Author's Notes: Hello everybody! King of Blacks here, with another chapter of Oath of Khurain. I'm currently having my mid-semester break right now (although I'm still having classes T.T . Damn teachers), so I tried to spend most of my time on my fanfics. Keyword being tried. Reason being, I got addicted to this one game and I just can't stop playing it without going through some sort of withdrawal XD. But I digress, at the very least I got this one done.

So, without further ado, this is Chapter 3 of Oath of Khurain.

Oath of Khurain

Chapter 3: Deceitful Turnabout: Prologue

(Unknown 3rd POV)

?, ?

?

Inside a dark room, a figure sat on a couch intently watching the television. He was watching the international news with a scowl on his face. He/she never liked what the news showed anyway.

"The world has become too complacent during these peaceful times." The figure said. "All the nations have become too weak with no wars and chaos to worry about. The people became too caught up in their own politics and greed to understand the true wonders of life."

To him/her, war is the only way to make humanity evolve to become a better race. As the figure continue watching the television, he came across a news report of Khurain, and instantly an idea was formed inside his/her mind, and malicious grin soon etched his/her face.

"I shall show these people the true meaning of life."

(Mithra 1st POV)

23 December 2031, 9.15 pm

Residence, Royal Palace

"And, and, I don't know how but he somehow brought in a flock of warba'ads into the office." I told Rayfa while snickering loudly. It has been a week after my last conversation with Rayfa and I managed to fulfill my promise when Mr. Justice brought me to the palace again for another dinner. She looked so ecstatic when she saw me, and I also felt the same to be honest.

Speaking of which, right now she was giggling after I told her the story of what happened in the office the other day.

"Well, I see Mr. Arebal has remained the person he is from a few years ago." She was obviously holding back a snort.

"If only you'd seen Mr. Justice's expression." I added. It's funny that the two of us became so close only after meeting each other three times. I guess it's because of our close age that made us relatable to one another.

"I can only imagine." The two of us couldn't stop laughing at that point, and it took us a couple of minutes to calm down. Right after that, Rayfa then made a thoughtful expression. "You know, do you think I should place a restraining order on him when I became queen?" She asked curiously.

I immediately waved my arm in response. "No, no, no. You don't need to." Mr. Arebal may be annoying at times, but surely he doesn't need to have a restraining order placed on him. "I'm pretty sure he won't go too overboard with you as the queen."

"I sure hope so." She mumbled out. I was worried she'd get sad so I tried to keep her talking.

"So, how's the preparations been going? Is it going fine?" I asked. Admittedly, I was also curious with the ceremony.

Rayfa seemed to lit up in excitement at my question. "Oh, it's been splendid! I've been making sure that everything is working perfectly and the guards have been posted all over the place for security. I'm really excited for tomorrow!"

I couldn't help but smile looking at her anticipation. "By the way, what are you going to do in the ceremony anyway? Is it just like you being given the crown or something?"

"Oh, no. It's more than just that. First off, I have to receive my blessings by praying for the Holy Mother at the Sacred Hall for three hours straight." She explained. "Then, I will have to bathe myself in the Pools of Soul for another four hours to receive wisdom from our ancestors. After all of that, then I will be taking my oath and crowned as the queen. Once all of that is done, the head monk of the temple will give me tattoo on my back using a special ink to show that I'm a queen."

I was left wide-eyed after her explanation. "The ceremony is that long? And you have to do it in one go? Wow."

Rayfa looked at me strangely. "Really? I thought it would be normal." Really? That's normal for her? "But I have to admit. I'm actually nervous right now. I'm afraid that I might mess up during my rule and the people won't like me." She then put up a small frown that I wanted to remove.

"It's okay to be nervous, Rayfa. It proves that you're human." I reminded her calmingly. "But if anything, I know that you'll be a great queen. Just like your mother."

Rayfa looked cheerful once again. "Thanks, Mithra. I'm not sure why, but when everyone who tried to comfort me or said something like this, it made me worry more, but when you do it...I immediately felt calm. Like there's nothing to worry about."

"Ummm..." I can feel my face warming up at her words. "D-do I really have that e-effect on you?" Gah, not the time to be stuttering, Ritabrata.

Rayfa doesn't seem to realise though. "Of course! And not just when it came to cheering me up. Your presence itself. It always made me confused, though certainly not in a bad way. Like a case you want to solve, you could say."

