The Crown Prince's Love
Chapter 53

Randy

My screams and Desmond's cries echoed through the water as we plunged into the ocean depths.

Anticipating a collision, I was surprised to replace ourselves submerged in another body of water, entering a realm I never thought possible.

The cool embrace of the water calmed my spirit, and the haunting melody of birds in flight made me question if I had stumbled into a fantastical world. Rowing his boat, Phantom joined in the bird's chorus as we followed our younger selves.

Nearing a colossal black gate flanked by towering walls, it swung open, revealing a somber, dark expanse on the other side.

Phantom halted, directing our attention to our younger counterparts engaged in conversation. "What are you saying?" Desmond inquired.

"Listen," Phantom murmured. I closed my eyes, shutting out the sounds of rushing water and birdsong, focusing on what lay ahead.

"My name is Desmond, and I am grateful to have a friend like you here." Rain's younger self expressed.

"I'm Randy," I heard my past self introduce, shaking hands with Desmond's younger counterpart, both erupting in laughter.

Phantom sighed, snapping his fingers, and our younger selves vanished before us.

Turning to him with questioning looks, he nonchalantly shrugged before resuming his rowing.

"Why did you prevent us from witnessing what was about to unfold? We could have gleaned something useful," I protested.

"I'll tell you the truth. I should take you out of here now, you've spent too long in the dark hole, and you need to leave before it's too late!" Phantom urged. Desmond and I exchanged glances, silent but troubled.

The weight of my mother's responsibility for the curse on him lingered in my mind, propelling me to replace a way to save him, even if it meant defying the laws of balance. "Why did you show us our younger selves when we couldn't see everything?" I demanded.

Phantom sighed, halting the boat momentarily.

"Listen, Prince Randy," he said, drawing a circle with his finger before sighing again.

"You should have died, but Desmond brought you back, disrupting the balance of the dark hole."

"He did?" I looked at Desmond, grateful and questioning the luck of being fated to someone so selfless.

I wanted to show him that I cared and do something for him.

"What do I do to save him?" I implored.

Phantom shook his head. "You may not like what I'm about to say. Saving him goes against the balance, and it will inevitably lead to further complications." "Randy," Desmond interjected, grabbing my hand and turning me to face him.

He cradled my face in his hands and sighed. "If it's my destiny to die, I don't want us to risk everything and make matters worse. Please..."

"What!" I exclaimed, gripping his hands on my cheeks. "Listen to me, I won't allow you to say such things. Do you think I could be happy knowing you'd die?"

"At least it's better than disrupting the balance and causing more harm. I don't want that, please," he pleaded, caressing my cheek. "I love you so much, and if there's no saving me, I don't want you to risk going against the balance. I can't let you do anything against your will, Randy. I want..."

"Desmond," I hushed him, placing a finger on his lips. "Listen to me." I smiled, gazing into his eyes. "I love you so much." I sighed, then placed a hand around his neck, continuing to stare at him as I twisted his neck. "I'm sorry," I apologized as he went limp in my arms, slumping against me.

I lifted my head to see Phantom's eyes widen at the sight. "He's not going to die, right?" I asked him.

He smiled sheepishly and chuckled.

"So, you want to know how to save your boyfriend?"

I nodded in response. "Great, be prepared to lose everything."

"What do you mean?" I inquired.

Phantom pointed towards Desmond. "You will lose your bond. The voice you heard in your dreams about an eye for an eye is what will happen to you and Desmond. He'll lose all memories of you ever being boyfriends, and your suffering is that you'll remember every bit of it until you both fall in love again, which has never happened in such a case."

I ran my hand through my hair, exhaling a breath.

I questioned myself about things I never thought I could do. There was no way I could watch Desmond move on while I continued to remember him.

I believe there must be another way to solve everything. I truly hoped it wouldn't lead to our separation. I wanted to be with him forever and not be separated from him.

"Is there another way apart from this?" I asked.

Phantom shook his head. "The rules of the dark hole have to do with give and take. Your mother also faced this years ago."

"My mother?" I furrowed my brow in confusion, trying to recall the memory.

When it finally clicked, I sighed. "Now, I know when. It was when I was four, and my mother disappeared for five years, right?"

Phantom nodded. "Yes. She faced the same fate as you are about to now. There is no way to save your boyfriend, and the only way is to give and take. You either suffer the loss of your boyfriend or you take what I have offered you."

"But..." I argued, sighing deeply. "I can't do without my boyfriend. I truly love him, and I don't think I would be happy if he didn't remember me anymore."

Phantom smiled at me. "You won't be the only one who forgets him. Everyone around you will also lose memories of him except you." He continued with more unfortunate news. "The memories are a reminder that you chose to take from the dark hole. Every month, you will experience pain as the memories rush into your head. The agony will make you want to die, and you will suffer unless, by some miracle, Desmond ends up falling in love with you again."

"But..." I looked down at Desmond, gently rubbing his hair. "I don't think I can move on without him, and I..." Tears welled up in my eyes.

No matter which path I chose, I was going to lose my boyfriend. The first option meant losing him forever, and the second was him being alive with no memories of me. "There is no other way out of this? I can't..." I sighed when Phantom shook his head at me.

"Brace yourself!" he shouted and snapped his fingers.

Suddenly, the boat ascended. I didn't scream this time, the bad news had already shattered my heart and removed all fears from my heart.

When we finally arrived at the sea bank, carrying Desmond out, I asked Phantom one final question.

"If I want to reset everything, how do I do it?"

"Just shout it out, and everything will reset. If you can't deal with the pain that comes with it, then don't do it, and..."

"I will do anything to save my mate!" I declared, closing my eyes.

A bright light suddenly enveloped me, and when I opened my eyes again, I found myself inside the forest back in the living world, with familiar faces hovering over me.

I gasped as I rose from the ground.

"The royal prince has opened his eyes!"

"Randy," Noah waved his hands in front of my face. "Can you hear me? Can you hear me?"