Prologue 3: Judgment

Soon after Mikael returned to the lobby, the TV screen showing the court schedule blinked.

<The courtroom is now available.

Next Trial: Case MW:E_207319041729_ML22Y_S

Defendant: Mikael Lee.

Please enter the court from the right entrance.>

Mikael faced the black wooden door and took a moment to still his thumping non-existent heart.

'It's okay… I was a good person…' he told himself as his trembling hand reached for the golden knob.

Click!

The door swung open.

Mikael's jaw dropped when he entered the court.

Unlike its normal-looking outside appearance, the underworld courtroom was huge!

So huge that he felt like an ant inside a football field, but instead of stands, tall marble columns etched with golden symbols surrounded the room.

'Whoa! Calling this place a 'room' is too much of an understatement!'

Click! Clack!

His footsteps echoed on the marble floor.

'huh? Footsteps?' only then did Mikael notice that his body had returned to its former human appearance.

Mikael was drenched from head to toe as if he just took an unplanned shower.

His clothes were muddied, and his fingernails were missing, leaving black blood and grime in its place. His feet left a bloody trail as he walked toward the center of the court where a spotlight beaconed him to stand.

As soon as he entered the spotlight, the golden symbols etched on the columns suddenly glowed like fireflies and floated toward him.

The glyphs attached themselves to his body and burned his skin.

'What? What is happening? Why can't I move?' Mikael panicked as he stood rooted to the ground.

A deep voice suddenly announced, "The trial for defendant Mikael Lee is now in progress."

"I will now recite the details of the case..." rustling of papers was heard.

Mikael nervously looked around, but he could not see where the owner of the voice was.

"Defendant Lee, a 22-year-old male from the middle world: Earth, died of suicide last April 19, 2073, 5:29 pm on Mount Gula." Mikael's eyes widened when the voice said he committed suicide.

He wanted to protest right then and there but his voice failed him. It seemed like the glyphs not only prevented him from moving but also from speaking.

"The defendant climbed to the mountain peak after hearing that it is a famous suicide spot. He is a college dropout with a 200 million Ferr debt.

He worked several low-paying jobs and was subjected to bullying and discrimination. Despite his circumstances, the defendant has no criminal record.

During his high school days, he lived a carefree life and sometimes volunteered in orphanages.

Thus, by counting the total Karma points obtained, the court judged that defendant Lee is a 'neutral-good' person." The voice continued.

Mikael sighed in relief.

He was happy with the verdict.

However, his case was not yet over.

"According to article 816 section 41 of the moral code, a 'neutral-good' person/animal/ any form of spiritual being committing any of the 12 unforgivable sins i.e. murder, suicide, etc. shall be subjected to eternal torment in 2nd level of Tartarus." the voice paused briefly and Mikael felt its eyes look at him "Defendant, do you wish to say anything before the sentence is imposed?"

The symbol tattooed on his throat melted and his voice was released "Your honor! Uhm… I believe there has been a misunderstanding…I..I did not commit suicide!" before Mikael could continue, the ground shook.

A hundred-meter shadow shifted before Mikael.

Only then did he notice the existence of the god sitting on a throne of white bones decorated lavishly with precious gold and crystals.

Lord Hades, the god of the underworld, sat cross-legged with his index finger tapping the throne's armrest, causing the tremors.

Mikael squinted his eyes to look at the god's mien, but Hades' divinity forced him to lower his gaze.

The god's oppressive aura weighed heavily on Mikael as if any form of resistance or objection were unforgivable.

'The heck? Why ask me if I have anything to say when you won't even listen?'

"Aaah… can't we speed things up? my lovely wife is waiting for me… defendant Lee, if you have anything to say, say it fast. Do not stutter. You are wasting my time."

Apparently, the god of death is an impatient one.

Then the deep voice, which Mikael took as one of the lesser judges of the underworld, urgently spoke "Defendant Lee, are you saying that you did not commit suicide? Just answer with yes or no."

Finally, the time to defend himself has come.

"Yes, your honor."

"However, the evidence shows that you climbed Mount Gula intending to commit suicide.

On the day of your death, you were supposed to work at the restaurant from 8 am to 12nn but you did not inform your employer of your leave.

You also crossed out the days until April 19 and ripped off your calendar.

Lastly, on the day prior to the incident, you paid off your smaller debts and left only the exact amount needed to travel to the mountain location.

Your actions clearly indicate that you planned this suicide. Do you refute this evidence? 'Yes' or 'no'?"

