As the days pass by, Joseph
becomes more and more anxious about the upcoming day, as he kept checking the calendar again and again as he sees that it was coming the very next day and so he decided to take as much rest as possible.
But because of his anxiety and worries for what's about to occur, Joseph couldn't help but stay awake, constantly squirming around his bed — trying to get sleep. But after a while he finally rested from the exhaustion.
The very next day when Joseph woke up he checked the time and it seems like he woke up a little early, "a few more minutes of sleep won't hurt." So he decides to sleep for a few minutes but when he woke up he sees that he had overslept so he rushes to get himself prepped.
"I'm going to be so late!" He shouted as he rushes to get prepared. His sister wandered in the room and saw him running around frantically so she asked him a question, "Brother? What are you doing so early in the morning?", Elizabeth asked in a confused manner, Joseph stops for a minute to think as he looks at Elizabeth, "Why are you still here? I thought you had school?" He questioned her.
Elizabeth thinks to herself as she sees that she's still in her sleepwear, she also noticed that she was also late and so they both frantically ran around the house trying get prepared as fast as possible. As they were rushing while they eat breakfast, Elizabeth notices and asked her brother. "Big brother, why are you rushing anyways?", "Oh, I'm supposed to meet up with someone and it's almost past the time of our meet up.", Joseph replied to her.
"Is that so? Is it the princess again?", she asks once more. "Oh no, just some business to talk to with someone." Joseph answered her.
"Is that so? Well good luck on this business meeting with them." Elizabeth says before they continued to eat their breakfast. After finishing their food — they both headed out and said their goodbyes before going to where they're planning to go.
As Joseph walks, he grew more nervous the closer he gets to the place where he's supposed to be meeting someone to prove his innocence. "Is this going to go well?", Joseph continues to talk to himself as he walks.
"Hey, kid! Watch where you're going will you!?", the worker scolded Joseph for not watching out and almost crashing with the cart that the worker was riding. Joseph still continued his walk fast paced, as he walks and gets closer to the place he bumped against a girl carrying a lot of stuff and she almost dropped it all to the ground but fortunately she didn't.
Joseph rushed and picked up the fallen belongings and handed it back to the girl, "I'm very sorry!", apologizing before continuing to walk, the girl he bumped into looked at him with curiosity as if she had seen Joseph from somewhere before.
Joseph sighed in relief to finally make it to the place, "So this is the place, 'The High Court', what a fancy name.", he says to himself as he tries to calm his self down with distractions whilst he walks in the building.
As he walks through the hall filled with paintings — he arrives at a reception table. "Good morning sir, how may I help you today?" The service lady inquired. "I am here for a scheduled meeting for a trial.", Joseph replies to the receptionist.
"If that's so then please continue walking to the right hall then make a left on the second turn.", the receptionist instructed Joseph, "Thank you ma'am, I'll be on my way then.", Joseph nods to the receptionist as he leaves and heads towards the room.
As Joseph gets closer he notices two guards infront of door, just from their presence — Joseph knew that they were very strong, Joseph heads in as the doors creak as they're being opened by the guards, the guards closed it again right after Joseph enters the room.
The torches around the room lit up one by one and the shadowy figures were slowly being shown, showing in the middle was Principal Skellar, and with two more people on each side of the room that looks to be supervisors from the school. "Maybe it's just me but I feel like location of the room seems to be a bit of a stretch just to deal with one student." Joseph thinks to himself while he inspects every corner of the room.
"Now then, shall we start the trial to decide this boys' fate?", Principal Skellar says out loud. The four people standing raised their hands in approval to what Principal Skellar had said. "Let us start then, Joseph you are charged with assault, breaking the peace, rampaging on school grounds, and breaking nearly every rule in the school handbook, how do you plea to the allegations mentioned? You are given permission to speak.", Principal Skellar listed before turning over to Joseph.
"What? Nearly every rules in the school handbook? I knew that I broke or did the other things but almost all the rules in the school handbook? That's absurd!" Joseph thinks to himself being dumbfounded and confused. "Principal, I am aware and understand the other allegations but what could you mean by 'nearly all rules in the school books'.", Joseph asks in a confused manner.
"It's just as I said, nearly all the rules in the school book, do you need me to specify each of it?", the principal answered in an annoyed manner, "If so then I kindly ask you to specify it for me please." Joseph replies.
"The report I have about what had happened during the incident here says 'conducted violence towards students, seem to be taking some sort of substance that makes a person go out of control which could be the result of the lash out, discrimination towards other lesser or unfortunate ones.' and more to the list.", Principal Skellar stated. The other supervisors looked at me with disgust and hatred whilst the principal was reading out the allegations I had supposedly made.
