Three days had passed since the devastating battle in Sunnyvale and its surroundings. The number of dead normies exceeded 1,500, a figure that was not only a tragedy for a town of barely ten thousand inhabitants but also a disaster for the entire country.
The deaths of the normies were caused by the crossfire between Luke and Elliot. Moreover, Elliot deliberately targeted civilians, killing several intentionally while Luke was no longer able to stop him.
In addition, material damages in the city amounted to millions of dollars, with destroyed streets, leveled buildings, and an infrastructure that would take years to rebuild.
Luke was still bedridden, though he no longer had visible injuries. When he was revived, his green aura healed the mortal wound caused by Elliot, but not all the other injuries he had accumulated throughout the battle.
Now, as the days passed, his body healed on its own, and thanks to Wednesday’s care, he was almost as good as new.
A meeting was taking place in Luke’s room. Present were: Wednesday, Gomez, Fester, Natasha, Lurch, Thing, Nick, Simon, and Octavius, the twins’ father and Wednesday’s second uncle.
Octavius is a descendant of one of the three main branches of the Addams family.
The founding ancestor of the Addams family had three sons, each representing a main branch of the family.
Gomez and Fester are descendants of Abraham Addams, the eldest of the three sons of the founding ancestor. In terms of hierarchy, this would grant them more power.
Although, truthfully, the Addamses don’t really care about that. Then comes Abraham’s younger brother, Alaric, from whom Octavius descends.
And lastly, the youngest of the three brothers: Donovan. From his line comes Itt, who is absent, as he’s not a fan of these kinds of matters.
“The trial will be next Monday. In three days,” said Octavius, his tone sluggish but his expression more serious than usual.
Of all the adults in the Addams family, he is the most responsible and takes things seriously. He’s always in charge of the family’s politics, paperwork, and so on.
That’s why he always has bags under his eyes and a face that looks one step away from suicide. Overworked.
“What happens if Luke isn’t present?” asked Natasha. No one knows exactly how long he’ll remain unconscious. Last time it was two days, but he didn’t have to awaken a fourth aura just to survive.
“It doesn’t matter. Holding the trial as soon as possible is crucial. We have solid and abundant evidence to corner the Spellmans. He doesn’t need to testify,” Octavius replied, running a hand through his hair.
The Addams family was now fully involved in the longstanding grudge between the Poes and the Spellmans. Moreover, now more than ever, everyone believed the Spellmans were involved in demonic affairs.
That’s not good for the outcast society.
The evidence they had was both substantial and significant: Elliot and the Book of Soyga found on his corpse. They could tie this to the moment when Luke and Wednesday killed Crackstone, just before they could retrieve the demonic book, they were intercepted by Dolores, and the book vanished.
It would be revealed publicly at the trial that Crackstone obtained his powers through one of the six great demonic books. This information was not known to the general public within the outcast community, but it was time for the truth to come out, placing the Spellmans in a critical position.
Then there was the evidence gathered by Sophie and John Poe, Luke’s parents. The documents Octavius had read would help, although they wouldn’t be enough to prove with 100% certainty that the Spellmans were guilty or making deals with demons.
However, everything hinged on the memory extract made by Sophie Poe. According to the letter she left behind, that was the most important piece of evidence, the one that would put the Spellmans in checkmate.
Along with certain events surrounding Luke, like the attack by lesser demons at Petropolus Manor, Dolores Spellman’s conveniently timed appearance at Nevermore the same night Luke and Wednesday resurrected Crackstone, the Blood Moon at Nevermore, and the powerful hooded figures who fought Gomez and Fester, Octavius was almost certain they would win, and this would mark the fall of the great psychic family.
At least a fall in name. If they truly had several demonic members who should be dead, their power should not be underestimated, they wouldn’t fall without a fight.
“Don’t they have a psychic who can extract memories?” Natasha asked, suggesting the idea of pulling from Luke’s mind the moment he killed Elliot, to prove to the court that the corpse had remained untouched since the moment of death. That way, they would know the Book of Soyga wasn’t planted on him.
“There’s no need. Gomez is the head of the demon extermination department, no one will think he planted one of the six demonic books on Elliot’s corpse to frame him. Besides, it’s better not to say that Luke killed Elliot,” Octavius answered, looking at Natasha.
“We’re going to lie to the court?” Natasha asked. That wasn’t exactly advisable.
“Yes. We don’t want everyone to know Luke killed Elliot, because that would mean they’d learn he awakened a fourth aura… It’s better if they think Gomez and Fester arrived just in time to finish Elliot off. Either way, the two people they fought are officially dead, so they can’t testify against us,” Octavius explained.
