Silence lingered in the ballroom like a dense fog blanketing a city. Sarah put down her violin as she stared at nobles and chosen, bewildered expressions. She ran her hands through her pink hair as she stepped down from the stage. A smirk crossed her face as her eyes as she took a bow that was met with no applause. Her eyes drifted towards Elijah, who gestured at the brown mask Diego was wearing. Rachel caught her attention, pointing at Rusev, who was creeping towards the entrance. Alice walked towards the door, standing guard as she glared at Rusev.
Elijah lit a cigarette as Lex, Sylas, and Rachel's mother stood up from their chairs.
"Who are you?" Lex asked with narrow eyes as Emily put down her cello.
Emily snapped her fingers, and the white mask materialized on her face once more. Sarah rubbed her face as her pink mask returned once more. She then looked at Elijah, Rachel, and Alice as their chosen masks formed on the right side of their face. Sylas rubbed his violet mask with wide eyes as he watched Emily step down from the stage.
"Smoke and mirrors," Sylas muttered as his eyes drifted towards Sarah. "Whose chosen power was this?"
Sarah chuckled. "You think this was smoke and mirrors? The only thing that was smoke and mirrors was our outfits."
"Speaking of outfits," Emily said, her eyes glazing over to an eerie mulberry color.
The pink in her dress evaporated into black and mulberry ink. The onyx and silver gemstones gleamed with mulberry, while the pink highlights in her hair faded to mulberry highlights. A gothic ruffled choker collar with harness straps materialized around Emily's neck. The tiny mulberry gems woven into the fabric glistened underneath the chandelier light.
"Fucking pink," Emily grumbled, then smiled as she admired her new color scheme. "Much better."
"Kind of shocked you just didn't throw that dirty ass hoodie back on," Sarah jested.
Emily shrugged. "Rachel prefers this over the hoodie."
"Enough!" Rachel's mother yelled as she slammed her hands on the banquet table. "You violate!"
"Shut the fuck up," Emily yelled as she glared at Rachel's mom.
Rachel's mom's eyes widened as she lost her voice. She looked at Emily with wild eyes as her nostrils flared. Sylas's eyes narrowed as he watched his mother's lips move with no voice. He turned his gaze toward Emily as she chuckled at his mother.
"You are Emily of Leonore!?" Sylas asked. "What did you do to my mother?"
"I shut her up," Emily replied as she grabbed his chair. "Take a seat."
Sylas's nostrils flared as he stared at Emily with predator focus.
"Take a seat, or I will make you take a seat," Emily ordered as she stared him dead in the eye.
"You can't make me do anything. I am chosen," Sylas replied.
"Ah shit," Elijah muttered to himself as he smoked. "Time to go," he said as he gestured at Rachel and Alice.
Alice nodded, then looked at Sarah, who was chuckling as she watched Emily slap Sylas, then pushed him into the chair.
Sylas's eyes widened as he rubbed his cheek. "You should be hollow...how are you not a hollow!?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Sarah cackled.
"Ask Sarah for the specifics," Emily replied, then looked at Amos, Arthur, and Rusev. "Come over here."
"It was all Lex's idea, Emily!" Rusev yelled. "I had no idea what you were."
Emily slowly blinked, then grabbed a chair. "Come over here."
Rusev sighed as he stared at the chair, then slowly walked over to it and sat down. Emily grabbed two more chairs and then looked at Amos and Arthur.
"We will not. Kill us if you must," Amos replied with a straight face.
Emily rolled her eyes, then levitated them both and forced them into the chairs. She then looked at Elijah, Sarah, Alice, and Rachel. "Y'all can go. I will make sure they don't follow."
"Can I stay? I want to see this," Sarah asked as she circled Amos and Arthur. "You bet on the wrong horse...sucks to be you."
"I do not regret my decision," Amos muttered with no fear in his eyes.
"Oh, but you will," Sarah mocked.
"Sarah, we're leaving, let's go!" Rachel yelled as she stood next to the entrance with Diego, who was following her.
"Come on, let me stay, Emily," Sarah pleaded once more.
Emily sighed. "No."
"Fine, but I am doing this first," Sarah groaned, then walked towards Lex. She slapped him across the cheek. "Fucking creep!" She yelled and then slapped him again. "Hope Emily rips out your eyes."
Lex snarled as she got up from his chair. Emily grabbed his arm, then broke it before throwing him back down into the chair. Nobles recoiled as Lex screamed as his right arm dangled like a spaghetti noodle. Sarah laughed, then waved at Lex before walking towards Rachel and company.
"Don't let them leave!" Sylas yelled at the other chosen in the ballroom.
Elijah grumbled as nobles and chosen eyes drifted towards him. He dropped his cigarette as the smoke started to fill the ballroom. The smoke was so dense that nobody could see an inch in front of their face. Aristocrats started to choke as their vision was blocked out by noxious cigarette smoke.
"Grab on," Rachel coughed through the smoke as everyone grabbed her shoulders.
