The instant he uttered the judas' name, I understood why he had my uncle take his leave.

It was no secret that my uncle has not been himself for months now, his occasional mood swings, where he would suddenly become quiet and stare off into the distance was something noticed by almost everyone, whether they be familiar with him or not. And it was not difficult to ascertain the reason behind his recent lack of focus.

"Did something happen?" I asked, apprehensive of what else that bastard might have done now.

"Nothing my emperor." He answered, quickly reassuring me, before continuing "But before I speak, may I know if you have decided on his punishment yet?"

"Death." I instantly replied, my tone chillingly apathetic yet decisive.

A relieved nod accompanied with an eased sigh betrayed his earlier restlessness, as it became clear to me that he feared I would be swayed by familial ties and blood relations, sparing the traitor his rightful sentence.

"Did you truly think I would give you a different answer?" I amusedly asked, since familial ties have never barred me before, as evidenced by my near complete eradication of almost all my step-siblings.

"No, sire. You are wonderfully ruthless when you need to be." He smilingly replied. "But it is also true that you care deeply about some of those around you, especially your immediate family, and I would not be surprised if you chose to elect mercy on this occasion to spare them any further hurt."

The insinuation in his words was not subtle, it was clear that he was concerned I would not do what was necessary, on account for the love I hold my uncle Haytham.

"Keeping him alive would only prolong my family's suffering and humiliation, especially my uncle's. It's better to be done with it now, than allow his presence to continue festering like an open wound in his mind." I explained.

"Then sire, we can no longer dally." He said after an appreciative nod, taking out a small bundle of letters from his breast pocket. "Especially as the pressure is beginning to mount as well."

His final words confused me, making me cock my eyebrow, as I quickly read though the pieces of parchment, and I immediately understood his meaning. These were petitions from various nobles, mostly those in the east, to enact justice upon the betrayer.

It was clear to me instantly that this mask of righteousness they veiled themselves with, was a mere veneer of valorous and virtuous integrity, meant to conceal their true desires of bloody vengeance and personal profit.

And also I did not fault the nobles for this, as they were simply men following their nature to ceaselessly pursue their own self interest; especially those eastern lords, who had every right to call for that bastard's blood after all he did to them.

Taking my eyes off the letters in my hand, turning them back to Darius, I calmly answer with not a hint of hesitation in my entire being "Seven days from now, in the center of the city's square."

"Understood." Darius serenely nodded, before asking "And in what manner do you wish for it be done, my liege?"

"Through the Lamasat-Gahannam." I indifferently answered, shocking Darius back, as his eyes widened like saucers, half in disbelief, half in horror at my words, for what I had condemned Zadkiel to was a thing of nightmares.

Now the world, and especially my own Eclipse Empire, were no strangers to brutal and unforgiving punishments.

To commit thievery in the Eclipse Empire multiple times is to forfeit the offending limb, while the prize for arson is the expungement of your freedom, as you are sold into the horrid of slavery, wherein you are demoted below the ranks of even pets, as you become a simple possession of your master.

The penalty of rape is castration, and the price of murder is to be hung from the neck till death. While the offense for desertion, blasphemy or insult against the royal family, is repaid only with decapitation. And finally, the second most gruesome of all verdicts, rightly so for this most sinful of acts that is wildly know as treason; is to be tied by rope to four different horses, and be ripped apart, your end a horrific macabre sight to behold, as you scream in unimaginable agony.

Yet even that was only ever described as the 'second' most lurid of all capital punishments, because Lamasat-Gahannam still existed. An ancient form of execution, one that only I could perform in this entire world, for it utilized the infernal powers of my blood.

"Sire, are you certain?" Darius asked, his face marred with worry.

Scoffing in reply, as an amused smirk crawled up my lips, I asked him in return "Do you believe the nobles' thirst for vengeance would be sated, or the aspiring and avaricious would be quelled if he meets his end in a peaceful manner?" I then paused for a moment, then confidently continued

"No." Darius confidently replied, a similar smile to mine now colouring his face, before he grimly continued "But I fear the Archduke will too kindly to this verdict."

"My uncle will understand." I confidently answered. "Lamasat-Gahannam was specifically made to punish those of my family when they committed an unforgivable crime after all."

"Very well then, sire. It shall all be done." He replied, bowing as he stood, before he took his leave.

I left shortly afterward as well, wherein I quickly reunited with my usual entorage of Abraham, Horus, Isaac and Kira, as we made our way to the dining hall, knowing full that my mother was going to be upset with me, as I was late for dinner, yet again.

Yet on the way there, I ran into my uncle, who was casually reclining on the wall nearby, seemingly waiting for me.

"Uncle?" I called out. "I thought you'd have joined the rest already."

"And face your mother's wrath on my own? Not a chance." He jokingly replied, a small smile playing on his lips.

I chuckled with him, as we started to go there together, when half way through he asked, his tone already certain "You spoke of Zadkiel, didn't you?"

