The members of the Light Gazette stood at the back, rapidly writing everything down. They were in an unusually excited state, because today the suspicions surrounding Shion Lan would finally be revealed. The mystery surrounding him had raised countless questions, yet no one had ever discovered the answers. Now, they would be the ones to deliver those answers to the kingdom.
Shion looked ahead and asked,
"Excuse me, Counselor, but what is this method you are speaking of? Because if it will harm me, I will not agree."
The royal counselor replied,
"I intended to summon the Healing Heroine, Hyurin, to examine your body for any strange energy. However, with the presence of the Pure Spirit, Solan Neumann, I would like her assistance instead."
When Shion heard that, he sighed and said,
"Lady Neumann, can you cooperate?"
Everyone was shocked by how willingly he agreed. Even his father was stunned, believing Shion would try to buy himself time. Princess Jina Joul herself was surprised.
"Did Uncle not say his body had been possessed? Then why is he still this calm?"
Solan herself was shaken internally.
'I always knew he was different, but I never dared to delve deeply into his soul… But is he truly going to allow me to do it? And if it's proven that the soul differs from the body, wouldn't he be sentenced to death?! No…!'
A heavy feeling settled in Solan's chest. She wanted to help Shion, but she could not deceive either Academy Director Tim Ayr or King Jord Joul. Her heart pounded violently as she walked toward Shion.
Seeing her expression, Shion approached her and said with dissatisfaction,
"Solan… don't tell me you believed this nonsense too."
His expression showed clear displeasure.
"Do your best to prove my innocence."
He truly was upset with her.
'I asked her to examine me because I trusted that she trusted me. But this hesitation… It doesn't matter now. I'll talk to her about it later.'
Solan nervously placed her hand against his chest and summoned her spirit magic. Shion's body began glowing white.
Meanwhile, Shion thought calmly,
'My soul is perfectly synchronized with this body. If there's anything strange, it would be Shi Yun Lan, whom I can no longer communicate with. Even when he existed, the Director couldn't sense him at all. I'm safe.'
The form of Shion's soul appeared before everyone, surrounded by stars of fire and water elements.
Shion asked,
"What now?"
"That's not it."
At that moment, the Healing Heroine Hyurin interrupted as she entered the hall and bowed to the king.
"Forgive me for entering without prior permission, Your Majesty."
The king replied,
"We will discuss this violation later. But what do you mean this soul is not the real one?"
Hiyurin answered,
"This soul is the result of a technique previously used by Lord Lan."
The king looked toward Shion, who simply nodded.
His father sneered,
"Seems your attempt to hide the truth has failed. Confess your crime now!"
But Shion ignored him entirely and looked toward Solan instead.
"What are you doing?"
Solan answered nervously,
"My magic cannot search any deeper than this, so I think—"
"Use the Spirit Lantern!"
Before anyone else could speak, Shion sharply interrupted her.
Solan was startled. She summoned the lantern from the Spirit World and cast a stronger spell.
"(Spirit Magic: Origin of the Soul)!"
The stars attached to Shion's soul gradually faded away, revealing its original form.
Shion watched closely, ignoring everyone else completely.
The moment the spell finished, Shion's true soul appeared before them all.
Everyone froze in shock.
Even his father was stunned.
The soul was horrifyingly damaged, as though it had endured endless torture. It embodied every injury Shion had ever suffered. There were scars near the heart and neck indicating strangulation or attempted murder. Bruises, fractures, and signs of abuse covered the entire body.
Hyurin stared in horror.
Near the chest and abdomen was one especially shattered wound.
Shion noticed it too.
Hiyurin asked with a trembling voice,
"Lord Lan… do you remember anything about this injury?"
But Shion could not remember it at all.
"No. I remember everything except that one."
Hiyurin thought for a moment before turning toward Solan.
"Lady Neumann! Can you determine how old this injury is?"
But Solan was too distracted by the condition of the soul itself. She snapped back to reality at the question.
"I… don't think I can right now."
Director Tim stepped forward.
"I will assist."
He activated his magic circles.
"(Time Magic: Reversal)!"
Shion's soul began changing, as though time itself was flowing backward.
Some injuries disappeared.
Tim spoke calmly,
"He has regressed five years."
Many scars still remained, but the poison traces from the time Shion was expelled vanished. The soul became brighter, purer white, though still terribly injured.
Shion stared in fascination, as though this had nothing to do with him personally.
Tim continued,
"Now ten years."
The bruises and strangulation marks from the cell incident disappeared. The injuries became fewer and fewer.
Then he said,
"Fifteen years."
The soul shrank further until it resembled a two-year-old child.
Yet the shattered wound still remained.
Finally Tim declared,
"Seventeen years. Before birth."
The soul transformed into its fetal form.
At that instant, the shattered injury vanished completely.
"…!"
Shion's father fell into complete shock.
"Th-That's impossible! I killed him! I know I did! This…!!"
