Inconsistency

by Gale-Dragon

Tired of all the Dupont Staff salt and incompetent teachers? Well, it's time for a Lila's Lies are Exposed fic that removes the over-saturation of salt by having the teachers do their jobs to both protect their students and discovers the extent of Lila's lies. Guest-staring some fang-tastic characters working as Private Investigators!

13. Chapter 13

Inconsistency. Chapter 13.

~}I{~

Miss Bustier was a little concerned with the… Trial summons… That the Dupont staff received that morning.

True, she was expecting this to happen, but…

How was Dupont supposed to function when the entire teaching staff were in New York City for the Trial?!

Well… On the upside… Miss Bustier had always wanted to visit the United Nations' Headquarters.

}I{

Cecelia Rossi debated on why it took this long after THAT horrible event for… Her and Antonio to… Meet up and sit down to talk… To figure out where they went wrong with Lila and how their communication got so disconnected!

Antonio didn't know about the whole divorce until one of Cecelia's old co-workers told him about it when he couldn't find her or Lila.

Of course, this confused Cecelia. She was sure she told him about it, and he even signed the divorce papers… Until Antonio showed her that his middle name was misspelt on the important document, which there was no way he would do. That raised the question of who signed this, and how the hell did Antonio NOT know about the divorce proceedings when Cecelia was texting him about it!

That, in turn, sparked Antonio to ask what Cecelia was talking about and that he never got those texts… At all. In fact, he's been trying to get Cecelia to take time off from works so they could go to Lila's school at the time and have a serious parent/teacher meeting regarding some of Lila's behaviours, health issues, and was missing too many school days even if they were excused.

Cecelia was floored by this revelation! She had no clue Antonio was trying to contact her or about all that stuff at Lila's school!

Both paused in their conversation and thought about these… Facts…

Both were claiming to be in communication with the other, but were talking about two very different events…

Both Rossis looked at their appointed mediator, who had a lie detecting crystal on the table they were sitting at. The mediator looked down at the crystal. Since the crystal wasn't indicating any deceptiveness, the mediator could only say, "It… Appears that both of you are telling the truth… As strange as it is,"

Okay, this was really bizarre!

How could BOTH of them be telling the truth when they are giving two completely different stories?!

The mediator then had a thought when they asked the Rossis, "Up until the… 'Divorce', how were you communicating with each other regularly? Given your jobs, I would assume you had to have a way to stay in contact."

Both Cecelia and Antonio told the mediator that they used cell phones, texting mostly.

The mediator nodded when they asked, "Have either of you lost your phones at any time? Or did they break? Anything that would involve getting them replaced?"

"Just once after Lila entered the 5th grade," Both Cecelia and Antonio replied at the same time. The realisation that the other said the exact same thing they did sank in immediately and caused them to look at each other when they asked at the same time, "Wait? You had to replace your phone? Why didn't you tell me?" The second jinx was just as perplexing as the first.

The mediator folded their arms when they asked seriously, "Why did you have to replace the phones?"

The Rossis replied at the same time, again, "I lost my phone and had to get a new one." They looked at each other again and asked in a baffled tone, "Wait? You too?"

The mediator narrowed their eyes when they asked the two, "Did Lila know about these new phones?"

Yet again, the Ross is jinxed, "Of course, since I got a new number, and…" They looked at each other when they added together, "That she… Told me… She told… You… About… It…"

The mediator let out an uneasy breath when they asked, "I'm going to assume that neither of you knew about the other's new phone numbers and were texting with who you thought was the other, correct?"

Both Rossis slowly nodded in response.

Oh…

Oh…

Oh!

The realisation made both Cecelia and Antonio sick to their stomachs.

Lila stole both her parents phones so they would have to get new ones with new numbers, made sure neither knew the other got a new phone and number, and was… Deceiving them by pretending to be the other while they were working hard to provide for her…

How could their little girl do this to them? And…

How could a nine, nearly ten-year-old, at the time, formulate such a complex and deceptive plan that she was able to keep doing without her parents finding out despite their busy work life? Then add in the fabrication of the rather important documents that had to be done for the schools she attended, of which were in different countries and, therefore, had different requirements… Plus the fake emails to and from the schools to further deceive her parents as to what's been going on at them…

Something wasn't adding up here.

The mediator asked the two how Lila was before the 5th grade?

~}I{~

Given that some of the Miraculous Heroes were going to have to attend the trial as their civilian identities and their Hero personas… You bet Magi Guardian Jazz was helping them make sure their identities stayed a secret! The guy had loads of interesting Glamour Magical stuff. The tricky part will be controlling them, especially Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Also…

}{

Looking at a giant map of the world, Officer Prowl explained as he used a laser to point at the corresponding territories, "Depending on the size and terrain of the country, you can have multiple Magi Guardians overseeing the same country, overseeing different areas."

The countries on this map weren't divided by the usual way that they were on the regular maps. True, the border lines that separated countries from one another were clear and visible, which were standard, but the bulk of the larger countries were split into two or more sections.

Jazz happily added in as he hopped up to stand next to the map, "And one way territory is divided among tha Magi Guardians, if needed, is if they can cover tha area by their own power or can delegate individuals who can manage tha area. Yah usually see tha delegate strategy most often in island nations or archipelago nations, but Kwame uses delegates ta help with keeping his territory in order." He looked at the solid colour nation of Africa when he added, "And he's been doing a great job with keeping his territory managed despite tha sheer size of it."

Adrien was confused when he questioned, "Kwami, like Plagg? How?" Some of the other Miraculous Holders agreed with their Black Cat.

Jazz couldn't help but smile when he folded his arms when he stated in amusement, "Ah can understand yah confusion, but tha name Magi Guardian Kwame was given is a coincidence and has no relation ta tha Miraculous in any way." He let out an amused chuckle as he watched the teens' reactions at this. Once things settled down again, Jazz continued to explain as he tapped the map and caused a large chunk of the countries to turn gray, "And Kwame will be one of tha Magi Guardians attendin' tha trial." As expected, only the countries who were going to be overseeing the trial were still in colour.

The visor-wearing man then went into some of the details regarding what to expect when they arrive in NY, USA.

Each of the Magi Guardians will be bringing either their Second-in-command, advisor, or possibly both, maybe a few more people under them depending on their own circumstances and/or traditions, then there were some special requests if needed. However, in Jazz's case, he's not only going to be bringing his Second, but he's going to be bringing his clan, the Dupont Teachers, the Miracuclass, and the Miracuclass' parents and Legal Guardians since they are involved in the trial. Then there's the issue of Ladybug and Chat Noir needing to be there along with Adrien and Marinette… And given the whole world will be watching, it might be VERY difficult for Marinette and Adrien to sneak away to transform without SOMEONE noticing… Even more so for the former than the latter.

Jazz had a wide grin. He already had a solution to this and was ready to test it out.

~}I{~

Within the next week, everyone was ready to go.

The Dupont staff managed to get enough substitutes to cover for them while they attended the trial. The Dupain-Chengs already posted a notice on both their website and a sign inside their bakery about them hiring some temporary staff so they could attend the trial while still keeping their bakery open, which was not easy to be honest but they had to. The Miraculous Heroes and their immediate families were given a temporary leave from their schools and work.

So far, the only issue was that they didn't know how long the trial will be… Well… Given the international scale, it will certainly be a while…

}I{

Of course, Adrien was worried about being on the same plane as Lila, Gabriel, and Nathalie, but thankfully, those three were going to be flying on a plane specially designed for transporting criminals to other countries discreetly.

The only thing that was the same on the Magical and Non-Magical side was airport security. Granted, it's needed, but that didn't mean that it was liked! But given that this is the first time Ladybug has been seen since the last Akuma… You bet there was an audience at the airport! At least Nadja Chamack was being respectful to Ladybug's personal space, but given what she could see… She could understand why the red-clad hero went on her health hiatus…

}{

Marinette wasn't sure what would happen to her hero persona when she transformed. Given that she didn't have her right leg anymore, she didn't know how it would affect Ladybug.

Well… She knew the Miraculous would do SOMETHING that would make her physically able to fight if needed, but Marinette knew it couldn't Magically return her leg to her. That's not how Magic worked! And since Magic and Alchemy works similar to how it is in the Full-Metal Alchemist Series. Which meant that Marinette's leg was gone! End of story!

However, there are ways to fix things without using the methods above, even if it's not what's expected.

But the biggest surprise was how Ladybug was able to adapt to it so easily!

}{

Nadja and her cameramen had everything they needed for this assignment. So for the only thing the anchorwoman worried about was leaving Manon in Paris with a live-in sitter for an unknown period of time… At least until the Magi Guardian told her that she could bring her daughter along.

Nadja was understandably baffled as well as relieved at this. The anchorwoman was glad she could take Manon with her, but she was a little confused as to how and why she could. Given the… Seriousness of this trial… Nadja was surprised that this was allowed.

The reason was… A surprise… To say the least.

But apparently, some of the Magi Guardians and a few of the Seconds had small children who were still dependent on them, therefore, had to keep them close even when they had a job to do.

Nadja was surprised by this, but if it meant that her little Manon could come with her… Plus, this would be a cool opportunity for the both of them.

}I{

The Duplicating Charms were working for Ladybug and Chat Noir rather well. Jazz told them that they should work to keep identities hidden so long as neither fought in any battles. However, the other Magi Guardians were a different story, but they knew enough to not say anything.

Although, there were a few attending Magi Guardian who needed to be told ahead of time about this ploy so they wouldn't let anything slip.

}I{

Now that everyone was settled on the plane all that was left to do was relax and wait until they arrived in New York, United States.

But alas, things don't always go as planned… About an hour after the plane took off. Al got a call from one of the policemen that Officer Prowl left in charge of current communications of the Paris area.

}{

Raising a brow at the other person in the video call, Al asked in confusion, "And what is this important inquiry that only Sunshine can answer?" Adrien moved to get a better look at the phone screen and was a little surprised to see a familiar face.

Officer Raincomprix stared into the video chat when he stated, "There are two individuals here that are claiming to be family of Adrien, but I am aware that you have checked the Agreste family register when we were looking for family members during the 'Reuniting Effort' and found no one outside the Agreste name, aside from Ms Sancoeur." He kept glancing between the call and something, or someone, that was out of view of the camera.

Suddenly, the phone was jerked out of the policeman's hands and the next thing Al knew, he was staring at the face of a dead woman.

"Adrien! Sweetie, are you there?" Amilie Gram de Vanly said into the phone as she looked around the screen for any chance to see her nephew.

Al was even more perplexed when he saw another familiar face appearing next to the woman, one that bore a striking resemblance to his child. Of course, the half-vampire glanced between the phone screen and the younger blonde boy next to him.

As Adrien managed to see his Aunt and cousin, he could hear Officer Raincomprex scolding the woman for her actions. Of course, the former model was surprised when he got out, "Aunt Amilie? Felix? What are you doing?" Adrien didn't expect to see them in Paris, not after all this time.

Al looked at his child when he asked him, "So you do know them?"

Adrien nodded when he replied, "Yes, Amilie was my mother's identical twin sister, and Felix is her son, my cousin." He folded his arms and turned his head away from the phone when he got out bitterly, "Nice of them to contact me after all this time…"

The other passengers couldn't blame him.

While Al couldn't blame his child's reaction, and now he understood the striking resemblance of the two in the phone to the Agrestes, he thought it was strange that he never heard the names of these two on the video call.

"Adrien…" Amilie got out before she stated calmly, but sadly, "When we heard what happened in Paris… We… We tried to get in contact with you, but no matter how many times we called the Agreste mansion, no one answered."

Al raised a brow when he replied, "That makes sense, no one has lived there since Gabriel Agreste got arrested for child neglect "

"He was WHAT?!" Both Amilie and Felix shouted into the video call. Al yanked the phone away at the sudden noise.

"Excuse me, ma'am," Officer Raincomprex's voice was heard before the image in the video call suddenly shifted and now the policeman was front and centre in the image. Officer Raincomprex then asked into the video call, "Are you still there Mr Dracool?"

Al readjusted the phone when he replied, "I am." He then had a thought when he asked, "Do you know if Mrs…" He looked at his child, silently asking for the answer.

"Gram de Vanly," Adrien stated as he avoided looking at the phone even though he knew neither his Aunt nor his cousin were on screen.