Rachel's eyes glowed as she opened the door. Oil and acrylic paintings hung on white painted sandstone walls as she portled back to her home. Marble floors glistened underneath the recessed ceiling lights. Golden-tinted wall scones and LED lights aligned designer vanity mirrors. Daffodils, lilacs, and forget-me-nots sat in silver flower vases. Baroque military music played on a music box sitting on a vanity counter.
Sarah coughed as the smoke from Elijah's chosen powers followed through the door. She slammed it shut just as everyone was inside Rachel's bathroom. "Your power stinks, Elijah," she mocked as she waved her hand through the smoke.
"Yeah, well, I didn't get to pick," Elijah replied as he lit a cigarette. "Everybody here?"
"Except for Emily," Alice replied as she crossed her arms. "You think she's going to kill them?"
Rachel shook her head as she grabbed a cigarette from Elijah. "No, terrify... absolutely."
"How did you do that?" Diego asked as he examined the door.
"Long story," Rachel replied as she lit her cigarette. "Don't worry about the specifics."
"So now what?" Sarah asked as she fixed her hair in the vanity mirror.
"We wait for Em and then head to the Mage and Conduit Academy," Alice explained as she crossed her arms.
Sarah rolled her eyes. "I don't see why we need to," she said. "It's not like they can stop Emily....so what's the point?"
Her eyes dilated as the lights flickered in Rachel's bathroom.
"₮Ⱨ₳₮'₴ ฿Ɇ₵₳Ʉ₴Ɇ ₮ⱧɆ ₱łⱠ₲Ɽł₥₳₲Ɇ ł₴ ₴₮łⱠⱠ ₲Øł₦₲ ₮Ø Ⱨ₳₱₱Ɇ₦."
Sarah slowly closed her eyes and swallowed. She sighed, then recoiled as Emily started to crawl out of the mirror in front of her. "Fucking stop doing that!" She screamed as she fell on her ass, then crawled to the other side of the bathroom.
"Emily," Rachel muttered as Emily looked at Sarah curled up on the floor.
"Yes?" Emily replied as she turned her head towards Rachel.
"Can you stop being fucking creepy?" Rachel replied, then pointed at Diego, who was hiding in the shower.
Emily rolled her eyes. "Whatever."
"What did you do with Lex and company?" Elijah asked.
Emily shrugged. "Nothing."
"Really?" Alice asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yup, got distracted by the smoke," Emily replied. "Now I smell like cigarettes."
Nobody replied, staring at Emily with various levels of bewilderment.
"So what's next?" Emily asked, unbothered by everybody's confusion.
"Well, first I got to ask what you mean by the pilgrimage is still happening?" Rachel asked as she crossed her arms.
"It's still happening because I don't want to be PRIME."
"I'm sorry, what?" Alice replied with a raised eyebrow. "You can't just opt out of what you are."
"I can actually," Emily replied, then sighed. "I have no interest in taking the throne; one of y'all can take the job."
"Why wouldn't you want the throne?" Rachel asked.
"Because it's lonely."
"I don't understand."
"You are not supposed to understand."
"So if your lonley, just come visit then?" Elijah suggested.
"It doesn't work that way, sourpuss."
"Is that why no PRIME ever visited after becoming PRIME?" Alice asked.
"Yes, because the gap is too vast. PRIME can't just hang out with mortals without breaking them."
"I don't see the issue. Why would you want to hang out with mortals anyway when you are a divine?" Sarah asked as she stood up.
"Being a god is not what it's cracked up to be," Emily replied, then looked at Rachel. "You know things they don't, and you can't even tell them without it frying their brains."
Rachel's eyes lowered as she rubbed her shoulders.
"You talking about Rachel's Mulberry eyes, right. They light up just like yours, but she can't turn them off," Alice said.
"That's partially what she is talking about," Rachel suggested as she crossed her arms.
"So, like you know some occult level stuff no mortal is supposed to know. Is that what I am hearing?" Sarah asked.
Rachel nodded. "Yup, and she's right. If I did tell you what I know...it would change everything you know about anything."
"So you're keeping secrets to protect us?" Elijah asked.
"We both are," Emily said, then crossed her arms.
"I never wanted to be chosen," Diego said as he stepped out of the shower. "I was happy with my life. I don't want to be PRIME. Can you please take this mask and let me go back to my family?"
"Sure, under one condition," Emily replied.
"Name your price," Diego asked. "I will do anything to get rid of this cursed fate."
"Just tell us everything you know about Lex and company."
"That's it? I was going to do that anyway."
Emily smiled. "That's it."
"You sure?"
Emily nodded. "Yup."
Tears trickled down Diego's cheeks as a smile formed on his face. "Gracious Emily. Ever since I got this mask, all I could see was my death. I am no fighter...I am just an electrician. My sister raises our nieces and nephews by herself, and my job paid well enough to let me help her out."
A tear trickled down Emily's cheek as she listened to Diego's story.
"When the ENGINE marked me as chosen. I didn't know what to do. I joined up with Lex in hopes of surviving long enough to find a way out or something. Now that I know even if I did become PRIME, I wouldn't even be able to visit my family anyway."
"Well, now you don't have to worry about that anymore. You can be with your family again," Emily said, her voice cracked with despair and melancholy.
"At least you can," Emily whispered to herself.