Titans - March of Progress

“Sain Belford, you are hereby charged with five cases of murder, one case of reckless endangerment, one case of misuse of magic, and one case of unauthorized use of explosive device, which resulted in multiple deaths and injuries to the citizens of Rindai. In such an extreme case of blatant misuse of your given abilities and the severity of your crimes, under Imperial law you will not be judged as a minor, but as an adult. Mr. Belford, by the power invested in me by his lord majesty, I hereby sentence you to death by firing squad, the sentence to be carried out in two days’ time. May the ancestors guide you” the Judge stated, lifting his hammer and slamming it down on his desk.

Sain stared dumbly at the judge, frozen really, trying to register what had been said. It was like he was in a dream. The whole situation seemed so surreal. Sensing movement, he tore his eyes away from the judge and looked to the officers stepping up to unlatch his cuffs from the podium before him, and he just slumped his shoulders, and looked around himself at the near bare courtroom from the podium at which he stood. The galley was empty of people, and only a city prosecutor, eight jurors, a few court staff and his so-called lawyer filled the expansive room. Then there was the judge sitting up on his chair, now stacking a few documents as if he had not a care in the world.

In short order, the two officers unlatched Sain's cuffs from the podium and grabbed him by the elbows before escorting him from the platform. As he was led from the podium before the Imperial court, Sain sagged further with despair as the court ruling crashed home. He felt crushed, and angry. Angry at Clyde, angry at the system, and angry at himself. Casting his eyes at his lawyer, who he thought was nothing more than a sham, he just scowled at the man as he was ushered past. The lawyer was state provided apparently, and just looked at Sain in disgust before turning to talk to a court official.

It was painfully obvious to Sain that he had been charged and his case swept quietly under the rug as someone else pulled the strings, orchestrating this sham court. He had not even been allowed to speak with his lawyer, who apparently already had all the facts. It was an utter sham. He was not important, and this sham court was just a front for the public who were probably demanding justice to be served.

Sain finally lifted his head and started to walk, or more like shuffle as he was escorted from the room. As he passed through the main doors of the courtroom, he noticed the tall dark-haired man from days past whom Sain was certain to be the man orchestrating this fake trial. It was the same man that had interrogated him days before. The man watched Sain like a hawk as the youth was escorted from the premises, a sick, twisted smile heavy on his face, as though he had won a great prize and was gloating to himself. Whoever he was, he seemed to be feared by the men that surrounded him and he carried himself like a man that was used to being obeyed and never disobeyed.

Sain shook his head and turned his attention away from the man, instead focusing on the path he was being guided down. He gritted his teeth and focused his gaze on a single point as he was marched past people who hurriedly moved out of his way. All the people watched him with dark expressions, and some even muttered curses as the youth was marched past. Sain flicked his gaze to the floor and locked his eyes on his own shuffling feet. For the last twenty-four hours, he had been drowning in despair, as nerves and panic for this moment ate away at him. But despite that, he had been trying to use his magic during that time, and bearing the pain from the obsidian collar. To try to get some sort of resistance for it. For a moment he had hoped would not come to pass, but now had. Now all he had to do was pick his spot.

After a few minutes of silent walking, and surveying of the buildings halls, Sain and his escorts exited the main building and stepped onto a section of the courthouse roof. Sain lifted his gaze and squinted his eyes at the sun glaring off the ocean in the distance. The cool air washed over his skin, setting a light shiver going. The clothes he wore now was a simple prison sleeveless woolen shirt and linen trousers, and were not exactly the best for warmth. He waited for his eyes to adjust to the bright light even as he was near dragged along a walkway. When his eyes adjusted, Sain cast his gaze on a waiting sky-sloop docked to the side of the roof, its sails furled. His gaze moved over the sailors upon the vessel who upon seeing him, broke into a flurry of action, getting the vessel ready to depart.

Sain swept his gaze about him, seeing an officer and two soldiers standing ahead of him, outfitted in standard military uniform and armaments. Muskets fixed with bayonets. Fixing his gaze, Sain focused on a point, finding that it was easier to block out the pain that way. He sucked in a breath then, and then let it out in a shaky, determined breath as he let his anger from the last few days build up. Boil over. He felt fucked over by everything really, and now this new found anger and rage had reached a crescendo, and he just wanted to lash out, and hurt these people for this sham trial.