"Well, I uhm, I'm flattered you think of me that way."

I think she just realised what she said, because her eyes immediately widened, and she began stammering with a blush on her cheeks.

"N-not that I'm attracted to you or anything. I just find that you're an interesting person, that's all. Not that you're not attractive at all, it's just that it would be weird with us being just friends..." Rayfa kept rambling on and on, and I really couldn't help but laugh at her adorableness. She then realised I was laughing at her, and she immediately pouted. "You jerk! Why are you laughing?"

"I'm sorry hahaha." I said while calming myself down from the laughter. "It's just...you look too cute rambling like that just now." My words seemed to soothe her anger and made her flustered again.

"W-well, just d-don't get used to it." She stammered, while turning her head away in embarrassment. She then cleared her throat. "Anyway, I think we should go. Horned Head is surely waiting for you right now."

"Of course." After that, we just had more small talks while making our way to the courtyard. Funny how time goes so fast when you least expect it.

23 December 2031, 9.56 pm

Justice and Co. Law Office

"So, you got another case for me, Mr. Justice?" I asked as we walked towards the office.

He simply shrugged. "Not really. I think this time I'll let you find a case on your own. You can't always rely on me to find you a job, Mithra." I sighed after listening to his words. It's not my fault people would rather request for him than me for a trial. "Anyway, let's hope that Datz doesn't mess the office up again.

"I certainly hope so." I still can't get over how he got all those warba'ads the other day.

As we entered the office, we were greeted by the sights of two man laughing loudly. One of them being Mr. Arebal, and the other one a stranger. Although from his purple uniform and the mask lying on the table, he seemed to be one of the Royal Guards.

"Hey AJ, MR! You're back!" Mr. Arebal greeted with his trademark grin. The two of us are more interested in the other man, however. "We were just having a small talk over here."

"Datz, who is this guy?" Mr. Justice asked with a raised eyebrow.

The man in the uniform simply laughed. "HAHAHA! Sorry 'bout that! Where're my manners?" He then stood up and offered a handshake with my boss. "De name's Ahlbit Ra'yar. Just call me Al, wouldcha?" His accent seems weird to me, but he seems to be a local judging from his skin complexion.

Mr. Justice looked wary at first but accepted the handshake. "I'm Apollo Justice, but I'm sure you know that already?"

"Hahaha! 'Course I heard 'bout ya Horned Man. I've seen ya around de palace with the Minister a couple times." The man then shifted his attention towards me, which made me nervous as he had a huge grin on his face. "And who's dis kid?"

"Uh, I'm Mithra sir. I'm a new lawyer under Mr. Justice's tutelage." I said cordially, not really knowing how to approach him.

Mr. Rayar let out another laugh, which I don't see anything funny about. "Ah, right, right. Yer de new kid Datz keeps tellin' me 'bout. Keep up de good work, kiddo!" He pat me at the back while giving me that grin again. His actions really unsettled me and all I did was laugh nervously.

"Anyway..." Mr. Arebal interjected between the two of us. "Al here is my buddy from the army, and now he's working as the royal guards. Cool, eh?"

Mr. Rayar simply shrugged before saying. "Eh, it ain't that much, really. Just some quick, honest cash." He then stood up and took a few papers on the table (I'm guessing guards also have paperworks?) before excusing himself off. "Anyway, I gotta go. We got a big day tomorrow with all the coronation and stuff. See ya 'round Datz."

"'Course Al."

As the man passed by me, he said a few words that left me confused.

"Kid, ya better prepare yerself, 'cause tomorrow'll be the show of your lifetime."

"...What?" I wanted to ask what he meant, but he had already left.

"What's wrong, Mithra?" My boss asked.

I simply shook my head, trying to forget what happened just now. "It's nothing, sir. Anyway, shouldn't we close up the office now?"

"Oh, right!"

24 December 2031, 7.25 am

Courtyard, Royal Palace

Today was the Rayfa's eighteenth birthday as well as her official coronation as the Queen of Khurain. As expected, the courtyard was brimming with people eager to watch their beloved princess finally rule the kingdom, myself included. I came here as early as I could so that I could watch Rayfa as close as possible. N-not inappropriately, of course.

"Hey, MR! Wait up, will ya?" Mr. Arebal called from behind. He accompanied me along, as I needed some form of company as Mr. Justice is currently busy with Minister Sahdmadhi. It seems that he was also involved in the preparations of the ceremony. "Geez, you sure move fast, even in this crowd."

