- Approx. Time
- August 19, during the opening summons of the Court Above.
- Holiday
- The Day of the Accused.
- Reader Note
- No holiday change occurs in this opening. The whole proceeding begins under a day devoted to contested blame.
The summons arrived written in light, which Satan found unnecessarily theatrical. It burned through the basalt desk, through three centuries of indictments, and through the hand of the messenger who insisted on holding it until acknowledged.
"Again?" Satan asked.
The messenger did not answer. Messengers rarely did. They were designed for delivery, not conversation, and certainly not for doubt.
In the Court Above, humanity's crimes had been stacked into mountains: wars blessed by priests, children starved beneath golden ceilings, laws written to protect cruelty, prayers used as locks. At the center of it all sat one empty chair, reserved for the oldest suspect.
Satan took his seat and smiled at the jury of spotless faces. "Before we begin," he said, "I would like to know who taught them to blame me."
To be continued...