Hayes takes a step forward, his tone shifting to one of quiet urgency.

Commander Hayes - In addition to Dr. Karl’s testimony, I ask the court to consider the statements from various soldiers who have advocated on behalf of Darius Becket. These are men and women who can attest to his character and potential for redemption. With your permission, my lord, I would like to summon one such advocate to the stand—Second Lieutenant Hugo Aariv Willson.

The Chief Justice exchanges a glance with the counselors before nodding.

Chief Justice - The court will allow the testimony of Second Lieutenant Hugo Aariv Willson.

The doors at the back of the courtroom open, and Hugo Willson enters, his military uniform crisp and spotless. As he takes the stand, the murmurs in the room quiet down.

Hugo’s eyes briefly meet Darius’s, and for a moment, something passes between them—an understanding, perhaps, or a shared history too complex for words. Hugo stands tall in the witness box, his voice steady as he addresses the court.

Hugo - My lord, members of the court, honorable council… I stand here today not only as a soldier of the Dome but as a witness to the man that Darius Becket truly is. Yes, he is powerful—dangerously so—but he is also a man who has saved lives, A man who only did what he did to protect those who he considers close to him and that is the outsiders, he clearly stated his reason for his actions on the night of massacre, and this is to protect the ones he cared for most, he accused that some factions of the military, exploiting there power, using it for unfair advantages against the outsider. A protector for some might become the enemy to the opposite but he can’t be a monster. I have known him since my childhood and I have seen him at his best and at his worst, Darius Becket never did anything without reason. And I can assure the court and the council that Darius is not a danger to society if he doesn’t see us that way…. I believe that the force within him does not define him. With the right guidance, with the right support, Darius can be more than what he has become. He can be a protector, not a destroyer.

The courtroom is silent, the weight of Hugo’s words hanging in the air. Darius’s expression remains unreadable, but there is a flicker of something in his eyes as he listens—perhaps the first sign of emotion since the trial began.

Chief Justice (after a pause) - The prosecutor may cross question the witness. Commander Grey - 2nd Lieutenant Hugo Aariv Willson, you were present during the night of massacre on 13th march, were you not.

Hugo (nodding) - Yes, I was.

Commander Grey - Please, describe for the court what you witnessed.

Hugo takes a deep breath, her voice trembling slightly as she recounts the horrific events.

Hugo - It was chaos. The ground shook, buildings crumbled, and people… people were screaming, running for their lives. Darius—no, Ztabay—was at the center of it all, a force of nature, unstoppable. I saw him… I saw him tear through everything in his path. It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. The destruction… the loss… It was overwhelming. But It was all Ztabay

Commander Grey - So this Ztabay is the cause of it all, Is that correct?

Hugo - Yes.

Commander Grey - Which according to Doctor Elena is another personality that Darius contains. Which makes Darius himself Dangerous, If not his consciousness but his body.

The audience starts to murmur again. Hugo looks toward the voice and understands that the audience was not in his support.

Hugo - No… he wasn’t in control. I’ve known him for years, and what I saw that day… it wasn’t him. It was as if something else had taken over. He was… possessed, consumed by something dark. Let me explain.

Commander Grey - Lieutenant, I think you made yourself really clear.

Mark from the audience stands up and yells.

Mark - Darius isn’t a threat to us all, he could never do that, you guys don’t know him but I do. It was my fault that I never asked him to come join the military with me three years ago. If anyone is at fault it was me and the people who turned their backs on the outsider.

Chief justice (Shouts) - Silence in the court!

The court gets silent. Oliver looks at Mark

Chief justice - Lieutenant, If you want to say something, say it in the witness box. Don’t damage the decorum of the court, otherwise I’ll charge you for contempt. Consider it your final warning.

Mark - Sorry my Lord.

Mark sits down. Commander Grey looks back at Darius and sees a drop of tear falling from his eyes on the floor. Her expression unchanged.

