their inherent character. Pearly's always been really hard on herself when it comes to following rules, especially the ones that could potentially make people disappointed with her if she broke them. She never would've come in here without permission unless she thought there was a genuine reason to break those rules. That fact can't be ignored."
"So you mean like the candles being lit?" Wright asked.
"That'd be enough to get her to break the rules, yeah." Maya looked to Edgeworth, though he chose to remain silent for the time being; it was oddly fascinating listening to her sounding so mature. "Not much else would."
"However, that would mean that to see the flame, the door upstairs that leads down here would already have to have been open." Wright pointed out. "Pearls is a talented medium, but not even she can see through walls."
"So, if we go with this line of thought, that means that she wasn't the first one in here." Ema finished with a ruminative chew of her lip. "Someone else got in here first."
"Like Mrs. Voyant?"
"Or someone else. Alright, let us suppose that is true that the candle was what lured Pearl inside this chamber." Edgeworth decided to let Maya have her way for now; he'd disprove her in due time if she ended up being wrong. "How then do you propose the candle was lit? According to Miss Fey, regular matches or combustion flames won't ignite the candles. They require a medium."
"Could Mrs. Voyant have lit the candle?" suggested Wright.
"She could, but I don't think that's likely." said Maya. "Mrs. Voyant was the gatekeeper of this chamber. She knew those candles were for harbinger use only, so she wouldn't have lit them. Besides, she was blind. What would she need light for? The darkness was her best friend when it came to catching people unawares who might try to slink around in here."
"That's... a valid point." murmured Wright. "Wait, what if Pearls was the one who lit it? That's got some merit-"
"That also shoots the argument that Pearl was lured inside by the flame in the foot." pointed out Edgeworth.
"... oh, yeah."
"Sorry to kill your theory, Nick, but I know for a fact she didn't light it." rebuffed Maya. "Pearly's not allowed to light the candles."
"Why not?" asked Ema.
"There was an incident when the village had a blackout about a month ago." said Dr. Bolysm. "Pearl attempted to help everyone by lighting a candle while they searched for the portable electric generators, and the only candle she could find was a ceremonial harbinger one."
"... What happened?" Wright asked tentatively.
"She almost blinded everyone in the room. So, Pearl's not allowed to light the candles anymore. It's a rule now, by unanimous vote."
"Yeah." agreed Maya. "And since I didn't scream in agony and bury my face in Mr. Edgeworth's coat when I first saw the flame, it wasn't Pearly's handiwork. It was far too weak."
"Was it really that bad?"
"Think strobe light to your retinas." said Dr. Bolysm.
"It's not her fault, though." defended Maya. "She was just trying to help. Pearly's just that flooded with spiritual power. She felt really bad about it. She even made apology jewelry for everybody she nearly rendered sightless."
"I'm still wearing mine." Dr. Bolysm hooked a thumb underneath her magatama to show the necklace woven out of leather cord.
"Aw, poor Pearls. So if it wasn't Pearls' doing, and it wasn't the old lady's, is it possible for the candle to just switch on by itself?"
"You'd better hope not, Spiky." said Dr. Bolysm with a dry snort. "If that happened, a couple of dead people in here would be the least of our worries."
"I suppose the only way we'll find out if it was lit or not when Pearl came in here is when she's interviewed." sighed Ema. "And we can't do that right now since she's in surgery."
"Speaking of which, I also want to speak with the junior doctor." said Edgeworth. "He might know something."
"Well, they'll be in the same place for a bit, so you'll get your wish on that angle, Sonny Jim. I'll just tell Phil to let us know when she's up and lucid enough to speak." The old lady tapped her stick on the ground. "He won't leave her side until she's better."
"Good guy." Wright nodded in approval.
"He's a good boy, that one."
"Detective Skye, any sign of anything that could've been used as a murder weapon?" Edgeworth turned to Ema.
"No, sir. I scoured this tub from top to bottom and let me tell you, there wasn't any sign of something that could've done her in. We won't know about the exact cause of death until the autopsy report comes back, but I haven't seen anything that could do bodily damage." sighed Ema. "It's likely the culprit took the weapon with them."
"Or it's that sword over there." Wright hooked a thumb at the sword covered in the streamers.
"Oh, I can guarantee you it's not." said Dr. Bolysm with a bitter smile.
