Amelia gripped the reins tightly, her nails digging into her hands.

She clamped her eyes shut. “I won’t be able to do anything,” she cried out softly.

“Why can’t I do anything?” Blood seeped out from her palms, they soaked into the thick wound fiber of the reins.

She shut out the horrible screams from the cart. The road stretched endlessly in front of her. If she kept her eyes on it then maybe…

The darkening clouds let loose its reserves and rained down water upon the carriage. The droplets landed on her head before running down her face and mingling with her tears. I’m sorry Maxwell, she mourned.

She was unable to ignore the sound of the carriage door open followed by a thump.

She grit her teeth burying her face in her hands. She wept into her bloody hands as the coldness seeped into her body.

“He’ll be dead for sure right, I’ve heard a lot of things about this but you know how it is,” said Eustace.

“Once the procedure is done, he’ll be as dead as the stones that lie on the side of this road,” said Julius.

“I’ve heard their bodies explode afterwards,” said Eustace.

Julius shook his head. “That’s not entirely true. Corruption is a very unique piece of magic. Corruption is a particularly cruel spell. It doesn’t work like a poison or venom. It’s even different from all forms of assassination techniques. The way it works is by using the bodies own power against itself. It used the body's own magic supply to detach the Insignia from their being.”

Maxwell was tightly bound to the wall by Eustace’s metal bars. His single eye was wide open and unblinking. His heart pounded so rapidly against his rib-cage it threatened to force its way out.

“The insignia is attached not only to their physical body but also to their soul,” continued Julius. Additionally since Insignia’s power are correlated to their user, the power supply is literally tailored to remove their respective marks. That’s the beauty of it, it’s a magic that works on everybody.”

He held up a finger. “Once the insignia is removed it kills 97% of all people. But the corruption christening has a 100% death rate. What people don’t know is that the corruption christening is a two stage process. Once the Insignia is separated the body that is depleted of mana goes into shock. The mana-depleted body then goes into a state of panic. The Insignia is a gift given by the gods and once removed is as if the body has lost its heart.” He snapped his fingers. “Within a couple minutes, they’re gone. 100% of the times. It’s no wonder it’s used on nobles so often. Since they’re stripped of their godly given mana It’s a shameful way to go so it’s often covered up by families.”

Meanwhile the purple-sh liquid crawled further into Maxwell’s body as it did its work.

Eustace nodded.”You really know your stuff, no wonder you were recommended personally by the headmaster to be a trainee for the emperor's guard.”

Sofia scratched Bastion between the ears. His ears flicked at her touch.

As for how I know this,” Julius continued. “there were many trials for…” He smiled wickedly. “... The sake of science after the war that led to a greater knowledge of this magic.”

Julius looked out the window. “Mana is what makes us noble, it makes us greater than those beneath us.”

He turned his attention back to Maxwell.

“Oh how I have loathed you ever since the day you were born,” said Julius before ripping out his remaining eye. A chunk of flesh came of with it. And with that he was plunged into darkness. Julius kicked open the carriage door. The landscape flashed by them. Even in his unimaginable pain confusion peaked in his mind. All this time I thought this was because I had been found out but this entire time they didn’t even know I wasn’t Ignard.

“I’ve hated you ever since the day you were born.”

The words stabbed Maxwell’s heart. “What?” What’s going on? “Wha-what did you say?” Julius’s cold eyes stared at his soul. “I don’t understand,” said Maxwell in a shaky voice tears welled up in his eyes. He hoped he had misheard him but Julius’s countenance gave him all the information he needed.

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“Well, it was nice knowing you,” said Julius. He grabbed Maxwell’s shoulders and propped him up one final time.

“Come on, say goodbye to your siblings,” he said.

“Bye Ignard,” said Eustace, waving his hand still soaked in Maxwell’s blood.

“Seems a bit much, no?” said Sofia, a hand to her mouth.

“What does it matter? He's already dead.” said Julius. “May your soul never find peace.”

He threw his body out of the moving carriage. He landed face first in a ditch, his body rolled for a moment before coming to a halt. Julius closed the door.

