The ink is still wet.

You sign the warrant.

The quill scratches.

It sounds like a bone breaking.

You do not look up.

The room is cold.

The candle flickers.

The shadow of the tree presses against the glass.

It moves.

You know why it moves.

You know what it hides.

You are the Inquisitor.

You are the eye of the state.

You are the hand that strikes.

But your hand trembles.

Not from fear.

From love.

Oh, the love.

It is a rot.

It is a sweet, black rot.

It eats your duty.

It eats your soul.

You see it in the margins of your notes.

Little marks.

Little crosses.

They are not errors.

They are prayers.

They are for him.

Edward.

He is not a criminal.

He is a saint.

Or a demon.

It does not matter.

He is *yours*.

The thought is a knife.

You twist it.

You relish the pain.

The system demands justice.

The system is a machine.

It grinds.

It crushes.

It does not feel.

You feel.

You feel too much.

That is your sin.

That is your strength.

The door creaks.

Do not turn.

You know who it is.

Thomas.

Your assistant.

Your witness.

He stands in the doorway.

He is young.

His face is pale.

His eyes are wide.

He sees the ink on your fingers.

He sees the trembling of your hand.

He does not speak.

He knows.

He has always known.

"Is it done, sir?" he asks.

His voice is soft.

Like wind in dry grass.

"Yes," you say.

Your voice is a rasp.

A dry leaf scraping stone.

"Edward will be taken at dawn."

Thomas nods.

He steps into the room.

The candlelight catches his face.

He looks so innocent.

So pure.

He is a mirror.

You see yourself in him.

The boy you were before the training.

Before the oaths.

Before the mask.

"You look unwell, sir," Thomas says.

"I am fine," you lie.

The lie tastes like ash.

"Are you certain?" he asks.

"Certain of what?"

"Of the evidence."

You laugh.

It is a harsh sound.

A jagged thing.

"The evidence is perfect," you say.

"It is ironclad."

"It is a lie," Thomas whispers.

The air stops.

The candle flame goes still.

You look at him.

He does not blink.

He stands there.

In the shadows.

In the light.

He is the witness.

He is the one who saw.

He saw you.

He saw the truth.

You thought he was blind.

You thought he was deaf.

You were wrong.

He has been watching.

For months.

For years.

He has watched you break.

He has watched you love.

He has watched you betray.

"Thomas," you say.

Your name for him.

Your secret name.

He steps closer.

The floorboards creak.

"I cannot let you do this," he says.

"You must stop."

"Stop?" you ask.

"You are the law."

"I am a fool," he says.

"And you are a killer."

The words hang in the air.

They are heavy.

They are sharp.

You want to strike him.

You want to scream.

You want to weep.

Instead, you reach for the dagger on the desk.

Your hand is steady now.

The rot has spread.

It has reached your mind.

You hold the blade.

The metal is cold.

It reflects your face.

You are a stranger to yourself.

"You know what will happen," you say.

"If I do not sign, I am dead."

"If I do sign, he is dead."

Thomas smiles.

It is a sad smile.

A gentle smile.

"Then we are both dead, sir," he says.

"Perhaps that is the only way out."

You look at the warrant.

The ink is dry.

It is permanent.

It is a seal.

A seal on a coffin.

You think of Edward.

He is in the cell.

He is waiting.

He is praying.

He is thinking of you.

He knows.

He has always known.

He loves you.

He loves the monster you have become.

He loves the man you were.

He loves the lie.

He loves the truth.

He loves the pain.

You are so tired.

The journey has been long.

The road is rough.

The night is dark.

But the dawn is coming.

The dawn is red.

The dawn is blood.

You put the dagger down.

It makes a small sound.

A click.

A finality.

Thomas moves.

He is quick.

He crosses the room.

He takes your hand.

His fingers are cold.

His grip is strong.

"I will take the blame," he says.

"No," you say.

"It must be so," he says.

"You are the Inquisitor."

"I am nothing," you say.

"You are everything," he says.

He takes the warrant from the desk.

He takes the quill.

He takes the ink.

He begins to write.

He writes over your name.

He writes his own.

The letters are large.

The letters are bold.

They are a scream.

They are a cry.

They are a prayer.

You watch him.

You watch him die.

He does not die.

He lives.

He takes the fall.

He takes the pain.

He takes the hate.

He takes the love.

You sit in the chair.

You are empty.

You are hollow.

You are a shell.

The machine stops.

The gears grind.

The smoke rises.

The night ends.

The day begins.

You walk out of the room.

You walk into the hall.

The guards are there.

They await your command.

You give no command.

You walk past them.

You walk to the door.

You open it.

The cold air hits your face.

The air is sharp.

The air is clean.

The air is free.

You step outside.

The village is asleep.

The church steeple pokes at the sky.

The stars are out.

They are bright.

They are cold.

They are distant.

You look up.

You see the machine.

It is not in the sky.

