There was an intense silence, as court proceedings came to a halt. Dr. Odine's sudden revelation caused all in the courtroom, especially the accused to reel back in shock,
"Perhaps," He began, playing with his red, oversized collar, "We are looking at zis all wrong. It seems to me, after all ze sessions and testing I had with ze accused, he cannot remember all zat happened. His current mannerisms suggest zat he also succumbed to ze influence of zis Ultimecia. His lingering nightmares and terrors prove zat!"
The city of Esthar, no, the world had demanded the trial, wanting justice for the worldwide destruction that was caused, all these crimes against humanity. But now, for those sitting in the court room, and those watching the live feed, at least, saw the fiend sitting in the defendant's seat no more than a pawn, a plaything that the Sorceress used and discarded without care.
It felt like an eternity before the prosecution continued, as if even she had to think of how to respond to Dr. Odine,
"Influence – or if you wanted to be exact, possession?" she asked, with bated breath she awaited Dr Odine's response, she slightly shuffled in her navy pantsuit, her long black hair slightly covering her unsure eyes,
"Of course, but with one small difference," Dr. Odine gazed around the room with his beady eyes, ensuring the room was paying full attention before he continued, "When a Sorceress is possesses a Sorceress, she is completely controlled. When a Sorceress 'influences' a normal human like Mr Almasy over there, his mind goes kaput! But memories and mannerisms stay ze same. She tells him what to do and he has no choice but to obey, his body going full auto pilot! An interesting insight into ze world of magic!" He was quite pleased with his results it would seem, he beamed disregarding the unsettled reaction of the people in the courtroom. The tension seemed higher than ever before, the blonde in the defendant's seat swore he could feel all gazes on him, but he dared not to turn around. He did not wish to see the eyes of his former comrades, his Matron and his former headmaster, though if he did he would see that they were far from disappointed. They showed complete concern for his well being.
"No more questions your honour," He watched as the prosecutor sat down, placing her head in her hands, completely overwhelmed by the situation. He did it, but he didn't do it. He was the commanding officer of the Galbadian Army, but he wasn't. One thing was for sure; even the Judge was struggling to comprehend the situation.
Dr. Odine stood, flashing a sympathetic glance over to the troubled teen, he knew it was feigned; he just wanted Seifer not to be executed so he could continue his testing on him. But it was now up to the judge to make the decision; the choice was made not to have a jury as Laguna felt that they would all just unanimously vote for his execution before any evidence was presented.
The Judge was surprisingly young for his chosen profession, but nonetheless was boasted to be the best Esthar had to offer. His slightly tinted spectacles hid the true colour of his eyes as did the white tightly curled wig had done with his hair.
"I just—" He paused momentarily, even a man of his caliber was feeling so unsure, "I cannot make a concrete decision based on Dr. Odine's statement. I cannot even make a decision based on anyone's testimony." He looked back down, skimming over the trial's notes, all testimonies were stricken with doubt on whether or not Seifer was fully aware of what he was doing, all pointing towards the fact that he completely changed the moment he came in contact with the Sorceress.
A middle aged man sitting in the front row stood, his red buttoned vest calling attention to his small stature, his calming aura assured all in the room that he held no ill intent.
"If I may your honour, I may have a suggestion as to how you could make your decision." The judge looked intrigued, raising his eyebrows, motioning for the man to continue, "As all in the courtroom should know by now, my name is Cid Kramer and I am the headmaster of Balamb Garden. I have known Seifer ever since he was a small child, full of vigor and dreams, my beautiful wife Edea raised him like he was her own son, exactly like the others that are seated with us today. The boy is rash, stubborn and hot headed, but also very strong and passionate. Yet to this day, due to his impatience he has yet to become SeeD. I propose this to you Your Honour, that if I cannot make this man a respectable mercenary by whatever time frame you see fit, he will be at the full mercy of whatever sentence you decide." The audience erupted into an increasing murmur, skeptical if such a plan would work, Seifer had failed many times before, but could he change? The only ones in the room that remained silent were the eight residents of Garden, their attention purely focused on the shocked form of Seifer, who was understandably trembling in his seat. Never have they seen him so confused, so terrified.
The unrest was silenced by several bangs of a wooden hammer and the Judge's throat clearing, "I can only assume on the basis that I agree to this offer, that strict guidelines will be put in place and severe punishment will be dealt if any of these rules are broken?"
Cid's answer was direct, causing Seifer to jump in his seat, "Of course. IF and only if he breaks any of the rules to be drafted, he will receive such a punishment, which if Your Honour pleases, can decide on youself. After all, we are dealing with a potential war criminal, we cannot have him deviate from his objective."
The judge was silent, taking in all the information that was relayed to him. All that was needed was a deadline for such a deed, he thought. He ponded for a few moments before responding,
Very well," He shifted his spectacles slightly, a hard glance pointed in Seifer's direction, who audibly gulped when he caught the Judge's gaze, "I therefore release Mr Seifer Almasy, the defendant to the care or Mr Cid Kramer and Balamb Garden." He paused for a moment to ensure that the courtroom remained silent as he made his interim ruling, "He has twelve months to complete his training and become a SeeD mercenary. If he is to disregard any rules set by Garden, a week will be taken away from his time remaining. Also, if he fails this task I will have no choice but to believe that he was fully aware of his actions and he will be found guilty for war crimes and crimes against humanity. The sentence will be execution by firing squad. Have I made myself perfectly clear, Mr Almasy?"
Seifer paled as all attention was on him once again, all the sweating he had done made him feel like he was swimming in his own suit. Garden – the very place he tried to destroy while with Ultimecia was throwing him a lifeline, the very same Garden where most of his childhood memories that weren't tainted by Guardian Forces were. Garden, or at least Cid, believed in him, he wanted him back, he wanted to feel relief, but the feeling of uncertainty washed all over him. He stood on shaky legs, the courtroom was awaiting his response but it was trapped at the bottom of his throat. So many thoughts were rushing through his head, could he do this? Would he be able to live a normal life after? What about the nightmares that plagued him? He felt weak, a word he thought he'd never have to associate with himself. But he had no choice; it was either this or be executed. Could he really make things right? He looked up to the Judge, mustering all the courage he could to respond,
"Yes, Your Honour."
