The Last Step-Chapter 86: The Last Tear Never Fell

Celia’s Perspective

My wrists were raw—scraped and sore from the cold iron shackles that kept me upright, but barely. I wasn’t even sitting. My body just... hung there, like something discarded.

The stone wall behind my back was freezing. I couldn’t tell if the trembling in my bones was from the cold or from everything else that had already been broken inside me.

Maybe both.

I stared down.

My eyes wouldn’t blink anymore.

They’d dried up after so many nights of crying silently into the dark.So many nights without sleep.So many nights... wanting to die.

And now I just sat.

I don’t know if I’m still alive.

Maybe part of me already died with him.

The door creaked open—metal grinding against metal like it was laughing at me. I didn’t lift my head. There was nothing worth looking at.

"Sir Alaric, I can handle her myself," came that rotten voice.

Roderic.

His boots always clicked too confidently, like each step he took was toward another piece of cruelty he hadn’t invented yet.

"You don’t have to bother," he added.

Alaric’s voice followed—colder, smoother. "Adonis ordered me to get it done tonight."

"...Suit yourself, Vice Captain," Roderic said with a grin I didn’t need to see to know was there. I could hear it. Feel it.

Their boots got closer. I could feel the vibration of each one.

Then his hand, thick and rough, grabbed my hair.

I winced.

He yanked my head up—violently, like I was nothing but a broken doll. My neck burned from the strain.

"Look at me, witch," he spat.

I stared through him.

Like he wasn’t even there.

"Tonight, you talk. I’m not leaving until you tell us everything—how you summon cursed monsters, where you learned it, who you’re working for."

I didn’t answer.

I couldn’t.

Not because I was brave.

But because there was nothing left inside me.

Roderic growled. Then slammed my head into the stone floor.

A crack echoed.

Pain flared. But it was distant—muted. Like my body was just watching this happen to itself. Like I’d already stepped away, watching from above. Watching a girl that wasn’t even me anymore.

He kicked me once—twice—somewhere near my ribs.

They screamed. Bones, maybe.

My hands trembled. Fingers twitching against the stone.

But the pain I felt there was still nothing. Nothing compared to what was inside my heart.

Alaric’s voice hummed like a blade being unsheathed.

"She looks awfully tired."

Roderic laughed. "Of course she is. We haven’t let her sleep for six days."

He laughed harder. A cruel, twisted sound that bounced off the stone walls like a lullaby from hell.

Six days.

Without sleep.Without food.

Alaric spoke again. "The trial’s tomorrow. Get her to talk by any means."

Roderic walked toward the iron box near the wall.

The other knights passed him tools.

Knives. Clamps. Barbed wires. Burning rods. I recognized them now.

That was the worst part.I recognized them.Because I’d met them before.

"Watch closely, Alaric," Roderic chuckled darkly, "I’ll get the witch to sing."

I didn’t say anything.

Because I didn’t care anymore.

Let them kill me.Let them break my body.

I already died once.

The moment I lost Kaiser.

I couldn’t even say his name out loud anymore.

It’d choke me.

It’d kill me again.

If they let me go, I’d crawl out into the rain and slit my wrists myself, just to see if I could feel something that wasn’t this. But they won’t even give me that freedom.

So I whispered—quietly, only for myself.

"I’m sorry... I couldn’t keep my promise."

My cheek pressed against the cold floor, my breath slow and shallow.

"I promised I’d save you. I said I would. I thought I could. I really thought..."

I coughed—wet. Bloody. But my voice didn’t crack.

Because I had nothing left to cry with.

"It hurts so much."

My voice trembled. But my eyes were dry.

"I want to die."

"I want you to hold me again..."

I curled my bloodied fingers against my chest.

"...and tell me I’m okay. Just one more time."

But no voice came.

And Roderic’s sadistic grin in the background, already preparing the next tool.

I closed my eyes.

"If you can hear me, Kaiser...Please... Let me see you in my dreams. Even if it’s for a second."

And maybe—just maybe—then I’d have the strength to scream.Or finally...

To cry.

"Ready for tonight, witch?" Roderic sneered, his voice sharp and casual. "You’ve been so quiet. It’s getting boring."

I didn’t look up. I couldn’t. Not because of fear.But because my eyes had nothing left to give him.

