The Divided Guardian [Cursed Anti-Hero, Progression, Dark Fantasy]

The courtroom air felt thick as concrete, pressing down on George's chest until he could barely breathe. He'd failed to crack Plare's testimony, and when he glanced at Angelo, his eyes widened in disbelief. His client still looked completely calm—like he was sitting in a coffee shop instead of facing a murder conviction.

"This... this isn't how someone looks when they're about to be exposed for murder." George's jaw clenched with fresh determination. "I can't let him down!"

Judge Joshua shook his head with finality. "I believe that concludes this matter. The cross-examination is—"

"Objection!" George's voice rang out like a bell, forcing every head in the room to turn toward him. Even Amaya straightened in surprise, unused to seeing her brother command a room.

"What is it now, Mr. Bright?" Judge Joshua's patience was clearly wearing thin.

George pointed directly at Maxwell, his finger steady despite his racing heart. "Beyond reasonable doubt? I've got some pretty reasonable doubts right here!"

"Oh really?" Maxwell's smirk could have cut glass. "Then by all means, enlighten us."

"You used my client's reputation like a weapon to convince everyone he's guilty!" George found strength he didn't know he had. "But even if we assume he knew about the crime, even if he went there planning to take action—that still doesn't prove he's the killer!"

"Give me a break—" Maxwell started dismissively.

"No!" George's voice rang out with newfound authority. "Think about it logically! Who's to say another officer didn't get there first, kill the suspect outside my client's view, then vanish before backup arrived?"

Judge Joshua stroked his chin thoughtfully. "That does sound plausible. I have to agree with the defense on this point."

Maxwell's smile turned predatory. "Your Honor, please don't think so little of me—or the police department. I'm genuinely hurt by such assumptions."

"Meaning what, exactly?" the judge prompted.

"There's a security camera that recorded the entire incident." Maxwell's satisfaction practically radiated from him. "The footage shows exactly what happened. And it could only have been the defendant."

George felt like he'd been punched in the gut. "WHAT?! He set me up! That bastard had video evidence this whole time, and I fell right into his trap!"

Judge Joshua nodded slowly. "Very well. This cross-examination is concluded. Please return to your seat, Mr. Bright."

"But Your Honor—"

The judge's gavel came down like thunder. "That's final."

Plare practically leaped from the witness stand. "Finally," he muttered, already reaching for his cigarette pack. "Thought I was gonna die from nicotine withdrawal."

Several agonizing minutes passed before Judge Joshua spoke again. "I'm strongly inclined to render a verdict immediately." George felt the blood drain from his face. "However, I do have one question for you, Mr. Guilford."

"Of course, Your Honor. What can I clarify?" Maxwell's bow was so low it was almost mocking.

"Why didn't you mention this footage earlier in your case?"

Maxwell's smile turned razor-sharp. "The explanation is quite simple, Your Honor. The detective's testimony described exactly what the video shows. I merely avoided unnecessary redundancy."

Judge Joshua considered this. "I see."

"However," Maxwell continued smoothly, "if it would satisfy the court's concerns, I'd be happy to dispel any remaining doubts about the defendant's guilt. With a new witness, of course."

"And who might that be?"

Maxwell's grin stretched like a cat cornering a mouse. "Why, the defendant himself! Let's hear directly from the Angel of Death!" Prompting aggressive murmurs all over the gallery.

"Object—" George started desperately.

"Fine." Angelo's quiet word cut through the chaos like a blade through silk. The entire courtroom fell dead silent. "Let's get this over with." He stood and began walking toward the witness stand with the calm confidence of someone strolling through a park.

"W-Wait just a minute!" Maxwell sputtered, clearly thrown off by losing control of his theatrical moment. "I haven't officially called you yet!" But Angelo ignored him completely, continuing his measured walk. Flustered, Maxwell quickly recovered: "The prosecution calls the defendant to the stand!" His finger following Angelo's measured pace.

George grabbed his hair with both hands. "What is he doing?! Testifying now is complete suicide!" He whispered in panic,.

"Maybe he thinks there's no other choice?" Amaya whispered back, worry evident in her voice.

Judge Joshua gestured toward Angelo. "Please provide your testimony."

Angelo settled into the witness chair like he belonged there. All eyes pointed at him, everyone holding their collective breath to what he might say.

"I was waiting for a friend in that alley." His voice carried across the silent courtroom. "I was checking my phone to see where they were when I heard running footsteps." He paused glancing at someone at the gallery before continuing. "Between that and all the sirens, my instincts told me this was the person they were chasing. So I stepped into his path."

George watched Maxwell's satisfaction grow with every word, like a vampire feeding.

