A week after Osbert flee from the village, he was able to return to Cleron. He went straight to his house, unable to see Seqina who was about to go to him. He closed his house, but Seqina was suspicious, seeing that he came from outside the town, and was wounded. And so, she went near the house to try and learn what Osbert was up to.

Osbert couldn’t believe what had happened. He was letting his wounds to heal on their own, too upset that he suffered an inconceivable lost. He thought of one thing. He should, and will kill Elalios.

Osbert’s animosity towards Elalios goes way back, in a time where he was first introduced to the Earl. The Earl was, to him, a great man that deserves only the strong. He thought he could get to what he wanted if he got closer to a great man like him. So he worked hard, aiming to be one of the Earl’s recognized servants.

At the time, Cadell, Elalios, and Seqina were already servants of the Earl. Osbert wanted the same recognition they have, so he proved his strength and loyalty whenever there’s something that Earl Gideon wanted from him. He was successful in getting the recognition he wanted, to the point that he became the primary servant of the Earl. He became the gold medal among the four servants, executioner for the Earl.

By then, he thought he became the closest person to the Earl. He can have what he wanted whenever he asked his lord, but the truth was what he didn’t want. He’s at the bottom of the people that the Earl trusts, being as young as Seqina, and the least experienced among them. What upsets him the most was that, Elalios, who he discovered was a mere grade D mage, seemed to be the most trusted person of the Earl. It didn’t sit right with him, that there are many instances that the Earl wanted to talk to Elalios without the other servants. He didn’t like that Elalios was trusted as a secondary opinion more than him.

Why would a weak mage have such a privilege? If the values were compared, Osbert should be more useful than Elalios. But the Earl didn’t see them that way, and he soon discovered why.

Elalios was not a mere citizen of the town. He could even be considered as more important than all of the people of Cleron combined. As Osbert pried upon Elalios’s identity, he discovered that he is one of the Duke’s son.

Osbert wasn’t too fond of nobles, except those that proved to be strong by themselves. The Earl is one of those that he admires, but Elalios, he’s one of those hiding under the blanket of sovereign power.

The strong should conquer the weak. That’s an ironclad rule that Osbert has. He will not submit to anyone that’s weaker than him. But what angered him more, was to see the weak acknowledged by the strong. Elalios fitted the category well enough, and so, he was hated.

Osbert didn’t want to let Elalios savor all the glory he has. He came up of many plans to try and ruin Elalios’s reputation. But all of it were for nothing. The Earl’s relations with Elalios was deeper than he imagined. He couldn’t destroy it.

Then, just a week ago, when he thought he got Elalios’s destruction, he was in for a surprise. A terrible one at that.

The person he thought was the weakest among the Earl’s servants beat him. He received an unquestionable lost. He was thrown down lower than what he already felt. He became a pathetic servant, highest in recognition, lowest in truth.

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Osbert sat in silence, trying to forget what happened to him. Although he still have something to sever Elalios’s relation to the Earl, his lost was simply unacceptable. His soul grew even darker, wanting to eliminate Elalios for good.

He considered letting the other servants know about Elalios’s betrayal, but he knew they have great relations with his enemy. He didn’t know that when darkness was coming to reach its peak, malevolent forces take notice. And so, one of those beings see him.

Osbert’s thinking was interrupted by someone opening the door of his disordered house. He looked at the door and he saw no one. He was about to close the annoying door when something whispered behind him.

“It’s ripe”

Osbert looked back. There’s no one. He heard another whisper.

“Do you want something?”, the disembodied voice asked.

“Who are you? Show yourself!”, Osbert said, looking around with his hand holding his dagger.

“I can’t do that yet as I don’t have a body”, the voice paused. “Will you help me?”

“Why would I do that?”, Osbert said still looking around his house. “Solve your own problem”

“I see you want something, I can help you”

Osbert was silent, still looking around.

“You want riches? A lady? Power?”

Osbert’s eyebrows arched.

“Power… I can give you power”

“You can’t trick me”

“No tricks, just exchanges between allies”

“I’m not your ally”

The voice laughed. “You don’t want to equal the Earl?”

Osbert was flustered. He still have some suspicions, but the voice didn’t wait for his answer.

Osbert felt the surge of power within him. He felt an uncontrollable surge of delight, but he suppressed himself, unwilling to give in.

“What is this? What did you do to me?”

“That’s my gift. It will prove my good intentions”, the disembodied voice said.

Osbert couldn’t suppress his mind anymore. He imagined Elalios, feeding his desire for destruction even more. His soul became darker, much to the delight of the entity that gave him power.

“What do you want in exchange of this?”

“Don’t think about it too much, I will let you know once you fulfilled your desire”, the voice said. “Now go, use your power to do whatever you desired. If you needed more, I will help you”

Osbert healed his wounds in an instant. He had one destination in mind. He will go back to where he received humiliation.

All of this happened, as Seqina witnessed it. She didn’t know what Osbert was up to, but she knew that Cadell needed to know what she heard.