It did not take long for the bells of judgement to sound throughout town, matter of fact it was no more than ten minutes since Conrad had left the premises of the prison. The sharp sound snapped him back to reality just in time to see the disappointment written on Erden's face.
"I am sorry brother." Erden said as he placed a hand on Conrad's shoulder, "In your heart, I hope you can find the strength to forgive her."
"There is nothing to forgive, it is just her duty after all." He clenched his fists, "No matter how heartless it may seem to me, it is a thing she must do."
Erden exhaled, his eyes filled with pity, concern and last of all distrust, "Would you like to go for a drink." He asked calmly.
Conrad let out a sigh and started walking away, "Unfortunately I must refuse." he stopped for a second. "I have some things to do at home." He turned back with a smile, "Maybe later tonight at the usual spot?"
Relief washed over Erden's face, "Of course brother."
***********************************************
He walked aimlessly through the city, each step heavy as if his feet were tied in chains, his mind stuck within a vortex of thoughts and emotions.
The busy street he was on seemed quiet as simply not a sound the people made could reach his ears.
Looking down and walking his eyes were stuck in the image of his own shadow, for a moment he snapped back to reality as his shadow darkened and began to flicker, suddenly a gust of strong wind ran through the street to the dismay of all the people on it.
These strange events cleared his eyes and ears and he was finally able to hear the sound the people made. Yells and screams echoed in the distance, as the crowd of people before him seemed annoyed. Someone was pushing its way through it, being very successful in that endeavor.
After several seconds of the crowd's grunts that someone met Conrad, the kid bumped into him and fell on his ass. He was someone Conrad recognized immediately, "Otto, what are you doing?" He asked sternly.
The kid froze for a moment. "Umm, dad, I was actually looking for you." He tried everything to keep looking at the ground, his clothes covered in mud. "I wanted to ask you for help with something." He scratched his messy black hair and got up. "But I pretty much resolved it on my own." He said as he turned to his father, his lips cracked and nose bleeding and a smile plastered on his face.
Rage and confusion overcame Conrad, "Who did this to you !?"
The yelling from beyond the crown intensified as a group of boys came through. Most of them with only some minor scratches on their faces and redness as if they were hit with snow balls. They didn't even approach Otto, they just saw Conrad and left with blinding speed.
Conrad looked down, "What did you do?" He asked, his voice heavy and stern.
The boy just looked down, " it was not my fault. They were picking a fight with Gabe, so I beat them up."
Conrad let out a sigh and placed a hand on his son's head and roughed up his hair, "Shall we go somewhere else." He said as he took out a handkerchief from his right sleeve and handed it to the boy.
"What is that for?"
"Your nose is still bleeding."
"What happened to the left one?"
"That is none of your concern."
They walked for a little bit before reaching a tavern, inside they escaped the freezing weather. The instant they sat down the questions began.
"Explain everything." Conrad ordered sternly, "First and foremost, why did you help Gabriel? I thought you two did not get along at all."
"I do hate him." Otto said, his voice filled with enthusiasm before continuing to wipe the blood off his face. "But these losers picked a fight with him out of nowhere and he was getting beaten pretty badly." He put the handkerchief down.
"Then why did you jump in?" He asked with quiet fury, "You could have been injured way more badly than this. And did I not tell you when you see something like that happening to tell an adult."
Otto looked down, "There was no time to look for someone older."
"That does not mean you should jump in!" his voice hot louder, "I want you to think a little before you do things like these.
The boy got quiet for a moment before looking up with teary eyes, "I did think a little."
"And what did you come up with?"
"That, it were you, you would definitely help him."
The man let out a sigh, "I guess I would have done that." He took the now bloodied handkerchief and placed a couple of silver coins onto the table. "This time I will let it slide. You did the right thing, unfortunately I have some matters to attend to. Go get yourself something, you may also play with your friends till midnight."
The boy's mood instantly brightened but before he could get up Conrad asked one final thing. "Do you remember the oath of our family?" Under the table hidden from Otto's sight a black key materialized.
"Of course." The boy said, confused.
"Say it."
Otto looked around," Here?" Conrad nodded reassuringly, and so the boy started, "I swear to the name of Morlow." As he began Conrad pulled the handkerchief under the table, there the key began extracting the blood from it, "I serve myself and no one else," With each word spoken more blood enveloped the key and was absorbed in it. "They serve me and no one else."
"Thank you son." The man smiled, "You are free to go." He sneakily took the key into his hand, and shoved the handkerchief back into its place.
The boy smiled as well, got up and hugged him before leaving the tavern.
As soon as son was gone Conrad's eyes teared up "I am sorry, Otto." He then whispered to the key in his hand "I renounce my hold over you. When midnight falls you will serve your new master."
He got up, determined to do the right thing.
***********************************************
Elena stood before him completely shocked at the document laid down on the table. "Could you repeat what you just said?" She asked Conrad who calmly pointed at the documents.
"I want a divorce. Now sign them." His eyes were tired and he could barely hold back his tears, "I have placed a seal on them, once you sign the divorce will be finalized and all of my estate will be granted to you."
"Wait a minute! Why are you doing this, I do not understand ?!?"
"I cannot change what I am. And for that I am truly sorry."
Her confusion disappeared, "Is that about the one they are executing?" She asked coldly, rage bubbling within her voice. The silence from Conrad told her everything she needed to know. "Are you serious? You are going to abandon everything we have built for someone you met yesterday?"