Alaric stood behind him, arms crossed, face still. His silence didn’t make him innocent. He was here. Watching. Letting it happen.

"You know..." Roderic crouched down, grabbing my chin, forcing my face up with a hand stained with dried blood. My blood. "People like you never last long. I’ll break you tonight."

He smirked.

"Time to cry."

I said nothing.

Not because I had anything to hide.

But because my voice was dead.

He grabbed my hand putting my finger against a tool... Nail-ripping and splinter torture.

It grabbed my index finger’s nail and started pulling it, my hands were shaking and my body was struggling every second. Blood coming out from the edge of it, desperately clinging on... The pain was excruciating burning my skin and body.

Then it was pulled out...

The sharp pain was unbearable. I couldn’t scream anymore, not even when I wanted to. The air felt thick, almost alive with cruelty, like it too enjoyed watching me crumble.

I bit down on my tongue so hard I tasted my own blood.

Roderic chuckled when he saw the tears trail down my cheeks.

"Finally. That’s more like it. Cry, witch. Cry for the people you killed. Cry for the curses you summoned."

Then out of nowhere he slammed a big hammer onto my right hand. The sharp pain broke my nails and crushed my bones.

Then he did it again.

Again.

I gasped sharply, the sound barely escaping my throat. The pain came in waves now — loud, overwhelming waves that swallowed every thought I tried to hold onto.

And yet...

None of it hurt like the emptiness.

Not as much as losing him.

Kaiser.

Roderic leaned in, his voice near my ear.

"Still not talking? Not even a whimper? Damn. You really were made for this, huh?"

I wanted to scream.

Not from the pain.

"Why couldn’t I save you?" I whispered, barely audible.

"Huh?" Roderic tilted his head.

I didn’t answer him.

Because the voice wasn’t for him.

It was for the one who saved me when no one else ever did.

And now... I couldn’t even save myself.

He would hate seeing me like this.

No—he would kill them all if he saw me like this.

I smiled faintly through the blood and tears.

Because if Kaiser was still alive... even a chance...

Then they were already dead.

All of them.

Every. Last. One.

Pain.

That was all there was.

"AAAHHHHH—!!"

The walls didn’t echo it.

They swallowed it.

My scream meant nothing here.

Roderic laughed. A horrible sound.Not amused — thrilled.

"Now that’s more like it," he spat, wiping a smear of blood from his glove. "Scream louder. Maybe someone will finally hear you. Oh wait—"

He brought his foot back and—

CRACK

His boot slammed into my ribs.

Then again.My head.My back.My side.

"NO ONE is going to come save you!!" he roared, kicking me with each word. "You’re ALONE! You HEAR ME?! YOU’RE—!"

"I know..." I whispered.

He stopped.

"I know," I said again, blood trailing from the corner of my mouth.

There was silence. Just for a second.Even the room seemed to hold its breath.

But instead of relief, it only made him angrier.

"You little—!!"

I saw the flash of metal.

His blade was already out, his arm already pulled back.Aimed right at me.

Finally, I thought.Finally, it ends.

But the blade never reached me.

Alaric’s hand shot out, catching Roderic’s wrist in the air.

"Enough," he said, voice colder than the steel in his grip. "You’re letting your emotions cloud your purpose."

Roderic growled, his eyes still wild, his breathing heavy."She’s not going to talk. She wants to die."

"She might," Alaric replied.

"She looks like nothing," Roderic muttered, voice laced with disgust. "Barely breathing, still breathing the same air as me."

No response at first. Just silence... then something shifted in his tone.

"You wanna know why I hate her kind?" he said suddenly, louder, angrier. "It’s not just her. It’s all of them. All the cursed filth."

My breath hitched. I didn’t look up. But I listened. Because pain makes you hear everything.

"Two years ago. The Asura Crisis," he went on. "I had a best friend. Jalen. We fought side by side for six damn years. Strongest guy I ever knew. Loyal to the end."

He laughed... but it sounded broken.

"One cursed freak turned him. Just one. Twisted his body, poisoned his mind. Turned him into a monster before my eyes. I tried to save him. I swear I did."

A long pause.

"I couldn’t even burn what was left of him..."

