Luke still couldn't believe it. He looked at Wednesday with a furrowed brow, trying to process what he had just heard.
"They presented the evidence? And we won? That fast?" he asked, confused. According to Wednesday, he had been unconscious for about ten days, and during that ti, the trial had already taken place.
"Yes, yes, and yes," Wednesday replied with her characteristic calm. Then, with an unusual patience, one she reserved only for Luke, she began to recount the events with precision.
The trial lasted three days. It was a public trial, which ant that not only the accusers and the accused were present, but also an audience composed of influential figures within the outcast society. No one could ignore what was happening.
Octavius, with his ticulous organization, presented all the evidence strategically, from least to most impactful. Each piece hit harder than the last, leaving the Spellmans increasingly cornered.
One of the clearest pieces of evidence was the corpse of Elliot Spellman himself, presented before everyone. And before everyone's eyes, the demonic book of Soyga was revealed, which the corpse had carefully hidden in one of his pockets, luckily, one the telekinetic orb from Luke hadn't pierced.
Octavius explained how Elliot had obtained that book. Although it was still a theory, everything added up, and when the accused were questioned, they couldn't refute it or prove their innocence.
The late Dolores Spellman had been present the night when Wednesday and Luke killed Crackstone. Why was she there? How did she know Luke would be there? No one knew. Luke and Wednesday had done everything in secret, flying out of the Addams mansion at night.
In addition, the Addams family presented evidence showing that Crackstone had gained his powers through the book of Soyga. It ca to light for the first ti publicly, although the influential figures already knew it, after all, it was highly suspicious for a normie to reach such heights of power with just a witchcraft book.
They also presented the strange events surrounding Luke: lesser demons attacking him, too much of a coincidence. During the blood moon, when an army of undead attacked Nevermore, Atlas, a direct servant of Elliot, aid to resurrect Crackstone, but failed. That much was already known, as Luke had previously presented evidence and struck a heavy blow.
However, they had once believed the Spellmans wanted to bring Crackstone back to kill Luke, so the bla for the attack on Nevermore wouldn't fall on them. But now, it was clear that their true goal was the demonic book. They knew it was hidden inside Crackstone's sarcophagus.
Yet the most incriminating evidence ca with a testimony no one expected: a mory fragnt from the late Sophie Poe, Luke's mother.
A mory fragnt is proof that cannot be faked, a 100% true recollection. If the machine used to play it rejects it, it's false. But this fragnt was not rejected and was played before everyone's eyes.
Sophie, fleeing from the Spellmans with John, at one point had no choice but to confront them. They faced Elliot Spellman, much younger, and his father.
It was a brutal battle, but then, the definitive proof appeared.
In the mory, Mortir Spellman could be clearly seen using regeneration he should not have had, and telekinesis, another aura he should not have possessed. And in his hands was another of the six demonic books.
The Book of Nekrathis.
A to wrapped in obsidian chains, covered in profane inscriptions that seed to writhe with a life of their own. Very different in appearance from the Book of Soyga.
At that mont, the courtroom fell into absolute silence.
Not only had they possessed the Book of Soyga, though they hadn't used it, but they also possessed the Book of Nekrathis and had used it, proving they had already made deals with demons.
The mory ended with Sophie and John managing to escape, creating a distraction at the cost of their own safety.
Not even Octavius had expected such clear evidence. Sophie Poe had accomplished sothing extraordinary. Extracting one's own mory was a complex process, requiring a stable ntal state and great magical skill. But to do it while being hunted, injured, and exhausted... it was practically impossible. And yet, she had done it.
The impact was imdiate.
The Spellmans present in the courtroom hadn't seen it coming. For years, they had woven webs of lies, manipulations, and political power to protect themselves. They believed they could face any accusation with excuses, legal tricks, and their influence over judges and other powerful outcast bloodlines. But Sophie Poe had destroyed them from beyond the grave.
After that, the tribunal didn't take long to deliver its verdict.
The Spellmans were declared guilty of treason against the outcast society. Their bloodline was marked as an enemy of humanity. Their influence, their wealth, their alliances... everything crumbled in the span of three days.