Al thanked the younger before he said into the video call, "Mrs Gram de Vanly tried to physically find her nephew after the Pained Incident?" This seemed to catch Adrien's interest, and the others on the plane.

Officer Raincomprex glanced at the two in question when he stated, "We have documentation of her attempting to come in after the ban was initiated, and for the months afterwards. She was claiming to be related to Adrien and wanted to know where he was, but given his circumstance and the Agreste family roster, we refused to tell her the information she wanted. Per legal protocol at the time."

Al's lips pressed in a line when he stated, "So… She has been trying to find Sunshine, but since she wasn't on the family roster, the enforcers rightfully refused her entry, and later, reuniting."

Amilie's voice was heard through the video call shouting, "How?! I'm Adrien's legal guardian in the event Emilie and Gabriel can no longer care for him!"

Of course, everyone nearby cringed at the volume.

Once the shouting was over, Al stated into the video call in a serious tone, "According to the legal papers I had to read when it came time to seeking other family members of Adrien after Gabriel Agreste was found guilty of his charges, the only person on the family roster was Nathalie Sancoeur, and she's been arrested for co-conspiracy. That's it."

From what the Dhampire saw, Officer Raincomprex managed to discreetly switch the phone's camera so now he was seeing both Amilie's and Felix's reactions to his words. Both Gram de Vanlys were dumbstruck by what they heard.

That was suspicious, and weird…

Al narrowed his eyes at the screen when he asked into the video call, "Mrs Gram de Vanly, can you think of any reason why your sister and her husband would remove you from their family roster?"

Flabbergasted, Amilie replied in a confused and distraught tone and manner, "No! I mean! Not that I know of on her end." Clearly, she was trying to wrack her brain around this issue that was getting stranger and stranger to her.

Officer Raincomprex then stated, his voice still in his usual tone, "Perhaps it would be a good idea to check the paperwork and a thorough discussion regarding this… I shall send what I find to you Mr Dracool. Over and out."

With that the video call ended.

Al placed his phone on his lap when he asked Adrien, "Do you remember hearing or seeing tension between your mother and aunt before she 'Vanished'?"

Adrien shook his head when he replied, "No, they get along well… But Aunt Amilie and my sperm donor, that's a different story." He shrugged his shoulders when he added, "I never understood why, they just never got along for some reason." That was when a memory came to him. Adrien then stated with a more thoughtful look, "But roughly eight months before Mother… Uh, 'Vanished', she did have an argument with Aunt Amilie about something."

Chloe contorted herself in her seat to look at her friend when she asked. "What about?"

Adrien shrugged when he replied, "I don't know, Mother only told me that it was a small disagreement between sisters and I didn't have to worry about it." He folded his arms when he thought back to that and mused thoughtfully, "I originally thought it had to do with Mother's health issues, which Aunt Amilie has worried about in the past, but… I don't know, something felt a little more heated than that… Bigger than a 'small' disagreement…" He let out a sigh when he glanced to the side when he added, "I should've asked more questions, but… I just trusted my Mother and took her word for it…"

Al narrowed his eyes before he texted Officer Raincomprex what he learned and told him to ask about the argument Amilie had with her sister before she 'disappeared'.

After a few minutes, things settled back down. But they couldn't help but think about that weird conversation with Gram de Vanly. If Amilie was telling the truth about not getting the information for finding Adrien and the Agreste family registry was right about Amilie not being on it… Then why? Why would the Agrestes change their family register without telling anyone? What motivation would Gabriel and Emilie have to remove the Gram de Vanly from their family roster? And if this happened when Emilie was around long enough for the paperwork to be marked as official, so she had to be completely involved… Why would she suddenly not want her twin sister to have Guardianship over Adrien if they were as close as he claimed they were?

Something stank about that situation.

But… That will have to wait until they return to Paris… Hopefully, they'll have more information by that time…

}{ About an Hour Later }{

Manon, Ella, Etta, and Chris were getting a little restless, so they decided to explore the plane and see who was there. During their exploration, they met another kid a few years older than them named Eddie. He was 10-years-old with short black, slicked back hair with pointed ears, somewhat bushy eyebrows, black eyes, somewhat pointed teeth, wore a black shirt paired with matching slacks, and polished shoes that paired nicely with his clothing.

Of course, Eddie asked his mum if he could explore with the other kids. Lily nodded and told him that he shouldn't bother anyone who was working.

So the kids explored the plane that they would.

Aside from the areas marked 'Plane Staff Only' and where the creepy Wave Brothers sat at, the children went over the plane with fascination. The flight attendances were nice.

Soon, Manon, Ella, Etta, Chris, and Eddie walked by Ladybug.

The five children couldn't help but stare at the red prosthetic right leg with black poke-a-dots that looked almost like it was a beetle leg rather than a human leg. Sure, the prothstetic was shaped for athletic uses, but it's 'bend' was angled to point to the right rather than the back, just like how beetle legs were made. It looked like it would work the same as a regular athletic prosthetic leg, but… More built to handle fighting as well.

Ladybug noticed the five staring at her prosthetic. She could understand their reactions, but she didn't have to like the looks. So Ladybug got their attention when she said, "It's surprisingly light and durable."

The kids felt a little guilty about staring and apologised.

Ladybug accepted the apologies and told them that she understood how jarring it can be. She told the kids that even she couldn't believe how the Miraculous re-worked her prothstetic to fit the ladybug theme while making it combat ready.

Etta and Ella couldn't help but say together, "But, it's also really, really cool! It's like a real ladybug's leg!"

The red-clad hero couldn't help but chuckle when she said, "I suppose it does, and I can't say I'm that surprised that my Miraculous altered my prothstetic to look like one."

They chatted for a bit before the children had to return to their parents.

An hour later, Jazz came around to check on everyone before dinner and sleep. Mostly to see how everyone was doing and answer any questions they had regarding the trial or any possible stuff that could happen.

Manon held up a blue container when she said happily, "I made a lot of chocolate rice crispy treats to share with the other kids. Do you think they'll like them?" She opened the box to show off her little creation.

The smile on Jazz's lips twisted wearily when he said carefully, "Oh, that's real thoughtful of yah, but yah might have'ta hold off sharin' those until yah get tha go ahead from tha educators yah're gonna have."

Manon was confused by this but Nadja seemed to catch on when she asked, "Are there kids with a chocolate allergy?"

Jazz made a teedering motion with his right hand when he stated, "Eh, it's closer ta intolerance fur some of them, but a few species do consider chocolate ta be toxic." He looked at the treats when he added, "They do look good, so tha ones who can eat'm might like'm." Jazz raised an amused brow when he asked as he tapped on the container, "Although, Ah doubt these'll be enough fur all tha ones who can eat chocolate."

Manon smiled when she said that she packed the rest and that what she had right now were snacks for the flight. Nadja did tell her daughter that they had to wait until dinner was eaten. Manon reluctantly agreed to that.

Soon enough, dinner was served.

Once the meal was eaten, the passengers passed the time with some of the in-flight entertainment, they played games with one another, or talked about the preparations for the trial.

Then it was time to sleep. Everyone was told that they will be landing two hours after wake-up and breakfast over the PA system.

Families grouped to their assigned seating, were given some comfortable blankets and pillows, and then everyone fell asleep.

Meanwhile, on the other plane…

The flight wasn't as comfortable, or pleasant. In fact; Gabriel, Nathalie, and Lila were essentially kept in seperate solitary confinement cells that had an aeroplane seat rather than a bed. They got their meals and drinks through a slot in the door, near the floor. The three didn't even see the guards throughout the flight. They did have some means of entertainment, but those were limited to prevent any attempts at escaping their cell, self-harm, harming the guards, or suicide.

Both Gabriel and Nathalie took this in stride and made do with their means of entertainment as they waited out the flight, but Lila… That was a different story… Thankfully, the Curse of Silence that was placed on her until her trial allowed the guards to have some peace during this assignment.

~}I{~

Adrien slowly opened his eyes as he let out a catish yawn and stretched a bit. He rubbed his eyes before he looked around. He was a little confused as to where he was but when he remembered, he felt at ease. Adrien then looked at the seating right across from him and couldn't help but smile. The blonde boy fished his phone out and snapped a picture with the camera app. Adrien couldn't help but snicker as he compared the picture and the live subjects. That was so going on his favourite roll.

Yeah, the teen was going to poke fun at Al regarding this picture later, after the trial. And maybe the half-vampire's partners and siblings will join in on this, if only to make Al blush.

Soon enough everyone started waking up. Then breakfast was served.

~}I{~

Thank goodness the international aeroport they had landed at had been closed for all but the arriving flights for the first ever Magical and Non-Magical trial. Only the corresponding Magi Guardians, their entourage, and their Non-Magical counterparts would be allowed to arrive. The rest of them should be in New York by the end of the day.

The trial will be taking place the day after tomorrow. Enough time for everyone to acclimate and get everything organised. There would also be time for a quick tour of NY, but that'll be after everyone gets to their hotel.

As everyone from France gathered their luggage, the Magi Guardians and their groups from Ireland and England came to collect their own.

Jazz gave the other Magi Guardians a pleasant wave when he greeted, "Mornin', Archadia, Maidin Cheo. How was your flight?" Officer Prowl gave the two a respectful bow at these words, as did the other Magical individuals within the France group.

The British Magicals bowed respectively towards Jazz when England's Magi Guardian stated in a formal and polite tone, "Good morning, Jazz, our flight was well." That was when a small figure peeked out from behind this Magi Guardian when she said, "Although, some found sleep difficult, but that isn't unusual for an aeroplane."

The Magi Guardian of England appeared to be a woman in her 40's with sandy blonde hair that was tied back in a neat ponytail with a few strands that curved behind her ears to make them appear longer than they actually were, she wore a formal dress-suit with a cream and brown colour palette, matching shoes, black eyes, pointy nose, thin lips, had a fit build, and oddly enough, she had these orange band-like markings around her hands at all her knuckle joints.

The little child that looked to be around seven or eight-years-old right behind the Magi Guardian of England looked similar to her, except she had brown eyes and had a darker shade of blonde hair that was combed back into a loose braid that reached her elbows. This child was looking up quizzically at the people with the Magi Guardian of France. Made sense, she's never seen them before, aside from Officer Prowl and D.

Jazz noticed this child's stares when he said with a smile, "Yup, Ah got a lot more people with meh this time."

The Magi Guardian of England patted the child on the head when she said, "We were aware, but this many?"

The Magi Guardian of Ireland couldn't help but say in an unsure tone, "When yah informed us 'bout yahr side of this case ballooning, I assumed yah were talking 'bout the international scale, not the numbuh of people yah were bringing." They got a little antsy before they gripped their chin and removed their head from their neck. Blue flames emitted from the sections of separation while the Magi Guardian used their free hand to scratch the section of their neck that was within the fire. Then returned their head back in place.

Of course, the Non-Magicals stared at the Magi Guardian of Ireland at this. How could they Not! The person literally removed their entire head right in front of them!

The Magi Guardian of Ireland noticed the stares. When they realised why, they were quick to say with cheeks redder than their short ginger hair, "Ah, sorry 'bout that. Me neck gets a tad irritated if Ah'm wearing me head too long." They waved when they stated, "The name's Maidin Cheo, I'm the Magi Guardian of Ireland."

This Magi Guardian had a grayish tint to their skin, ginger red hair that was cut to their ears with a slight crinkle to them, had a pair of oval blueish-gray eyes, thin nose paired with pale lips, roundish jaw, stood close to 2 meters tall with a build that showed they rode horses for a living, wearing a casual attire that made it seem like they were going into a barn to do some work, and wore black riding boots.

The bulk of the Non-Magicals from France could only nod dumbly at this.

The Magi Guardian of England nodded when she said with a proper curtsy, despite not being in a dress, "And I am Archadia. I am the Magi Guardian of England." The girl behind Archadia mimicked her actions. The sandy blonde woman glanced down at the child when she said politely, "And this is my daughter, Archive."

The little girl finally spoke when she said timidly, "You can call me Archie." She then ducked behind her mum. Archadia seemed to glance at her daughter fondly.

Nadja was rather surprised by how young the Magi Guardian of England's daughter was. 'She might be a year or so older than Manon,' the anchorwoman thought as she wondered the age-range of the other children who would have to be brought along.