It is in your chest.

It is in your heart.

It is in your blood.

It is in your bones.

It is in you.

You are the machine.

You are the tool.

You are the blade.

You are the wound.

You are the scar.

You are the truth.

You are the lie.

You are the love.

You are the hate.

You are the end.

You are the beginning.

You are the middle.

You are the silence.

You are the sound.

You are the breath.

You are the stop.

You are the start.

You are the rest.

You are the play.

You are the game.

You are the board.

You are the piece.

You are the hand.

You are the move.

You are the check.

You are the mate.

You are the loss.

You are the win.

You are the draw.

You are the void.

You are the full.

You are the light.

You are the dark.

You are the day.

You are the night.

You are the sun.

You are the moon.

You are the star.

You are the dust.

You are the earth.

You are the sky.

You are the wind.

You are the rain.

You are the storm.

You are the calm.

You are the fire.

You are the ice.

You are the water.

You are the stone.

You are the wood.

You are the leaf.

You are the root.

You are the seed.

You are the bloom.

You are the fruit.

You are the seed again.

The cycle continues.

The machine turns.

The gear grinds.

The smoke rises.

The night ends.

The day begins.

You walk on.

You walk away.

You walk into the dark.

You walk into the light.

You walk into the truth.

You walk into the lie.

You walk into the love.

You walk into the hate.

You walk into the end.

You walk into the beginning.

You walk into the middle.

You walk into the silence.

You walk into the sound.

You walk into the breath.

You walk into the stop.

You walk into the start.

You walk into the rest.

You walk into the play.

You walk into the game.

You walk into the board.

You walk into the piece.

You walk into the hand.

You walk into the move.

You walk into the check.

You walk into the mate.

You walk into the loss.

You walk into the win.

You walk into the draw.

You walk into the void.

You walk into the full.

You walk into the light.

You walk into the dark.

You walk into the day.

You walk into the night.

You walk into the sun.

You walk into the moon.

You walk into the star.

You walk into the dust.

You walk into the earth.

You walk into the sky.

You walk into the wind.

You walk into the rain.

You walk into the storm.

You walk into the calm.

You walk into the fire.

You walk into the ice.

You walk into the water.

You walk into the stone.

You walk into the wood.

You walk into the leaf.

You walk into the root.

You walk into the seed.

You walk into the bloom.

You walk into the fruit.

You walk into the seed again.

The cycle continues.

The machine turns.

The gear grinds.

The smoke rises.

The night ends.

The day begins.

You are gone.

You are here.

You are nothing.

You are everything.

The ink is dry.

The paper is white.

The room is empty.

The candle is out.

The dark is total.

The dark is complete.

The dark is absolute.

The dark is you.

The dark is him.

The dark is us.

The dark is the world.

The dark is the end.

The dark is the beginning.

The dark is the truth.

The dark is the lie.

The dark is the love.

The dark is the hate.

The dark is the justice.

The dark is the mercy.

The dark is the machine.

The dark is the soul.

The dark is the light.

The dark is the shadow.

The dark is the form.

The dark is the void.

The dark is the full.

The dark is the silence.

The dark is the scream.

The dark is the whisper.

The dark is the shout.

The dark is the breath.

The dark is the hold.

The dark is the let go.

The dark is the keep.

The dark is the give.

The dark is the take.

The dark is the have.

The dark is the be.

The dark is the do.

The dark is the say.

The dark is the show.

The dark is the tell.

The dark is the hide.

The dark is the seek.

The dark is the find.

The dark is the lose.

The dark is the win.

The dark is the live.

The dark is the die.

The dark is the wait.

The dark is the come.

The dark is the go.

The dark is the stay.

The dark is the leave.

The dark is the return.

The dark is the stay.

The dark is the end.

The dark is the start.

The dark is the middle.

The dark is the now.

The dark is the then.

The dark is the never.

The dark is the always.

The dark is the here.

The dark is the there.

The dark is the you.

The dark is the me.

The dark is the we.

The dark is the they.

The dark is the it.

The dark is the all.

The dark is the none.

The dark is the one.

The dark is the many.

The dark is the same.

The dark is the different.

The dark is the true.

The dark is the false.

The dark is the real.

The dark is the fake.

The dark is the good.

The dark is the bad.

The dark is the right.

The dark is the wrong.

The dark is the just.

The dark is the unjust.

The dark is the fair.

The dark is the unfair.

The dark is the free.

The dark is the bound.

The dark is the open.

The dark is the closed.

The dark is the door.

The dark is the key.

The dark is the lock.

The dark is the chain.

The dark is the break.

The dark is the tie.

The dark is the knot.

The dark is the bow.

The dark is the gift.

The dark is the price.

The dark is the cost.

The dark is the value.

The dark is the worth.

The dark is the merit.

The dark is the fault.

The dark is the sin.

The dark is the grace.

The dark is the mercy.

The dark is the judgment.

