Tales of the Alternate Universe
Chapter Twenty-three: "M"
The flickering flame of a small candle filled his face with ominous shadows as his eyes went through every single line of the ancient texts that he had been so committed to study. The fierce cries of swirling winter breezes echoed in his hollow castle's crystalline walls, giving a ghoulish air to his already grim surroundings. He liked it, though. After all, he was reading witchcraft and various other sorts of forbidden magic.
Bringing someone back from the dead wasn't an easy task, in fact, it was supposed to be an impossible one since the laws of nature prohibited doing so. However, the Ice Prince, even though he ignored why his heart was itching with the need of doing so, was determined to carry out one single purpose… Defy nature.
"A winged creature, which dies in flames but it's reborn from its ashes…" the wizard murmured as he rubbed his chin deep in thought. "Hmm… So I need to get some of those ashes to perform the spell, huh?"
With an exhausted sigh the blue-skinned boy closed the dusty book and placed it on top of the many others that were piled up next to his ice sofa. Then he removed the golden crown from his head momentarily to brush his silver bangs away from his forehead. Shortly after abandoning his seat, the wizard noticed some blackish bags beneath his eyes thanks to his reflection, always multiplied by thousands, on the walls around him as he made his way down his cold crystal hallway. Noticing this drove him to get some sleep before leaving on his quest for the magic ingredients.
"But before doing that…" the tired prince whispered, taking a seat on the edge of his bed. "Jake! Bring me a piece of paper and a pen!"
His small penguin servant came as fast as he could with the writing materials, and handed them to his master with a "wenk!" The Ice Prince replied him with a glare and after jumping in realization, the black and white bird spun around and bent downwards so that the icy wizard could write on his back.
"Now let's see…. To perform the spell, I'll need to get some of those phoenix ashes, dragon whiskers —yeah, I already got those… And hmm…a vessel?" the prince raised his head with a doubtful look in his blue eyes, "What was the vessel for? I forgot! Jake! Get me the book!"
The penguin scurried out of his master's bedroom and returned some moments later, dragging the heavy book that the prince was reading just a few minutes ago. The former human boy grasped it out of his servant's flippers and sent him to sleep with the other penguins. He needed a moment to be alone, a moment to think…
"A vessel to infuse the magic ingredients within it, is required before chanting the rebirthing spell…" the prince read aloud, "It's also important to add the essence of the one who shall be reborn before casting it, otherwise the body will lack of a soul…"
"No soul?!" the Ice Prince gasped in horror, "No way! I shall not allow myself to make such mistake. The last thing I want is to chase the hollow body of my princess throughout the whole land!"
He tossed the book onto the floor and stumbled towards his bedroom's window. The dawning of a new day welcomed him with its soft changing palette of warm blending colors as he leaned on the frame with an uncertain look, marking his frozen features.
"Her essence…" the disconsolate prince whispered, "What could be… Her essence?"
His feet led him to slide his back down the wall after turning himself around to face his now lighted bedroom. The millenarian wizard felt frightened and unsure for the fist time in centuries. How could he have forgotten about something so significant as a person's very essence? The unchanging and unchangeable fundamental nature of a being, the only thing that makes us who we are, what gives us our identity and determines our ways of living? In other words, our soul…
To call her soul back into her body, the Ice Prince needed some of her essence or at least something that was still pervaded with it, but he had no idea of what could that be. To tell the truth, the young prince didn't really know anything about his red-haired princess. All he knew was that his frozen heart belonged to her for some reason, and that he needed her back no matter the cost.
"Never mind, I'll take care of that later…" he whispered as he dragged his tired body towards his bed. "I'll find the way, I swear I'll do it!"
x+x+x+x+x
Desperate to obtain the required ingredients for his rebirthing spell, the Ice Prince left his castle that afternoon and flew above the highest peaks in all of Ooo in the hopes of finding a dying phoenix. Though it seemed like finding a needle in a haystack, the silver-haired wizard managed to run into one of those mythical bursting birds when he finally dared to venture into the borders of the Fire Kingdom, out of desperation.
In more than a thousand years of living (if his perception of time was still reliable) the Ice Prince would have never walked —or in his case flown, near to that volcanic wasteland. No, he didn't wish to have anything to do with that kingdom ever again. Fire elementals were his natural opposite and therefore, his natural enemies as well. Glob forbids he'd ever have to deal with one of those hotheaded creatures for as long as he lives.
