Chapter 44 The Last of Me (final) "Oh, where was I, before I was so rudely interrupted. Yes… Your impending death, isn't it? Performing so many duties tends to muddle my mind a bit." The dying woman knew he had no lapse in his recollection, just one of his endless games he liked to play. He suddenly said, "Have you ever wondered: when you killed yourself, why you always awoke to find the rest of your people slaughtered." Hate flashed through the eyes of the woman, it was difficult to forget the countless transgressions he had done to her, for he made sure he reminded her often, as if he wanted to keep the wounds in her mind as fresh as the day he inflicted them. She said, "Was that not for your own sick desires? I do not remember me being an accomplice in any of your slaughter. You have made me a pariah my entire life and I do not have much time left, why do you continue to play these games?" "Oh… There is still fire inside you. I thought you lost that decades ago. Well, I will answer your questions, but first I want you to answer mine. If you are not cooperative, I won't be able to help. So, you see, the ball is in your court." He poked her playfully on her face repeatedly. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶 Age had mellowed her emotions, and her suffering had taught her tolerance. Schooling back her hatred back into the depth of her soul, she asked, "Why do I wake up to the scene of everyone dead, anytime I kill myself." The Third prince grinned, "Usually, you figure it out more quickly before your deathbed, but I have to admit I have been a little more rough with you this time." He paused before he said, "I am no god, Ameera." She shivered, whether it was because he called her name, or the damning premonition she felt, suddenly she wanted to avoid hearing his next statements, and she could see that he saw the conflicts in her mind and his smile went wider. "I cannot break some intrinsic laws of reality… " The Third prince frowned, "Not, yet I suppose, and anytime you choose to untimely kill yourself, I have to gather life force from somewhere, don't I? As always, there are always limitations to collecting life force to supplement another person, like similar species, familiarity and a host of other reasons we cannot get into now." She began to shudder and tears dripped down her face. "All those times… I killed them!" "Yes you did, hey… Don't cry, it was for a good cause. I told you I cannot rewrite some laws of reality yet. You are among some of my experiments to break some rules. I think you might have an inkling of what comes next. Don't you?" "You said… I was slow this time in finding the truth… You don't mean?" "Yes… Listen to the sounds of these people outside that love you. They shall fuel your next resurrection." "How long… How much have I… Have you…" She stammered, her thoughts in disarray, her frail heart beating so hard, she could hear it over the sound of her mind breaking. "I have lived a very long life and time gets blurry after the first few millennia, I can only guess, for you are one of my latest experiments, maybe a few…" "Do not lie to me!" A cry that carried despair and anger in equal measure came from her throat, she would have been amazed by her boldness, before now, but at this time, she could not really think deeply, for her heart… Hurts. The Third prince stopped smiling and a hint of pity entered his eyes. The soft voice from him and the pity in his eyes worsened it, and she hated him, with every fiber of her being, how dare he try to posture with any semblance of humanity? How dare he… "It has been nineteen iterations so far." The Third prince said, "Altogether, we have made this play for 1,350 years." Ameera turned away from him, "You take pleasure in this?" He paused, seemingly surprised at her question, then he took some time to consider her words. "In a manner." He said, "If I don't enjoy pursuing my goals, I would have left it all behind long ago." "I hate you with everything inside me. I curse you… Monster. To never find whatever you seek." Ameera voice was clear, and her eyes were fixed on the Third prince, she pushed all her hate and anger to him. "Perhaps your wish might come true, but…" He gently placed a hand on her head, and closed her opened eyes, her last breath was her curse. He blew gently at her corpse and she turned to a human—shaped pile of ash, but her clothes and the bed she laid on were untouched. A dull red glow rose from the ashes, and he opened his palm, and the glow came to rest on it. It was a soul surrounded by chains made from flames, and even as he watched the soul began to slowly fade, the slight frown was the only indication that the last ninety-five years he spent on this iteration was a failure. "I have time Ameera, in the face of time, your curse is meaningless." The Third prince left the small room where Ameera died, outside there were well over five hundred people gathered. Ameera had been a controversial figure. One whom the whole village hated. As the Third prince went outside, a cheer rang out, the jinx was finally dead. The Third prince grimaced and snapped his fingers, and everyone from the men, women, and children to the animals all turned to ash. From the ashes he gathered a formless energy and fed to the fading soul he clasped. He sighed and made a gesture and the soul vanished, he turned away and slowly departed the village, heading towards the setting sun. A woman a few thousand miles away, smiled in her sleep, as she snuggled deeper into the arms of her lover, a faint glow lit up her stomach, and she frowned in discomfort, but as the glow faded she settled deeper into sleep. Unaware that tonight, she had just conceived and the future of her and her lover was altered.