On the other hand, he believed that revealing Luke had awakened a fourth aura would cause a huge stir, and that wouldn’t be good for the trial. They might accuse Luke of making deals with demons to gain so many auras, or some other nonsense best avoided.
And besides, this way, the remaining enemies would underestimate Luke’s strength, when he wakes up and begins training his new aura, he’ll be on a whole other level.
Natasha nodded, understanding his reasoning. It was true that the public would find it hard to believe that a psychic could have four auras naturally. And a trial involving demonic matters didn’t help.
The trial was already scheduled. Unlike the normie judicial system, where processes could drag on for years due to bureaucracy and legal technicalities, the outcast society had a much more direct and pragmatic approach.
When crimes involving demonic pacts were in question, the Council intervened with a firm hand, issuing swift and forceful judgments.
There was no room for drawn-out debates or endless appeals. If the evidence was clear, the verdict was delivered without delay.
In this case, the weight of the accusations and the prestige of the Addams family accelerated the process even more. One of the most influential psychic families was filing charges for the use of demonic magic, and the Council couldn’t afford to ignore it. The fact that Gomez was head of the demon extermination department helped a lot.
The corruption of the Spellmans and their ties to forbidden forces represented a threat to the entire outcast society.
Thus, in just a few days, the trial would take place, putting the powerful Spellman family on the stand. If found guilty, the punishment would not be a simple sentence, the ruling could be the total execution of the family.
Demons are considered absolute enemies, creatures whose only purpose is destruction, chaos, and the devouring of souls, both normie and outcast alike. They’re not just a threat to one group, but to the very existence of all humanity.
A greater demon can appear on the earthly plane at will, cause colossal destruction, and return to its dimension before anyone can respond.
If the trial proved the Spellmans had made pacts with greater demonic books, they would be deemed traitors to their own kind. In that case, the only possible sentence would be the extermination of the family and the purge of all members without exception. No prison, no exile, no second chances.
Two days before the trial, with Luke still unconscious, everyone moved into the Addams mansion, Wednesday’s home.
Luke, though he didn’t know it, had been under the protection of a very powerful escort. Even Edward Spellman himself would have thought twice about attacking him at that moment.
And so, a week passed.
…
Luke’s eyes slowly opened, his vision blurry at first, adjusting with difficulty after being unconscious for several days.
The first thing he noticed was the darkness of the room, interrupted only by the pale glow of the full moon streaming through the large window.
The dark curtains had been drawn open, allowing the silver light to bathe the room in a ghostly glow, casting long shadows on the walls.
‘I finally woke up,’ Luke thought.
His body felt heavy, as if still trapped in a deep slumber. When he tried to move an arm, he noticed a weight on it and turned his head.
There, resting on his chest, was Wednesday.
Her expressionless face, like an unchanging porcelain mask, stared at him intently. Her two dark sockets pierced into him with intensity, as if she had been watching him in silence for hours.
‘I almost shit myself,’ Luke thought, swallowing hard as he stared into Wednesday’s eyes. He expected to have déjà vu, like the last time he had been unconscious, but this time Wednesday wasn’t asleep.
Luckily, his girlfriend was very pretty.
Even in the dim light, even with her impassive expression, Wednesday was beautiful. Her black hair framed her face like a cascade of shadows, and the moonlight gave her an almost mystical glow. She looked like a living porcelain doll: perfect.
Luke felt his throat dry and his voice hoarse as he tried to speak for the first time in days.
“Hey… how long has—”
Before he could finish the sentence, Wednesday interrupted him.
She leaned over and kissed him.
A long, deep kiss, unhurried yet firm. Her cold lips contrasted with the warmth beginning to spread through Luke’s body. Without hesitation, he returned the kiss, matching her intensity.
After several long seconds, Wednesday pulled away from Luke, opening her eyes but keeping her gaze locked on his.
Luke, still feeling the tingle of the kiss on his lips, smiled faintly. He was about to throw in a teasing remark to break the tension, maybe something like: Did you miss me a lot? or Wow, what a welcome… you almost made me faint again, but once again, Wednesday cut him off.
She said two words.
“I love you.”
There was no hesitation in Wednesday’s voice. It wasn’t an impulsive confession or a timid whisper. It was a fact.
Luke blinked, feeling his heart, just now returning to its normal rhythm, skip a beat. He hadn’t expected that.
And for the first time in a long while, he was speechless.
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