Judgement: Absolute

____Jeremy couldn’t begin to know how many times he’d waited in this dismal room, sat in this particular chair just on the edge of the solitary lantern’s flickering light in this regrettably familiar silence. The steady scratching of a black quill against brown parchment was the only sound to be heard, well besides his father’s occasional strained cough and sputter. It was a tradition Jeremy never understood, content to simply comply night after night with his father‘s desire for his presence never once asking the question why. It was an implied contest of will, both waiting for the other to concede defeat with the few words that mattered and so neither spoke. Jeremy wouldn’t ask why he was always called here and his father wouldn’t tell him.
____Looking up, the sharp pointed features of his father’s face were somehow more imposing than usual, the sole lantern behind him casting harsh dark shadows about his crimson eyes as he worked. The effect was fitting considering he was unquestionably the most powerful man alive. His father literally ruled the whole world with terror, but even he had weaknesses. Time- the only thing he couldn’t control -was slowly taking its toll, his aging body breaking down under the stress of a rigorous life. His obsidian helmet and armor may have hidden his growing frailty from the world, but here in his private chambers in the eyes of his eldest child he was dying. Even still, he was no less terrifying, the threat of excruciating death lingering around him like a tangible dark mist. No one crossed the Judge Adonai, least of all his son.
____Bored and drifting, slumped in his chair, Jeremy looked every bit like a child compared to the supreme ruler before him. At twenty one he was very much a man though, but that meant nothing in the eyes of his father. All that mattered was his willingness to continue the rule of the Ordained Judges, and in this one matter he was deficient.
____"Do you know what I’m working on son?”
____The question seemed to come out of nowhere, Jeremy looking up to find his father still intently writing away. “Uh, no father…”
____“It is an Edict of Life.”
____The answer did nothing for Jeremy. He still had no idea what it really was and honestly didn’t care. The only ‘dick’ he cared about was his own.
____Sighing, his father finally looked up, laying down his black quill with a stern and borderline malicious glare at his child. Was it really asking too much for his son to show any interest in ruling the world? Could maintaining the prominence and power of his people really be that terrible? He’d devoted his entire life to maintaining the current world order, and here his son sat before him without the zeal to even know what an Edict of Life was.
____After years of merely hoping his son would let go of his childish dreams it was time to force him to comply. His reign was drawing to a close, a fact he couldn’t afford to ignore any longer. The next generation would have to see Jeremy as its god. He would be the only law, his judgment irrevocable.
____“There is a small outlying colony that seeks to oppose me… to oppose us. My son, even you can understand the gravity of this. The Judges’ rule is absolute and that is why I am writing this Edict of Life.”
____“You‘re going to give them a chance to survive then?” Jeremy asked hopeful, finally perking up in his chair. “I‘m sure once they know revolt is pointless they’ll give up!”
____“You‘re right,” his father sighed, “Everyone around them will give up once they see revolt is pointless. This edict is for everyone within two days travel of Errata Colony. Once their destroyed we must rebuild faith in our promise of protective grace to the other settlements. I‘m going to remind them what it takes to avoid similar Oblivion.”
____“Wha-wait, so you‘re just going to kill everyone there?!” Jeremy stuttered, shocked at his father’s calm words. He spoke of killing hundreds like it was nothing.
____“Yes.” his father coolly answered. “Swift decisive action is the only course they have left me.”
____If Jeremy paid any attention he might have noticed the subtle regret in his father’s tone, but his mind was too wrapped up in the massacre about to happen. He didn’t know much about Errata Colony- or anything at all really -but he correctly assumed it wasn’t just a small group of revolutionist. There were children, mother’s and elderly souls, animals and even plants that deserved better than the destruction his father was about to bring. He firmly believed no living thing should ever be touched by their power. His weak morality wouldn’t allow it.
____“Rise, it’s high time you joined me in the Tower.” his father decided, deep black cape unfurling around his slender body as he stiffly stood. For a short moment he resembled a demon, feeble body masked by the harsh angles of his mantle and cape, crimson eyes dancing with wickedness. Grabbing his waiting helm, he fixed his son with a piercing blood red glare, jaw clenching as he let the mounting disappointment pass.
____“Come Jeremy.” he commanded, donning his helmet without any doubt of his son‘s compliance.
____A cold shudder passed through the younger Judge’s body as his father left the room, and before he even knew why he was briskly marching to keep up with the indomitable man’s determined pace.
____I, can’t do this, Jeremy panicked, thoughts racing with some possible way he could escape. He knew perfectly well what the ‘Tower’ was used for, and he wanted no part in it. Simply turning around and leaving never even occurred to him though. Disobeying the Judge Adonai wasn‘t ever an option, and so one gloomy hall after another passed in tense silence until finally they began to ascend the legendary winding staircase of the watchtower. It was rumored to lead to heaven, making gods of all Judges who traversed its great length, granting them the power to adjudicate the world as they saw fit. Jeremy could almost believe it too, watching his father fearlessly walk to the high terrace edge at the summit. For some reason beyond his knowledge no railings were ever used in Judicial Architecture, and so his father stood gripped in a fierce gale, cape fluttering behind him madly as he dared the spirits above all to knock him down. This was the test of his worth, of his right to place judgment and once again he stood resolute finally turning to fix his son with an expression of nothing less than pure pride. Crimson eyes warm and inviting, sparkling in the brilliant moonlight he motioned for Jeremy to join him.