"So, in terms of figuring out why Pearls was inside the chamber, why she had a lighter, and whether or not the flame was lit, so far, we've achieved a grand total of jack squat." Wright groaned. "Great."
"Pretty much." sighed Ema. "So, if the victim didn't light it, and neither did Pearl, it looks like we're looking for somebody who can light the candles, but that'd include the entire Fey clan."
"A good chunk of them, anyway." nodded Maya. "It certainly doesn't narrow down the suspect list any."
"Let's go, then." Edgeworth readjusted his glasses and suppressed a sigh of his own. "The autopsy report is probably waiting for us outside and there's not much in here left to investigate-"
"Hold it!" Dr. Bolysm stomped her walking stick sharply on the wooden floor, causing everyone to freeze in their tracks. "Nobody. Move. An inch."
"Is... is there a problem?" Ema asked nervously.
"You bet your biscuits there is. Who among you touched blood?" Dr. Bolysm jabbed her walking stick at them. "Check your gloves."
Everyone looked at their gloves.
"Well? Show of hands, who did?"
Everybody raised their hands.
Dr. Bolysm huffed exasperatedly.
"Seems I was right to keep watch on all of you turkeys. None of you were paying any attention." She shook her head irritatedly and pulled a plastic sack out of her coat pocket. "Alright, you lot. Get over here and strip."
"P-pardon?!" Wright choked.
"Oh, not like that, you silly thing." Dr. Bolysm grinned coquettishly at the blushing defense lawyer. "I'm a bit too old for that sort of ridiculousness, especially not with my hip. A crying shame, though. You are my type, Spiky."
"... type?" Wright looked pale.
"Oh, if I were forty years younger, single, and my hip were better... I'd ruin you."
"Wh-What?!"
"Oh my god, Dr. Bolysm." Maya blenched in mortification as the doctor laughed roisterously while Wright proceeded to duck behind Edgeworth for protection. "Why do you do this...?"
"Because I'm 63, I'm bored, and I don't give a flying fruity fudge nugget about much anymore." chortled Dr. Bolysm. "Now then, ladies, if you would dump your gloves in here, I'd appreciate it. Just don't touch the blood with your bare skin."
"She's... she's joking, right?" Wright whispered in a panic to Edgeworth as Ema and Maya peeled off their gloves and deposited them into Dr. Bolysm's sack. "Tell me she's joking."
"No, I don't think she is." Edgeworth murmured back. "You seem to have gained yourself a fan."
"But I don't want a fan~!"
"Welcome to my world."
"Alright, you two, it's your turn." Dr. Bolysm shook the plastic sack at them. "In the bag with your gloves, if you please. Hurry up, we haven't got all day."
Both lawyers yanked their gloves off, dropped them inside the bag and stepped back again, though Wright kept a much wider berth of the doctor than Edgeworth did.
"This is everyone's?" Dr. Bolysm looked around for any stray gloves to make sure none were missed. "Good."
She then reached into her pocket, retrieved what looked like a package of salt, ripped it open, and threw the contents forcefully into the bag.
"Out! Out, foul demon!" She shouted into the air and shook the bag like she was applying dressing to a cup salad. "This blood is not for you! So get back from whence thee came, you foul, deceiving punisher of innocent souls! Stay in thine prison or risk the wrath of the Feys once more! We shall not abide your presence here in this world, nor shall we be persecuted in the next!"
"Has Dr. Bolysm lost it?" Ema hissed to Maya.
"You're implying she ever had it." murmured Edgeworth.
"No, she's just driving something out." Maya whispered back. "What, I've got no clue. They don't exactly go around labeling things for the tourists."
"Well, that should do it for the gloves." Dr. Bolysm nodded to herself once she stopped shaking the bag. "That's them done. Now, onto the puddles."
"Um, excuse me." Ema raised a hand. "Not to be rude or anything, but what did you do that for?"
"What, this?" Dr. Bolysm held up the baggie with the salted gloves. "To purify the gloves. This room is already a ticking time bomb and I'm not letting these go all over the place as they please. It's too much of a risk."
"Why is it a ticking time bomb?" asked Ema.
"Because of the blood." Dr. Bolysm pocketed the baggie filled with gloves and waved at them to get out of her way. "Move, move. I have to neutralize the puddles next. We can't let him get any ideas."