But the final blow ca at that very mont.
The Spellman family mbers who had attended the trial, confident they would walk free as always, were paralyzed. They never expected such incriminating evidence from Sophie Poe.
The judges ordered their imdiate arrest. There was no ti to react. Guardians, high-ranking outcasts, and enforcers of outcast law pounced on them. So tried to resist, but were easily subdued. Even Goz stepped forward. Without Elliot or Gabriel, no living mber of the Spellman family could stand against Goz.
They were sentenced to execution.
"So... it's over?" Luke murmured, looking up at the ceiling.
"No. Rember, they have two main branches. Elliot's branch is almost wiped out, only two people remain alive, Gabriel's two daughters. His wife died in a battle that happened two days ago," Wednesday said, making Luke turn back to her.
Wednesday went on to explain that mbers of both branches had been imprisoned after the verdict. Among them were Gabriel's wife and his two daughters, as well as the mother of Elliot and Gabriel, a very powerful psychic elder, over seventy years old.
The date of their execution was set, but the story didn't end there.
Two days ago, the prison where all the Spellmans present at the trial were being held was attacked by extrely powerful hooded figures, the Demonic Elders.
Lesser demons also appeared, the sa kind Luke had slain at Petropolus Manor, throwing the place into chaos.
The battle was short, but devastating.
Several mbers of the Spellman family died in the attack, one of them being Gabriel's wife, who protected her daughters so they could escape. Afterwards, so mbers of the other main branch also perished.
But the rest escaped with the help of the Demonic Elders.
This attack only proved, with even more certainty, that the Spellmans make deals with demons.
"They can control lesser demons..." Luke murmured, and Wednesday nodded.
"Now the real war begins. The true enemies are Edward and the other old people," Wednesday said seriously.
"As for Elliot's branch..." Wednesday continued, her tone calculating, "only three people remain alive: his mother, and Gabriel's two daughters. That puts us in a strong position. Of the two branches, Elliot's was the most powerful. But you took care of the most dangerous ones."
"Elliot, Sebastian, Sabrina, Atlas... all dead," said Wednesday, raising a finger for each na as she listed them.
"Then we also killed Dolores with my uncle's help, and I killed Gabriel with the help of the others," she added.
"Elliot's father died at the hands of my father," Luke added another na to the list.
"Yes, only three remain from Elliot's branch. And from the other branch, only those who managed to escape. After them co the Demonic Elders," Luke said.
Wednesday nodded slowly, brow furrowed as she analyzed the information. "Based on what we know, the old man are, at the very least, Elliot's grandparents. But there are more."
"How many more?" asked Luke.
Wednesday narrowed her eyes, organizing her thoughts aloud. "Elliot was born in the 1980s... His parents must've been born in the 1950s or earlier, which ans his grandparents could've been born around 1900 or a little later. We know Edward started it all, and before him, the Spellmans were respectable mbers of society. So everything began around 1830, when Edward was about 30 years old. In 1840, he killed Edgar."
The speed at which Wednesday spoke was astonishing, and the way she laid out all the facts impressed Luke.
"The important thing is that before Edward, the Spellmans were a respectable family. Which ans that any Demonic old manis his descendant, not soone prior to him," Wednesday continued, then paused briefly.
"Fortunately, the Poes, even though they lost the war when it began, managed to kill so of them, like John killing Elliot's father. So considering that there were four elders at the prison attack, there might be double that number, and I believe there are at most ten, including Edward," Wednesday concluded.
"Plus the three from Elliot's main branch, that's thirteen. How many survived from the other main branch?" Luke asked.
"Eleven. And they have loyal servants who won't hesitate to obey their orders. Not to ntion that, sohow, they've managed to control lesser demons," Wednesday replied.
Luke let out a sigh, but instead of worry, a slight smile appeared on his face. "Even so, they're clearly outnumbered."
"They're up against the entire outcast society. Four psychic families still stand... The Spellmans no longer count, and from the Poes only I remain, but the other four families are intact," he added.
Wednesday tilted her head slightly, acknowledging his point.
