The hall's air shifted again, heavy as stone pressing down. Lyra braced herself, her body tense after the sorrow of the fallen king. She thought she had learned something of what to expect. She thought she was ready.
But when the next soul emerged, she faltered.
He was an older man, tall but slightly bent with age, dressed in robes that looked as though they had once belonged to a great house. His silver hair gleamed faintly in the dim light, swept back neatly. His hands rested on a polished cane, though Lyra suspected it was more for appearance than support.
His eyes were the first thing that struck her — sharp, alive, too alive. They gleamed with a knowing light, the kind that stripped people bare.
A smile spread across his face when he saw her. Not the twisted sneer of the cruel or the weary sorrow of the fallen. No, his smile was pleasant. Gentle, even.
"Ah," he said, his voice smooth as silk. "So this is the one chosen to face me. How fortunate."
Lyra stiffened. The way he looked at her made her skin prickle.
---
"Name," Kaelen said, his voice a steady echo from the shadows.
The man chuckled softly, as though the request amused him. "Names are curious things, are they not? So small, yet they carry lifetimes within them. Mine… is Dorian Vale."
He gave a shallow bow, his smile never fading. "Once a man of influence. A speaker, a negotiator, a friend to kings."
Lyra's brow furrowed. His words were pleasant, but they felt slippery, like oil on water.
---
Dorian's gaze fixed on her, ignoring Kaelen entirely. "And who are you, child? The lamb sent among wolves?"
"I… I'm here to learn," Lyra said, steadying her voice.
"Learn," Dorian echoed, his smile deepening. "Ah, but you are learning already, are you not? Look at you. Eyes wide, heart trembling. You know that words hold power. That truth is not always found in what is said, but in what is not."
Lyra shifted uncomfortably. Something about the way he spoke wrapped around her thoughts, tugging at them, pulling her closer.
---
He stepped forward slowly, cane tapping softly against the stone floor. "I was a man who never raised a blade. Never dirtied his hands with blood. And yet, my words… oh, they moved armies. They sealed fates. One whisper in the right ear, one promise in the right moment, and kingdoms bent."
He leaned in slightly, his voice lowering as though sharing a secret. "I did not kill. I merely persuaded others to do what they already desired. Is that so wrong?"
Lyra's lips parted, but no words came. He sounded so reasonable, so calm.
---
Dorian chuckled softly at her silence. "Ah, the innocence of youth. So easy to charm. Tell me, child… if I convinced a man to betray his brother, was it I who betrayed, or he?"
The question hung in the air like smoke. Lyra swallowed hard, her thoughts racing.
"It was still you," she said at last, her voice trembling but firm. "You planted the thought. You made it happen."
Dorian's smile widened, pleased. "Ah, conviction. I admire that. Truly, I do. And yet… if a heart is swayed so easily, was the rot not there already? I simply showed it the light."
---
Kaelen's voice rumbled low from the shadows. "You twisted the will of men. That was your weapon."
For the first time, Dorian's eyes flickered toward the Judge. His smile sharpened. "And what are you, then, cloaked one? Do you not twist as well? Do you not decide with your silence who shall rise and who shall fall? We are not so different."
Lyra's breath caught. No one had dared to speak to Kaelen that way.
But Kaelen did not respond.
---
Dorian's gaze returned to Lyra, his tone softening again. "Do you see, child? Even your Judge hides behind mystery. He decides fates and calls it justice. I did the same and called it wisdom. Why should I be condemned for playing the game of kings?"
Lyra's hands curled into fists. Her heart pounded, but not with fear this time — with anger. His words were too smooth, too practised. She could feel them trying to slip inside her mind, to make her doubt what she saw.
"You hurt people," she said firmly. "You didn't wield a sword, but your words cut deeper. You made others destroy each other. You broke trust. That's worse than killing with your own hands."
---
For a moment, silence hung heavy in the hall.
Then Dorian laughed. Low at first, then rich and full, echoing off the chamber walls.
"Oh, delightful," he said, wiping a tear from his eye. "So sharp, so sure of yourself. Yes, I see now why they chose you. A lamb with teeth. How… amusing."
Lyra's cheeks burned, but she held her ground.
Dorian leaned on his cane, tilting his head. "Tell me, Lyra… how long before those teeth of yours taste blood? How long before you, too, use words as I did, to bend and sway, to control? Do not look so shocked. Power changes us all. Even you."
