Keene Krueger. He grew up in a troubled environment in America prior to his parents divorce with his father who left him at birth. His mother wasn't the role model type as she was rather a woman who seduced men into her lair to dry them off with their money to which he hated the most.
'It is an easier job than that.'
He hated the word easy, attitude of those who were lazy and abused the connection to raise at a high position. It was an unfair treatment for one who worked hard for the position while the latter won it through connections and bribery.
It was the entire reason why he chose to become a lawyer or an attorney. To fight unfair treatment for a better place of everyone's right. He could remember how he saw framed people being treated unfairly because of those lost trial from the news that he had seen which had always ended with them committing suicide while those who had put them in the first place were either having fun all over the world or finding another one to make another tragedy.
Keene had always studied and worked hard to reach the dreams that he wanted to achieve. He had always done his best studying law school or anything that he could use for becoming a lawyer. Once, he had achieved his dreams, Keene had immediately went to get his first client who was falsely accused for rape and abuse.
False allegations and corruption have always run wildly without anyone to point it out since most people are just there to judge but once Keene had taken his chance to stand out, there was no doubt that people and the idealism of the society shifted towards to him.
Praising him for fighting for justice, one who defended wrongly accused victims to win the case and those became an inspiration yet no one had the guts and efforts to try aiming to become like him in the long run.
Keene met Keon through a difficult case when there was so much evidence faced against his client for the false allegations. The male was lucky enough to meet the red haired man as the latter had helped him collect evidence by using his memory recall prowess.
The two immediately clicked off, both having the sense of duty to do what's right without expecting anything in return other than seeing the world to get rid of their own corruption. People's smile, genuine feelings and respect was the only thing that Keene had wanted.
It is why he became a lawyer in the first place, to help those in need when hope seems to vanish and to give salvation to those who are lost in the aftermath of the trial. Keene had always reached out to those who are in distress and those who lost themselves in the journey.
So, why was it that the male in front of him was taking responsibility of the actions that he did not commit? The memory of Rei falling unconscious while the ancient being had taken possession of his body, killing everyone in sight before saving the rest of Rei's group. That was involuntary manslaughter from being unable to be in control of his actions that led the 'Fallen' to massacre anyone in sight.
Then came the memory of how Rei had to kill the assailants on his execution missions. Every feeling of regret, hesitation then resolve and of course his perseverance to do what's best in order for him to protect Sylvie. Keene only respected the male for his determination to grow for such things, sacrificing his own worth and dreams then desire just to become someone who has the power to protect the people he cared for.
A worthy person of who sacrificed themselves for the better of the world, ensuring pain to themselves and having the burden to be put onto himself without relying on anyone.
"Why? Why are you doing?!" Keene thought to himself, angry and devastated at the choice that Rei had made.
His executioner blade clashing against Rei's shadow sickle, sparks whenever they clashed into each other. Rei's glowing red eyes facing against Keene's purplish ones. "You could've chose to deny it or to defend yourself!" He shouted as Rei was unfazed, blocking or countering him which the latter just barely managed to dodge.
The entire memory wasn't just shown to Keene but also with the rest when the verdict had reached its end. People being shocked with Rei's action then with how the ancient being had taken possession of his body to brutally kill the ones who were involved in the incident.
"Why did you confess to doing it when you yourself didn't do it! So, why!" Keene demanded, struggling to keep a steady breath as his heartrate spiked up while trying his best to ignore the headache that he was having.
Rei didn't answer as the two went in to start clashing onto each other again. The latter having more combat experience as Keene stubbles back, using this as an advantage as Rei slash him. No fatal injuries but fatal enough to push the latter back. "Damnit! Rei! Why! Just why!"
Keene's voice shaken, his fist gone white from gripping too hard onto the handle of the blade. His eyes a bit red probably from anger, frustration and anguish due to Rei's confession to the crime that he didn't commit.
Rei was calm and collected, counting down the duration he had left from using his shadow manipulation prowess and was still trying to get used to it's basic abilities such as manifestation and channeling.
...…
27 minutes earlier before the trial and fight…
"Enter the trial? Right? So, we just gotta wing it and try to get a verdict…" Rei uttered to himself, not bothered to hide his communication with Keith.
"Yeah. Confiscation is probably a temporary disabling technique that allows that guy to store your spiritual energy and prowess away until the punishment is done." Keith said before continuing, "Either way, we should assume that he'll store me and your aura manipulation prowess while you can still use shadow manipulation and some of your own spiritual energy reserves that are not mixed with mine."
Rei agreed as he listened further to Keith's plan, "Brat. Remember this. That execution blade can only kill you if he successfully cuts you down no matter how little the blow is. So, your priority is to try avoiding it's reach with your shadow manipulation. You already got the basics for manifestations and channeling right?"
"Yeah." Rei responded before Keith continued further, "Good. Your task is to try hitting the latter with all your strength to knock his flow of spiritual energy, then after that, subdue him once his technique falters slightly which could also temporarily give a chance for me and aura manipulation to return back to you slightly."
Rei nodded his head as he was preparing to confront Keene before Keith went to explain the other plan if it was the total opposite. "If 'Shadow Manipulation' is confiscated, you have a lot of things to be able to copy especially with those dead fxcks lingering spiritual energy then those who are confined that has their spiritual energy in the air that can't have access to their own usage except for us to use it."
"Yeah. So, get either of our prowess confiscated and use the latter that's not confiscated to hit him hard right?" Rei asked as Keith responded back, "Yeah, but consider this option to."
The male raised an eyebrow before Keith dropped the bomb, "Both are taken away. So, your choice is to play safe to exhaust the latter especially with your physical combat and well being much better than average sorcerers here. Just don't get hit and it will go well. Understood?"
"Yeah. Understood." Rei said as he was determined to stop this madness, his resolve to try making things right despite the hypocrisy of wanting for the corrupted to get punished.
"Let's start. Shall we?" He asked Keith, smirking to himself internally upon calling out to Keene.
"Yeah. Don't disappoint me, brat." Keith uttered before everything went down.
...…
Rei was barely able to keep up with both himself and Keene, the latter was rather inexperience while he was only having difficulty with the output, reserve and execution. When confiscation had taken Keith away, his spiritual energy reserves was still the same but the newly awakened prowess that he was still in the middle of refining was already taking a toll on him.
"Damnit… it's been only 15 minutes and I'm already struggling with maintaing these sickles…" Rei thought to himself before looking at the shadow sickles on both of his hand, sharp and deadly yet was constantly emitting black wisps of smoke despite the materialised weapon laying on his hand.
"I should end this quick." He uttered to himself before risking everything, already mimicking one of Eunji's signature moves in a variation of his own.
"No way… is that?" Both Jinwoo and Rinka thought to themselves as Rei immediately sprung into action.
"Shadow Style: Temporal Abyss Cleave!"
Rei managed to slash Keene down, not fatal to kill the latter but enough to subdue him as he could feel Keith's spiritual energy returning back to him fully. The chains around the rest vanishing as Keene's madness was over.
"Damn…" Keene uttered to himself as Rei stood tall and proud, reaching out to him.
"Come on. We still have time to make this right, even if everything seems to be over." Rei said as Keene could see himself a little bit in Rei.
"Fine…" Keene uttered before accepting his hand.
...…
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