"Him?"
Dr. Bolysm pointed to the corroded sword in the center of the room before she pulled out another pouch of salt and threw handfuls on each puddle.
"The sword?" Wright's nose wrinkled. "What's so special about that thing? Can it smell blood like a shark?"
"Oho, finally a perceptive one." Dr. Bolysm smiled at Wright. "Nice to see you're more than just a pretty face, Spiky. The Murdering Malice is indeed drawn to blood like a fly to sugar, and when blood is spilt, he isn't far behind."
Wright blanched.
"But I was just joking-"
"I wasn't."
Edgeworth's eyes fell to half mast.
'The Murdering Malice'?
Now that was a dramaturgical name if ever there was one.
Maya, however, did not seem to share his sentiment.
"The Murdering Malice?" Her eyes grew unsettlingly round. "Are... are you serious, Dr. Bolysm? Is that really it?"
"Yes, it is." said Dr. Bolysm. "So don't touch, whatever you do. Better yet, all of you stay over there while I deal with this, and Mystic Maya, get yourself behind one of the broad shouldered ones. They should suffice as a decent body barrier if he decides to come out and play."
Neither Wright, nor Edgeworth, looked pleased at being reduced to the status of a meat shield.
"I take it you have heard of this sword before, Maya?" Edgeworth spared Maya a placid glance.
"Yeah, you could say that." Though she was trying her best to keep herself together, it was clear that Maya was shocked. "I've heard of it before, but I never thought it would be in the village proper, and certainly not three stories underneath Pearly's bedroom. Hey, which one of you has broader shoulders?"
Edgeworth and Wright appraised each other.
"Edgeworth does." said Wright.
"Okay, good to know. I'll be sure to duck behind him, then."
"Thanks for that." Edgeworth glared at Wright.
Wright shrugged.
"What? You do. So that sword's called the Murdering Malice, huh?" He sized up the sword and whistled through his teeth. "Cheery name."
"It's not the name of the sword, Spiky. It's named for the demon that's sealed inside it."
Edgeworth's eyebrow arched.
Oh, so there was a demon now?
Fantastic.
"A demon?" repeated Wright, just as incredulous. "You can't be serious."
"Wright, don't encourage her." frowned Edgeworth.
"Oh, but I am. Sealed inside that sword is a heartless, ruthless, monstrous demon, capable of rendering anyone asunder with just one stroke of his will." Dr. Bolysm cheerily pocketed the empty salt pouch. "As a matter of fact, we have a story about the Murdering Malice that is told frequently to the children of this village to warn them of his misdeeds and the threat he poses to Fey life. Have you heard it, Mr. Edgeworth?"
"Not as such." said Edgeworth.
"What about you, Spiky?"
"Can't say that I have." said Wright.
"Young lady?"
"No, I haven't either." Ema replied.
"Really? Well, you all don't know what you're missing." Dr. Bolysm beamed, pleased that she had an audience, if an albeit reluctant and slightly captive one. "A tale of obsession, jealousy, persecution, deception, betrayal, murder and retribution, it's a Fey classic, regularly told to the children before bed."
"You... tell the kids a story about a murdering demon lord before they go to bed?" Wright blinked in disbelief. "And they go to sleep after that?"
"Oh, yes. They all sleep like drunken men after a bender; out like little lights. Well, that, or they faint. So, you all seem interested in hearing the story, so I suppose there's nothing for it. Hang onto your proverbial hats, this is going to get harrowing-"
"As thrilling as I'm sure the tale is," Edgeworth interrupted tersely, being in no mood for made up stories or anyone recounting them. "We have an investigation to continue, an autopsy report to receive, numerous people to interview and a murderer to apprehend, so-"
"-I'm a bit rusty at storytelling, but I will give this some extra gusto since you all have never heard the story before, excluding Mystic Maya, of course. So, if you will direct your attention to the inlaid painted murals on the walls starting back in the far left corner, we'll be able to get this tale underway."
"I don't think she's listening, Mr. Edgeworth." murmured Ema as Dr. Bolysm crossed the room towards the first of the murals.
"So it would seem."
"Uh oh." Wright whispered apprehensively. "Somebody get the 'All-Night' mask or we'll be out for the count for sure."
"Nick, this isn't one of your video games. Shh."
