The Core

The Core’s main room was empty, each of its members having retreated to their separate rooms. No conclusion was drawn other than the obvious: Zorac wanted Palimea destroyed. The only question now was how? Each member left the room mulling over the same question, but none had come up with a sufficient answer.

Carno sat in his room, a prisoner to his biggest secret. He sat on the edge of his bed with his fingers wrapped in a tight fist. “Leave me,” he commanded with a deep and wise voice. Each servant left the room with hastened footsteps. He waited patiently with his head lowered until he heard nothing but his own shallow breathing.

He was utterly alone and he walked over to the mirror. He stared at himself and heaved a sigh. He was wasting away to practically nothing with all of this stress. His raven hair was slowly receding, his gray eyes dulling to pale and plain silver. Even his markings, which spun up his arms, were no longer crimson, but a faded and muddled red.

He couldn’t wrap his mind around the idea of Palimea no longer existing. He wanted nothing more than for everything to stay exactly the same; he needed everything to remain the same. He knew the entire world created by The Core like the back of his hand. How could he erase a piece of it? He surely could not lose a few fingers. How was he to be in charge of what was and forever will be if it changes? He punched the mirror in front of him with pure frustration. If Palimea did not exist, how could he?

Pernix sat in her room in the same state as Carno. She could not see Palimea destroyed, it would tear her heart to pieces. She was told to forget everything about her old life when she came here, she was told to detach all her emotions, but that was impossible. She knew where she came from and it broke her heart. She laid her head in her hands, golden locks falling around her. Her hazel eyes, notorious of her home land, shone with tears. She was trying to think of a solution before the others did. She only had one solution: Lark.

Merieta and Lavena sat on Merieta’s bed as the elder woman sobbed uncontrollably. Lavena had her small hand on the woman’s back and was rubbing it soothingly. “Don’t cry, Merieta. All will work out,” she said, numbly. Merieta continued to sob, the air hitching in her throat. She hated the idea of killing off her creations, each individual death pained her.

She was used to losing a few lives in each place every day. However, the entirety of Palimea was just too much to handle. “Oh, Lavena! All those innocent people will die! All the children, we had just barely begun to create them! How could this happen? Why must Zorac be so cruel?” She hollered, throwing her hands over her face. Her blue eyes were lost in a sea of water, her pale skin streaked with tears and her long chocolate braid falling into an utter mess.

Lavena hushed Merieta quickly. “Do not speak like that out loud! All will work out, you’ll see. Palimea will not parish, we’ll find a way,” Lavena answered. The young girl’s brown eyes were wide with fear for she had no idea how such an event would occur, but she had hope that she would never have to see Merieta in this state again.

Treticha wasn’t doing any better than all the others. He sat in his room, reading over his many books and sighing. His brown eyes read over words that he had already studied and he rubbed his short black hair in boredom. Palimea meant nothing to him; let it become a smoldering lump, but not the knowledge. He cringed at the thought of the all the knowledge disappearing. He couldn’t imagine losing all the precious features, adaptions and medicines. How could he ever allow Palimea to disappear if it all that it knew went with it?

Anthrax and Zorac sat in his room, pushing around game pieces. “Am I a cruel man?” Zorac asks his partner. “Am I wrong to wish to protect the great people of The Core? I find it quite honorable of me to step down and try to make an effort to keep us safe and look at them all! They ran from our meeting like sad little children!” Zorac sighed, pushing another game piece. The Core frustrated him to no end for he always got what he wanted, why did they fight him on this?

Anthrax sighed also, “I agree, sire. How dare they defy you! It is indeed in our greatest interest that Palimea is destroyed and they are too dunce and soiled with emotions to believe it!” Anthrax agreed whole-heartedly with his idol and wanted nothing more than an ounce of approval. He pushed his game piece and the game went on in silence for a few more moments.

“Our tactics are taking too long,” Zorac finally concluded. “I want them gone now. I think the wisest thing to do would be to rally some forces and destroy them! We shall invade and catch them by surprise! Wipe them out completely!” He swept his hand across the game board, sending the pieces falling to the ground. “Come, we will discuss battle techniques so perfect that no one will be able to counter them.”

The only members of The Core who weren’t frustrated were sitting together giggling carelessly. They were alone, in an empty wing and their servants had been dismissed. They had no worry in the world because it didn’t bother them in the least if Palimea was destroyed. At least, it did not bother Ornic. Ereisa expressed some concern, but she was quickly swayed away from it.

“Ornic, we cannot let Palimea fall. It’s like my baby,” she whimpered. Ornic smirked, wrapping his arms around his sister’s waist and hoisting her onto his bed. The silk sheets wrapped around her half naked body. Ornic could barely contain himself as he let his hands roam the curves of his sister. He traced each intricate swirl of red with his fingers, leaving goose bumps behind. “This is serious,” Ereisa muttered, sounding far from convincing. His smirk only grew wider as he shut Ereisa up with a passionate kiss.

Ereisa let her eyes travel down from her brother’s brown hair with dark chocolate streaks to his silver eyes that gleamed with lust. She landed on his lips, red from continuous biting, and remained there for a moment of intense longing. She then let herself continue downwards to his chiseled abs and golden skin before bringing her grayish eyes back to her brother’s. Her golden cheeks turned red with embarrassment.

“It will be fine, pet. Even if Palimea does fall, you can take your pretty little hands somewhere else and perfect it. I won’t even touch them,” he persuaded, kissing slowly up her neck. He moved her flowing black and chocolate curls away to forcefully bring her face closer to his. She purred in response underneath him, a puppet to his mouth in more ways than one. “Besides, it is useless to argue. Zorac will get his way in the end.”

Ereisa sighed and nodded. “I suppose you’re right,” she whispered back to him. She leaned closer to her brother, brushing her lips softly against his. He smiled at her, but his intentions were far more sinful then Ereisa knew. He kissed her again, biting softly on her lip. “You’re always right,” she breathed.

“Of course I am, love. Shut the curtains, we’re finished talking,” he ordered. With that, she stood and walked over to the window. She shut each curtain slowly and Ornic admired his sister as she walked. Her hips swung slowly, a saunter of sorts, and her eyes always remained slanted as if questioning his every move; she was incredibly enticing.

Yes, all was as it should be in The Core with the exception of the empty room in a barren hallway. This particular room hadn’t seen any life since its sole inhabitant had left the corrupt world of The Core for a world that was practically doomed. The members of The Core pretended not to notice the change, but it was difficult especially know that all their secrets were lost somewhere despite the fact they were living them.