I heard something slam—maybe his hand, maybe the wall—I didn’t flinch anymore. My nerves had given up.

"I hate her," he growled. "I hate everything her kind stands for. They should’ve been exterminated the moment they showed signs. No trial. No mercy. Just gone."

He wasn’t even looking at me. He wasn’t speaking to me.

Alaric finally said something.

"You’re not the only one."

The room grew quieter somehow.

"I lost my wife. My daughter. She was seven."

Something cracked in his voice and I felt it in my stomach.

"That night, I was late coming home. I was supposed to tuck her in."

My nails dug into my own palms.

"I still hear them sometimes. Screaming. And I wonder if I’d just run faster, maybe I could’ve..."

He stopped.

"You’re not alone, Roderic," Alaric continued. "All of us... all thirteen under Adonis—we’ve all lost something. Someone. That’s why we took this role. To make sure it doesn’t happen again."

Their eyes turned to me.

Like I was some... murderer.

Some symbol of the pain that wouldn’t fade.

I lifted my head slowly, everything aching.

My voice came out softer than I meant. Hoarse, almost broken.

"I... I didn’t do anything."

Roderic’s expression darkens as he grabs the knife leaning down at me.

He squeezes my fingers together before bringing the knife down, the cold metal touching my skin. A sharp sting pierces through the numbness, and I gasp, my eyes watering.

He laughs, the sound echoing through the room. "Just a little taste of what’s to come," he whispers.

The knife traces a line across my palm, the pain shooting up my arm slowly, painfully.

He then proceeds to grab a needle and thread. The sight of it sends a cold shiver down my spine. Without a moment’s hesitation, he pushes the needle through the freshly made wound.

It feels like fire searing through my flesh as he starts to sew, the pain unbearable. Each tug of the thread feels like a part of me is being ripped away. His laughter is a constant companion, a taunting reminder of my helplessness.

"You’re so pretty when you’re in pain," he says, his voice a sickening blend of amusement and admiration. "I could do this all day."

I close my eyes, trying to escape into the dark recesses of my mind, but the pain follows me. It’s a living, breathing entity, consuming every inch of my being. The sound of the thread pulling through my skin.

When he’s done, he steps back to admire his handiwork, the scar a gruesome testament to his twisted sense of artistry. "Now, isn’t that a pretty picture?" he asks, his voice dripping with cruelty.

...

Morning came.

I don’t remember when my eyes closed... or if they ever did.The ache in places I never thought could hurt.

My body felt like it didn’t belong to me anymore. Numb, but trembling... torn and heavy like a broken puppet. The iron cuffs chafed against my skin, raw and unforgiving. My lips were cracked. My throat burned.

I lived.

But I wasn’t sure if that was a victory or a punishment.

The cell door creaked open again, but I didn’t even lift my head.

"I can’t believe she didn’t say a damn thing," I heard Roderic mutter, voice sharp with disbelief and fury. "Not a single word... all night."

He slammed his fist against the stone wall, and the sound echoed like thunder in my ears.I didn’t flinch. There was no strength left to flinch.

I felt their eyes on me. Alaric’s calm, collected gaze. Cold, judgmental.Roderic’s burning hatred. The kind that made the air heavier.

"She’s dying," Roderic spat, "and still refuses to speak."

Alaric didn’t respond at first. Just silence. The kind that stung worse than any insult.Eventually, he muttered something—half warning, half command.

"Calm yourself."

Another beat of silence passed before new footsteps arrived.

More armored knights stepped into the room. Their presence was loud even without words.Their boots echoed in rhythm. Authority. Rank.

Then I heard it. A sound like distance folding inward.

Adonis.

I didn’t need to look. I felt him before I saw him.

The weight of his presence settled like a blade on the back of my neck. He walked closer, slowly, until his shadow stretched across the bloodstained floor of my cell.

I raised my eyes.

His golden armor gleamed in the dim light. His expression, carved from stone. Unreadable. Cold.

He looked down at me—this husk of a girl.

"Last Chance," Adonis’ voice was a desperate whisper, "Tell us how you uses the curses to summon monsters."

I couldn’t...

"I... I can’t."

Adonis’ expression darkened.

"You will speak," he snarled, his hand tightening around the hilt of his sword.