"Now then, this is the tale of the Murdering Malice, otherwise known as the Last Rite of Ami Fey." Dr. Bolysm pointed her stick upwards towards the first of the murals. "Long ago, long before any of us trod upon this earth, there lived the great Ami Fey. Ami Fey was a spirit medium of substantial power and talent who possessed the unusual ability of being able to channel spirits from beyond the grave so that they might once again walk among the living."
Dr. Bolysm pointed to the depiction of Ami Fey, covered in her acolyte's robes, calling what looked like a spirit back from the twilight realm.
"However, it was because of her power that she was forced to leave her homeland, the Kingdom of Khura'in. By decree of their national religion, Khura'inism insists that the only one who can possess the ability to channel spirits is their Queen, those in her line and no one else. However, Ami Fey not only matched the Queen with her abilities, she surpassed them beyond compare and humiliated the Queen in front of a foreign dignitary when she found herself unable to conjure his predecessor and Ami could."
The stick directed their eyes to a rendering of Ami Fey being shown to out-channel a regal looking woman with an elaborate headdress.
"It is said that to be Queen, one must be able to channel spirits without peer, and as such, the Queen viewed Ami Fey to be a serious threat to her rule. As a result, she wished to nip this pretender to her throne in the bud and rallied both the citizenry and the militia to destroy Ami Fey. Accepting that she had no other choice but to leave or face the executioner's axe, Ami Fey, along with her most devoted students from across Khura'in, fled from the kingdom to seek a new life in a new land, a land where they would be free from persecution and free to practice their trade without fear of harm."
"That's how the Fey clan emigrated." whispered Maya. "It was kind of a 'do or die' situation."
"How was Ami Fey able to channel spirits if she wasn't in the royal family?" asked Ema. "I remember Prosecutor Sahdmadhi mentioned you have to be related to the Holy Mother in order to be able to channel spirits at all."
"This story takes place countless years after the Holy Mother founded the Kingdom of Khura'in. It is said that both Ami Fey and the royal family were descended from the Holy Mother, though because so many years had rifted apart their generations, they were nigh unrecognizable to each other. They had a common ancestor, but were no more related than Spiky over there and yours truly."
"So it's like how everyone with blue eyes has a common ancestor, but intermarriages between blue eyed people usually pose no risk of inbreeding." said Edgeworth. "The recessive trait is there, but that is all that binds them."
"Exactly. Well done, Mr. Owl."
"Okay, so the Queen got her way and chucked them all out, and Ami Fey and her bunch got to live somewhere else." Wright summed it up so far with a contemplative frown while Edgeworth glared at the doctor for the avian title bestowed upon his personage. "It sounds to me like everybody got what they wanted in the end."
"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" said Dr. Bolysm. "Unfortunately, that was not the case. The Queen was not satisfied with having just driven her competition away. She was still raw from her defeat at the hands of Ami Fey, and that sore desire to see her destroyed led her to make the direst of deals."
The next mural depicted the Queen standing above a ledge overlooking a summoning circle that erupted fire like a geyser crossed with a flame thrower.
"From the depths of Hell, she conjured a demon to her service, a fearsome creature capable of no remorse, no compassion and no rectitude, to persecute the Feys until nary a medium remained."
The following mural caused all of them, including Edgeworth, to sharply intake breath.
Out from the circle emerged a grotesque, vicious demon with two black horns atop his head, pearly white fangs curling upwards and downwards out of his mouth like sickles, and a mouth carved into a sinister grin. His skin was bloodstain crimson and stretched overtop bulging muscles, the irises of his eyes glowed just as red as his skin, a mop of messy black hair sat atop its gnarled head and, even though Edgeworth would've never admitted it, all the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as the carving leered at them all with a smile nothing short of baleful.
"Oh... oh my." Ema clapped a hand to her cheek. "He looks properly terrifying, doesn't he?"
"A real charmer." agreed Wright, who looked rather pale.
"I'm loving the fangs, myself." commented Maya from underneath Edgeworth's coat.
"I see he has a sword." Edgeworth gestured to the sword clutched in the demon's clawed hand. "What would a demon need a sword for?"
Dr. Bolysm smiled.