Sick of the closeness with the high temperatures of the blazing kingdom, just a few miles away from him, the icy wizard left towards the Grasslands and let himself roll down onto the fresh grassy hills and fields, with such enthusiasm and joy, that he could have been easily compared to a kid. The phoenix's ashes completed the ingredients required to revive his frozen princess. Now all he needed was to find a vessel to infuse it with the magic brew and he would be finally done with the rebirthing spell.
"Now… a vessel…" the prince murmured as he sat on top of a hill to think, "What is the vessel needed for exactly? I will never get to understand this kind of mundane magic… Where could I get one these 'vessel' things, huh?"
As he pondered on what a vessel is and how to obtain one, a loud racket of gleeful cheers boomed behind the hill he was sitting on, startling the heck out of him. The Ice Prince turned towards the sound of clapping hands and excited whistling, only to find a colorful congregation of candy people, talking animals, princesses, and peasants of all sorts. They were dancing around a small wooden stage where Princess Bubblegum and the so-called hero Billy were standing solemnly.
"Not these guys again…!" the Ice Prince hissed, "What are they doing here anyway?!"
As if she had heard his question, the princess of the Candy Kingdom made a step forward and declared, "People of Ooo! We are gathered here to bid farewell to the greatest hero of the land and welcome his new successor, who has also proved to be worthy of such title for all his courageous deeds as defender of our people…!"
The crowd cheered and applauded even louder.
"Joshua the Dog, please join us on the stage!" Bubblegum called.
The colorful multitude moved aside to let a golden bulldog with a grey hat crowning his round head, make his way through. He ran swiftly across the sea of people and performed a graceful stunt to land onto the stage, which caused the crowd to become even louder, and make the annoyed hidden prince cover his pointy ears.
"Ugh… So much noise for an ugly dog!" the icy wizard complained as he fixed his sight on the stage, feeling how a sudden nostalgic sting struck his heart upon laying his eyes on Joshua. "Huh?… That dog seems…familiar…"
Princess Bubblegum silenced the excited crowd with a small gesture of her slender hands, and then bent down a little to receive a sheathed sword from her peppermint servant. The Ice Prince couldn't help but to gasp in amazement at the "awesome-looking" crimson cross that was decorating the blade's fine-crafted hilt.
"Whoa… Imagine what someone like me would do with a sword like that one!"
"Brave Joshua!" the pink princess exclaimed, "You have wielded this —your trusted sword— in countless battles, and have always managed to emerge victorious from them…! Will you bow to use this triumphant blade to vanquish evil, defend the innocent, and preserve justice in our land?"
Joshua knelt down, placing his right fist on his heart. "I will your highness. For the land, for my beloved wife Margaret, and for my two newborn sons. No evil shall cause them harm for as long as I'm still able to stand on my feet! I swear!"
Princess Bubblegum drew the sword and used its tip to touch the golden dog's shoulders. "Then, I shall name you Joshua, the Newest Hero of Ooo! People of the land, rejoice!"
The Ice Prince rested his back on the grass, covering his ears once again. The noise and the cheering just grew louder after Bubblegum declared that now was the time to celebrate with a party for the retiring hero and the newly named one. Why didn't the icy wizard just escape from there? Easy, he had managed to spot the greatest merchant of rarities in the land among the multitude, and he knew for sure that this strange looking-duck would certainly know about vessels and maybe even sell him one.
Thus, the troubled prince spent the whole afternoon trying to stand the irritating music and cheering of the horrendous party that Princess Bubblegum had thrown, probably just to annoy him. (Even though she had no idea that he was there) When the twilight covered the Grasslands, the loud music finally faded away and the crowd began to walk towards their homes, leaving the road open for the Ice Prince to intercept the famous merchant Choose Goose and interrogate him about the vessel.
"A vessel for a rebirthing spell, you say?" the blue-dressed creature replied as he rubbed his beak. "I'm sorry, but even though I might have what you're looking for, it won't help you with the game you're trying to play…"
"What?!" the angry sorcerer yelled, "Are you telling me that you want to be turned into a ducky popsicle, duck?!"
Choose Goose backed away nervously. "No, no, no! I didn't mean that! You see, when it comes to dark magic like this one, every single detail counts and they will always affect the final result of your spell!" he wiped some sweat from his forehead, "If you want the opinion of an expert you must look for the wandering demon spirit of the Evil Forest! She might have just the thing you're searching for! A-are you listening to what I'm trying to tell?
