The dark side of Loyalty

Ciaphas turned to Nathan, his most trusted friend and warrior. "Follow him," he said. "Make sure he leaves the barony's boundaries. And once he's out of our lands, kill him."

Nathan nodded, a grim expression on his face. He had no qualms about killing someone, especially if it was ordered by his baron. He quickly gathered his things and set off after the warrior, keeping a safe distance to avoid being spotted.

It took several hours of tracking the warrior, but Nathan finally caught up to him at the edge of the barony's lands. The warrior was exhausted and barely able to stand, having been on the run for so long.

Nathan approached him quietly, his sword at the ready. "It's time to pay for your trespassing," he said, a hint of rare satisfaction in his voice.

The warrior looked up at him, fear and desperation in his eyes. "Please," he begged. "I didn't mean any harm. I just needed to get to the other side."

But Nathan was unmoved. He had his orders, and he would see them through to the end. He raised his sword down his neck in one swift move.

The warrior barely had time to register what was happening. Just moments after the light in his eyes had gone out, he quietly joined his ancestors in the afterlife.

Nathan sheathed his sword. He turned and looked back at the barony, noticing how small it looked in the distance. And then he made his way back towards the mansion.

He'd fulfilled his mission, he thought to himself. The baron would be pleased. He couldn't wait to get back to the mansion and tell him all about it.

On his way back, he noticed something odd. He had to get back to the barony right away and make sure everything was in order. He could see the baron's worry in his mind as he told him of this discovery.

Nathan eventually arrived at the mansion and headed straight up to the second floor where his lord and master sat on his chair watching the hourglass turned.

"Have you killed the warrior?" asked the baron coldly as he looked up at Nathan.

"Yes," replied Nathan. "I've killed him." The baron snorted. "Well done." Nathan stood still, waiting for further instruction. The baron noted his hesitation. "You can stay here with me if you like," he said as he began to drum his fingers on the arm of his chair.

"Yes, my lord," said Nathan as he bowed his head. The baron smiled. "I want to talk to you about something else too," he added. "I want you to tell me about it."

"As you command," replied Nathan, his face pale. "Tell me, my lord" he continued. "What exactly is it that you want me to tell you?"

"Here are the details," said the baron as he picked up a sheet of paper.

"I have a man working for me," he began. "At least, I had one. I don't know what happened to him. It seems that some of my assets have been stolen, and I'm asking you to go out there and find out what happened."

"Yes, my lord," said Nathan. "I understand." He turned to leave. The baron stopped him. "Oh," he said. "And make sure you bring back the goods." "As you command," replied Nathan.

He rode his horse through the forest. He stopped at the edge of the barony, observing the four village warriors guarding the perimeter. None of them looked at him as he made his way through the trees.

''Useless.''

The sun was high in the sky. Nathan would love to get out of the forest and into the field where they stored the grain, but he knew better than to disobey his Lord. Besides, he couldn't wait to tell the baron about the discovery he made that very morning. ''Wait, what discovery? my memory truly knows how to betray me'' he mused before he stopped at the edge of the forest. The trees in front of him began to move. Nathan pushed his horse forward. He didn't know what he was going to find when he got there, but he couldn't wait any longer.

The tree had bristled up and moved. Nathan travelled behind it, peering through the leaves. He knew who he was looking for. He was not surprised to see that the warrior hadn't been alone.

A swarm of bugs had hatched from the egg in the heartwood of the tree. They were coming up from below and moving over the warrior's body. They crawled out of their cocoons, spinning into their pupae stage, shortening their legs and developing wings.

They flew out of the cocoons one by one. When they had finished, Nathan and his horse looked down with wonder.

They were butterflies. About fifty of them. They circled the clearing where the tree had fallen months ago. He looked up at the storm clouds overhead. He knew what this meant for him;

"I'm here to serve you," he babbled. "I won't let you down." The wind howled as he shivered. A bolt of lightning flashed across the heavens. Nathan closed his eyes as he felt the pricks of his fingertips. The scent of sulfur filled his nose.

"Nathan's body trembled as he heard the deep voice. "You have done well," the voice said. "That is what I have always told you."

"My lord?" Nathan turned slowly towards the sound, his eyes pleading for release.

"Why do you always do this?" he asked, his voice shaking. "Why are you always tormenting him?"

"His family had been a thorn in my side for many years," the figure replied, amused. "And you can only remember me when you see me. The moment you look away, you will forget all about me. Doesn't that scare you, after all these years, Nathan?"

Nathan's knees buckled as the weight of the rune's power consumed him. He pleaded for death, but the mysterious figure only taunted him for his inability to control his actions.

"You engraved the rune on him. I can feel its energy from here," the figure said, a hint of satisfaction in his voice.

Nathan's eyes widened as he realized the full extent of his actions. He had unknowingly helped the figure corrupt Baron Ciaphas, and now it was too late to stop it.

"It has corrupted you, old friend," the figure continued, pleased with how things had turned out. "To kill a poor man with a smile on your face, with zero remorse left...tsk tsk tsk...and you called me cruel. Look at you now! I am surprised your little baron hasn't fully succumbed to the rune yet. Look at you! It isn't even engraved on you, and you have already fallen, haven't you?"

As the figure spoke, Nathan could feel the rune's power coursing through his body, controlling his every move. He struggled against it, but it was no use. He was trapped, a pawn in the figure's game.

A book was thrown onto Nathans's feet.

''Return it to him. Have him read it.''

Meanwhile, in the barony, Baron Ciaphas was slowly being corrupted by the rune that had been engraved on him in secret. At first, it was just a subtle change in his personality, a slightly more aggressive demeanour, a quickness to anger. But as time went on, the changes became more pronounced.

His once kind and gentle nature was replaced with a cruel and calculating one. He began to take pleasure in the suffering of others, and his desire for power grew stronger with each passing day. The rune was slowly consuming him, body and soul, and there was no turning back.

As the figure looked out over the barony, he smiled, satisfied with the chaos he had wrought. "Soon," he whispered to himself. "Soon, I will have everything I desire."