"This demon was... a slightly different kind than the ones you might imagine. He chose to toy with his victims first, to let them think they had a chance to withstand his wrath, and then took great joy when the realization of what was about to happen dawned on them. He thrived off their despair and then, when he'd had his fun, he would strike them down with his sword, cleaving their hopes in twain along with their heads from their bodies. He truly was a malicious murderer, hence his name, the 'Murdering Malice'."
"Why did the demon agree to help the Queen?" asked Ema. "He doesn't sound like an agreeable sort."
"This demon had long since been in service to do the Queen's dirty work prior to this incident with Ami Fey, so there was a precedent already set. He also had run afoul of Ami Fey in the past, and sought vengeance against her for his defeat at her hands. It was in his interest to help the Queen, though he did not care for her petty squabbles. He only sought his own retribution, not that of hers. However, as the Queen did not care why he helped her so long as he did, she allowed him free rein to chase the Feys down and eradicate their leader, Ami Fey."
"He persecuted the Feys no matter where they fled." Dr. Bolysm's walking stick indicated the mural showing the demon hounding down what looked like a miniature army of Pearls, all scared looking and bedecked in channeler's garb. "He never rested in his pursuit of the clan. He chased them from country to country, over mountains, through deserts, across the sea, and, due to his relentless nature, he always managed to catch at least one Fey no matter where they went and send them back to Khura'in for punishment."
"He sent them back?" Ema looked surprised. "He didn't kill them?"
"No. His main goal was to hunt down Ami Fey and seek revenge against her personally. He wasn't one to deal with paltry matters such as squishing the 'ants' one by one; his main goal was the queen, not the workers. The stragglers he caught were sent back to the Kingdom of Khura'in to face their fates for the treasonous act against the crown of siding with what the Queen called a 'pretender to the throne'. Upon their capture, those followers were never seen again by Fey eyes."
"So they ended up dying, anyway." Wright murmured uncomfortably. "Yeesh, this is getting dark."
"By the time Ami and what few followers she had left made it to Japan, the demon was hot on their trail and within a claw's grasp of capturing all of them for good. However, his efforts to find them were halted by a local lord named 'Atishon' who offered the Feys shelter in exchange for their services as spirit channelers. They readily agreed and when the demon came to call, the lord drove him away, telling him that his jurisdiction ended there and not to follow the Feys any longer, lest he fear the wrath of the local militia."
"'Atishon'? You don't mean that ass with the palanquin, do you?" Ema glared at the drawing of the lord allowing sanctuary to the Feys within his domain.
"If you mean the house of Atishon, they are a very respectable family with much clout among the village for their years of confederation with the Feys." said Dr. Bolysm. "As for Paul Atishon- Wimperson, he is what one would call 'the village idiot'. He's always ridden on his grandfather's coattails and, let's just say, he didn't improve with age."
"Yeah, we met him." glared Wright. "He was a real nightmare."
"Very true. That noise he generated was absolutely miserable. He woke up the patients with all that racket, so I had Phil throw a rock at him."
"Did it get him?"
"Phil has excellent aim." smiled Dr. Bolysm. "So, where was I- Oh! I remember. In response to the resistance, the demon was absolutely furious at the refusal to hand over the Feys. How dare this lord come between him and his objective of destroying Ami Fey? Still, as much as he wished to rip this man in two for this slight, the demon was cunning. He pretended to acquiesce the lord's orders and leave the village in defeat, so quelling the concerns of the remaining Feys that their days were numbered."
"For a month, the demon bided his time and watched the Feys flourish under the false veil of security within their new home until an opportunity arose that he could use to his advantage."
"And arise it did."
Dr. Bolysm's stick moved to the next panel, which showed a painting of a beautiful young acolyte with long black hair, bangs, and two yellow flowers tucked behind her right ear offering her prayers along with Ami Fey as the demon watched fervently in the background, his fangs glinting white against the wooden backdrop.
"Among the number of Feys that still were with Ami, there was an acolyte that caught the demon's eye. This acolyte was decidedly gifted in her spiritual ways, but as is the case with youth, she was also remarkably naive about the ways of the world, particularly where men were concerned. Therein laid the opportunity the demon sought."
"Every day, the maiden would walk from the Fey conclave up in the mountains to the village proper to gather supplies. The demon waited patiently for the maiden to make her daily trip as she did every day, and then, as soon as he saw her leave the sanctuary built by the Feys, he sprung his trap into action. Taking the guise of a handsome young man, the demon took his sword in his hand and gravely injured himself."
