THE NIGHT JUDGE

— ELIAS Location: St. Aurelia Shelter — Hallway to Room 3C Time: 11:02 AM

The hallway leading to Room 3C stretched longer than it ever had before. It was a familiar place, but today, it refused to feel familiar. Every light above flickered with hesitation, casting shadows that didn't line up with anything physical. The walls breathed subtly, not enough for a casual observer to notice—but Elias did. The Mandate in his blood hummed a warning tune, dissonant and sharp.

The power inside him wasn't whispering today.

It was hissing.

"The echo is changing." "Chain it." "Chain him now."

Elias slowed his steps. His boots echoed on the tiles in uneven rhythm. He pressed his palm against the door to Room 3C. It wasn't warm. It was humming.

Another voice was inside.

Not Milo's. Not the Mandate.

Someone else.

---

INSIDE ROOM 3C

Milo sat on his bed, knees to his chest, looking smaller than his growing power should allow. Across from him, a man sat on the edge of a chair. Button-down shirt, slacks, polished shoes. Clipboard in hand. The badge read: "Restoration Ministry: Post-Trauma Spiritual Recovery"

His voice was honey-dipped.

"You're very special, Milo. That fire you feel inside? That isn't judgment. That's pain. And pain is something we can cleanse."

Milo said nothing.

The man smiled wider.

"I know what you saw. The fire. The man with the sword. But you don't have to carry that. If you give it up—that burden, that anger—you can live without hearing the screams again."

Still, Milo was silent. His eyes drifted to the corner, where the walls pulsed faintly with light only he could see.

The preacher leaned closer.

"He gave you something you weren't meant to have. And it's hurting you. The voice you hear—it's lying to you. Let me help you take it away."

He reached out. Fingers grazed Milo's shoulder.

The room's temperature dropped. Symbols on the wall briefly ignited in red before fading.

---

ELIAS ENTERS

The moment Elias opened the door, silence collapsed over the room.

The lights buzzed once, then stilled. The preacher's hand snapped back from Milo, as if caught doing something illegal. Milo didn't move.

"You weren't invited," Elias said, coldly.

"I was sent by the Ministry. Just a spiritual recovery agent, Judge Ward."

The man stood, brushing off his pants. He had practiced this. Memorized it. The fear wasn't in his voice. But it was in his scent—beneath the cologne, Elias smelled salt, blood, and burnt myrrh. A cleansing gone wrong.

The Mandate hissed:

"Desecration. Inversion of truth. Chain him."

Elias clenched his fists. He stepped forward, between the preacher and Milo.

"You need to leave."

"We'll talk again, Milo. You're not alone."

The preacher left with a smile—a deliberate, measured one. Elias let him go.

For now.

---

DIALOGUE WITH MILO

Elias sat where the man had. Milo didn't look at him.

"He said I should give it back," the boy murmured.

"The Mandate?"

Milo nodded slowly. "He said it was poison. That it made me wrong. But when I touch it, I don't feel wrong. I feel... big."

Elias didn't respond. The Mandate in him was still vibrating. Still angry.

"Do you think I'm wrong?" Milo asked.

"I think... you're marked. And I think I did it. Without meaning to."

Milo looked up. For the first time in days, their eyes locked.

"Is it like that for you too? The burning in the spine? The screaming behind your eyes?"

Elias exhaled. "Yes."

---

ECHO MERGE

Without warning, Milo reached out and took Elias's hand.

Their echoes snapped together.

Elias was standing in a courtroom of gold and bone. Twelve Judges stood behind him, robed in black. Before him, Milo floated, crowned in flame. He opened his mouth—and Elias heard his own voice speaking.

> "Burn it all. Rewrite the law. Cleanse the root."

The image shattered.

Back in the room, Milo was bleeding from his nose. Elias was gasping for breath.

---

THE MANDATE RESPONDS

"The vessel is evolving without us." "Chain him. Erase the corruption." "You will be held responsible."

Elias stood.

"Not yet."

Milo looked up. His eyes were glowing faint gold.

"What happens now?"

Elias turned toward the window. Outside, the preacher was still on the property, speaking softly to a group of shelter staff.

"Now," Elias said, "I stop being careful."

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