Shiyu's blue orb of light saturated the glow of Rachel's mulberry eyes. Purple and periwinkle light distorted the natural shadows as they walked through Corwood. The Engine slumbered in the sky as clouds drifted past its countless gears. A soft wind rustled the withered trees scattered across the abandoned town. Birds perched on power lines and boarded-up brick buildings.
Whispers of gossip reached Rachel's ears as her eyes glanced back at Amos and Arthur. They avoided her unnatural gaze as she lit a cigarette Elijah handed her. Rachel's mind wandered to her accident in the mines. She exhaled a cloud of smoke, struggling with the idea that she might have manipulated time.
She thought about confessing what had truly happened. The tale of her shadow moving on its own and her body convulsing on the floor. But it seemed too far-fetched, just like the concept of another Corwood. Secrets were adding up for her, mind lingering on why it was only happening to her.
"I'll be back, gotta check on something real quick," Elijah said, glancing at the cemetery in the distance.
"You alright?" Alice asked as he walked towards the graveyard.
Elijah nodded as he lit a cigarette, then took the orb of light from Shiyu. "Just give me ten minutes."
Shiyu nodded, creating another orb of light, as Elijah declined the group's company before venturing into the cemetery alone.
"Is he going where I think he is going?" Rachel asked.
Alice nodded. "Yup, he's visiting his daughter's grave."
"You think we should follow-"
Alice shook her head. "No, give him his space."
Rachel frowned as Elijah disappeared among the headstones. She rubbed her hands through her hair, then gazed up at the ENGINE before catching up with the rest of the group. Her eyes locked onto Emily as they approached the limousine. Emily seemed lost in thought, arms crossed as she stared down the country road before looking up at the sky.
"Took y'all long enough," Sarah grumbled as she leaned on her limousine. Her eyes narrowed as she noticed Rachel's mulberry eyes. "What in the Prime happened to you!?" She yelled with a raised eyebrow.
Rachel sighed and forced a thin-lipped smile. "An accident; I consumed the raw stuff," she explained as she rubbed her shoulder.
Sarah blinked heavily. "Raw ether? My dear, you should be six feet under," she cackled.
"She definitely should, but the ENGINE doesn't allow its chosen to die. Now she has glowing eyes," Shiyu explained as she approached the limousine.
"Doesn't mean there might be side effects," Amos suggested, staring at Rachel, scratching her head. He crossed his arms as he watched Shiyu lift the hood of the automobile. "It might not be just an aesthetic."
"Thanks for your concern, guys.... seriously," Rachel grumbled as she avoided everyone's gaze. "I feel fine...at least for now. Please stop looking at me like some lab rat now."
Sarah nodded as a sour expression formed on her face. She then looked at Emily, who was leaning on the guardrail. "And I will file a complaint with the ENGINE if you end up having some freak of nature powers because of this."
Rachel didn't reply, scratching her palm as Emily stared at her.
Sarah sighed, then glanced around. "Where is Elijah?"
"Not your concern," Emily grumbled, then crossed her arms.
"A quick detour," Arthur said, then gestured towards Corwood.
Sarah smiled and nodded. "I see... he's visiting his daughter's grave, and he didn't invite me. How rude," she replied as she stared down the road.
"What was his daughter's name?" Rachel asked.
"I believe her name was," Sarah replied.
"Shut your trap, bitch! If he wanted us to know, he would have told us," Emily growled.
Sarah's eyes widened as her nostrils flared. "I am so sick of you, Emily of Leonore."
"Likewise," Emily replied, her emerald eyes glaring at Sarah like lasers.
"Let's tone down the hostility, shall we?" Arthur said as he stared at Sarah and Emily. "We are a team now, and I don't see how Sarah disrespected the dead by trying to tell you his daughter's name."
"There isn't anything wrong with saying her name. What's wrong is the person saying it," Emily explained. "Everything that comes out of that bitch's mouth is hate and envy."
Sarah laughed. "If I wanted to be psychoanalyzed, I would hire a real psychiatrist. Don't believe a word this street rat says. She has no qualifications for the shit she is spouting."