"What? Why would he do that?" asked Ema.
"The demon knew that the acolyte was a very kind creature who would never turn away anyone who was in need, no matter who they were or if she knew them. So, when the maiden heard his cries of pain, she came rushing to his aid, just as he planned." Dr. Bolysm gestured onwards to the next mural, one that had the maiden with the yellow flowers in her hair offering her aid to the demon in disguise, now a handsome man with red eyes, white teeth and black hair that almost had a purplish tint to it. "Fearful of the wounds' serious nature, the maiden hid him inside a shed outside the village of the lord and tended his wounds everyday."
"That sounds exceedingly foolish." muttered Edgeworth. "She shouldn't have done that."
"And yet she did." Maya murmured back. "It always amazes me how often this trick works, even in real life. It's not just white vans with bubble mirrors you have to watch out for these days."
"During that time, the demon praised and complimented her for her beauty, her kindness and her talent, and asked to see the powers of the Feys firsthand for he had never witnessed such majesty before in his years. Remembering the warnings of her teacher to never reveal spiritual power to strangers of any kind, the maiden did refuse his request at first, but the more and more she visited him and the more he continued to woo her, the less and less the maiden recalled the warning. Eventually, the maiden became so besotted with him, her infatuation became too much to bear and she unleashed her spiritual power for him to see in an attempt to win his affection."
"Then, with her raw energy exposed, the demon took his chance and drained her dry."
"'He drained her dry'? I though you said he was a demon, not a vampire." Wright's nose wrinkled. "How'd he go about doing that? It's not like you can just go about squeezing people like they're oranges for their juice."
"Actually... you can, Nick." Maya corrected. "It's just... he didn't drain her dry by drinking her blood or anything. Once he got a hold of her spiritual energy's signature, the demon... he basically sucked all of the energy out of her, like siphoning gas from a neighbor's engine tank."
"That's possible?" gaped Wright.
"Unfortunately, yes, it is." nodded Maya. "It's not pleasant, but it is an effective way to get your hands on a lot of spiritual energy really quickly if you know how to do it. You see, it takes years to build up that kind of spiritual power in a high quantity. Years, Nick. Some might start out with more than others, but training is important to everyone because it fills up the body with spiritual power. Some can hold their energy better than others, which decides how much power a medium can sustain, but it's the training that fills up the tank. For example, remember during Mr. Edgeworth's trial when I couldn't call Sis to help you? My tank was almost empty because I hadn't been training."
"And that is why you went back to the mountains afterwards to start your training again?" asked Edgeworth; he'd heard about her leave of absence at Wright's office from Gumshoe at the time.
"Yep. Then, lo and behold, after I did some training, I could channel again. It's pretty much like that. I just stopped off at a spiritual gas station, filled up the tank, and off I went."
"So why didn't he just do that?" asked Ema. "The demon, I mean."
"Even if he had the time or the ability to do so, he would't have been able to get to the mediums. Ami Fey had been given a compound much like the one you stand in now in order to keep her disciples safe. Along with a series of strict laws of entry, she also erected a spiritual barrier that was only passable to those whose spiritual energies she deemed worthy, sort of like how a retina scanner will allow only those registered in its databases to pass through certain doors."
"Like the Prosecutors' offices." Maya whispered to Edgeworth.
"Yes, I got the analogy." Edgeworth murmured back. "You needn't spell it out."
"So, what do you do when you're faced with a door that's sealed with a retina scanner and your eyes aren't in the database?" Dr. Bolysm turned to her audience. "Any guesses?"
"I've got an idea." Wright raised his hand, though his pallor was quite green. "Get an eye that is, Loki style."
"Precisely. So, the demon drained the maiden dry of her spiritual power, summoned his army of goblins and ghouls, and stormed the compound. The barrier did nothing to stop them once he opened it for his horde and they flooded inside." The doctor pointed to a bloody depiction of a battle between the demon with his unearthly horde and the Feys. "The Feys were faced with a choice: either stand and fight, or run once more. Ami Fey, though she wished to not spill any blood that day, decided they had run long enough and it was time to end this once and for all. So, the Feys engaged him in a battle that lasted half a day, but the war ended with their eventual defeat."
The next mural held a depiction of the Feys in captivity, while the demon, now back in his original design, laughed at them.
