CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The Dark Prince traversed further into the depths of the Lower City, an endless rush of adrenaline continuing to enhance his corrupted body as he felt his empathy and sense of morals gradually erode away piece by piece.
He had to find the Elder soon, but even if he did manage to slaughter his equally powerful corrupted form, what hope would he have of transforming back by merely eradicating the original source of his rebirth? These thoughts continued to plague his mind. But if he was going to have any chance of survival, distracting one's self with very real fears wasn't going to make the chances of finding his target any more fortunate.
It was then that the Dark Prince spied a pool of fresh water out in the open nearby. He noticed that he didn't feel any overwhelming desire for food or water in this corrupted form, but even a small drink would help to potentially cleanse his dry throat and help to refresh his perspective in some capacity.
Hopping into the pool, a miraculous transformation started to occur as the Dark Prince felt a soothing tingle across his entire body, magic surrounding him as those 'dark' thoughts started subsiding in general impact from his mind, his body quickly returning to normal.
Rising partially soaked from the pool, the Prince looked at his reflection in the water and was overwhelmed with joy at the sight of a normal-looking face which smiled back at him. Unfortunately, his chained arm only served as a grim reminder of the severity of the situation he was now in.
'So water can subdue this transformation? Guess my duplicate failed to take into account how much running water is still flowing across the city,' the Prince said to himself. 'And if I can hazard a safe guess, getting immersed once again in fire will return me to my corrupted form if my glowing right arm is anything to go by. Best I use this new power sparingly. Who knows how many times my willpower can hold this new transformation in check, before I lose myself entirely to madness.'
Resuming his quest with renewed vigor, the Prince performed a number of acrobatics to get from one area to the next, finally managing to come across the Elder in some lower street below.
Timing his movements carefully, the Prince got increasingly closer until the Elder's enhanced perceptive ability to glimpse into the future spoiled the element of surprise as his diving strike from above narrowly missed, the Prince managing to stab an unlucky guard in the gut with his sword instead as he got up from the now-dead grunt.
'So you've somehow found a way to return to your normal appearance,' the Elder said. 'A minor inconvenience, but it matters not. Killing you will satisfy our true Prince too.'
'Very well. If this is the path you've chosen,' the Prince replied, as he raised his sword up, 'I'll oblige you with the cold embrace of death.'
And so the two fought, the Elder's focussed visions of possible future outcomes proving especially troublesome for the Prince to counter, having to rewind a few times to avoid a grisly fate himself. Fighting like a warrior was doing him no good here. He needed to come up with a different plan, if he was going to have any chance at defeating the Elder in this monstrous state.
Deciding to risk it, the Prince attempted to appeal to the Elder's humanity once more, reminding him of other cherished moments whilst continuing to dodge incoming blows from his opponent.
'Remember when you... suggested a most exotic gift to present to... my mother at her... party. I would have gone with... mere plants imported from a faraway land. But you... suggested some special oils from your personal collection, which my... mother loved a great deal. Tell me... the man I respect a great deal... is still somewhere... inside that twisted body.'
That was when the Prince noticed something. The Elder's mannerisms were changing... to a personality he was more familiar with.
'My Prince... Please kill me... Kill me and you can end this battle... here and now...' the Elder's voice struggled to get out, fighting back his darker impulses. 'Climb to the top of... that batch of... baskets over there... If you can perform a good leap off the wall... you can get to me... and... end this!'
'I'll do it,' the Prince said. 'Hold back your corrupted temptations just a little longer Elder. I'll make it mercifully quick.'
'Please... hurry,' the Elder expressed with increased strain. 'I don't... know how much... longer I can... hold him back.'
Light Path
The Prince did as instructed, stabbing the Elder in the chest, forcing him to the ground as sand essence started leaking out of his body. 'I'm sorry. If only it didn't have to end this way.'
Unexpectedly to the Prince, a surprising amount of Sand essence got absorbed into the Amulet as he felt a great pain in his skull, learning a new power to help him further in his quest.
'I can... see into the future, much like I did in Azad so many years ago...' The Prince didn't manage to get much out, before he saw snapshots of what could end up happening to him in the not too-distant future. Visions of himself completely corrupted and turning the world into a haven for monsters, another where the Doppelganger successfully defeated him and a final vision showing both him and the Doppelganger at a crossroads on the Babel Tower. Whatever decision he made, would lead to greater implications for Babylon's survival going forward.
'Please... do calm yourself, my Prince. You don't have to fight this battle alone,' a familiar voice inside his head stated.
'What? Who is there?' the Prince stated out loud in confusion.
'Perhaps its best I show you,' the voice said in return, as the Prince noticed his vision becoming increasingly blurry, rushing to nearby baskets for cover from enemies that might attack him in the meantime, until he finally fell unconscious.
Dark Path
The Prince did as instructed, stabbing the Elder in the chest and forcing him to the ground as sand essence started leaking out of his body. 'Die you twisted aversion!' With determination, the Prince sliced the Elder's head off.
Unexpectedly to the Prince, a surprising amount of Sand essence got absorbed into the Amulet as he felt a great pain in his skull, learning a new power to help him further in his quest.
'I can... see into the future, much like I did in Azad so many years ago...' The Prince didn't manage to get much out, before he saw snapshots of what could end up happening to him in the not too-distant future. Visions of himself completely corrupted and turning the world into a haven for monsters, another where the Doppelganger successfully defeated him and a final vision showing both him and the Doppelganger at a crossroads on the Babel Tower. Whatever decision he made, would lead to greater implications for Babylon's survival going forward.
'Now that the Elder is dead, Darius can lead the Resistance into gradually taking back Babylon from my paradoxical shadow. Best I move quickly... Who knows how long I have, before they start making an attack on the Coliseum.'
And with that, the Prince was unknowingly setting himself on a darker path of retribution. Whether he would realize this or not, was something left to the hand of fate itself.