The prince's choice - Part 2

Algus stared at his son with a serious and unwavering expression as he inquired:

"Laugs, do you think you can rule with a power that doesn't belong to you?"

The prince gritted his teeth after hearing his father's words.

Still serious, Algus continued:

"Or are you foolish to think that this power is yours?"

At first, his intention was to show his son how this world worked and how powerful the relics were. He even used the Divine Sword when it would have taken just a few seconds of empty-handed combat to defeat him. What Laugs had difficulty understanding was that humans, whether with weapons or magic, didn't have enough power to go against divine designs. As a father, Algus wanted to teach him this lesson, but perhaps he had done it too late...

Laugs quickly recovered from the blow, and the sword returned to his hands on its own.

"It's not mine?" he said finally, while running his hand over the corner of his mouth. There was a small wound there, but he felt no pain. He continued, "I think you're mistaken, father. I will show everyone the value of my magic. I will start by defeating the mighty king of Asterl and his powerful relic..."

He would be lying if he said he wasn't frustrated. Even the powers of his combined spells were not enough to defeat his father. But he wouldn't give up. He attacked again. After many intense exchanges of blows, several dark and dense veins bulged from his eyes, which became almost unrecognizable. Then, the skin of his arms was quickly covered by a greenish layer, and a red miasma emanated from them.

Prince Laugs seemed unaware of his own transformation and continued to attack with increasing strength and savagery.

Algus knew what was happening to his son. After all, it was a person in the process of transfiguration, something he had witnessed many times before. Laugs was on the verge of becoming a demon, and if things continued this way, it wouldn't be long before he crossed a point of no return.

"It's still not enough..." Laugs thought, filled with frustration.

He suddenly stepped back, doing so only to improve his posture. His eyes and arms returned to normal before he even realized the change, but the ominous aura of red energy still dominated him. He then looked at the man in front of him, now thinking of him more as an opponent to be eliminated from his path than a father. And if his opponent didn't want to fight seriously, he would fight and defeat him as well.

Taking advantage of his distance from his opponent, Laugs bent down and picked up the sword that General Thelus had used sparingly. Since it was in better condition, he transferred the runes from the blade of his current sword to the new one. After finishing, he discarded the damaged sword, which shattered into many pieces when it hit the ground, almost like a crystal vase.

"See, father? I don't depend on just any sword to face my opponents. My magic is all I need..."

Algus stared at his son. He noticed that the red aura around him was becoming increasingly powerful, while the sinister effect of the spell began to possess him completely. And as much as it seemed like Laugs was in control of his actions, it was no longer just him. Algus knew he needed to remove those red flames from his son's hands before this transformation was complete. Or perhaps something worse than a demon would emerge in this world again.

So, Algus advanced, ready to use his relic and show his son the power he had underestimated. However, halfway there, Algus paled when he saw two halos of golden light appear within Laugs' left eye, and he stopped in his tracks. One halo encircled the iris, and the other circled the pupil, leaving the rest of his eye in endless darkness.

More than just a simple change, that eye was a clear indication that something much worse than a demon might be before him now, Algus pondered.

"My son is no longer here. Who are you?" Algus asked with a voice as cold as an ice mountain.

The prince smiled indifferently as he replied:

"You already know who I am. You also know what I desire." This time, Laugs' voice was extremely calm and sounded hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken in a long time.

Immediately, Algus's face turned as dark as the night. He lunged at his own son, distraught but also aware of what he had to do, and in the blink of an eye, his movement was like lightning as he delivered a single strike with the relic.

"You... finally took me seriously, father..." Laugs whispered as he smiled apathetically.

Few people in the world could defend against that strike. Laugs knew he wasn't one of them and didn't even try to stop his father. It happened so quickly that he only realized he had been struck by the blade of the divine relic when his body felt as light as a feather and was thrown into the air, where it split into two parts.

Still, there was no sign of pain in his expression, and not a drop of blood splattered from him. Laugs noticed that his insides seemed to be made only of green flames, covered by a reddish aura. This didn't surprise him. The voice in his mind had fulfilled its part of the agreement, albeit a little too late... Finally, the golden halos disappeared, and his eye was consumed by the red flames.