---
The words slithered into her chest, coiling around her doubts. Was he right? Could she become like him, twisted by power, deceiving to survive?
Her breath quickened. She glanced toward Kaelen, but the Judge gave no answer, his form still cloaked in silence.
It was up to her to resist.
Lyra's chest tightened under the weight of Dorian's words. His voice was calm, smooth, like a river sliding over stones, but beneath it lurked something poisonous. Every sentence seemed to search for cracks in her heart, places where doubt could seep in.
"You cannot frighten me," she said, though her voice wavered.
"Frighten?" Dorian chuckled, shaking his head as though amused by a child's misunderstanding. "No, no, little one. I do not seek to frighten. I seek to show you the truth. You think monsters are born with claws and fangs? No. The worst monsters wear smiles. They whisper kindly, and before you know it, you are dancing to their tune."
His eyes glimmered as they bored into hers. "And one day, you will discover you are humming the very song you swore you despised."
---
Lyra's throat went dry. His words pressed too close to her secret fears. She thought of herself, dragged into this hall, judged and tested. What if she failed? What if she became like those she condemned?
"No," she said, louder this time. "I won't be like you."
Dorian leaned forward, cane tapping softly against the stone. His smile widened, showing the faintest glint of teeth. "All said the same, child. Every soul that once believed itself pure. Every man and woman who thought they could carry power and remain untouched. But power whispers. It tempts. It corrupts. And in time, it wins."
---
Kaelen's eyes glowed faintly in the shadows, watching, but he offered no rescue.
Lyra's heart hammered. She forced herself to stand straighter, meeting Dorian's gaze. "You want me to believe I'll fall so I stop fighting. That's what you do. You make people give up before they see the truth. But I'm not giving up."
For the first time, Dorian's smile faltered. Only slightly, but Lyra saw it.
---
"Oh," he said softly, tilting his head. "There's a spark in you, isn't there? Dangerous. Dangerous indeed. That spark will grow, and when it does, you will understand me better than anyone. You will see that I was right."
His voice dropped, velvety and low. "You will see that we are the same."
Lyra's stomach turned. She shook her head fiercely. "We're not. I would never twist people like toys. I would never steal their choices like you did."
---
Silence stretched, thick and heavy.
Then Dorian laughed again, but the warmth in it was gone. It was colder, harsher, a sound that scraped against the stone walls.
"Ah, youth," he said. "So certain, so righteous. I envy it, truly. But righteousness cracks under weight, child. It always does."
He turned his gaze upward, as if addressing the unseen ceiling. "Judge, is this my end then? To be condemned by a girl who knows nothing of the world?"
---
Finally, Kaelen moved. His voice rolled through the hall, deep and unyielding. "You are condemned not by her innocence, but by your own words. You weave lies even here, before judgment. You cling to charm, hoping it will shield you. But your tongue was always your blade, and with it you carved ruin."
The shadows deepened, pressing close around Dorian.
For the first time, the man's smile broke completely. His eyes widened, the mask of calm slipping. "Wait—"
The darkness rose like a tide, wrapping around him, swallowing his form. His last words echoed, cut off as the void consumed him.
"No… we are the same—"
Silence.
---
Lyra's shoulders slumped. Her legs shook, and she realised she had been holding her breath. She drew in a shuddering inhale, pressing a hand to her chest.
Her voice was small when she whispered, "He almost made me believe him."
Kaelen stepped from the shadows, his form still cloaked in gloom but nearer now. His eyes glimmered faintly as they fixed on her. "That is his kind's strength. Words, when sharpened, can cut deeper than blades. Do not underestimate them."
Lyra shivered. "If I had… if I had agreed with him…"
"You would not have," Kaelen said simply. "He sought to shake you. And though you trembled, you stood."
His gaze held hers, steady and unreadable. "Remember this lesson, Lyra. The world is filled with silver tongues. They smile as they lead you to ruin. If you cannot see through them, you will be devoured."
---
Lyra nodded slowly. She still felt the echo of Dorian's voice, the smoothness of his words coiled in her thoughts. But she also felt the strength of her refusal, fragile though it had been.
For the first time, she wondered if perhaps she truly could survive this place.
The hall was silent once more, waiting for the next soul.