"Sorry, Mr. Arebal but I can't help it. I was too excited, I guess." I just couldn't wait to see Rayfa getting crowned as the queen. Something about that prospect just made me feel giddy.

"What? You excited to see the princess all prettied up, eh?" He said with a teasing grin, and I couldn't help but blush at his words. He might not be that far off, honestly.

"Well, I uh..." I fumbled trying to find a word to say. Mr. Arebal then gave me a pat at the back.

"Don't worry, kid. If Dhurke can get someone like Amara, then surely you can get the lady." Oh, right. I almost forgot that Dhurke was Rayfa's father. I always forgot about that. I guess, I just can't imagine Dhurle Sahdmadhi being related to Rayfa. "Anyway, what's taking her so long?"

"Well, if I remember she said something about her having to bathe in the Pool of Souls for a couple of hours straight. I guess she's still at that stage. She should be out in-" I was interrupted by a ring from my phone.

"Your phone?" Mr. Arebal asked curiously.

"Yeah, gimme a minute." I took my phone out of my pocket and saw a message inside. "A message? From who?" When I opened it, I was made even more confused.

Mr. Arebal seemed to realise this and asked. "What's wrong?"

"No, it's just...the message was from an unknown number, and the message itself is so weird."

"What does it say?"

I then read out the message sent. "It says 'Would you kindly proceed?'. What is that supposed to mean? You know anything, Mr Arebal?" I was met with silence. I turned around and found out that Mr. Arebal was missing. "Mr. Arebal?" What's happening here?

Weird Message added to the Court Records.

I thought about trying to search for Mr. Arebal, but eventually decided against it. It's not like I'm responsible for him. If anything, it should be the other way round with our age gap. After thar, I was simply waiting for the ceremony to start. It took around ten minutes or so, but it finally started.

"And now, the arrival of Her Benevolence, Princess Rayfa Padma Khurain to take her oath as the next Queen of Khurain." With a cheer from the crowds, Rayfa finally exited from the palace, and by the Holy Mother was she gorgeous.

She was wearing a light pink ceremonial robe with golden embroideries to magnify her beauty. Her face looks even more radiant than usual, and with her stoic expression that she used in the public, I could almost describe her as a goddess.

She walked elegantly from the entrance towards the center, with a bald old man wearing a monk's clothing, the head monk of Tehmpul Temple waiting for her. On her way, the two of us locked eyes for a split second, and she had a ghost of a smile on her face, and I gave her the same gesture as well.

When she finally approached the head monk, she kneeled down. In response, the head monk cleared his throat to continue the ceremony.

"Rayfa Padma Khurain, Royal Priestess of Khurain." The man called out. "With the blessings from the Holy Mother, and wisdoms of our ancestors, thou hath been chosen to guide Khurain as the new queen. Doth thy hereby swear to accept this duty to rule the Kingdom of Khurain?"

"Yes, I accept my duty to rule the Kingdom of Khurain as the queen." She replied with her head bowed down.

"Doth thy swear to uphold the peace of the kingdom and lead the people to prosperity?

"I swear to uphold peace in our kingdom and lead our people to prosperity."

"Doth thy swear to rule Khurain fairly and justly?"

"I swear to rule Khurain fairly and justly."

"And finally, doth thy swear to follow the teachings of the Holy Mother until thine's death?"

"I swear to follow the teachings of the Holy Mother until my death."

The head monk seemed satisfied and went in to take the crown for the final stages of the ceremony. Rayfa seemed to be anxious as the crown was slowly placed on her head. But right as it was placed-

*BANG*

No one knew where it came from, but the bullet almost hit Rayfa, only missing a few centimetres. Immediately, everyone panicked.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

"Was that a gunshot?"

"Her Benevolence was almost killed!"

"Is the Holy Mother angry at us?"

There were whispers everywhere, and the Royal Guards were sent into action as they escorted Rayfa and the head monk to safety, while others were scouring the palace in search of the source. Unfortunately, another shot was fired and this time, it hit a target.

*BANG*

Everyone gasped in horror as the body of the head monk fell to the ground, his life taken in an instant by a sniper bullet. Rayfa was looked shocked the most, seeing as someone died right next to her. After that, all hell broke loose. The crowd began stomping their way out of the palace, afraid of becoming the next victim.