Archadia told everyone that she will see them all at the United Nation Headquarters before everyone parted ways while staing with their groups. Maidian Cheo gave them a pleasant wave as everyone left.

As Marinette adjusted her pack to sit comfortably on her back she noticed that one of the members of the Magical England group was a teen that appeared to be close to her in age with neck-length bright red hair with dark eyes, wearing a black shirt under a white jacket paired with matching slacks and shoes grabbing his luggage. Logically the bluette assumed that her group wasn't going to be the only one with teenagers in it. But given the Magical aura the redheaded boy had, Marinette figured he was an attendant of the Magi Guardian of England. 'Not bad for someone my age,' the ladybug holder thought before she hobbled off to catch up with the rest of her group.

}{

It didn't take long before the France group found their hotel and checked in. Of course, Chloe scrutinised the place. It wasn't Le Grand Paris, but it was nice for what it is, and relatively close to the United Nation Headquarters.

Today and tomorrow, they were going to relax and distress because after those days… Was the Trial of Lila Rossi.

~}I{ Two Days Later }I{~

Arriving at the United Nations Headquarters was a bit of a challenge despite the short distance. Then again, the large crowd of people surrounding the building just to get a look at all the Magical Creatures would make getting there pretty difficult.

However, Chloe was complaining about the cloak that Jazz was wearing, calling it tacky and shouldn't be wearing it to an important international meeting.

But according to Jazz, this cloak signified that he was the reigning Magi Guardian of France. And now that everyone was getting a good look at the cloak… It was the national flag and an image of the territory of France on it… Okay, true, it was a little tacky, but at least it had a purpose.

…

…

…

Yeah, Marinette is going to see if she can make a few redesigns of the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak during the trial breaks. If only so her uncle can look as regal as his title.

}{

It was oddly pleasant walking into the United Nation Headquarters building. What wasn't pleasant was going through the heavy duty security as soon as they walked into the building.

Granted, everyone knew it was necessary, but they didn't have to like it!

Any kind of weapons; projectiles, blades, blunt instruments, and sharp objects were confiscated on site. Those were placed in boxes and labelled with the name, image, and fingerprints of the owner on it before being stored in some kind of dimensional subspace. And those were just the ones that were obvious weapons! The items that could be fashioned into a weapon or parts that could be used for weapons were also confiscated.

Of course, the Miraculous Heroes were worried about having their Miraculous confiscated, but the security let those through without any problem. However, the Head of this Security did tell them cryptically in a Russian accent, "Those are not weapons so long as you keep it that way."

This Security Head had long hair that was as black as the night that seemed to float in the air as it faded into a wispy mist, had an oddly plain face, their right eye was this crystally yellow colour while their left eyes was ruby red, seemed to have a rather average body-type that was hidden under their gray-gradient, cloak-like clothing, and sturdy black boots. It was strange to the Non-Magicals, this person didn't seem to stand out compared to the other security staff, aside from the strange hair and heterochromatic eyes, and yet… They had this presence that couldn't be missed even if they couldn't outright sense it. It was a strange thing in all honesty…

For some reason, Officer Prowl seemed oddly content with talking to the security Head regarding the protocols and the current security of the building. And oddly enough all the Magicals bowed when they passed the Security Head, even Marinette when she got her crutches back. Okay, that was confusing, and the rest of the group wanted to ask, once they were out of hearing range of the Security Head.

Back to the security checking…

Tomoe was reluctant to part with her katana, after all, she also used that as her guiding cane. But it WAS a lethal weapon in her hands. The Security Head conjured up a replacement that Tomoe could use while she was inside the building. The fencing champion was impressed by how sturdy and had an oddly similar weight to her katana. Sure the replacement looked different from the katana, but the shape and size was identical, just not as ready to be used as a weapon. Tomoe accepted this temporary cane.

Soon enough everyone from the French Group got through the strictly tight security. And the moment the group was out of hearing range of the Security Head, Marinette was asked about who the guy was. The bluette nodded her head towards a familiar looking cloak dropped over a chair to the side when she said, "Because they're one of the Magi Guardians of Russia."

Sure enough, from what could be seen of the Reigning Cloak, it had the colours of the national flag of Russia, but the image of the territory seemed oddly small… Then again, the cloak was somewhat folded and no one could see the whole image.

As the group moved on to the inner section of the building, Marinette added, "Magi Guardian Koshmar oversees the South-West territory of Russia. They've dropped by to visit the bakery a few times when they were in the area. They're rather logic-driven and tries to be fair towards everyone. Which is rather ironic considering their species."

Wait… Oh! That's why the territory image looked so small on the Cloak! This Magi Guardian only oversees a part of Russia!

Jazz happily agreed with his niece as they came to an enormous room that made everyone wonder if they were Still in the United Nation Headquarter building.

They quickly found the section that was reserved for France. And wow was it comfortable-looking!

Like the plane, everyone sat in their family groups while the teens tried to be as close as possible. The TVi News employees started setting up their gear. A look around showed that the other chosen new stations from the other countries were doing the same. Also a look around revealed that the seating sections were also similar, as were the podiums for the Magi Guardians and their Non-Magical counterpart. Although, each of these podiums seemed customised to accommodate different sizes and species features.

That was rather interesting, and the France Group couldn't wait to see how those were put into use.

Of course, the younger kids were fascinated by all this and wanted to explore, but their respective parents told them to stay close.

About an hour later, the France Group was approached by a man. He had snow-white skin in his 20s or 30s with short somewhat messy black hair and ears which resemble those of a dog, he had black sclera with blue irises, he has very sharp claws and fangs that poked out slightly in a friendly manner, he was wearing a gray cloak of fur with a black shirt and white slacks with a black design in the middle paired with gray leather boots. He also has bracers on his arms. This man gave Jazz a respectful bow before saying to the group, "Greetings, I am Dotsuku from Magi Guardian Nezumi's entourage and I am here to inform you about the Childrens' Sections for the young ones." He noticed the little kids and Eddy when he mused, "And Nez was right, yet again."

Jazz let out an amused hum when he got out with a smile, "Good taa know Nezumi's skills are still accurate, but he shouldn't be using it fur that kind of thing."

Dotsuku shrugged when he replied, "True, but he's still learning to control what he sees, so sometimes he foresees things that don't have to do with what he was aiming for."

Jazz gave a lopsided smile when he stated, "It might be because of his age. Nezumi is one of tha youngah Magi Guardians after all." Dotsuku, Prowl, and D had to agree with that.

Nadja, the Lahiffe mothers, the Césaires, and Lilly talked to Dotsuku regarding the 'childrens' section' and what it has. The man with the dog features explained that part. Etta, Ella, Chris, Manon and Eddie were looking up at the guy's pointed dog ears on the top of his head as they thought, 'Are those real?'

}{

Now that everything was set up, seating assigned, and maps of the place acquired, everyone decided to take a look around and meet the groups from the other nations.

However, the kids under 12 had to be brought to the Children's Section. Of course, they complained about that, but their respective parents wanted them to stay in one place so they could be found and to keep them safe.

}{ 15 Minutes Later, Children's Section }{

Manon, Chris, Ella, Etta, and Eddie Looked around the area in awe.

This space had everything a child could need to entertain themselves for weeks! Possibly months!

Jungle gyms that could accommodate all sizes, large tube mazes, a huge indoor playground, a basketball court with kid-sized hoops, all kinds of fun slides that could take the kids into some sections of this place, three different large swimming pools, and a small field for all kinds of running games.

"Are we… Are we still inside?" Manon finally asked as she tried to process all this.

One of the attendants for the children's section, who was standing next to the five, smiled when they said with a smile, "We are, and thanks to the combination of magic construction, talking to everyone's parents, getting permission from the United Nation building, and the permission from the Magi Guardians, all this is possible. Even if it's temporary." They waved at the play area. They then indicated a school-like section close to the side near the entrance when they added, "Which includes making sure you get your education during your stay here."

The kids had a look that was easily read as 'oh, I was hoping we wouldn't have to do that while we were here'.

The attendant noticed the look before giggling and explaining, "A request from everyone's parents." They waved a hand over the 'play area' when they added, "If you do well with the school work, you have free reign to play as you wish so long as you don't harm anyone or get hurt."

Ah, so that was the catch. Well, not an unreasonable one for the kids.

Chris couldn't help but ask, "Um, can we meet the other kids?"

The attendant looked up to gauge how the others were doing before giving the children an answer.

Dotsuku was in the 'school section' going over age-groups and education ranges to make sure everything was balanced and equal for everyone while keeping it all fun.

He was being helped by a small child that looked around six or seven-years-old with light-blonde hair with a few scattered streaks of red that was tied up in a pair of braided twin-tails with light blue eyes, wearing a pair of dark blue pants with white vertical lines going up the legs and a dark blue short sleeve shirt with white lines that form the letters 'U' and 'A', had on a pair of grey boots, wore a pair of mismatched earrings dangling from her lopes, one earring was a small white feather and the other was a black skull, and had a gold chain bracelet with a decent-sized clear crystal that was in the shape of a five-sided pyramid with a sharp tip wrapped around her right wrist and on her left wrist was a silver bracelet with five black crystals that were half the size of the white crystal that were equally spaced apart. She was happily humming a song as she straightened the desks.

}{

Of course, Kagami and her mother wanted to meet the Japan Group. To both check if the Non-Magical Side had anyone they knew and to figure out the traditions of the Magical side. Marinette, Nino, Kim, Adrien, and Chloe joined the Tsuguris in this, with permission from their respective guardians.

Funny enough, Marinette, Nino, and Kim saw a very familiar person on the Magical Side that they technically haven't seen in roughly eight years. Although they have been in communication via texting and occasional calls.

"Tsugiyoshi!" The three exclaimed in shock when they realised that they weren't seeing things. Then again, not many teens have gray hair, so… That was somewhat of a give away on who this teen was.

Tsugiyoshi was a 17-year-old teenage boy that stood 170 cm with short gray hair that barely covered his ears, tired-looking gray eyes, wearing a dark blue yukata with little mice of different colours decorating the fabric, and brown shoes. This gray-haired youth looked up at them with tired eyes before he said nonchalantly, "Yo, I was wondering if I was going to see all of you here."

Kim folded his arms in amusement when he got out with a small smile, "As nonchalant as ever, even in a place like this."

The gray-haired teen shrugged before saying, "Meh, that's just how I am." He let out a sigh before he added in a more solemn and serious tone, "But, I do wish we could have had this reunion under happier circumstances…" Tsugiyoshi glanced at Marinette's crutches and stump.

Things were quiet for a bit before the gray-haired teen asked how Marinette was adapting. The bluette replied that she was doing well despite the… How it happened…

But before anyone could explain that part, Tsugiyoshi held up a hand to stop them, "As much as I want to know, I don't think I should hear it before the trial starts."

Tomoe raised a brow when she asked, "How come? Dupain-Cheng-Kun is your ally, is she not?"

Tsugiyoshi pressed his lips in a line before he stated carefully, "She is, but the current circumstance unfortunately override that…"

Kagami narrowed her eyes before she asked bluntly, "Does this have to do with the fact that you are directly under Japan's Magi Guardian?"

Chloe couldn't help but state, "Yeah, we got the information on how the Magi Guardians work, and I guess even for this kind of thing, you can't give your two euros on this." For some reason, Tomoe and Kagami turned their attention towards the blonde girl.

Tsugiyoshi raised an amused brow when he replied, "You can say it's like that."

Before Adrien could ask his question, Tomoe questioned Chloe, "Bourgeois-Kun… Why did you use the term 'two euros' rather than 'two euros'?" Confusion was clear as day in her tone and expression. Kagami agreed with her mother. Wait? Did she just repeat a phrase?

This confused Chloe greatly when she looked at them and replied, "Um, because I did say 'two euros'? Uhh… Why are you asking such a weird question?" She wasn't being snarky or mean, she was honestly confused when she asked the last sentence she spoke.

Tsugiyoshi seemed to understand what was going on when he explained, "Ah, that would be the Language Spell that has been cast on the United Nation Building. It allows everyone within the chosen location to hear others speak their native tongue even if these people can't actually speak it. Though the native speakers claim that they do hear their language being spoken with accents when a non-native speaker talks." He tapped his ears when he continued, "For example, to my ears, all of you are speaking Japanese with a French accent. And I can assume to your ears, I am speaking French, maybe with a Japanese accent." Tsugiyoshi looked at the Tsuguris when he stated, "Given the lack of accent that I'm hearing from you two, I can assume that you two are bi-lingual, correct?"

