(Not much to say… Huh, well, actually, this chapter might include an extremely huge event, so huge that some of you may not like it; please keep in mind that I know what I'm doing, and this event, not to spoil it, will be resolved in the conclusion of the story… in some way, mind you… I say this because I wouldn't want any of you to stop reading, but that is entirely your decision.)

One Last Chance:

Chapter Fifteen

The Prince turned to the woman and her daughter, eyeing them. "What is the matter?"

The woman shook her head and stood straight. "Where… are we supposed to go? I have no other place, and-," The Prince grasped her right shoulder gently. "Why did you come to here?" Kaileena flinched. "I came to work here as a servant; it would allow my daughter more favorable living conditions."

He pulled his arm away and turned his head to examine the once beautiful garden; the one place he could relax completely within. Pots had fallen over or shattered; a tree or two had been slightly uprooted; the flooring had been ripped apart.

He looked back at Kaileena, but then fixated his gaze on the young girl. She returned the stare, looking up at him sadly. Her hand remained in her mother's.

The Prince winced, lowering his hand to his wound. Saeedeh continued to look at him, but her mouth began to move, as if to speak. "Mommy… He looks like the bad man…" she murmured, just barely heard.

Kaileena shrugged and smiled weakly. "That wound, it must be tended to."

He shook his head. "Your daughter's right; there is an uncanny resemblance between those other two men and myself, but the pale one… He's not entirely human, I know that, but he came here with ill intentions for you and your daughter. Those other people… They all feel vaguely familiar, but I've never seen or met them before. Only the other woman and the girl; they appear exactly as you two do, but the girl emanates a peculiar feeling; she is not your daughter, so go and leave this place before the same fate falls upon this girl."

Kaileena glanced at Saeedeh but then back at the Prince. "How can-,"

"Just go; the conversation between those people tells me that the matters they are involved in are unearthly. Please, take your daughter and leave, quickly."

Kaileena thought for a moment, pulling her daughter close. "Fine then, we shall leave."

"Thank you… it is not safe."

The Prince turned to face the palace doorway, making his way towards it. "Where are you going?" she asked casually, watching him. "I have to stop more innocent lives from being taken; besides, the palace is in danger."

"That's madness; you'll most likely die."

"Yet it is a risk I have to take. There are too many unanswered questions about what just happened, and I must make sure it is stopped."

"W-Who are all of you?" Arad questioned in surprise as the others joined Kamal. The Dahaka eyed each of them, its gaze falling on the two princes. It clenched its fists and fired a mass of tentacles at the entire group. The Prince quickly pushed Arad out of the way as the rest ran to the sides. Kamal, however, stood his ground and slashed through the extensions.

The Dahaka growled and ran at its adversary, thrusting its fist down at him. Kamal back flipped out of the way; he then jumped back up and prepared to strike the beast, only to have two tentacles grasp his body and slam him into the wall.

The Prince dashed at the Dahaka, rolling under a tentacle and slashing at its upper torso. It attempted to hit him with the back of its left fist, but he rolled under the attack and swiped again.

The Dahaka was not fazed by the attack and punched the fatigued Prince, his body flying to collide with the wall.

"We have to help them!" Farah exclaimed while raising the bow, but Kaileena pushed the weapon down. "No, our attacks wouldn't affect it; only those swords seem to have any real effect."

Arad listened to their brief converse, glancing at the dagger he still held in his hand. "The dagger…" He looked back up as the Prince began to stand.

"I can't keep this up for much longer… My body cannot provide me with the agility and strength I need; this has to be finished now!" he thought while holding the Cobra Sword to his side.

He ground his teeth and ran full speed at the Dahaka, readying his assault. Arad watched this and prepared to throw the dagger. "I may not know these people, but this creature must be silenced!"

"Catch!" he shouted before throwing the light object towards the Prince, who was barely alerted by the sound of his voice. He skidded to a stop and caught the weapon, fumbling slightly. He quickly held it up, glancing back at Arad and then at the dagger.

"The Dagger of Time…? How…?" he murmured before looking up to see the Dahaka suddenly upon him, its fist raised to attack.

Instinct took over, and the Prince's arm flew up to plunge the Dagger into the beast's abdomen. The Dahaka immediately stopped; its body trembled slightly as sand began to erupt from its body and flow into the blade of the Dagger.

The Prince grabbed his right wrist to try and steady himself as the powerful conversion shook his entire body. "Die!" he cried before thrusting the Dagger deeper, causing more sand to leave the Dahaka's body.

The Dagger began to crack as it consumed all of the Sands from the present. Fearful, the Prince removed it as a huge quake forced him back.

The Dahaka staggered, its power drained. "Yes, I will finish this," Kamal stated as he stepped before the beast, striking it down in one slash with the Water Sword. The Dahaka fell to the floor, its body fading away.

The Prince, using his knee, got on his feet nodding. "Thank you… Kamal…" Kamal smirked. "No, thank you, for now I no longer need the girl; the Dagger of Time for this timeline will serve her purpose."

"W-What?" the Prince stuttered before Kamal kicked him to the floor, catching the Dagger in his hand.

"Within this dagger holds the greatest power of the world! The power of time, or, in a sense, the power of life! Once I gain control of this power, I will be complete, no longer a shadow!"

He held the Dagger, the tip of its blade pointing at his stomach. "I am immortal!" he yelled before driving the Dagger into his body. A massive shockwave knocked everyone back as the Sands surrounded and flowed into his body.