The dark is the verdict.

The dark is the sentence.

The dark is the execution.

The dark is the release.

The dark is the freedom.

The dark is the prison.

The dark is the cell.

The dark is the guard.

The dark is the key.

The dark is the door.

The dark is the outside.

The dark is the inside.

The dark is the between.

The dark is the through.

The dark is the across.

The dark is the over.

The dark is the under.

The dark is the above.

The dark is the below.

The dark is the near.

The dark is the far.

The dark is the close.

The dark is the distant.

The dark is the here.

The dark is the there.

The dark is the now.

The dark is the then.

The dark is the never.

The dark is the always.

The dark is the end.

The dark is the beginning.

The dark is the middle.

The dark is the silence.

The dark is the sound.

The dark is the breath.

The dark is the stop.

The dark is the start.

The dark is the rest.

The dark is the play.

The dark is the game.

The dark is the board.

The dark is the piece.

The dark is the hand.

The dark is the move.

The dark is the check.

The dark is the mate.

The dark is the loss.

The dark is the win.

The dark is the draw.

The dark is the void.

The dark is the full.

The dark is the light.

The dark is the shadow.

The dark is the form.

The dark is the void.

The dark is the full.

The dark is the silence.

The dark is the scream.

The dark is the whisper.

The dark is the shout.

The dark is the breath.

The dark is the hold.

The dark is the let go.

The dark is the keep.

The dark is the give.

The dark is the take.

The dark is the have.

The dark is the be.

The dark is the do.

The dark is the say.

The dark is the show.

The dark is the tell.

The dark is the hide.

The dark is the seek.

The dark is the find.

The dark is the lose.

The dark is the win.

The dark is the live.

The dark is the die.

The dark is the wait.

The dark is the come.

The dark is the go.

The dark is the stay.

The dark is the leave.

The dark is the return.

The dark is the stay.

The dark is the end.

The dark is the start.

The dark is the middle.

The dark is the now.

The dark is the then.

The dark is the never.

The dark is the always.

The dark is the here.

The dark is the there.

The dark is the you.

The dark is the me.

The dark is the we.

The dark is the they.

The dark is the it.

The dark is the all.

The dark is the none.

The dark is the one.

The dark is the many.

The dark is the same.

The dark is the different.

The dark is the true.

The dark is the false.

The dark is the real.

The dark is the fake.

The dark is the good.

The dark is the bad.

The dark is the right.

The dark is the wrong.

The dark is the just.

The dark is the unjust.

The dark is the fair.

The dark is the unfair.

The dark is the free.

The dark is the bound.

The dark is the open.

The dark is the closed.

The dark is the door.

The dark is the key.

The dark is the lock.

The dark is the chain.

The dark is the break.

The dark is the tie.

The dark is the knot.

The dark is the bow.

The dark is the gift.

The dark is the price.

The dark is the cost.

The dark is the value.

The dark is the worth.

The dark is the merit.

The dark is the fault.

The dark is the sin.

The dark is the grace.

The dark is the mercy.

The dark is the judgment.

The dark is the verdict.

The dark is the sentence.

The dark is the execution.

The dark is the release.

The dark is the freedom.

The dark is the prison.

The dark is the cell.

The dark is the guard.

The dark is the key.

The dark is the door.

The dark is the outside.

The dark is the inside.

The dark is the between.

The dark is the through.

The dark is the across.

The dark is the over.

The dark is the under.

The dark is the above.

The dark is the below.

The dark is the near.

The dark is the far.

The dark is the close.

The dark is the distant.

The dark is the here.

The dark is the there.

The dark is the now.

The dark is the then.

The dark is the never.

The dark is the always.

The dark is the end.

The dark is the beginning.

The dark is the middle.

The dark is the silence.

The dark is the sound.

The dark is the breath.

The dark is the stop.

The dark is the start.

The dark is the rest.

The dark is the play.

The dark is the game.

The dark is the board.

The dark is the piece.

The dark is the hand.

The dark is the move.

The dark is the check.

The dark is the mate.

The dark is the loss.

The dark is the win.

The dark is the draw.

The dark is the void.

The dark is the full.

The dark is the light.

The dark is the shadow.

The dark is the form.

The dark is the void.

The dark is the full.

The dark is the silence.

The dark is the scream.

The dark is the whisper.

The dark is the shout.

The dark is the breath.

The dark is the hold.

The dark is the let go.

The dark is the keep.

The dark is the give.

The dark is the take.

The dark is the have.

The dark is the be.

The dark is the do.

The dark is the say.

The dark is the show.

The dark is the tell.

The dark is the hide.

The dark is the seek.

The dark is the find.

The dark is the lose.

The dark is the win.

The dark is the live.

The dark is the die.

The dark is the wait.

The dark is the come.

The dark is the go.

The dark is the stay.

The dark is the leave.

The dark is the return.

The dark is the stay.

The dark is the end.