"I don't like the idea of this," Kiku said simply.

"It's our only chance to make sure that Alfred and Gilbert will both get out of this alive," Ivan pressed. He didn't like the idea of a trial, either. Too many things could go wrong and with one mistake or slip-up, both of them could die.

They stood in the coffee shop, the closed sign plastered on the window the second Ivan walked in. Thankfully, no one else in the shop decided to mention his use of Dark Magic.

"The one time a truth spell is ethical is in a court room," Yao said. He stood on the other side of the counter with Kiku. A few of the kids that normally worked were all hovering around as well. "You'll be put under one. You know way too much for that to be safe."

"What do you want me to do?" Ivan asked. "From what Arthur said, I'm the only way Alfred could even have a small possibility of being pardoned. I've been around him the most, and as far as the rest of the country knows, I'm trustworthy."

"And on the off-chance the truth spell is going to make you take down your fake aura?" Yao asked and Ivan flinched.

There's a very low chance of that happening. Only if someone tells you to, off-hand, which is unlikely.

"It says that's unlikely," Ivan muttered.

"There's also a low chance they could possibly ask about others using Dark Magic," Kiku said. "We didn't make ourselves obvious, but there's still a small chance someone caught on to what we were doing. Which means you need to be careful with it as well. I would say we could have someone overpower the spell for you, but we would make ourselves too obvious."

"Considering his base magic level," a girl spoke up, "wouldn't he be able to overcome it? He is stronger than a lot of other magic users."

"Most of my magic is being drained to freeze Gilbert," Ivan said. "I have enough right now to do basic tasks, but I'm not strong enough to overcome them unless I want to show off my Dark Magic."

"If this does go well," Kiku mused, "it could mean that there is hope for the other Dark Magic users that don't go crazy."

"If," Yao repeated pointedly.

Ivan's phone buzzed in his pocket and he looked down at the notification. He'd finally looked through his email that morning after talking with Natalia and saw that Arthur actually had him guarding Gilbert occasionally, until the time of the trial. His first shift was coming up. It was just like when this all began…

"I need to go," Ivan said, looking to the door. He'd come hoping to get some help as well as some grounding. He still didn't feel quite right with Dark Magic in his head and without Alfred, these were the only people he could talk to about it.

"I'll make sure as many of us go to the trial as possible," Kiku offered. "Just in case."

Ivan sighed. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

Guarding someone frozen in time was almost exactly like how Ivan remembered it. Except this time Gilbert wasn't in his head trying to start conversations. Then again, Ivan felt like he would prefer that to sitting in silence, just watching someone completely frozen in time. They had guards just in case either of them woke up, but Ivan knew they wouldn't. The Dark Magic told him that there was literally zero chance of them waking up the way they were now. But it paid to be careful, he guessed.

There was maybe an hour of silence and boredom, which mostly consisted of Ivan being on his phone, before the door to the cell opened. Which was curious, considering no one else had any reason to be in here. When Ivan looked up, however, he saw Ludwig standing in the doorway, looking straight at Gilbert.

Ludwig did honestly look a little worse for wear. Considering how prim and orderly he looked before, now he looked like a mess. It looked like he'd tried to tame his hair, but it did hardly anything, and it showed that he hadn't been able to get much sleep, if any, the past couple nights. His pants looked slightly shredded and he'd ditched his jacket and shirt for just the tank top underneath it. They must have just found him.

And he'd decided to come here as soon as possible. Some policemen were behind him, but Ivan could easily tell that they were no match for him if it came down to it. It probably already had… Aside from a few scrapes and bruises, he looked like he was just fine.

Ivan stood up, turning to him, but he wasn't sure what he could say.

Ludwig straightened himself up slightly, running his hand through his hair in a vain attempt to control it.

"I think I can handle myself in here without your help," he said, addressing the policemen. It was probably just a matter of time before news started to spread. It was amazing that he was able to get through without social media exploding Ivan's phone.

The policemen exchanged looks before slowly standing back. Ludwig nodded, walking with the grace of a soldier until the door closed behind him.

"No one's told me what happened," Ludwig said simply, glancing at Ivan.

