The Summons
The mark didn't pulse this time. It rang.
Aiden jerked awake to the sound of bells. Not ordinary bells—these tolled through his bones, vibrating his marrow. The script on his wrist flared white-hot, branding fresh words across his skin:
INSTALLMENT FIVE: TRIAL OF JUDGMENT.
Kai stirred on the floor beside his bed, fists already clenched, eyes snapping open like he'd been waiting for this. Liora leaned against the wall, sword in her lap, awake though she hadn't been moments ago. Porcelain simply opened his pale eyes, as if he'd known the summons was inevitable.
The air fractured. The room split down its center, light pouring through like a blade. The floor dissolved into marble, the ceiling into vaulted stone. Benches appeared, row after row of empty seats.
A courtroom.
No. A tribunal.
At its far end loomed a throne of black glass, empty for now. Scales hung suspended in the air above it, their chains made of lightning.
The voice shook the walls.
"THE DEBTOR IS CALLED TO ACCOUNT."
The Tribunal Assembles
Aiden stood at the center of the chamber, cloak curled tight, chest heaving. The benches filled—not with strangers, not with echoes, but with faces he knew.
Classmates. Neighbors. Teachers. His mother. Each sat stiff, eyes glowing faint, lips sealed.
Witnesses.
The chains rattled. From the void above, the Council descended.
Seven figures. Hooded, faceless, their robes stitched with living fire. Each bore a mark—glyphs of power that bled light into the chamber. Their voices did not come one at a time. They spoke as a chorus, layered and terrible.
"Aiden. Son of debt. Bearer of the shadow. You stand accused of breach."
The throne of glass filled with fire. A hand rested on its arm, gloved in violet flame. Not the Hand—something greater.
"Answer."
The Accusations
The first Councilor raised a hand. Glyphs burned in the air: THEFT.
"You bend commands beyond allowance. You alter clauses beyond right. You seize balance without payment. Theft."
The second Councilor followed, glyphs hissing: CORRUPTION.
"You twist silence into weapon. You wield refusal as law. You bend truth until even the System falters. Corruption."
The third raised theirs: INTERFERENCE.
"You endanger unmarked lives. You drag brother and allies into trial's flame. Interference."
The other four spoke in chorus, their glyphs blinding:
"DEBT COMPOUNDED. BALANCE BROKEN. JUDGMENT DUE."
The Weight of Witnesses
The benches stirred. One by one, the witnesses stood.
His teacher pointed a shaking hand. "He cheats. He never writes, yet the page obeys him."
A classmate sneered. "He doesn't bleed like we do. He hides something."
His mother's eyes filled with tears. "You don't come home anymore. You vanish. You scare your brother."
Each word struck harder than any blade. The cloak trembled around him, thrashing as though it wanted to silence them all.
Kai leapt to his feet, fists raised. "Shut up! None of you know him!"
Chains lashed out, binding Kai to the bench. His mouth clamped shut, glowing seals gagging him. He thrashed, eyes wild.
Liora surged forward, blade drawn, but a single gesture from a Councilor froze her mid-step, held in stasis like an insect pinned to glass.
Porcelain did not move. He only watched, lips pressed thin.
The Choice
The Council's voice fell like a hammer.
"Defend yourself. Or pay in silence."
Aiden staggered. Every defense felt like a trap. To speak would deepen debt. To stay silent would confirm guilt.
His brand flared, burning hotter, pulsing script across his arm: CHARGE: 70% REMAINING. PAY WITH WORD OR ESSENCE.
The chamber pressed down, demanding a choice.
Kai's muffled eyes screamed: Don't fold.
Liora's frozen stare said: Fight smart.
Porcelain's gaze whispered: They want you to answer their way.
Aiden drew breath. And instead of pleading, instead of shouting, he whispered one word:
"Bend."
The Reversal
The cloak surged, not at the Councilors, not at the witnesses—but at the glyphs themselves.
The accusations hanging in the air twisted. THEFT bent into REBELLION. CORRUPTION warped into CREATION. INTERFERENCE shattered into LOYALTY.
The words cracked, shattering like stained glass. The benches gasped, voices faltering. His mother's tears froze, then dissolved. Kai's chains snapped, Liora's stasis broke.
The Council roared, voices no longer one but seven, discordant and furious.
"UNAUTHORIZED INTERPRETATION. CLAUSE VIOLATION. ESCALATION AUTHORIZED."
The throne flared, violet fire spilling out.
And for the first time, one of the Councilors stepped down.
The Duel of Judgment
The Councilor's robe dragged flame across the marble. Its hood lifted just enough to reveal eyes like collapsing stars.
"You twist judgment into blade?" it hissed. "Then be judged by blade."
It raised a hand. Glyphs formed, shaping into a spear of pure law, blinding white.
Aiden's cloak rose, shaping into a blade of shadow.
The Councilor struck. The clash cracked the chamber. Glyph against shadow, law against refusal. Sparks of reality tore free, raining symbols that burned the marble.
Each strike pressed harder, each parry seared deeper. Aiden's veins sang with fire, every command threatening to hollow him out.
Still—he bent. Each word, each law, he twisted. Each accusation, he rewrote.
"Thief?" he rasped. "Innovator."
"Corrupt?" His blade cut a glyph in half. "Creator."
"Interfering?" His cloak surged, shielding Kai. "Protector."
The scales above the throne cracked, lightning chains snapping.
The Verdict
At last, the Councilor faltered. Its spear shattered, fragments dissolving into dying light. Its robe flickered, edges torn.
The other six rose, their voices a storm.
"ENOUGH. INSTALLMENT FIVE: PAID."
The chamber shook. The benches dissolved. The throne dimmed.
Aiden collapsed to one knee, blood slick on the marble, cloak curling ragged around him. His wrist cooled, script fading into a single line:
INSTALLMENT FIVE: PAID.
Kai rushed to him, hauling him upright. "You don't bend, Aiden. You break."
Liora's expression was unreadable, but her hand trembled on her blade. "The Council won't forgive that."
Porcelain stepped forward, face pale, voice quiet.
"No. They won't forgive… but they won't ignore. Tonight, you became not a debtor. Tonight, you became a rival."
Closing Scene
The tribunal crumbled, light devoured by shadow.
Back in his room, Aiden sat on the floor, wrist still burning faintly.
The cloak hissed softly, like laughter.
And in the void above, the Council whispered among themselves.
"The debtor weighs heavier than his debt."
"The Hand cannot contain him."
"Escalate. Escalate to Collection."
The ledger turned.
INSTALLMENT SIX: PENDING.