Justice has nothing to do with what goes on in a courtroom. Justice is what cos out of the courtroom.
But now that Zane was under the oath of the Bright Dichotomy, everyone knew each word that would co out of his mouth would be true so justice had the potential to happen today.
The Emberlord might have let go of his white robe. He might have held a scythe. He might have beco an Executioner instead of a Priest, but he won’t be able to prove Zane as a liar.
Also, Zane had let go of the fear. He wasn’t afraid anymore. He was at the bottom. He had nothing left to lose. Cleave his head and he would still glare at the Emberlord with no hesitation.
After the oath and all the other preparation finished, Coin slamd his scythe on the stage and announced:
"Let us begin the trial of Zane Atlas."
All eyes focused on the stage.
All ears focused on the words that would be spoken on the stage.
No one was on their seats anymore even when they weren’t asked to stand up.
The situation itself made them stand up.
The Emberlord faced the people in front of the stage and asked the first question:
"Are you guilty?"
Zane answered right away.
"Yes. I am."
Xavier’s brows shot up.
Murmurs rose in the crowd and the Emberlord smiled.
"So you are guilty of stealing the relic?"
Everyone waited for the answer again and Zane didn’t make them wait for long.
"No. For that, I am innocent."
"Then?"
"I am guilty of a cri far worse than that."
The people frowned.
The Emberlord’s smile vanished as he looked at Zane.
"What is that?" He asked.
Zane jerked his head at the audience.
"I am guilty of being a gutterborn."
Tesla’s, Xavier’s and the other gutterborns’ gaze softened.
The gutterborns especially felt the weight of those words.
But the Halocrats and Commoners, they groaned.
The Emberlord remained expressionless.
"You are not on trial for being a gutterborn, Zane Atlas."
"No. No. No."
Zane shook his head, smiling as he peered at Coin.
"I have been on trial for that my whole life."
The Emberlord faced the crowd once more.
"Don’t change the topic at hand. You wanted to confess, do only that. Did you steal the relic or not?"
"This is my confession!"
Zane slamd his hands on the barricade.
"I did not do it." He looked at the Halocrats. "I did not steal the Relic."
Silence happened in the Cathedral.
They all waited.
They all waited for sothing.
For the punishnt that cos when soone lies under the oath.
The Emberlord waited as well and after ten seconds of silence...
Nothing happened.
Many of them clicked their tongues.
Kairon and the other Enforcers slamd their spears on the floor.
Xavier and Tesla sighed in relief.
The Gutterborns at the end of the hall smiled.
And the Emberlord shot his gaze at Zane.
Zane laughed and then coughed again.
His bloodied face made his laughter and coughing appear as if a killer heard a joke.
"Understood now? If I wasn’t under the oath. If you all hadn’t seen the golden glow around my body when I took the pledge, you would have still called guilty of stealing the Relic. You would have still called a thief. Oh, how I wish. Yes, emberlord. I wish... I wish..."
Zane gritted his teeth and leaned at the barricade and faced each and everyone in the crowd.
"I wish I was the monster you all think I am."
The Halocrats flinched seeing Zane’s face.
Hena’s bodyguard was forced to focus on Zane whom he never considered soone worthy of that.
Hena’s fist also clenched hearing Zane’s words as her eyes also refused to let him go.
Zane, however, paid none of them mind.
"Fine. You did not steal the Relic. But tell us now..." Coin walked towards Zane.
"Do you not believe in the First Fla? Do you not follow the Fla religion with all your heart? Do you not pray truthfully to our God?"
The Emberlord placed his hand on the barricade, staring deep in Zane’s face.
Not once did Zane backed off.
He leaned further and stared back at the Emberlord.
"The First Fla. The Benevolent God. Your God. Our God. You like these phrases so much, right?"
Zane raised his voice.
"The First Fla is the Sun. The Sun is the First Fla. Do I not look at it every morning? Do I not walk under it every morning? Do I not feel its warmth under your cold gazes? The Sun is a source of power. Call the sun as It or call the sun as Him. It doesn’t make a difference. The sun never asked if I believe in Him or not. Hear out, Emberlord..."
Zane raised his head against the weight of the chains and ca on the eyelevel of Coin.
"I believe in the God that created . Not in the God that you created."
The Emberlord’s eyes twitched.
"So you don’t believe in the First Fla?"
Zane grinned. "I just said I believe in the God who created . So why do you ask again? Are you implying that the First Fla isn’t the one who created us?"
Xavier laughed under his breath.
The Priest’s eyes widened and the murmurs spread in the Cathedral.
Zane didn’t lie and nor did he tell the truth.
He simply played by their rules.
If the Emberlord and everyone else believe the First Fla was the one true God then they also believed that it was the First Fla who created all of them.
And since Zane confessed that he believed in the Creator, then for them, it also ant that Zane believed in the First Fla as well.
And if soone called him a liar then they would only be undermining the power of the First Fla as one true God.
"Very well." Coin nodded. He showed no expression on his face under Zane’s words and walked away from the confession box.
"You didn’t lie under the oath. You did not steal the relic. You believe in the First Fla. These were the charges that were imposed on you. But we can’t deny one fact. We can’t deny that I gave you the original relic and you returned a fake one. And we also know that you aren’t alone. So a few more questions shall be asked."
Zane said nothing and the Emberlord faced the audience again.
"Does your maid have the original relic with her? Did you give the original relic to her? If not, then why didn’t she attend the prayer? Is she an infidel? Why is she not here? Does she not believe in the First Fla? If yes, doesn’t she deserve to die? Answer us all!"
Zane stood in silence.
Everyone waited for his answer.
And instead of an answer, Zane nodded.
He nodded his head several tis and spoke:
"Doesn’t she deserve to die? Doesn’t she deserve to be burned alive? Doesn’t soone born as filth deserve to keep their heads down? I know what you are doing, Emberlord. I know why you want to kill , her and most of us. I know. I know everything. And you know too. You know it very well. This rule has been going on for a long ti. Since the mont I opened my eyes. Since the mont I watched my parents closing their eyes."
The Emberlord quivered his brows. "What are you talking about?"
Zane laughed.
"What am I talking about? You are hoping to do that very sa thing right now, Emberlord. You know it as clear as a day..."
He laughed out loud and while laughing, his chained hands went to his own neck and with the sa crazed laugh, he choked his throat.
"If you kill enough of them, they stop fighting."
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