Mikael's eyebrows twitched in frustration. He bit his lips before muttering "…no, your honor… but!"

"Please only answer with yes or no." the judge firmly said, "Lord Hades, I call on a witness from the Divine Messengers Bureau."

'Witness? Someone witnessed my death? Then I can prove that I'm not guilty!' Mikael dearly wished for the witness to side with him.

Then a 2-feet- tall, hooded man carrying a large scythe entered the court.

He glided past Mikael and stood on the right side then he raised his deathly pale arm to recite the oath.

"I swear by Lord Hades that the statement I shall give will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth" his raspy voice echoed across the room.

Then, one of the golden glyphs flew toward him and tattooed itself into the man's raised palm.

The lesser judge proceeded to question the witness "Angel of Death, Vladimir, can you tell us what happened on the 19th of April on Mt. Gula's summit?"

"On that day, I was stationed at the mountain since the assigned angel was still on his probation… but since there shouldn't have been anyone dying of natural death that day, I just patrolled the area… Until I heard a prayer." The Angel of Death recounted his story with an impassive face as if unbothered by the pleading look on Mikael's eyes, "I heard someone pray to god for a better next life.'

"Can you tell us who made this prayer?" the judge urged.

The angel of death pointed his bony forefinger at Mikael "it's that person, your honor."

"How did you feel about the prayer? Was it one made with anticipation? Acceptance? From what I gather, many humans have come to believe in reincarnation.

They believe that their next life would always be better than the one they currently have." The judge's tone subtly hinted his mockery.

"It was definitely one made with acceptance, your honor. To be exact, he prayed to make his next life a happy one as he believes that he already had his share of misfortunes.'

The judge briefly paused as if enacting a scene from a third-rate play.

Mikael was slowly losing his mind from frustration 'WHAT BULLSH*T IS THIS?! Did he not see me back out of the cliff? Did he not hear me when I asked for anyone to help me?! And why does that judge conveniently spout nonsense as if my prayer is enough evidence to prove his point?! Am I supposed to just stand here and take whatever decision they come to?'

As Mikael was internally fuming, the judge said, "Lord Hades, I rest my case."

The impatient god sighed like he was relieved to end an annoying task.

He turned his gaze to Mikael "I heard your pleas but the witness' testimony, as well as the gathered evidence, refutes your statement therefore, I sentence you guilty beyond reasonable doubt. You shall be eternally imprisoned to the 2nd level of Tartarus without the blessing of the Mist."

Thick black smoke appeared on Hades' left, its dark tendrils extending to hand a paper and an ivory seal to the god.

Mikael thought that if not for the glyphs that kept him standing in place, he would have already crumbled from anger and exasperation.

He could not believe that even in the afterlife, he would suffer injustice just because he was powerless. Weak. Inferior.

Resentment bubbled from the pit of Mikael's stomach, but he knew full well that he could not do anything against a divine being, so he just glared at the ground.

As Hades stamped the document, Mikael felt the glyphs leave his body like startled pigeons.

Then, his vision darkened as intense pain burned his eyes.

"AAAAHHH!" Mikael reflexively brought his hands to his tightly shut eyes.

The pain only lasted for a moment and when he regained his vision, he began to see things more clearly.

The black smoke solidified into the form of a kneeling hunchbacked old man, his outstretched arm waiting for the seal and parchment like a dog eagerly waiting for treats.

His white eyes glowed with reverence for the god, but when he glanced sideways at Mikael, his expression turned malicious and cruel.

'This sick bastard! He's enjoying this, isn't he?'

--Chapter end--

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Hello dear readers!

This is going to be quite lengthy but please bear with me.

To those who are unfamiliar with mythology, Greek gods are far from the omniscient and all-powerful beings that you might think.

They make plenty of misjudgments. They are imperfect. They have serious character flaws. (search the myth about Medusa. Even the goddess of wisdom, Athena, punished the wrong person)

In this case, the lesser judge is named as King Minos.

He was a king of Crete who was known as a cruel tyrant. He was a sick b*stard who sacrificed 7 boys and 7 girls to feed the Minotaur (which was supposed to be a tribute to Poseidon but he didn't care so, he kept the monster for himself 'cause he liked it.) then the gods punished him by making his wife fall in love with the monster.

There are more stories about him being a crazy psycho but I trust that you get the gist.

Based on this, I think my depiction of him is quite accurate. (As to why such a person was appointed to become a judge... well, it just shows how greek gods are not very good judges of character.)