Bow To The King, Celie

AND WE MEET AGAIN

Chapter 1

On the evening of the cruelest night of December, a man so heartbroken, a void where only melancholy blossomed, and his heart filled with withered flowers of sorrows, smiled. He smiled at the same exact time Celie did. Their smiles were a symphony of unspoken words. Gelid had shown a flicker of joy for the first time in ten years since his mother had passed away.

***

A cold wind blew past me as the officers forcefully pushed me forward. "Faster! We are already so late, and here you are limping."

Yes, their words sounded sharp, piercing through my already wounded soul, but I had endured worse in my life – This moment is nothing compared to that.

Right before me stood a towering building surrounded by green trees, pleasant weather, and officers and lawyers all rushing to get to their work.

Supreme Court

My lips unknowingly stretched into a bitter-sweet smile at how my life had taken such a dramatic and tragic turn. You see, I've committed a crime worthy of being tried in the Supreme Court. Framed for a murder I didn't commit, unjustly thrown into jail, and physically abused.

I was a mere pawn in their cruel game of vendetta. As expected, the system favored the privileged, and being an orphan, no one came to my rescue. I was an easy target for them. They protected their spoiled children, the true culprits of the crime I was accused of.

That's all that I was to them, merely an opportunity.

Just a few days ago, I was an A-grade college student with hopes and dreams, and today, here I am, humiliated. I am being pushed around by a gang of self-appointed "crusaders" thinking they are the superheroes that the world needs.

My downfall began when my adopted family, the source of all my pain and suffering, finally decided to sever ties completely. After enduring years of trauma and abuse at their hands, this was their way of setting me free – abandoned and left to fight my battles alone.

Their aim was not only to shatter my past but also to sabotage any hope I had for a better future.

"Thump!" Another forceful push from behind and we were inside the court. As soon as I stepped inside, the coldness left, and comforting warmth enveloped me.

"At least some comfort," I whispered to myself.

"Sit here," Chief Officer Rick, who was holding me earlier, grunted as he pointed towards a bench tucked in the corner. It was right beside the desk of a woman who was typing swiftly on her computer.

"I have to submit this paperwork, and then we'll take you to the courtroom," Rick said and started walking away but just when I thought he was almost gone, he turned back, and lowered his voice before speaking again, "And I swear, if I catch you in some trouble again, I'll send you to the unseen world before the court gets to know about it, RAT."

That was a threat.

No, I wasn't planning on doing anything stupid, but even if I were, I would not proceed with it any longer.

I slumped onto the cold steel bench that was assigned to me and slowly observed the people.

All were busy at their work, oblivious to the mysteries that lay beyond the earth and what the immortal world could bring upon them. They were lucky, blissfully unaware, and worried only about what they could see, while I had come to know the unseen way too well.

By unseen Rick meant death but the unseen that I am talking about is the one where immortals live. Why am I thinking about it right now?

Suddenly, there was a shift in the atmosphere. It was as if everyone else knew something I didn't, and the unknown sent shivers down my spine. Out of the blue, the lady beside me shrieked,