Chapter 246: Innocent Trial..

Chapter 246: Innocent Trial..



Chronos Hall.

In the inner sections, below the principal's office, lay a vast, cavernous room with an air of cold authority.

Dim lights flickered from enchanted stones embedded within the walls, casting an eerie glow that made the shadows shift and dance.

At the center of the room, a raised podium stood illuminated by a singular beam of light descending from the ceiling, focused and piercing, as if pointing out a prisoner in judgment.

Stepping onto the platform, I felt a strange sense of irony.

The last time I'd been in this council room, it was to receive an award.

Now, though, I was here to be tried. What a twist of fate.

The lights around the room adjusted, one by one, their beams narrowing and converging until they focused directly on me.

A translucent barrier formed around the podium, sealing me within a dome of shimmering magic.

The dimness of the room gradually lifted, and, for the first time, I could see the faces of the academy staff lined up before me-some cold and detached, others tense and wary.

In that moment, standing there with all eyes trained on me, I felt the weight of each gaze.

I had once believed these people stood as mentors and guides, but now they looked upon me as though I were something dangerous, a threat.

Their appearances were telling.

Nearly every professor bore bandages-especially around their arms and faces, like remnants of some battle.

I scanned their expressions, taking in the familiar faces of professors, including Professor Ferdinand, who was standing just behind Dean Gale.

As Professor Ferdenand wasn't technically a dean now i wondered what he was doing here, but didn't ponder on it for too long.

Both of them looked away the moment I caught their eyes, shifting uncomfortably, as though they didn't want to acknowledge my gaze.

Their nervousness was unmistakable; it matched the apprehension I'd sensed in Professor Amelia earlier.

But why?

What could I have possibly done to make them all so wary?

And what exactly happened while my mind was...gone?

Just then, a commanding voice rang out, echoing with an air of authority and finality.

"We shall now commence the investigation regarding student Riley Hell's actions. Whether or not he is to be subjected to punishment will depend on the findings of this trial. As an institution of education and scholarly accomplishments, the academy is committed to considering every piece of evidence with utmost impartiality."

The principal's voice carried across the room with a crispness that allowed no interruptions.

"Punitive actions, in regards to both student Riley's status within the academy and his personal standing, shall proceed only after careful examination of today's proceedings. Any decisions affecting the Hell family's noble reputation will, naturally, be communicated to them without delay to uphold the academy's code of conduct."

Principal Leilah, seated in the high-backed chair that marked her place of authority, was conducting this trial herself, with a ferocity in her gaze I hadn't seen before.

Yet, beneath that fiery stare was something I hadn't expected-a hint of nervousness.

[Note: The principal is older than your mother.... chances of making a child 12%] Huh....?

Wtf is this thing suddenly talking about?

'....You.... Did you really get updated?'

[Note: Yes!]

...

As the principal finished, Professor Amelia, seated anxiously beside her, stood up, shuffling a stack of files with trembling hands.

Her voice quivered slightly as she addressed the room, yet she pushed through, reading from the documents in her grip.

to stop.

Riley's own eyes widened, the confusion and shock raw on his face as he took in the

holographic display before him.

Each scene played like a nightmare he had somehow forgotten.

The flickering images showed him confronting the academy staff, each attempt to subdue

him futile as he dispatched anyone who dared intervene.

One by one, the staff fell, either struck down or incapacitated by his hand, his movements so

calculated, almost mechanical in their brutality.

Dean Gale's gaze held firm as he watched Riley's reaction, a mixture of skepticism and

guarded empathy crossing his face.

"The evidence is clear, Riley," he said slowly. "What you see here happened under the

watchful eye of the academy's recording spells, and the accounts we have from witnesses

leave no room for doubt."

"Second Year Student of the Knight Department, Riley Hell, please provide an answer for your

actions...."

"I

Riley ignoring his words continued to watch all the unknown scenes that laid before him...

...

'That's... me?'

The shock rooted me in place, my mind struggling to reconcile the broken images flickering

before me.

There was no mistaking it—the figure shown, distorted and rough as the recording was, had

my face, my form.

But as I continued watching, a deep disconnect pulsed through me, stretching farther with

every passing second.

The person on the screen... was me, but also not me.

I couldn't deny the physical resemblance, but something felt inherently wrong.

The hazy, unseeing eyes reflected in those scenes were unfamiliar, a vacant gaze I didn't

recognize.

It was like staring at a hollow version of myself, a shadow caught in an act I had no

recollection of choosing.

A strange sensation welled up in my chest, a cascade of emotions surging to the surface in

fragments—frustration, disgust, fear, disappointment, even anger.

Each feeling sharpened as fractured memories began clawing their way back, bits and pieces

of that day bleeding into my mind like ink into water.