“Congratulations, by the way, for your victory over the princess and his lion,” said Jason(?) with a sneer across his face, “To be honest, I had expected at least one of you to perish in the fight.”
“Huh, sorry to disappoint,” Sam huffed.
“Then again, the unprecedented appearance of the Night Terror might have something to do with your momentary respite. Why would such a figure be interested in someone like you, I wonder?”
“Let’s just say we share a common goal. For now.”
“Ah, the preservation of the great Opal Sun Kingdom,” Jason(?) chuckled, “An admirable goal, albeit a childish one.” The prince proceeded to draw his rapier, prompting Sam to raise his own blade. “There is a sickness in that land; an unseen rot that has been festering in its people for decades. There is no hope for that kingdom – not anymore.”
“The prince believes otherwise.”
“Of course he does. That is the magic of denial – it makes the prince blind to the truth even when the truth is staring at him dead in the eyes. He might say he was holding on to the hope of a better future, but what he is really clinging to is a delusion – the same one that sent his father into a coma.”
Feeling something off about Jason’s(?) last statement, both of Sam’s eyes gradually narrowed. “You…had something to do with it, don’t you?” Instead of answering the question, the prince grinned suspiciously at him. Then, without any warning, Jason(?) sprinted toward him before thrusting his rapier forward, aiming for his left eye.
Sam quickly deflected the assault with his katana but he could see the prince was barely fazed by his reaction. Jason(?) continued to swing his blade repeatedly, forcing Sam to back away from his brainwashed brethren.
“What’s the matter, boy? Didn’t your instructors back in the Tower ever tell you that hesitating will only hasten your death?” Jason(?) asserted. The prince then waved his blade horizontally and managed to slash across Sam’s nose; a prickling sensation soon followed along with a familiar iron taste touching his lips. Despite his new injuries, Sam kept on blocking and deflecting Jason’s(?) rapier until he felt his back touching the mausoleum’s door.
“The end of the line, kid!” the prince shouted triumphantly.
However, Sam swiftly tilted his head to the left, barely missing the incoming rapier. In that split second, his free hand shot forward to seize the prince by the sleeve and with a single tug, threw his opponent through the main door. He heard Jason(?) yelped as the latter landed on the burial ground but clearly, he could tell it was out of surprise instead of pain.
“Argh!” Sam hissed as his left forearm started pulsating again. His heart immediately sank as soon as he saw the transparent cloth wrapped around his reddened skin start to melt. ‘Lucy and the others – did something happen to them?’ He wondered.
“You should be more concerned with your own well-being, child.”
Sam looked over to the prince who had already lied on his back. Suddenly, a warm and fuzzy feeling emerged from within his chest which gradually rose to his neck. “What did you do to my friends?” Sam snarled angrily, but the prince only laughed at him.
“ANSWER ME!” Sam repeated as he walked out of the mausoleum.
“I’m here, aren’t I? So, what could I possibly do to your friends?” Jason(?) retorted before getting to his feet with a kip-up. Shortly after, the prince made a circular motion in the air with his rapier and created a bright, white halo. “Now, if you don’t mind, would you show me the white flame you conjured in the forest earlier?”
“And what if I don’t want to?”
Jason(?) smacked his lips in disappointment and replied, “I really wished you hadn’t said that.” The hovering ring shot forward, flying toward its target without a shred of hesitation.
Seeing the incoming projectile, Sam briskly sidestepped to his left to dodge it. But, to his astonishment, the ring split into four identical discs – each one of them dispersed to surround him.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” said Sam in disbelief. Then, an idea popped into his mind. He was not sure if it would work or not, but his hands began to move on their own by driving his katana downward. Immediately, the ground around him cracked open, bringing forth a wall of fire that acted as a wall between him and the rings. Despite the blazing display, Sam could hardly feel the heat from the flame – nevertheless, that was the least of his worries.
Barely a second after the wall was erected, he heard something cutting through the air followed by a deafening explosion. Sam gasped; his bones were rattled by the shockwave but he was aware that was not the end of his predicament. A second explosion ensued and even though his ears were still ringing from the first one, he could still feel the pressure shifting behind him.
The burning wall flickered as if it was in pain; its color momentarily changed from bright orange to pale yellow. Then, the third explosion occurred and Sam noticed a small gap opening right into his eyes where he saw Jason(?) sneering at him.
“That barricade of yours will not protect you forever!” the prince exclaimed, just as the final ring appeared from his right shoulder and slipped through the crack.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Sam’s eyes widened as the disc stopped directly in front of his face, radiating a sinister white glow. “Damn it,” was the only thing he uttered before everything turned white.
***
[Meanwhile…]
[In an unknown location]
“So, this is where you’ve been hiding. Now let’s see what you’ve been up to, mind-jacker.”
***
It was instant – a bright light and a thunderous roar – and when both of them died down, the pain came.
Sam could his entire body tensing up; his arms and legs were quivering while his head ached. Terribly. In each passing second, the ringing in his ears worsened and his chest felt like someone sat on it. His nose and throat burned every time he inhaled, causing him to tear up.
