Hidden Core

While she was distracted with the movie I focused on trying to collect natural energy from the elements around me. This was a technique I learned from my mom when I was a child. She said that everything in life has energy. From the plants to the water and even the sunlight. Not many beings have the ability to master this technique. My mother's family were part fae and this was an everyday practice for them. It was how they ran their villages back in the days when they were all still alive. The King hunted them down and killed the ones who wouldn't bow to him while enslaving the rest. Forcing them to work until they died. All because the King hated my mother and father. So anyone associated with them was treated the same. Rumors say that a handful of them survived and are now hiding deep underground. But no one has any proof that the rumors are true. As far as I know it, I'm the last surviving member of our lineage.

The newly fresh energy flowed throughout my body. I meditated and focused on centering the gathered energy towards my wound. I could feel the bleeding stop as the gash in my side began to close. I looked at my hands as they radiated with natural energy. I was able to gather enough to work on making a protective barrier that covers the house and cloaks my presence. At least this way Blyne won't be able to find me.

I chanted incantations while writing the spell with the glowing tips of my fingers.

"Kai, what you doing?" I felt Ben sit on the bed.

"Trying to make sure we stay alive."

"Can you teach me that too?" She bounced around.

"No."

"Aw, why not?"

"Because you're a human, idiot. You can't do it." I brushed her off.

"No, I can. I can do it!"

"It would be a waste of time. You don't have a core to perform magic spells because you're a fucking

human."

"And how do you know I don't? Have you checked?"

I was seconds away from smacking a child.

"Shut up I'm trying to concentrate." I closed my eyes setting the spell in place.

"No check me. I wanna do magic too."

I'm gonna kill her.

"If I do, will you leave me alone?"

"Maybe." The rat shrugged.

"What if I said it'll hurt? That it'll feel like you're being ripped apart from the inside out. You still up for it?" I smirked at her.

She quietly sat there thinking it over.

"Yes. I can handle it."

I sighed getting defeated by a child. I'm socially exhausted.

"Fine. Close your eyes and turn your back towards me."

"Okay!" She sat up straight.

Peering into someone and looking at their core is simple and doesn't require much energy, but there is no use doing it to her. She's human. In this realm, all the beings are born coreless. Without a core, they possess no power. Unlike demons and other beings from my realm, we all naturally have one. A core is like a generator. It holds all the power for the user. And like any generator, it needs a little spark in order to work. Which is why we cast spells and incantations from time to time. Unless it's a power that comes naturally to the user.

I blew on my hand causing a small sigil to lit up on my palm as I placed it in the center of her back. With this, I'll be able to see inside her. Just doing whatever to get this little rat off my back. I figured while I was snooping around inside her soul, I might as well see what demons she's got hidden in here. And to be honest I had my own motives for agreeing to this. Since I first met her, I've had this strong suspicion that this little rat was the reincarnation of her. As I roamed around inside this rat's soul I mainly saw memories of her mother and brother. Nothing really all that special, but it was not what I was looking for. I needed to dig deeper because if Ben is the reincarnation of her there has to be some remnants of her past life still in here. I just need to find it. So I wandered further in, following a glint that faintly flickered in the dark. I was able to get closer to it. Then a sudden surge came through and singed my palm.

"What the hell?" I looked at the burn forming on my hand.

"What? What's happening?"

"Stay quiet." I placed my hand on her back again, this time feeling more determined than before.

I could feel an intense aura lurking deep within this girl's soul. Right in front of me was a tightly packed ball of energy and it was immense. I have never seen one this size before. It twisted with black and red. This isn't from her. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. She has a core and it is carrying something dangerous. The energy felt old. Like it's been around for millenniums. But what was weird, was the fact that the dark energy inside her didn't belong to her.

When a demon or magical being is born, our core controls our energy and each person has a unique one. Now I know this girl is human and the core that was planted inside her is someone else's. Someone who far surpasses me and dare I say Blyne. But who would do this? Who would entrust this kind of power to a human child?

I pushed deeper to get closer to the core to analyze it. I could see it within reach. Right before I could touch it, a hand sprang out, gripping at my neck. The hand was small but strong. I couldn't move out of its grasp. The blood rushed to my head as my lungs begged for air.

"Be careful when touching other people's things." A sultry woman's voice whispered to me before expelling me out of Ben.

I gasped moving away from her.

"Kai?" She looked at me tilting her head.

My neck felt like it was on fire. There were so many questions I needed answered.

Who the hell was that?

"Kai?"

"As I said, there wasn't anything there. Get off the bed. I'm going to sleep so don't bother me for a while."

"Okay." She sighed swinging her head low as she sat on the floor.

Maybe staying here isn't such a good idea.