"If they want war over hope… we'll give them a revolution."
Far from Brimvale, torchlight danced across stained-glass windows in the throne room of Velgarde.
King Orvain IV paced slowly across the marble floor. His rusted iron crown sat heavy atop a twisted metal throne. He looked like a man carved from stone—weathered, immovable, furious.
"This… Zayden Core," he growled, "feeds my people, cures my sick, sings to my streets—as if he is the crown."
Lady Serrin stepped forward from the court, her robes trailing like whispers.
"Your Highness, his influence now reaches beyond Brimvale. Seventeen towns have adopted his CoreMed and CoreFood systems. His anthem echoes in every tavern from here to the marshlands."
Prince Thalon stood at his father's side, lips curled.
"We tried to end him. He's still standing."
The king raised one hand. Rings clicked against each other.
"Then he shall fall by law."
He turned to his scribe.
"Issue the Royal Edict. From this day forward, any citizen found aiding Core Enterprise is guilty of high treason."
A collective gasp rippled through the court.
"Burn his banners. Seize his assets. And summon the Crimson Order."
—
In Brimvale, Core Enterprise thrived.
CoreCarts glided down stone roads, delivering meals. CoreMed healed the ill, saved newborns. CoreBeats dropped their second mixtape to cheering crowds. Villagers danced to music powered by solar tiles and sub-woofers disguised as crates.
Then the sky turned red.
Outpost #4 burst into flame.
Screams echoed through the square. Villagers ran. Core banners fluttered in smoke.
Out of the fire charged the Crimson Order—the king's personal strike unit—draped in red armor, mounted on scaled war-beasts, wielding anti-tech blades forged to shatter drones and dreams alike.
A captain shouted over the chaos.
"By Royal Decree—Core Enterprise is hereby outlawed!"
Zayden sprinted up the control tower stairs, voice sharp.
"Activate Defenders. Non-lethal only. We don't kill. We build."
M.A.I.A. responded instantly.
"Deploying Guardian-Class Drone Units. Shields at eighty percent. EMP towers online."
Sir Garrick met the front line, his magnetized battle-axe crackling with force.
"They want a storm?" he roared. "Let's thunder louder!"
Juno launched arrows tipped with tranquilizer mist. G-Rock spun into the fray, blasting low-frequency bass waves that knocked helmets clear off enemy skulls.
But the Crimson Order didn't falter. They kept advancing, one formation after another.
Zayden stood at the highest balcony, watching his dreams ignite in smoke.
"They're forcing our hand," he muttered.
M.A.I.A. pulsed in his ear.
"Then let's change the game."
—
The battlefield quieted just before dusk.
A mechanical screech pierced the silence.
Something flew in from the north—sleek, metallic, shaped like a bird of war. A mechanical hawk the size of a wolf landed in the square.
Atop it sat a woman in flowing robes stitched with armor and tech. Her tattoos shimmered like data. Her eyes scanned like lenses.
She dismounted.
"Zayden Core," she said. "We heard your song in the mountains. Saw your light through the blizzards. My Citadel wants in."
Zayden stepped forward, wary.
"You have tech?"
"Older than yours. Forbidden tech. Lost to the kingdoms."
She opened her palm. A glowing cube pulsed blue.
M.A.I.A. stuttered.
"Core Signature Detected: Nova-Drive Relic. Generation Zero."
Lyra Noventis smiled.
"This can power a city for a century. Or wipe a kingdom from the map."
G-Rock cleared his throat.
"Okay… so we're working with mad geniuses now. I love it."
—
That night, inside the Core command hall, Zayden gathered his closest allies.
Sir Garrick, the Shield.
G-Rock, the Voice.
Juno, the Eye.
Lady Miren, the Heart.
Lyra, the Spark.
A glowing war map hovered over the table, showing Velgarde and its neighboring territories.
Zayden's finger traced the borders of their world.
"The king has declared war. That means he's afraid."
He looked up at the others.
"But we don't burn cities. We don't raise swords. We offer better choices."
Lyra leaned in. "Choices backed with power."
Zayden unrolled a set of blueprints—sleek towers, solar farms, aerial transit paths.
"We begin building the first CoreCity. No kings. No borders. A sanctuary of progress."
G-Rock laughed, eyes alight.
"And we'll make it sing so loud the world listens."
—
Across the kingdoms, screens flickered to life.
In dusty taverns. In secret basements. Even within noble halls.
Zayden's hologram appeared.
He stood tall in a clean suit. Bandages visible on his shoulder. Calm. Measured.
"To the rulers who fear me: I understand. Change is terrifying."
He took a step closer to the camera.
"But I didn't come here to be a king. I came to be a builder. You can outlaw my name. Burn my flags. Send assassins."
He narrowed his gaze.
"But you cannot stop a future whose time has come."
He smiled once.
"This enterprise… is just beginning."
The screen cut to black.
And somewhere, in the silent throne room of Velgarde…
King Orvain shattered his scepter against the floor.
---
📘 END OF CHAPTER 7
Next up:Chapter 8 – "The CoreCity Blueprint" 🟦