The Chamber of Verdicts held no shadows.
Only the blinding brilliance of celestial judgment.
Matt stood at its center, bound in silver light.
A boy of sixteen, yet his gaze—haunted and calm—met the divine eyes of every god present.
Encircling him was the Circle of Law.
Dozens of deities surrounded him: Eternals of time and light, elemental sovereigns, spirits of starfire and dust.
Above them, seated upon thrones of light and stone, loomed the Five Imperial Paladins.
And behind Matt—wings cloaked, face unreadable—stood Amiya.
She had broken every law to raise him.
Now, she was being forced to watch him die.
---
The Accusation
Monshin rose first, his voice cold as polished steel.
"This creature—this halfblood—is a threat to existence. Born of two forbidden lineages: Nitine and Eternal. Mortal and divine."
A ripple of unease moved through the assembly.
Analice stepped forward next. Her smile was tight, unkind.
"The Loom of Echoes bears his soulprint. His potential is not merely powerful—it is apocalyptic."
Amiya stepped forward, voice sharp as honed crystal.
"He has never harmed anyone."
Thermuz laughed, his voice crackling like burning parchment.
"Not yet."
Amiya turned on them, wings flaring wide.
"You fear him because you see yourselves in him. Because he is something your power can't control."
Arshimest, Paladin of Judgment, raised a hand. The chamber fell still.
He turned to Matt.
"Do you deny what you are?"
Matt didn't flinch.
"I don't know what I am. I only know I didn't choose it."
He drew a deeper breath, eyes like forged steel.
"But I will choose what I become."
---
The Verdict
The last to rise was Pailance, goddess of Balance.
Amiya's mother.
Her voice was slow, careful. Almost unwilling.
"The boy bears no guilt. But his very existence… unravels too much."
Above them, the sky dimmed.
"By order of the Five, and by assent of Balance… Matt Salurga shall be unmade."
Amiya's scream shattered the warding runes lining the chamber walls.
"You damned cowards! You fear your own future—so you kill it!"
Guards surged forward.
Matt turned—just once.
Amiya met his eyes.
"Forgive me. I couldn't protect you from them... but maybe your next life will burn them all."
And then she vanished—into light and silence.
They placed Matt within the Circle of Undoing.
He didn't cry.
He didn't beg.
He simply looked up.
To the stars.
"If I ever come back… I won't be kind."
The circle activated.
Void erupted.
His soul screamed.
And then—
Silence.