He was never the type for direct confrontation. He was Justice, but Justice was impersonal. For the shadows they would watch with all three heads, focused on the task at hand. Some were deemed worthy of rescue and led out of the looming shadows that ensnared such foolish travelers. Others were not so fortunate. Their souls would be burned away in the fires of Judgement and their bodies left to rot in the darkness, if their shaded hearts weren’t already.

Ears pricked, Judgement looked up. Someone had entered. Slowly he rose to his feet and began his approach. It was nothing new. Overhead, the thick brambles blotted out any form of sunlight. The only light present here was his own. Their soft ethereal paws tread down the ancient path. There in the clearing, they saw a small parda trembling with fear. The child looked up with those terrified eyes. Judgment could see the tears shimmering around their eyes, illuminated by the firelight. With a swift motion, Judgement motioned for him to follow and began to walk away.

A child. Not often had a child needed Judgment and this one was no exception. A heart of gold followed him through the thicket. Still, anytime he saw a child he couldn’t help but remember. Back when they had first met. It wasn’t his fault. He had warned him. No, it was his fault. After all those years, it was his fault that they had to see that gentle creature laying in the shadows, a sad and lifeless husk.

Behind him he could hear the child cry. He shouted something at Judgement but the words were lost on him. They were almost there. Soon, the darkness subsided to a wave of bright silence. Judgement stepped aside to let the child run to freedom. For a moment, he lingered. It would be nice to speak to them, to hear their thoughts and give them gentle words of warning and advice. But no. Such things only lead to more suffering. With a twinge of sadness, Judgement turned away and walked back to his life of unwanted solitude.