Final Fantasy - All Series Fan Fiction / Legend Of Zelda Fan Fiction / Devil May Cry - Series Fan Fiction ❯ Knights of the Realms ❯ Ch 14 - Faceless ( Chapter 14 )

KNIGHTS OF THE REALMS

 

 

Faceless

 

 

 

 

Every toppled pillar, every rocky outcropping, every crumbling wall, and every conveniently placed pole held memories for the Prince. He had used them all at least once in his desperate attempt to live on the Island. He made his way along the familiar paths, both enjoying and missing the feeling of everything around him wanting to kill him.

 

From the beach, he sidled along the cliff faces and leapt from pillar to pillar to ground until he reached the rotting gates that allowed him access to the outer walls of the Fortress of Time. He rolled under them and followed the long pathway filled with sudden upheavals of earth, serving no purpose other than to impede progress. It led him to a courtyard with a great chasm running through it. He allowed himself a moment of reminiscence as he walked across the bridge over the chasm, the place where he had first fought the Crow Master. He ran along the walls and used protrusions as leverage, eventually making his way to the top of the wall. Continuing on, he once again set foot in the Fortress of Time.

 

The hallways were still lined with the traps that had made his life just that much harder, but this was three thousand years after they had last been in use. No blades spun as he passed them, no bladed logs fell towards him. The best he got was a brief shower of sparks as one circular blade tried to move.

 

He passed through more familiar rooms, climbed more columns, and jumped more gaps. He slid down the aged wall hangings and leapt across spike filled pits like it was second nature. And, in truth, it was.

 

Every so often, he would stop, imagining that he could here heavy footsteps. Each time, he felt foolish for letting his imagination get the best of him. The Fortress certainly did bring back memories, including the unrelenting pursuit of the Dahaka.

 

He finally came to the main chamber, the ceiling extending far, far above him. He jumped down from the balcony that served as the entrance on to what remained of the floor. It was a big enough target, but if he missed, he didn't know how far he'd fall. He walked between the twin rows of columns, and past the capstans that had allowed him access to the high doors on either side of the chamber. The floor was also missing in front of the doorway leading to the throne room, but not enough to daunt the Prince. A leap had him out over the chasm, and he grabbed the edge. He hauled himself up and reflected on how good it felt to really stretch his muscles again.

 

Another hallway presented itself, with traps in the same state of disrepair as those before. He ran along the wall and pushed off to land on a ledge on the other side. He sidled along until he reached ground, which put him right in front of the door.

 

He jumped and pulled the switch that opened the door.

 

He rolled under it before it could close.

 

He stood up and looked at the giant hourglass in the center of the room.

 

He fell to his knees.

 

There was sand in the glass. While hourglasses usually do, this was different. It was falling from the top bulb, into a middle bulb, and finally into the bottom bulb. But the amount of sand in the top never decreased.

 

The Sands of Time.

 

“No,” he moaned at the futility of it all. He had restored the Sands to the hourglass, killed the Empress of Time, stopped the Sands from being created, reversed it all, and then killed the Dahaka. Then Kaileena had taken the Sands from this world. He had seen both Kaileena and the dagger fade away into nothing.

 

Why were the Sands still here?

 

A thump that reverberated through the floor was followed by a crash. The Prince felt wood splinters hit his back. Everything around him was being leeched of its color.

 

“Leave me be,” he growled, slowly standing.

 

He turned to face the Dahaka.

 

Easily ten feet tall, the Dahaka filled the hole where the doorway had been. Darkness rolled off it in waves. Its horns twisted in opposition each other, the tips meeting in front of the head, faceless save for the eyes.

 

“You are dead,” said the Prince evenly. “You didn't kill me, I killed you. You don't exist anymore!” he shouted as he threw himself at the monstrosity.

 

The Dahaka didn't dodge. It didn't need to. The Prince was without the Water Sword, the one weapon that had allowed him to harm the beast before. But the Prince was beyond caring. His life wasn't his anymore. Again. To the powers that be, he was a nuisance, a troublesome dog that wouldn't do as it was told.

 

Ferocity filled him, sharpening his already vicious battle skills. Twisting in mid-air, he dodged the whip-like tendrils the Dahaka sent forth, landing a solid punch. When his fist connected, he didn't feel pain, didn't feel the Dahaka flinch or give ground, but he did feel something…familiarity? Like a part of him was recognized by the Dahaka, and mingled with it, embraced it.

 

The Prince pulled back, not daring to ponder what had happened until he was away. He didn't know what had happened, but he did know that he wouldn't be hurting the Dahaka this fight. Gaping at his hand in wonderment would only get him killed. He turned and ran.

 

He ran up the stairway that wrapped around the hourglass and into the throne room. He rushed to the back of the room, the Dahaka's footsteps shaking the ground behind him. Behind the throne, the wall had been shattered, and he rushed through the hole.

 

There. In front of him was a portal of sand, and it would hurl him three thousand years into the past, when the fortress was still in use.

 

A thought crossed his mind as he threw himself into the swirling Sands. Rubble was blocking the hole behind the throne in this time. It was in the past when I was able to access this portal. Any further observation was cut short as he felt one of the Dahaka's tendrils close in on his leg.