CHAPTER EIGHT

After many hours of traversal through the streets (eradicating any enemy that crossed their path with well-timed stealth attacks or careful avoidance of conflict altogether), the Prince and Kaileena finally found themselves a few metres near the Babel Tower's entrance, the sun setting in the background as shadows grew ever encompassing across Babylon's landscape.

But to their frustration, the Doppelganger had clearly planned their inevitable attack on the tower (as there were a surprisingly large armada of guards posted at the entrance to ward off any uninvited visitors).

Spying a few loose rocks on a nearby wall that could be used as stable footholds to climb upward towards an open window in the tower, the Prince made sure to point this out to Kaileena through subtle hand gestures (as they crept along at a reasonable pace to avoid attracting too much unwanted attention).

In the end, it was a tedious but easy process which thankfully didn't involve much bloodshed as the Prince & Kaileena found themselves in a room which resembled a servant's sleeping quarters.

The room had quite a collection of odors to generate (none of which the Prince found particularly pleasant), as they crept towards the door and put their ears to it, listening intently for any obvious signs of threats on the other side. Voices could be heard but they seemed to be coming from further downward.

'So, what are the chances that the Prince and the Empress will attempt to come storming in?' a guard could be heard saying, as the Prince quietly opened the door, Kaileena following close behind him.

'Bah! The ground patrols will find 'em soon enough!' another guard said in response. 'They can't hide or keep up their resistance forever. And when they are presented before our master, there will be nothing left to stop our global conquest.'

The guards laughed in deluded satisfaction as they remained oblivious to their targets a floor above, moving further and further from their reach.

The Prince and Kaileena advanced further up the long-winding staircase till they found themselves an elevator to take them up the rest of the way.

As they stood side-by-side ready for their inevitable confrontation with the Doppelganger, the Prince placed his right hand near the sheath which housed his borrowed dagger, primed and ready for action.

Kaileena on the other hand, was fearful of what happened next. She knew her prophesied death would happen at any moment now, but she did her best to keep up a confident facade for the Prince's sake, drawing her twin blades as she prepared herself for combat.

'Time is running low. You ready?' the Prince said.

'Yes. Let us bring this tyrant down.' Kaileena stated, as the two rushed down the empty corridors and found themselves in the throne room. It had large open supportive structures leading outdoors for its occupants to admire the city below, with large tropical plants placed meticulously near the throne.

'Son, is that you?' a familiar older male voice called out quietly from a nearby large cage containing two other occupants obscured by shadow.

To the Prince's shock, it was his parents & the old man (the latter of which had been a valuable asset in reaching the Island of Time a month ago and had also counselled him through many doubts his ever-increasing responsibilities within the royal family had brought). His paradoxical duplicate had some serious nerve to place those he loved behind bars like common animals.

'Father! Mother! What has that imposter done to you? Are any of you injured?' the Prince stated with genuine, heartfelt concern.

'We're fine my son,' Queen Mehri replied. 'A few cuts and bruises, but nothing the royal family can't recover from.'

'I see you decided not to kill the Empress of Time,' the Old Man said with a sense of knowing trepidation. 'I can only guess you've proven that fate can be changed after all.'

'Indeed Elder,' the Prince kindly stated, as Kaileena decided to scoop out the area and provide a brief sense of security in her mind while the Prince tried to use his dagger to pry the lock loose gently. But his rescue attempt was cut short as swordsmen and archers rushed into the room, surrounding the Prince as he found himself in a stalemate he couldn't fight his way out of, being far too late to pull his dagger out of the lock.

'Well, well. I figured you'd try to come here,' the Doppelganger stated in a smug tone. 'What did you expect? That I'd be in here undefended and at your mercy? Hahahaha, you deluded fool. Your compassion for others weakens you. And now that you're defenceless, I'll ensure to end your irritating existence once and for all.'

The Doppelganger made a gesture with his hand to order his forces to attack. The Prince did his best to dodge incoming attacks (even managing to pry a sword from an enemy's back during the scuffle), but there were simply too many threats to deal with at once, as some guards managed to get a few lucky shots in, weakening him all the while.

'Stop!' Kaileena shouted from the left of the ensuring conflict. 'Leave him alone! I'm the one you're really looking for parasite!'

The Doppelganger let out a sigh of annoyance as he ordered his guards to stop fighting, the Prince struggling to stand through sheer force of will.

'Ah, Empress. I was wondering where you had gone off to,' the Doppelganger said. 'Figured you would have high-tailed it back to the Island of Time to save your own skin. Zurvan knows how many generations you've been trying to fight fate.'

'Perhaps I should have,' Kaileena commented. 'But I'm tired of fighting, tired of running. It's only led to continued grief, loss and anguish of what fate has in store for me. But no more. This time, the cycle will end... by my hand.'

'Kaileena, what are you doing?' the Prince said in a worried tone, as Kaileena threw her swords to the ground.

'Do not worry, my Prince. I know exactly what needs to be done,' Kaileena said with a knowing glint in her eye. 'Whatever happens next, do not lose hope. I trust you...'

And with that, Kaileena did the unthinkable as she closed her eyes and tipped herself off the ledge, letting loose the Sands of Time contained within her body as her essence spread across Babylon.

'Kaileena! No!' the Prince screamed, as tears fell down his face in grief-fuelled anger. What happened next, seemed to occur in an instant as he became newly infected by the Sands of Time.