Blood of Decusia

Prologue

A dark figure made their way down the long hall, the torchlight illuminating his shadow along the line of cells. He was tall and wore a hooded cloak that covered his face. As he moved, the torches seemed to flicker, threatening to snuff out. He finally stopped at a cell at the very end of the hall..
In the dimness of the torchlight, a figure could be seen in the corner of the cell, his face shrouded by the shadows. 
"Hello, Sage," the hooded man rasped, his own face hidden by the hood.
The man in the cell didn't move, showing no indication he heard the man in front of him. The hooded man held up a hand and the cell swung open with a loud creak. He took a step inside.
"It's been awhile," he continued.
"Not long enough," Sage finally answered, his voice weak as if it pained him to speak.
"Oh well, it feels like just yesterday I saw your parents in a similar state."
Sage noticeably flinched.
"Defeated, but still stubborn. A refusal to accept that no matter how hard they fought, defeat was inevitable." 
Sage shakily stood up, now visible in the dim light. His face was worse for wear. One of his eyes was swollen shut, while the other had a giant cut above it. He had a split lip, an obviously broken nose, and a large bruise on his jaw. When he stood, he seemed to favor his right side, and blood had seeped through the thigh of his loose brown pants, while his white shirt also had blood and dirt mixed. His shaggy dirty blond hair was matted to his forehead.
"Shut up," he said through gritted teeth.
"You're so much like your father," the hooded man laughed, "What would he say about what you did?"
"Shut up."
"You betrayed his family, you are a blood traitor. The shame he would feel."
"He would've understood," Sage whispered, seeming to be reassuring himself more than the hooded man.
He sank to his knees, his head in his hands.
"Because of your mistake," the man continued, "You've been cast out. Because of your  betrayal, you're here with me."
"Then, kill me," Sage said, looking up at the man, "Like you said, I'm alone. No one is coming for me. Kill me, like you killed them."
"Oh Sage, you're not alone," he cooed, "You have me and I you."
The man held out his pale,wrinkly hand and suddenly a large staff appeared. It was ornate with crude, bat-like silver wings coming off the side and at the very top, was a black gem that glittered and gleamed. Sage fell back, scooting backward until he was up against the wall.
"What-how?" he asked, his one good eye wide with fear.
"You really think that I wouldn't find it?" the man whispered, rubbing his hand against the gem, "It's a part of me, a part of my destiny. And you're going to help me complete the set."
"I don't know where Bellatoro is," Sage said, his voice shaking, "The King has it hidden somewhere."
"Oh I know," the man said, coolly, "But I don't mean that one. I'm talking about Naturae."
"Naturae is lost," Sage spat, "And you murdered anyone who would know where it was."
"But the gem was hidden before that and if anyone knows where it would be, it would be the son of a Fauna."
"Sorry to disappoint,"  Sage said, "But even if I knew where it was, I would never tell you. Guess you're just going to have to kill me."
"I was hoping you would say something like that," the man sneered, "It gives me a perfect opportunity to test my new-found power."
The staff in his hand began to glow and out of the bottom, thin wisps of black smoke  came out. Like a snake, it slithered toward Sage, who gasped and tried to scramble away from the smoke, to no avail. It curled around his body, like it was a solid being. The smoke circled his head and the black turned into a dark gray as Sage fell back and started twitching like he was having a seizure.
He struggled to speak as his body writhed on the ground, only groans escaped his lips. Blood began streaming out of his nose and his limbs flailed and bent at odd angles. His eyes rolled back into his head as he continued seizing.
The hooded man stood still, just watching him. The smoke suddenly released Sage, making its way to the staff, while he collapsed in a heap on the ground, panting and sobbing.
"Oh, I see," the man murmured, his body now surrounded in a slight glow,  "I think it's time for a little family reunion, don't you, Sage?