Story Chapter 40: Beneath the dreadful noose

Haruka stood trembling at the center of the execution platform. The knight's hand remained firmly on her arm as he guided her forward. “Keep walking.” Haruka could barely hear him over the roaring crowd. She took another reluctant step. Then another. Until she stood directly beneath the wooden beam. Above her, the noose hung motionless in the cold wind. Haruka stared at it. For several seconds, she said nothing. The fear and resistance that had consumed her throughout the day seemed to drain away, leaving only exhaustion. Her shoulders lowered. Her breathing became slow and uneven. A pair of tears slipped down her cheeks. “I...” Her voice broke. She swallowed and tried again. “I don't understand...” Her hands remained cuffed behind her back as she looked across the enormous crowd. Hundreds of faces stared back at her. Some were angry. Others looked frightened. Some simply watched in silence. Then the shouting began again. “Kill the witch!” “Execute her!” “Let justice be done!” “She must pay for her sorcery!” The chants grew louder. Haruka flinched. But she didn't struggle anymore. Instead, she lowered her gaze with a strangely serene, defeated expression. A quiet sob escaped her lips. “I'm not a witch...” Her voice was barely more than a whisper. The executioner stepped toward her. Haruka heard the faint creak of the wooden platform beneath his boots. She closed her eyes. The crowd became even fiercer. “Execute her!” “Death to the witch!” The executioner reached toward the hanging rope. Haruka's lips trembled as another choked sob escaped her. She remained standing beneath the noose, her expression resigned and exhausted. The executioner's hand closed around the rope. And the chapter ends.