The king's aura surged through his body, tormenting both his heart and soul. The father screamed in unbearable agony.
Everyone in the courtroom was furious.
Even Jayden had not expected Shion's father to be this monstrous.
The king declared angrily,
"Shion Lan endured all of this—whether knowingly or not—and still forgave him because he was his father. Yet this wretch continued hurting him without end! Execution is too merciful for him!"
The courtroom erupted.
"Cut off his limbs!"
"Burn him alive!"
"Chain him and throw him into the sea!"
"Torture him!"
Countless punishments were shouted.
But Shion ignored everyone.
Instead, he looked toward Director Tim.
The Director understood immediately.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I have a suitable punishment for him."
The hall quieted instantly.
The king asked,
"What is your opinion, Teacher?"
Tim replied coldly,
"Shion's wounds were revealed within mere moments. I wish to end this man's life within moments for us… but years of suffering for him. I will ensure he dies in misery for what he caused."
When the father heard this, he felt killing intent from every direction.
He looked toward Shion desperately.
"Sh-Shion… son…?"
But Shion's gaze was calm.
This man no longer held any meaning to him.
Instead, he remembered Shi Yun Han, who had been kind and gentle—the complete opposite of the creature before him.
Shion said quietly,
"In this life, I have no father."
Then he looked toward the king.
"Your Majesty, I hope you will permit me to leave. I do not feel well."
The king understood his condition and granted permission.
The reporters rushed toward Shion with questions, but his guards blocked the path and escorted him away. Solan and the others followed silently, leaving the courtroom in complete silence.
After Shion departed, all eyes turned toward the father.
Fear consumed him.
Before he could speak, Director Tim's time circles wrapped around him tightly.
Tim said,
"Your Majesty, I want you to use your strongest Royal Command upon him."
The king began gathering his aura.
He noticed Jina preparing to leave and ordered,
"Stay. You must learn how we deal with men like him."
But Jina felt nausea, disgusted with herself. And didn't want to stay any more but she was forced as the Crown Princess.
The king forced his aura into the father's body and the torture began.
Jina felt terrible. She remembered how cruelly she had treated Shion—a boy who had suffered every kind of torment imaginable. Instead of comforting him, she had doubted him.
She no longer felt well either.
Then the father's scream exploded through the hall, dragging her from her thoughts.
He screamed for three seconds… then suddenly fell silent.
Director Tim frowned.
But the king replied,
"I don't understand. I used my strongest punishment."
The hall murmured.
"Did he die already?!"
"Impossible!"
"That bastard!"
But inside the father's mind, he saw the thing he feared most in his entire life.
The black Shion Lan appeared before him.
Smiling perfectly, as always.
He said,
"I planned to deal with you myself. I thought long and hard about how to destroy you while you were alive to witness it. I couldn't decide on the best method… but I must admit, that boy Tim Ayr has excellent taste."
His smile widened.
"And now, nobody is interfering with my torture of you. Better yet, time itself is stretched for you. I will try everything on you. Don't worry… I'll make you beg for death, and you will never receive it."
Shi Yun Lan touched him gently.
"You know… I never possessed emotions for most of my life. But when I felt Shion's emotions, alongside his happiness at leaving you behind… I also felt every ounce of his pain."
His smile slowly disappeared.
Then, with a merciless expression, he declared:
"So I will drown you in my wrath."
He began activating countless techniques.
"(Aura of Death)
(Blood of the Dead)
(Body of The Dead)
(Soul of The Dead)
...
...
..."
The father tried to beg for help—
But no sound came out.
His flesh began rotting.
Blood poured from every opening.
His organs collapsed.
His soul was torn apart.
Death aura consumed his body entirely.
And before that horrifying scene, Shi Yun Lan merely smiled.
"Let's try something else."
He withdrew all his power, halted the decay, and began experimenting again.
Meanwhile, back in the courtroom, the father no longer screamed.
But Director Tim, the king, and the heads of the Six Great Families could see it clearly—
The despair and agony in his eyes.
It was as though he wanted to speak… but could not.
One minute passed.
His body began decaying.
His hair turned white and fell out.
Age consumed him rapidly.
His teeth fell.
His eyes went blind.
Finally, Director Tim stopped the spell.
The father collapsed to the floor.
With his dying breath, he whispered:
"Shi… Yun… Lan…"
And then he died.
The king sighed.
"It seems he regretted his actions in the end by remembering his son. But it no longer matters. Now, I shall judge the Ranus Family."
The counselor stepped forward.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I must confirm one important matter. The second wife had absolutely no involvement in any of this. In fact, she was confined to her own wing for years to the point that the family head would not even allow her to see her children."
Everyone was horrified by the man's cruelty.
The king declared firmly,
"All members of the Ranus Family shall be executed and their property confiscated… except for the second wife and her children."
The counselor then prepared to continue the trial.