Meical's hands tightened behind him until his knuckles whitened.
Min-jae only smiled, not feeling the slightest bit nervous.
He'd been waiting for this moment.
The herald's voice dropped.
"With all parties now present.." he said, "we may proceed."
He struck his staff on the marble.
The sound echoed through every rib in the hall.
"The court calls forth the guilty."
The hall exhaled as one.
Even though he stood right there, glowing under a thousand watchful eyes, the ceremony demanded it:
"Kaizar Amagi. Step forward."
Min-jae took one step.
One clean, unwavering step into the heart of the court.
And the proceedings began.
Min‑jae's boots clicked on the polished marble as he approached the center of the hall, every step measured, deliberate. A thousand eyes followed him, some filled with curiosity, others with thinly veiled contempt.
Meical's hands clenched behind him until the knuckles whitened, but he did not dare move.
