The Court of Souls?

“Impalement, as a method of execution, is the penetration of a human by an object such as a stake, pole, spear, or hook, often by complete or partial perforation of the torso. It was used particularly in response to "crimes against the state" and regarded across a number of cultures as a very harsh form of capital punishment and recorded in myth and art.”

- The Journey to the Afterlife

***Dedessia, the Sea of Souls, Crystal City***

***Elona***

“Stop pouting, it doesn't fit your cute face. How about something sweet when Mommy is done with the official stuff?” I try to lighten my daughter's mood and pat her head. Cylus is with my mother. She opted to take care of him while I am occupied by my duties... like deciding people's fates in the throne room. I glance at Shade's throne right next to mine and sigh upon finding it empty. Seria isn't the only one who dislikes hard working fathers.

I wonder why Chloe refuses to take care of Seria? She only helps when she has Tisha's assistance.

“I know, Mom. But Dad simply ran off instead of allowing me to watch him work,” Seria answers in a dejected tone and glares at the empty throne.

“You know very well that he is investigating the pathways up close to the mana storm. It's dangerous and anyone who ventures so close to a storm should be able to get out on a moment's notice. Your body is still weak and Shade doesn't want anything to happen to you. He will be back in the evening,” I explain in a motherly voice. Which doesn't mean that Seria would take such advice.

“Sorry-”

“Oh, I know! How about joining me in the kitchen after we are done here? We could try together to replicate something like chocolate. Shade will topple over when we surprise him with a good imitation. And you could learn a little more about my magic,” I offer joyfully. And chocolate would be perfect for some blackmail. Shade never mentions it by now, but I am sure that a single bite is enough to get him addicted again.

“Sorry-”

Seria draws a deep breath and nods. “I suppose that's as good as anything else to kill some time. Though I suppose you can't teach me anything new?”

“Sorry-”

I cuddle her closer to me. “Sure! We will start with the complicated stuff and work our way downwards. Have I already taught you hearth magic? The first step would be to claim your own kitchen-”

“Stop it!” The man who is kneeling in front of us screams at the top of his lungs. He was brought in by Aswang and some of his police officers. When we created our new society it was clear that we need a professional military and security force. Aswang and Manti stepped up right away to take the job.

“I can't take the bickering any more! Is this really supposed to be something like a royal court? Just tell me my sentence and be done with it! I listened to your idle talk for over ten minutes, and the longer I am here, the more it sounds like this place is just a day-crib...” The man continues to spurt insulting lines, forcing me to take notice of him. He is bound by crystal handcuffs which force his hands to the sides of his neck.

“To be honest, Shade and I thought about calling this the 'Court of Souls'... you know... because all of us are really old souls and we will decide over the fate of others?” Seeking help, I turn my attention towards Aswang and point at the man. “Why is this individual here?”

The man's eyes widen. “You don't even know who I am? I am the clan leader of Zarant, the mighty Galhard! We shook hands when my people joined you!”

I sigh. “I am sorry, but we assimilated so many clans that remembering all the clan heads becomes really troublesome. And to be honest, the whole clan-thing is kind of outdated. Did you really expect to keep any kind of authority after joining our society? If you want to be someone, you have to work hard to earn your place.”

I blink and look back towards Aswang. He still didn't answer me.

“He was searching for supporters and talked to a lot of our higher immortals, promising them benefits and luxury. It sounded like he was trying to undermine your power. When we investigated where his funds came from, we found out that he used a lot of his former clan members for forced labour. Many of them were too intimidated to talk to us. They thought that everything happened with our knowledge. Luckily it was almost impossible for Galhard to keep them away from the other civilians, so we gathered a lot of dirt on him.”

Aswang gestures at the shackled man. “Since he is a higher immortal and misused his power, I brought him to you. It is quite clear that his actions resulted in a few unnecessary deaths. His forced labourers weren't treated well, I think further details aren't really necessary. Your new laws are quite clear on the point, but he insisted on his right to talk to you.”

“Yes! There is no point in any of this. I didn't do anything outside my rights. All I did was maximizing the profit. I didn't use any slave collars, so calling it forced labour is really far fetched!” The man wriggles against his shackles.

I raise both eyebrows. “So if you intimidate a low to the point that he or she is too afraid to seek the help of the authorities, you don't call it forced? Aswang, you seem to be involved in this case, what's your judgement?”

Aswang shrugs. “There isn't much to judge. The case is clear to me. The lows in his care weren't treated any better than robots. It's a disgrace for those of us who wield power. Especially since the lower immortals don't have any chance of fighting back. Bringing him here was only a formality.”

I massage my temple and smile at the shackled man. “This is truly without precedent. You are the first higher immortal who was stupid enough to do something like this in our bright new world. What drove you to such extremes?”

“I just protected what's mine! Did you really think that I would be glad about losing my harem? When they heard of their new rights, they immediately ran off without even looking back! You are...” The man continues his tirade with a stream of insults.

I force myself to keep smiling. This guy clearly has nothing to say for himself, he only insisted on his rights to postpone the inevitable. Maybe we should take away the right of an audience from criminals? There will always be dark elements in every society. I have no illusions about it. But what if there is a case which is truly debatable? No, we should stick to the current rule.

Finally I decide to interrupt his tirade. “If Aswang is right, then it's quite clear to me that your crimes can only result in execution. Of course that's only if your actions really resulted in the death of our subjects. But if Aswang found proof, then that's a moot point. I trust my staff completely.”

At last Galhard realizes his situation. “You can't! Aren't you guys the ones who are trying to build a bright, new society? Death sentences are something for undeveloped nations!”

I shrug. “Maybe. But this is a harsh world, and the simple act of feeding a bastard like you seems like a waste to me. Your soul will come back to haunt us soon enough. Maybe you will even be a better person if we reset your slate. But how about letting my daughter decide? Aside from her brother she is the only, truly innocent person in this palace. Seria, what to you think about death sentences for people who dirty our image?”

Galhard's eyes widen and his expression shows hope. Then his pleading eyes concentrate on the cute angel who is sitting on my lap. There is no way that a little girl like her would sentence someone to death.

Unfortunately Seria already had her ritual and is far from being a simple, little girl. She studies him for a long time. In the end she frowns and snorts.

“Impale him in front of the palace. Then make a live stream of his struggle and publish the evidence of his misdeeds. Everyone should know that even higher immortals have to answer to justice. We have to build a society and deal with the fact that a few of us hold the power to extinguish many. There can't be the slightest doubt that we would punish those abusing their power. Otherwise this whole society experiment will fall apart soon enough.”

I pat Seria's head. “You are so smart. But impaling in front of the palace? That will be messy and stink. Are you sure that it isn't Angrod who is speaking there?”

Seria's voice brightens. “Oh, you are right. Maybe a simple beheading would suffice. We can save the truly cruel stuff for people like Moonray. Can we go to the kitchen now? I think you promised to teach me hearth magic!”

“Of course.” I stand up and guide Seria out of the throne room. In the meantime the gaping imbecile who interrupted my time with my daughter is dragged to his feet and escorted away. We really have to find a better way to deal with people like him. But as long as we keep integrating the other clans, we will always get a set of foul apples along with the good ones.

.