Commander Grey - Before I conclude, I would like the court to consider an aspect of mistake. What happens if, during the therapy sessions or other treatment, anything goes wrong by mistake. Anything that Doctor Karl and his team fails to look at, as he already mentioned they didn’t complete the experiment themselves….. This one aspect. I wish it doesn't but if it happens, it can cause us all a major blow. I would like the court to consider this before giving any judgment in this case.

Chief justice - Commander Hayes, Anything you would like to say?

Hayes - No my lord.

The Chief Justice turns to the counselors, who have been quietly deliberating. The atmosphere in the courtroom grows even more tense as everyone waits for the next move. The Chief Justice pauses, his gaze shifting to Darius, who still stands motionless in the defendant's box.

Chief Justice (directing his attention to Darius) - Before we conclude, Darius Becket, you have the right to make a final statement. Is there anything you wish to say in your defense or to this court?

Darius' silence has been a constant throughout the trial, a wall that no one has been able to breach. The Chief Justice, seated at the center of the raised dais, leans forward slightly, his gaze piercing through the stillness.

Chief Justice - Darius Becket, if you have nothing to say, you must state so for the record.

Darius Becket (his voice flat, almost detached) - No.

The single word hangs in the air, stark and final. The Chief Justice studies Darius for a moment longer, as if searching for something in the man’s expression, but finds nothing. He then proceeds with the final question, his voice unwavering.

Chief Justice - Darius Becket, do you plead guilty to the charges brought against you?

Darius slowly lifts his head, his eyes scanning the courtroom. He first locks eyes with Mark, who sits in the audience, his expression a mix of hope and despair. Mark, who had believed in Darius’s redemption, now sees the emptiness in his friend's eyes. Darius then turns his gaze to Sarah, standing close to the front. Her face is etched with concern, her hands clenched together as if trying to hold onto any shred of hope. Finally, Darius looks out at the faces of the audience—the military personnel, the members of the council. What he sees in their eyes is unmistakable: hate, fear, and a longing for justice. The weight of their collective gaze seems to push him down, and he lowers his head once more, staring at the polished marble floor.

Darius (speaking in a low, steady voice) - Hugo… you're a terrible actor.

The room stirs at his words. Darius’s voice, though calm, carries a heaviness that silences the murmurs.

Darius - Calling me a protector, saying I wouldn't do anything without reason… you're exaggerating. No, you're creating a false image of me.

The Chief Justice’s voice cuts through the room, sharp and commanding.

Chief Justice - If you have something to say, address it to the court.

Darius slowly raises his head, meeting the Chief Justice’s stern gaze with an intensity of his own.

Darius - The correct image is this: I, Darius Becket, did everything I’m accused of. Killing soldiers, destroying your assets, endangering the lives of the brightest minds—yes, I did all of that. And I did it without reason, without considering the value of a human life. When I should have been weighing every life as precious, I tilted the scales between those inside the Dome and the outsiders, and I became you.

The room falls into a shocked silence. Darius’s voice gains an edge as he continues, his words cutting through the courtroom like a knife.

Darius - I became what you fear most. I would have destroyed all of you if I hadn’t been stopped. Why am I saying ‘would have’? When I know I still can, I know I will.

He pauses, his gaze shifting to Mark, then to Sarah, and finally back to the Chief Justice.

Darius - But something changed. He changed my view. He told me that any conflict can be resolved by us humans by talking, and by not tearing each other apart.

Darius takes a deep breath, his voice lowering but gaining an urgent, almost pleading tone.

Darius - That’s why, for once, I want this court and everyone inside to listen.

The Chief Justice, his expression unreadable, takes a moment to process Darius’s words. The courtroom remains in a state of suspended anticipation, every eye still fixed on the man who now holds their attention in a way he never has before.

Darius - I want to state—no, I want to ask. Ask for the help of the Dome council and its government. I want the Dome to acknowledge the world outside and its people… They survived. They’re… alive…… Every day, they wake up and fight a new battle for survival. They use the means left behind to protect themselves, and they know that with the knowledge and technology we humans possess, the issues you call 'headhunters'—what we call the Beast—could be eradicated.

