The Chosen Path

Sven felt like everything around him had stopped moving. He could no longer register the sound of the birds chirping on the nearby tree. The only thing he could hear was Arias’ words which were echoing in his head. He could not tell if that was simply an invitation or a deception that would have him end up in the deepest hell, and he had no idea what kind of ulterior motive the other might have had. That mysterious smile was just too difficult to read.

“It’s fine if you don’t accept the offer. You might have been forced by Oran, but a crime is still a crime. I’ll have to take you to the duke. But there’s no telling what kind of punishment he’d give the two of you. You’ve seen what people did to the deserters once they were caught, right? You might not be afraid to die, but you should at least think about your sister.”