The Victorian architecture and cobblestone streets of Leonore rumble as the ENGINE started to wake. Cherry blossom trees swayed as consistent sonic booms ripped through the sky. Elijah's chest rumbled with each thunderous clap of bass as he shifted through an alleyway. He glanced back at Shiyu, who was just behind him, before turning his eyes toward the sky. Mulberry light pulsed as its endless mechanical gears turned.
"Every hundred years, we gather."
"Every hundred years, we sing."
"Watch the Engine choose tomorrow."
"See what new age it will bring," the citizens sang as they started to kneel.
"Think I see them," Shiyu said as she gestured for Elijah to follow her down the street.
Elijah struggled to keep his cigarette in his mouth as the wind ripped through Leonore. Every few seconds, he would wait with Shiyu behind a vendor booth, waiting for the surge of wind to fade. The echo of bass followed shortly after as they pushed towards the large crowd near the harbor.
"Twenty-five from nationwide."
"Marked by masks, they cannot hide."
"Walking paths of those before."
"They forge themselves in plight," Leonore sang as they fell in worship of the approaching waking of the ENGINE.
"Over there!" Shiyu yelled as she pointed at Emily and Rachel at the end of the harbor.
"How is she just standing there?"Elijah asked as he saw Emily staring up at the ENGINE, while everyone struggled not to be blown away by the sudden gusts of wind.
"PRIME - The number stands alone."
"PRIME - Ascending to the throne."
"PRIME - One hundred seek the call."
"PRIME -But only one rules all," Chosen sang as mulberry light began to envelop the sky.
Elijah's eyes widened as the ENGINE'S mulberry eye creaked open. Mulberry light bathed Leonore in an eerie purplish red glow. Primordial instincts override his conscious desire not to kneel. His muscles ached as if he were trying to lift a boulder over his head. He noticed Rachel struggling against the instinct as well, but even she eventually bent the knee.
"We celebrate PRIME."
"The century's design."
"We celebrate PRIME."
"When a mortal becomes divine," Leonore sang as Emily stood alone, staring up at the ENGINE as mulberry blanketed the world.
Nobody noticed Emily was still standing; their primordial instincts kept their eyes towards the ground.
The ENGINE's pulsating hum echoed through the air. Elijah's body trembled as the world shook like an earthquake. A deep hum reverberated on his chest as the mulberry light started to fade. His body felt lighter as the wind disappeared and crystal clear skies returned. He grabbed his cigarette off the pavement, then got back on his feet alongside other chosen.
Elijah's eyes narrowed as the ENGINE's gaze shifted from Leonore to Tyrial nestled behind the mountain range. The ENGINE's eye bathed his homeland in eldritch mulberry light for several seconds. Its eye slowly closed as a beacon of light shot up towards the heavens. Citizens slowly got back on their feet as the ENGINE slumbered once more, leaving only the beacon of mulberry light as instructions for its chosen.
Elijah lit his cigarette as he gazed towards the mountain range. A creeping melancholy crept down his neck as his mind lingered on returning to Tyrial. Industrial smoke lingered on the mountain ridge horizon. Bright neon strobe lights danced in smog, while fireworks exploded around the beacon of mulberry light. He could practically hear the promotional ad drones zipping past his head.
"The ENGINE has illuminated the way. We make our way to Tyrial," Shiyu said as she stood in reverence.
"Isn't that where you and Sarah are from?" Rachel asked as she walked over towards Elijah.
"Yup," Elijah grumbled as he exhaled a cloud of smoke while he stared at the beacon of light and fireworks.
"That's all you gotta say?"Rachel asked.
"Yup."
"Ohhh, does sourpuss have unresolved trauma from his homeland?"Emily jested as she came over.
Elijah blinked as he looked down at Emily. His body twitched nervously as he looked into her emerald eyes.
"That obvious?"Elijah smirked as he rubbed his neck.
"About as obvious as my mental disorders," Emily laughed.
"You don't have mental issues, Emily of Leonore... you're just unorthodox," Rachel quipped.
