Not every blow is injustice... And not every tear is innocence.
When old wounds cloud the truth, the judge becomes the first to stand before the court.
Tonight... Eilia will not judge another soul. He will begin judging himself.
Chapter Ten: A Wrong Judgment
After Eilia passed a hasty judgment on the boy who was harming his mother, he struck his head repeatedly until a little blood trickled down. Then he collapsed to the ground from exhaustion.
He began to speak.
"What have I done? Shouldn't I have seen the truth before passing judgment? But... he was beating his mother... He is guilty."
LiliE said to him,
"What are you saying? You judged an innocent person, and now you say he is guilty? What kind of justice are you talking about? I know why you judged him... because you saw our mother in him. Your memories blinded your insight. From now on, do not judge anyone until I personally tell you to. Do you understand?"
Eilia replied,
"My words are the ones that must be obeyed, not yours. I am the Judge. Who are you to impose your opinion on me?"
LiliE answered,
"Don't think that just because you are a judge, you are infallible... or a god. You are nothing but a human. The day will come when you will stand before judgment, and the verdict upon you will be... 'Guilty.'"
Eilia said,
"Be quiet... and let me hold the violin."
As he held it, he kept thinking about LiliE's words.
Is she right?
Am I guilty... or a victim?
Who am I?
Am I human?
Am I a judge?
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone crying for help.
He rushed toward the voice and found a father brutally beating his son.
Eilia shouted,
"What are you doing?! Are you beating your own flesh and blood?! Are you beating a defenseless child?!"
The father replied,
"Do you want to beat him instead?"
Eilia fell into his memories.
He remembered how his own father had beaten him mercilessly.
He could no longer endure it.
LiliE screamed,
"Don't judge, Eilia! Don't judge!"
Her voice was incredibly weak.
Eilia raised the violin.
A black liquid streamed from his eyes.
He whispered,
"You brought this upon yourself."
Eilia began to play... like a madman.
[ Violent hysterical movements. Eilia grips the neck of the violin as though he is strangling the very breath of the past. The bow crashes against the strings with savage force, tearing silence apart. Every note erupts sharp and shattered, like the screams of a child crying out within the darkness. ]
"Do I see myself... within you?
Or do I see you... within me?
A child's scream... thirsts for your blood.
A hand descends... without mercy, without forgiveness.
An executioner returns... to ignite the inferno of sorrow.
Am I the victim... or have I become the executioner?
I have lost my mind... and the volcano has erupted!"
[ His head and hands move with frantic madness. Broken notes bleed in the dark colors of Limbo. The strings nearly snap beneath the violence of his performance. ]
"One day... I bore the sins of fathers.
Today... the mirror of misery stands before me.
A father lashes... a piece of his own soul.
Pouring poison... into the depths of his wounds.
My melody is lost... within the night of madness.
Whom shall I judge... when all of you are cursed?"
[ Feverish strikes crash across all four strings at once. His breathing grows ragged beneath an unbearable weight within his chest. The violin screams at its highest pitch, shattering every belief... and bringing the Judge's throne crashing down. ]
"I crushed myself... before destroying you.
My blade... has become a slave to your threat.
The Prince of Cruelty... has gone beyond all limits.
I will tear this court down... upon every head.
By the madness of my judgment... souls melt away.
No justice remains... beneath the lashes of the scourge."
[ A sudden, crushing silence. A cold, broken breath escapes him. Eilia stares at his trembling hands before the masks of the past. ]
"I am not justice... I am the fire.
I have lost myself... upon this path.
My judgment was hasty... and guilt awakened.
There is no judgment... for one who has drowned in chains."
[ One final strike severs the silence. The bow slips from his hand in absolute despair and complete collapse. A gray darkness follows... erasing the last fragment of certainty. ]
"Drown in your disgrace...
Build your grave from the ashes of my madness...
The time of erasure has come...
Long live Ruin."
...
...
"Guilty."
The father fell dead.
At that very moment...
Eilia felt relieved.
LiliE asked,
"Are you finished?"
He replied,
"Yes... What do you want?"
She asked,
"Did you look carefully?"
He answered,
"I don't need to. The guilty one is dead."
LiliE said,
"Look carefully... and you will see."
The fog of memories lifted from Eilia's sight.
LiliE spoke,
"That child uses drugs and steals. I wouldn't be surprised if he becomes a murderer in the future. I told you... do not judge. This is the result of your actions. Fool! You claim the Justice of Ruin, yet you allow your memories to control you."
The boy stood up.
He turned...
Then ran away as fast as he could.
LiliE whispered,
"Guilty."
The boy collapsed dead where he stood.
...
...
To Be Continued...
The verdict has ended... But justice has not.
When pain guides the judge's hand, every verdict becomes blind.
Today... Eilia lost the first certainty he ever believed in.
After a false verdict... nothing will ever be the same.