Temple Hall 3.

  Grayish-white walls. A ceiling towering 12 meters above.

  Beams of light illuminated precisely and solely the judgment platform.

  At the elevated central seat, sat the Illumintina.

  Deep gray silk robes, a diamond-cut, light-reflecting ornament crowning her head.

  Authority impossible to confront directly.

  On either side stood two Doctrine Interpreters and one Religious Judge, all dressed in identical gray attire with pristine white gloves symbolizing purity and light.

  Elion sat alone in the defendant's seat.

  No handcuffs, yet light surrounded him from every direction, leaving him without a shadow.

  "Elion-Ser, the charges brought against you are as follows."

  The Doctrine Interpreter's voice was mechanically precise.

  "Attempting a forced shutdown of the Prism, damaging sacred technology, inducing the collapse of the city's light network, unauthorized entry into a Class 1 religious facility, and causing social unrest."

  In this city, unrest could spread like an epidemic. In a hive-like society, anxiety could ignite every layer instantly.

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  "This crime is classified as maximum-level treason under Illumint doctrine, and judgment shall be rendered under the direct questioning of the Illumintina."

  The Illumintina raised her head.

  Her eyes were not dark, yet they held no trace of emotion.

  "Elion." Her voice was low, heavier than the towering ceiling.

  "You have created darkness. You instilled fear in the people. You rejected the structure of Light."

  Elion said nothing.

  From the gallery came the sound of quiet sobbing. It was his mother. She knelt, hands raised high, tears streaming from her eyes.

  "Mother of Light... This mother repents for the darkness my child has committed...!"

  Her wails broke momentarily, then resumed.

  She trembled with guilt, yet her face simultaneously expressed unwavering devotion to the will of Light.

  Elion watched her. He felt sorrow, yet also a disconcerting detachment.

  The grief of losing a child and unwavering devotion coexisted on her face.

  Inwardly, he whispered, "If this is normal, then I'm glad to be abnormal."

  "Elion-Ser." The Illumintina continued. "Your crime is irreversible, and Light can embrace you no more."

  The Religious Judge stood.

  "In accordance with Illumint Supreme Doctrine, Article 7, Section 1, the defendant is sentenced to permanent exile from the city."

  The court fell into silence.

  Elion raised his head. Light pierced sharply into his eyes, the last light he would ever feel.

  A heaviness settled in a corner of his heart—not fear, but something closer to anticipation.

  He was still breathing, and his heart continued to beat slowly.

  He would vanish from the city, and darkness awaited him.

  This was not an end. Rather, it was the true beginning.