"I cannot abandon hi...
"Do not give that bullshit! So you would rather abandon us? So I guess to you, nobody is more important than me and your son!!!" She said with rage to which he didn't budge.
"I cannot allow them to kill a child!!" he stuttered, " He is no older than Otto, he has not lived enough. Taking his life from him is just too cruel."
Elena looked away, she knew him well, well enough to know there wasn't a single lie told.
"I love both you and Otto more than anything." He grabbed her hand, "Please let me give you a future."
"Fine then!" She took the feather and the ink he had brought and signed the documents.
She got up and turned her back to him. "If only you had asked me for help." As soon as she said that a needle pierced her neck.
He was standing behind her and caught her as she began to fall down to the ground, "I am sorry but I cannot stake your life on my selfishness, nor can I allow you to interfere in any fashion."
"Fuck you, Conrad." were her final words before losing consciousness.
With tears rolling down his eyes he carried Elena to their bed he covered her up with a blanket and collapsed next to the bed whimpering like a child.
A few minutes later he got up, wiped the tears off and headed for the door.
***********************************************
Everything had fallen into darkness, the moon high above only shining a faint light through the thick clouds.
Conrad stood underneath a lone tree on a hill overlooking the city, next to them the Raza's prison, built into a cliff outside the city walls, its coldness mocked by the warmth the city offered.
The man waited there on that hill, the falling snow grazing his face, with only a bottle of mead in his hand to provide him some warmth whilst surrounded by darkness. A light began to flicker in the distance behind him.
With each second it got closer it became brighter, soon enough a familiar silhouette showed up. Erden came, holding a bottle of his own, the fire from his leg illuminating them both.
"You are late as always." Conrad said, his eyes empty. "It is almost midnight, soon I will have to go check on Otto."
Erden smirked and sat beside him, "You sound like Silistra." He opened his bottle and took a sip, "Though it is strange of you to actually scold me for something like that. Did you need a drink that badly?"
"You could say that to be true." He took two huge gulps from his own bottle. "What did you bring this time?" He said as he juggled his own bottle, "I brought raspberry aged for two years."
Erden chuckled, "I have outdone you this time, mine is an apple one, aged for ten."
Conrad turned around with a look of disbelief, "Where did you steal it from?"
"Right from the cupboard of our chief." He said as he took out a cup from one of his pockets, in seconds he filled it to the brim and chugged it down as if it was ordinary water.
Conrad took notice, "When did you become so sophisticated?" He asked as took another sip of his own before offering some to Erden.
Erden reached for it but stopped himself, "Do not tell me you are too good for it." Conrad asked, offended.
"It is not that." He hesitated before he slouched forward.
It was only a few minutes from midnight, what happened every night at that time began to happen as well. The moon reached its highest point in the sky, its light piercing through the clouds illuminating the city.
"Conrad." His tone got serious, " Why have you hidden a spell on the bottle?"
" Do not worry about it." He leaned back on the dry ground underneath the tree, "I was planning on stealing your booze and drinking it in front of you."
"I am glad I could say you have not changed in the slightest since we met all those years ago." He rested his hand on the handle of his sword, "You are still a terrible liar."
"Then you know I cannot allow Silistra to pass judgement on Bel." he stood up again, "he is innocent, we just need a little bit more time to prove it."
Erden calmly poured himself another cup, " You are a fool." He chugged it once again, "What will that accomplish exactly? Even if you manage to prove he is innocent it will not undo what has happened." He put the cork back on the bottle, "If you clear his name, where will the pain and resentment of the people go? Some will leave it to fester within them becoming rotten on the inside, others will direct it at the city itself making our people our enemy."
"So we are supposed to kill an innocent child to preserve all that?" Conrad clenched his fists, "If we do that we will have become no more than heartless monsters." He said rage filling his voice.
Erden stood up and placed the mead right underneath the tree, before cracking his knuckles, "I am ready to become one such monster if it means preserving the peace of this city. Thus, as your friend I warn, give up on what you are about to do and just go home safely."
Conrad stood silent for a second before getting back on his feet, " I am sorry, but I have made up my mind."
Erden let out a sigh, " I see." He turned his back on him.
The moon pierced the clouds fully, midnight had come.
Erden took out his sword and swung at his friend. The blade in his hands betrayed him, in an instant it grew heavier than ever before with its weight now reaching that of a mountain. It ruined Erden's balance leaving him to kneel before Conrad.
The bearded man took the opportunity to smash his bottle on Erden's head, as soon as the glass shattered the liquid from inside wrapped itself around Erden, even his mouth. The knight was rendered immobile and bound whilst his hand was being crushed by the weight of the sword.
Conrad took a step towards him and knelt, he gently touched the blade and looked Erden in the eyes, "I am sorry for taking such extreme measures I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me." He put another spell on Erden's hand, on both of Erden's hands and turned to leave.
"If you want to use that sword again, go to the new master of the house." Those were his last words before leaving, they were cold and calculated, so very unlike him.
***********************************************
Beleth waited in the darkness of his cell, the moon was once again hidden behind clouds.
He had curled into a ball, frightened of the future, his despair so strong he could not hear anything of what was happening outside his cell.
And that was the case until a familiar voice broke him out of that state. He turned around, his eyes widening.
Conrad stood there. Bloodied and out of breath he opened the door. "I am sorry for the late arrival. Time to get you out of here."