Albaras waited until I was out of sight. ‘Are you ready for your pledge?’ he asked Rederick.

  ’Death will come for you too someday.’ Rederick cursed beneath his breath, glancing at Albaras. A faint smile played on his lips. ″Of course, I am. I like being forced into places.’

  ‘Good, good,’ Albaras replied. ’Then you know how it goes, right?’

  ’Yes, I’m familiar.’ His voice sounded broken. This was no gift of freedom. This was a whole new kind of prison. His mind swirled with thoughts about why he had ever become a turncoat from his own family in the first place.

  Albaras studied Rederick for a moment. ’Good. Then you understand that you can also see this as an honor. Then let’s focus on making your future right.’

  Rederick gave a deep sigh.’Yeah, as if I had choices.’

  ’Then let’s begin the oath.’ Albaras put his arms in the air as if praising something. ’Then repeat after me.’

  Rederick made his oath: ’I, Rederick, will carry my own grave. My spirit is my grave, if I die, it will be from lack of spirit. I will not fight for glory, nor will I fight against innocents. This is my oath, my will, my lasting freedom.’

  ’Welcome to our ranks, Rederick,’ Albaras said, stretching out his hand and chuckling softly under his helmet.Rederick looked at him. wishing he still had his helmet. Something to hide the anger that wanted to get out. Of course, knowing what Albaras did. He extended his hand as well, and Albaras grabbed it and shook it.

  I busied myself with preparing the horses, loading the looted provisions onto them. Albaras had draped the cloaks and blankets of the deceased over their bodies, sparing me the sight of them. Yet, deep down, curiosity gnawed at me. What did they look like now? The question lingered, but the thought filled me with an even greater sense of dread.

  I had almost finished securing the provisions when they emerged from the forest. Rederick trailed behind Albaras, his helmet tucked under his arm, his posture heavy with defeat. Yet, as Albaras turned to face him, Rederick straightened, adopting a stance that echoed the knights from the stories I’d read from my previous life.

  As they approached, I couldn’t help but ask, ’Albaras, what are we going to do with him?’ The question felt almost foolish, but the abrupt shift from combat to alliance with an enemy left me unsettled.

  Albaras chuckled. ’We’ve got ourselves a new partner, my boy. He’s walking home with us.’

  I glanced at Albaras, struggling to understand his reasoning. ’Why make him walk with us?’

  Albaras didn’t meet my gaze. I tried to mull over some theories. Why had Rederick been spared? Did Albaras feel something? Would Rederick be needed? Or was it something else entirely?

  As Albaras didn’t look at him I could see Rederick’s grin had vanished, his face now expressionless.That knightly stance faded, replaced by the hollow stillness of a corpse. He took a steady breath, trying his best to sound strong, though something about it felt off. ’I know where he’d want to rest. There’s a hill on my family’s estate, where a massive white tree stands. I want him buried next to that tree.’

  Rederick’s hands tightened into fists at his sides. His gaze dropped to the ground. If you stood close enough, you could hear the faint grinding of teeth.

  I wanted to walk up to him, to put a hand on his shoulder. But in the end, I didn’t. I didn’t know him,wasn’t even sure I could trust him. Maybe words from a distance would help instead. In his grief, it felt like the only thing I could do. ’What are we waiting for? Let’s bring some peace for the fallen.’ I hoped the words fell on good ground.

  As I glanced at him, I thought I caught the faintest smile flicker across his face. Hard to see when someone is looking down, even with the weight of so much death around him. Let’s hope this detour might offer him some small measure of solace.

  Albaras laughed, mounting his horse. ’What are we waiting for? Let’s ride.’

  After days of riding across fields that stretched to the horizon, we passed farmers tending crops and herders guiding their flocks. The wind moved gently through the trees, and guards patrolled the roads beneath slowly waving banners.

  The hills in the distance rose and fell like ocean swells, some topped with scattered trees, others marked by solitary towers.

  We arrived at the grounds of House Gurrund under the cover of night. Across the fire, Rederick sat with his face hidden in flickering shadows. Albaras had vanished into the darkness, leaving us alone.

  There was a silence, broken only by the crackle of the fire and the distant howl of the wind. My curiosity eventually got the better of me. “Why did you want to leave your house?” I asked hesitantly.

  Rederick looked deep into the fire, the seconds stretching between us before he answered. ’I didn’t want to… but it was my brother who wanted freedom, freedom from a life of constant fighting. I tried to make him more like me, but he was proud, stubborn. Not the best mix for the eldest one, so he rejected thinking like me.′

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  ’His death was his own fault, but to see his dream shatter... it doesn’t feel right. No, sorry, kid. The truth is, I just wanted to live and gave him a story that wasn’t needed. I... Rederick sighed deeply. ’I’ve said enough.’ There was a pause, a shift in his words, as he turned away from it all. ’Go to sleep, kid. It’ll be a long journey ahead.′

  As Rederick spoke, the room seemed to fade into an unwilling darkness, like a slow descent into something inevitable. Torches flickered to life, casting erratic shadows that danced across the room. In the center stood an altar, cold and stark, and atop it, a child was bound in a prayer-like position, arms bent before him, held by thick ropes. On either side of the altar, nine figures stood together, their forms human like but something looked wrong, as though their very presence defied reality.