"See what I mean?!"
Rachel walked towards Emily and pulled her further down the road. "Can we talk?"
Emily glanced up at Rachel. "About what?" Emily snarled.
"What is wrong with you?" Rachel asked with a raised eyebrow.
Emily rubbed her face, then shook her head.
Rachel glanced back at the group, then grabbed Emily by the hand and walked further down the road with her. "Em.... I think there is something wrong with us."
"Clearly," Emily replied.
Rachel shook her head. "No...like...how did you get into the mines?"
Emily shrugged. "Why is that important, Rache?"
Rachel sighed, then blinked. "Because I think I can manipulate time."
Emily raised an eyebrow, then crossed her arms. "What?"
Rachel licked her lips and rubbed her neck. "You do too, don't you?"
Emily rubbed her shoulder and then avoided Rachel's gaze.
"Back in Sarah's penthouse... Everyone else stayed frozen, but I didn't. Then, when I started walking towards you, everything went black, and then I was back in the hallway."
Emily shook her head and groaned. "Okay, now you're talking crazy, Rache."
"Hey, is everything okay over there?" Elijah asked as he approached the limousine and lit a cigarette.
Rachel turned her head towards him. "Yeah!" She yelled.
Elijah nodded with a raised eyebrow, then watched Shiyu fiddle with the car engine.
"You sure you're alright, Rache?" Emily asked.
"Stop gaslighting me, Emily. You can talk to me," Rachel replied.
Emily forced a smile and shook her head. Honestly, I'm completely clueless about what you mean. I don't have any powers. I am just an orphan."
Rachel shook her head. "No, Emily of Leonore... no, you are not, and everyone here sees that except for you."
Emily rubbed her face and shook her head. "Shut up."
"No, Emily, you know what? I will prove it," Rachel said as mulberry energy shot from her eyes.
Emily raised an eyebrow, her eyes dilated. "What are you doing!?"
Rachel didn't respond as mulberry flames erupted from her eyes. Emily looked around and noticed the birds were frozen mid-flight. She turned her attention toward the limousine, her eyelids drooping as the rest of the group stood still like mannequins. The air felt still as the gust of wind dissipated. Trees and grass that rustled under the wind stayed still, like a crisp, breezeless summer day.
"What did you do?" Emily asked as she stared at Shiyu and Elijah's frozen bodies on the hood of Sarah's limousine.
Rachel winced as her muscles twitched and spasmed like a whole-body charlie horse. "I froze time."
Emily blinked and then looked at her body, moving her legs and arms.
"And you seem not to be affected," Rachel insinuated.
"Why?" Emily asked as she looked up at Rachel with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't know exactly why. But you froze time back at Sarah's place, and I could move," Rachel explained.
Emily shook her head. "I don't remember that?"
Rachel sighed. "You really don't remember?"
Emily shrugged, then rubbed her palm. She then glanced up at the ENGINE. Her hands ran through her hair as her eyes dilated.
"I've been to another Corwood as well, Emily. This isn't the only world," Rachel explained as she looked down the road and then at the bent Corwood sign. "I think there is a way out of this pilgrimage."
Emily did not respond.
Rachel's eyes narrowed as she noticed an aura of mulberry started to radiate off Emily. "Em?"
"Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ!" Emily chuckled as she gazed up at the ENGINE. "Shut up!"
Rachel's eyes widened, her heart racing in her chest as a mulberry aura erupted from Emily's body.
"H̞̥͒͝A̸͉̝ͬH̡͙̔͗ͧĄ͔͐̒̾́H̒ͫA̧̦̎̀ͫȞ̰ͣ́Å͎̩̐̃H̩̗̾͋̉A̰͑̏HA͓͈̍͛̓͐A̶̜͖̥ͭ̏͢H͛AH̏À̧̡̛̯͜͜H̎́AͮH̷̢A̬Ȟ͇̀͑̿̾AH̳̽̈́́A̫!"