"So... this is my end?" Laugs thought as he watched the lower part of his body being devoured by the flames. The upper part fell to the courtyard ground like a leaf being carried by the wind. And with a genuine smile, he aimed his eyes — which at that moment were more vivid than ever — towards the vast blue sky, serene and untouched like a tranquil lake, while he whispered the following words:

"I have made my choice, father. I will become strong. Stronger than you, stronger than anyone... That is the only way for all of you to recognize me..."

As the last glimmer faded from the prince's eyes, a sudden golden glow appeared over him, turning his face toward the Palace of the Sun. At the same time, King Algus heard a voice that bore little resemblance to his son's:

"I am coming back, my precious Ami. Soon... very soon... we shall reunite..."

The prince's face was turned towards one of the windows on the second-floor corridor, where two young boys were closely observing everything happening in the courtyard.

King Algus briefly glanced at the boys before turning his gaze back to what remained of the prince. Then, with an indifferent expression, he closely watched the rest of his son's body being consumed by the green and red flames.

"This is not my end, father... it is the beginning of my ascension..." Laugs whispered these words, raising one hand high, and it remained there until the very last moment before being engulfed by the flames and disappearing from sight, leaving no trace of his existence behind.

Algus maintained his indifferent expression but now focused on his relic. Perhaps his son was the one with the least blame for what had happened there, after all. And as he thought, he heard a voice:

"Your Majesty, the prince..." Thelus stopped, fearful of the response to the question he was about to ask.

He bore more than a pained expression as he approached the king, for besides the pain in his arm, there were all the other feelings he had regarding the prince. If it had not been easy for him to witness all of that, imagine the man in front of him, Thelus pondered. Therefore, he couldn't leave his friend alone at this moment and returned to the courtyard before tending to his wound.

Next, Thelus gazed at the empty spot where the prince had been just seconds ago. Today was supposed to be a normal day, like all the others until now. But why had things come to this point? He still couldn't comprehend the situation, let alone come to terms with it.

"My son is not dead, if that's what you want to know," Algus replied, his voice strangely sober. And he added, "But from now on, it's as if he is..."

Thelus felt relieved to know that, but he also couldn't help but mourn for what his king and friend had said in the end.

"What do you intend to do?" Thelus asked.

For some time, Algus did nothing or said nothing. At first glance, it might have seemed like a cold demeanor, but Thelus knew very well what kind of expression was on his face. The last time he had seen him like this was when Algus lost his wife, and that was a devastating loss for him.

Thelus couldn't find words to say to his friend at that moment, just as he hadn't before. The only thing he seemed capable of doing was to stay there, in silence, once again.

Finally, the king began to move again. He turned toward the palace, where the number of people gathered in the corridors and windows was countless, and he thundered his voice so that all of them could hear and spread his words:

"From today, my son, Prince Laugs Armud, shall be considered a sorcerer." The king paused briefly and then continued, "Until the day he presents himself before me for judgment, he is banished from this kingdom, and a reward of fifty gold coins shall be offered for his capture alive."

The price for the prince's capture shocked everyone who heard the king's words. If it were just banishment, they could understand, but gold was a scarce metal across the entire continent of Edeenvir, and its coins were so valuable that people would kill to obtain one. Perhaps not even a duke would earn that much gold in an entire year.

However, this was not the most surprising part, as that declaration also meant that the prince had been stripped of his position. Thus, he would lose all titles and royal privileges, and he would be considered a sorcerer, making him unwelcome in any of the five countries of the Treaty of Coexistence.

It was true that Prince Laugs had a difficult personality. He liked to isolate himself in his studies. He commonly ignored any attempts at approach, both from palace servants and other young court members. But when it came to magic, he was a proud young man, although his temper could become explosive at times. Laugs also had his good days and acted like any boy his age. That's why everyone in that courtyard who knew him lamented as if he were truly dead.