He held a palm to his head. “Drats, we forgot to extract his other eye.”

How could they do that to me? The rocks dug into his back. The rain washed over him mingling with his tears. He coughed once, causing blood to shoot out from all the orifices on his face.

“What’s happening to my body!” he groaned.

There’s no way his own siblings would leave him there to die. He wouldn’t accept it- he couldn’t. His body burned, like a thousand ants were sending tiny white-hot stakes into his flesh.

Blood oozed from his empty eye socket. I’m going to die, aren't I. While it felt like it he knew he wasn’t dead yet. He’d unfortunately already experienced what it was like to die. His single eye-stared into the heavens. Wasn’t I supposed to have a second chance? He could barely move. He wasn’t held back by metal bars anymore but it somehow felt harder to move now. As if a mountain rested on his chest.

There was no way they would actually abandon him. His siblings wouldn’t do that. Maybe there was some sort of mistake- his parents. They wouldn’t let this slide. All he had to do was make it back home! Then they would sort this all out. Everything would be fixed then!

He heard the wheel of a cart drawing near. His heart raced. They must be coming back, there’s no way they’d leave me, they wouldn’t betray their brother!

Somehow Maxwell was able to turn himself over, propping himself up on his less damaged arm.

He heard muffled voices. They were close yet far away.

“Who is that?” said a female voice.

“How should I know, probably some poor fool.” said a gruff voice.

Maxwell’s heart dropped. It wasn’t them after all.

“But look at the state of him.” said the female voice sympathetically.

“I know, it must have been done in by bandits.”

He heard the reins being whipped and the wheels of the cart start moving.

“Wait, don’t leave me!” he shouted in a hoarse voice. “Don’t leave me,” he begged. I have money, I’m a noble.” He snivelled. “Please…”

He heard a thump in the mud and then footsteps approaching. Shoes stopped at his face.

“Did you say you’re a noble?”

“That’s right!” said Maxwell hurriedly. “I’m part of the Vanderbilts.” he was having trouble speaking with so much blood in his mouth. His tongue had become covered in cuts from his teeth when he was tossed out of the carriage.

“Vanderbilts!” burst out the man. “One of the great noble families!” The glee in his voice was palpable. Maxwell could practically hear him licking his lips. Maybe I can get him to take me there. He hoped.

“Wait a minute,” said the man. “What are one of them doing all the way out here, what reason do I have to believe someone like you is trustable in the slightest?”

Maxwell gulped. He was completely at the guy's mercy. He couldn’t let this chance go away. Who knew when next anyone else would come across him. Would he even be alive then?

He looked in his pockets for anything to give him. Shit, if only I had jewelry still on me. The He regretted not making us all of Ignard’s jewelry. He had never gotten around to wearing it. He had never worn jewelry before. It had felt so out of place for him to wear rings and bangles. His hands landed on the pendant around his neck. He gritted his teeth. He wasn’t a fan of parting with it even now. What choice do I have!

He ripped it from his neck. “Please take this for now, if you get me back to my estate I promise you will be rewarded heavily, you have my word, I swear upon it with everything that I’m worth!”

His voice was hoarse from yelling. He didn’t hear a reply from the man. All he heard was the low pitter-patter of rain.

“Hello?” he asked into the silence.

The pendant was snatched from his fingers. He didn’t even have the strength to resist in the slightest. Strong arms grabbed him.

“Wait, what are you doing! “He said struggling. Tears streamed with renewed vigor down his cheeks. “Please not again, I can’t take it anymore!” he wailed.

“Stop resisting and pipe down, I’m doing what you wanted aren’t I,” said the gruff voice in an annoyed tone.

“Oh,” said Maxwell, stopping mid dry heave I thought I was about to be kidnapped or something. “I’m sorry, please hurry, I swear the faster you get me there the better your reward will be!”

He was laid upright in the cart with his back to the wooden support. A thick canvas covered its wooden skeleton.

He was starting to feel the pain in his bones. As if someone was taking a jackhammer to his joints or slowly ripping his bones apart one millimeter at a time. He called out to the driver once more, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Please hurry…”