"He fought with Alfred," Ivan explained. "Alfred was able to…destroy the immortality and they've both been frozen in time. What…happened to you? Did he try to hurt you?"

"Tried," Ludwig said simply. There were no bruises on Gilbert, any indication of a fight. He just looked like he was peacefully asleep on the bed, unmoving. "It looked like he wanted to try, but he kept stopping himself."

"It looks like he at least hit you a few times," Ivan said delicately.

"I can handle a little pain," Ludwig said and Ivan nodded.

"Where…" Ivan wasn't sure what he should say, what Ludwig actually wanted to talk about. There was no telling what Gilbert was like with him. Considering how he acted around Alfred…anything could have happened.

"I've been told that they're planning a trial for them," Ludwig said stiffly. Ivan nodded. "I'd rather not have to tell it twice, so I'll wait until then." He paused for a moment. "Do you really think there's a chance they won't kill him? Now that the immortality is gone…"

"Considering you came back alive," Ivan said, "it looks possible. For Gilbert, at least." Ludwig nodded. Ivan wasn't sure about Ludwig's opinion on Alfred, considering it was Alfred's idea that Ludwig get taken in the first place. Should…Ivan thank him for what he did? They'd risked a lot by doing it…

Ludwig looked honestly very concerned as he looked at Gilbert. He looked a little conflicted as well. But that was understandable. If either Natalia or Katyusha had used Dark Magic out of nowhere and gone on a rampage like that, he wouldn't be sure what he would do.

"He was such an idiot," Ludwig said and Ivan couldn't help but laugh slightly. "At least he didn't get himself killed."

"We'll make sure he doesn't," Ivan assured him. Ludwig nodded before letting out a sigh, turning back to the door.

"I'll…uh…I'll be back later," Ludwig said.

Ivan nodded to him when he looked back at him and Ludwig left, the police officers still a little nervous around him. No doubt, Arthur and the other members of the board had been told. It was only a matter of time before the news spread like wildfire. Ivan looked at Gilbert in interest. Well, he would be quite relieved to see his brother back and alive. Ivan sighed, leaning back. He just hoped that this trial would go the way it should.

It really only took an hour before it seemed like the whole city found out about Ludwig. By that point, even Ivan couldn't go outside without being swarmed by press. They had heard about the trial as well and asked Ivan questions he wasn't even close to knowing the answer to. He made sure to stay clever and didn't make any comments to anyone. Once he'd made it home after standing guard, Arthur gave him all of the details about this…trial. It seemed strange and awkward, but Ivan had to at least try.

If worse came to worse…Well, he really hoped it wouldn't come to that.

The trial was just the next day, in the courthouse close to the Detainment Center and it felt like no time at all that Ivan was nervously walking inside, ducking his head from the press. He was, in essence, playing devil's advocate here. Not a lot of people were going to like him after this…But what mattered the most in this case was Alfred and Gilbert's safety.

Thankfully, not a lot of people were allowed inside, so that was a relief. Seeing so many people really made Ivan nervous. Then again, walking inside of a courthouse also made him extremely nervous. He'd never had to deal with something like this before…

Ivan caught sight of Arthur and Francis talking to someone from a major news station and Arthur motioned for him to wait. Ivan awkwardly stood still, looking around just in case someone tried to talk to him so he could run away. Before long, Arthur and Francis walked towards him and it took every ounce of self-control Ivan had to stop himself from twiddling his thumbs.

"Have you thought about what you want to say?" Arthur asked.

"A little," Ivan said.

"They're going to ask a lot of tough questions," Francis mused. "For once, we're on the unpopular side. We aren't trying to prove criminals are wrong, but that they're right. The other side has the easy job."

"And how is the public reacting to the Detainment Center being on this side?" Ivan quirked a brow. The look on their faces made it easy for Ivan to guess that it wasn't good.

"With the truth spell on you," Arthur said, changing the subject, "you can't lie, but you can stretch the truth. As much as you can."

"I thought you told me not to lie for him," Ivan said with a small smile. Could it possibly be that Arthur started to like Alfred? Considering the lengths they were all going to in order to protect him, it was possible. But what caused this change in perspective?

