[Author's note: This subchapter is rated MA: Mature Content (18+). Mention of sexual violence/narcissistic perversion, not suitable for sensitive or young readers, will follow. Please skip this Chapter if you are not entitled to read it. The most important event is: Drace tells of her controlling/abusing brother whom she killed, together with Zargabaath, a long time ago, as well as of the civil war earlier, before Gramis's rule, during which her brother had tried to kill Zargabaath & other key people to rule on the Empire; she also mentions her kind uncle who had helped her learn fencing; Gabranth reacts by assuring her of his complete loyalty.

~ Gabrace 3/4]

'Cadel was 17 years older. I grew up with him – almost only with him, since our parents died when I was 6. As soon as we became orphans, he took everything in charge: household matters, our parents' goods, and me; he immediately declared himself as my official guardian. He made me feel like he was the only reliable person I could have, and made sure I wasn't able to meet any other. I needed to tell him all of my whereabouts, even once I became an adult. I was only allowed a limited number of friends – all female. If I wanted to make friends with a new person, I needed his approval, and also to abandon a friend I already had. To him, all people were disposable, and he urged me to befriend someone only according to my interests of the moment – which I was proud to do. For a long time, he made me believe that as long as I had him by my side, nothing could hurt me.'

That was… everything but what I considered a healthy brother-sister relationship. Drace was sniffing every two sentences, her watery look lost somewhere in the room. I slowly took her arm again and made her sit, raising her head in the process. She turned to me in complete terror.

'Then, Gabranth, then… it was the worst period. I began to realize the situation I was in, and became more and more jealous of the other girls at the Akademy. But for Cadel, they did not exist. Only his views were right. My only moments of relief were when I saw our uncle. He is our maternal uncle, and we took his name since birth because he had always been helping our parents then us, and also because my mother's family was better considered in the Empire. It is the same for you, Gabranth, is it not?'

A cold shiver crossed my body. I had not expected to utter a word during her speech. She still was doing the sniffs regularly, with her body all tense, like a little girl who had a bad day. The situation was surreal.

'Yes, my Lady. House Gabranth is indeed my mother's provenance.'

She nodded.

'My uncle is the reason I am here today. He's the reason I am a jurist, and the reason Cadel was a jurist to begin with. But before that, he is the reason I learnt fencing.'

'Did you learn fencing before the Military Akademy?'

'Indeed.'

That explained her outstanding performance at the Order's global tournament.

'But my brother never knew', she continued. 'My uncle helped me, by asking Cadel to never spy on my doings while I was under his responsibility. It was my solace out of Cadel's prison, of the Law Akademy's inhuman expectations, and of my self-reflection. I loved holding my sword, it was my favorite times of the week; and my masked performances earned me relative popularity as the "Black Sheath", given I was always wearing dark clothes.'

No wonder her foil technique was swift and elaborate to that day. I wished I could say the same things about myself…

'Yes, the worst, Gabranth…', she said, and her voice began to quake. 'The worst began before. Maybe even before the Akademy. I could have been 14 or 17… My mind forgot. Some things are too blurry. Yes, at that point, and until I graduated, Cadel made me understand something. He became an attorney, like our uncle, but his methods were radically different. He based them on a network. And said network needed to be maintained, either by money or influence. Very few people on Ivalice could achieve what he did with his orations. He could convince anyone, from businessman to senator; and he was paid a fortune to coach dubious individuals. At the time, the Order was not organized and a big portion of judges were corrupt. Cadel used and abused of that. And of course, there were also his clients.'

What was that list for?

'All these people… Gabranth… in turn… he was…'

She seemed so frail, so disturbed, so sick, that if I hadn't known her I'd believe she would instantly fall KO.

She raised an insecure lip, still with a lost eye.

'Cadel used to tell me… that it was my job to please him. And please them as a consequence. He kept repeating that I had to take the opportunity to make him satisfied, by making sure the people he surrounded himself with kept coming back, and said good things about us. It was my duty as a sister. I could not refuse. I…'

Her voice broke again, and she swallowed a new sob.

'I had to put my hand where they asked… To… To put my head at that place too… Cadel was often grabbing my hair and dragging my face wherever he thought entertaining for his guests, who were old men for the vast majority. I had to publicly express consent – since it was a lawyers' gathering – but I knew something was wrong since the first day. I had to endure the names, the slapping, the smoke, the choking, the nausea… to keep smiling at all cost, and forget the pain.'

Once again, my ability to think was not functioning.

'I have never been able to get close to men since, and my Judge Magister status does not have anything to do with it. Where other girls have seen pleasure, I've seen utter disgust – it's a permanent barrier that didn't allow my former self to exist, and locks me forever into Judge Drace. I fear men, I fear the contact, I even fear their swords during battle at times. Gabranth… you may or may not believe it, but at the time it happened, although I abhorred the action, I didn't blame the actor. I firmly believed I had to defend Cadel, because he was my brother. That helped me accept my distress at being unable to apply any other strategy: I had no money of my own and could not go anywhere without fearing retaliation, while hiding in my uncle's house would only trigger a family dispute in which both men would show no quarter, breaking my heart in the process. I chose the status quo, what I saw as peace, over my safety. In class, I was the selfish brainiac; at home, I was the corporal sacrifice. On one hand, Cadel knew what he was doing, and rightly foresaw my heart's struggle and systematic decision to obey from the start. On the other hand, I was hearing his network was more and more made of a specific category of elite fighters, and I feared any attempt of mine would end badly.'

'Urban Units?' I ventured.

'Precisely. I assume Zargabaath told you about them. Well, he, out of everybody else, cannot forget them. My brother launched a raid against him in 662.'

