The glass in front of him reflected the right side of his face perfectly, making his eye clearer than he would’ve preferred in any other situation. In any other situation, a reminder of the war would be the worst thing that could happen.

It had been three months since he had been set on that boat heading for the shore of the Ruby River, and at that time he could clearly remember how the feelings of anxiety and excitement played on his heart.

If he could go back in time and tell himself that some day, he would be sitting in court, the center of the most complex controversy either nation had seen in a while, he would have laughed. He hadn’t always been the smartest when it came to blind faith.

The city had taught him that. He wasn’t a holy piece of an ancient puzzle here, he wasn’t special. Just another in a crowd of thousands of scholars reading through their books urgently.

“Sir Mercury, please repeat to the court the events of the fourth of May.” The prosecutor repeated again, her eyes piercing into his soul.

“I- Yes, my apologies.” He cleared his throat. “That day I had been doing my rounds as usual, there was nothing out of the ordinary. By the time I got to the scene, the place was still untouched.

“I left at about half past six to fetch some of my books for another lecture. I didn’t get back until an hour later.

“By then, she was dead.”

“Your honor, he’s clearly lying.”

“I will have order in my court.” The judge said calmly. “My house shall not be a mad kennel, no matter how things operate in yours.”

The crowd was shushed, the silence spanning what felt like an eternity. Then, with enough force to make him jump, a new voice spoke.

“If you’d permit me, I have evidence to support that claim.”