"Very well," Adonis said, his voice cold as ice. He nodded to Roderic, who stepped forward, his eyes devoid of any emotion. He grabbed my wrists, his grip ironclad.

I felt the heat before I saw the flame. The blade of Adonis’ sword burst into flames. I could almost feel the heat from where I stood, my eyes wide with terror.

"This is your punishment."

With a flick of his wrist, he brought the blade to my neck. The fire burned my skin, and I screamed. The pain was a living entity, searing through me, leaving a trail of agony in its wake.

The smell of burning flesh filled the room, making my own stomach churn.

"You’re worthless now," he said, his voice a cold whisper. "You will die, witch."

The world spun as I collapsed to the ground, my body a mass of pain. I could feel the warm trickle of blood running down my neck, mingling with tears.

Why... is it always me?

Adonis turned away, his footsteps heavy on the stone floor. "Take her to the trial," he said, his voice devoid of emotion. "I’ll bring the knights that have arrived from Asura."

Roderic grabbed me by the hair pulling me.

So this is the end for me...

A permanent mark left on my neck... reminder of a failure I was.

"I’m sorry," I murmured to myself, my voice barely audible. "I’m sorry I couldn’t save you Kaiser..."

Lucas – 12:30 PM

The moment I zipped up the black coat, the system chimed in.

「 Outfit equipped. Layered with high-tier celestial and curse resistance. You’re welcome, fashion star. 」

I exhaled, barely smirking. Yeah... not in the mood today.

The air felt stiff. Even the sunlight didn’t carry warmth—it just existed. The trial was today. Thirty minutes from now.

I glanced at the sky and muttered under my breath, "You better be okay, Celia..."

Then I left.

—

The Trial Building sat like a relic from an older, colder time—gray stone, archways tall enough to swallow giants, windows sealed with enchanted glass, and an eerie silence clinging to it like dust of Rinascita.

A wide staircase led to its main entrance, guarded by four knights from Adonis’s elite squad. Their armor didn’t shine—it pulsed, faintly alive with magic. Each one was as still as a statue, but I could feel their eyes scanning every breath I took.

"State your purpose," one of them asked, deadpan.

"Attending the trial."

"Any weapons?"

"None visible," I said casually.

They didn’t laugh. Didn’t even blink.

After a tension-filled pause, they stepped aside.

「 That building is surrounded by a layered forcefield. No entry unless passed by those guards. That includes teleportation, shadow-warping, or spatial cracks. And yes, I checked. You’re locked in. 」

Got it. No easy exits.

—

Inside, the trial hall was like a twisted theater. A long, crescent-shaped chamber. Marble floors. Tiers of onlookers seated like they were here to watch a show rather than a judgment.

Left side—empty chairs and scattered nobles. Right side? A full row of knights, all wearing the same sigil: the crimson and gold of Asura’s Realm Knights. At their center stood Alaric, face unreadable, and Roderic, the one who would speak during the trial.

Front and center stood the trial box.

A small, elevated cage of runed metal, sealed tight. The spot where they’d place her—Celia.

My eyes shifted, scanning.

And there—across from me, in the gallery—Levi leaned against the stone railing. His arms crossed. His expression? Frustrated... but silent.

But beside him...Sylvia.

What the hell?

No way.

I blinked twice, thinking my brain might’ve bugged out from sleep deprivation, but nope—there she was. Sylvia goddamn.

The silver-eyed, high-and-mighty noble with a superiority complex bigger than this courtroom. The last time I saw her was two years ago... at the academy. Always surrounded by her elite circle—Elfie included.

She looked just as shocked to see me, and yeah, the feeling was mutual.

I walked toward the left side of the court and took a seat near Levi. Sylvia sat directly across. Her gaze didn’t leave mine. Cold and sharp, like she was calculating every move I made. But for once, she wasn’t wearing that usual prideful smirk.

"Wait—" Levi glanced between us. "You two know each other?"

I didn’t break eye contact. "Unfortunately."

Sylvia narrowed her eyes. "I could ask you the same. What are you doing here?"

"I’m here for the trial," I said flatly. "To make sure Celia isn’t punished unfairly. I know how knights like them treat cursed users."

Sylvia’s posture stiffened. Her eyes widened slightly. "...Wait. You’re here for her too?"

