???? ??????? || D. Grayson

"Tribune, we can only repeat what we've been saying all along. The Justice League never meant to attack Rimbor and its inhabitants! They're not conquerors or criminals... Their only interest is peace."

"Forgive us, Hal Jordan. But if we who represent the Polygloture of Rimbor find that difficult to swallow."

"It's the truth!" Hal yelled, banging his fist on the podium.

"I suggest you take the floor before Hal loses it again," Guy whispered to me and I narrowed my eyes.

"I'm technically a cosmic threat, Guy," I hissed under my breath. "I highly doubt these idiots would listen to me, especially without much evidence."

"Just wing it," he said and gave me a small shove forward.

I stumbled out and into the center of the courtroom's attention.

Instantly, every Rimbor delegate froze.

Nine rings hummed around me, soft pulses of color reflecting across the metallic floor like a living kaleidoscope.

"Zaria," Hal warned, but I held out a hand.

"Tribune, I seek to take Hal Jordan's place and represent the defendants," I said, keeping my voice as neutral as possible.

"You," the Tribune widened his eyes in slight fear. "We have heard of you... the female who destroyed Ysmault and took down Krona. The child warrior of Tamaran... The Star-born daughter."

I straightened, letting the Rings settle into a soft, steady pulse around me, radiating calm but undeniable power.

"It pleases me to know that my reputation is so well-known across the galaxy," I smirked. "But I am not here to destroy... I am here to speak the truth on behalf of the Justice League of Earth."

One of the elder delegates, a tall, metallic-skinned being with eyes like molten silver, raised a hand.

"Child... warrior... why should we trust words spoken by one who carries the power of the universe? Power without restraint is indistinguishable from tyranny."

"Because the proof is not in what I can destroy," I said softly, eyes meeting theirs, "but in what I have chosen not to. In what my allies and I have chosen to defend... That is my word."

"Then do you claim that even with the power you wield, you have never faltered? Never allowed emotion to sway judgment to catastrophic ends? The destruction of Ysmault was your doing, after all."

"Ysmault was a mistake that I will carry for the rest of my life... I was a child still learning restraint and I lost control after defeating Krona."

The Rings around me brightened ever so slightly, the white glow smoothing over the erratic pulses of color, like a heartbeat steadying itself.

"I was punished," I continued, keeping my voice firm yet measured. "Not just by the Guardians, but by my own conscience. Every life lost, every empire shaken... I bear responsibility. And I have spent every day since learning to temper my power, to weigh each choice, to ensure that what I can destroy is never used without reason and never without protection for those who cannot defend themselves."

A murmur rippled through the courtroom, soft but noticeable. The delegates shifted, metallic eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

"You speak of restraint," the silver-eyed elder said, voice cold but intrigued. "And yet... how can we be sure that your restraint will hold when the full spectrum of emotion resides within you? You carry the power of the universe itself."

"Because restraint," I said, voice calm, steady, "is not about the power you carry. It is about the choice you make in every moment. I wield the Spectrum. I feel every emotion imaginable amplified by light and will. And yet, I have chosen the path of protection, not destruction. I have chosen to defend, to preserve life, to weigh the consequences before acting. That is my proof."