Both Tsuguris nodded as they vocalised, "We are."

Tsugiyoshi figured as much when he stated, "So it's more likely that you'll hear more of one language than the other from the rest of the groups." He folded his arms when he added, "The Language Spell is pretty good and accurate, but the one thing it tends to overcorrect is what currency the listener is more used to."

Adrien couldn't help but say, "Wow! That spell would revolutionise the world." He was confused when he asked, "But wouldn't it make more sense to cast it on a person rather than a building?"

Everyone sort of gave the blonde boy an uncertain look at this. Except for Tomoe, who raised a brow in uncertainty.

Tsugiyoshi's lips pressed in a line before he explained, "Well, aside from the fact that the spell can't be put on living things… It's more effective and energy efficient to place the spell on an area in question…" He let out a breath before he added, "True, it's a great spell, but it does have limits." Tsugiyoshi indicated the nearby walls when he stated, "The Language Spell only works within a certain limit, which in this case, is the inside of this building. As long as you're here you hear everyone speaking your native language, the moment you step outside, it's back to normal. Plus, it takes a long time to cast it, so this spell is usually used for major events that involve multiple language speakers in one place."

Nino couldn't help but say, "I figured it was a big spell, but yikes! Makes sense that it's only used if it's known for sure that there are going to be multiple languages in one spot… Like this trial." Kim nodded in agreement.

Before anyone could say anything else, a rather tall man walked up to the group holding the cloak that represents the Reigning Magi Guardian of Japan in his arms. He was a tall and lean man, having long dark brown hair with red inner layers that reached down to his calves, having one long strand of hair across his face. He appears to be middle-aged and has dark grey eyes with dark circles, giving him a perpetual look of exhaustion. He also has a lightly tanned complexion and a large nose that curves down. He wears a short black jacket with various golden accents. Underneath, he wears a black and gold waistcoat and also wears a white button-down shirt with a red tie. He had long, black oxen horns that extended from the sides of his head and pointed upwards.

Nino, Kim, and Marinette bowed at this man. Which caused Kagami, Chloe, and Adrien to do the same even if they weren't completely sure about this. Tomoe only turned her attention to where she heard incoming footsteps.

The ox-horned man's eyes didn't leave Tsugiyoshi when he stated, "Nezumi, sir, you forgot your Reigning Cloak."

Tsugiyoshi clicked his tongue in annoyance before he stated in the same tone, "I left that tacky thing behind on purpose so I can talk to my old friends casually, Ushii."

The ox-horned man was confused, until he noticed the others in range. He stared at them for a few seconds before his attention on the gray-haired teen when he stated, "I am aware, but according to the protocols, you must wear your Reigning Cloak and stay by your Second's side."

Clearly annoyed, Tsugiyoshi retorted dryly, "Seriously, what did the creators of that protocol think adolescents do during these kinds of events?"

The ox-horned man, Ushii, had no rebuttal to that. Or at least one that he wanted to say out loud in front of other children.

Everyone's jaw dropped at the realisation that Ushii wasn't the Magi Guardian, it was Tsugiyoshi!

Kagami was admittedly mixed on this entire thing while Marinette, Kim, and Nino stared at this Magi Guardian in pure and utter shock as the facts sank in. They couldn't believe that this person was in that position!

With a smirk, the Magi Guardian of Japan stated in amusement, "Did you really think you were the only minors in the world with a Double Life?"

Tomoe was the one to finally break the awkward silence when she asked in a weird combination of critical and confusion, "You sound like you are only a year or so older than my daughter and her friends, is there no minimum age for the title of Magi Guardian?"

Tsugiyoshi looked at Ushii when he explained, "If you are asking about an exact age, no." The ox-horn man glanced at the other teens when he continued, "This is more due to the fact that different races have very different lifespans and thus have different views on which chronological age-range count as part of the stages of growth." Ushii held up his right hand to move as he explained, "The lifespan of a human is between 80 and 100 years with infants being from newborns to a year-old, toddlers being from two-years-old to three-years-old, child being from four-years-old to 12-years-old, adolescents or teenager being from 13-years-old to 17-years-old, semi-adults being from 18-years-old to 20-years-old, adults from 21-years-old onwards, and elderly once they hit their late 70's." He then added, "This is a general outline of a human lifespan, which doesn't include culture consideration, religion aspect, any health divergences, or any forces outside their control."

Yeah, that makes sense.

Ushii continued explaining, "But for some of the long-lived races, someone who is chronologically 30-years-old would be considered a child by their standards. While to the short-lived races, someone who is chronologically 11-years old would be considered an adult by their standards." He looked at the group when he asked, "Understanding so far?"

Tomoe nodded when she stated, "So far, so I can assume that there's more of a 'life-stage' period that has to be met to be able to gain the title of Magi Guardian, right?"

Tsugiyoshi let out a low hum when he explained, "Yes, the minimum stage one can be when being considered for the Magi Guardian position would be the upper adolescent stage, close to semi-adults but not at that stage." He gave Ushii a glance of an annoyed stare when he added, "With some kind of advisor or someone who can help them keep their tasks in order."

Ushii retorted in a calm, logical tone, "It is an understandable protocol."

That… Kind of make sense…

Ushii shrugged when he stated, "Under normal circumstances, the youngest a Magi Guardian can be when they take the title is the adolescence stage."

Tsugiyoshi let out a sigh before he said, "But my predecessor was a weirdo and made this very bizarre trial to find someone worthy to be the next Magi Guardian of Japan regardless of their current Life Stage..." He let out an annoyed groan when he added, "I still have no clue what he was thinking."

Ushii glanced to the side when he admitted, "To be honest… I don't think anyone knows what Doudecouple had in mind when he made that trial…"

Marinette's lips pressed in a line before she commented, "Uncle Jazz has told me a few… Moments involving Former Magi Guardian Doudecouple that were rather baffling." Kim and Nino nodded at this.

Kagami, Chloe, and Adrien had no clue what was being talked about.

Tomoe raised a brow at the statement. The mother then asked in a tone that was a mixture of intrigue and curiosity, "I did noticed that you used the term 'under normal circumstances' when talking about the youngest a Magi Guardian can be. Does that mean that some of the other Magi Guardians had to gain the title under different circumstances?"

Tsugiyoshi glanced at Ushii when he admitted, "Well, aside from Long, those stories I've heard second-hand…"

Ushii let out a hum before saying, "A number of those were before my time, but I'm aware that a few of the countries still use the inheriting method when selecting a potential Magi Guardian… But I do believe the most 'recent' outliers would be two of the United States' Magi Guardians." He glanced up at the ceiling to think before he stated, "Magi Guardian Orion Pax and Magi Guardian Long."

Tsugiyoshi let out a low hum as his lips pressed into a line before he stated, "If the Dark Dragon hadn't been the power hungry, wolrd dominating bastard, Long wouldn't have had to take over the North-East region of the United States while he was still in-training…" He glanced to the side when he added, "Orion on the other hand, just had the bad luck of inheriting some unwanted genes that are incompatible with the other races he is and those genes are from a species that have a specific criteria for their 'Life Stages'." Nezumi let out a sigh before he continued, "Because of that, Orion had to legally alter what his current 'Life Stage' is, which means that he is now legally 'an adolescent' despite his actual age." Ushii had to agree with that.

Adrien had to ask, "Okay… I get how Magi Guardian Orion Pax is considered an 'outlier'. But what about Magi Guardian Long? But what's usual about his 'age criteria'?"

Ushii glanced at Tsugiyoshi when he stated, "Well… For Magi Guardian Long… He had to gain the title due to both his predecessor and the active acting Second parishing during the battle against the Dark Dragon two years ago…"

Tsugiyoshi looked at the group when he stated, "That happened about a month and a half after I took over as Reigning Magi Guardian of Japan, but since I was still a minor, I wasn't allowed into the battle directly. I helped where I could, but the deaths that happened were, unfortunately, unavoidable…" He sighed before he added, "One of the major downsides of having the power to foresee the future… Deaths can never be prevented, only altered…" Tsugiyoshi glanced at the floor at these last words. Ushii placed a hand on the gray-haired teen's shoulder at this.

Nino rubbed the back of his neck when he asked, "Uh, no offence, but that does seem fair that Magi Guardian Long had to take over…" He waved his hands when he added in a frantic tone, "I mean, yeah, it sucks that he lost his predecessor and the acting Second, but it makes sense that he would have to though."

Tsugiyoshi and Ushii wearily glanced at each other before the gray-haired teen finally stated, "Except, Long… Wasn't a teenager yet when he had to take the title of Magi Guardian…"

Oh…

Oh…

Oh!

That's why it was considered 'unfortunate' for someone to gain the Magi Guardian title…

Tomoe, as well as the teens, were baffled by this piece of information when she asked in dismay, "How was that allowed? If! If he was that young! Then should there have been someone to take the title temporarily or something?"

Tsugiyoshi pressed his lips into a line before he stated, "Technically, there is one person… But he's ineligible for the role, even temporary, since he's a retired Magi Guardian from a different country…" He let out a sigh before he added, "The best he could do was make sure his grandson continues his training,"

Oh…

Wow…

That explains a few things.

}{ Meanwhile }{

If anyone were to walk in on this, no one would blame the French group for staring! The Magi Guardian who was in the immediate area was a towering 2.8 meters tall! Practically a giant! Maybe he was a giant…

This towering man had jet black hair that just covered his neck and had a feathery texture with curls that was being held back by an emerald green headband, somewhat large cole black eyes that seemed to see every little detail inside the area, wore a sandy and cream coloured outfit that was designed for desert dwelling, had on a pair of thigh-high black boots that were designed to keep traction on a sandy surface, had a long hooked-like nose, thin lips that seemed to be pulled too tight for his face, and his skin was almost a golden tan. Of course, he was wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak that had the national flags of Israel and Palestine as well as images of the territory for both nations.

The 'Miraculous Doubles' of Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Anabella Bee were staring wide-eyed at this Magi Guardian with Max, Anton, Marc, Markov, Nora, Alya, and Bella.

The Magi Guardian glanced down at the group, now realising that there were people who were not helping with this set up. He turned to face them fully before he introduced himself politely with a slight accent, "Greetings, I am Solari, the Magi Guardian of Israel and Palestine." He looked at the group when he asked kindly about any religion they follow so they can be added to the Room of Worship or be informed that it was already in. Solari did tell them that if they wanted to do their worship in private, he had some crystals that would allow that.

That… Was… Oddly nice… If you were that level of religious… But it was kind of thoughtful and sweet…

Huh, not something any of them thought about, but there were people who do take their religion seriously and would want someplace to do their worship without judgment.

That was when everyones' thoughts Were interrupted by a cheery Russian accent calling out, "Haha! Solari! How are things on your end?"

The group turned to see another Magi Guardian. This one had more of a scruffy appearance compared to the others they have met so far, he had an untamed mane of grayish-black hair that just barely past his chin that was unshaven with a nice 5-o'clock shadow covering that part of his skin, cheeks, and in front of his pointed ears, he had a wolfish grin that showed off his very pointed teeth through his pale lips, wolf-like yellow eyes that had three scarring lines running over his right eye, wore a gray shirt paired with long slacks to his ankles that matched, had a muscular build, had large hands that had claw-like nails that were painted black, and wore a silver jacket that he had tied around his waist. Of course, he had the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the national flag of Russia with the image of the Southern-East territory of Russia on it.

With that cheery grin on his face. This Magi Guardian then noticed the group before waving at them and said, "Hello, I'm Aurora Volk, I'm the Magi Guardian of the South-East territory of Russia."

Bella gave him a respectful bow as the others gave him a wave and a polite hello.

Aurora Volk then looked at Ladybug before his grin widened when he said even more cheerfully, "Well, what do you know. The current Ladybug Holder and I are twins!"

Solari glanced down at Ladybug before he realised the other's words and said, "Ah, you are right."