Everything seemed to slow down for him as he readied himself. His gaze hardened and the two guards flanking him seemed like nothing now. He centered his mind’s eye on his core, filled with a magical energy to the point of bursting, rippling with power, having built up over a number of days. Hearing a shout from his front, he ignored it, the officer pointing straight at him, having noticed the youth’s hard expression.

The sense of slow motion simply increased for him as the two soldiers launched forward, running at him, raising the butts of their rifles to no doubt smash them into his skull when they were close enough. He felt the officers either side of him tighten the grip on his elbows, and he snarled even as one cuffed him hard in the back of the head. They were much larger than he was. He was a spindly teen after all, so the hit shook him, but it was not enough to break his focus.

Bringing up his energy, he imagined a wave exploding around him even as a piercing pain erupted in his head, stabbing violently. He ignored it. All he needed was a moment. He knew how easy it was to kill someone with magic now. How brittle a human was. So, true to his thoughts, the energy from his core erupted outwards in a silent explosion, even as he rode the waves of agony splitting his skull.

Sain screamed loud and shrill as the two officers grips released from his limbs as they flew sideways, spinning through the air and colliding heavily with the railings flanking the roof. One flipped end over end, and disappeared, a broken scream sounding out only to be cut off moments later by a sudden thud. Sain ignored them and turned his burning anger to those in front of him, his cuffed hands rising in front of him in that seemingly slow motion. Everything was happening in the blink of an eye, and yet it felt like an eternity.

The officer and two soldiers were mere steps from him, the soldiers rifles raised and poised, ready to strike him in the head with the blunt end. Sain pulled on his energy still, keeping a connection to it and focused a surge of energy before him and created another burst of energy, sending it flying forwards in a wave. The force burst outwards to his front, launching both the soldiers and the officer straight off of their feet. There was a crunching sound as the force crashed into them and the trio flew back into the sloop behind them, audible cracks sounding as they collided with the timber of the vessel. Then all three disappeared as they plummeted down the gap between the vessel and the roof. Agony tore through Sains mind even as he sensed a shift of energy to his rear and he turned, ever so slowly to meet it, a barrier being raised to guard him.

As he came to face his rear, Sain locked eyes with the dark-haired man who wore an expression of anger which turned to horror even as the two men flanking him jumped into action. Sain had not known the man had followed him, and with guards of his own.

As energy shifted again, Sain locked his attention to the man to his right, who was launching into an incantation and twisting his hands dramatically. A blast of energy hit Sain, punching into his barrier and sending him staggering backwards, his chained legs nearly tripping him.

Standing up straight, Sain screamed as pain ripped through him, and a spray of blood erupted from his nose, turning into a mist before him. He cared not. If he had to die, then it would be how he wanted. Not dictated by a system set against him. And he would take this dark haired man with him.

"I am taking you with me fucker!" he screamed out in a shrill pitch, pain racking him. Once more blood sprayed before him from his nose, and a red hue appeared in his vision.

Keeping his hold on his magic, Sain spun it around himself, feeling an odd elation at the sheer amount of energy he had access to. He had never had this much before, nor been able to control so much with ease. So he spun it around in a coil, imagining a snake surrounding him, and then lashed out with it, imaging the snake head launching at the caster to his right.

The lash of energy slammed into the mans own barrier and skittered harmlessly against it. Sain just drew back and lashed out again, and again, each strike smashing into the mans barrier, causing flashes of brilliant light to bounce off of his barrier. Sain watched fear form in the mans eyes, as a realization seemed to come over him. That he could not fend off Sain. So Sain lashed out twice more, the strikes akin to the speed of an actual snake and he watched as the other casters barrier disintegrated under the force, and the man was simply crushed into the ground, cracks and pops sounding out as the man was essentially splattered to the floor.

Then Sain flicked his eyes to his left and looked at the other, a soldier that had lifted a flintlock pistol and was aiming at him, flanked by the dark haired man. And there was abject terror in both their eyes. Sain just stepped forward and raised his hands and brought the coiled snake back around, its shape appearing as nothing more than a distortion of light to the two non casters before him.

He felt nothing as he readied his strike against them. Nothing at all. Not even pain from the stone collar. No sensation. He did not even register the feeling of his feet on the ground.

But what he did register was the sight of the roof approaching his red blurred vision as he collapsed forward, right before he collided with it and blacked out with the impact.