The Nexus
Pre-Humanoid Era
xxxx, X.X.
Ammon was not among
them on that day.
Demetria pursed her
lips and glanced away. The yellow seat which stood next to her own was empty. With
that, Ethon and Narissa exchanged quick glances.
“I guess that means one
thing,” she said softly. “Ammon really was serious about sticking to the plan.”
Even if he was against it, the
brunette continued in her head. Ethon merely sighed and folded his arms over
his chest. As a contrast, Narissa was smiling.
“I’m proud of our eldest
brother. Aren’t you?”
“We forced him into
this, Nar,” Ethon refuted angrily. “You know he never liked the idea of giving
his Armor. He hated to give that part of himself away. He hates feeling
incomplete. Don’t you know?” he gave his sister a withering look, “Or are you
too drowned in yourself to notice?”
Narissa’s ears turned
pink. “How dare you,” she spat, but Demetria immediately stood up and stomped
her foot on the ground. Immediately, a green shield popped up between the Twins
and Demetria’s eyes blazed with a different emotion.
“Stop it. Ammon made
his choice.” She looked at Ethon. “We know he doesn’t like it, but it’s for the
good of everything. We gave ours away. And he’s the only one left.” Then to
Narissa, “I wish you would have found another way. Ammon won’t forgive easily
for making him do this.”
Narissa bowed her head
and Demetria let the shield fade away. “Trust me, I would have wanted another
solution…but this is the only solution we have.” She lifted her head to look at
Ethon, who still regarded her with anger (though less than earlier). “We’ll be
here for Ammon if that’s what he needs.”
And Demetria turned
away, shivering to herself as the harsh winds blew harder in the area. Ethon
noticed. The usually calm walls that surrounded them seemed colder and more
unwelcoming. The flames on the red candles were dying and lighting up. Waves of
a small pond down south only crashed against each other. Demetria noted that
the flora weren’t as blooming.
And the winds
continued.
Eventually, Ethon had
gone into his own seclusion to think. That’s what he liked about the Nexus. It
wasn’t just a main meeting place or whatever – it had its own rooms for the
each of them. He had taken the east.
Sorry I couldn’t get you out of this mess, Ammon. He thought bitterly. I hate Narissa for making you do this. If only we could be the ones to
sacrifice the Armor for you, but…it just doesn’t work that way. Nothing works
our way anymore.
*****
Ammon clutched his head
and yelled.
He felt disoriented, in
pain. Like his head was going to explode. There was a sense of detachment that
he feared and loathed, feeling that the splitting headache that he had would
split him apart.
The man didn’t know why
it had to be so painful.
In, out, yell. In, out, yell.
Did Ethon suffer
through this? Did Narissa want to rip her hair out? And Demetria, innocent
Demetria with her docility. Ammon wondered why they put themselves through the
torment, the wholesome pain of giving it up.
He wondered if it was
even worth it in the first place. Why would they care? Why did this universe
mean so much if there were millions more out there? He couldn’t wrap his head
around it. Narissa’s all-knowing face popped up in his mind but he shoved it
away, shoved everything else away.
I’m going to die, he
thought sullenly and aggressively, I’m
going to die because of this forsaken sacrifice. I’m going to die. I’m going to
die.
He was going to die from
the excruciating pain.
It felt like every
single vessel, every nerve was being ripped out of him. After protecting
something for so long, how would pulling it out feel? Another scream came out
of his mouth and he was momentarily thankful his siblings couldn’t hear.
He hated pain. He hated
feeling pain, knowing pain, causing pain, seeing pain. That was why he
surrounded himself with whispers and shadows. Why he watched from behind the
scenes and agreed with whatever his siblings wanted. Why he hardened his heart.
And all of that effort
seemed useless as everything was ripped away from him, piece by piece.
‘You should be careful to not let anything else get
into the extraction of the Armor,’ Ethon’s
voice rang out in his head, shocking him out of his pain-filled misery for a
moment. He remembered. Ethon had explained to him the mechanics, the procedure.
‘Detach yourself and empty your head. The
pain of it will tempt you to unload your feelings, but that’s going to make it
worse – that’s going to corrupt it.’
Corrupt. How would
feelings corrupt the Armor or the Gear?
Detach, Ammon. Detach.
He opened his eyes
momentarily and shut them again, groaning. He was still there. Suspended and
bound to prevent himself from breaking his chains.
Detach.
The man swallowed his
pride, his remaining thoughts. He thought instead of his siblings waiting in
the Nexus, with cold comfort and Demetria’s intoxicating flowers, Narissa’s
gentle hands washing his hair and Ethon keeping the whole room delightfully
warm.
Slowly but surely, he
fell into the recesses of his mind.
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