"Too?" My brows furrowed. "What do you mean too?"

Her expression shifted—darkened like a cloud had passed over her. Levi noticed it too and leaned forward.

"I get that you two know each other," he said, low-voiced, "but what’s going on here?"

I looked at him and sighed. "Let’s just say our history isn’t the brightest. And right now, this isn’t about the past. It’s about her."

Sylvia turned back to me. "Then leave now, Lucas. While there’s still time."

"...Huh?" I blinked, scoffing. "You serious?"

She didn’t flinch. "You don’t want to be here. Trust me."

"And who the hell are you to tell me that?" I snapped. "This isn’t the academy anymore. You don’t have him standing behind you to act all high and mighty."

I narrowed my eyes, voice cold. "The Joker’s gone."

That one hit. She lowered her gaze. Her silver eyes lost a bit of their shine.

"You don’t know what’s going on," she muttered, voice lower than I expected.

Then, out of nowhere, she asked—

"Celia only has one friend."

I blinked. "...What?"

Levi turned his head toward her slowly. She didn’t look at either of us.

"He saved her when she couldn’t fight. Protected her when she had nothing. Took care of her... made her feel alive. Made her smile when nobody else could. He never asked for anything in return." Her voice trembled at the end.

"What does that have to do with anyth—"

She cut me off. "That man is the reason she fought the Swarm Tyrant. Levi told me everything. The truth... and it made me realize who’s coming for her."

I looked into her eyes. "Who?"

Sylvia looked back at me, no longer angry, just tired... and maybe even scared.

"The man who saved her... the one who orchestrated everything to protect her," she whispered.

"...Is Kaiser Everhart."

I stopped breathing for a second.

The room around me blurred into background noise. My thoughts? Gone. Words? Lost.

The bells echoed like a death sentence.

Four knights stepped through the tall archways, dragging her in like a criminal.

Celia.

I froze.

Her body—gods, her body. Wounds ran across her arms, bruises painted her face, a fresh burn around her neck like some kind of branded warning.

Her red eyes... weren’t red anymore. They were dull. Hollow. The same eyes that used to glare at me in battle like I was her rival. The same ones that used to light up in a weird little grin when she figured something out.

Gone.

She was walking—barely. Her legs wobbled like they’d collapse if someone so much as breathed too loud.

My fists tightened, knuckles cracking.

「 Lucas. Visual match complete. Based on gait, hair samples left at Hive Site-01, and DNA residue left on the the grotesques dead there: 93.8% match to Kaiser Everhart. 」

I blinked.

「 The note Celia received with the flower—the one encoded in Morse. Only you could read it. Only he would know you’d understand it. He saved her that night. Killed the Tyrant. And vanished. 」

I sat down slowly beside Sylvia, trying to process it. That... That was him?

The Joker.

The system pulled up a scan of Celia’s wounds, outlining nerve damage, broken cartilage, old and fresh cuts layered. I didn’t need to see it all. I could see it in her eyes—she had nothing left. That fire in her? That wild, unhinged light she always carried?

Gone.

「 Estimated pain index: catastrophic. Most would’ve gone mad. Conclusion: she endured all of this after losing him. 」

"...No," I whispered.

She couldn’t lose someone like him even if she tried.

He wasn’t the kind of man you’d ever recover from.

Then Levi stood. He looked like he could explode at any second.

"What the hell is this?!" he shouted, pointing at her. "Why is she like this?! What did you do?!"

His voice cracked halfway through, and that said everything.

Alaric didn’t respond.

Roderic, the smug bastard, leaned forward. "She resisted, quite a bit. So we made sure she couldn’t resist again. Isn’t that right?" he grinned, turning to her like she was a dog he’d trained.

Celia didn’t even flinch.

She stood in the middle of the trial box, unmoving, broken, saying nothing. A ghost of herself. Not out of defiance.

Out of loss.

Levi started forward, but Sylvia reached out, grabbing his sleeve.

"Don’t," she whispered. "Fighting won’t change anything."

I stared ahead, heart pounding in my ears.

"No," I muttered under my breath. "Talking won’t change anything either."

They already made their minds up.

They weren’t letting her walk out of here alive.

