***
November 27, 2023 at 3:45 PM
The trial of Iris from the Hadzakura Temple turned out to be one of the most confusing trials imaginable.
At first, Elise Deauxnim, a popular children’s book author, turned out to be none other than Misty Fey, a former master of the Kurain Channeling Technique and mother of Maya and Mia Fey.
Her student, a certain Laurice Deauxnim, actually turned out to be Larry Batz, which was actually no secret at all, but it still took the court quite a while.
The weapon that was used to kill Misty Fey also turned out not to be what it was initially stated to be. Sacred sword Shichishito was not what took the master’s life.
Moreover, in the end, like the icing on the cake, Iris herself turned out to be not who she pretended to be. Instead of her, the person standing at the witness stand was none other than Dahlia Hawthorne, Iris’ twin sister. Or rather, her spirit in someone else’s body, as Dahlia herself has long since left this world.
So this is where the bad ending begins, and this time it cannot be avoided.
Young Pearl Fey summons Mia’s spirit.
As the girl’s body transforms and now it is Mia Fey who standing next to Phoenix, a dark, ominous fire lights up in Dahlia’s eyes, which does not bode well.
Dahlia, who may pretend to be frightened by her cousin’s appearance, is actually rejoicing inside, because now Mia will be able to see her “gift” with her own eyes. Her revenge will finally be served!
And now, after a while, it finally dawns on everyone whose body Dahlia’s spirit is in now. Oh, poor, poor Maya Fey!
But at the same time, it gives them hope. The hope that Dahlia Hawthorne is going to take away with her own hands.
Confidently, Dahlia takes out a small pendant that was hidden under her clothes and, addressing to Phoenix, Mia and Godot, asks if they know what is about to happen now.
“Cheers!” Laughing, Dahlia raises the pendant like a glass, and then touches it to her lips.
Godot is the first to react. Jumping over the prosecutor’s desk, he runs up to the girl. But it’s already too late.
Dahlia drinks down what was in the pendant.
An intense shudder runs through her body. She smirk and looks at Mia victoriously. The remnants of the poison glisten on the lips. A thin trickle of blood flows from the corner of her mouth.
“I hope you liked my “gift”, my dear Mia Fey.”
And poor Maya Fey’s body falls limply to the floor. Mia and Phoenix are already rushing to it.
By the time Mia takes her little sister’s body in her arms, Dahlia Hawthorne is no longer here.
As there is no Maya Fey.
With trembling hands, Phoenix tries to feel for a pulse, Godot calls the medics, and Mia cradles her sister’s body to her heart and cries.
The moment Phoenix realizes the terrible truth, he just can’t look them in the eye.
“Maya… She… She… She’s gone,” his whisper shakes the courtroom. Tears are streaming down his cheeks.
With a deep sigh, the judge lowers his head. This seems to be one of the saddest trials he’s ever seen. And he can hardly pass any sentence.
As much as you’d like to, judging a spirit is not something the Japanifornia legal system is capable of.
The sound of broken glass is heard. It’s Godot, clutching his mug so tightly that it can’t stand upright and shatters into many pieces. Just like him, in fact.
He couldn’t protect her. He couldn’t protect the sister of the person he cared about most. Neither then in the Inner Temple, when he had to kill Misty Fey. Nor now.
And this time, he just can’t bring himself to blame Phoenix. It’s beyond him. The fault lies solely on him. This thought seems to haunt him forever.
That’s what Phoenix thinks about himself too. The feelings of guilt and helplessness seem almost tangible.
What about Mia? All that left for Mia Fey is to mourn her little sister whom no one could save.
Mia’s hands tremble as she caresses Maya’s face, which is beginning to grow cold, foolishly hoping that Maya will open her eyes now, look up at her and laugh. Say that everything is fine. And then she will definitely offer them all to go out for burgers together.
But Maya Fey is silent.
And Mia knows that she won’t hear another word from her. At least not in this world…
***
As medics carry the white cloth-covered body out of the courtroom on a stretcher, Iris and Edgeworth see it. And the first one realizes what happened without any words. The heart in her chest seems to stop for a split second, and her eyes fill with sincere tears. No, that’s not how it was supposed to end! Blaming herself for causing the main branch of the Fey clan was cut off, Iris can’t hold back her sobs. Edgeworth, on the other hand, needs a little more time. But when he sees the blank faces of the people leaving the courtroom, he realizes what happened behind closed doors. He does, but it doesn’t make it any better. He doesn’t know what to do. He doesn’t know how to comfort Phoenix. And whether it’s even possible. In dead silence, all five of them stand in the waiting room. Defeated and doomed. Iris is weeping quietly, and only occasionally can her sobbing and wailing be heard. Her heart is filled with a boundless guilt. If she hadn’t helped Dahlia… Neither then, many years ago, nor now… Perhaps not even a single tragedy could have been avoided. However, it is impossible to turn back the hands of time. As it is impossible to bring back both of Fey’s sisters who passed away too soon. Mia looks straight ahead, but sees nothing. She feels that Pearl’s strength is already running out and she won’t last here for long. Mia looks at Phoenix in silence. It almost physically hurts her to ask for it, but someone has to tell Pearl what happened. And the only one who has the right to do so is him. Someone Mia, Maya, and Pearl herself trust. Someone needs to be there for a little girl who has lost almost all of her close relatives. Phoenix understands this himself. A strong shiver, which he cannot calm down in any way, hits him. His breathing is out of control and he can barely get his lungs to work properly. Never in his life has he thought, not even for a moment imagined, that the youngest of the Fey sisters would die right before his eyes. The loss of his mentor and friend, Mia Fey, had already become a great shock to him, one that Maya helped him cope with. The most positive and brightest person he knew. Yes, he’d assumed, and more than once, her own wounds masked behind that bright burger-fan smile, but he never didn’t force himself into her soul, still doing his best to see her sincere smile as often as possible. Godot is silent. It is unlikely that he will want to say anything anytime soon. And it is even less likely that he will be able to. The remnants of the coffee in his mouth are bitter. But this is not the kind of pleasant bitterness he likes. No, it’s definitely not. This is something much worse. The bitterness on his tongue is intertwined with the bitterness left in his heart. Unwittingly, he remembers that meeting with Dahlia in the cafeteria. Remembers how it ended. Remembers the feeling of emptiness that he experienced, opened his eyes again. Not being able to see the color red was a small thing compared to the fact that he couldn’t see Mia anymore. And now the promise he had made to himself and to her… he couldn’t fulfill it. Couldn’t protect Maya Fey. Even though he is still alive, he feels that his life is over. Edgeworth stands a little apart, head down. He understands that this is not his tragedy. He had gone through his own fifteen years ago. Still, he can’t help but feel the pain emanating from these people. He was never an empath. Von Karma never taught him how to comfort people. He doesn’t know what to do or to say. No word or action seems to be able to help. All Edgeworth knows is that he needs to stay with Phoenix. Maybe that will be enough. And somewhere out there, far, far away, Dahlia Hawthorne is savoring her revenge. Something she was so eager for. Something she so longed for with all her black heart. Finally, her wish came true. Who knew that even after her own death, she would be able to poison the lives of so many people?..***
On this sad note, the story of the trilogy of an ace attorney, Phoenix Wright, ends. A bad ending that no one wanted, but which has a place in one of the many multiuniverses. So let it be written here for all those who want to add a little sadness to their coffee.