"Evil Forest. Wandering demon spirit. Answers. I got it, thanks Choose Bruce!" the Ice Prince said, sprinting away.
"Look for the three full moon columns, you'll find her there for sure!" the merchant shouted, cupping his hands around his beak. "And my name is Choose Goose, not Choose Bruce, that —I can always assure!"
"Yeah! Choose Goose... That's exactly what I said!" the prince growled in the distance.
x+x+x+x+x
The Prince followed a path of horror, displaying a stoic expression on his facial gestures. The ghoulish twisted trees around him couldn't make him wince or run away. The terrifying growls of fierce monsters, lurking in the dark, never sent a chill down his spine and the tortured faces on most of the dead vegetation, were never noticed by his icy stare.
As he walked deeper into the creepy woods, the young wizard managed to distinguish three rays of light, flashing through the thick forest canopy. It was the moonlight, entering through the giant gaps amongst the treetops. Someone had cut down three weeping willows on purpose to allow the full moon's light pass into the darkness of the Evil Forest, but who?"
"These must be the three light columns…" the Ice Prince whispered as he stood in the middle of the light rays. "Hey demon! Where are you?!"
A hissing sound made him back away and trip onto one of the stumps, causing him to fall onto his butt and hit his head against the fallen tree's trunk. With a hint of anger, the prince gritted his fangs to release his own scaring hiss and turned around to see what had provoked the new painful bump on his head. It was just one of the fallen trees, it had nothing unusual except for the "M" roughly carved on its trunk. The young wizard examined the mysterious letter while he rubbed his aching head, only to be suddenly startled by a malevolent female laughter, echoing in the woods.
"What the—?!"
"Well, well, well… Look what destiny has brought to my feet…" the same voice clacked, "That crown suits you better than it did with its former master, I must say..."
The Ice Prince jumped off the ground when he noticed a black cloak in front of his very eyes and faced the hooded stranger, trying to hide his own astonishment as he dusted off his torn garments.
"Are you lost or are you standing before me on purpose, Ice Prince…?" the cloaked being inquired.
She was slightly taller than him, and though it was hard to tell because of her dark cloak, she seemed to have a slender figure. Also, because of the sound of her voice, it was possible to infer that she had Princess Bubblegum's age. If not, she was just a little bit older.
"I was told that a wandering demon spirit inhabited this woods and that she'd help me with my rebirthing spell." The silver-haired lad stated, "It appears that I need some kind of vessel to infuse my magic on it."
It wasn't easy to tell because of the shadows on her face, but it was certain that an amused grin was gracing the demon spirit's face. "Rebirthing spell, huh? Careful icy prince, you're playing with fire here… A rebirthing spell has many implications... That's too much rules to break, too much fates to change, and too much tears to shed. Why would you risk so much, using black magic?"
The Ice Prince gave her a cold glare. "None of your business, spirit…"
"Very well." She replied carelessly. "A vessel you said? Well, for a rebirthing spell you'll need something to attach into the body of the one that you want to revive. Why? Because that body is incapable of retaining life for itself. That's why you need to infuse the magic into a vessel that will retain the new life force instead of that person's body. Though, if she loses that object she'll die again, is that clear?"
"She?! I never mentioned a she!" the young prince gasped, "How do you—?!"
"I've existed on this world longer than any other creature that you may have seen in your thousand years of life…"
"You mean that you have lived longer than anyone on this planet…"
"No!" the cloaked demon hissed, leaning over the Ice Prince. "I stopped living a long time ago! I don't live, I exist!"
"Is there a difference?" the icy wizard asked cynically.
The demon spirit chuckled. "You, who are planning to toy with life and its nature, should be more aware of the difference than anybody else… Tell me prince, you do want your frozen maiden to have a soul when you bring her back, do you?"
"Of course I do! I want her to feel, to enjoy, and have a mind of her own!"
"In other words, you want her to live…" the cloaked being whispered quietly. "You see the difference now? Okay Prince, I'll give you what you want."
She walked towards another fallen tree with the Ice Prince following her close behind. There was a plain red axe, resting upon the hollow trunk, and next to it was a small pouch and an antique book.