Chat Noir couldn't help but say, "Um, no offence, but you and Ladybug don't look anything alike… So… You can't be 'twins' in any way." He tried to sound as polite as possible, but for the love of him, he just couldn't see how this scruffy man thought he resembled a teenage girl! It made Chat Noir think some not so good thoughts on that, but he really didn't want to! Especially about one of his best friends! 'Okay, get your brain out of the gutter, Chat!' The Black Cat Hero told himself.

With that smile still on his face, Aurora Volk leaned down and pulled up the legging covering his right leg.

That made the eyes of the France group go wide at what they were seeing. Ladybug was the first to finally say something, in a bewildered tone with her eyes still wide, "You… You're… You are like me!"

Instead of a regular right leg that was revealed, it was a metal prosthetic leg that was somewhat shaped more like the hind leg of a canine.

Aurora Volk tapped on his prosthetic with his right index finger when he explained, "Lost this leg in a nasty battle roughly a decade ago. This was specially made for Were- creatures. It's designed to transform when we shift forms." He let go of his legging so it covered his prosthetic again when he added, "I gotta thank Professor Shepard for this kind of medical tech for Were-creatures and hybrids. The guy's a genius when it comes to these despite originally being from the Non-Magical side."

This perplexed Max when he asked, "Wait? You mean that anyone can gain the position of Magi Guardian? They don't have to be born on the Magical Side?"

Solari nodded when he stated, "They can, so long as they fit the standing criteria to be a Magi Guardian And can perform the duties that come with the title." They shrugged when he added, "Species of the person doesn't matter."

Aurora Volk folded his arms when he scoffed out with a frown, "Unless you're Chang…" He glanced up at the taller Magi Guardian when he stated sourly, "Seriously, she dislikes the fact that there are so many non-dragons in Magi Guardian positions. Because of that mentality, she's been on thin ice for a while, and her weirdly unreasonable dislike of Young Long is making it worse." Aurora Volk let out a low growl before he stated in annoyance, "Why hasn't she been replaced by this point?"

Solari let out a low, rumbling hum when he mused, "I do believe the fact that there aren't any good Magi Guardian candidates in the South China territory is the only reason why she still has that title."

Aurora Volk narrowed his eyes at those words when he got out, "That's strangely convenient for Chang… Even weirder that she hasn't bothered taking on an apprentice despite her current age. All the other older aged Magi Guardians either had some or currently have some."

The France group glanced at each other at this… Interesting information.

}{ Meanwhile }{

Sabrina had to rub her eyes at what she was seeing. And she wasn't the only one doing this.

Standing a few meters off from this group was an older woman who appeared to be in her late 50's, early 60's, who looked similar to the One Piece character Carrot in her Sulong form, just not as busty or curvy. Her eyes were ruby red which stood out against her snow-white skin, wore flowy and comfortable-looking clothing with long-wide sleeves with a moon motief, and her long, white rabbit-like ears poked out from her grayish-white hair. She was also wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the national flag of South Korea with the territory of that country depicted so clearly.

However, the most adorable thing everyone with Sabrina saw were the six 8-year-old children who looked to be the same species as the Magi Guardian of South Korea that wore similar clothing to her but each of the children had a different phase of the moon on their clothing. A crescent moon, waxing moon, a half moon, a waning moon, a new moon, and a full moon. It was oddly in order and seemed to fit each child.

Sabrina continued to stare at the… Human-rabbits she internally screamed, 'OMG! They're so adorable!'

Mylene and Ivan were staring at a tall golden scaled Qianlima (Korean Qilin) with a flowing, burning red maine, emerald green feathers that almost covered its platinum coloured hooves, a dragon-like tail with the red main trailing down its back until it turned into scales the closer it got to the tail, and pair of flowing whisker that sprouting out from a half centimeter from its nostril that was half the length of its body as it gently moved in the nonexistent breeze standing near the South Korea Magi Guardian, apparently conversing. The Qianlima was (somehow) wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the national flag of North Korea and the country's territory. And next to the Qianlima was a matching foal half its size. These creatures were just… Fascinating to watch, even if it was kind of rude… Then again, Sabrina, Ivan, Mylene, and Nadja had never seen these creatures before.

The Qianlima noticed the group of humans nearby. They nodded their head in a 'come here' motion as they stated, "You can approche."

Nadja, Sabrina, Mylene, Ivan, and Nath somewhat glanced at each other before they did walk towards the Korean Magi Guardians.

Okay, now that they were closer, the Qianlima was easily bigger than a standard horse. Their horn had this weird wooden texture but shone like a topaz. The foal seemed interested in the younger members of the group when they asked curiously, "Ooo! Are they teenage humans? They're smaller than human adults but bigger than human children." The foal appeared to inspect the four teens.

The Qianlima let out a sigh before telling their child, "Haesbich, give them a little personal space You are too close." The foal, Haesbich, belatedly realised what they were doing before taking a few steps back as they apologised. The Qianlima seemed to roll their silver eyes when they stated, "But, yes, they are teenagers."

Nadja had to ask the two Magi Guardians, "May I ask whom I am talking to?"

The rabbit woman nodded when she stated, "I am Dal, the Magi Guardian of South Korea." She looked down at the six 8-year-olds when she added with a smile, "And these are my children; Choseungdal , Sanghyeondal , Bandal , Soetoehaneun Dal , Dal-i Eobsda , and Man-Wol ." Each child gave a small, polite bow when their name was called.

The only thing Sabrina could think was, 'Aww! Still adorable!'

The Qianlima nodded when they said, "I am, Hae, the Magi Guardian of North Korea." They nodded at the foal when they added, "And as you heard, Haesbich is my child. Although, they are a teenager now."

Haesbich swished their tail with a sheepish chuckle.

Nadja couldn't help but say in an unsure tone, "Oh… They must be a handful…" She couldn't help but look at the six children who appeared to be the same age, oddly enough. The anchorwoman wrote this off as her not knowing the growth-rate of the species. Nadja had to add with a small smile, "I know juggling a career and parenthood can be a challenge, but I wouldn't change anything with my little girl."

Dal and Hae couldn't help but vocalise, "Oh, you're a parent too?"

The rabbit woman looked at the teens in this group when she asked, "Are they your children too?"

Ivan, Mylene, Sabrina, Nath, and Nadja were quick to say no to that.

Hae chuckled before telling the other Magi Guardian, "Ah, no, humans tend to have one child at a time and rarely have multiple births."

Nadja was quick to add, "I just have one child. She's actually a little younger than your children, Ms Dal, and is currently in the Childrens' Section."

There was a bit of an 'oh yeah' moment with the Korean Magi Guardians. Hae turned to their child when they asked them, "Haesbich, would you escort the little moons to the childrens' section?"

The foal clumped his front right hoof when they said in annoyance, "Aw, really? I have to babysit?"

Nath offered to go with, as did Ivan, Mylene, and Sabrina.

Hae and Dal were okay with that, and told Haesbich that he could bond with other teenagers. The six rabbit-human children were pretty fine with that, so long as they actually went to the Childrens' Section. The six kids were giving Haesbich a look at that last part. The foal seemed to avoid their gaze at this.

Hmm… Seems like they already had a dynamic going on. Guess that made sense, given that their parents seem to be friends and also work with each other.

}I{

Soon enough, it was time for the Trial to begin…

Everyone got to their assigned seats as all the News stations started their live broadcast. They all started with introducing themselves and their news station. Then they recapped their audience on the trial and what will ensue, making sure to explain that how things are going to be done might not play out the way they are used to.

Once that was done, a man with short red hair with a white streak, standing at around 182.88cm (6 ft) tall, with dark eyes, wearing a tan long-sleeved shirt, and long tan trousers made his way to the small podium that was just outside the stage at the centre of the circle of the seats for the Magi-Guardians and the Countries representatives with a black tablet in his hands. The redheaded man placed the tablet on the surface of the podium before he announced in a clear voice, "Greetings, my name is Jason Blood and I will be the moderator for this trial." He glanced around the area to ensure everything was in place before he stated as he turned the tablet on, "Before we officially start, I do believe that the overseers for this need to be introduced." Jason Blood looked at the tablet as he explained as he tapped something on the screen, "Given that The Pained Incident happened in European territory, I shall introduce the representatives of Europe first. Then the neighboring countries, and then carrying on from there until everyone has taken their seats."

He glanced around, to make sure everyone was in place, before he looked at the tablet and started listing off the European Countries in alphabetical order.

England; with Magi Guardian Archadia and Representative Arthur Belto. Of course, Archadia was wearing her Reigning Magi Cloak, England's national flag and territories were on clear display.

France; with Magi Guardian Jazz and Representative Perri DelForte. Jazz was wearing his Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak.

Greece: with Magi Guardian Alpha Trion and Representative Arios Apollo. Unlike the Representative, the Magi Guardian was a very elderly man who appeared to be in his late 80s early 90s with shoulder long, deep red and purple hair with a bit of a wiry texture, had a silver-white fu-man-chu moustache and goatee that reached his small upper chest, and he had a small thin frame yet he was still of average height with a surprisingly straight posture and very mobil despite his aged appearance. Alpha Trion's face was covered with age wrinkles that did little to hide those silvery-blue eyes under those silver-white brows that sank down a little bit, and he was wearing a pair of comfortable-looking loafers on his feet. Given his apparent age, it's no surprise that he was going for comfort rather than fashion. Of course, he wore the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak, Greece's national flag was on clear display along with the respective territory.

Iceland; with Magi Guardian Gimli and Representative Hamar Storma. The Magi Guardian of Iceland was a dwarf with a mess of copper red hair and a beard that were braided with four of the strands in the front and four in the back, wide nose, stocky and muscular build, wearing the forged warrior armor he had made from head to toe, and wore the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak over his armor, the national flag was on clear display along with the territory of Iceland.

Ireland; with Magi Guardian Maidin Cheo and Representative Nikolas Clúdach. Unlike the last time the France group saw this Magi Guardian, they were wearing more formal attire and the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the national flag and territory of Ireland was on clear display.

Netherlands; with Magi Guardian Wijsheid and Representative Paarse Tulpenvelden. This Magi Guardian was essentially a woman in white from her long wispy white hair that floated in the air to her feet-long white dress, even her eyes were white, and her skin was almost a transparent pale hue. She was wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the national flag and the territory of the Netherlands.

The Middle East was next…

Egypt; with Magi Guardian Cleo Gorgan and Representative Neer Scarab. This Magi Guardian was a tall, slim, beautiful tan-skinned female mummy with pale blue eyes, dark maroon brows, thick lashes and long, mid-thigh-length black hair with two-tone golden-brown accents and thin sparkling-golden streaks, several of them on her fringed-bangs, wearing makeup consisting of thick mascara, two-tone purple eyeshadow, winged eyeliner to resemble that of an ancient Egyptian, ruby-red lipstick, and purple nail polish which is painted on both her finger and toenails. She also has a sky-blue gem below her right eye, she was mummy-wrapped in brand new bandages, wearing open-toed and open-heeled wedge boots with black soles, followed by golden detailing and matching studs, she had a few accessories with a thick choker and an elbow-length, fingerless glove on her right arm, both of them made out of her mummy wraps. Of course, she was wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the national flag and the territory of Egypt. For some reason, Laura, Clawdeen, Clawd, and Howleen recognised this Magi Guardian and was surprised that she was in that position.

Israel; with Magi Guardian Solari and Representative Holot Midber. Like earlier, Solari was still wearing his Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak that had the national flags and territories of Israel and Palestine but Jason Blood did announce that Solari was only going to be overseeing this trial on behalf of the Magical Side of Israel, as Palestine had no casualties during the Pained Incident. That was fair…

The next was Russia; with Magi Guardian Linka of the East Territory of Russia, Magi Guardian Voyushchiy Veter of the West Territory of Russia, Magi Guardian Koshmar of the South-West Territory of Russia, Magi Guardian Aurora Volk of the South-East Territory of Russia, Ledyanoy Ogon' of the North Territory of Russia, Magi Guardian Baba Yaga of the South Territory of Russia, Magi Guardian Zimniy Les of the Central Territory of Russia, and Representative Kholodnaya Tundra.

The Magi Guardians of Russia that the French Group saw before looked the same last time they saw them, but the others, they were seeing for the first time.