"If all you do is tell the blunt truth, he's going to die," Arthur said bluntly. "I'd be much more comfortable with it if you did tell the truth…but it's not realistic."

"How much did Alfred tell you about Dark Magic?" Francis asked.

"Quite a bit," Ivan said.

"Enough to make a case for them?" Francis asked. Ivan nodded. Was he also a prime witness for that? This was going to be a very stressful day…

"Alfred will be a bit more difficult," Ivan said.

"Allow us to handle that," Francis said with a smile. Ivan quirked an eyebrow at that but Francis already started leading him towards the doors leading to their courtroom. "Learn to trust us. As we said, we haven't been sitting around doing nothing this whole time."

"We'll see," Ivan said as they walked inside. Other people were filing in, filling up seats. Alfred and Gilbert were still safe and sound in the Detainment Center, but everyone still seemed on edge. Ivan simply took a seat close to the front, ducking his head down. Arthur and Francis took their places at the very front, apparently acting as Alfred and Gilbert's lawyers. More and more people came in, apparently more than excited to see what they could about this trial. Ivan had no doubt that practically all of them wanted this to end with the death of The Dictator, finally.

By the time the room was filled, the judge and the jury had made it to their own places and Ivan felt his stomach twist into knots as the trial started itself. He sat quietly as the opposing side made their own case about two criminals using illegal magic that wreaked chaos on the world and ended in numerous injuries as well as casualties. Naturally, they brought up Alfred's history, or at least the vague idea told through history books. Ivan knew better than that now, but he knew it wasn't a good idea to start on that. While they talked, Ivan looked around the courtroom, noticing Kiku, Yao, and a few of the others from the coffee shop scattered through the courtroom. He also managed to catch Natalia's gaze. She smiled at him when Ivan stared at her incredulously.

He turned back ahead only to notice that Arthur and Francis had finished making their own case, probably something about how Gilbert and Alfred shouldn't even be considered as villains. Ivan most certainly heard the chorus of mutters going through the room at that. They really did have their work cut out for them…

The witnesses at first honestly weren't helping their case at all. Victims of the caved-in building were first, then came those that were injured at the Freedom Parade incident. After that were soldiers from when Ludwig was taken. Finally, the people that were injured during the last incident spoke. Ivan felt himself slouching further and further with every testimony that could attest to the "monsters" that shouldn't be allowed another breath. And another thing that certainly didn't help was the fact that the Dark Magic kept speaking up every time something displeased Ivan, telling him to just kill everyone. It wasn't like he could talk to it to silence it this time.

Finally, with all of the courtroom ready to kill Gilbert and Alfred if they were given the chance, the opposing side called for Ivan. Well, he hadn't been expecting that…

He slowly got up and walked to the stand, swearing in. He could feel the magic of the truth spell on him and it honestly made him a little nervous. It made the Dark Magic even more active.

He hadn't even fully sat down before he was asked a question.

"You were a guard for The Dictator, correct?"

"Yes," Ivan answered.

You don't have to play by their rules. If their safety is so important to you then ensure it yourself.

"And why were you guarding him?" What kind of question was that?

"To make sure he stayed frozen," Ivan said. "Does this have something to do with the point you're trying to prove?"

The person twitched slightly and Ivan smirked.

"Why was The Dictator frozen?"

"His immortality made him impossible to kill," Ivan answered. They were trying to make him say Alfred and Gilbert were dangerous. They were, naturally, but saying something like that would be like a death sentence.

"Is it true that he assaulted his guards upon his escape? You were the one guarding him at that time, correct?"

"I was on guard," Ivan said, choosing his words carefully, "which means I was able to see him take the fastest route possible to keep Gilbert from causing anymore damage."

"Did you see him attack the other guards on duty?"

"Yes."

He's annoying. Kill him.

"Thank you, Ivan. Is it also true that The Dictator, while on your watch, escaped the Detainment Center before being given the Center's permission to leave?"

"Yes," Ivan answered. Were they trying to make him unreliable for the other side?

"Is it also true that the Detainment Center hid the fact that The Dictator was walking around with civilians?"

"Yes," Ivan said. "I don't see what any of these questions have to do with me. You can ask them to anyone else."

