The Last World

The year is 3081. Most planets are dead and creatures from all over the galaxy have come to make home in a Rogue planet named the Last World, which is almost exactly what it is. Inspiration from Radioactive by Imagine Dragons (I recommend listening to it in the background). o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o   I called into the abyss. All I heard in return was my own echo, calling back to me. I called louder, but, again, the only response was my own voice. Hot tears streamed down my face as I stared into the bottomless pit that was the doom of my family. My mother, my father, my little sister, all swallowed by the hole that opened beneath our feet. The last thing I heard of their voices was their terrified screams as they fell into the darkness. This wasn't the first time someone was taken by the crazy natural phenomena that had recently plagued the Last World. Volcanos, earthquakes, tsunamis, whirlpools, forest fires, sinkholes. All had taken the lives of innocent people. I had merely escaped seven already, and this sinkhole was my eighth. But this had gone too far. Taking my family? This was the last straw. I wiped the tears from my face and stood up. I winced as I did; I had broken my leg three days ago and couldn't get to Mainland in time. I had lost my first one when the craziness began, and an earthquake knocked a powerline onto my leg, amputating it instantly. Now, I had to walk on a broken leg and a fake one I made from metal scraps from the Dumping Hills. I could make anything from scraps, probably because I was born and raised in Dumping Hills with my parents and little sister, Ecaep. Not that I'll ever see them again- o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o "This can't possibly go on forever, can it?" Rorret asked the other Last World leaders. "I mean, it's been twelve years. Shouldn't the World be calmer now?" Evigrof, the highest leader, slammed his fists into the table they sat around. "There ain't no stoppin' it. It's all goin' to hell!" "We were all headed there, anyway," a voice said monotonously from the door way. Everyone turned to look at the melancholy figure that leaned against the crooked frame. "Well, if it isn't Nemod Thear," Etaerc said, staring the young man in the eyes. "It's just Nemod now. My family were swallowed by an abyss that opened right below our feet." Nemod sat in a chair and sighed. "I couldn't save them in time." Rorret came over to the boy and placed her hands on his shoulders. "I'm sorry, Nemod, but there must be something else for barging in on a meeting." Nemod looked into the leader's eyes. "Yes." He looked around to make sure he had all fourteen leaders' attention. "I would like to start an escapade into the heart of the Last World." The leaders looked at him with eyes wide. "Why would anyone wanna go and do somethin' stupid like that?" Evigrof asked. "He has a point, Evigrof. We could see what was going on from the heart." Rorret thought for a moment. "Whatever has plagued our planet should be there. That's what you mean, right, Nemod?" Nemod nodded. "I could gather a group of people willing, and we could start at the Drilling Hole and drill father down." "Who would be willing to go to the heart with you, Nemod?" Yortsed said, pointing at Nemod with his half-finger. "You've been said to have started this whole thing. Especially because you've been at the sites of seven different phenomena and not been killed by a single one. Plus, your name doesn't help much." Nemod sighed. "For once, I'm not the problem at hand, Yortsed. I want to get to the bottom of this and save one of the last planets we've got." He looked up and closed his eyes. "And my name was a mistake, I'm aware of that." "I think we should give him grant." Rorret said. Yortsed shook his head, but she continued. "He has a plan, and it could save the lives of the trillions of people that live on the Last World, and would make sure that we wouldn't have to take leave to yet another world." "I'm not going to give him grant," Evigrof said. "Only if most of the leaders agree with his plan can Nemod make his journey to the heart." "I agree with Nemod!" Rorret said, standing on her chair. Etaerc shook his head, but joined Rorret anyway. "I agree with Rorret." He looked to Nemod. "But not with the boy." Yortsed stayed sitting. Teiuq, a most beautiful leader, stood up. "I agree with Nemod," was all that she said before returning to her mental, and physical, state of silence. Layol, a leader who spoke with authority yet didn't want to barge in on the matter, stood up. "Nemod's plan is a smart one. I agree." Lufhtiaf, a leader almost as beautiful as Teiuq, stood. "I agree with Nemod." Yojne, the newest leader from a planet that had recently died, shakily stood. "I agree." Tcepser, a leader true of his word, laughed and joined. "I do agree with this Nemod." Tnegilletni, the smartest leader, thought for a moment. "As long as it's not my life you will take with this escapade," he said. "Then I shall agree." Yldneirf, a kind leader, stood and laughed, saying, "I agree, I agree!" Seoche, one of the older leaders, didn't stand but agreed. Regna, a leader with an indescribable temper, growled. "I agree. But only because Yortsed does not." Noitcif, an odd leader, stood. "As the final one to vote, I agree." Rorret grasped Nemod's shoulders and smiled. "Evigrof, the majority agreed. Nemod is given grant to begin his escapade to the heart of the Last World!" o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o   Everything was dark. I tried to speak but nothing left my mouth. I couldn't hear a thing. I reached out but I couldn't feel anything. I began walking. The ground beneath me seemed almost ghostly. I knew it was there, because I wasn't falling, but I couldn't feel it. I called, but, still, nothing. Everything was dark. o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o   Nemod thanked the leaders and limped out of the Meeting Place. He began walking towards Dumping Hills, but stopped as he remembered that he couldn't go there anymore. He had no home without his family. He was no longer a Thear, so he couldn't live in Thear territory. No one else would take him in. Nemod knew that without asking. No one trusted him. Yortsed was right, and was probably right about no one wanting to travel to the heart with him, even if it was to save the Last World. He thought about where to go. He stood near the Meeting Place, barely fifty paces from it, but he just left and it would be rude to interrupt the leaders again. Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming behind him. "Nemod, wait!" Rorret called. Nemod turned to see the she-leader running towards him, with her long orange hair swinging behind her. She breathed hard as she approached. "Rorret?" Nemod asked. "What is it?" "I would like to be apart of your team," she said. "I've been wanting to leave the Mainland for years, and I want to get to the bottom of this more than anyone." Nemod couldn't help but smile. "Are you sure?" Rorret grasped Nemod's hand. "Positive." 0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0 I began running. I tried to call for help, but my voice disappeared before it reached my mouth. The entire place was pitch-black. No one was around. I began running. o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o   Rorret stood before the Last World people on the Mainland. The creatures of planets from around the galaxy, all gathered on this one planet because of disasters that were beginning to show on the Last World. Barely any creatures looked human. There were some that looked as if they were horses with the faces of people. Some were gelatinous and without form. Some shone bright; these were the creatures that acted like the sun for this sunless Rogue planet, and Rorret was one of their kind. "All those of the Last World!" Rorret called. "Today, the other thirteen leaders and I made a decision. We will send a group of creatures willing to the heart." Gasps echoed throughout the Mainland. "The heart? For what?" called a citizen from the midst of the crowd. "To see what has plagued our world with these disasters!" Rorret called. "All those willing, please come to the Meeting Place. Only those who are strong, brave, and trustworthy shall be sent." "Will we be evaluated by the leaders?" called another citizen. Rorret shook her head, and motioned for Nemod to stand with her. "You shall be evaluated by Nemod." A loud booing sound came from the crowd, and the other citizens joined. "Nemod is the one who started it!" "It's his fault!" "His name proves it all!" Nemod backed up and looked at the ground. He knew his name was a mistake. And now that he had no family, he had no last name to give him credit. He was an outcast to begin with, and now he was shunned throughout the Last World. "Silence!" Rorret called. "There is nothing wrong with Nemod! He is a kind, and smart, man! He will lead the escapade himself, and anyone who doesn't agree can go back into whatever hole they crawled out of!" The crowd went silent. Rorret, a leader best known for her terrifying outbursts, took a deep breath. "I shall say it once more. If you are willing, go to the Meeting Place. That's all." o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o   Where am I? I asked the question to myself a million times. As I walked, I felt myself being drawn towards a certain direction. Suddenly, I saw a burning white light shine from the distance. Where am I? o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o   Nemod looked around the enchantingly beautiful room. It had a hanging light made from scraps, yet it look amazing. Rorret's room on the Mainland was absolutely better than Nemod's on the Dumping Hills. It had a bed from her grandparent's home planet, the one she descended from, and it shone like a star. The first knock came, and Rorret opened the door. There stood a beautiful creature, tall and thin. The creature seemed semi-human, minus the fact that it had an arm coming from it's back like a tail. "I am Nmutua," the creature said in a most beautiful voice as it bowed. "I am descended from the planet Opioni." Rorret smiled. "The same planet Teiuq came from. I see." "Do you think you're capable of travelling to the heart? You're quite thin, ma'am." Nemod said. "I am quite clearly male," Nmutua growled. He flicked his tail-like arm. "Only males from Opioni have these." Nemod blushed and looked at his feet. "I apologize. What qualities do you posses that could help us in our escapade?" Nmutua nodded and jumped, landing upside-down on the ceiling, crawling across it until he was above Rorret. He gripped the ceiling with his third arm and hung by it, placing a gentle kiss on Rorret's cheek before scurrying back to his original position. Nemod felt his skin burn. "That isn't very helpful." Rorret laughed. "It's quite amusing, though!" Nemod shook his head. "You aren't right for this mission. Send in the next." Nmutua breathed heavily through his nose. "Jealous, I see? Hmm. We'll fix that up soon enough." He opened the door and leaped out, letting in a creature that looked almost precisely like a large rock. "I, Wollip, descend from Crumblion," he seemed to say, though his mouth, or what looked like his mouth, never moved. Rorret looked him over with a smile. "Oh, how wonderful!" She turned to Nemod and whispered, "All those from Crumblion are male." Nemod nodded. "What can you do that can help us to the heart?" Wollip shifted around to have a more humanoid form. "I, strong, can destroy buildings if I want." Nemod smiled and approached the Crumblion creature. "Wollip, how strong are you, really and truly?" Wollip laughed and lifted Nemod with ease, then threw him across the room and into Rorret's lap. Nemod blinked as he looked at Rorret, who stared right back at him. "Wollip- Wollip, you're in!" Nemod said, jumping off of Rorret. He let Wollip come in, and he became his rock-like form, sitting against the wall, and sounding as if he were snoring. o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o   I walked closer. The light grew brighter as I did. As I approached, I