Emily tugged at her hair as the surrounding space distorted and glitched. She cackled at the sky as mulberry light erupted from her eyes. The birds that were once frozen flew once more. The trees rustled in the wind, and the ENGINE's eye cracked open. Rachel stepped back and turned her head towards everyone standing next to the limousine.
"Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳!" Emily laughed, her voice glitchy and distorted as if someone had edited it with a vocoder. An eerie Cheshire smile stretched across her face.
"What the fuck!?" Elijah yelled as his cigarette dropped from his mouth. He glanced at the cackling Emily as her aura spiked towards the heavens.
"Fuck!" Shiyu yelled as she stared at Rachel and Emily as the road cracked like an earthquake was happening. "Emily, stop!" She yelled as she rushed towards her.
Trees ripped from the ground, floating in the air as if gravity had just stopped working around Emily. Ink dripped from windows and crows' eyes as they flew away from the epicenter. Mulberry flames shot from Emily's eyes as the ENGINE stared down at her, its gears churning like a clock. Boulders, bricks, and asphalt ripped from the earth as Emily's aura escalated in width and height.
"Emily!?" Rachel yelled as she covered her face, as dust ripped through the air. She gripped the guardrail for support as the wind increased to deadly speeds.
"Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳Ⱨ₳!" Emily laughed, then sighed. She turned her head towards Rachel. "ⱧɆⱠ₱ ₥Ɇ...₵₳₦'₮ ₵Ø₦₮ⱤØⱠ ⱧɆⱤ," she cackled as her mulberry eyes twitched as reality-warping power spilled from her body.
"Oh, my PRIME.... the street rat is a monster!" Sarah yelled as she gripped the door handle of her limousine, as it rocked from the power emanating from Emily's body.
"₩Ⱨ₳₮ гРɎØɄ ₴₳Ɏ!?" Emily growled as she grinned at Sarah. She hunched over, gripping her head. "ł ₵₳₦'₮ ⱠɆ₮ ɎØɄ ØɄ₮!" She screamed while phantom images of her body twisted the surrounding space.
Rachel's eyes glowed mulberry as she tried to stop time, but Emily just swatted her hand at her like she was a fly. "Ɽ₳₵ⱧɆⱠ, ł ₦ɆɆĐ ₮Ø ⱠɆ₳VɆ," she whimpered as pieces of earth and dirt glitched out of existence around her. "ł ₳₥ ₴Ø ₴ØⱤⱤɎ.... ł ĐłĐ₦'₮ ⱤɆ₥Ɇ₥฿ɆⱤ.... ₴ⱧɆ ฿ɆɆ₦ ₵Ⱡ₳₩ł₦₲ Ʉ₦ĐɆⱤ ₥Ɏ ₴₭ł₦.... ₵Ⱡ₳₩ł₦₲ ₳₮ ₥Ɏ Ɽł฿₴."
"Who!?" Rachel asked as she tried to reach Emily, but the wind was too strong.
Emily growled, curdling Rachel's nervous system with impending doom. Trees, brick, and dirt floating in the air fell to the ground as Emily hunched over and sighed. Her muscles twitched as as she clawed the air, tearing a F̶͕̣̪̪͓ͩ̑̐ͧͪ̽̀̎͂͊̒͘̕͟r̮̗ͧ͋̓̽ͭ̉͢ä̸̵̛̲̫̹͉̜̖̥͙̠͚͉̳̳̭̻̬̭̟̹͓́̾̈́ͧ͊ͬͨ͌̉͒ͪ͒͛͗͒ͪͨ̌̓ͧͩc̲̭͉̝̠̥̬̳̭͖̞͖̙ͯ͂͗̂̾ͮͬ̈́̄ͥ̑̎ͬͮͭ͟͢͠ͅt̶̻͎̟͉́̏̋̋̄̍͢͞u̵̾́̋̀̚͞r̷̢̻̟̝͖̪͉͓͇͍̜͍̣͒̂̓͊̀ͮͩ͒̽̋̑̅̆͂͗ͬ̉̍̆̚̕͜͜ͅẻ̵̸̢̼͕̪͍̞͇͉̙̪̞̝ͥ̌̓̆̓͂̅̈́̋͠ in the fabric of reality. Everyone stopped moving as they glanced at Emily as she breathed deeply on the destroyed asphalt. She wiped her mouth, then stood up slowly, gazing at the rip in reality she made.
