A/N: Okay so here I am again with an update again for my story. I know that was probably irritating last time to be waiting on an update. Only to read it in like ten minutes thinking "What?" so here I am with the next chapter. Again, not the final one. Enjoy.

Chapter 11 Repentance

The Prince lay soundly in his defeat. His emotions enthralled by the overwhelming sadness of being beaten so easily and embarrassingly quickly. He pondered over the events and triumphs he had experienced over the past fortnights. All that work, all that heartache, gone, ripped from his reality in mere minutes. Daresay even seconds. The misery that would now ensue because of his mistake. His cockiness. Not only had he solidified the fate of his one true love. But the fate of the millions of people resting back in his old life. The Dahakas, he had destroyed every single one in one instance or another. Now, the God of Time would be forced to rekindle the severed boundaries of time. But no telling what the denizens of earth would have to endure before the god could complete his task. All at fault of the Prince's.

Now—now what would await him in the afterlife? Eternal punishment? Was he to be forever burned in a lake of blaze for his mistakes? Or would the gods reconcile with one another to wipe out his existence entirely? Selfishly, the Prince begged for another chance. He deserved it. Never had he done anything to anger the gods, at least, not intentionally. It was his fault he unleashed the Sands of Time. Did this anger the gods? But he retrieved them and bounded them for all eternity—would that matter? Surely though that was some sort of sin, otherwise a Dahaka wouldn't have been sent after him. That cemented it. The Prince was surely going to be punished, "you will die"—the

immortal words of the old man still lingered in his consciousness. Not only was he fated to die, but to receive a punishment more worse than death in his afterlife. All because he tried to defy his fate, and in turn, defy the gods themselves.

What awaited him now? What limbo would he be subjected upon before his finality be forced on him? He could tell that he was still in limbo, he was thinking right? This insured that he was still alive in one shape or form. Though blind, he made an attempt to sense where he was. He was not blind by nature, so it was doubly evident that he had become submerged in darkness. His eyes had served their purpose—now it was time to revert to the other senses. Smell, humidity, not one of must, but a cool gentle humidity that was refreshing to engulf within his nostrils. Hearing, trickling, light, splashing, droplets hitting whatever surface lay beneath him. Finally, touch, he budged. Connectivity to his arms was still very much there. Thankful, he brushed his fingertips against the surface he kneeled down upon. A rushing coolness swept through him as he felt the rippling surges of shallow water below him. Where was he? Was the gateway between life and death truly nothing but some type of encasing with nothing but shallow water?

"Get up." An effeminate, but all the more fierce voice said unto him.

"Where? Where am I?" The Prince replied, relieved that he still had his voice as well.

The voice projected about the room. "Why should I tell you, Prince? You truly don't deserve to know."

The accusatory statement of the voice went over the Prince's head as he struggled to figure out where he was.

"Didn't I tell you to stand?" The voice continued. Reluctantly, he followed the command. "There, good job."

"Tell me where I am now."

A catty snicker bounced through the air. "You follow my instruction, and all of a sudden I must answer your question? Things don't quite work that way, Prince."

"I believe they do. A favor for a favor."

"Ah, and a life for a life."

"What?" An eeriness swept through the Prince as the voice made the unorthodox statement. "What does that have to do with now?"

"It has everything to do with now."

"You're speaking in riddles!"

"Then listen in riddles!"

The Prince surrendered. "Fine, I'll listen in riddles." He mocked casually. If he indeed was talking to a liege of the afterlife, he no longer cared about disrespect. Where his soul went was no longer important to him. He had failed in his lifetime; he didn't deserve to be granted peace in the afterlife.

"I'm so disappointed in you, Prince. I thought…I thought after all these years you would be the one to end the suffering."

"Of whom?"

"Of us. Of the tormented. I thought that you would be the one to finally stop the tradition of terror that has lived on in that horrible dwelling."

It registered. "Oh, you speak of the God of Time. You thought I would be able to defeat him. Well, I did too. But see where it has gotten me? I think it's time to realize that I am but a man. A mortal, I can't defeat gods. I was foolish to think I could."

"Kaileena's faith was in vain?"

"Yes, I suppose. I'd hate to think to of it that way. But yes, it was."

"Prince, so you state that your foolishness was backed by the faith of a loved one?"

"Yes."

"Tell me then, how was it foolishness?"

"I don't understand."

"Prince, what made you think you could defeat a god?"

"I somewhat thought that I could just by my own pride, but I suppose Kaileena was right behind me encouraging me. But I don't blame her, it was my fault. My inability is what killed us."

"It is funny, you say that Kaileena encouraged you, that she was a loved one, that she backed you up with her faith, yet you summarize all this with the word foolishness."

The Prince could hear the trickling of water cascading about him, they seemed to carry the revelation of what this voice was saying. "I understand." The Prince muttered. "Love, faith, and encouragement, does not make foolishness."

"Exactly Prince, now truly think, what did Kaileena give you by her love, faith, and encouragement?" What gift did she grant upon you?"

The question was simple, yet all the more baffling. Foolishness had become null and void. It no longer mattered. Now the Prince had to think positively, no, truthfully. The entity said to "truly" think. What truthfulness abounded in the Prince's soul that he must now reach out to? What subject of reality glided through his heart that he must listen to? What had Kaileena given him? What had her beautiful love strengthened him with?

"Kaileena gave me," he said finally. "Hope."

"There now," the voice said lovingly, "now you're listening in riddles."

In instant a blinding golden light swept through the dark room. Burning the Prince's retinas as he instinctively closed them as tight as he could. The tricking he had heard before now seemed as powerful as a river as he suddenly heard the rushing waves dancing about him. The voice had faded, all that he could hear now were mournful howls of all kinds. Mournful pleas of hope, sadness, anger, love, hate, and desperation. The mixed emotions dwelled around him searing though his motions and disrupting his hold. For a moment, everything was calamity, nothing made sense. His mind had to structure, no power to do anything, no will to do anything. He just felt these unexplained emotions towering over him, in that moment, he had lost himself.

