CHAPTER 44 — The Trial of Stillness
Part One
The summons arrived at dusk.
Not written.
Announced.
A bronze bell rang across the Inner Grounds — once, twice, three times.
Public assembly.
That had not happened since Zheng Wen Te's relocation.
Disciples emerged from courtyards and training halls, forming disciplined rows along the central plaza. Lantern light flickered against polished stone. The air felt charged — not with anger, but anticipation.
At the center of the plaza stood a raised platform.
On it, seven elders.
Not three.
Seven.
That was not inquiry.
That was judgment.
Zheng Wen Te stepped into the open square without escort.
He did not hurry.
He did not delay.
Lian stood to the right of the platform.
Not among the elders.
Not among the disciples.
Between.
The symbolism was deliberate.
The central elder's voice carried clearly.
"Outer Disciple Zheng Wen Te. You are called to clarify doctrinal deviation before the sect."
Clarify.
Not accuse.
Language mattered.
Zheng Wen Te bowed lightly.
"I am present."
Murmurs moved through the crowd.
Not loud enough to be disorderly.
Just enough to signal fracture.
"You have demonstrated instability within formation structures," the elder continued. "You have advocated integration over severance. You have responded to Heaven without prostration."
The final phrase hung heavily.
Even speaking it aloud felt dangerous.
"Do you deny these observations?"
"No."
A ripple moved across the plaza.
No defense.
No justification.
Just acknowledgment.
The elder's eyes narrowed.
"Then you accept correction?"
Zheng Wen Te lifted his gaze.
"Correction implies error."
"And you believe there is none?"
"I believe alignment without conscience is incomplete."
The plaza fell silent.
That word again.
Conscience.
Some disciples felt something stir inside them at its mention.
Others felt discomfort.
Because conscience required individual thought.
And individual thought threatened collective certainty.
The elder raised a hand.
The formation beneath the platform activated.
Runes ignited in concentric circles around Zheng Wen Te.
Trial Formation.
Lian's pulse spiked.
This was not a debate.
This was containment escalation.
"You will enter Stillness," the elder declared.
"If your integration is stable, the formation will confirm it."
If not—
The formation would collapse inward.
Not lethal.
Officially.
But severe enough to permanently cripple meridians.
A public demonstration.
An example.
Zheng Wen Te did not resist as the runes brightened.
He stepped to the center of the circle.
Lantern light flickered.
Above, the sky seemed unusually dark.
Watching.