The Cave - Part 3

Content warning: Mention of blood

Prince Thallios gasped. “My father?”

“None other,” the voice said.

Is that the reason he told me to find the Sword of Ages? Prince Thallios thought. “Why did my father seek you out?”

“Kept you in the dark, I see. Not a surprise.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

The voice laughed.

Prince Thallios gritted his teeth. “Tell me, why did my father seek you out?”

“Oh, the usual reasons. To fight off invaders. But like all the others before him, it didn’t end there.”

“What happened?”

“Simply talking about it wouldn’t give you the full picture. Let me show you.”

The darkness was suddenly pulled away like a curtain. Prince Thallios found himself surrounded by the same rock walls that he and Leiyu had seen when they first entered the cave.

He looked forward and saw the cave entrance, a portal filled with daylight. The voices of a man and woman could be heard from the outside. Two shadowy figures entered. One was tall and broad-shouldered, wearing armor and a flowing cape. The other was petite with long flowing hair and a dress that flowed to her ankles. She held out her hand and a fiery ball of light formed over her palm.

Prince Thallios’ heart nearly stopped. “Mother? Father?”

It was a shock to see his mother again, after so many years. He recalled her in her last moments, worn out and lifeless. Here she was vibrant and lively, her face more youthful than he had ever remembered. His father too. He had never seen his father before without lines under his eyes or the constant weariness that haunted his face. Here, his father looked determined and ready to take on the world.

“Are these your memories?” Prince Thallios asked.

“Indeed,” the voice replied.

“How many years ago was this?”

“Before your time, obviously.”

Prince Thallios scowled. As he saw his parents approaching, he tensed up. They walked right through him, leaving a chill in his body. He turned his head and saw them reach the column of light at the back of the cave. The silhouette of the Sword of Ages stood in the illumination.

Oh, are they going to fall for the trap? Prince Thallios thought. His heart quickened as they stood before the sword, talking to each other. He strained his ears to hear their conversation.

“So this is the legendary Sword of Ages that will save our kingdom?” his father remarked. “It’s rusted through.”

“Outer appearances are often deceiving,” his mother said. She waved her hand and the ball of light above her palm descended onto the sword like water. The rusted exterior flaked off little by little, revealing a gilded hilt with embedded jewels.

His father pulled the Sword of Ages out of the ground and held it up. It glinted in the column of light. His mother put her hand over his and kissed the blade.

A ring of flame rippled through the dark cave, illuminating the walls. Prince Thallios collapsed on the ground and squeezed his eyes shut. When he felt no heat and realized that the fire was just an illusion, he slowly opened his eyes.

He was now in the middle of a battlefield with Leiyu lying lifeless next to him. He saw his parents clad in full armor, riding in front of their troops. His father raised the Sword of Ages and shouted, “Today we fight for our lives! We fight for Anaptopolis!” The troops roared back in unison.

Anaptopolis? Prince Thallios thought. He had heard his mother mention this place before when he was young. As the ground rumbled and the troops approached, he huddled up and closed his eyes. They went right through him as if he were a ghost. He opened his eyes.

His parents’ troops clashed with their enemies. Swords clanged. Horses whinnied. Soldiers shouted as they were knocked off their steeds. The fires roared and smoke obscured the sky.

“What battle is this?” Prince Thallios asked.

“One of many,” the voice said.

The flames around Prince Thallios became a towering inferno, and he cowered. The sound of the roaring flame faded to a whisper, and the sword’s voice took over.

“Your father was originally from Anaptopolis, a small and weak kingdom that was constantly under siege from their stronger neighbors,” the voice continued. “No doubt that was why he married the Fire Priestess, to gain access to her powers, even if it was taboo.”

Prince Thallios raised his head. “Taboo? What do you mean?”

“You do not know, princeling? What kind of education did they give you at the palace?”

Prince Thallios clenched his fists. The sword voice’s mockery was wearing his patience thin, but he also began to wonder if it had a good point. He sighed as he remembered the times he daydreamed through his lessons. Yet, even if he had been paying full attention, he doubted his tutors would have talked at length about the elemental priestesses. “I’m afraid I know nothing about this. Tell me, what was the taboo?”

“Heh, of course they would have told you nothing since they already broke the Covenant. Tell me, princeling, what do you know of the elemental goddesses?”

Prince Thallios hesitated before speaking. “Um…there are four elemental goddesses, and each one protects a region of the world. Our region is overseen by the Fire Goddess and she is represented in physical form by the Fire Priestess, who you say was my mother…” He took a deep breath. “And I suppose it’s the same for the other three regions, except their goddesses are different. Leiyu’s region worships the Water Goddess-” He felt a choking pain in his throat immediately and fresh tears threatened to fill his eyes as he looked down at Leiyu’s lifeless body. He took another deep breath. “What is the Covenant?”

“The Four Priestesses are the faces of the Four Goddesses, and they must adhere to a set of rules to keep the world in balance. One rule is non-interference in mortal affairs.”

“Oh…but…”

“Yes, that’s right, as you can so clearly see here, that rule was not being adhered to. With your father wielding me and your mother enhancing my powers with her magic, they were unstoppable. They burned through their enemies like wildfire.”

Screams tore through the air, and the flames around him became so blindingly bright that he had squeezed his eyes shut. When he opened them again, he gasped. Skeletal silhouettes ambled towards him, arms reaching out in desperation, jaws gaping in agony. He shrank back, brushing against Leiyu. His arms went around his fallen companion’s shrouded form, and he held him close.