Magi Guardian Linka appeared to be a young woman in her 40s with long, thick, curly, sunshine blonde hair that was tied up in a ponytail with a black band as her bangs had a bit of a fring, blue-green eyes, she stood taller than the usual height of a woman, wearing a pair of brown slacks that reached her ankles with a red belt, a yellow t-shirt with a blue/green emblem on it with a silhouette of a bird in flight, and was wearing her Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the national flag and the territory of the Eastern territory of Russia. A ring with a white stone embedded in the centre on her right ring finger gleamed in the light.

Magi Guardian Voyushchiy Veter appeared to be an avian-like humanoid with grayish-white feathers on her arm/wings, powerful dark gray talons that could crush stones if needed, wearing a loose, sleeveless dress shirt with a few feathery designs, loose dress slacks that matched the shirt, her facial features were that of a bird of prey, with yellow eyes that could see any small motions in the distance, and was wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the national flag and the territory of the West territory of Russia on it.

Magi Guardian Ledyanoy Ogon' was essentially a small three-headed serpent-like dragon with dark red scales that was the size of an cement lorry, had wide bat-like wings that could easily take flight, powerful legs for both its front and back, a long tail that was almost as long as the creature that split into three different tips roughly an arm-length before the end, and was somehow wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the national flag and the North Territory of Russia on it.

Magi Guardian Baba Yaga… Well… To put her appearance politely… She was a very elderly woman with long, white, unkempt hair that probably reached her lower chest, old wrinkly face that did little to hide her long pointed nose and dark eyes, she wore a comfortable looking, hand-knitted shawl that had a complex looking pattern that easily covered her small body, but her lower half… It was essentially an aged, wooden brown pestle! She was wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the national flag and the image of the South territory of Russia.

Magi Gaidian Zimniy Les appeared to be a human-shaped tree with a leaf green vine-like hair that reached his waist that had some flowers growing on them in random places, had a moustache and beard of the same colour and shape also with some flowers growing on it in random places, had bright blue eyes that almost looked carved into his wooden face if it weren't for the occasional blink of wooden eyelids, the barked skin could easily pass a wrinkles on a face, wearing a plant-like robe that reached his roots/feets, long arms that also had a bark-like texture with long gangly finger-like branches, and was wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the national flag with the image of the Centre territory of Russia.

Next was Greenland; with Magi Guardian Kóra of Northern Greenland, Magi Guardian Sisak of Southern Greenland, and Representative Tundrami Qinngasaarneq.

Magi Guardian Kóral appeared to be a young man with waist-long black hair with a few streaks of green in it, looked rather plain, wore a knee-length blue robe with several decorative fishes on it, was notably barefooted, and was wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the Northern Territory and national flag of Greenland.

Magi Guardian Sisak was a dwarf with long, black, untamed hair that looked like it was attempted to be tied back, dark eyes under black bushy brows, a full black beard that reached his lower chest, wore forged armor made of steel, and had the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the Southern Territory and national flag of Greenland.

Next was Africa; with Magi Guardian Kwame and Representative Paka Savannah. Magi Guardian Kwame is black, with short black hair and brown eyes, wearing a blue t-shirt with a green emblem with a silhouette of a tree growing out of a rock, green slacks to his ankles, an unbuttoned red shirt paired with a green vest, had on a gold necklaces around his neck, a red bracelet around his left wrist, four gold bracelets on his right arm, and was wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak of Africa with all of the continent's national flags and the entire territory of Africa on it. He also had a golden ring with a green stone embedded in the centre of it that gleamed in the light.

There were two others with Magi Guardian Kwame, a massive black spider that was the size of an average horse and a large yellow frog that was just bigger than an adult human with orange spots on his chin, knees, and arms with dark eyes. They must have the title of Second or something similar, or something else entirely.

Philippines; with Magi Guardian Pabulong Na Kakahuyan of the North Philippines' Territory, Magi Guardian Tag-Ulan of the South Philippines' Territory, and Representative Magandang Dagat.

Magi Guardian Pabulong Na Kakahuyan appeared to be a young beautiful woman in a simple white dress to her ankles with only one sleeve on her left arm that covered it with her right arm was completely bare, had long black wavy hair to her waist, with a crown made from white flowers, black eyes, and was wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the national flag and the image of the Northern territory of the Philippines.

Magi Guardian Tag-Ulan appeared to be an amazing hybrid between a Kelpie and some sort of sea dragon. Granted, this combination didn't seem like it would be able to move on land, but thanks to some rather complex looking water magic, they were able to traverse the land like a snake while using their hooves to keep themself balanced, and their dragon claws were being used like hands. What was the most amazing thing that was seen was the fact that the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak, with the image of the Southern Territory and national flag of the Philippines, that they wore was able to actually stay on them the way it was.

Next was Australia; with Magi Guardian Malouf of the Western Territory of Australia, Magi Guardian Barlius of Eastern Australia, and Representative Malcolm Dingo.

Magi Guardian Malouf appeared to be a strange combination of a sea serpent and a human that was easily seven meters long, sharp teeth poked out from their lips, yellow eyes that gleamed under the lights, was easily slithering over the ground with their legs tucked against their body as they did, their fins hung over their left side of their body, their long serpent-like tail flicked from side to side as they moved, and they were somehow wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the image of the Western Territory and the national flag of Australia.

Magi Guardian Barlius, on the other hand, appeared to be a creature that was 1.219 meters tall resembles a little red frog-like man with a very big head, a large mouth with no teeth, long arms that were longer than he was tall, with strange suckers on the ends of his gangally long fingers, and was wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the image of the Eastern Territory and national flag of Australia. Comically enough, the Magi Guardian Cloak was bigger than he was and part of the cloak was, unfortunately, being dragged long the ground as he walked.

New Zealand; with Magi Guardian Zayan and Representative Zephyr Tolkin.

Magi Guardian Zayan didn't seem to stand out much, they just seemed to be an ordinary looking human with earthy brown hair cut to their chin with a few strands sticking up, they were of average height, plain face, honestly nothing really extraordinary about this person compared to the others, wearing some rather generic clothing that didn't show-off a lot, and was wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the Territory of New Zealand and the national flag on it.

Next were the Asian Countries.

China; with Magi Guardian Kōtei of the North Territory of China, Magi Guardian Chang of the South Territory of China, Magi Guardian Jinshi of the West Territory of China, Magi Guardian Gi of East China, and Representative Yǒngwǔ Shiyán.

Magi Guardian Kōtei was a tall man with short black hair that was neatly combed back, obsidian eyes with a pink hue, a neatly trimmed beard to compliment his kingly look, he appeared to have an expressionless face, wore loose-fitting yet comfortable clothing with a purple and gold colour palette, and wore the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the national flag and the image of the Northern Territory of China on clear display.

Magi Guardian Chang was an older woman who appeared to be in her 60's with black hair that was tied back into a bun, wearing a indigo helmet with a red arrow and light blue horn-like designs that followed the curve of her ears, dark beady eyes, wide nose, wore a light blue dress to her feet under an indigo overcoat that reached between her ankles and knees, and wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the national flag and the image of the South Territory of China on it.

Magi Guardian Jinshi was a tall man with a feminine appearance, with long, silky, jet-black hair with deep purple lowlights and obsidian eyes with a pink tint to them, but despite his feminine face, his body is surprisingly well-built even if the neat and tidy loose-fitting outfit he wore hides most of that, and his hands are smooth and masculine, his hair in a half-back style tied with a cloth, and was wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the national flag with the West Territory of China. Oddly enough, his Second appeared to be a young woman with cat ears and a tail who stands relatively short in height with a petite frame, had a somewhat cute face that had freckles decorating her nose and cheeks under her eyes, she has dark forest green hair that was tied up and sectioned with a light blue ribbon that holds a portion of her hair back with two strands of hair can be seen framing her face and are adorned with 2 beads each; the top one being red and the bottom one being sky blue, had blue eyes, had bandages wrap on her left forearm that peeked out from under her sleeves, she wore an aoqun hanfu with a light green top and a long, burgundy skirt, with the inner robe in her top is white, while the collar of her light green robe is both pale and dark green, and was wearing a pair of dark green flats.

Magi Guardian Gi was a young woman in her 40's with short, glossy black haircut into a bob with bangs, brown eyes, light skin, wearing a gold medallion around her neck, a blue bracelet and a wristwatch on her left wrist, had on a belt is black with the same symbol on the buckle as on her necklace, she was wearing a pink T-shirt with a green emblem with a silhouette of a water wave, a purple jacket with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, brown slacks to her ankles, and wore the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the national flag and the image of the Eastern territory of China on it. She also wore a gold ring with a light blue stone embedded in it that gleamed in the light.

North Korea; with Magi Guardian Hae and Representative Myujikeol Seupaideo.

South Korea; with Magi Guardian Dal and Representative Jeulgeoun Eum-Ag.

Japan; with Magi Guardian Nezumi and Representative Seiya Sora. Of course, both Tom and Sabine recognised Tsugiyoshi but also noticed the glamour he was using to hide his real identity from the world. Still… They were just as surprised as their daughter, Nino, and Kim to learn that he was the Magi Guardian of Japan. Ushii was following Nezumi along with a petite woman with short, messy orange-haired and green eyes. She wore a long chain with a tiger paw extending from a collar around her neck, wore a black-dyed leather jacket, appeared to have a pair of tiger ears protruding out from under those orange strands of hair, and wore an orange karate gi-like outfit with tiger stripes on it paired with tiger printed boots. Despite the outfit she was wearing, she didn't seem like she would do much in a fight.

Taiwan; with Magi Guardian Caos and Representative Zhé Lóng.

Just like Magi Guardian Hae, Magi Guardian Caos was also a Qilin but was a bit more dragon-like than unicorn-like, aside from the gemstone horn in the centre of their forehead, though it was more crystal-like. They wore the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the national flag and territory of Taiwan.

Next were the Americas.

Canada; with Magi Guardian Auroris of the Northern Canadian Territory, Magi Guardian Samison of the Southern Canadian Territory, and Representative Oliver Talis.

Magi Guardian Auroris appeared to be a burrly white furred yeti with enlarged fangs, claws on their hands, feet that looked more like the hind legs of a mountain goat, whiter 'hair' that reached their upper chest, and was wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the Northern Territory and national flag of Canada.

Magi Guardian Samison appeared to be a metallic scaled serpent-like dragon that was as long as a school bus, moving like a snake on a trail of fire that kept it afloat yet avoided touching the ground, and was wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the Southern Territory and national flag of Canada.

The United States; with Magi Guardian Orion Pax of Alaska, Magi Guardian David of Hawai'i, Magi Guardian Shifty of the North-West Territory of the US, Magi Guardian Professor William Shepherd of the South-West Territory of the US, Magi Guardian Nomicon of the Central Territory of the US, Magi Guardian Mama Odie of the South-East Territory of the US, Magi Guardian Long of the North-East Territory of the US, and Representative Oliver Valor.

Magi Guardian Orion Pax appeared to be a young man with short light blue hair that had a few strands that hung in front of his small soft face, bright blue eyes that were almost like sapphires, thin lips that seemed to have a small smile on them, wore a red t-shirt with a blue design lines that appeared similar to the ones on a motherboard, blue slacks that reached his ankles paired with blue shoes with the same design as the shirt, and wore the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the image of the territory of Alaska and the national flag of the United States. But what caught a lot of people's attention about this Magi Guardian was the fact that he was in a sleek silver wheelchair. He was being pushed by a towering strongman with short silvery-black hair that was brushed back, deep red eyes, broad features, somewhat sharp teeth that were somewhat visible through his masculine lips, wearing an oddly semi-formal suit with a silver and gray colour palette, and black work boots that was clearly a favourite pair.

Magi Guardian David appeared to be a slender, slightly muscular young man with broad shoulders, black, messy hair, brown eyes that were barely seen behind a native Hawaiian mask that just barely exposed his mouth, a tattoo around his left arm, wearing a white v-neck t-shirt paired with a pair of blue swimming shorts, sandals, and wore the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the image of Hawai'i and the national flag of the United States.

Magi Guardian Shifty was… Constantly changing their appearance… To put it simply… It was as if they couldn't decide what appearance they should use for this event. The only constant things that they kept was the albino colours on their forms with baby pink eyes and that they were wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the image of the North-West territory and the national flag of the United States. That was when they finally settled on the appearance of a tall, skinny, older teenager with waist long hair and lumberjack style clothing. The clothing then turned to having an emerald green plaid shirt with a white tank top underneath, green stud earrings, dark blue jeans, and muddy rain boots, but the only things that didn't change was the white hair, pale skin, and their baby pink eyes.

