Justice is what love looks like in public, just like tenderness is what love feels like in private.

But for Zane, there was no love. So no justice as well.

The Emberlord was dead set on Milo and amidst this, Zane accused Coin himself.

When he returned the relic, there was only Coin in the room. Zane argued what if he had returned the original relic but because the Emberlord wanted to teach Zane a lesson, he came to the stage with the fake relic and accused the gutterborn.

All because the Emberlord could score points in the religion game he played and also impress the Crowns by clearing the filth they all hate.

Zane didn’t know that much about Crowns but after all this, he was sure of the fact that Crowns were what these people obey.

In fact, by now he had figured the ranks of various things.

The priests of the churches followed:

Kindlers → Flamekeepers → Emberlords → Pyrelords → Grand Pyre.

Zane didn’t know if a rank lower than Kindler existed but he was sure of the higher ranks. Horum had mentioned some of them yesterday.

At the top were the Crowns and beneath them were Halocrats, then the people who obey these Halocrats, Zane didn’t know what they were called, and there were some other group of people that Zane had yet to know of.

But what he did know very well was the bottom.

The bottom was reserved for the Gutterborns.

The bottom was where he was.

As for the Enforcers, he knew their hierarchy by now as well.

They work under Discipline Sentinels. And the Wardens roaming around the city, they work under the Enforcers. They were the security force that managed the city and its discipline. They were only focused on the protection of the society.

Zane had spent all his life surviving and living in slums that he hadn’t raised his head to bother with the ranks. But the world, the world shoved the knowledge down to his throat whether he wanted it or not.

Nevertheless, right now he was in the confession box and in his loud voice, he had accused the Emberlord.

Naturally, gasps rang again as they kept getting amazed by the courage of the gutterborn to speak in such a way to Coin.

And this time not only Coin, he also mentioned the Crowns with his mouth. That alone would grant him his death.

The Emberlord and Zane kept their eyes on each other and after a second, Coin shook his head.

"You think I am finding pleasure by putting you on a trial, Zane Atlas?"

"Of course not. You would find pleasure when I am found guilty at the end of the trial."

Coin sighed. "You speak of hatred. You speak of gutterborns being hated. You speak as if gutterborns are devoid of any hate themselves when right now, in front of me, you are also spewing hatred for me and the Halocrats yourself. What should we make of that? If you think we have hatred towards your kind then isn’t your hatred towards us also wrong?"

Zane laughed.

"The gutterborns are really devoid of hatred, Emberlord."

Coin frowned.

Zane turned to the audience.

"When was the last time when a filth spoke like I am speaking right now? When was the last time a gutterborn rebelled before already sliding his head inside the noose?"

The people went silent.

"There is no need to think hard. The answer is never. Not once did any of the gutterborns question why there was no food in their house but so much spit of others’ on their faces. They simply lived. Survived. It is only today that I am speaking. It is only today that I am shouting which is making you all restless."

Zane roamed his wide eyes around the Cathedral.

"I want to rip off my eyes after seeing your smiles. I wish for molten lava in my ears when I hear your laughter. One of you tripped me on the stairs just because you saw a filth you can play with. Do I have hatred inside my heart? Bloody yes, I have. My heart is full of hatred. I abhor all of you. But, for the love of God you all pray to, I want all of you to place your hand on your heart and ask yourself..."

Zane locked eyes with Coin.

"Can you blame me for it?"

The Gutterborns standing at the end of the hall, they found their eyes tearing up. Zane was what they wished and feared to be.

Xavier’s heart thumped inside his chest as he couldn’t be more proud.

He had done the right thing siding with Zane. Zane was the exact type of person he was looking for.

Everyone else, whether with disgust or amazement, all of them agreed with one thing about Zane.

He was fearless.

The Emberlord faced the audience. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"That is a topic we would discuss later. Hatred and oppression are not something that could be cured with one trial."

Zane scoffed.

"It can be cured in one second if you actually wanted to cure it, Emberlord."

Coin twitched.

"You are simply averting the eyes from your sister with all these gimmicks, Zane Atlas. You think I replaced the original relic with a fake one myself just so I could kill you? You are wrong. I don’t want to kill you. You are no threat to me. And I certainly would not replace the original relic. If I had the original relic everyone would be in their classes and I would be in my room right now. What you returned to me was a fake one. And I think your sister has secrets that this Cathedral turned courtroom would like to know. And before you divert the trial again..."

Coin looked at Kairon.

"Go to his room and bring his infidel little sister in front of my eyes right now."

"Kaironnn!" Zane bellowed in the loudest voice possible.

"If you as much as touch even a strand of her hair..."

Spit came out of Zane’s mouth as he glared at Kairon.

"Even the First Flame himself would not be able to protect you from the hell I would unleash on your pathetic soul you sold to the lords of this city."