The Met [part 3]

The Final Judgment

Emperor Tsukimei Asahi, with measured slowness, let his final words fall like heavy stones into a deep well.

The hall seemed to hold its breath, as every eye was fixed on Suzuki Kyōi, who was now visibly trembling under the weight of what was about to happen.

Kyōi knew he had made a mistake that could lead to his total ruin.

It wasn't just the honor of his family at stake but the very balance of the Empire's delicate political dynamics.

And now, with the Emperor having seen every detail through his own memories, there was nowhere left to hide.

Tsukimei Asahi slowly rose from his golden throne, his regal cloak billowing lightly behind him as he descended the white marble steps.

Each step he took echoed like the beat of a drum in Kyōi's mind, his breathing becoming shorter and more labored.

The Emperor stopped just a few steps from his son, his amber eyes scrutinizing him with such intensity that Kyōi wished he could disappear.

"Kakashi Kyōi," he finally pronounced his full name, a sign that his transgression was personal and profound.

The silence that followed those words was as oppressive as the weight of destiny looming over Kyōi.

"Every one of your actions," the Emperor continued with a glacial calm, "has had consequences far beyond what you could have imagined. You betrayed my trust and that of our ancestors. You violated the sacred balance upon which the Empire is built. And for what? Selfishness? Weakness?"

The hall seemed to close in around Kyōi, who could no longer meet his father's gaze.

He felt small, insignificant, as if every fiber of his being had been consumed by shame.

"I will not ask you to explain yourself," the Emperor pressed on, his tone unyielding.

"Your actions speak for themselves. Apologies will not restore broken honor, nor will they return what has been lost."

Those last words fell heavily, like a sentence already passed.

Kyōi tried to speak, but the dryness in his throat and the pounding of his heart prevented him from forming any words.

He knew deep down that nothing he could say would change the course of events.

Emperor Tsukimei turned slightly, letting his golden cloak billow behind him like the seal of an unquestionable authority.

"The fate of a betrayer is ruin, Kyōi," he continued in a whisper that echoed to the farthest corners of the hall. "Not just your ruin, but that of the Empire."

Kyōi bowed his head, unable to react.

His hands trembled, clenched into fists that could not contain the futility of his resistance.

He knew the judgment was about to be passed, final as the stroke of a blade.

"It is not just your life at stake," Tsukimei said, his voice growing graver.

"The Empire cannot afford weakness. It cannot afford traitors."

The Emperor Tsukimei Asahi remained motionless for a long moment, observing Suzuki Kyōi as if studying every one of his flaws, every fragment of what had once been the Third Prince of the Empire.

The tension was palpable, and Kyōi felt as though every word could break him completely.

The Emperor, with a voice as cold and emotionless as ice, began his sentence.

"Kyōi," he said slowly, his tone laden with an inexorable solemnity, "your failure is undeniable. Your actions have not only compromised your honor, but they have endangered the entire balance of the Empire. And though you've tried to make amends, it was not enough."

The Emperor's golden cloak swayed gently as he turned to look around the hall, as though seeking confirmation from the spirits of the ancestors who seemed to watch his every move. Then, with an impassive gaze, he once again fixed his eyes on Kyōi.

"I cannot afford to show you mercy," he continued. "I cannot ignore the gravity of what you have done. But... I also cannot allow your ruin to be complete."

Kyōi's heart stopped for an instant.

Hope and despair warred within him, but the weight of shame kept him pressed to the ground.

"From this moment," the Emperor declared firmly, "I strip you of the title of Third Prince. You are no longer worthy of bearing that title."

His hope had just been shattered, and those words struck Kyōi like a sharp blade.

His title, his identity, his status... everything he had known up to that point was being ripped away from him in an instant.

He felt himself crumble inside, but he lacked the strength to resist or beg for clemency.

"However, it will be restored to you," Tsukimei Asahi added, with even greater gravity, "only when you have proven yourself worthy of it. Only when you have accomplished a feat that will redeem your name and show the world that you are no longer the person you have shown yourself to be today."

"You must achieve something that will resonate throughout the Empire, something that will restore your name and the honor you have broken."

The silence that followed those words was laden with expectation, but also with tremendous pressure.

Kyōi felt the weight of the sentence pressing on him like a boulder on his chest.

To rehabilitate his name and reclaim the title of Third Prince seemed like an insurmountable task.

But it was his only chance, the only thread keeping him connected to his future.

"Until that moment," the Emperor concluded, "you will be nothing more than a man seeking redemption. A man without name and without title. No one will offer you honor, no one will grant you respect. Everything you have will be taken from you until you prove that you are worthy of what has been stripped from you."

Kyōi, still on his knees, could find no words to respond.

His mind was clouded by shame, terror, and despair.

He knew that the path ahead of him would be long and torturous.

But within him, a small spark of determination began to take form.

He would not accept his ruin without a fight.

The Emperor took a step back, turning his back on his son.

His judgment had been delivered, and for him, the matter was closed.

"Leave this hall, Kyōi," he commanded in a final tone.

"And do not return until you have found a way to prove that you are worthy of what has been taken from you."

With those final words, Kyōi's life, as he had known it, was over.

///A/N/ I hope you have enjoyed the last chapters since I started publishing them again//