The trial chamber fell into a low hush. The air itself seemed to brace for the weight of what was about to unfold.

Celia stood—or tried to. Shackled. Shaking. Her figure barely holding up beneath whatever hell she had endured.

Levi tried to call out to her.

"Celia—look at me. It’s me, Levi."

No response. Not even a twitch. Her bloodshot eyes remained low, barely aware of anything beyond her chains.

I glanced at Sylvia. She looked sick to her stomach.

The judge’s hammer dropped. A voice echoed: "Let the trial begin."

Alaric rose first, calm and composed.

"We are gathered to determine the fate of the one known as Celia, identified as a cursed wielder. She poses a threat not only to the region of Rinascita, but possibly the continent itself."

Roderic stood beside him, smug as ever. "We’re lucky we detained her before she snapped."

"Objection." I stepped forward. My voice was firm, cold. "She didn’t snap. She helped save this town. She fought alongside me to take down the Swarm Tyrant. Ask your scouts. Ask anyone who saw her in battle. If she wanted to burn this town down, she already would’ve."

Alaric’s expression didn’t move. "And yet, that’s precisely the point. She could. That girl has the power to summon hundreds of cursed entities. Entire cities could fall if she lost control—or if she was commanded to."

I clenched my fists. "She didn’t. And you don’t judge people based on what they might do. You judge them based on what they did. And what she did was fight for you."

Sylvia stepped in beside me, arms crossed. "She didn’t ask for anything. No glory, no thanks. She just fought. And now you chain her up like an animal."

"Because animals with claws will kill when cornered," Roderic sneered.

Sylvia’s glare could’ve burned through stone.

But just then... a sound.

Soft. Fragile.

My ears perked up.

"...Kai...ser..."

Barely audible, her voice cracked on the second syllable like it had never been used for anything gentle before. It wasn’t loud, but it cut through the silence of the chamber like a knife.

My breath caught.

That wasn’t a call for help.

That was a prayer.

A plea.

A final hope whispered into the void.

Roderic snapped, taking a step forward. "She’s summoning something—!"

He lunged.

"Don’t—!"

Before I could react, he moved.

He slapped her across the face.

She stumbled, collapsing to her knees again like she’d just been hit with the last piece of strength she had.

"Why the hell did you do that?!" I roared.

"She was summoning a monster! I saved you all."

I stared at him. My jaw clenched.

"No..." I whispered. "That wasn’t the name of a monster."

Everyone turned toward me.

"That was the name of the devil."

The heavy doors creaked open.

Boots echoed into the trial.

Adonis stepped in.

Each step felt like the room itself bowed to him. His golden cloak barely moved, his eyes even less.

I didn’t stand. Neither did Sylvia. But Levi did... for a moment, before sitting again. His shoulders were tight.

Adonis scanned the room like a hawk in a trial of mice, before his gaze landed on Celia—just barely upright, her wrists trembling in the center of the courtroom.

"You’re all wasting time," he said, turning toward the judge. "Let’s pass the verdict."

I stood.

"So we’re really doing this?" My voice was low, controlled. "Trial by threats?"

Sylvia followed, brushing her cloak back. "Adonis, this isn’t justice. You know it. We’ve fought together before. You’re not blind."

His eyes narrowed at her. "I’m a knight and I know justice better than you all. She bears the curse—she carries the presence of the Queen of Curses."

"She protected Rinascita," Sylvia said.

"She killed the Swarm Tyrant," I added.

"What are you gonna say to that?," Sylvia continued, calm but sharp.

"She is a threat," Adonis said, unmoving. "You speak of what she did. I speak of what she can do. The blood she could spill. The lives she could end. She will kill millions like what happened 500 years ago."

I grit my teeth. "You’re condemning her for something she hasn’t done."

"Would you wait for the city to burn before stopping the fire?" Adonis asked.

I see it now... he thinks nobody can oppose him so he is saying anything he desires.

My anger boiled. "Going against you, huh? That’s what this is? You’re not just a knight, you’re a kingdom’s mouthpiece, right?"

He didn’t flinch. "Yes. And opposing me... is opposing Asura itself."

My nails dug into my palms.

Alaric—up until now silent—spoke, "Lucas... haven’t you already lost everything once? Your family at—"

"Don’t," I growled.

