Free Web NovelChapter 12: The Fallen Prince
--Chapter 12--
Title >> The Fallen Prince
The options didn’t flicker or change. Neither did Xavier’s resolve. He stretched his finger forward and clicked on option B.
This option was by no means the norm. After all, the design of the scene made [Cut them down] the most obvious choice, especially if you reacted emotionally, just as the developers expected you to.
The moral weight of the scene was evident. The hanging figures, the golden-eyed corpse referring to you as brother, asking for peace from its bondage.
Option A as the right choice was something anyone could fall for. Experienced or not. Veteran or noob.
But not Xavier... he knew exactly what would happen if you stupidly clicked [Yes].
And it wasn’t pretty. It was a literal nightmare involving countless animated corpses, a feud with the Warden faction, and the demi-god ruling this domain. An enemy he had no business fighting at level four with nothing but a dagger and a cloak.
Considering all this, he waited as the choice he made played out.
The hovering figure with the golden eyes watched him closely, a look of disgust slowly manifesting across its previously blurred face.
An interface appeared shortly afterward as a blue screen.
[Searching...]
Then, from amidst the pile of bodies, a deep crimson light pierced through, and an item slowly rose from the depths.
[Item Found: The Warden’s Medallion]
[Type: Token]
[Description: Only those who recognize the weight of these roads may carry this. The fallen recognize the fallen.]
Even under the scrutiny of the hovering figure’s golden eyes, Xavier didn’t linger. Still wearing a faint smile, he stepped forward and picked up the item.
Next, the figure’s eyes slowly closed, almost as though they had never existed to begin with, and the world suddenly became navigable again.
Xavier held the medallion in his right hand, running his thumb across its dark metallic surface where an unfamiliar symbol had been etched.
It was one he recognized from a previous playthrough. One of the game’s built-in factions from back then.
[Equip: Yes / No]
Selecting Yes, he slipped the almost weightless medallion around his neck. Then another system screen immediately appeared.
[Effect: Recognized by structures built for the Fallen.]
[Note: Some doors only open for those who understand what it means to fall.]
Xavier still didn’t understand the full meaning behind the title Fallen, but he knew this path was far greater than a simple hidden quest.
Even though he could already feel this questline pulling at him, it was an encounter that would require an entirely different build to complete.
After obtaining his bloodline.
After surviving the first world event.
And definitely with his sister by his side.
Only then would he allow himself to tackle a world-boss quest of this magnitude.
Right now, all that was left...
...was to keep moving.
***
In little to no time, the familiar castle finally appeared on the horizon. But so did the countdown that seemed determined to taunt him.
[06:23:27:02]
The one-hour goal he had set for himself was drawing closer, but there was no reason to panic now.
His gaze rose toward the elevated castle that stood like a monument overlooking the coastline.
The sound of crashing waves echoed against its immense stone walls, walls that no longer felt like architecture but part of the coastline itself.
Xavier sprinted toward the massive black gates with one hand resting on the medallion hanging against his chest.
Above the gates, the HUD displayed a single ominous inscription.
[THE REALM OF UNTOLD TALES]
"So damn cool," Xavier muttered.
Even now, he couldn’t suppress the excitement he always felt whenever he discovered something no one else had uncovered within this world.
When he reached the gates, he removed the medallion as it flared brightly in his hand.
As he raised it toward the gates, the black steel began to contort like liquid mercury before slowly solidifying into a lock perfectly shaped for the medallion.
Xavier inserted the glowing token into its place and immediately...
Clack... Creeaaak!
The gates opened with surprising ease.
Responding to the Warden’s Medallion as though it were law itself. Revealing a path Xavier took without wasting another second.
Placing the medallion back around his neck, Xavier sprinted across the spotless courtyard.
Against all odds, there wasn’t the slightest trace of moss or creeping decay despite the corruption that had consumed the land outside.
Even the wind seemed unwilling to disturb the courtyard, leaving only the sound of Xavier’s footsteps echoing against the ancient stone.
Even as he crossed the seemingly endless courtyard, Xavier couldn’t help but sigh deeply.
The angles of the castle’s outer towers.
The placement of the archways.
Every detail felt painfully familiar and somewhat depressing. Not because he’d seen it during a previous playthrough. Nor because of any guide.
But because he’d seen those same unfinished designs on the monitors in his parents’ apartment while his father quietly worked in the background as Xavier finished his assignments.
He could still remember the half-finished geometric sketches.
Oh... fuck...!
He forced the memory back where it belonged. At the back of his mind and deep in the past.
Increasing his pace as he crossed the courtyard and entered the torch-lit hall where a massive wooden door awaited him at the far end.
Reaching the doors, the medallion flared to life once again as Xavier pushed with all his strength.
The doors swung open.
But unlike what Xavier expected...the Fallen prince wasn’t there.
He wasn’t seated upon the massive throne at the center of the hall like every other cliché royal character Xavier had encountered throughout countless games.
Instead, the throne sat empty.
The torches lining the hall still burned steadily, bathing the chamber in warm amber light.
"No... No... No..!"
Xavier’s expression dulled instantly.
He’d missed his chance.
I wasn’t fast enough.
He pressed a hand against his face. "Fuck!"
Then...
A calm, dignified voice spoke from somewhere behind the throne.
"You are early... I haven’t sent the echo yet."
Hearing those words, Xavier’s head snapped upward, his hand dropping swiftly from his face.
The Fallen Prince slowly leaned into view from behind the throne, his expression darkening with visible curiosity.
"Wait..."
"How have you found me?"
–End of Chapter–
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