"From our information, The Dictator stayed with you in your apartment. Was there ever a time when you were alone with him that you felt your life was in danger?"

Ivan thought for a moment, trying to think of a way to phrase this while still saying the truth.

"Alfred wouldn't hurt me," Ivan said clearly.

"How is it you can to a first-name basis with The Dictator?"

"As you said, he stayed with me in my apartment. I got to know him."

"Did he tell you much detail about his past? I'm sure no matter how much time The Dictator spent ensuring you how good of a person he is, you cannot remember the body count he is responsible for."

"He told me much more about his past than the history textbooks bother to tell," Ivan said and noticed how the man clenched his jaw in annoyance.

"There is no excuse for thousands of deaths."

"I believe the thousands of lives he worked hard to protect can also attest to themselves," Ivan said, surprised by his own courage. "Do you have any other questions for me?"

"You are aware as to why Dark Magic is illegal, correct?"

"The actual law remains unclear," Ivan said. Though perhaps this trial would make that law extremely clear. Which made Ivan antsy for when he eventually slipped up.

You won't.

"And your time with The Dictator, what did it teach you about Dark Magic?"

"I learned that, while Dark Magic is dangerous, it is also possible to ignore it and even use it for good." Ivan waited for a minute. He obviously wasn't giving this man what he wanted on Alfred or Gilbert. They were, in essence, two different cases, but Ivan didn't have a lot of information on Gilbert. At least, that was what the public knew. He was apparently known as the person that skirted death, that allowed The Dictator to walk among the public. He doubted his public image would be very good after this.

After a few exchanges, Arthur was standing in front of him and Ivan felt immeasurably lighter. He still had to be careful, though.

"Ivan, you were friends with Gilbert before he used Dark Magic, correct?" Arthur asked. Well, that was certainly a change of pace.

"Yes," Ivan said.

"Can you please tell us why he used Dark Magic? If you knew him so well?"

"His own lack of magic, I believe," Ivan said. "He was…frustrated with how he was weaker than magic users. He couldn't even use any magic. I believe a combination of that and his brother being able to use magic might have made him at least question using it."

"And The Dictator," Arthur said. "Did he tell you why he used it?"

"One thousand years ago, the world was run by kings and other nobility that didn't care about the people, left them to rot in sickness and filth. Alfred needed the strength to fix what he thought was wrong and, with little magic, Dark Magic was his only choice."

"And Alfred has told you about how Dark Magic works," Arthur continued. "Please explain what you know to the courtroom." Well, he was asking heavy questions.

Ivan let out a sigh as he tried to formulate how he wanted to say this. Without letting too much out. But at the same time he had to make sure that hardly anyone else was stupid enough to use something so dangerous, especially now that he knew about it first-hand.

"The best explanation I can offer is that it's similar to a living creature," Ivan said. "Anyone has the ability to invite it in. Once in your head…it tries to control you. Gives suggestions on how to be stronger. But you can also force it out…somewhat. It will never actually leave your head and the temptation will always be there to use it again, but you can make sure that it doesn't control your actions. Any one of the board members at the Detainment Center can attest to Alfred being able to do that. And every person Alfred met before the Freedom Parade can also attest to the fact that Alfred's eyes were not black, meaning he was able to push Dark Magic away."

"With that in mind," Arthur said over the murmurs spreading through the courtroom, "do you think that there could be, possibly, others around the city that are able to hide the fact that they are using Dark Magic?"

Ivan was honestly surprised to get a question like that, especially since there was no possible way Francis or Arthur could know about the people from the coffee shop or even Ivan using it.

"Yes," Ivan said simply. He couldn't lie, after all.

"And, Ivan, aside from Gilbert, how many news stories have you heard about Dark Magic users going on rampages?"

"None," Ivan said. So that was where he was going…covering his bases. Ivan was hesitant to glorify Dark Magic users, or even normalizing them, but with something like that…it could possibly save Gilbert and Alfred.

"And, Ivan," Arthur continued, "as far as I know, you hardly left Alfred's side when he was outside of the Detainment Center. In your time with him, how many times did Alfred injure a single person other than Gilbert?"

"None."

"Kill?"

