Tales Untold

A World Without Stars

The ornate white marble doors embedded with gold glistened in the moonlight, but Kai did't pause for a second to look at them. He could hear the blood pounding inside his head as he sprinted towards those doors, praying to every star above that he wasn't too late. No sound escaped outside of those monstrous doors. Anything could have happened, and he wouldn't know until he entered the Throne Room.

Fear surged throughout Kai's body like a poison. He had left Iko and Kinney down at the ports only minutes earlier; but that could mean anything for Cinder. She could have already been dead, with Levana feasting on her synthetic heart. The image made Kai want to vomit, but he continued to press forward.

Hands met marble, and Kai slammed the heavy doors forward. His eyes scanned the once lavish room; now torn to shreds in what must have been a recent battle. Blood splattered the floor, but all Kai cared about were the two people standing in the center of the room. They were both pointing guns to their heads- fingers posed above the trigger.

Both guns dropped with agitated shriek as Kai stepped into the room. Relief rushed through Kai as he stared at Cinder's messy ponytail. She wasn't facing him, and therefore couldn't see who had intruded on her battle. She had a multitude of injuries, but she was still standing. She wasn't dead, Kai thought, his heart slowing with alleviation.

The second person in the room was one that Kai could only recognize by her extravagant gown representing his country. The woman that wore it now was a pitiable sight, with her deformed face, stripped of all its former beauty. It's fake beauty. This was the true monster that attempted to kill her toddler niece and force her step-daughter to mar her own face.

Cinder spun around, face paling as she laid eyes on Kai. "Kai," She whispered, voice fearful. "Kai, get out!"

Kai froze, surprised by her words. He was there to help her. But then again, even the most honest intentions could be thwarted by a lunar.

"Wire cutters." Cinder cried, but Kai's body was already moving, and he wasn't the one behind the motions. "Wire cutters. Wire cutters! WIRE CUTTERS!" Cinder began to yell, but it was apparent that she didn't have any control over Kai's body. It was already taken.

Panic seared Kai's senses as he stalked behind Levana, and he yelled. "Cinder, the gun!" Cinder seemed to realize herself at his words, moving her gun up. She was too late.

An low, melodic evil laugh erupted from the deformed creature, and Kai felt sick imagining the look of triumph that Levana's face must have held. He could not see Levana, but he could feel her happy victory in just the simple way she laughed. She thought that she had won.

"Uh-uh," Levana chided. "Drop the gun now, or I'll blow our Emperor's brains across the Throne Room floor."

A desperate sob echoed through the room, followed by a clatter of metal on marble. Levana laughed again, though her voice held a hint of strain. "No use trying to control me, dear niece. You're too emotionally involved. Trust me when I say this: you have to get your heart out, and your head in."

Kai strode to the edge of the room, fighting with all of his strength against the bioelectrical manipulation. It was no use. Levana had full control over his body. She could make him do anything. Anything.

The possibilities of the unthinkable raced through Kai's head. Cinder had to get out. She had to leave before Levana killed her. Before Kai killed her. "Cinder," Kai yelled, desperation leaking into his voice. "Leave! Please, get out! Get out before she makes me kill you!"

No sound of movement came from Kai's words. No sound, except for the dark evil laugh, and a terrified whimper. The sound made every ounce of Kai's being ache with regret. What had he done?