"Ah, yes! Yes! It is working, perfectly!" His pale skin gained a light, golden hue, and his eyes glowed brightly.

"I-Impossible! His body couldn't possible contain all of the Sands!" Kaileena thought aloud as Kamal began to shake wildly, the dagger clattering to the floor.

He shouted in some mixture of emotions as an explosion of sand erupted from his body, coursing over his arms, legs, and torso.

"No… What… happened?"

"It's simple, Kamal; your body is not fit to contain the Sands of Time."

Everyone looked up to see Saeedeh hover down in front of Kamal; a small smile was plastered on her face. "You, child! This is your doing; you made this happen!" he cried as his body surged in agony. Saeedeh giggled. "Now, why would I ever do that, Kamal? We are both hollow shells; time is trying to rid itself of us, but I will not allow that. You see, the Sands provide you with life, and that is the solution to my plan to reform time."

She turned to everyone else. "Life… is what time needs! If I can give time life with the Sands, past and present will be discarded, and only future will remain! Once this shell of mine is filled with the Sands, I will no longer be a ghost!"

She glanced at Kamal. "Unfortunately, Kamal, you were inevitably a part of 'a child's dream'. You have done your part, so allow me to relieve you of the life you so cherish."

She held her arms out, and his body began to burn. Kamal cried in agony as the golden fire cremated his body, the Sands forming into a mass. "You… child!" Kamal yelled as the flames died out, leaving only the formless shape of the Sands.

"Do not worry, I can control them; I do not need the medallion as Kamal did." The Sands started flowing into her body smoothly.

"What is she doing?" the Prince asked weakly. Massoud stroked his chin. "She's taking in the Sands, because a future Kamal had succeeded in extracting the Sands from her body, but how will this provide her with 'life'?"

"The Sands serve as our life force," Kaileena answered. "What do you mean?" Farah inquired as she neared her.

"If the Sands are drained from our body, we die; it is reversed if we are killed, which releases the Sands. Kamal knew what he was doing, and had Massoud give him the medallion, which he would use to capture the Sands with before drawing them into his body. But it was a foolish plan, and Saeedeh is going to absorb the Sands, returning her to life."

The Prince shook his head. "So then what do we do? If she has the Sands she'll be too powerful for us to stop. Besides, we could use the Sands to return to the present now that Kamal is gone."

"What do you mean? Kill her? You cannot kill her; she's only a child!" Kaileena snapped back while standing before him.

"You heard her! She's going to reform time; how do we know what that could be? It might ruin my chance to restore and save Babylon!"

"Perhaps, but she does don't deserve death twice!"

Saeedeh giggled once more before walking to the center of the room. "I see… So you want to kill me? However, why should I die when you are the one who should be held responsible!"

The Prince ran in front of her. "What are you talking about? I am not going to allow you to crush my only chance at saving my home!"

Saeedeh laughed, but it was an empty, hollow laugh. "Home? I am the one who wishes to save my home! You only want to save your life, and that caused Kamal to go and murder my mother before killing me for the Sands! It was all your fault! Now, the past has been altered because of your actions! My counterpart and her mother did not die, like we did; is that fair?"

She sighed and shook her head. "No, it is not, but it won't matter. I will reform time, so everyone can have a second chance; everyone except for you!"

She scowled. "I have already absorbed the Sands of Time; your plan to defeat Kamal and save your timeline has failed; it is my obligation to mend your mistake." She walked right past him and to Kaileena.

"Now then, Kaileena, have you decided on what you are going to do? If you come with me, I will show you your true destiny, so please, come. We can create a true peace, and none of this will have ever happened."

Kaileena backed away slightly, glancing at the others. "I-I…"

"No, you are wrong," the Prince stated, directing it to Saeedeh. "In the beginning, I wanted to sop Kamal, but when I came here to the past, various thoughts entered my mind about saving Babylon; I could not just push them aside, but I see now that that is impossible."

He spun around and readied the Cobra Sword. "I can understand your feelings, but I will not allow you to go through with this! This madness stops here!"

Saeedeh laughed and turned to face him. "You cannot understand my feelings, you fool. Can you not understand this is better for humanity? I can create a time without the past. One, perfect timeline for everyone to live in, in peace."

The Prince shook his head. "No." He stabbed at Saeedeh, but his blade never reached her. Kaileena had stepped before the attack and the sword had pierced her stomach.

Massoud, Farah, and even Saeedeh stared on as the Prince loosened his grip on the Cobra Sword.

Kaileena frowned slightly, blood seeping out of the wound. "She's only a child… Children deserve a better world, and… that was a world I never… experienced…"

She cupped the wound with her hands. "Please, Prince, make sure she experiences it…" Kaileena stated before falling to the floor, blood continuing to spread.

"K-Kaileena…? Why is it…?"

Saeedeh was speechless; she frowned. "Do you see the error in your ways? She did not deserve death, and all because you are too ignorant!" The girl smiled slightly after a moment as the Prince fell to his knees, dropping the sword.

"Her sacrifice… was not in vain. If Kaileena cannot ascend, then perhaps my counterpart will… Yes, she is the only one left with the unique energy of the Empress of Time. This was why this event occurred differently, so that I could have another chance!"

She approached the Prince. "If you still wish to stop me, use the Water Sword…"

She then disappeared in a disperse of sand as the past Prince ran into the room.

(Yeah, I know, the death of Kaileena was played out poorly… sigh…)