"None."

"And how likely do you think it is that when someone uses Dark Magic that they will learn how to control it better the more they have it?"

"Very likely."

"With that in mind, don't you think that, given time, Gilbert would be able to control Dark Magic better?"

"Yes," Ivan answered.

"It does already seem that way, doesn't it?" Arthur asked. "You've seen every one of Gilbert and Alfred's fights. Aside from the cave-in, how many injuries are Gilbert directly responsible for?"

"None."

"Deaths?"

"None."

"Thank you, one final question for you, then. You, out of everyone here, has spent the most time with The Dictator. You lived in the same apartment as him, slept in that apartment, and trusted him around your friends. Would you trust him to stay awake and alive in this world?"

"Absolutely," Ivan said without hesitation.

"Thank you very much," Arthur said, stepping back to sit with Francis. The other side had another chance to ask him questions and it looked like they were deliberating. It made him nervous. After a while, they decided not to further question him and Ivan sighed with relief, taking his seat again. He was done. Hopefully. And hopefully this would make a good enough case. It was likely that, when Ivan had been zoning out, that they had already covered why they had hidden Alfred's presence from the world for so long. And Gilbert's. So he was thank fully he didn't have to answer any questions on that.

Before he even sat down, Ludwig had been called to the stand. Him being alive was hopefully enough to clear Gilbert. Hopefully what he had to say wouldn't be enough to condemn him again.

It wasn't even a minute before Ludwig was told to recount his story. He did look a lot more put-together this time. His scrapes and bruises were covered up and he looked orderly, like nothing at all had happened to him. He was dressed like a military man, kept that same posture.

"Alfred came to me with his plan," Ludwig said, sounding like he was choosing his words carefully. "I only had a few minutes to decide if I could trust him and I did. Seeing him use Dark Magic made me hesitate, but seeing my brother use it made my decision clear. This was, apparently, the only way for me to help him.

"When I woke up after he took me, we were underground and he was standing as far away from me as possible. He…looked afraid of me. He gave me clear instructions not to move or talk. He had me chained with some kind of unbreakable magic to the wall, most likely from his Dark Magic. I had no idea where we were, but Gilbert left. Multiple times. Once he came and just…slept. For hours. I…didn't move just in case.

"When he woke up, he saw me and fell into a fit of rage. He destroyed the walls and the ceiling, but when he actually struck me, he froze and ran away. I could see that he regretted what he had done. He…didn't come back. Even when the magic was lifted, I decided not to move for a while, just in case he would come back. I eventually left when the need for food became too great. I found myself just outside the city and it only took a few minutes for law enforcement to find me."

"And when he hit you," the other lawyer said after a short moment of silence, "he was…under the influence of Dark Magic, correct?" Ivan nearly snorted at that question. That was obvious, the first time he hadn't been using Dark Magic was when he passed out after Alfred took back the immortality.

"Yes," Ludwig said simply.

"And he wouldn't have hit you without using Dark Magic?"

"You obviously haven't met my brother," Ludwig said. Ivan had to admit that Gilbert seemed like the kind of person to rough-house as well as the kind of older brother that would believe in 'tough love.' "But under normal circumstances, no, he wouldn't have hit me like that."

"And if you wouldn't mind, would you describe how he struck you?"

"I would mind, actually," Ludwig said bluntly. Ivan smiled. He was starting to like this man.

"Can you attest to the fact that it was The Dictator's so-called plan that had you kidnapped?"

"Yes," Ludwig said. "It was also his so-called plan that has, apparently, saved my brother."

"There's still no proof that either of them are actually 'freed' from Dark Magic." Ivan rolled his eyes.

Perhaps you could teach him a bit more about Dark Magic.

"After your experience with your bother," the man continued, "would you trust him enough to test out that assumption?"

"Yes," Ludwig said. Well, it looked like things were going well on this end…The only problem was how the entire rest of this trial went. The fact did remain that one of the people they were protecting was The Dictator and the other had killed and risked the injury of thousands while under Dark Magic, which was illegal. Ivan doubted that two people that liked Gilbert and Alfred were going to be of much help.