As he opened his glassy eyes, he saw the smoke around him clearing away and the Royal Prince of the Opal Sun standing on the same spot, wearing the same smug expression. Clenching down on his teeth, Sam got to his knees and that was when he felt an excruciating prickling sensation on the left side of his body. He did not want to see it but his eyes unintentionally darted toward the source of the pain
“Shit,” Sam murmured. The skin from his left shoulder to his hand has melted away, leaving behind the deep red layer of his arm out in the open – even the weakest breeze felt like needles. Sam turned his attention back to the prince who was clapping his hands exuberantly.
“Well, well, well, color me impressed. I would have never thought you would sacrifice your left arm to protect yourself from the blast. Although I can see from the scowl on your face that it was unintentional.”
“You’ve got quite an astute observation,” Sam scoffed, “But, shouldn’t you be disappointed for failing to kill me, or is there a particular reason you’re keeping me alive?”
“What makes you think I’m keeping you alive?” Jason(?) sneered.
“The fact that I’m still in one piece. If it was the real Jason, I would have been blown to bits by now,” Sam stated before taking a hurried look at his burnt arm. “You said you want to see my white flame. Why?”
“Why you asked? Your power – it’s one of a kind. Haven’t you ever wondered why there has not been another Flame Accursed in the Faceless Order for the past 1000 years?”
Sam’s eyes narrowed, sensing something fishy about the prince’s previous question. “What are you implying?”
“I’m implying the Order you trusted so much kept some secrets from you; secrets that they were too afraid and ashamed to share with their own people. Secrets that could shake the entire foundation of the Faceless Order itself.”
“Now you’re just spouting nonsense-.”
“Am I?” Jason(?) intervened, “Ask yourself this: why is the struggle between the Order and those creatures you dubbed as the Distorted lasted for nearly a millennium without any signs of stopping? Why is it that the Crystals of Birth kept on respawning even though you and your predecessors have destroyed a bunch of them?” The Opal Sun prince then pointed his rapier heavenward and the sky began to change from its calming blue colour to sinister scarlet red.
“Lo and behold, the world sky on the day when God’s judgment descended upon us; the Cataclysm, as the Order called it. From it, Seven Subsequences which ultimately paved the way for the Cleansing Fire.”
“Cleansing Fire? Do you mean the Red Ravager?” Sam mouthed, and much to his surprise, his statement made the smile on the prince’s face instantly disappear.
“Red Ravager?” Jason(?) growled, “What a cowardly name given to the most magnificent phenomenon the world has ever seen. Then again, the pioneers were a bunch of cowards – deluded by their sense of duty and self-righteousness.”
“Putting their lives on the line every day does not really sound like cowardice to me.”
“That’s true, but I’m not questioning their courage on the battlefield; I’m questioning their courage to face the impending future. The path they walked; the same one you’re walking right now is only delaying the inevitable; the end of mankind.”
Sam’s head tilted to the right as he tried to process every word he had just heard. ‘Courage to face the impending future? Delaying the inevitable? The end of humanity?’ To him, it sounded like a rambling of a madman but somehow, he did not feel Jason(?) or whoever it was behind the prince’s face was lying to him. “Is that why you are here then? To hasten the inevitable?” Sam inquired.
“Precisely,” the prince swiftly replied.
“But why? Why would you want to wipe out mankind from the face of the Earth?”
“Why, you asked?” Jason let out another chuckle, “Now, now, nothing good comes to those who are too greedy. Besides, you should be asking that kind of question to someone you know and trust like the Faceless Lord, for example – not to a total stranger.”
Gritting his teeth in frustration, Sam stood up and raised his katana. “Countless innocents’ lives lost and you’re here, treating everything like some sort of game. Not only that, my friends nearly died because of you,” Sam blurted out.
“An unintentional act. If the three of you did not step foot on this land in the first place, then none of you would be in your current state. But if you are destined to be here, then who am I to defy the threads of fate?” After finishing his short speech, Jason(?) held his rapier horizontally; its blade emitted a faint orange glow. “As a Faceless, I assume you are familiar with the Art of Desperation?”
Sam instantly felt his chest tightened, but not because of the pain. The Art of Desperation; a Doomsday-level technique he had been working on alongside the Nightingales. Strenuous and often times lethal, the technique was usually performed as a last resort when a Faceless is prepared to risk everything – including his or her own life. “You wouldn’t…not here, not like this,” said Sam.
“Huh? All of a sudden, you’re afraid of death?” Jason(?) taunted.
“It is not death that I feared right now,” Sam replied as he gripped firmly to his sword. Jason(?) gave him a scowl for a brief moment before he burst out laughing.
“Even now, you’re concerned about the well-being of this incompetent prince? How admirable though you are naïve to think that your loyalty will be heftily rewarded.”
Sam’s entire body tensed up as soon as he saw Jason’s rapier grow brighter. However, a sudden turn of events caused the light to vanish as the prince coughed out familiar black liquid from his mouth. “It seems we are not alone in this fight,” said Sam, a tiny smile appeared across his face.
“So, it seems,” Jason(?) sighed after spitting out the last of the foul-tasting tar.