could see that it was a door. It seemed to call me. I walked closer. o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o   Nemod yawned. At least thirty creatures had come through Rorret's door, and only Wollip fit the bill. "Next!" Nemod called. The door slammed open, and in flipped a feminine, bird-like, humanoid creature, calling and whistling. "I am Imanust, descended from Warrias!" the creature called. Rorret whispered to Nemod, "Female, notice the feathers on her shoulders." "What can you do to help us on the mission?" Nemod asked. Imanust whistled loudly, and pulled a spear from a band wrapped around her leg. She swung the spear around her head, then threw it at the slumbering Wollip. The spear shattered upon impact, and Wollip yawned, shifting into his humanoid form. Imanust laughed heartily. "I apologize, for you are Crumblian!" Wollip laughed as well. "Yes, I, Crumblian! You are Warrius!" Imanust grabbed the shattered pieces of her spear, and they connected back together. Nemod nodded. "That's better than everyone else that has tried to join. You're in, Imanust." o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o I gasped as I entered the door. It lead to a bright white room. Suddenly, I heard a booming voice, calling me by name. The voice seemed all too familiar, yet I couldn't trace it. It was on the tip of my tongue. It sat away in a corner. I knew not who was behind the voice. And then, I knew. I gasped as I entered the door. o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o No one else that came through Rorret's door was good enough for the escapade. Nemod groaned as he hid his face in his hands. They would have to travel to the heart with only four people in their group. Nemod, Rorret, Wollip, and Imanust were the only ones capable. Any other leader would be perfect, but he was sure that none would travel with one of his name. Another knock came as the door opened. Etaerc stood there, his serious face staring deep into Nemod's soul. "Etaerc? What are you doing here?" Rorret asked. "Rorret, are you going with the boy?" Etaerc crossed his arms. Rorret stood. "Yes, I am." She looked to Nemod, then back to her fellow leader. "Are you?" Etaerc let out a deep breath through his nostrils, blowing his bangs up. "To make sure he doesn't harm you." "What could I possibly do?" Nemod asked. Etaerc stepped towards him. "You tell me. Your name proves you could very well end up killing everyone who joins you." Nemod gulped. Of course Etaerc hated him. Everyone did. o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o   I felt a smile spread across my face. The voice sounded like my father's. He was calling out to me. I suddenly saw it. A world before I entered this room. I ran to my father. I felt a smile spread across my face. o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o   Imanust was definitely the most energetic of the group. She constantly flipped and whistled, throwing her javelin into trees and rocks and bringing it back to her. Wollip was the quietest. He rarely spoke, and when he did, it was in his broken Lastworldish. Rorret was the most confident. She was determined to save the Last World. Etaerc was the least cooperative. He took orders from only himself, and didn't let Nemod look at him without reminding him of his name. Nemod was the leader. Rorret told him so, as he came up with the idea. He didn't like the idea. Etaerc already was unsteady about him. Now, Nemod lead not only a team, but half of the team was made of leaders. Thinking of his power, he felt his fingers tingle. He could bring them to the heart to stop the happenings. He would be a hero. Or, you could stop right now. You could stop thinking of heroism and show what you can really do. You can kill them all. Take leadership in replacement of the two lost leaders. Nemod listened to his conscience. He could very well kill them. He shook his head. What was he thinking? He couldn't help thinking these things. Being cursed with a name like Nemod made him terribly prone to thoughts like this. Deep down, he knew he was exactly what his name said he was. A demon. o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o My father looked at me with eyes aglow. I smiled as he embraced me. He spoke to me, though I couldn't hear his words. I felt his essence. Hisself. My father looked at me with eyes aglow. o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o "Nemod, are you ready?" Rorret asked. It was early morning; Nemod had stayed in the Meeting Place overnight, because he couldn't walk to the Dumping Hills on his own. His leg wasn't even closed to healed last night. But now, Nemod looked at his leg. Opposite his amputated one, the one broken only days before, was now healed. It was his inner demon, he realized, trying to prove how it can be good to be bad. There are plenty of pros. Almost-instant healing was one, apparently. "Nemod?" Rorret repeated. Nemod looked up, shaking off his worried aura. The glowing leader looked at him. Nemod adored her eyes. They were quite mesmerizing. "Yes, yes I'm ready," he smiled. Wollip and Imanust were in their own rooms in the Meeting Place. They would be ready as soon as possible. Etaerc was probably regretting his decision to come. He hated Nemod; he knew of his demonic soul. In fact, everyone did. It was his name. He might as well have been born with a pitchfork ironed on his forehead. He didn't want to be this way. He didn't want to be a demon. He wanted to be normal; that is, as normal as you can be in a planet overpopulated with creatures from around the galaxy.  But his inner demon was a part of him. Forever and ever. Until the end of time. o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o   I gasped when I realized what happened. My father slowly dispersed into thin air, a silent calmness about him. I grabbed at him but he flew through my fingers. My tears stained my face. He was gone. I gasped when I realized what happened. o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o00o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o