Magi Guardian Professor William Shepherd was an elderly man with shoulder-long white hair and glowing white eyes, wearing what looked like a lab coat paired with long black slacks, wore a pair of matching loafers, used a cane to keep his balance as he walked, and wore the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the image of the South-West Territory and national flag of the United States. Walking next to this Magi Guardian was essentially a human with the head of a rottweiler, who seemed to be keeping a cautious eye on him.

Magi Guardian Nomicon looked to be the size of an older teenager with a thin frame, but no one could tell what he looked like due to wearing a black ninja outfit with some red lines accenting the fabric from head to toe with only his sapphire blue eyes visible with a long red scarf wrapped around his neck and a red sash wrapped around his waist, and wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak of the Central Territory and national flag of the United States. Weird choice of clothing to hide one's identity, but if that's what he wanted to do… So be it… At least that's what the Miracugroup thought.

Magi Guardian Mama Odie is a short woman with dark, wrinkly skin, wearing a white dress and turban, black sunglasses, gold earrings, a gold necklace, a gold bracelet on her right hand, a blue ring on her left hand, was barefoot for some reason, and was wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the image of the South-East territory and national flag of the United States. She had a long light green snake with dark green spots and red slits on yellow eyes, slithering in front of her, letting out a few noises as it slithered. This Magi Guardian seemed to be following the noise rather than the snake. And… Hold on… WAS THAT A FREAKING ALLIGATOR FOLLOWING BEHIND HER?! WALKING ON THEIR HIND LEGS LIKE A PERSON?! WTF?!

Ummm… Moving on…

Magi Guardian Long's appearance was that of a tall, muscular, red-scaled dragon with large wings, a yellow underbelly and green spikes along his back, he had black, spiky hair with green highlights, and was wearing the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the image of the North-Eastern territory and the national flag of the United States. He was wearing a gold ring with a red stone embedded in the centre of it… However, compared to the other dragons who were visibly present, he was a LOT smaller… And the purplish-pink dragon that looked similar to this dragon, except for black hair that was tied in high twintails, following him was even smaller! Like she WAS a dragon child! There was a long deep purple Eastern dragon who was easily more than twice the size of them with white facial hair and spikes following behind the younger dragons. It seemed like the Eastern dragon was some kind of adviser. There were also two more with this group, but they kept to the side so they couldn't be seen outside the fact that both had wings, one sounded like bee wings and the other were large brown bird wings.

Mexico; with Magi Guardian Pedro and Representative Héctor Rivera.

Magi Guardian Pedro appeared to have the body of a tanned, well-built adult man but the head, claws, and legs of a jaguar. He had a tail that trailed behind him like a cat's would, wore loose fitting clothing that was customised with his body type in mind, and wore the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the image of the territory and national flag of Mexico. Magi Guardian Pedro's ears twitched slightly as if listening for anything unusual as he sniffed the air occasionally while he walked.

And lastly, Brazil; with Magi Guardian Ma-Ti and Representative Florestas Tropicais.

Magi Guardian Ma-Ti had shoulder-length black hair, olive-tan skin, dark brown eyes, apparently had a scrawny build, he wore a sky blue sleeveless shirt with a green globe emblem on it, much like the one Magi Guardian Kwame had except that his had a silhouette of a heart, under a khaki vest, a black belt, brown slacks that reached his ankles, wore a pair black and red high top converse sneakers that were on pair of backward facing feet, wore two armbands on each arm, one of which has two red, yellow, and green feathers, two blue neckpieces and a blue necklace around his neck, and wore the Reigning Magi Guardian Cloak with the image of the territory and national flag of Brazil. He also wore a golden ring with a yellow stone embedded in the centre of it. There was a brown spider monkey comfortably sitting on Ma-Ti's left shoulder.

Each of the Magi Guardians made their way towards their respective podiums. And a few of them started to change forms as they got there.

Magi Guardian Archadia started morphing into a creature that had the head, chest, wings, and talons of an eagle, and the body of a lion before laying down on a rather comfortable-looking nest. She crossed her front limbs over one another as her Non-Magical counterpart stared in awe as they sat in their comfortable chair.

Magi Guardian Gimli hopped onto a comfortable chair that was lower than the desk section of the podium, but when he sat in it, it started rising until he was comfortably sitting at the level he could see over and lean on the desk part without issue.

Once Magi Guardian Maidin Cheo sat in their seat, they immediately removed their head from their shoulders and placed it on a soft pillow directly in front of them. The blue flames emitted from the point of seperations yet it didn't burn the pillow Maidin Cheo's head was on. It was logical to assume the pillow was either fire-proof or that the 'flames' didn't actually contain heat. Their Non-Magical counterpart couldn't help but stare in fascination as they sat in the seat next to the Magi Guardian.

That was when everyone noticed that Magi Guardian Solari started getting bigger and turning more avian-like. Not even a minute later, he was a colossal black and tan condor-like bird with four talons with the front ones shaped a little more like human hands. As Magi Guardian Solari settled down on the rather large nest-like section for the podium of Israel, the Representative couldn't help but gasp up in awe as they somewhat fell into their seat.

Magi Guardian Kóral hauled himself into a water tank as Magi Guardian Sisak sat in the same type of seat Gimli had and it worked the same too. The water tank started moving until the edge of it was leveled with the desk section of the podium. Magi Guardian Kóral poked their head out of the water until he only had his upper chest visible, but it was his lower section that shifted to that of a mer-person with the scales being the same shade as the green in his hair and seemed to be sitting on a sponge-like rock inside the tank.

Magi Guardian Tag-Ulan, Magi Guardian Malouf, and Magi Guardian Samison, also had tanks of water where their 'seat' was, but bigger to accommodate their respective sizes comfortably. Though, there seems to be a lot of the tanks that couldn't be seen, which was possibly under the podiums.

Magi Guardian Gi's section also had water, but it wasn't a tank. Her section had more of a pipeline overhead that allowed for a constant light shower that kept inside her section. Of course, there were drains so there wouldn't be flooding, which was then funneled back into the pipeline so that there was a perpetual stream of water drops.

Magi Guardian Barlius had the same type of seats the Dwarves had, only more accommodating to his smaller size and had elongated armrests to better rest his arms comfortably.

The Magi Guardians who were equine-like had their 'seats' more in line with solid surfaces that were padded so their feet were both on stable ground yet was easy on their respective legs so they were comfortable to stand.

Magi Guardian Orion Pax's section was wheelchair accessible, and the moment he was parked near his respective spot, the floor rose so that he could comfortably reach the desk section without any issue.

Magi Guardian Nomicon stood behind their seat rather than sitting in it. He took a deep breath, and muttered something under his breath as he extended both his index and middle fingers as he curled his ring, pinky, and thumb closed on both hands, then moved his hands together so that his right index and middle fingers slipped into the loop that was made from his left ring, pinky, and thumb, and then moved both his hands until they were at his chest. The next thing everyone knew, his ninja suit started to move and change until it altered not only its appearance but also its host's appearance. Now Magi Guardian Nomicon's outfit now had short sleeved with separate gloves, the elongated scarf had moved to his head, somewhat tying his now visible greenish-brown hair into a ponytail, and the footwear of his suit also has six respective red streaks. His face was now visible, it seemed young but for some reason felt older than it should, had a wide nose that accented his broad features well, thin lips that were contorted into a serious line, and when his eyes opened, they were now brown rather than blue eyes. For some reason, Magi Guardian Nomicon looked taller than he was a few moments ago, but sat down in his seat before anyone could really get a clear view.

The snake led Magi Guardian Mama Odie to her seat, letting out a few sounds as it did. The snake made a strange chirping sound when they slithered onto the elderly lady's seats before hopping off like a spring. Magi Guardian Mama Odie felt the back of the seat before she moved to sit in it. The snake then slithered up into the elderly woman's lap and peeked over the desk-like section to see what was going on below. The alligator that was just behind this Magi Guardian slowly moved so they were on all fours as they hung right behind that section of the podium, which did little to ease the US Representative.

As soon as all of the Magi Guardians and Representatives started getting comfortable in their respective seats, the doors almost burst open dramatically and a tall young man sauntered, along with several big cats. The way this man seemed to smirk at everyone's reactions to his actions, this timing was most likely planned to some extent. This young man appeared to be in his early twenties, with Asian tinted skin and yellow slitted eyes, had black hair that rises above his head and is streaked with green, wearing a suit of armor with shoulder guards, pads around his knees and a belt with an insignia on it. As the big cats followed their master, this man stated in almost a casual manner as if he hadn't just interrupted an important meeting, "I do apologise for the lateness, but the security was quite thorough with confiscating anything that could be used as weapons and I simply didn't feel comfortable walking in without my armour." He then walked over to the front of the audience seating area, which was left vacant on purpose, and essentially took it over. His subordinates happily hopped onto the available seats while this armoured young man promptly sat in the middle of the seating. Those who knew who this guy was did their best to try to move as far away from him as possible, others were just freaked by all the big cats roaming free, and the rest were just confused.

The bulk of the Magi Guardians turned their attention on Koshmar before one of them asked in a baffled tone, "You allowed Chase Young in?! Why?!"

The heterochromatic person didn't emote much when they replied calmly, "He claimed to be genuinely interested in viewing this trial in its rawest. Worry not, all the weapons he and his subordinates had have been confiscated, and I made sure that he promised that he and his Jungle Cats will not cause any trouble during this trial." Koshmar folded their arms when they stated, "As long as they follow the rules and regulations that have been set, I don't particularly care who watches this trial in person. Besides…" They gave the sudden arrival a stern look as his mismatched eyes glowed and stated coldly, "Chase Young always keeps his word and should he not, there are more than enough to force him to stay in line." Magi Guardian Koshmar flashed a somewhat sinister smile when he added, "And if that does happen, I do believe that I will enjoy the fear that comes from him."

The other Magi Guardians did have to agree to that.

The young armoured man, Chase Young, seemed to be pleased as he leaned back in his seat in satisfaction even though he knew that Magi Guardian Koshmar can and will follow thru on that veiled threat. That was when he noticed the tall redheaded man nearby, who was somewhat glaring at him. Chase Young's smirk seemed to widen when he said in a strangely casual tone, "Jason, I didn't expect to see you here. It's been far too long."

The redheaded man let out a huff as he turned his attention to the tablet in hand when he got out dryly, "Not long enough, if you ask me."

This seemed to amuse Chase Young more than annoyed him for some reason. He somewhat snickered when he added in amusement, "Is that any way to talk to an old friend and ally?"

Jason started setting up the program when he retorted dryly, "I don't recall us being either at any given time." Without moving his attention away from what he was doing, he stated in that same tone, "And pestering the moderator is considered to be 'causing trouble', Young." The way he was talking, you would think he was scolding a child for a minor behaviour problem.

This caused Chase Young's lips and a brow to twitch slightly. But he did indeed stop as he leaned back in the comfortable seat, as did his Jungle Cats.

Jason Blood didn't spare a second glance as he docked the tablet on the stand and three holographic-like screens appeared over the stand that he could easily see and use. He looked at one of the screens to see if the convicted criminals and the accuse were in place and ready for the trial to begin.

Then seven tapestries were unravelling overhead before stopping at their full length just stopping at the heads of the tallest of the Magi Guardians. Each of the tapestries was a different colour with one side being the darkest shade while the other side being the lightest shade. From left to right the colours were; red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and purple. For some weird reason, there were some strange sigils decorating these tapestries that could be seen no matter if they were on the darker shaded side or the lighter shaded side. But for some strange reason, both Marinette and Adrien could feel… Something very off about those things… But they couldn't figure out what it was…

Jason Blood looked around the area before he asked in a calm professional tone, "Alright, before the accused is brought in and we officially start the trial, is there anything that anyone would like to discuss? Pertaining to the Event that spurred this trial?" The way he spoke, it sounded like he was asking out of obligation rather than genuine interest. Oddly enough, he seemed to already be rolling his eyes when he spoke, as if he knew something unpleasant was going to happen…

And Jason Blood's premeditation was, in fact, correct when Magi Guardian Chang stated in a serious tone with a look of disdain on her face, "I would like to bring up the failures of Long as Magi Guardian."