"Then there are the seven most powerful vampire clans, and the seven pureblood werewolf families, who follow the Lord of the Wolves, the strongest of their kind," Luke said, placing a hand on his chin, wondering how strong this wolf lord really was. Probably on par with Elliot or slightly below, since Elliot, as a psychic, looked down on all the other outcast races.
"And then there are the other races: sirens, faceless ones, gorgons... They may not be as strong as psychics, vampires, or werewolves, but they're still a force that can't be ignored. The nurical advantage is overwhelming," Luke concluded, leaning back against the pillow with a faint smile.
For the first ti in a long while, he felt like he could relax. He could even leave all the work to others while he lazed around. It wasn't a critical situation like the wizarding war in Harry Potter, where the Death Eaters had a clear nurical advantage and the "good side" only won by a miracle. If it hadn't been for Lily Potter's ancient magic, Voldemort would've annihilated everyone.
However, his mont of satisfaction was cut short when Wednesday spoke.
"Don't be so sure," she said. "The Spellmans aren't making deals with demons on a whim. Their goal has always been the extermination of normies. And they're not the only ones who think that way."
Luke stayed silent, waiting for her to continue.
"Since Edward began all of this in 1840, he's had nearly two centuries to forge alliances. It's possible that many of the most powerful outcast families, vampires, werewolves, even so of the others races, have agreed to work with the Spellmans," Wednesday said.
"Even knowing they're dealing with demons? I thought everyone saw those beings as enemies of the world," said Luke.
"It's true," Wednesday answered, "but if the Spellmans offered them power, longer lifespans, and the promise of a world ruled by outcasts, it wouldn't be hard for many to accept the deal."
Luke remained silent for a mont, then rembered sothing. His mother, in the mory fragnt he had consud, had warned him: "Don't trust all the outcast families."
Still, Luke doubted that all the powerful clans and families had betrayed their morals out of ambition. Making deals with demons was still a major taboo. It didn't matter how much ti had passed, or how many Spellmans had tried to normalize it.
"So may have joined them, but I doubt they're the majority," Luke said, crossing his arms. "I'd say it's more like seventy-thirty. Seventy percent of outcasts who'll stay on the good side, and thirty percent who sold out and joined the Spellmans."
"Makes sense. Even with all their influence, convincing the entire outcast society to join them is impossible. Most likely, we still have an overwhelming nurical advantage," Wednesday nodded.
Luke smirked. "Then, in the end, they're still screwed."
"Don't get too confident. Thirty percent traitors is still a significant number. And that number isn't confird. No one would help the Spellmans openly at the trial, but they might still be supporting them in secret. That's the problem, we have spies, and we don't know who they are," Wednesday said.
Luke nodded. Not everything would be so easy, but it would still be far easier than everything he'd already been through. Except in battle. If he had to face Edward now, he knew he'd be screwed.
'I need to train my new aura,' Luke thought.
"Damn, I missed so many big events! I would've loved to see the Spellmans' faces when they saw Elliot's corpse in the state I left him," Luke complained out loud.
Had he been in a public place surrounded by Spellmans who couldn't attack him, it would've been subli to see the expressions of defeat and rage on their faces.
"No one thinks you killed Elliot on your own," Wednesday said, and went on to explain how they decided to handle things.
Luke agreed. Better for him if the next Spellman he ran into underestimated him, and didn't know he had a fourth aura up his sleeve.
"That was a long talk," Luke said after glancing at the ti on an old dark wooden clock hanging on the wall of Wednesday's room.
"We're not done yet," Wednesday replied, staring at him intently.
Luke raised an amused eyebrow and slowly slid his hands down to Wednesday's thighs, then to her backside.
"Oh, so now you're ready," he said with a mischievous smile.
"No. Not yet. We need to talk about the Battle of Sunnyvale..." said Wednesday, rolling her eyes and moving Luke's hand away from her backside.
Luke let out a dramatic sigh, dropping his head back onto the pillow.
"What now? What happened in Sunnyvale besides killing Elliot and Gabriel?" he asked with a slight grimace.
"Enid," Wednesday replied curtly.
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