"I gave him the same chance I give every criminal—surrender and turn himself in." A visible shiver ran through several people in the gallery. "But he wasn't interested in redemption. He moved to attack me, and I prepared to defend myself—"

"That's quite enough," Maxwell interrupted smoothly. "As you can clearly hear, the defendant's own testimony supports everything we've presented!"

George stared at Angelo in complete bewilderment. "Look at him! He's still calm as a lake even after basically confessing!" His frustration boiled over. "Is he just going to let this prosecutor walk all over him without explaining what actually happened?!"

"Objection!" George shot to his feet. "Are you absolutely certain no one else was in that alley?!"

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"Objection." Maxwell countered. "Cross-examination hasn't been called yet."

"ORDER!" Judge Joshua's gavel crashed down repeatedly. "I will have order in my courtroom! Objection sustained."

But Angelo answered anyway, his response was devastating in its simplicity. "No one else. Just me."

"Ha!" Maxwell's laugh was sharp as broken glass. "Sounds like a confession to me."

"No, no, NO!" George's thoughts spiraled into panic. He buried his face in the table, tugging at his hair in complete defeat.

Maxwell turned to the judge with theatrical triumph. "Your Honor, I believe it's time to render the verdict."

Judge Joshua nodded gravely. "I agree."

"George!" Amaya shook her brother's shoulder desperately. "Do something! He's about to be declared guilty!" But George just shook his head, still buried in his arms like a defeated general.

"For the murder of Rick Chen, this court finds the defendant, Angelo Ashworth, guil—"

POP!

Every head in the courtroom whipped around to the back of the gallery, where a woman was frantically apologizing for her child popping their balloon.

George caught a flash of red at the corner of his eye. He glanced back at the defense table where a small note had mysteriously appeared: "Security Footage." It said. His eyes widening. "Security footage? What about it? we know what it supposedly shows, but we've never actually seen it..." Angelo's words from the lobby echoed in his mind like a lifeline:

Angelo sat up straighter, his expression growing serious. "I know the evidence will prove I'm innocent. As long as nobody messes with it or hides it completely."

"No balloons in my courtroom!" Judge Joshua barked at the apologetic mother. "Remove them immediately!" He straightened his robes and cleared his throat. "Now, where was I? Ah yes. This court finds Angelo Ashworth guil—"

"OBJECTION!"

Every head in the courtroom snapped toward George as he slammed his fist on the defense's table, the bang echoing louder than any balloon pop.

Maxwell's face turned purple with rage. "What's wrong with you, boy? Sit down!"

"No! We can't pass verdict yet!" George's voice carried across the silent courtroom. "The most crucial evidence hasn't been presented—the security footage!"

Angelo's lips curved into the faintest smile, like someone watching a perfect plan unfold.

"We've been through this already!" Maxwell sputtered. "There's no need—"

"That's exactly my point!" George cut him off, his confidence building with each word. "The defense claims the prosecution deliberately withheld this footage from the court. You only mentioned it when you were backed into a corner! Making my client testify was just a theatrical stunt to avoid showing the actual evidence!"

Maxwell looked like he'd been slapped. "Such accusations are completely false!" For the first time, cracks appeared in his polished facade.

Judge Joshua stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Objection sustained. The footage will be presented to the court." His gavel came down with finality.

"What?!" Maxwell's composure crumbled.

"Bailiff, prepare the video evidence for viewing."

Maxwell straightened his tie, scrambling to regain control. "Very well, Your Honor. I'll prove these outbursts are based on nothing but desperation."

Minutes later, screens descended from the ceiling like theater displays. "The court will have to forgive the poor quality," Maxwell announced smoothly. "Due to time constraints, we're presenting this in black and white."

"Time constraints, my ass," George muttered, earning a sharp elbow from Amaya.

The video began to play. The entire courtroom held its breath.

The footage showed a hooded figure leaning against an alley wall, casually browsing his phone. He looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps, then pushed off from the wall with lazy confidence, blocking the alley's exit.

"Get out of my way, idiot! I'll kill you!" Rick's voice crackled through the poor audio quality as he burst into frame, his energy glowing around him like angry lightning. He kept looking back as if he was running away from something.

The hooded man raised his head just enough to reveal his face. Rick immediately stumbled backward.

"You now stand before the Angel of Death." Angelo's voice carried clearly through the speakers, cold as winter steel. "Change your heart and surrender, or strike at me and prove yourself beyond redemption."

"Piss off, you psycho!" Rick launched a blast of water like a pressurized hose.

An energy shield materialized in front of Angelo—who wasn't even moving—completely blocking the attack. The shield morphed into a spear-like tentacle that pierced Rick's chest. The fatal moment was mercifully blurred, but Rick collapsed as his glowing aura winked out like a snuffed candle.