I simply stayed behind, still shocked by what I saw. Did someone just kill the head monk? Eventually I snapped out of my thoughts and tried to force my way towards Rayfa, worried about her safety. Surely she's the real target of the assassin.

"Your Benevolence!" I called out, holding the urge to call her name in the public. She was still being escorted to the palace and I tried to call her again. "Your Benevolence!"

She finally heard me and called me back in response. "Mithra!"

As I went up to her, the Royal Guards held me back.

"Sorry, kid but I can't let you see Her Benevolence. Everyone here is still under suspicion." One of the guards said.

"But I'm not the assassin! I was down here the whole time!" I was struggling against the guard's grip, but they were simply too strong.

"It still doesn't matter, kid. You still can't neet her, so go or I'll arrest you-"

"Sir!" The man froze as another of the guard apporached us. "We found the assailant, sir!"

That fast? How?

"Bring him to me, now!" The man barked. His subordinates quickly obeyed and they brought the culprit who was struggling against their grip. He seemed awfully familiar for some rea- wait a minute.

"Mr. Arebal?"

What in the world is happening here?!

24 December 2031, 1.36pm

Detention Center

It's been six hours after the attempted assassination on Rayfa, literally seconds before she was crowned as queen, and the assassination of the head monk of Tehmpul Temple. Thankfully, everyone was safely removed from the scene, apart from some injuries during the mass panic. Meanwhile, I was held there for almost two hours to be questioned due to my relationship with the alleged assassin.

Sigh. I still can't believe that Mr. Arebal was arrested for the assassination. There's no way it could be him right? Anyway, because of that, I immediately went to the detention center to find some answers.

Thankfully, I wasn't the only one there as Mr. Justic and Minister Sahdmadhi was also there, probably for the same reason as me.

"Mr. Justice!" I called.

"Ah, Mithra. I'm guessing you heard of what happened?" His face was etched with a frown, understandable seeing as someone he knew was being arrested. For murder, no less.

"Heard about it? I was there when Mr. Arebal was arrested. And how did that happen? There's no way Mr. Arebal would do such a thing, right?" Mr. Arebal may be wild and uncontrollable, but certainly he's not a murderer. After all, he was the right-hand man of Dhurke, the man who wanted a peaceful revolution during the Ga'ran Regime.

"We don't know yet. That's what we're here to find out." Mr. Justice said, and I couldn't help but sigh.

Just then, a bailiff entered. "Sir, the questioning is finished. Would you like to meet the accused?"

"Yes please." Minister Sahdmadhi said. The bailiff gave a quick salute before leaving the room for awhile. A few moments later, he came back, this time bringing in Mr. Arebal as well. The former paratrooper may had a sheepish grin on his face, but he looks paler than before. I guess even he was shaken up by what happened.

"Guess I messed up big time, eh AJ?" He asked while rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Datz, tell us what really happened. We know you. You don't just go killing someone for no good reason." Mr. Justice doesn't seem angry or upset, more like conflicted. "What were you doing at the guard tower?"

"That's the thing. I wasn't really sure."

"...What?" Now everyone looks confused.

Mr. Arebal put up a thoughtful expression. "I don't really remember what happened. Up to the point where I was with MR, everything was fine. But right after that, it all went blank.

Minister Sahdmadhi decided to join in the conversation. "So what you are trying to say is that you lost your memory from after you met with Mithra until the time of the murder, am I correct?"

"Well, not completely lost. More like clouded. I might have remembered glimpse of what happened, but it's not that clear."

"Hmmmm." The minister looked pensive before letting out a sigh. "You know that this is not going to make your defense any easier, Datz."

Mr. Justice then asked again, this time more pleading than anything. "C'mon Datz. Can you give us something? Anything?"

"Hmmmm, well maybe I do have something." All of us lit up at this information. "But I'm not really sure if this will help."

"Anything will help at this point, Mr. Arebal." I reassured the man.

"Well...sure." Mr. Arebal then scrunched his face, as if to focus on something. "I was somewhere, near the window..."

"Okay, go on."

"...I was holding something long...not really sure what it was..."

"C'mon, Datz. Try to focus more." Mr. Justice encouraged him.

"Well...aha, I know! It was a gun!"

Oh no. This is not going the way we want it to be.

