I found nothing inside. I turned the cave inside out. All I saw were simple chairs, silverware, a chest of clothing... nothing beyond the basics that survival required. There was nothing to suggest the fervor with which he had defended this place. The slightest clank echoed from the chambers entrance, an unnatural sound and I wheeled about ready to strike down the invader. Which I did. However, this was the same old man whose life I had ended only moments ago. There was no plausible explanation for his re-emergence. I had removed his head, yet here he was. All parts in tact, but for the gaping hole where my scabbard had pierced his lung. He dropped to his knees, his eyes were locked on mine. I kicked him back to the ground and placed my sword upon his chest just beside his heart and at a slight angle so as to avoid the sternum. I forced it downwards, I felt it slide through the ribs, I did not stop, I pressed through the heart and on until I felt my scabbard hit the dirt beneath. He groaned pitiably, but still he stared at me. There was still life in him. Anger welled up within me, how dare he defy death. How dare he defy me! I placed my boot upon his unarmored chest and harvested my sword from where I had planted it so deep within him.
I stepped back, the mans eyes followed me. I was unnerved, I was sickened and I was furious at this unholiness. I stepped forward determined to make an end of the man. He attempted to speak, it was too much, I removed my dagger from it's sheath and drug it across the mans neck. His head lolled back a little and he attempted to speak no more. As I looked to his chest I notice bands of skin snaking across the wound, fresh skin... My disgust waned for a moment as I watched with amazement the wound healing itself, the skin stretching, expanding... I realized my attempts to kill this man were futile. He could not die. I knew what he was hiding. He had fought me so valiantly at the beginning... he was hiding the secret. His secret. The secret of life. I stood up. It would be mine.
The Water Prince is a story I've been working on for a few months. Up until this morning I had done no writing for it. It was merely concept and design. I began working on it hesitantly because it has been on the shelf for a little while, and it wasn't a complete concept. What started as a painting exercise (as seen above) turned into the renewal of my passion for The Water Prince. The above paragraphs are just a rough first draft, a little teaser.
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