"They were cornered with nowhere to go, nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. The demon had won. Pleased his plan had gone without a hitch, he prepared to make plans to contact the Queen in order to ship the remaining Feys back to Khura'in where she would render her judgment upon them while he himself dispatched Ami Fey personally." said Dr. Bolysm. "The only Fey not caught up in this struggle was the maiden, still lying in the shed back at the village. Grief stricken and heartbroken, the acolyte alerted the local militia, and rushed to aid the clan with them at her heels. With their help, the maiden managed to free the Feys from their prisons, but she was caught by the demon, who was on his way to slay Ami Fey."
The mural following the last showed the demon, no longer laughing, but apoplectic with rage, and the maiden was airborne for some odd reason.
"Furious at the prospect of losing what had taken so long to achieve, the demon acted out of anger and flung the maiden from a stairwell, where, upon impact, her neck broke, and she died instantly."
"Oh, god..." muttered Wright while Edgeworth grimaced in distaste and Maya buried herself further underneath the coat she was wearing.
"That's... not a nice way to go." Ema rubbed at her own neck.
"However, that moment of distraction proved to be the demon's downfall. He was attacked by both the militia and the clan and, with their combined efforts, he was subdued, his forces wiped out, and he was brought before the lord of the village." Dr. Bolysm's stick gestured towards the mural directly below it, where both the village militia and the Feys had restrained the demon with metal chains and warding streamers much like the ones adorning the ceiling.
"At the recommendation of Ami Fey, the lord passed his judgment upon the demon and turned him over to the Fey clan to be dealt with accordingly." said Dr. Bolysm. "Knowing full well that if allowed to escape, the demon would report to the Queen with news of their location, Ami Fey decided that she would make sure that never came to pass. The safety of her beloved disciples was at stake."
"Therefore, as retribution for not only persecuting the Feys to lands beyond their home, but the murder of her most beloved student as well, Ami Fey conducted a forbidden rite and imprisoned the demon inside his own sword." The stick drew their line of sight to the final mural, one that showed the demon, his body ensnared by sealing charms, being sealed inside the blade that held a distinct resemblance to the one in the center of the room. "Ami lost her life in the act, but in order to keep her clan safe, she made the ultimate sacrifice and sealed him within the blade you see here."
"However, just before he was sealed within, the demon swore vengeance. He declared that he would never rest until the Feys were undone, no matter how long it took, and he's still inside that sword to this day, waiting for his chance to break free and rain judgment upon those with Fey blood coursing through their veins."
"So, with her final act of sacrifice, Ami Fey made it so the Fey clan could flourish without fear of persecution at the hands of the Queen of Khura'in and never again were they troubled by her or her ilk." Dr. Bolysm tapped her walking stick on the wooden floor three times. "That ends the tale of the Murdering Malice, or the Last Rite of Ami Fey. The moral of the story is fairly simple. Stay loyal to the clan, do what you have to must in order to keep the clan safe from outside threats, and don't let strange handsome men play around with your spiritual energy, no matter how much they might flatter you or what they may offer."
Silence filled the sword chamber.
"Soooo, what did you think?" Dr. Bolysm looked at them all expectantly and swayed back and forth, a smug grin adorning her wrinkly face. "It's quite the story, don't you think?"
Nobody spoke, but everyone's thoughts were splattered all over their faces.
Ema looked pale.
Wright looked like he was in pain.
Maya looked sheepish.
Edgeworth looked annoyed.
Dr. Bolysm pursed her lips.
"... okay, I'm getting mixed signals over here, so feel free to share. Spiky, you go first."
Wright opened his mouth, but instead of words coming out, he drew in a deep gasp, seized up and crumpled onto the floor in a twitching mess.
Everybody stared at him.
"... that wasn't the reaction I wanted."
(A/N- Hmm, it seems the plot's thickened somewhat. What shall become of it, I wonder? Only time, and I, will tell. Well, anyway, my cryptic musings aside, thank you all so much for the slew of feedback, comments, reviews and press I've been getting lately. I'm absolutely blown away by the response I received for last chapter and, though I know I've said as much before in previous author's notes, it doesn't change the fact that I'm truly thankful for everyone's feedback and highly appreciate that you all took the time to do so. So, anyway, thank you again for reading and please review!)