Refusing to Donate Corneas to Stepsister

When I refused to donate corneas to my stepsister, my mom and stepdad decided to drag me before the so-called Court of Morality.

If found guilty, I'd be thrown into the so-called Flames of Righteousness, turned to ash, with all my possessions going to them.

But at the verdict, they dropped to their knees, crying and pleading for mercy from the judge.

*****

When I was led to the platform, I was unshaken.

The judge, sitting high and mighty, had a stern look plastered across his face.

Above his head, the large screen scrolled with live comments, each mocking me relentlessly.

[Isn't this the girl who injured her sister's eyes and refused to donate even one cornea?]

[Utterly heartless, acting all cool after such a foul deed!]

[Laughable! Saw another one like her, cocky till they tossed her into the flames—pissed herself!]

The Court of Morality was a workaround for legal loopholes, judging only those whose sins didn't breach actual laws but were deemed despicable.

It was a live broadcast, where a hundred anonymous people cast their votes on your fate.

If deemed guilty, into the Flames of Righteousness you go, to burn and then vanish into ashes, with all your belongings handed over to the accuser.

On the opposite side, my mother, tightly holding my stepsister with no blood relation between them, looked at me with scorn. My stepfather ogled me greedily.

The judge banged his gavel, asking once more for confirmation.

"Plaintiffs, are you certain you want Lexi to undergo this moral judgment? If she's found guilty, she'll face..."

He was cut off mid-sentence by my mother, who yelled with all her might, "Yes! I want this backstabbing brat to suffer!"

The judge shook his head, turning to me with a questioning look.

"Defendant, are you sure about using the Memory Extractor?"

The crowd gasped in shock, and even the faces of the three plaintiffs turned pale.

The Memory Extractor could pull out the most genuine memories, unlike the selective ones offered voluntarily—it would present the complete and unchangeable truth.

Yet, it was a painful process with serious potential side effects.

Due to imperfect technology, two thick tubes would be inserted deep into the brain to extract memories, and there was a significant risk of ending up brain-dead afterward.

In other words, I could become a vegetable once the procedure was over.

Facing my mother's distraught expression, I nodded firmly and calmly.

"Yes, I am."