His voice froze mid-word.

"Don’t bring them up."

My gaze snapped toward him—and even Sylvia looked startled. I didn’t feel angry. I felt something colder than that.

I felt ready.

Sylvia placed her hand near mine. Not on it. Just close. A silent reminder: now’s not the time.

She said softly, "We can’t win if a fight breaks out."

And maybe she was right.

I couldn’t take them all. Not here. Not now.

But that didn’t mean I’d forgive them.

Levi—quiet until now—stood.

"I don’t care about Empires, or titles," he said.

Adonis turned to him, eyebrow raised.

Levi kept speaking. "Celia... she lived with me. Back in Levinton. With Emma. My little sister. We took her in. She was scared. Confused. You know what she never did?" His voice cracked a little. "She never hurt anyone."

His fists were shaking. "She made breakfast with Emma every morning. She used to sneak outside just to pick some flowers. That’s who she is."

Adonis said nothing for a moment. Then looked toward the judge. "Her past doesn’t matter. Her existence is a threat. That is the only truth we need."

He turned to the judge. "Pass the verdict."

The judge’s fingers trembled. "I... I would like to hear her speak, first."

All eyes turned.

To Celia.

She hadn’t moved since she was dragged in. But now... her lips parted.

Barely.

I stepped forward, voice gentle. "Celia. Don’t be scared. Say the truth. Say it loud. You didn’t do anything."

Levi added, "You can come back to Levinton with me. With Emma. We’ll fix this. I promise."

Sylvia closed her eyes. I could hear her whispering something under her breath.

Celia opened her mouth.

Her voice wasn’t even a whisper.

"I..."

Everyone leaned in.

"...want to die."

Everything stopped.

The judge’s voice came down like a guillotine.

"Then I’ve made my decision."

My chest felt hollow.

"The knights of Asura have a valid reason to be saying this," he continued, his tone heavy with self-righteous weight. "We do not wish to repeat what happened 500 years ago during the reign of the Queen of Curses. Celestine does not want bloodshed. And she is, without a doubt, a threat."

He paused for effect, then delivered the death blow.

"She is, after all... the reborn Queen of Curses."

I didn’t look at Adonis, but I could feel it—the satisfaction radiating from his presence like heat from a forge.

Across the room, Celia’s head dropped further.

Whatever hope she had left was now ash.

Levi, sitting beside me, barely whispered. "We have to stop this."

My fists tightened. "We have to fight... but..."

Sylvia’s voice came low, finishing my thought. "Even if we all team up... we can’t take down fourteen elite knights of Asura and a Knight of the Realm who has a god watching over him."

She wasn’t wrong.

The judge’s voice rose again. "In this trial, I convict Celia of being a potential threat to the world. And thus... give the knights of Asura permission to end her."

I looked at her.

Her broken body.

Her hollow stare.

No...

Why... Why can’t I move?

I couldn’t breathe.

It was all over.

The judge raised his hand. "If there are no objections, this case is dismissed—"

"I object."

The voice wasn’t mine.

It wasn’t Levi’s.

It didn’t come from the front row either.

It came from the back of the room.

Strong. Calm. Cold enough to silence time itself.

The air itself changed.

Even the knights twitched.

Every head turned as the heavy doors creaked open.

Boots echoed on marble floor. A lone figure walked through the threshold.

Long black overcoat brushing the ground.

Jet-black hair gently shifting with each step.

But it was the eyes that said everything—Frostbitten Blue, burning with fury restrained by only the thinnest thread of self-control.

Celia—barely able to lift her head—looked up.

Her arms trembled.

Her voice cracked. "K...Kaiser...?"

Time shattered.

He walked forward slowly making his way towards us with a neutral expression.

And then he stood—between all of us.

The knights. The judge. Us.

His gaze locked on Celia.

He didn’t say anything for a moment.

Didn’t need to.

The cold, the fury, the murderous intent that burned in those eyes said it all.

He’d seen her wounds.

He’d seen everything.

And he was done.

He was angry.

No—he was malicious.

His voice finally broke the silence.

"The trial ends here."

The room didn’t move.

No one breathed.

Adonis’s expression finally broke—confusion lacing with faint caution.

"I will take her from here," Kaiser said.

This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