"If you win… you will die slowly.And if you lose… you will die instantly."
My hand froze in mid-air.The pen slipped from my fingers."…What?"The man in front of me didn't smile.He didn't move.He just… watched.With eyes that contained nothing human.
Three Minutes Earlier
"Your case is rejected."The words fell like a death sentence.I slowly lifted my head toward the judge."But, Your Honor—""Rejected."Rain pounded against the courthouse windows.The crowd behind me started whispering."Lawyer Samer Al-Ayadi…"I heard my name spoken with pity.Or mockery.I could no longer tell the difference."…Failed again."
After the Court
I stepped outside.The rain wasn't cold.It was… heavy.As if it wanted to prove to me that I was a failure even in feeling."How many times now?"One… two… ten?Doesn't matter.The outcome is always the same.I'm a lawyer… who never wins.
The Moment Everything Changed
I was about to cross the street.Then—The world froze.Not metaphorically.Literally.A raindrop hung in the air.The sound of cars… vanished.Even my heart—Skipped a beat.
"Finally."The voice came from behind me."We found you."
I turned.The man I had seen in court…Was standing there.But—He wasn't as he had been.Instead of a suit…He wore a long black robe.Dragging on the ground as if alive.
"Who are you?"He smiled.A smile… wrong."I'm the one giving you a last chance to be a… successful lawyer."
"I don't want—""Lying is allowed here."He interrupted me."But not to yourself."
Then—He extended his hand."Do you accept?"
The Mistake
I don't know why.Maybe desperation.Maybe anger.Maybe because I no longer cared.
I reached out my hand.And touched his.
The Fall
The world broke.Not metaphorically.I felt it… shatter.Glass shattered inside my mind.Light.Darkness.Screams.
Then—Silence.
The Court
"Welcome."I opened my eyes.If I had a choice… I wouldn't have.
A vast hall.But—Not human.The pillars were… bones.The floor… black and glossy, as if covered in blood.The ceiling—Didn't exist.Only… endless void.
"Where am I…?"
"Contract Court."
I looked ahead.The judge.
The Judge
Not human.Not something that could be named.A tall, broken figure.Face… hidden behind a white mask.But the mask… wept blood.
"Case Number 6667."His voice was not heard.It was written… inside my mind.
"Defendant: a high-tier entity."
Then—I looked to my left.
The Defendant
Chains bound him.But they… didn't restrain him.They begged him instead.
A man.Or… something resembling a man.Unnaturally handsome.His eyes—Completely black.
He smiled at me.
"Are you my lawyer?"
"…Me?"
Judgment Before Beginning
"If the defense loses—"The judge said."His soul will be erased."
"…"
"If he wins—""He will continue to serve."
"…""Forever."
Shock
"Wait—I didn't agree—"The man beside me said.
I looked at my hand.A symbol.Engraved.Moving.
"This…"
"Is your contract."
The Prosecution
"The prosecution is ready."
I looked to the other side.
A woman.White hair.A smile… sharp as a blade.
"I am the prosecution,"She said calmly.
"And I will prove that your client… murdered 312 humans."
Silence.
I looked at the defendant.
"Is this true?"
He smiled.
"Perhaps."
The Rule
"In this court—"Said the judge."Memories… are evidence.""And truth… comes at a cost."
The Vision
The heart exploded.
Suddenly—I was there.
A room.A child.Terrified.
Then—The defendant entered.
Smiled.Eyes.
"No…"
The child screamed.And the blood—
Return
I snapped back.Fell to my knees.
"…This is real."
"Of course."Said the prosecution."Your client is a monster."
Silence
I looked at him.
He was watching me.
"Will you defend me?"He asked.
"After what I saw?"
Collapse
"I am…"
No.This is not defense.This is… justification for murder.
But—
"If I lose… I die."
The Choice
"…"I looked at the judge.Then at the prosecution.Then—At him.
The Twist
"I want… to examine the evidence."
Silence.
"What?"Said the prosecution.
"This is one-sided evidence."
"…"
The defendant smiled.
The Hidden Rule
"In this court—"I said slowly."Memories… can be forged."
The silence—Was heavy.
The judge… tilted his head.
"Proceed."
The Turn
"I want… to access the original memory."
"It costs."Said the judge.
"The price?"
"Part of your soul."
"…"
The Decision
"Agreed."
"Are you insane?!"The prosecution shouted.
"Perhaps."I said."But—""I do not lose."
The End
The judge raised his hand.
The heart… began to beat again.
But this time—
It was watching me.And smiling.