The boat glided across the inky surface of the River of Death, propelled by a subtle breeze conjured by Urek. The air was eerily silent save for the faint creaking of the wooden vessel as it moved forward. Eryndor leaned against the side of the boat, his pale face illuminated by the faint glow of the setting sun. For the first time in hours, a small smile crossed his face.

He glanced at his brothers, his voice soft. "Thank you… for doing this. I never thought..."

His words were cut off as a sudden wave of pain tore through him. He clutched his stomach, his face contorting as he screamed, the sound raw and guttural. Blood sprayed from his mouth, splattering onto the wooden planks beneath him. His body convulsed, trembling as the agonizing pain intensified.

"Eryndor!" Alaric exclaimed, dropping to his knees beside him. His voice was filled with feigned concern, but his expression quickly shifted, a dark smirk twisting his lips. Slowly, he rose to his feet, towering over Eryndor.

"You fool," Alaric sneered, his tone dripping with malice. He grabbed a handful of Eryndor's long white hair, yanking his head upward. "It was so easy deceiving you. How could you have possibly believed us? After everything we had done to you in the past?"

Eryndor groaned, his bloodied lips trembling as he struggled to comprehend what was happening.

Alaric's laughter echoed through the air, cold and mocking. "You're pathetic. Absolutely pathetic."

Urek and Vort joined in his laughter, their eyes glinting with wicked amusement.

Eryndor gritted his teeth, his fists clenching as he tried to summon the strength to fight back. "Why…?" he managed to choke out. "I thought we were brothers."

"Brothers?" Alaric scoffed, releasing his grip on Eryndor's hair and stepping back. "That's the lamest joke I've heard in years." His voice hardened, his eyes narrowing. "I hate you. We all hate you. From the moment you were born, you stole everything…. Father's love, attention, the admiration of the kingdom... all because you were the Child of the Prophecy." He spat the title as though it were venom. "But now we know the truth. You're nothing but a fraud."

Eryndor's body spasmed again, the mysterious pill's dark magic working its way through his system. Blood poured from his mouth as his vision blurred, tears streaming down his face from the unbearable pain.

"You disgust me," Alaric continued, his voice icy. "And now, I'll do what Father should have done long ago."

Vort stepped forward, raising his hand. A ripple of magic emanated from his palm, and Eryndor's body became impossibly heavy. He collapsed onto the floor of the boat, unable to move, his strength drained.

"Please…" Eryndor gasped, his voice barely audible. "Don't do this…"

Alaric smirked, reaching into his cloak. From its folds, he withdrew a chain that seemed to writhe in his hands as though alive. It was pitch black, its surface etched with glowing crimson runes that pulsed like a heartbeat. The air around it crackled with malevolent energy.

"This," Alaric said, holding the chain up, "is the Chain of Eternal Agony. Forged with the darkest magic, it doesn't just kill. It torments. It feeds on the soul, dragging its victim into an endless abyss of suffering."

Eryndor's eyes widened in terror as Alaric's words sank in.

"Goodbye, dear brother," Alaric said with a mocking smile. "Consider this my parting gift."

He flung the chain onto Eryndor's trembling body.

The effect was immediate. "Arghhh!!!!" Eryndor screamed, a sound so piercing and filled with despair that it seemed to reverberate through the river. His skin began to bubble and peel away, smoke rising as if his very flesh were on fire. The runes on the chain glowed brighter, pulsating with each wave of agony it inflicted.

The pains was so agonising that Eryndor didn't know which was better; Hell or being killed by this Chain.

Eryndor thrashed violently, his cries of pain echoing across the water. "Why…?!" he choked out, his voice cracking. "Why are you doing this?"

Alaric knelt beside him, his expression cold. "Because I can. Because you deserve it. Say hi to your Mother when you get to hell."

With that, he placed a foot against Eryndor's chest and shoved him over the side of the boat.

Eryndor's body hit the water with a sickening splash. The black surface of the River of Death swallowed him whole, the chain dragging him downward as though it were alive.

For a moment, the river was still. Then came the sound of faint, muffled screams bubbling up from beneath its surface, growing weaker and weaker until they were gone entirely.

Alaric straightened, brushing off his hands. "Well, that's done," he said with a satisfied smirk.

Urek chuckled. "Father will be pleased. Finally rid of that nuisance."

Vort nodded, his gaze fixed on the river. "Let's go. We've wasted enough time here."

The three brothers turned the boat around, leaving the River of Death behind them, the faint echoes of Eryndor's suffering lingering in the air like a haunting melody.

**********

Eryndor screamed as the frigid, foul water of the River of Death engulfed him, his body sinking deeper and deeper into the black abyss. The chain of eternal agony coiled around him like a serpent, its runes burning into his skin, sending waves of searing pain through his body.

Through the murky water, he caught a final glimpse of the boat, his brothers standing on the boat. Alaric's face was alight with triumph, Urek's lips curled in a mocking smirk, and Vort's eyes cold and unfeeling. The people he had once trusted above all else…. his elder brothers, who were supposed to be his protectors were now his executioners.

His screams stopped, choked by the water filling his lungs, and his expression twisted into one of utter anguish. The realization hit him like a dagger to the heart: they had never cared. All their words, their promises, their shared laughter, it had all been a lie.

Why? The word echoed in his mind, over and over, a bitter refrain. Why did I trust them? Why didn't I see the hatred in their eyes sooner?

As he sank deeper into the river, the light above faded, their faces vanishing from view. His chest burned, his body heavy and wracked with pain, but it was nothing compared to the torment in his soul.

'You betrayed me', his thoughts hissed, venomous and raw. 'I called you my brothers, believed in you, loved you, and this is how you repay me? You deceived me, mocked me, and now you've condemned me to this hell. Alaric, Urek, Vort,I swear on everything I have left, if I ever get a second chance, I will make you regret this. I will make you suffer a million times the pain you've inflicted on me'.

His eyes, though stinging from the river's toxic waters, burned with a hatred so intense it felt like it could sear the very fabric of existence. 'I curse you all. May your lives be filled with torment. May every dream you have turn to ash. You will never know peace, never know joy. I'll take everything from you, just as you've taken everything from me'.

The chain tightened, scorching his flesh, drawing another agonized scream that was swallowed by the water. But he refused to let the pain break him. Instead, he clung to it, let it fuel the fire inside him.

'You called me a fraud, a failure', he thought bitterly. 'But you will see. Even in death, I'll prove you wrong. If there is a way to return, I'll find it. And when I do, you'll beg for the mercy you never showed me'.

He clenched his fists, though his strength was nearly gone, his body trembling as he sank ever closer to the riverbed. 'I'll make you regret the day you decided to betray me. You'll wish you had killed me with your own hands instead of leaving me to rot in this cursed water'.

Finally, his feet touched the riverbed, the weight of the chain dragging him down until he was sprawled on the cold, slimy ground. The last air in his lungs escaped in a stream of bubbles, and his body convulsed weakly.

As his vision dimmed, his mind remained ablaze with his final vow: 'This isn't the end. If there's a way to return, I'll find it. Mark my words brothers, you'll pay for what you've done'.

His eyes fluttered shut, the burning fire of hatred in his heart the last thing he felt as he succumbed to the darkness.