Chapter 1: Judgement
"That is all, Your Honour," a voice reverberated through the wide hall—a silence so chilling it pressed down on everyone seated, witnessing the trial that had just concluded.
All the evidence had been presented, witnesses shuffled through the stands, and now the final decision rested with the man who held the highest authority in the room. His gaze was fixed on the boy standing at the center of the student court, ether chains weighing him down. The boy’s eyes remained glued to the floor—just as they had throughout the entire trial.
"Given all evidence and witness accounts presented before the court, Student Azalea is hereby pronounced guilty of violating Code Sections 45 and 54 of the Laws of Vermillion."
The moment the words were spoken and the gavel fell, a ripple surged through the room. Every single person responded with almost the exact same expression.
Satisfaction.
It was no secret to anyone present—this outcome had been inevitable. Even the young man himself showed no reaction, no change in posture or expression. He just kept staring downward, hiding his face from the sea of judgmental eyes that bore into him.
Why?
In that moment of solitude and silence, isolated from the world around him, only one word echoed in his mind.
Why? Why had it come to this again? WHY?! Why couldn’t he just be like everyone else?
Normal.
And in that moment—that exact moment—what haunted him most wasn’t the sentence.