"Em?" Rachel said as the wind returned to a gentle breeze. She looked up at the ENGINE, then back at Emily, who had an ominous intensity in her eyes.
"ɎɆ₴?" Emily flatly asked as she stood with a stoic expression.
"What are you?"
Emily did not respond.
"You're not alone, Emily... we don't have to play the ENGINE's game anymore," Rachel said as she walked towards Emily.
"₮Ⱨł₴ Ⱨ₳₴ ₦Ø₮Ⱨł₦₲ ₮Ø ĐØ ₩ł₮Ⱨ ₮ⱧɆ Ɇ₦₲ł₦Ɇ," Emily declared as she looked up at the mechanical god in the sky.
"You fucking monster!" Sarah yelled. "I knew it...you ain't just some orphan."
Emily turned her head towards Sarah, then looked back at Rachel. "ɆӾ₵Ʉ₴Ɇ ₥Ɇ ₣ØⱤ ₳ ₥Ø₥Ɇ₦₮," she flatly said to Rachel before slowly walking towards Sarah.
"Hey... what are you doing?" Sarah muttered as she watched Emily slowly walk to her. "Keep the fuck away from me, you freak!"
"ɎØɄ ₵₳ⱠⱠɆĐ ₥Ɇ ₴₮ⱤɆɆ₮ Ɽ₳₮... ₵₳ⱠⱠɆĐ ₥Ɇ ₴₵Ʉ₥," Emily said as she stared a hole through Sarah.
"Emily, stop!" Rachel yelled. "If you hurt her."
"Yeah, if you hurt me, it's game over for you... fucking freak!" Sarah whimpered while Emily tossed the limousine as if it were made of paper. "
"₮ⱧɆ Ɇ₦₲ł₦Ɇ ⱤɄⱠɆ₴ ₳₱₱ⱠɎ ₮Ø ɎØɄ ₦Ø₮ ₥Ɇ," Emily declared as she kneeled next to Sarah, her eyes glowing violently as she grinned. "₣Ʉ₵₭ł₦₲ ₱₳Ɽ₳₴ł₮Ɇ," she growled as she grabbed Sarah by the throat and lifted her with one hand.
Everyone glanced up at the ENGINE with wide eyes, shocked that nothing happened as Emily physically assaulted a chosen.
"Please...don't. I'm sorry," Sarah choked as Emily's grip tightened around her throat.
"₩ⱤØ₦₲ ₳₦₴₩ɆⱤ," Emily cackled as she punched Sarah in the gut. "₮ⱤɎ ₳₲₳ł₦?"
"Emily, stop!" Rachel yelled as Emily started to slam Sarah into the dirt.
Emily turned her head towards Rachel. A frown formed on her face as she looked at her mortified expression.
"₣ł₦Ɇ," she grumbled as she tossed Sarah back onto the road like an unwanted burger wrapper.
"ł ₦ɆɆĐ ₮Ø ₲Ø," Emily said as tears trickled down her face. She pulled at her hair and let out a deep, guttural sigh. Her voice returned to normal as she stared at her hands with wild eyes.
Emily's eyes lit up in mulberry light as she walked towards the rip in reality. "Please don't come looking for me," she cried as she stepped through the breach.
Rachel's eyelids fell as the portal closed. Her heart sank as she looked up at the ENGINE and then at the destruction that was left in Emily's wake. A creeping melancholy mixed with existential dread crawled down her spine like a thousand tiny centipede legs. She collapsed to the ground as she stared into the horrified eyes of Sarah.
The world, reality, and the pilgrimage rules collapsed around Rachel as she thought this was all her fault. A frown formed on her face as she watched Elijah light a cigarette as he gazed up at the ENGINE. Rachel glanced up at it as well, realizing the ENGINE'S rules are selective.