Chapter Text
“You're on a path in the woods. And at the end of that path is a cabin. And in the basement of that cabin is a prince.”
“You're here to slay him.”
“If you don't, it will be the end of the world.”
It’s voice is feminine and posh as it spoke, and Uzi immediately assumes the owner of the voice is female just as she is.
“The end of the world?” She says, as confusion takes over her face. “What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about the end of everything as we know it. No more birds, no more trees, and, perhaps most problematically of all, no more people.” The voice replied. “You have to put an end to him.”
“Have you considered that I’m okay with the world ending?” Uzi challenges, and wonders the voice’s response. She’ll call it The Narrator she thinks, as something told her she had tendency to narrate endlessly.
“Of course I haven’t.” The Narrator replies, as if offended just by the mere possibility. “Why would I even consider that? Nobody wants the world to end.”
“I mean, maybe some people do, like nihilists or very very evil people,” The Narrator continues. “but surely you’re not one of those… right?”
A smile crept onto Uzi’s face as she held in a laugh. The sound of The Narrator being ever so confident in their beliefs, only to falter moments after was music to her ears.
‘That’s what she gets for being so pompous.’ She thinks.
“But how can a prince locked away in a basement end the world?” The mere thought was ridiculous really, and didn’t make a lick of sense.
“Don’t linger on the specifics.” The Narrator quickly dismisses. “You have a job to do here. Just get in there and do what needs to be done. We’re all counting on you.”
“Do you have any evidence to back this up?” This was far too suspicious. Uzi wondered where the voice came from as she shifted her gaze all around her.
“Look, you’re already on the path that leads to the cabin. Why would you be here if it weren’t to complete a very important task? You’ve made it this far, you might as well reach the end of your journey.”
‘That sounds rather forceful.’ Uzi observed. It didn’t help that she had no idea how she got here. A part of her tells her to not think about that, it’s significant enough that she does without question. ‘I wonder…’
“Have you considered that maybe the only reason he’s going to end the world is because he’s locked up?”
“While I appreciate the mental exercise,” The Narrator says in a tone that is obviously lying to her. “we are running up against a ticking clock.”
“Nevertheless, let me assure you: the Prince is locked up because he’s dangerous, he is not dangerous because he’s locked up.” The Narrator clarified. “And before you decide to waste even more of our time by asking how I know that, let me suggest a more pragmatic lens through which to view this situation.”
“Causality doesn’t matter here because the end result is the same no matter what led us up to this point. If the Prince leaves the cabin, the world will end, and there is no changing that.”
“It’s no use arguing semantics over a metaphorical chicken or egg, because the egg is hatched and it’s about to ruin everything.”
“Unless, of course, you do your job and slay him.”