____It was such a strange feeling, walking the few small steps to his father’s side, feeling without really seeing the pleased smile behind the black stone mask and contemplating his murder all the while. It would be so easy to push him, to end the madness that held the world in fear… and yet Jeremy couldn’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he let the Judge Adonai place a cold armor clad arm around his shoulder and draw him close, peering out at the view reserved for only the greatest of Judges. To anyone else it would’ve been nothing more than thick clouds and dark sky, but the gift of all Judges was a sight beyond seeing and this Jeremy used for the first time without obstruction.
____Now nothing can truly block a Judge’s sight to begin with, their eyes magically empowered to pierce through all barriers without any need of actual light to help them, but obstacles do steal a bit of the raw beauty. This is why the watchtower was the prize of the Judge’s capital city. Standing atop Zion Tower absolutely nothing stood in Jeremy’s way, his eyes bombarded with the brilliance of true color from halfway across the globe, in places where the sun was actually still shining. It hurt to put it plainly, but he couldn’t stop looking, mouth agape with the sheer majesty his gaze found. At the moment his wandering attention was high in some distant mountains curiously watching a strange lightly furred people go about their lives. They lived in small huts it seemed, and all were occupied with some manor of agriculture, tending to the most beautiful trees he’d ever beheld. Exotic leaves ranging from neon orange and yellow to cherry pink filled the mountainside, unique feline people calmly making their way between.
____“It‘s glorious isn‘t it.”
____And then it was gone, his concentration lost as he remembered his father at his side. He was momentarily blind, blinking uneasily as his piercing red eyes slowly readjusted to the conspiratorial darkness surrounding him.
____“Y-yes father,” Jeremy replied, shivering slightly from the bitter cold.
____The characteristic dark insulating armor of the Judge’s never did suit him, his tendency toward rebellion evident in even his choice of clothing. He didn‘t want to stand out, to attract too much attention, and so he wore what the common nobles did. At the moment though he might’ve preferred the warmth of his imposing hand crafted armor.
____“I remember the first time my father brought me here…” the Adonai sighed, crimson eyes softening with the memory. “And here the cycle begins anew. I have many things to teach you my son, and normally this would be the last lesson, but some rules were meant to be broken…”
____Jeremy couldn’t help but raise curious eyes to his father’s face. The Judge Adonai was the last person in all of creation he’d expect to speak of breaking rules, but his attention was soon directed to the marbled stone beneath his feet.
____“Do you see the many deep grooves etched in the floor my son? They all radiate outward from a central point in the middle of the floor over there. These lines help define our sense of direction from the tower‘s height. The single red stripe you see denotes North and everything else can be determined from its bearing. With that said, the direction of importance at the moment is in the Eastern hemisphere…”
____It was easy to tell by the leading tone of his father’s voice and unerring gaze that Jeremy was supposed to locate the eastern quadrant himself. Unfortunately, after walking to the room’s epicenter, it suddenly became quite apparent that he had completely forgotten how the cardinal directions worked.
____Alright, if I’m facing north right now, which way does that make east? I know it’s either left or right but which one?! Why couldn’t he just ask me about the southern hemisphere? Ugh, all I can do is pick one. Left it is-
____“My apologies,” his father coughed, rolling his eyes at his son‘s ignorance. “I meant your other east.”
____The seemingly subtle correction was dripping with sarcasm, Jeremy’s face blanching with embarrassment as he turned back around to the right instead.
____“Now then, Errata Colony is located along the 140^th degree between the third and fourth Jurisdiction Towers.”
____The Jurisdiction Towers, Jeremy repeated internally, praying his father wouldn’t put him on the spot again.
____Geography was never his forte and this his father knew, so the rest of the conversation declined into a tutorial. The Judge Adonai felt no need to overly emphasize his son’s ignorance.
____Eventually, after much careful instruction, both Judges found themselves staring into the humble wooden structures of Errata Colony, dawn just breaking across the distant horizon. It definitely wasn’t a grand place, but it was quaint in its simplicity, beautiful even. Jeremy couldn’t bring himself to look away, sweating now even in the gripping cold as the bleak reality of what was about to occur fully sank in.
____They’re all, just… going to be destroyed.
____“Reach out your hand!” the Adonai demanded, his startling voice booming across the vast empty expanse.
____Jeremy couldn’t help but flinch, crimson eyes wide and panicked, breaths labored and heart pounding as his trembling black hand seemed to reluctantly stretch forward of its own accord. In sad imitation of his father’s resolute posture Jeremy stood anxiously waiting, hovering just above a full blown mental breakdown with the knowledge of what was about to take place. There was just no way to avoid this, his own life just as much at risk as the waking Colony before him.