"And, I'm not sure why, but I was shaking around. And that's where it ends." Datz stared at us, who looked even more frutrated, in confusion. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Datz, do you realise what you just told us is more incriminating than helping?" Minister Sahdmadhi said while rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Oh!" Mr. Arebal seemed to realise this as well. "I guess I really am guilty?"

"No." Everyone turned their attention to me. "You can't be the murderer. There's no way you can the murderer Mr. Arebal, I just know it. So please, don't say that you're guilty because I know you're not." I don't know where I got all this, but Mr. Arebal's eye looked confused. Like even he doesn't know the truth of what happened. Just from his eyes, I know that he's innocent.

"MR..." Mr. Arebal stared at me speechlessly.

"Anyway, we have to focus on your defense now." Minister Sahdmadhi said, changing the subject. He then turned his attention to my boss. "Apollo, I know this is going to be hard-"

"I'm not taking up the defense."

"...What?" Did I just heard wrong?

"I'm not taking the defense for Datz." He reiterated, leaving me shocked while the minister had a blank expression.

"And for what reason?" He asked.

"Not that I don't trust in Datz or anything. It's just that I'm already caught in a few cases, and I can't delay them anymore."

"Then who's supposed to defend Mr. Arebal?" I asked frantically. He simply stared at me, and Minister Sahdmadhi followed suit. Then I realised what they were implying. "No, no, no. I can't be his lawyer, sir. I'm not experienced enough-"

"And this is where you will get the experience, Mithra." Mr. Justice reminded, before putting up a smile. "Besides, weren't you the one who said that Datz is completely innocent."

"Yeah, but-"

"Then, that's all you need to win the case." I was confused by his words. "Mithra, the strongest weapon that a lawyer have is their trust on their client. So, when it seems like you are in a pinch, all you have to do is remind yourself. Is your client truly innocent? If you do, then keep fighting on till your last breath. Because a dragon-"

"Never yields." I finished Mr. Justice's statement with our office motto. "You're right, sir. Mr. Arebal is innocent and because of that, I can't leave him just because I was too scared." I then turned my attention to Mr. Arebal and Minister Sahdmadhi. "So, I'll take up the defense, Mr. Arebal. I'll prove you innocent, and find the real culprit behind all of this mess. Justice style."

Mr. Arebal gave me a double thumbs up. "You can do it, MR!"

Minister Sahdmadhi stared blankly for a while, before shaking his head in amusement. "If I had not known any better, I would have thought you were my father, Mithra." I was surprised by his compliment, before I became flustered. "The blood of the dragon run strongly in your vein. Very well, I shall leave the defense to you."

"I won't dissapoint any of you." I thumped my chest in determination, and Mr. Justice returned it with a grin.

"I know you won't."

Court Records

Evidence:

-Attorney's Badge: Proof of me being a lawyer. My most priced possession.

-Weird Message: Received around 7.28 am by an unknown number. The message reads 'Would you kindly proceed?'.

People:

Mithra Ritabrata (19): That's me. A new lawyer at Justice and Co. Law Office and Mr. Justice protege.

Apollo Justice (27): Owner of Justice and Co. Law Office and also my mentor. Quite the nice guy, but sometimes vague.

Rayfa Padma Khurain (18): Next queen of Khurain, and I'm friends with her. Lucky eh? Quite mature for her age.

Datz Arebal (49): Acquaintance of Justice and Co. Law Office and former right-hand man of the Defiant Dragons. Loves to cause trouble.

Ahlbit Ra'yar (50): Datz' friend at the army and currently a Royal Guard. Always has a creepy grin on his face.

Nahyuta Sahdmadhi (28): Minister of Justice and older brother of Rayfa. A very calm person.

Author's Note: Annnnnnd Done! Well shit, that escalated quickly. Datz is in some deep shit, I'll say. And hopefully our rookie attorney can save him. Ladies and gentleman, that is the prologue for Case 2. It's quite short in my opinion, only about 4k+ but I'll take it. Now, for the next chapters, Mithra will begin his investigations, so let's hope that he can succeed or Datz is gonna get f*cked. But that won't happen until I update my other fanfic, so just be patient.

Anyway, please click the favorite and follow button, and do leave a review. I always try to reply to the reviews as best as I can. So please, just give me your opinions on this chapter. I would appreciate that. I've rambled long enough. See ya next time people.

King of Blacks, signing out.