For all the rest of the public knew, Gilbert could turn into the next Dictator if they weren't careful. And if they let Alfred loose, he might just cause more chaos. Still, the two people that had been the closest to the two Dark Magic users did seem to trust them, the people that were in the most danger. But who knew what would happen? It still seemed like the jury was mostly for killing both of them.

It would be very easy to turn this in your favor.

Ivan was almost tempted. Almost. If the jury did decide to kill them, well…he'd cross that bridge when he got there.

Arthur stood up again to question him. He did a good job of proving his point that Gilbert wasn't dangerous, at least to Ludwig. Though that one strike might count against them. Ludwig hadn't been around for most of the chaos, so he couldn't really attest to much, but he was a high ranking officer in the military. His word had to count for something.

Once Ludwig sat down, a few more victims filed their way through, only further driving in the stake that Dark Magic was dangerous and anyone using it should be killed, etc.

By the time both sides made their closing statements, Ivan was definitely nervous. Alfred and Gilbert would probably be sentenced to death at this rate. Only two testimonies made the case that Gilbert and Alfred wouldn't be dangerous. Especially if they didn't use Dark Magic anymore. But no one would really look past their Dark Magic, would they? Alfred wasn't just a kid, he was The Dictator, after all. Very few people even used his name after they knew it.

A recess was called for the jury to decide among themselves. Ivan didn't move from his seat, listening to some of the conversations around him. He noticed the looks some people gave him, most of them angry for trying to protect the people that had threatened them. Ivan didn't mind that so much, but what he did mind were the people muttering about how they hoped that Alfred would be given a painful death, that if they could help it, they should make it slow.

"Brother," Natalia said and Ivan flinched, only just noticing that she'd come so close. "Maybe you should get some air. We probably have some time."

Kill her.

"Doubtful," Ivan mused, slumping slightly in his chair. He was surprised the jury was taking this long to make their decision.

"Your words did a lot more than you think," Natalia urged, taking his hand and pulling him to his feet. Ivan raised a brow but Natalia just offered a tight smile. She lead him through the slowly emptying courtroom and out into the main hallway. Ivan could tell that a lot of people were nervous just by looking around. Natalia stayed quiet long enough for Ivan to listen to some of the conversations around them.

He was surprised when he overheard someone arguing with another about how there really weren't any injuries that The Dictator could be accounted for. Another had to people discussing in quiet voices about how if even Ludwig could trust his brother, then that meant something important. Had their testimonies really caused people to talk like this?

"You put on a good show," Arthur said as he walked up to them, Francis fast on his heels. "Thank you."

"Did what I said really change much?" Ivan asked.

"Everyone knows you can't lie up there," Francis said proudly. "Which means they have no choice but to consider your words. Of course, some people might think that what you know is from Alfred lying to you, but for now, we're running with hope."

"Do you think just Ludwig and I were enough?" Ivan asked. Alfred had so many deaths behind him and a past that no one could save. Gilbert might have a chance if they could prove that Dark Magic didn't control him anymore, but that was a tough case to make. Ivan wasn't sure if they did a good enough job.

"All I know is," Arthur said with a small smile, "going in there, the verdict was already made. And now people are hesitating."

"Let's take a little walk," Natalia suggested, pulling Ivan towards the main doors. "It should be a while." Ivan nodded slowly following her.

Kill her.

He shuddered. He couldn't help but think about Alfred and Gilbert. Whatever happened here, it would be like no time at all passed for them. They would make up and figure out their verdict. Alfred probably would have enjoyed seeing what a trial looked like…

Guess who has no idea about how the legal system works! Me! But, I mean, it's a fake world so the legal system can work however I want it to! To be honest, I have no idea what the case is that people are trying to defend/argue. That they're a danger to society and should be killed? I dunno, to be honest. But we'll just roll with this. Also, I wanted to put the whole thing here, up to the verdict, but damn did I write for a long time. I had to put the stuff in the front in, I couldn't just leave it out. And the way this ended, there really wasn't any room for me to put down the next few lines that are going to affect everyone's lives here. So we're gonna put those at the beginning of the next chapter!

Enjoy your cliffhanger!

Anyway, I hope this turned out as well as I thought. And I'll see you all next time!