____“It‘s boiling inside you isn‘t it. I bet you can feel it crawling under your skin right now, eager and pushing, just begging to be released.” the Adonai whispered, fully aware the longer the tense moment drew on the harder it would be to resist. Jeremy’s power desired to be used, and faced with such a blatant ultimatum it couldn’t help but radiate from his outstretched palm. The air glimmered, a sparkling dark haze drifting in the breeze from his slender finger tips.
____“The responsibility for the world’s peace will finally be shared between us. Show me your worth Jeremy!” his father decreed, his haunting words latching on the younger Judge’s very soul. “Help me remove the taint of Errata Colony from this world!” his father concluded forcibly, finally allowing his own dark oblivion to take flight with a decisive sweeping gesture of his arm.
____With tears in his eyes Jeremy weakly did the same, watching their combined destructive power stretch across the heavens. This was to be the moment that would haunt him for the rest of his life, crimson eyes unable to stray from the quickly building cloud of vaguely sparkling darkness swarming toward Errata. Soon the mass of shifting shadow was so great it hid the colony itself from view, Jeremy finally certain he failed watching the magic settle across the ground in a gigantic veil of blackened night. He’d tried his best to stop the vicious force from reaching its goal, foolishly think he could release just enough to fool his father but he'd failed... and miserably so.
____Without being able to actually hear the devastation taking place it was pretty uneventful watching their oblivion work. A shifting sphere of power concealed everything from even their sight, gradually withdrawing after a final feverish gust of wind erupted across the land.
____It was with a shocked horror Jeremy realized that absolutely nothing was left within. The darkness shriveled away, collapsing upon itself to reveal a geometrically perfect crater. Their power was replaced by a pure and complete emptiness. It had all been obliterated, erased from the world as if had never even been, a strong wind rushing to fill the perfect void evidenced by the wave of motion in the surrounding forest.
____“And so it‘s done.” the Adonai tonelessly stated, leveling a small empty stare at his son before pertly turning to leave the tower’s height. He’d explain the importance of the ordeal and what it meant for Jeremy’s future more fully tomorrow. With every day and year that passed releasing his Oblivion became an even greater task it seemed.
____Jeremy heard nothing of his father though, practically catatonic after the ungodly display. He didn’t even realize he’d left, dropping down to his knees with tears streaming down his face. A short moment passed before he suddenly lurched forward, stomach heaving uncontrollably as the sour contents of his stomach fell down the great tower’s height.
____Hours passed. Sprawled out like a drunkard Jeremy honestly considered just letting himself roll off the terrace. It really wouldn’t be that hard, and it would benefit the entire world. He’d failed to kill his father, but that didn’t mean he had to follow in his foot steps. He could end his life here and the chain of judgment with it… but it wasn’t to be. After an eternity of staring dazedly off the edge he couldn’t find the resolve to do it. It seemed he didn’t have enough willpower to do anything that truly mattered.
____“I don‘t want to die… but I can‘t live like this either!” Jeremy sobbed frustrated, finally sitting upright. Pounding a clenched fist into the marbled floor he screamed until his lungs burned into the smothering night sky. His beleaguered emotions refused to be bridled. Haggard and panting, the only thing he knew to be certain was that he could no longer stay within reach of his father’s hand. The Capital of the Judges would see him last this very night.
____“I‘ll leave and find someplace where even he can‘t see me.” Jeremy childishly decided, face resolute and determined. Before the Adonai awoke tomorrow he would be gone forever.
-----
____“Adios, you‘re back!” Sonya gasped, a small smile breaking across her lips. The same gentle flutter of love always erupted in her stomach with his return, even after all these years. “How did it go with Jeremy? …was he able to pass the test?”
____“Errata Colony is no more.”
____A solemn silence settled between them as the words sunk in.
____“I had hoped for Jeremy‘s success.” Sonya lightly breathed, walking forward to embrace Adios.
____“He has proven his worth,” Adios replied, his voice strong and steady, even as his eyes began to tear. Trembling, he pulled his cherished wife closer, a hundred emotions battling inside him. He was angry, infuriated even, but even more depressed. His heart would never heal from this devastation and in the end he couldn’t help but blame himself.
____“I swear I tried my best. I did everything I could…”
____“I know dear… I know,” Sonya whispered, her warm hands holding her most precious Judge’s face.
____“It wasn‘t supposed to end like this,” Adios sobbed. This would be the only time in all his life he openly cried before anyone.
____“…but it did, and now we must act accordingly.” Sonya reminded him, forcing him to draw strength from her tone. She looked at him directly, her rare violet eyes never flinching as she spoke. “We both expected this, even if we never spoke our thoughts aloud. The answer is sleeping just across the great hall though. All you have to do is accept it.”
____“There is no doubt of that Judge‘s character, but granting the position would be sacrilegious. The responsibility has always fallen to the Eldest son. It is our way…”
____“The test has been failed. An entire colony bears testament to this. Jeremy is no. longer. worthy. She is the next in line plain and simple. Would you entrust the wellbeing of the colonized world to the younger instead?”
____After an uncomfortable silence Adios had to agree. Jordhen and Jonoven were far from responsible in any sense of the word. “Of course you‘re right my queen.”
____“Then let us rest, for tomorrow will be a trial all its own.”
____“One we shall face like every other…”
____“As Judges.”