NOVEL WEB Chapter 301: Guests No Longer
The doors to the trial hall creaked open once again, their hinges groaning like ancient bones.
"You may enter now." The priest announced, voice steady but unreadable.
Ren, Zuzu, Thorn, and Lilith stepped back into the trial hall, their footsteps echoing against the floor.
The air was filled with a tense anticipation, feeling like a heavy, invisible tide pressing against their skin.
The elders sat in the same crescent formation, faces unreadable.
At the center, the High Elder stood once again.
"We have reached a verdict." She said, and the quiet hall seemed to breathe in.
All eyes turned to Zuzu.
"Zuzu, daughter of Ram." The High Elder began, voice solemn. "You have broken the laws of our people. You departed without permission. You entered a forbidden conflict. And you brought outsiders into the heart of the Mare Dulce."
Zuzu clenched her fists, jaw tight.
"However," the High Elder continued, "you also fought in defense of our world. You faced a calamity few of our own would dare confront. You emerged alive, victorious, and your name is etched into the sea itself."
A quiet murmur rippled through the council. Some nodded. Others looked down at the accused, disapproval pasted on their faces.
"For your bravery, your sacrifice, and the role you played in destroying the Deep, the council has agreed to recognize you as a full Tidecaller. You are henceforth acknowledged as an adult of Patino."
Zuzu blinked. Her breath caught in her throat.
Thorn gave her shoulder a small squeeze, grinning proudly. Ren allowed himself a small, restrained smile. Lilith's expression remained unreadable, though her fingers relaxed slightly.
Then, the High Elder's tone shifted, and with it came the full weight of the sea.
"However," she said again, louder now, each syllable deliberate, "this decision gives rise to a second, graver matter."
She turned her gaze to Ren, Thorn, and Lilith.
"The charge of kidnapping a Tidecaller child, and conscripting her into your war, now stands before us."
The silence exploded between them like a bomb.
A second later, as the information finally settled in their brains, Zuzu stepped forward at once.
"That's not what happened! I chose to go! They didn't force me—"
"Enough." The High Elder said firmly, raising one palm.
Thorn scowled deeply. "You can't be serious. You just said she's an adult."
"Now she is." Elder Korrin interjected coldly from his seat. "But when she left, she was not. And you knew it."
Lilith's fingers twitched. Her aura flickered, faintly lighting the air with pale blue embers. Her eyes narrowed, glowing slightly.
Ren reached out, pressing a hand against her wrist. His grip was firm but gentle. "Let me handle it." He said, voice low.
He stepped forward, the picture of calm under pressure.
"We didn't kidnap her. She came to us. She insisted on joining. And we did everything we could to keep her safe."
The High Elder tilted her head. "We do not doubt the results. But law is not made from outcomes alone."
Ren was quiet for a moment before nodding once. "So what now?"
"You are to be held until further deliberation." The High Elder replied. "You are guests no longer."
The guards moved in. Zuzu cried out.
"You can't do this! They saved me! They saved everyone!"
"Zuzu," Ren said gently, giving her a steady look, "it's alright."
"No, it's not! This is wrong!"
Thorn growled under his breath. "If we weren't in their home, I swear—"
"But we are." Ren reminded him softly.
Lilith didn't resist, but her eyes flared as she walked beside Ren. The hall watched in tense silence as the three were led away.
They were taken down beneath the hall, into the tunnels beneath the building.
The passages wound like arteries beneath the city. Water dripped somewhere in the distance. The guards remained silent, shadows at their backs.
The prison caverns were colder, dimly lit by blue orbs embedded in the walls. The cells were narrow but clean, built from dark stone.
Ren was separated from the others. Each was placed in their own cell.
The doors locked behind them with a deep thud.
Time passed. The day faded. Night came.
Above, the city slept. But the sea never did.
Inside his cell, Ren sat on the stone bench, head bowed and eyes closed. His thoughts churned within him like storm tides.
Then it hit.
His body jerked. His nerves tingled and his vision grew hazy.
A surge of euphoria bloomed across his spine like molten stars, then twisted.
Pain.
It crawled through his muscles like electric vines, burning his nerves from the inside out.
His vision doubled. He gasped, clenching his fists, knuckles whitening. A faint purple glow threaded through his veins flickered violently beneath his skin.
Withdrawal.
The price of killing the Chained Man. It was getting worse.
He gritted his teeth, enduring the waves of agony. Each second felt like a blade sliding beneath the skin. He bit down on a groan, sweat beading on his brow.
Ten seconds.
Fifteen.
Then the pressure began to ease. The light dimmed. He sucked in a breath, his body trembling.
Footsteps.
Two soldiers appeared at the far end of the hallway. They approached slowly, pushing a tray through the lower slot of the cell door. The scent of warm broth and bread filled the space.
With them came another figure. Cloaked. Calm.
Elder Korrin.
"Leave us." He commanded. The guards bowed and retreated without a word.
Ren didn't move. He kept seated, breathing slowly.
Korrin stood before the cell, hands folded behind his back.
"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Ren asked, voice dry.
"You impressed the elders
" Korrin said simply.
"With what?" Ren scoffed. "And even if I did, I'm sure I didn't impress you."
Korrin smiled thinly. "I don't trust you, Ren of Ross. But I see potential."
"That we did your job for you?"
"That you saved the Mare Dulce. And that you are... dangerous. Which means you're useful."
Ren leaned back slightly, his eyes narrowing. What was Korrin up to? "You came here to offer me something."
Korrin nodded. "A deal. Take the blame. Admit you coerced Zuzu. Take the burden. In exchange, I will make sure your punishment is light. For you. And your companions."
Ren gave a dry, humorless laugh. "You think I believe you?"
"You shouldn't. But I'm the only one who can sway the tide. The others are enraged. You embarrassed them. You rendered our army obsolete."
"No. We made your politics inconvenient."
"You made them irrelevant."
Ren's eyes narrowed. "What do you want, really?"
Korrin stepped closer. "The ways of the Tidecallers are dying. The sea is restless. I need warriors. Weapons. But I don't take unproven weapons. Show me. Show me your power. Show me what you can do."
Ren looked away. "Not interested."
"Pity." Korrin murmured.
He turned, robe brushing the stone. "Think about it. You don't have many choices."
The door clicked shut behind him.
Ren stared at the flickering light above.
There's no way Elder Korrin, who hated outsiders to his very core, would be the one to willingly let them go.
No. He was after something.
Ren sighed.
He'd brought Thorn and Lilith here, and he'll get them out. But first, he needed to know what the Elders were after.
After all, it could be another Calamity.