"Heh… Is that your spell book?" the reckless wizard inquired as he leaned down to grab it. "Looks way older than the ones in the library! Maybe—!" his hand was slapped before he could brush the book's spine. "HEY!"
"Don't you dare to lay your filthy hands on my precious stuff, is that clear?!" the demon growled, "I had to pay a terrible price the last time you…!" her voice trailed off all of a sudden.
"The last time I did what?!" the prince inquired angrily as he rubbed his hurt hand.
"Nothing… Forget about it…" she picked up her small pouch and smirked. "Say, you want the vessel or not?"
"Yeah! That's why I'm losing my time in this creepy place with you!" the prince grunted.
"Hehe…fine, take a look at this…! Umm… Would you please hold the bag for me?"
The Ice Prince nodded reluctantly, wondering why couldn't she just hold it with one hand and search for the vessel with the other, but he simply decided to ignore it. Her pale hand rummaged inside the pouch for a few seconds until she slipped a turquoise gem out of it.
"You've seen this gem before, haven't you?" the demon spirit chuckled proudly, "It's from Princess Bubblegum's tiara, stolen this afternoon while she was heading towards her precious kingdom."
"Is that the vessel I need for my spell?"
"Nope! This one along with some others are here to serve my secret purpose. But I can give you some spare ones that I got on my quest for the useful ones! One sometimes makes mistakes, you know…" she chuckled, "Here, this one will surely look nice on your princess' forehead, wouldn't it? I took it from the Lumpy Space Princess while she was sleeping in the woods."
"That thing?!" the Ice Prince gasped disgusted. "I don't want her to have anything to do with that ugly princess!"
"Very well, then how about this one?" the demon spirit shoved a diamond-shaped ruby from the pouch and handed it to the prince, "I stole it from the Fire Count's crown shortly after the hero Billy defeated him in battle… It glows with a fierce flaring gleam, you can't say no to this beauty!"
"I-I don't know why but… I think it'll suit her…" the Ice Prince smiled. "Fine, I'll take it!" he returned the pouch and bent his knees, ready to leap away.
"Not so soon, weenie!" the spirit yelled, pulling the wizard's cloak down and slammed him onto the ground. "I never say I'd give it to you for free. You must trade it for something valuable!"
"Like what?!"
"Like, I don't know… The gems on your crown, perhaps?" she purred.
"M-my… My crown?! Yeah, right! I'd never give away something so valuable! You must ask for something else!" the young wizard snarled.
"There's nothing else! I seriously need those gems!" the spirit held her temple for a moment, trying to calm herself down. "Okay, fine… Let's make a deal. I'll give you the ruby for free, but if you can't handle the consequences of what you're about to do, then… You will have to give me those gems, deal?"
The Ice Prince furrowed his brow, thinking her words better. Why wouldn't he be able to handle the consequences of his acts? He was the Ice Prince! Nothing could stop him, and no one tells him what to do or what to bear!
"Deal!" the prince replied, gesturing with his left arm to shake hands with her. But for some reason, she stretched her right hand in reply. "Hey what the heck are you doing? It won't work if you don't give me your left!"
"I-I…" the demon mumbled, "You give me your right!"
"It's a sword! Do you wanna get cut?!" the Ice Prince lunged forward in an attempt to snatch her left hand, but when he reached the cloak he couldn't feel anything beneath it. "Wh-where's the left half of your body?! What the math are you?!"
"I'm… I don't belong here, okay?!" she admitted, "In fact, I don't belong anywhere! I was born as a half mortal and a half immortal being! When I died, only one part of me left, and the other remained here! I'm trapped between the two dimensions of life and death, for eternity…" the spirit sat down on the tree stump and sighed, "That's why I'm collecting gems…to change our fate…"
"Our…?" the prince inquired, showing some empathy. "What do you mean, our?"
"Soon… You'll understand it." She smiled, "Have you figured how to get the essence of your princess?"
"I… umm…" the silver-haired boy scratched the back of his head. "That one was a bit tricky…"
"It's easy, Ice Prince…" the wandering spirit answered as she rose from her seat, "All you have to do is to remember… And to remember…" she pocked his forehead with her index finger, pushing him backwards in a rude manner. "You just have to feel."
The prince rubbed his eyes in annoyance and peeled them open, wishing to send her his best glare. However —much to his surprise— all that was left of her was her black cloak, lying motionless and empty on the ground. She had vanished into the nothing…
Update: Grammar checked and corrected.