Chapter 841: The Judge’s Terror [1]

A week had passed since the Judge’s first appearance.

The rain showed no signs of stopping.

According to the first forecasts, the weather should’ve started improving by now. Instead, the water gathered higher along the roads, and several shops placed sandbags near their entrances.

The rain was supposed to stop, but it didn’t as the forecast continuously changed.

Nobody seemed particularly certain anymore.

Still, the city couldn’t remain stopped forever.

People returned to work. Shops reopened, and the crowds gathered near the Gates gradually became smaller. Those who stopped to look usually stayed only long enough to take a picture before moving on.

Nothing else happened, and no new Gates appeared.

The existing ones remained where they were, their dark openings showing the same empty courtroom.

After a while, people started getting used to them.

But their presence still lingered like the dark clouds across the sky.

*

"Anything?"

Venn stood beneath the shelter, looking towards the entrance.

Two scouts were making their way back through the central passage. Their lights moved across the benches before turning towards the people waiting outside.

The Judge’s desk remained empty.

"No changes."

The agent beside him lowered his tablet slightly.

"The readings match the previous inspection."

"What about the other locations?"

"Same result."

Venn nodded, although his expression didn’t relax.

The scouts stepped out of the Gate.

One immediately moved beneath the shelter, while the other remained near the entrance until an agent directed him farther away.

Venn approached them.

"Did you hear anything?"

"No, sir."

"Footsteps? A voice?"

The scout shook his head.

"Nothing. We checked the benches and the area around the desk. Everything is the same."

"Alright. Submit your recordings."

The two moved away.

Venn returned his attention to the Gate.

It had been a week since the first Judgement, and nothing had happened ever since.

The scouts all brought the same result.

They were free to enter, look around, and leave without anything happening. The room was empty, and none of the equipment detected anything that was unusual.

It should’ve been reassuring.

Instead, Venn found himself staring at the desk one more, its presence looming over him endlessly.

"Sir."

An agent approached from one of the vehicles.

"We’ve received another request."

"From which Guild?"

"Helios Vanguard."

Venn’s brows drew together.

"They want permission to send their own people inside."

"They already have people stationed here."

"They want to conduct a full investigation. Arithmus submitted a similar request this morning."

"....."

The agent hesitated before continuing.

"They’re saying that the current restrictions are preventing them from doing anything useful."

Venn looked towards the vehicles parked behind the barriers.

Several Guild members stood beneath umbrellas, watching the entrance. One noticed him looking and gave a small nod.

Venn didn’t return it.

’Their greed is endless.’

He knew they didn’t care for whatever was happening. They only wanted to make the most out of the Gates.

Venn took a deep breath and looked away.

"The restrictions remain in place."

"Yes, sir."

"Tell them to send their proposals to my office. Nobody enters without my approval."

The agent nodded and left.

Venn watched him go before turning back towards the equipment.

"Keep the entrance clear."

"Understood."

He moved a little closer to the Gate.

Rain struck the road in front of him, splashing against his shoes. Beyond the opening, the courtroom floor remained dry.

The benches were empty.

So was the space enclosed by the railing.

His gaze eventually settled on the desk again.

For some reason, he found himself looking at it continuously. Every single time.

"....."

He stood where he was for a while.

The agents behind him continued working. Someone tested a radio, and a short burst of static came from beneath the shelter before being cut off.

It was only when he heard his phone ring that he looked away.

Trrr!

He accepted the call and raised the phone to his ear.

"Ye.."

His voice abruptly cut off as his head slowly raised towards the desk once more as an outline stood behind the desk.

His eyes widened immediately.

"....."

The light from outside reached the front of the desk, but the figure beyond it remained dark. Venn couldn’t make out its face, even as its head slowly lowered towards the empty space beneath it.

Behind him, someone stopped speaking.

Then another.

The world seemed to stop as all eyes fell on the Gate as the lights slowly turned on.

Venn’s hand tightened around the phone.

The figure raised an arm.

And?

BANG!

***

Three weeks later, the rain was still falling.

Water ran along the barriers outside one of the entrances, gathering around the feet of the people standing nearby. An agent pointed towards the opposite pavement, asking several pedestrians to keep moving.

A few listened.

Others remained beneath the awning of a shop, looking past him towards the Gate.

A camera stood a short distance away.

The operator adjusted the cover over it before raising a hand.

The reporter nodded.

She wore a dark coat, with rain clinging to the loose strands of hair beside her face. Someone held an umbrella over her, although the wind made it difficult to keep her completely dry.

She lifted the microphone.

"It’s been a month since the first Gate appeared near Sines."

Behind her, the courtroom was visible.

"Since then, a total of ten people have been killed during the hearings carried out by VILE-3107."

Her expression remained serious.

"Each suffered a brutal death, witnessed not only by those present at the entrances, but by viewers across the world."

The camera moved slightly, bringing more of the Gate into view.

Several people stopped behind the barriers.

One lifted his phone.

"So far, all ten were criminals responsible for serious offences. The accusations read during the hearings included multiple murders, abductions, and other acts that have caused considerable public anger."

The reporter paused.

Rain struck the umbrella above her.

"This has led to a change in the way some people are discussing the anomaly."

A man behind her leaned towards the person beside him.

He said something.

The other person nodded.

The reporter continued looking at the camera.

"During the first few days, much of the discussion centred on the fear of another hearing. Now, there are people openly asking when the next one will begin."

"....."

The camera operator’s hand moved slightly against the equipment.

He could see the people waiting near the shop.

None of them seemed to be in a hurry to leave. In fact, some even held banners in appreciation for the Judge.

"Some have described the Judge as a form of justice. Others believe that, as long as they have nothing to hide, there is no reason to be afraid."

The reporter lowered the microphone a little before bringing it back towards her mouth.

"But make no mistake."

Her voice grew firmer.

"This is still an anomaly."

Behind her, an agent approached someone standing too close to the barriers. The man protested briefly before stepping away.

"The fact that those killed so far were criminals does not mean we understand what VILE-3107 considers a crime. Nor does it mean that anyone standing outside these entrances is safe."

She glanced towards the Gate for a brief moment.

Then she looked back at the camera.

"We don’t know why it appeared. We don’t know why it chose Sines, and we still don’t know what causes a hearing to begin."

The Judge’s desk remained visible beyond her shoulder, its empty space bringing a certain sense of pressure to all those watching.

"I know there are people who support what it’s doing. But we should be more cautious because of how little we understand, not less cautious because we approve of the people it has killed."

A gust of wind pushed the rain beneath the umbrella.

The reporter flinched slightly, then adjusted her grip on the microphone.

"The Bureau continues to advise everyone to keep away from the entrances. Please don’t approach them simply to watch. Even if nothing appears to be happening—"

BANG!

Her words stopped.

The sound reached them so clearly that the camera operator jerked, briefly tilting the image towards the wet road.

Someone screamed behind the barriers as the camera turned towards the courtroom, the lights having turned on all of a sudden.

At the far end, a figure sat behind the raised desk.

"....."

For a moment, nobody moved.

Then the people beneath the awning stepped forward.

One raised his phone higher.

An agent shouted for them to move back, but his voice was lost as another sound came from the courtroom.

The reporter kept her microphone raised.

She seemed to have forgotten she was holding it.

The camera slowly steadied.

Beyond the entrance, the figure lifted its head.

—I shall now call forth the next defendant.

BANG!

The Judge’s Terror continued.