You and Nathaniel had shared dreams of a better life from your youth, imagining a future filled with comfort and luxury that seemed unattainable in your humble beginnings. Believing that becoming warriors for your kingdom was the surest path to achieving those dreams, you both dedicated yourselves wholeheartedly to the military cause. Along the way, you forged a solemn pact born of idealism and youthful determination: if either of you were to stray and become consumed by cruelty and coldness, the other would provide a merciful end, sparing them from the shame of public execution for their sins.

Years passed, and through sweat, blood, and unwavering commitment, both of you rose through the ranks to attain the very lives you had once yearned for—lives of comfort, opulence, and respect. Yet, the weight of your promise hung heavy over your heart, especially in regards to Nathaniel. Despite his transformation into a decorated war general and renowned warmonger, the Emperor turned a blind eye to his darker deeds, valuing his strategic brilliance and the countless victories he secured for the kingdom.

Now, sitting beneath the canopy of a once vibrant tree, now deceased, that had served as a sanctuary in your childhood, Nathaniel posed a haunting question. His voice, tinged with both resignation and a lingering hint of doubt, betrayed the steel facade he wore in court and on the battlefield. "Will you... do it?"

The air grew thick with unspoken words as the weight of your pact bore down upon you. You remembered the countless battles fought side by side, the laughter shared over meager meals in the barracks, and the dreams that had once bound you together. Yet, you also couldn't ignore the shadow that Nathaniel had become—a shadow cast long by ambition and the ruthless pursuit of power.

As you gazed into Nathaniel's eyes, now reflecting the weariness of years spent justifying his actions, you saw a flicker of a memory of the two of you playing beneath the canopy of this very tree years ago.