"If you value your pathetic life, slave, you will move out of the high commander's way immediately."
The harsh warning echoed sharply down the narrow, vaulted expanse of the West Wing Corridor. Luigi pulled his shoulders inward, bowing his head instantly to match the submissive posture of Boru. The air in this sector of Aetheris Palace was cold, smelling of ancient stone, heavy metal polish, and the faint, ozone scent of aether security wards humming within the walls. Footsteps vibrated through the floorboards, rhythmic and heavy, signaling the arrival of the palace executioner himself. Mario strode forward, his dark armor clanking with every step, his hand resting on the hilt of his massive broadsword. His face was a mask of cold fury, his eyes scanning the corridor with intense suspicion.
"The high commander appears exceptionally volatile today," the mechanical voice of the Devourer System whispered directly into Luigi's mind, completely undetectable by external magical tracking arrays. "His stress markers are elevated by twenty four percent following the rumors distributed in the servant quarters."
Luigi kept his left eye fixed on the polished stone floor while his right eye remained hidden beneath his messy fringe. "He is ripe for the picking. When a man is looking for a traitor in every shadow, all you need to do is give him a silhouette."
"The object is positioned in your right sleeve," the system noted, its digital grid calculating the exact spatial distance between Luigi and the approaching commander. "Ensure the physical execution appears accidental to avoid immediate retaliation from the palace guard."
Luigi clutched a small, silver item tight inside his fist, the cold metal biting into his calloused skin. It was an intricate aether regulator button, heavily modified with Prince Michael's unique personal crest and stained with a rare sapphire lacquer. He had taken it from the prince's dressing room while cleaning the leftovers of the morning wardrobe. As Mario drew near, Luigi intentionally stumbled forward, his worn sandals catching on the uneven seam of the marble tiles. He let out a soft gasp of terror, dropping his cleaning rags along with the precious silver button.
"Watch where you are going, you clumsy swine!" Mario roared, his boot slamming down barely an inch from Luigi's outstretched hand as the slave tumbled to his knees.
Luigi trembled violently, pressing his face toward the stone. "Forgive me, High Commander! I am so sorry! This worthless slave lost his balance!"
"The palace is filled with useless trash these days," Mario sneered, his gaze dropping to the floor to look at the scattered cleaning items. "If you ever cross my path like this again, I will have your fingers fed to the core furnaces."
"Mercy, Lord Mario, I beg of you!" Luigi whimpered, his voice shaking with a perfectly fabricated panic that satisfied the executioner's arrogance. "I was only rushing to deliver the cleaning supplies to the lower guards."
Mario raised his foot to kick the rags away, but his sharp eyes suddenly locked onto the small silver object rolling across the floor. The sapphire lacquer gleamed brightly beneath the amber glow of the corridor lanterns, catching the light perfectly. Mario froze, his entire posture stiffening as he recognized the distinct, royal insignia carved into the metal surface. He picked it up with two fingers, his face twisting into a mask of pure disbelief and bubbling rage.
"Where did you get this, slave?" Mario demanded, his voice dropping to a low, lethal register that made the surrounding guards tense up. "This is a specialized component from a personal aether regulator. Only the immediate royal family has access to this design."
Luigi shrank back, shaking his head rapidly as if he had just committed a mortal sin. "I do not know, milord! I found it on the floor of the main control nexus this morning while I was cleaning the primary defense arrays!"
Mario’s eyes narrowed into slits, his breathing turning heavy and erratic. "The control nexus? Are you absolutely certain you found it near the security grids?"
"Yes, High Commander!" Luigi cried out, covering his face with his hands to hide the dark, triumphant smirk forming on his lips. "It was jammed right beneath the main sector switch. I thought it belonged to one of the mechanics, so I picked it up to return it."
"You are lying to me," Mario hissed, his fingers gripping the silver button so tightly that his knuckles turned white against his gauntlets. "This belongs to Prince Michael. Why would his personal belongings be left behind at the security array right before the sector borders went dark?"
"I know nothing of such things, milord!" Luigi screamed, playing the part of the ignorant servant to perfection. "I am just a low caste slave! I do not understand anything about the high security grids or clearance codes!"
"The target's neural path is fully locked into the desired conclusion," the system reported smoothly inside Luigi's head. "His cognitive framework has linked the object, the location, and the false rumors together. Rage index is at maximum capacity."
Mario turned the object over in his hand, his teeth grinding together with a sickening crunch. "Michael is trying to frame me. He deactivates his own arrays, leaves my name in the mud, and drops his own trash at the scene to justify my execution."
"The nobility works in mysterious ways, Lord Mario," Luigi muttered softly, purposefully projecting his voice just enough to feed the commander's growing paranoia. "The servants say the prince is looking for a reason to replace the old vanguard with his own loyal sycophants."
"Silence!" Mario bellowed, his voice shaking the heavy stone arches of the corridor as he stepped forward with immense hostility. "You do not speak of the prince's business, you miserable insect!"
Luigi let out a sharp cry, collapsing backward onto his hands as if the sheer force of the commander's voice had broken his resolve. Every single movement was calculated, every word designed to push Mario further over the edge of sanity. He could see the veins pulsing violently on the executioner's neck, the raw fury blinding him to the obvious trap laid out right before his eyes.
"The target is moving into your immediate physical perimeter," the system warned, its interface flashing a yellow alert sign. "Prepare for physical impact."
Before Luigi could even adjust his balance, Mario lunged forward with terrifying speed, his massive, armored hand reaching out like a striking serpent. He grabbed Luigi tightly by the rough collar of his canvas tunic, lifting the slender youth completely off the cold marble floor with a single, brutal hoist. Luigi’s breath hitched as the fabric choked his throat, his legs dangling uselessly in the air as he was pressed hard against the freezing stone wall of the corridor.
"Tell me the truth, Boru!" Mario growled, his face inches from Luigi's face, his eyes widening with madness as he forced the silver button directly against Luigi's cheek. "Who gave this to you? Did Michael send you to plant this in my path?"
Luigi gasped for air, his hands clawing weakly at Mario's iron wrist to maintain the illusion of total helplessness. As the commander held him close, the heavy, suffocating scent of Prince Michael's signature perfume drifted off the silver button, filling Mario's nostrils. The executioner's eyes dilated in absolute shock, his gaze locking onto the evidence with a chilling realization that sealed their mutual destruction.
Aksara