Their eyes met.
"I was starting to think we'd never meet... Reaper. The warrior who moves through the shadows ... Hah! I didn't believe the stories. Now I'm almost excited."
The Reaper said nothing. He simply drew his blade.
"And the woman?" the prince asked, nodding toward The Guide. "I do hope she won't interfere."
The Guide placed a hand gently on The Reaper's shoulder, then stepped back into the shadows and calmly whispered.
"Good luck"
The duel began.
Steel clashed - a sound like thunder crashing inside the throne room. The Reaper moved like a storm: fast, sharp, and unforgiving. His speed was unnatural. Each strike came quicker than the last. Each strike was meant to kill.
The prince blocked, but he was already behind. His parries lagged. His breath caught in his throat.
"That touch... before the fight... it wasn't just affection, was it... she used magic. Improved reflexes, maybe even your speed itself. Tch... And here I was hoping for a fair fight."
Displeased, the prince raised his hand and whispered something quietly - and showed his true power. In a blink, ten copies of him appeared, surrounding The Reaper.
They attacked from every angle, never in sync, never the same twice. At first, The Reaper held his ground - deflecting, dodging, striking. But something was wrong. Steel passed through some bodies like mist. These weren't physical clones. They were illusions. Magic cast by the prince made The Reaper think that copies were real enough to kill.
The real prince was weaving in and out with three illusions at a time, striking from random directions. A cut along his ribs. Another at his shoulder. The Reaper bled - slower now, weaker.
He needed a new plan. The Reaper had no magic. No spells hidden in his coat. So, he chose to focus on something else. Sound.
Illusions were light. Empty. But real body made weight, real feet echoed differently on the floor, real breath was heavier.
The first attempt - He ignored several illusions, slashing through nothing... but then paused. Among four attackers, one carried a sound that didn't vanish. A real body. A heartbeat. Close.
Second attempt - He listened deeper. Footsteps. Pressure. The whisper of breath. He found him. Swung - but the prince blocked. Too slow.
Third attempt - The Reaper swung. His blade carved across the prince's shoulder. Blood spilled.
"You're good..." the prince said holding his bloody shoulder.
"I heard you were after revenge. But revenge must be earned. "I don't even know what I did to you. Did I kill your family? Burn your home? I honestly don't care."... Just remember this - the strong destroy the weak. That's the only truth that matters."
For the first time in a long while, The Reaper's emotions were shown. It was not a pain, nor a fear, but an anger.
The prince dismissed his illusions, realizing they were no longer useful. The avenger had found a way through.
Now it was a duel. Equal in skill... but no longer equal in strength. The Reaper had bled too much. The Guide's magic once enhancing his speed was never infinite. His movements and strikes slower than before.
With a powerful strike, the Tyrant's son knocked The Reaper's sword from his hands.
"This is the end for you."
The prince raised his sword, aiming for the throat. But The Reaper wasn't done.
At the last second, he pulled a hidden dagger from his belt - blocking the killing blow. He had not come all this way to die on his knees. He would fight. Until the very end.
But now, the prince had the upper hand.
He pressed forward - blow after blow, forcing The Reaper back, giving him no time to counter.
And then - A stab to the side. The prince's sword pierced The Reaper's side, tearing through muscle and organ. Blood poured from the wound.
"You've lost... the dream of revenge you held onto for years... gone in the few minutes."
Barely conscious, The Reaper lifted his head. Blood ran from his mouth.
"The story you believed in... It was never about me."
The prince's eyes widened. Confusion appeared on his face - but it was already too late.
Before a second could pass, a sharp sound split the silence. A sword pierced the prince's chest - straight through the heart. The same sword he had knocked to the floor earlier. Behind him stood The Guide.
She had moved through the shadows. And now, she stood over the dying prince. Her eyes cold. She had delivered the final blow. The blow taught by The Reaper
"From the very beginning... you thought she was nothing. That she posed no threat. But you never saw her face... never saw the hatred burning in her eyes - hatred for the monster you are."
Two warriors collapsed to the ground breathless, broken, one step from death.
"The hatred your monstrous family gave us... it's the only reason we're still fighting. It's what lets us believe... that a better future is still possible."
A faint laugh escaped the prince's lips as if he'd just heard a joke.
"We both know where we're going when this end... I'll see you there." - the Tyrant's son's final words, just before white light consumed his vision.
The Guide rushed to The Reaper's side.
"I'm sorry... that it had to end like this... that I won't be able to lead you to the King."
The Reaper coughed, blood painting his lips. His voice was low... fading.
"All my life... I've known only tragedy. I've killed many. Fathers. Husbands. I became like the monsters I swore to destroy. So, I don't know... if I deserve a happy ending either. But thank you... for bringing me this close to my purpose."
"You're nothing like them," she whispered, tears threatening her voice. "With your hands, you saved this city. You destroyed the monster that crushed people's hopes. You are... a hero."
A faint smile appeared on The Reaper's face - the first in years.
His eyes closed. Forever.