Bitter End

I was in complete shock by the man's words, a truth that I should have never heard. A truth whose cruelty I had brought upon myself. In my silent despairing, the man spoke.

"Tell me twin soul, is the prince still there? I would like to have a few words with him as well. I was once his caretaker, and I have nothing but sorrow for the things he had to endure." The man said knowing full well what I am.

I waited for that feeling to show, the feeling that the prince's soul was in there. Instead, I was greeted with nothing, like he had gone away... Like he had died quietly, and this body was now only mine.

"He's listening." I lied solemnly.

"Didst thou have a chat with thy sister? She's been carefully watching thy dragon all this time, so I hope thee hast thanked her. Did she apologized to thee as well, for her envy and doubt of thee, for condemning thee for taking the throne? She's thoroughly regretted everything. Even now, she stands protecting this place from that wicked cult of worshipers and granting passage to only the worthy, continuing thy legacy as a dragon tamer. I'm glad to know she found thee worthy of passage." He spoke.

His statement was ignorant, not knowing what Magdeline and I had done.

"Fesha never let us through. We had to kill her." I responded slowly.

The man was shocked, processing in silence what I had said. Suddenly he spoke.

"So even Fesha had given up. She deems no one worthy any longer, is that it? Well it only makes sense, not a single one she let pass has lived through the truth. Why had she not come here and told me? Perhaps she has given up on me too. It's been so long, no wonder no one has cometh to me. She had killed them all, cultists and truth seekers alike. Is this thy way of mercy?" He grieved, tears falling on his dry face.

Suddenly he looked up and his eyes widened, seemingly looking at something behind me. I turned and there was nothing there. When I turned back his expression was completely blank. He looked down and closed his eyes.

"Wouldst thou grantest me a final request? Kill me, for I don't think I can take this any longer. I have no clue of the others, but just knowing that the princess and a dear friend of mine have given up, maybe its time that I relinquish this role as well." He said in sadness.

Without question, I lifted my spear to his chest. I asked him one final question before I sent him away. "Last thing, have you seen Magdeline?" I said trying to hold back my tears.

He looked up at me, his eyes seemed paler than earlier. "Lady Magdeline? Ah yes, she did mention thee."

I glared at him through watery eyes, showing my impatience. The man simply turned his head toward the blackened sky. I turned my head and in doing saw, I noticed something in common with each of the corpses in the room. They had all looked like they ended themselves, their decayed hands clutching blades that faced inward toward them. Once I faced the open sky, I saw a plethora of items scattered near the edge. I walked over to it, finally being able to get a good look at the ground below.

When I had looked down, I felt as if I was flying. The ground was so far below us, and I was higher than any skyscraper I have ever seen. There was no means down from this extraordinary height besides jumping, a fall that would undoubtedly lead to death. Despite the height, it could not have been nearly as high as Magdeline and I have traveled, meaning most of Caelum was underground and we had not realized.

The earth below was a light gray and was clear to see, as if the dark clouds had not dimmed the land. Its texture looked like that of guts and entrails covered in soot and ash. Large black flames flickered throughout the dead landscape. The twisted flesh of the earth below made my stomach churn. I turned back around, the various items at my feet making noise against each other. There were various weapons, bags, and other unrecognizable items scatter about, mostly concentrated where the floor met open air. There were two items that I had noticed amongst the mess, two very familiar items. It was a raggedy brown bag and the sword that belonged in my spear.

I spent what felt like forever on my knees, crying over the things Magdeline had left behind. I grieved for my friend, for I have caused another death in my life. My vision blurred further, not just from the tears, but it was getting noticeably harder to see. In the midst of my sorrow, I had almost forgotten about the man. I made my way toward him, stumbling as my sight worsened, and the sounds of distant tapping filled my ears. I held my spear back up to the man, his eyes worth every drop of pity. As he finally looked me in the face, he smiled. It was warm and gentle, even with his missing teeth and decayed gums. It was that very smile that made me decide to change my fate.

I knelt down to him. "You've survived the truth for this long, why now? Someone as strong as you will be needed someday again. Don't end it here." I told him, trying to concentrate on the fading in and out blur in front of me.

He looked taken aback, then smiled once more. "Thou art a man of kindness. Tis a better world with thee in it." He said. "Stay strong, as the pale dragon had against her fallen brethren."

My heart sank, knowing that what he had told me was something I did not deserve, yet it was the very thing I needed. Tears flowed down my face once again and the man gently laughed at the notion. I knew I could not leave him alone. I found a series of cloths that have been abandoned around the room and tied them together. I picked the frail man up, his skeletal figure made him easy to lift. I put him against my back and tied him to me with the cloth rope I made, his arms draped over my shoulders. I got up from the ground using my spear as assistance. The tapping sounds had gotten louder, now clearly sounding like a parade of footsteps. The sounds of chanting became clearer. As I stood, back facing the dark sky, dark figures emerged from the blur that covered the large opening to the corridor. Suddenly I heard a familiar set of words.

"Grace upon the new world."

I lifted my spear and prepared to fight back. There was no way out but back in. As the chanting got louder and the footsteps closer, hopelessness clouded my judgement. I held my ground, knowing that this is what I had to do. I tried to ignore the blurriness and unexplained dread of a million eyes watching me from the dark sky. I was scared, the prince inside had gone quiet, and I did not know what was to become of me. In the end, I realized that I never got to tell Magdeline my name, nor even find it myself, but it was over now. There was a tingling sensation behind my eyes, an itch, and I had the insatiable urge to scratch it.