The light lifted, and calmness returned. The Prince slowly opened his eyes. The room was still dark, but made somewhat visible by two burning torches of blue fire that stood parallel to one another, separated by a set of small black stairs that led up into a golden vortex. The walls seemed to be made of glittered water falls sailing down into nothingness. He stood on dry substance, whether it was ground or whatever, he couldn't determine. And standing right in front of him, was the tall, pale, and lean figure of—

"Decquaris?" The Prince released shockingly. "You were the voice I was hearing."

"Yes, Prince. And I don't ever want you to say that anything my Leeny did was in vain. You hear me?"

"Yes, yes, that's fine. But? What did I just go through?"

"I just showed you what death feels like."

"That was so horrible. But, it's hard to describe as horrible, because it wasn't bad. But it was pleasant either. It was…"

"Unsettling." Decquaris continued. "The god of death is a horrible creature. He knows that humans believe that death is the final resting place, that it grants eternal peace. So as sport, he made it the most calamitous feeling imaginable. In death, the soul doesn't feel single emotions, but rather an unexplainable mix of all of them. Being human, you know that that kind of confusion is more to bear. But in death, the feeling never succumbs. I showed you that feeling so that you will know when you are dead. Unless you feel those emotions, you aren't dead."

"So—I'm not dead now?"

"No."

"Then where am I?"

"You are in Repentance. The single room where all kinds of dying souls, human or non, go through before they enter Judgment." Decquaris gestured to the gleaming vortex above and behind him. "Where the gods determine where their soul goes."

"Repentance, why is it called that?"

"Because the gods see the horrible feeling of death as repentance for all of man's sins. But it isn't all it is, is punishment."

"So, why didn't I die?"

"Because Prince, you had a strength that kept you in the world."

"I did?"

"Yes, you're love for Kaileena, and you're even greater love for mankind. What you kept thinking as you began to die, what how you failed everyone else, that kind of unselfish thinking is what causes one soul to linger amongst man."

"Like a ghost?"

"Yes, in most cases. But in your case, the fact that you're soul still remains on earth sets the foundation for us to use our power to give you a second chance."

"Us?"

"Yes, us. Come on out everyone."

On Decquaris's command, the Prince saw the green-robed figure of Arlyn, and the blue and pink clad Aria and Evia emerge seemingly out of nowhere.

"Hello Prince." Evia said, with such a gentleness to her voice that it was almost unfathomable.

"Hello," he replied. "You all forgive me?"

Aria cackled. "Forgive you, hell no. But, you see, death does open one's eyes to a mist-less reality. We know that you were only doing what was best for you and our sister. And all of the people on earth. We realize that our father was evil, and that we were wrong to defend him."

Arlyn cut in. "In my case, I was wrong to think that such perfection is obtainable. And even if it were, it won't be obtained through death and destruction. I'm sorry, Prince. You beat me fair and square. I hate you for taking my life, but I respect your courage, and realize that you needed to do it."

Evia spoke once again, the Prince was anxious to hear her voice. "I now know that I am truly my own person. Even in the afterlife, it is now my time to make choices for myself, and believe in myself. I am Evia. I do forgive you, Prince. As I forgive Kaileena."

Decquaris took her completion as his signal to continue. "You see, Prince. That god as he likes to call himself down there. Has terrorized and tormented everyone he came in contact with. He gave Aria a false sense of acceptance, and in the end, she gave her life to a man who didn't care. He made Kaileena weak in spirit, he made Arlyn believe that nothing could be right if there was any wrong to it. He made me afraid to accept myself for me. And by defeating all of his children, he left poor Evia to know no acceptance. Prince, we want to give you a second chance. We don't want this man's rain of terror to continue no more. He must die. He must know the pain of what he's done. He must feel the vengeance of our hate!"

The Prince nodded solemnly. "I thank you. But bringing me back to earth whole would mean nothing. I can't defeat him with the Water Sword. It's too weak."

Decquaris stepped down the set of stairs toward the Prince. He reached out a single hand, and with a veil of light the Water Sword appeared. He gripped the hilt tightly.

"You won't be fighting alone, Prince." Decquaris quickly open his remaining palm, and a purple orb of light emerged from his palm brightly. He released the orb of light, and it loosely drifted to the Water Sword, and finally fused with it. The sword began to glow faint white hue.

"It'll have my pride." Decquaris said. A pink orb of light suddenly shot out from nowhere and fused with the sword.

"It'll have my clarity." She said.

As the Prince expected, a green orb of light bounded forward and combined with the blade. "It'll have my realism."

Finally the blue orb shined forth and merged with the weapon. "It'll have my confidence." Evia said brightly.

"Prince," Decquaris finished. "The sword has been infused with the newfound strengths of all my siblings, and together with your good heart. It'll be the key to defeating that demon."

The sword's white hue faded, revealing a golden blade. The entangled back inscriptions the Water Sword once had and become red, magnifying the glory of the sword.

"I—I don't know to say." The Prince said.

"Say you'll win!" The sibling four said in unison.

"Yes," the Prince confirmed. "Yes! I will win! I will give you all your reprieve from that evil man. And with that, repent for all the sins I've committed."

The siblings nodded in appreciation. And the Prince was engulfed in a bright light.

A/N: Okay, so hoped you liked it. And I know I promised this chapter wouldn't take so long. But I ended up having problems with my internet. And after it was fixed I was kind of out of the mood. But no more excuses. Please review. And come back soon to see the final chapter of The God of Time!