CHAPTER FOUR

Experiencing unspeakable pain for what felt like an eternity, the Prince could only think of Kaileena and how much danger he had placed her in by coming back to Babylon. She could take care of herself against most threats, but against that duplicate of him with the memories and experiences he also shared? No, the Prince thought to himself. He would not easily succumb to the impact that the Sands were doing to his body, his very being. He would fight this corruption to his last breath, just to be reunited with her again.

Meanwhile...

As Kaileena continued to sit in her cage and fear the worst for the Prince, she decided that if she was going to have any chance at saving him, she was going to have to do it herself. Any real resistance force would be easily slaughtered by these sand creatures, likely considering any innocents restrained in this prison to be very much a lost cause.

So in that moment, she made possibly one of the most reckless choices imaginable and used the Sands within her to quickly age the cage into dust, knowing full well it would drain her vitality quickly from exhausting so much power. But she didn't care. If she was going to die, she would go out with dignity saving a fellow comrade from a far worse fate.

Getting to her feet, Kaileena paced herself carefully as she made a grab for some leftover swords on a table, equipping them and making a run for the locked door to save the Prince.

As she knocked on the door, some guards went to open it and were met with lethal wounds, as Kaileena fought off several more armed guards that gradually met the same bloody fate as all who crossed the Empress's path tended to do.

Hearing the Prince continuing to scream in agony within the flames, Kaileena quickly rushed up the staircase and generated sand whirlwinds to extinguish them, absorbing as much of the Sands into her as she could to save the Prince and hope it was not too late.

She placed a hand on his cheek and hugged him, not yet ready to let go and hoped that the Prince would return the favor for her in kind.

Thankfully, the Prince woke up but was barely alive, suffering from severe burns across his body that Kaileena made sure to heal, weakening herself all the while.

'No... don't,' the Prince managed to get out in a weakened voice. 'You're only... killing yourself by... wasting the Sands... on me.'

'It's my choice Prince,' she said. 'I've grown to appreciate you too damn much to lose you now. So hold still and allow me to restore you back to full strength.'

'Thank you,' the Prince responded. 'But I'm still trapped by these chains and...

The Prince was cut off as a powerful projectile was fired, smashing a good chunk of the upper structure backward as Kaileena barely dodged out of the way, with it narrowly missing the Prince's head. She looked up and saw the Doppelganger in a high stand, seemingly pleased to have both the Empress of Time and his mortal counterpart to dispatch.

'You,' Kaileena said. 'You are the Prince who was destined to kill me in the timeline!'

'That's right,' the Doppelganger replied. 'And needless to say, it has taken many long, arduous centuries to get to this moment. I will see your deaths at my hand if its the last thing I do!'

'Guess you'll have to wait a little longer then.' the Prince stated as he utilized his renewed strength to pull the greatly loosened chain out. It was still strongly attached to his right arm but he would deal with the problem later as he and Kaileena made a run for the exit.

'Noooo!' the Doppelganger screamed. 'Guards, cease them!'

But despite their best efforts, the guards could not keep up with their targets as the Prince and Kaileena disappeared into the vastness of Babylon's city streets.