Sebastian's face was pale, almost gray, with a sheen of sweat despite the citadel's regulated temperature. Dark circles shadowed his eyes. Those eyes that had once looked at Boarstaff with growing warmth, with struggle, with hunger tempered by something deeper, were flat, mechanical, empty of everything that had made Sebastian who had had become with the orcs' magic.
A shudder ran through Sebastian's body, so slight it might have been invisible to anyone who hadn't spent weeks studying his every movement. But Boarstaff saw it. The minute quivering of his hands, quickly controlled as the new components forced his body into artificial stillness.
"The reconditioning is complete," Zarek announced, satisfaction evident in his voice despite the damage to his jaw. "All primitive contamination has been purged. All emotionalirregularities corrected." He gestured toward Sebastian with a cold smile. "Our brother has been restored to proper function."
Sebastian stood with unnatural rigidity, fighting against what appeared to be another involuntary movement. A drop of blood slid from beneath one of the bandages on his arm, tracing a path down to his fingertips before dripping silently to the floor. He showed no reaction to the pain that must have been radiating through his body. No response to the blood. Nothing.
Boarstaff searched Sebastian's face for any sign, any hint that something of the man he knew remained beneath this mechanical performance. But there was nothing. No flicker of recognition. No subtle signal. Nothing but empty precision where life had begun to flourish.
"Observe the improvement." Zarek circled Sebastian with clinical pride. "The primitive magic damaged his regulatory systems, allowing emotional contamination to spread unchecked. Father has installed completely new components, more advanced, more comprehensive. Emotion cannot penetrate their regulation."
Sebastian remained motionless as Zarek spoke about him as if he were not present. As if he were an object rather than a person. Another tremor rippled through him, quickly suppressed by the new brass visible beneath his skin.
"The primitive settlements' influence has been completely eliminated," Dominic added, his voice perfectly modulated. "Father's improvements ensure no further contamination is possible."
Boarstaff kept his expression neutral despite the despair threatening to overwhelm him. Had they truly erased everything? The vulnerability Sebastian had shown in quiet moments when no one else was watching? The gentleness that had emerged as brass gave way to something more alive?The connection that had grown between them, unexpected and powerful?
"Sebastian," Zarek commanded, gesturing toward Boarstaff. "Explain to the primitive what has occurred."
"My systems were compromised by primitive magic," Sebastian replied, his voice hoarse and raw from screaming, yet stripped of the emotions that had begun to color it during his time with the orcs. "Emotional regulators damaged. Hunger controls disabled. Efficiency parameters overridden." He spoke about himself as if describing a machine. "House de la Sang has restored proper function through comprehensive reconditioning. All corruption has been eliminated."
Each word fell like a stone in Boarstaff's chest. This mechanical recitation was nothing like the Sebastian who had begun to question his father's "improvements," who had discovered what it meant to exist beyond regulation. The creature before him was something else, something hollowed out and refilled with artificial precision.
"As you can see," Zarek said, mechanical satisfaction in his voice, "the Sebastian you corrupted no longer exists. The improvements are quite thorough."
Boarstaff forced himself to maintain eye contact with Sebastian, searching those empty eyes for any hint, any trace of the connection they had shared. The feeding rituals that had become something more than sustenance. Their quiet conversations in the darkness when no one else could hear. The way Sebastian's brass had begun to respond to emotions rather than suppress them.
Nothing. Just flat, mechanical assessment.
"A final demonstration of loyalty is required." Zarek turned to Sebastian. "To ensure the reconditioning is complete and all primitive influence has been purged."
Sebastian inclined his head in perfect obedience, though Boarstaff noticed the movement seemed to cause him pain. Another tremor ran through him, quickly suppressed. "I am prepared to serve House de la Sang."
"Excellent." Zarek gestured toward Boarstaff. "The primitive has outlived its usefulness. Its presence poses an unnecessary risk of recontamination. You will eliminate it."
For the first time since entering the chamber, Sebastian looked directly at Boarstaff. There was no recognition in his gaze, no hint of the connection they had shared. Just cold assessment, as if Boarstaff were nothing more than a problem to be solved. The emptiness in those eyes, once so expressive, felt like a blade through Boarstaff's chest.
"As you wish," Sebastian replied, his voice steady despite the visible strain in his body. "I will require a proper implement. My ceremonial blade would be most efficient."
Dominic stepped forward, producing a knife from within his robes.The same knife he had carved for Sebastian a century ago, the one Boarstaff had returned to Sebastian after weeks in the settlement. "This primitive thing? Hardly befitting your station, brother."
"It will serve its purpose," Sebastian replied without emotion.
"Is this wise?" Dominic turned to Zarek. "Arming him so soon after reconditioning?"
Zarek made a sound of dismissal. "Your caution is unnecessary, brother. The improvements are complete. Look at him. There is nothing left of the corruption." He gestured toward Sebastian's trembling hands. "Merely the expected physical adjustment to the new components. He is ours again."
Dominic hesitated briefly before placing the knife in Sebastian's outstretched hand. Sebastian's fingers closed aroundthe wooden handle, though Boarstaff noticed how they shook slightly before tightening their grip.
"Begin," Zarek commanded, stepping back to observe.
Cold dread settled in Boarstaff's stomach as Sebastian approached. Had he been wrong? Had the reconditioning truly erased everything they had built together? Everything Sebastian had been becoming?
Sebastian moved with careful steps, each one seeming to require conscious effort. Blood continued to seep through the bandages on his arms, leaving a faint trail of droplets on the polished floor. His breathing was shallow, controlled, but Boarstaff could see the cost of that control in the tension around his eyes.
Up close, Boarstaff saw the extent of what had been done to him. Fresh incisions marked where new brass had been installed, the skin around them angry and red. The components at his throat pulsed with mechanical precision, regulating everything from emotion to hunger to thought itself. His eyes, once expressive despite his attempts at noble detachment, now reflected nothing but empty calculation.
"Sebastian," Boarstaff said, his voice low and steady despite the fear coursing through him. "This isn't you."