"Uncle..." I tried to explain, but he cut me off as he turned to look at me, with a reassuring smile on his lips and calm look in his eye "I'm not mad or anything, my boy. I understand what must be done. Truly, I do. Just answer me this... How will it be done?"

I stared at him for a long while, before the words 'Lamasat-Gahannam.' slipped through my teethe, yet contrary to expectations, he did not flinch, he did not wince; he did not even seem surprised.

He just said "As expected. You did good, my boy. Very good." Before he patted me on the shoulder, and then turning around and going the opposite direction of the dining hall, it was clear to be alone again.

I sighed seeing this, silently apologizing to him in my heart, for I knew that even though the smile never left his face and his voice never wavered, and despite all the times he'd sworn to kill Zadkiel with his own two hands, every time he remembered him as his brother and no the traitor, his heart would churn in crippling sadness, as evidently shown by his gait that was now a spiritless motion.

I sighed again, before turning around, deciding to honour his wish for some silence, as he delt with his grief alone. Yet unbeknownst to me at that moment in time, my uncle's walk might have indeed been weary, but it was not aimless; as he quickly made his way past all the questioning servants and cautious guards, who looked at him with bewilderment.

Yet my usually polite uncle paid no attention to them, as he armed himself with a lantern, and began to descend down a dark and haunting set of stairs, where the sole sounds he could hear were those of the scurrying rats and his own footsteps.

Once he was at the well of the staircase, he found himself before a long row of black iron cells, with the rancid stench of rotting blood and humid putrefaction hanging sickeningly in the air.

"Light is not permitted down here, my lord." A deep, chilling voice sounded out from the dark.

Haytham turned to the three who approached him with silent steps. They were all black, from head to toe, with not an inch of skin shown, even their eyes were shrouded behind a smiling demon's mask. All the while a foulness he could never describe, clung to them like stubborn ghosts, making his noise sting with the stench of misery.

"Take me to him." Haytham commanded, not caring about the man's earlier words.

The man did not immediately comply, simply standing there like an eerie statue, before he eventually said "Very well, my lord. But as Keepers, intrusted by his imperial majesty, we are oath bound to make sure none among those held prisoner here are allowed to see the grace of light ever again, so we ask you to cover your lantern at least."

"Very well." My uncle yielded, throwing a black cloth they offered him over the lantern.

Once they were before his cell door, the man pulled out an odd looking key and opened it, ushering my uncle inside, yet before he could go in, the man said "My lord, your actions today will be reported back to his imperial majesty."

"Fine." My uncle replied impatiently, before he made his way inside.

Once there he finally freed his light from it's confines, and squinted a little at it's brightness, before his eyes adjusted to it a few seconds later. It was then that he beheld the tiny black cell, around him, where only a single thing was present in it.

And it was the body of an almost completely naked man, with only a simple, yet dirty loin clothe to cover himself with, leaning tiredly on the cold, uncomfortable wall.

My uncle at this dishevelled, ghost of his brother, before he made his way next to him and called out "Zadkiel."

This seemed to finally managed to rouse him, as he opened his eyes with a start, before instantly shutting them again, as the lantern's light burned his eyes. But Zadkiel had still recognized my uncle's voice, as he mockingly replied "If it isn't my dearest oldest brother. Have you come to beat me again? Because if so, then I wouldn't bother. These damned Keepers have been doing a marvellous job already."

My uncle felt his temper flair at his words, indeed feeling the urge to pummel him into the dirt again, but he held back, and instead coldly told him "It's been decided Zadkiel."

Though his words were cryptic, Zadkiel still understood there meaning, as he still spoke with that same, mocking tone "So you're here to read me my sentence are you? Very well then, let's hear it."

"Lamasat-Gahannam." My uncle simply said, and for the first time since he arrived, Zadkiel's smug looking face, warped to one of fear, as he opened his eyes to stare at his brother in terror, not caring anymore how much the light was burning his eyes.

The two brothers stared at each other for a long moment, before my uncle pulled out something from his pocket, saying "Here, take this."

Zadkiel, still uncomfortable with the light, reached unsuccessfully for the object in his hands a few times, before he finally managed to find it, and when he did he scoffed, saying in his now strained, sarcastic tone "A flask? Brother, you and I both know that no tonic on this planet is capable of dulling the pain of hellfire."

"It's not a tonic." My uncle simply replied, making Zadkiel's eyes again widen in shock, understanding his meaning.

"How much time?" He asked, lowering his head.

"It's fast acting, so around an hour after you ingest it, hopefully you'd half dead by that point. And make sure you do so without anyone noticing." My uncle stressed.

A snarky grin then appeared on Zadkiel's face, as he spitefully said "Then why don't I just drink it right now, and spare all of us the trouble!"

"You take right now, and they will take you to be healed by a priest in minutes." My uncle's voice was still as steady as it was when he entered, but his glare was now burning into Zadkiel's flesh.

Feeling his stare at him, Zadkiel grew quiet, before he noticed the lantern's light begin to move away, as my uncle's footsteps grew farther and farther away, and then just as the door was about to be closed he heard from the darkness, a gentle "Consider this the final gift to you as my brother."