Joseph was in utter disbelief with what the principal had stated, he felt that something was off with the report and so he thought for a while. The room went quiet for a bit before the principal talked again, "Do you have anything in your defense against these allegations made?" The principal asked. It went quiet for a while and then Joseph had a thought, "Principal Skellar, is there any possibilities that some of the allegation stated in the report are false accusations?", Joseph asked.
"Why do you say that?", the principal asked in curiousity. "Is it possible that the report had been tampered by someone to further escalate the charges towards me? Specifically... Nobles that discriminates others because of their status and position..?", Joseph asks the principal with an eristic question.
Principal Skellar was a bit confused by the assumption that Joseph gave so he gave it some thought. "Even so, if that were to happen it has a low chance of ever happening as I've hand picked all the staff in the school and entrusted them with their role.", Principal Skellar replied with enthusiasm, "How could you be so sure Principal Skellar? From my experience, all nobles do is use their money to gain an upper hand on those less fortunate.", Joseph retaliates to the principals boast.
Principal Skellar was a bit ticked off by Joseph's presumption towards his judgement and choices. "This insolent brat! You cannot disrespect the principal with that! Principal Skellar this conversation is meaningless! Let us dismiss this insolent child and simply charge him of all the allegations and accusations he's been charged with!" One of the supervisors yelled at Joseph and Principal Skellar, "There is no such thing as a futile trial. Each and every person is given a fair trial in this world.", Principal Skellar replied to the supervisor's aggressive approach before motioning the supervisor to stand down.
"Everything holds meaning, and so we mustn't push it away that simply.", Principal Skellar said once again, the principal gave it some thought and sees a point to what Joseph is saying, but before he could say anything he sees a shadow on top of the ridge just above Joseph. Principal Skellar was shaken to his bones but he doesn't show it, he was reminded of the deal he had made with someone. But unbeknownst to Joseph, the trial had already been rigged from the start, he had no chance to win against it.
"But still, Joseph Orsel for the crimes and allegations made by you, we cannot simply ignore it and justice is a must.", the principal says without giving it much thought. Joseph was speechless by this, before he could talk he was suddenly interrupted by the principal, "And so I have made my judgement, Joseph Orsel, you are found guilty for the allegations committed, and is to be sentenced to fifteen years in jail."
Joseph was stunned by this and couldn't help but be frozen in place, his face darkens as he is faced with unfair judgement once again, just as soon as he was able to gain hope for escape from the nobles corrupted ways. Guards came inside and took Joseph by the arms and dragged him out of the room, Joseph wasn't able to do anything as it had seem to him that all hope is lost, he was then thrown in a temporary cell before he could be moved to a proper one.
Joseph sat in the corner of his cell, he stared at the floor as he couldn't think of anything but the devastation that had hit him. "There is no truth in this world, only the lies spread by those who has status and influence.", Joseph thinks to himself.
"All lies.", the words echoed in his mind, he sees hallucinations of scars appearing on his body, as he sees this he gets a bad feeling of what's next to come.
Before he could think of anything else an unknown person covered in clothing came infront of his cell and opened it, the person suddenly appeared in front of Joseph as if he teleported, Joseph tried to scurry away from the person but he was quickly knocked out cold with a punch right towards his stomach. As Joseph's vision blur -- the last thing he sees is being carried by the person.
The unknown person disappeared to thin air leaving behind no trace of evidence and Joseph, no where to be found.
Back at Joseph's house, his sister Elizabeth had already came back but her brother was no where in sight, she gets a bad feeling that something had happened to his brother and so she decides to wait and wait, the night's already closing in and Joseph is still no where to be seen, this made Elizabeth grow anxious for his brother's safety, "Brother... Where are you...", Elizabeth thinks to herself, worrying about her brother throughout the night, right until she fell asleep.
Joseph was half conscious and as he tries to look around only to see he is surrounded by trees in a place he isn't familiar with, but unfortunately to Joseph the kidnapper noticed this and swiftly knocked Joseph out once more.
As Joseph was unconscious, he dreamt of the same place once again, caged, with his hands chained to the wall and scars all over his body, before he could look around Joseph was awoken by the cold water that the kidnapper splashed to him. Joseph, feeling disoriented, looks around the room, and as he comes to his senses he is utterly shocked by his surroundings.
"It's... It's the same as the ones in my dreams...", Joseph's eyes widen in shock and couldn't help but to try and move his body but only to see that he had already been chained to the wall while he was asleep, just like in his dreams. Joseph was frightened to the core, as his body shakes from fear knowing what's about to happen next.
Joseph couldn't scream or shout for help as he had already known they were in the middle of no where, and so he couldn't help but stare terrifyingly at the man covered with a mask, holding a whip in front of him...