The Cave - Part 2

Content warning: Mentions of blood

All the fear and sadness that had been held at bay during the duel now came crashing down a hundred-fold. Tears filled Prince Thallios’ eyes. His breathing became strained, and his mind felt like it had plunged into an abyss.

“No, no, no,” he choked between sobs. He reached forward, cradling Leiyu’s head, bringing it close to his own. “How did this happen? Why was it you?”

Maniacal laughter tore through the darkness. Prince Thallios’ grief turned to rage.

“Why?!!!” he screamed. “Why did you deceive me?”

“Deceive you?” the voice retorted. “I did nothing of the sort.”

The tears spilled down Prince Thallios’ cheeks. “Why did you make me fight Leiyu?”

The voice laughed again. “I didn’t make you fight anyone. You did that completely on your own.”

“You pitted me against him in a duel! You told me I had to prove myself worthy of the sword!”

“And so you have! Didn’t you originally say you wanted to avenge your father and fallen kingdom? You could have run away, but you chose to stay and fight. And what a fight it was! I’m sure you surprised even yourself.”

“You didn’t tell me I was going to fight Leiyu! I would have never gone through with it if I knew. How could I betray him like this?”

“Better you betray him than he betray you.”

Prince Thallios’ eyes widened. “No! He would never! He’s always protected me, always helped me!”

The voice laughed. “You are such a naive little princeling.”

Prince Thallios furrowed his brow. “You’re trying to trick me again, aren’t you?” He held Leiyu even closer. “Did you deceive him too? Did you cast a spell on him to make him do this?”

“You certainly like to speculate, young one.”

“Why do you keep mocking me like this? Who are you anyway? You’ve never told me once this whole time.”

“Take a wild guess.”

“Are you the guardian of the Sword of Ages? Is that why you made me prove myself?”

“Close, close, but not quite.”

“Who else could you be then? Are you a malevolent spirit?”

“I suppose you could say that if you think me both ill-willed and non-corporeal.”

“Stop playing games! Who are you and what is your relation to the Sword of Ages?”

“Hahaha, the answer is right in front of you.”

“What do you mean?” Prince Thallios looked around in the dim light. There was nothing other than Leiyu in his arms, the Sword of Ages by his side, and the endless expanse of water.

“I am not the guardian of the Sword of Ages,” the voice said. “I am the Sword of Ages!”

Prince Thallios went numb. He almost dropped Leiyu into the water, but came to just before he could let go. He looked at the bejeweled sword by his side. “That’s impossible…”

“Why would it be impossible?”

“How can a sword speak? How can it have a mind of its own?”

“Stranger things have happened in this world.”

“But the legends never mentioned the Sword of Ages acting like this! The sword was always used for noble purposes.”

“Hahaha, and what noble purposes were those?”

“When the heroes of the past wielded the Sword of Ages, it was always to help those in need, to defeat enemies that invaded.”

The voice laughed again. “Listen to yourself, princeling! The heroes of the past. The enemies that invaded. Who do you think created those legends? Those who won or those who lost?”

Prince Thallios felt a chill radiate throughout his entire body. His hands trembled. “Then…what is the truth? Who created you and what is your purpose?”

The voice gave a short laugh as if it were sneering. “I was forged from Chaos and Despair. Regarding my true purpose, I do not know. I merely exist, and those who wield me define my purpose.”

The prince exhaled slowly. “How many wielded you before me? Did you taunt them like this?”

“No, princeling. Indeed, I did not speak at all. I was like an infant born from the unknown, slowly coming into consciousness, nourished by the blood of those whose lives were cut short by my blade.”

Prince Thallios took a deep breath. “Then why are you speaking to me now? Why subject me to this cruel deception?”

“To prevent further tragedy.”

Prince Thallios winced. “What do you mean? What could be more tragic than…” He could not bring himself to continue, as if acknowledging what befell Leiyu would make it final.

“To demonstrate to you, princeling, what would happen once you truly wield me. Once you possess this immense power, then everyone, whether originally friend or foe, will appear to you as an enemy.”

Prince Thallios’ vision blurred. “Then why couldn’t you just warn me? Why did you actually have to-“

“Experience is the best teacher, princeling. Would you have taken me seriously otherwise? In the back of your mind, you would still seek to avenge your kingdom. You would not want to walk away, given how far you’ve come to find me. And once you had me in your possession, with all the boundless potential, it wouldn’t be long before you turned tyrant.”

“No!” Prince Thallios screamed. “Never! I would never become that!”

The voice laughed. “You think not? What makes you think you are so special, so good of heart, so different from those who came before you? They were all like you, with ‘noble’ causes. They wanted to liberate their kingdoms from invaders. But what happened after they accomplished this? Do you think they merely stopped there? Oh no, princeling, not at all. Every single one of them became the very thing they railed against.”

“No,” Prince Thallios choked back sobs. “I’m not like that.”

“And yet you hold your dear friend in your arms, defeated by your very hand.”

Prince Thallios’ face contorted into an anguished grimace. He held Leiyu closer as tears continued to steam down his face, dripping onto Leiyu’s cloak and mixing with the rivulets of blood. A long eerie moment passed. Finally, he let out a shaky exhale. “These people who came before me, the ones who became tyrants, who were they? Who was the last one to wield you?”

The voice laughed. “You really wish to know? This will indeed be of immense interest to you, princeling.”

Prince Thallios looked up. “Why?”

“The last person to wield me…was your father, King Xenon.”