The night before the trial came far too quickly.
Kana sat on the cold stone bench of her new cell, her hands curled loosely in her lap.
Unlike the private, room-like cell she had been held in before, this one was bare and unforgiving —iron bars to the front, damp stone to the sides, and nothing to hide her from the watchful eyes of whoever passed through the prison corridor.
The guards had said it was for her own protection, that keeping her in a "normal" cell would avoid revealing her as someone of importance.
She supposed they were right.
But sitting here, under the dim flicker of a single lantern, with the distant echo of boots and the faint stench of damp air, it was hard to feel protected.
At least her cell door was locked. At least no one could just walk in.
She hugged her knees closer, trying to convince herself of that.
Then the system stirred.
[New skill acquired: Corruption Value Detection.]
[Displays the level of wrongdoing accumulated by nearby individuals.]