  I focused on the four figures to the left. One man’s face was bathed in an eerie orange glow, while another’s hands radiated a sickly green light. The third figure stood in shadow, his form more animal than human. The last man’s body seemed to shift and ripple, his form never settling, as though he were constantly changing before my eyes.

  I turned to look at the other five figures, but as my head turned around, the room began to blur. Colors rippled like water, the air thickening with warmth. Then, as if emerging from a haze, I was at a table. It felt like home. My father stepped into the room. The scent of roasted meat filled the air, and my father stepped into the room, his familiar smile lighting his face. ’Well, my son, sit down. ’Food is ready.’

  I sat at the table, feeling a sudden shift in the atmosphere. As I looked up, the scene around me distorted. The walls were cracked, and black ooze began leaking from the seams. The once-familiar painting now slashed and torn, as if it were alive.

  I turned to my father for reassurance, but before I could speak, he grabbed me, his hand clamping over my mouth. From his arm, black liquid crept, slow and deliberate, its cold tendrils reaching toward me. Behind him, a white fire flickered, its light devouring the shadows. The flames surged closer, swallowing everything, until—

  I gasped awake, my chest heaving. Rederick was kneeling beside me, his hands gripping my shoulders. ‘What happened?’ he asked, his voice urgent but steady. My eyes darted to his. The dream clung to me like a weight. He smiled, a small, real smile, his relief evident.

  I think he saw my eyes. His smile faltered, like he wanted to say something, but before he could, Albaras voice cut through from the distance. ’Ah, the sleepyheads are awake! Good to see you alive and kicking,” he said with a laugh that seemed far too cheerful for the early hour. “Come on, let’s keep moving, there are plenty of places we still need to be.’

  He chuckled again, clearly amused by our sluggish state, and for a moment, I couldn’t tell if he was genuinely happy or just enjoying our misery.

  ’From here, I can lead, if you want.’ Rederick offered, his voice steadier than I expected after the grieving silence he’d spent, staring at his brother’s body.

  Albaras nodded and pointed down the road. ‘Lead the way.’

  Rederick rode ahead, following paths he once could call home. The landscape gradually became more recognizable for him and a great white tree came into view, standing tall and serene on a hill. As they approached, the memories and emotions of Rederick came flooding back, each step heavy with old sorrow.

  Rederick dismounted and walked toward the tree; his eyes fixed on the spot where his brother would rest. Albaras and I followed him, Albaras carried the brother’s body, while I took the shovels.

  I stared at the massive tree, my breath catching as I took in its grandeur. Its beauty was captivating, with white leaves swaying gently in the wind, as if touched by a divine hand. It felt as though a god had placed it here, an otherworldly presence rooted in the earth.

  ’It looks ancient.’ I murmured, marveling at its timeless majesty.

  ’Yes, it does.’ Rederick said, his voice quiet but clear enough to catch me off guard. His reply caught me off guard. ’The founder of House Gurrund planted a special seed, a gift from the emperor himself. That’s what makes this one of the most extraordinary trees in all of Cias.’

  ’Well, that’s interesting.’ Albaras said cheerfully. ’I’m impressed that an outside house would receive a gift from the emperor himself.’

  ’We can bury my brother here.’ Rederick said, pointing to a quiet spot beneath the tree. ’And my friends, over there.’ he added, motioning toward the end of the hill where the land sloped gently away.

  ’Then let’s start.’ Albaras grabbed a shovel from me, and we began digging.

  I thought about this new dynamic, how this moment of shared grief might be enough to start building trust. It wasn’t much, but it felt important, like something rare. The bond we were shaping here, in the weight of loss and respect, was unlike anything I’d felt before.

  After the bodies were buried, the tree began to change. Slowly, its leaves shifted from green to a deep, vibrant pink, as though it were honoring the fallen with a beauty born from death.

  I stood beside Rederick in silence, Albaras on the other side, their presence a quiet vow of support in the days ahead. They had carried this moment with reverence, their solidarity etched into the stillness of the air and the unspoken promises they shared.

  ’Goodbye, my brother. I will see you in time.’ Rederick whispered, the words trembling as they left his lips. His heart weighed heavy with both sorrow and peace. Slowly, he placed his hand on the tree. “You’re home now,” he said, his voice soft but resolute, as the pink leaves rustled gently in the breeze, as if carrying his words.

  Albaras was already walking toward him, his thoughts already turning to their next destination. The moment of the burial was already behind him.

  I observed Rederick from a distance after the leaves changed, needing to understand how he felt about it. As the sun reflected on his face, I caught glimpses of something, brief glints in his expression. He brushed his hand over his face, and the glints were gone. Without another word, he made his way toward his horse to retrieve his helmet.

  I took one final look at the white tree, still disbelieving its existence, before pulling out an arrow I had crafted during our journey. Gently, I laid a few of them on Rederick’s brother’s grave, whispering softly to the sky. ’May the arrows lead you to your paradise.’

  Rederick glanced back one last time, noticing Kian’s gesture of grief and respect for his brother and his friends. As he donned his helmet, a fleeting smile crossed his face, gone as quickly as it appeared, before the helmet was fully in place.

  The three of them rode away from the hill, each absorbed in their thoughts. Rederick found solace in the knowledge that he had given his brother a proper farewell, a quiet peace settling over him. Kian, reflecting on the day, watched Rederick with silent understanding. Albaras, ever the forward thinker, kept his eyes on the road ahead, his mind already working on their next move.