There was a symphonic groan of annoyance from all of the other Magi Guardians as they in some way expressed said emotion via their facial or body motions. Of course, Magi Guardian Long glared at his accuser those words, which no one could blame him for. Jason Blood pinched the bridge of his nose at this. Chase Young's smirk slipped off to a frown of confusion, not completely understanding how this topic relates to the trial at hand, while his Jungle Cats seemed to match their master's expression. And, of course, the Non-Magical Representatives were utterly confused by this… Topic… Who could blame them, this is the first time they're hearing this 'issue'. And in all honesty, this was also something that the Magi Guardians had to deal with this several times before and it seems all but one felt that that 'issue' was settled.

Magi Guardian Nezumi let out a huff when he stated bitterly, "This is getting to the point where all the Magi Guardians can predict this stupidity." Both Ushii and the woman in the tiger gi glanced at each other before sighing in agreement. Magi Guardian Nezumi let out another huff when he grumbled something under his breath.

With a sigh of frustration, Magi Guardian Auroris stated in a surprisingly feminine voice, "Chang… For goodness sake, that nonsense has nothing to do with The Pained Incident." They folded their arms and rested them on the desk when they added, "And even IF you do have SOME tangent proof of that, it is irrelevant to the current situation."

In an androgynous voice, Magi Guardian Zayan stated as they tapped the desk in a rhythmic pattern, "Seconded. Besides, I don't see what's wrong with how Young Long oversees his respective territory. Sure, it's not how it's typically done, but if it works for him and is effective in the task, then he's doing a good job as Magi Guardian despite his situation." They glanced at Magi Guardian Chang when they added bitterly, "So please stop wasting time on this unnecessary matter." There was a strange pulse of… Something that was seen surging over this Magi Guardian's form at those last words.

Magi Guardian Kōtei, Magi Guardian Jinshi, and Magi Guardian Gi glanced at Magi Guardian Chang in disappointment as the freckled-faced woman also sitting in the West Territory section seemed to frown slightly at the older woman's actions.

That was when the older male stated with a sigh, "Chang, we discussed this Before meeting China's Non-Magical Representative, Before we arrived in the United States, AND Before leaving our hotel. All of them involve you NOT bringing your honestly tiring And strange issue with Young Long at any time during the trial." It was clear he was trying to be diplomatic, but was also getting rather fed up with this behaviour from his fellow Magi Guardian.

Magi Guardian Jinshi sighed in agreement when he added more bitterly than he would've liked, "And the fact that you still did it despite our efforts to politely remind you that not only has the matter was already settled but also rather inappropriate, is quite irritating that you are ignoring our attempt to help you present yourself reagally to the rest of the Non-Magical World." It was clear that he had more… 'Potent' words that he wanted to use, but refrained from doing so, even if he did manage to 'nicely' throw in some jabs.

Magi Guardian Gi then added with an understandable glare, "And it's honestly getting annoying as well as disturbing that you are wasting so much of your time and ours on removing Young Long when it's not needed." It was all too clear that she was getting sick of this skit, but given what was said… It seems like the Chinese Magi Guardians hear about this 'issue' more often than the others.

The freckled-faced girl sitting behind Magi Guardian Jinshi then added without much emotion, "Not to mention it's making you look bad in front of the Non-Magicals, Madam Chang." This caused Magi Guardian Kōtei and Magi Guardian Jinshi to stifle their similar giggles before they tried to compose themselves in an oddly similar way.

Oh, did this earn a glare from Magi Guardian Chang. Although, the young woman had a look that could be easily read as 'I didn't do anything of interest so move along'. But this didn't seem to disway Magi Guardian Chang from her apparent task as she tried to bring up Magi Guardian Long's failings as a Magi Guardian.

Magi Guardian David rubbed his temples in an 'I can't believe we have to deal with this crap, again' manner when he said, voice being altered by something like of voice changer, "This is getting really old, really fast…" He let out a sigh before he turned to his fellow United States Magi Guardians and the Representative when he added, "Not to mention, she's an overseer of a different Continent and, in all honestly, she shouldn't be sticking her nose in any of our business or criticise how we do things." The others of this group had to agree, especially the red dragon among them.

Magi Guardian Shifty pinched the bridge of their nose when they stated in a strangely deep voice despite the form they were in, "I most certainly agree." They let out a sigh before they stated in a serious tone, "And given that Young Long has actually been able to oversee his territory as well as he did and as suddenly as he did a lot better than I did within my first year as Magi Guardian…" They shrugged when they added as their form shifted (while keeping the albino colours and pink eyes) into a young boy with short hair, roundish nose, somewhat chubby cheeks, thin arms, and a flat expression, "Meh, I'm thinking Chang needs to get their eyes checked." Magi Guardian Shifty then morphed into an older yet refined-looking gentleman when they stated, voice now changing to fit the form, "Which, might I add, is part of the Health Check that all Magi Guardians need to go through." They then morphed into the Yu-Gi-Oh card monster Thousand-Eyes Restrict (with the actual colours of said Monster Card) when they stated in the voice of the character Maximillion Pegasus in said character's mannerisms, "So do visit your appointed doctor as soon as possible, Changy-girl~."

Oh, did that annoy Chang, but it made the other Magi Guardians, Representatives, the onlookers, and the entourage chuckle in amusement.

Magi Guardian Shifty then morphed back to that tall teenage girl form as Magi Guardian Shepard stated once he stopped chuckling, "I agree that Young Long is doing well," he sighed when he added sadly, "Despite… How he became Magi Guardian…"

Magi Guardian Long lowered his gaze as he glanced at the ring he was wearing in sadness.

Magi Guardian Cleo called attention to herself when she stated in a rather nonchalant tone, "Okay, not to be a downer, and while I know we all miss the previous Magi Guardian of the North-East Territory of the United States. May his soul be at peace. But we do have a trial to start, and I do believe that Little Long can easily manage this." There was a zombie-like moan coming from behind the Mummy. Magi Guardian Cleo looked over her shoulder at this before she said, "Ah, right, good point." Before she turned her attention forward when she added in a more pleasant tone, "Young Long can and will be able to manage this."

Of course, Magi Guardian Chang protested this, but was interrupted by Magi Guardian Alpha Trion stating seriously, "Chang, you have already wasted too much time on a matter that has been settled long before this trial."

Oh, boy, when this Magi Guardian spoke, EVERYONE on the Magical Side stopped what they were doing to listen to him.

Magi Guardian Alpha Trion turned his gaze at Chang when he stated serious as he rested his arms on the desk section, "If I recall correctly, Jason asked if anyone had anything that they wanted to talk about PERTAINING to the Incident that sparked this trial." He pointed at the Magi Guardian of the Southern Territory of China when he added equally as seriously, "Given that all here had to be told about the Pained Incident, I know you had to be aware of the basics of this." Magi Guardian Alpha Trion let out a sigh before he continued speaking, "Young Magi Guardian Long had nothing to do with the incident AND it happened far outside his territory. Therefore, there is no reason for you to bring up your idiotic dislike of Young Magi Guardian Long." The elderly Magi Guardian's eyes seemed to glow slightly when he added, "Had the Pained Incident happened in his territory, you MIGHT have had some merit to your claims. But since that is not the case…" That was when his voice got very deep and threatening when he ordered, "So leave Young Magi Guardian Long alone! And keep away from him!"

Magi Guardian Chang scowled at this as it was clear that the other Magi Guardians were not budging on this matter that they had already made their minds up on. She reluctantly sat back down and then there was a solid ten seconds of silence.

Now for some legitimate questions.

Magi Guardian Barlius turned his attention to Magi Guardian Jazz when he asked, "I do have a question regarding how the accused was able to get the Bracelet in the first place? Given the curse in place, I would've assumed that the thing would've been someplace inaccessible to Non-Magicals and Magicals."

Magi Guardian Jazz nodded when he replied, "And it was, fur tha most part. Tha only reason that tha Bracelet was outside that was because tha shop owners were cleaning and takin' inventory. So far, their only crime is assumin' that all would adhere ta tha notion that 'When tha Store is Marked as Closed, Then There is No Reason to do Business With'm." He let out a sigh before he added, "And taa be fair, there was no way they could'a forseen tha accused tryin' ta burn their shop down fur refusing ta sale her tha Bracelet…. And using said fire as a distraction ta steal tha Bracelet."

That seemed to satisfy Magi Guardian Barlius' query.

Pabulong Na Kakahuyan then brought up her question, "And the theft was reported to you as soon as it could, correct?"

Magi Guardian Jazz nodded when he replied, "It did, and given tha seriousness of tha curse and tha estimated age of tha accuse, Ah made sure ta assign tha task ta tha Wave Brothers. Both of whom would've adhere ta tha request."

Those who knew who the Wave Brothers were, couldn't help but shuttered at the mere mention of their name.

Magi Guardian Jazz then added, "And tha moment Ah learned about the personality and tendencies of tha accused, Ah called them back ta reassess tha plan ta retrieve tha Bracelet. They also had some much needed information on what tha accuse was usin' tha Bracelet fur." He then nodded his head towards his section of the seating area, more specifically the adults, when he adds, "Ah have ta thank tha Dupont Teachin' Body and tha Drac-U-Allies fur tha initiative and following their protocols on gettin' that information."

Magi Guardian Gimli stroked on of the braids on his beard when he asked curiously, "And ye were able ta fix the issue with the Glamours that was caused by that Pain Wave?"

Magi Guardian Jazz nodded when he replied, "Eventually, and while tha whole Magical Realm is out there for all ta know, tha majority were relieved ta get their Glamours back."

Magi Guardian Gimli nodded when he mused, "That's good ta hear." He couldn't help but glance at the 'audience' that was present. While he was fine with the bulk of them, he still didn't like the fact that Chase Young was here and was already expecting him to try something despite the promise made.

Now that all these questions were asked and answered, it was time to bring in the accused.

And, oh, boy! Did Lila struggle the entire way! She honestly would have hurt the guards and possibly herself if she wasn't being levitated with magic while her wrists were cuffed together while her ankles were bound by those ankle cuffs prisons use on prisons that allow the prisoners to walk but not run, kick, or much of anything else. One Lila realised what was happening, she stopped struggling, more to gasp at the non-human Magi Guardians that were before her.

Understandably, the Magi Guardians, Representatives, and the bulk of the audience were rather flabbergasted and confused by the fact that the one who not only single-handedly exposed the Magical World to the Non-Magical World but also killed so, so, so, so many people on both sides was… A teenage human…That also didn't seem to have any innate talent for magic… And had the weirdest vibes coming from her.

Of Course, Magi Guardian Cheng outright demanded that Magi Guardian Jazz stop with the stupid jokes and bring in the real accused. However, Jason Blood looked over the data when he announced for all to hear, "Oh no, she's the one who caused the Pained Incident all right." The redheaded man tapped on the screen when he added, "On top of using the Bracelet to use some rather dubious illegal magic." Jason read one particular part of the data with a frown before visibly cringing in disgust.

Chase Young saw this and raised a brow at the action before his attention was on someone else.

The next thing to happen was Lila being hauled into a wooden seating section similar to the one Gabriel had been in during his trial. And like the one for his trial, the liar's cuffs were suddenly magnetised to the wooden beam in front of her seat. Since Lila was Much shorter than Gabriel, she was nearly yanked forward and out of her seat, but then the wooden box adjusted its size to more suit a teenager than an adult. The nearby guard then forced Lila to sit back in her seat before walking off to their post.

Magi Guardian Alpha Trion intertwined his fingers as he rested his elbow on the desk section before he looked around at the other Magi Guardians to see if they were ready. When he did, he turned his attention towards Jason Blood when he stated in a calm tone, "Alright, let the Trial of Lila Rossi begin."

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To be Continued.

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Gale-Dragon: Am I setting up some conflict for a rewrite of a cartoon series that I fell back into a while ago? Maybe~ (More on that later and some future posts on Tumblr). Anyway, most of the Magi Guardians are OCs that I made to showcase some of the Mythical Creatures from their native regions (with the ones who aren't completely obvious or decided to stay in their Glamours will officially be labelled in the next chapter), while the others … Hehehe , you tell me which media they're from in the comment section and I'll let you know if you're right or not ~. Good Luck~.

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