Darius’s voice cuts through the silence in the courtroom.

Darius - What they need from you is support. They know you’re fighting, and they want to help, as our causes are the same…. After the split, you abandoned them…….we’re all grateful for the resources you left behind. Many of them tried to communicate with the Inside using those resources, just to tell you that we are alive, and we need your help………..they hope help will come, And guess what came back……. I know that all fingers are not equal. but when the soldiers of the Dome comes to harass, steal, Rape and Murder the same people who expect help from them, What do you think that does?

His voice falters slightly, but he continues, the pain evident in his words.

Darius - All it does is breed hate. I saw it firsthand. My camp—seventeen people. All dead. Only I survived. With this mistreatment, the outsiders rebelled, resulting in casualties on both sides. What they’re doing is trying to secure a better life for their children, wives, families, and friends, protecting a small hope of survival they cling to, Fighting a new battle everyday. I was supposed to be doing the same, but deep down, Only I know what drove me was hate. Just hate. All I wanted was revenge—to destroy everything and everyone inside the Dome.

He pauses, his voice trembling slightly with the weight of his confession.

Darius - But that’s not the case with every outsider. They were once part of your nation. They were once citizens you were supposed to protect. Don’t neglect and abandon them. Help them, and let them help you.

The room is silent once more, the weight of Darius’s words hanging in the air like a dark cloud. He stands there, a man stripped of all defenses, pleading not for himself, but for the people he sought to protect. His voice, once filled with anger and hate, now carries the desperate hope of someone who has seen the light too late. The courtroom remains tense, every person present caught in the gravity of Darius’s plea.

Darius - As for the question of my guilt... When I committed the acts for which I stand accused, I believed—no, I convinced myself—that I was doing the right thing. That I was justified. But in truth, I was no different from those uneven fingers who are wrong.

He pauses, his eyes searching the room, landing on the faces of the councilors, then the audience, as if trying to etch this moment as his final memory. His voice drops to a more somber tone.

Darius - I opened my eyes too late. Too late to realize that there is no redemption for what I've done. The powers I wielded—powers I once thought were my curse—were never the real problem. It was me. I blamed the other part of me, the darker personality, for all the destruction, all the pain. But now I understand... It was me all along. And that realization... It terrifies me. I am more dangerous to you all, more dangerous to myself, than you could ever know.

Darius clenches his fists, the chains rattling slightly as his voice rises with despair.

Darius - If I can't control myself, how can any of you expect to control what I am? That is why—yes, I plead guilty to my actions. The court and the council have every right to punish a monster like me however they see fit. Lock me away forever, experiment on my body, execute me... I accept whatever fate you decide. Just don’t leave the people on the outside alone to die. Help them.

The courtroom remains eerily silent, but tension ripples through the crowd. Suddenly, a voice shatters the stillness. Mark stands abruptly, his face a mask of anguish and betrayal.

Mark - You bastard! How could you abandon us like this?!

The courtroom erupts in chaos. Guards rush toward Mark, but before they can reach him, one of the councilors raises a hand, signaling them to stop. Darius turns his head slowly, a sad smile playing on his lips as he meets Mark's furious gaze.

Darius Becket - Hey, Mark... It's alright. Just pretend I was never here, brother.

His words hang heavy with the finality of his decision. He then shifts his gaze to Hugo, who is seated in the witness box, his expression a mix of sorrow and helplessness.

Darius Becket - Either way, I've seen enough for a lifetime. I don't think I can see another day. So it’s all going to be alright…You won't be able to control me, and that makes me lethal to be kept alive. That is all I have to say.

As he finishes, Darius’s voice falters slightly, betraying the tears welling up in his eyes. He turns his head toward his sister, Sarah, who sits in the front row. Their eyes lock, and she silently shakes her head, a refusal born of desperation and love. But Darius just smiles—a bittersweet, resigned smile.