“And once your parents defeated their rivals, what do you think happened?” the voice continued.

Prince Thallios lifted his head. “I…I don’t know…”

“You were brought up in an empire, correct?”

“I…yes…my father unified the Western Region-”

“And how do you think he unified the Western Region?”

Prince Thallios’ eyes widened. “Oh…” His heart felt like it was disintegrating in his chest. “Are you saying he used the Sword of Ages?”

“Heheh, well, he certainly wasn’t going around the other kingdoms asking them nicely.”

Prince Thallios head was beginning to hurt. “And my mother was there too?”

“They were inseparable.”

Prince Thallios lips began to quiver and he shook his head. “It can’t be true. My mother has always been the kindest, gentlest person. She was ill for most of my childhood, and she couldn’t even leave her room for her final years. My father - I don’t know as much about him because he became distant a long time ago - but I’ve never seen him like this…”

“As I’ve said, this was all before your time.”

“How do I know you’re still not tricking me? You deceived me about Leiyu. Maybe you’re planting these images in my head.”

“Believe what you will. But do you want to know why your mother became ill?”

Prince Thallios almost jumped. “You know the reason? The real reason? Don’t you dare deceive me any further!”

The voice began slowly. “Your parents unified the entire Western Region, and the battles stopped for some years. They settled in Ishkhandar and made it the new capital. Your father had an opulent palace built. You were born. I’ve seen you as an infant.”

“What?!” Prince Thallios exclaimed.

“That’s right, today is not my first encounter with you. That’s why I could recognize you, even after all this time. The same inner aura is there.”

“How long were you with my parents? I thought the Sword of Ages always disappeared eventually.”

“Yes, that is generally how it goes. In my earliest years, when I was hardly cognizant of my existence, I remained with my wielders until my powers corrupted their hearts and minds. Their original noble intentions would become twisted until they became the very enemy they once fought against. It was chaos. I would end up becoming a relic that people fought over, just to possess my powers.

After many cycles of this, I became more self-aware. Ironically, the blood of those that I slain might have awakened my consciousness.

I began to take matters into my own hands, so to speak. If I sensed that my wielders were succumbing too much to my powers, I would make my exit and return to this cave, the place of my birth. This at least kept the damage to a maintainable level. But for some reason, with your parents, I remained at their side for years. Maybe your mother’s magic kept me bound to them.”

“But you eventually disappeared, right? When did that happen?”

“Your father decided that it was not enough to simply rule the Western Region. He had his eyes set beyond the borders. Whether it was due to greed or desperation for more resources, I cannot say. I suppose it takes a lot to maintain an opulent palace in a gilded kingdom. When you were still a small child, he ordered his armies to invade the Southern Region. Your mother did not join the battle, but she enhanced the troops with her magic so that they could carry out their attacks with devastating strength.”

“I…never knew that.”

“And that was the fatal mistake he made. The people of the Southern Region worship the Goddess of Earth, who is otherwise known as the Goddess of Life and Death. Your father’s invasion of them went against the harmonic balance of the Four Regions. They leveled entire cities without much resistance. To defend her lands, the Earth Priestess put a curse on the Fire Priestess so that her powers would be stopped.”

“So that’s why mother became ill?” Prince Thallios asked.

“Yes. Every action has a consequence. The world had become unbalanced, so a correction was needed.”

A correction? Prince Thallios felt sick to his stomach.

“Once your mother’s powers waned, whatever was binding me to your parents became weakened, and I was finally able to make my exit. All the things I had seen over those years made me want to never leave the cave again. So, many years later, now that the armies of the Southern Region are invading your region, they are merely avenging their own kingdoms.” The voice paused. “As you say you want to do now.”

Prince Thallios did not know whether he wanted to cry, vomit, or collapse. His breathing became strained and his heart pounded incessantly. When he had first set out on this quest, he had never imagined these revelations. He squeezed his eyes shut as his head spun more and more.

“Oh, but why stop in the present,” the voice continued. “Let us take a peek into the future!”

Prince Thallios’ eyes shot open. “What do you mean, the future? You already know what’s going to happen?”

“The past is past, and cannot be changed. The present is an infinitesimal blink of an eye. But the future! Oh, the future still has many possibilities! So many doors still open to you, princeling!”

“If this is another one of your tricks…”

“Behold!”

The flames around him changed from yellow-orange to violet-blue. The skeletal silhouettes screamed like banshees as they disintegrated to dust. The ground rumbled like it was being pounded by the hooves of a thousand horses. Prince Thallios clutched Leiyu even closer and cowered. He saw a different silhouette approaching, backlit by the otherworldly fire. The figure had long flowing hair and gilded armor, and wielded a long sword whose tip dragged along the ground. The weapon looked like an enhanced version of the Sword of Ages, with a more ornate hilt and long tassels that flowed as the person walked.

Prince Thallios strained his eyes to get a better look at the person, whose eyes were cast downward and face obscured by long strands of auburn hair. Dangling hair ornaments jingled as they continued their slow, eerie promenade. When there was about ten paces between them, the person lifted their head. Prince Thallios felt all the blood leave his face.

Glowing golden eyes. A ruby dangling in the middle of the forehead with matching crimson teardrop earrings. The most chilling smile he had ever seen. All on a face that he had seen over a thousand times in the mirror.

“Mother of all goddesses…” Prince Thallios murmured. “That’s me.”