Against Zargabaath? What ill could he have done?

'662… Was it during the civil war?' I asked.

'Correct. Well, to be fair… Cadel started the civil war.'

What? That conversation made less sense by the minute!

'He saw Emperor Wennie's passing as a good opportunity to seize power and spread his views on Archadia. Lord Gramis quickly stepped into his father's shoes, and already had planned the succession emergencies with Zecht at his side. But the battle was tough. Those Urban Units are no jesters. Cadel sent them over a meticulously tailored list of targets, which led them to fight Zargabaath and some people dear to him.'

Zargabaath was probably a teenager at the time. How could he survive against Urban Units, the ones who destroyed my homeland?

'Those other people… most of them died', Drace quietly said.

Looked like Masayuki survived, at the very least. She pursued:

'So once each of us could join the Military Akademy and eventually become Judge Magister… Zargabaath and I decided to find and kill Cadel.'

Her voice was blank.

'I launched the killing blow while Zargabaath dismembered him', she added, as if she was referring to some cockatrice.

'He… dismembered…?'

'Yes, that is his signature finish. For the times he deems an enemy worthy of death, that is.'

She clenched her fists and her eyes widened:

'I did that strike, Gabranth. I gave him all these hits. I was a young Judge Magister with years of battle practice, while Cadel's health was declining and he had never fought. And… yes, once I realized my brother was dying, I enjoyed killing him even more. To me… at that moment… that was justice. Who are we, Gabranth, but empty shells of iron thirsty for a substance we can never have? What trial can you bring to he who chained fairness to his needs, evidence to his looks, and sentence to his will? As a person, there comes a day you face your responsibility, and choose to use your power for bloody peace or for naught. Then, who can say that our kind is the country's cream of the crop, while we are really the cheat of the flock?'

I took her face between my hands as a cold tear was rapidly sliding the edge of her left cheek.

'Then…' I said, fixing my eyes on the thin throbbing lips, 'I believe judging someone for killing their brother is more complex than I thought.'

My voice was warm – much warmer than I wanted. The air had gradually turned to humid – almost sticky. I slowly added:

'Be it only because of prescription, deferred legitimate defense, and the victim's network to escape justice. The law is not made for those set on ignoring it.'

Drace let out a huge, genuine, cute smile.

'He did teach you everything, didn't he?'

'Thanks to you both, I have begun to grasp… how things work in Archadia.'

If her brother had sent Urban Units to fight Zargabaath and other "targets", it meant that he had something in common with the Mighty Four. I did not know Drace's civil identity. Could she be part of one of the four disasters? As the other things crossing my mind lately, it was unlikely, but not impossible. Her battle abilities were, like Zargabaath, extremely balanced, without a feature overpowering all the others; and she was not the kind to hide something so big. The old brother, at the very least, had had enough influence to put genuine Urban Units under his control... That's probably what had made him assume he could get his hands on the Palace, Senate and key buildings, overthrow Lord Gramis, and rule on Archadia – which he might have succeeded, had the likes of Judge Zecht not been present.

'And… Your Honor… I strongly believe you can still dispense justice while having committed fratricide yourself. I may have obtained 100% at the examination, but your legal experience has no match in the Empire. I recently realized that many members of the Order remember our situation decades ago in terms of military power and progress, but very few have learnt lessons from the trial failures and legal vacuums consequences. Only you have this knowledge, my Lady, and have passed it on to generations of Judges. Today, in your division, I am the first among them. So, Lady Drace… let us do it. Let us reform the Order. Together. I know you would never kill someone again without heavy reasons. Today you are Judge Magister, and only His Excellency and a Senate extraordinary assembly can trigger a lawsuit against you. And, should that happen…'

I lowered my eyes, and released her cheeks.

'… you will find me by your side.'

Her amber eyes seemed to have taken all the space in the top half of her face.

'What you told me is not easy, and I am certain you are keeping other grim facts for yourself; but it matters little. I cannot imagine this floor, the Sixth's quarters at the Akademy, as well as my days without your presence. I still cannot fully comprehend who Empress Sentia was, but by all accounts she was of considerable importance for the Empire, and for you. Entrusting you with Lord Larsa, whom she risked her life to deliver at age 48, is an essential key to the equation of Archadia's future. You may dislike her temper, and feel bitter because of what happened the day she died, but Empress Sentia chose you, among everyone of trust in the Palace, because she knew you would employ your sword to defend House Solidor putting righteousness first. You may see Lord Vayne as a menace, but he is not the only heir she left us. It is with great honor I will keep on spending time with Lord Larsa, who values you immensely on a personal level. It is precisely because you know the cost of fratricide, Your Honor, by both doing it and witnessing it, that I am sure you are the best suited to avoid it to those you now ought to protect. If you attempt to cease defining yourself as a criminal and look at it this way, my Lady, not only are you a major Judge Magister, but for House Solidor as a whole, for law matters at state level, for general staff, and for me… you are precious. For you, Lady Drace, I shall put all my effort in securing the judiciary. As for the rest… I now have even more reasons to get stronger. I will train harder starting from today. Apart, I can only do a good job, and you can only do a very good job. But together… I believe we can make things perfect.'

I made sure my speech was strictly dealing with our duties, but her astonished reaction made me comprehend she had heard it otherwise.

At that moment, she was not a female Hume. She was a flower, unhurriedly opening after drinking all the dew and absorbing all the heat within her petals. Her eyes went back to their sweet almond-shaped selves, and all the apprehension in her body, down until the roots, had disappeared.

Yes, whoever she was, Drace was beautiful.