Angelo remained perfectly still throughout the entire encounter. He took one step forward, then stopped as a voice called from behind: "Sto... ..olice!" The audio was muffled at first, then grew clearer: "Hands where I can see them!"

Angelo raised his hands to head level and slowly turned around.

"Angelo?" A voice said in disbelief.

"Hey, Jack. Good to see you're still around."

The footage ended.

Maxwell spread his hands like he was presenting an obvious conclusion. "As you can clearly see, this provides irrefutable evidence that the defendant committed this crime." He shot George a venomous look. "Good luck finding another profession."

Judge Joshua looked shaken by what he'd witnessed. "Very well. I believe this court is finally ready to deliver its verdict."

George felt the walls closing in. Then he noticed Angelo still sitting calmly on the witness stand, their eyes meeting for the first time during the entire trial. Angelo simply glanced back at the screen, as if pointing out something hidden in plain sight.

"The footage?" George whispered, studying the frozen image. "Is that what you're trying to tell me?" He looked down, mind's racing. "Hold on. Why did he not just show this footage first thing, if it was this damning...?"

"This is it, bro," Amaya said with bitter disappointment. "I can't believe he lied to us this whole time."

Suddenly, George's eyes went wide. "OBJECTION!" He shot to his feet, pointing at the screen with absolute certainty. "This footage proves one thing and one thing only!"

Angelo's mouth curved into the faintest satisfied smirk.

"It proves my client, Angelo Ashworth, could NOT have been the killer!"

"WHAT?!" Maxwell and Amaya shouted in perfect unison. The courtroom exploded into chaos.

"Order! ORDER!" The gavel hammered repeatedly. "Defense, explain yourself immediately!"

George could barely contain his excitement. "Your Honor, please rewind the footage to where Angelo defended himself from the victim!"

"Objection!" Maxwell leaped up. "We've already seen the footage—"

"Overruled." Judge Joshua's voice cut through the noise like a blade. "I will not render verdict until every piece of evidence has been thoroughly examined. If the defense has concerns, I must address them. Bailiff, rewind and pause where requested."

The video rewound until George shouted "There! Pause it there!" at the crucial moment. George's eyes blazed with triumph.

"What's gotten into you?" Amaya stared at her brother like he'd grown wings.

"We won," George said just loud enough for her to hear. Then louder: "Your Honor, please look carefully at Angelo himself. We see this energy coming to his rescue, but Angelo's aura isn't activated!"

Maxwell's face twisted with fury, but George pressed his advantage. "As everyone knows, Aurons can't use their powers without activating their aura first! You could be Master rank, Enlightened rank, hell, even Legendary—but without your aura, you're just as powerless as any regular person."

"That's..." Maxwell struggled for words. "The footage is in black and white! We simply can't see his aura!"

"Actually, we can!" George pointed triumphantly at the screen. "Look at Rick—his aura shows up perfectly as that white outline around his body." He shook his head. "Besides, Angelo is an evolved Auron, right? His aura should look like flowing fire, not just a simple glow. It should be even more visible than Rick's, yet there's nothing there."

"But there's no one else who could have killed the victim!" Maxwell's voice cracked with desperation. "Without another suspect, the Angel of Death is the only—"

George wagged his finger like a teacher correcting a student. "No, no, no. You're forgetting the purpose of this trial. We're not here to find the real culprit—we're here to determine if Angelo is guilty." He pointed at the screen. "And this footage proves beyond any shadow of doubt that it wasn't my client! He couldn't have done it, unless you want to make the insane claim that he somehow used Auron powers without his aura."

"George, you're a genius!" Amaya clapped her hands together.

George glanced at her with satisfaction, then at Angelo, who was crossing his arms and nodding approval.

"Your Honor, the defense rests its case!"

Judge Joshua stroked his beard while studying the frozen footage. "Prosecutor Guilford, you're a retired military Auron. What's your professional opinion? Is it possible to use one's powers without activating their aura?"

Maxwell looked utterly defeated. "I... no, Your Honor. If that were possible, aura-blocking handcuffs wouldn't exist." He shook his head slowly. "Auron studies is an evolving field, but even if such technology existed, the defendant wasn't carrying any."

"I see." Judge Joshua nodded gravely. "In that case, I'm ready to pass my verdict. This court finds the defendant, Angelo Ashworth, NOT GUILTY."

His gavel struck the bench three times like victory bells.

"YES!" George and Amaya leaped from their chairs, celebrating like their team had just won the championship. Even Angelo seemed to let out a long, shaky breath of relief.

"Court is adjourned."