Emily looked at Rachel with a blank expression, then rolled her eyes.
Rachel shrugged. "Okay, you do...but it's such an ugly word. Think positive, be positive...think failure, be failure. That's what my parents always said."
"Kinda hard to think positive when you're an orphan living on the damn streets, Rachel. It fucks you up in the head, but you wouldn't know anything about that?"
"Maybe not, but I know when someone is self-sabotaging themself!"
Emily's eyes widened. "I am not-"
"Oh, are you all having your first argument? How cute," Sarah interjected as she approached, fluttering her folding fan.
"What do you want, Sarah?" Elijah groaned.
"I am not talking to you, old man. I am talking to these two," Sarah quipped.
"Aint you got some practicing to do, or do you want to get your ass whooped again in Tyrial?" Rachel mocked as she crossed her arms.
"I don't need to practice!"Sarah yelled, her eyes narrowing as she snapped her folding fan."I want to beat this little upstart in a proper stage in my homeland, Tyrial! And lucky for me, it's coming sooner than later."
"You done?"Emily stoically asked.
Sarah's eyes widened. "Done... no, I am not done! I won't be beaten by some fucking orphan. I am the pinnacle of music and the performance arts. I have dedicated my whole life to art, and I will not let some self-taught street trash best me!" She growled.
"Then why do you want her on your team?" Elijah laughed.
"What?" Sarah asked with a raised eyebrow.
"You heard me. If she's just street trash, then why bother with any of this?"
"Stay out of this, or I will tell them how you got the butcher title," Sarah threatened.
Rachel crossed her arms. "I already know why, and that's not stopping our alliance."
"Then you're a damn fool!"
"SHUT UP!" Emily barked. "I don't give a fuck what sourpuss did in the past. His actions speak way more than any stupid title. Just like yours."
"What are you blabbering about, you stupid orphan?"
"You hide your insecurities behind your stupid titles. You think yourself the best damn musician in the world, then got your ass kicked, and now your fragile little ego can't take it."
Sarah's eyes lit up as she snarled.
"You are as fragile as that fan you broke. All that talent still broke on the inside."
Sarah grumbled as she balled up her fist.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Emily said as she stared at Sarah.
"I will take great pleasure in embarrassing you in Tyrial, and then I will revel when I rip your fucking mask off your pretty little face!" Sarah snarled.
"Oh, please do....I really hate this stupid thing. Been trying to get it off since the ENGINE burned the fucker on my face," Emily jested as she tugged on the white mask on her face.
"Sarah, enough! We need to meet up with Amos," Arthur yelled as he approached the group. "We will handle them later."
Sarah sighed and rolled her eyes. "Fine! This isn't fucking over, Emily of Leonore!" She shouted as she walked off with Arthur.
"That got spicy," Rachel jested. "Hey, what's that for?" She asked as Emily pushed her.
"Because you were an asshole as well," Emily replied as she glared at Rachel.
"Me? How...I was defending you and Elijah."
Emily shook her head. "Has nothing to do with that."
"Okay, then tell me?"
Emily sighed. "Just forget it, not that important."
Rachel rolled her eyes, then sighed.
"I think we all need to cool our heads before we set off," Shiyu insisted as she got in between Emily and Rachel.
"Hey, kiddo, can we talk real quick?" Elijah asked.
Emily shrugged. "Sure, why the hell not, sourpuss?" she replied as she followed him down the road, leaving Shiyu with Rachel.
"Don't let anything Sarah said get underneath your skin. Known her for a long time... super talent but total bitch," Elijah explained as they walked down the cobblestone roads of Leonore.
"She doesn't bother me as much as all that pink she wears," Emily grumbled as she followed Elijah.
"You should patch things up with Rachel. She's a good one."
Emily sighed. "I know she is, but she is so oblivious to the real world."
Elijah lit a cigarette as they continued to walk. "Her upbringing is the polar opposite of yours, kid. All you see is doom and gloom; all she sees is hope and dreams. Where you see no options, she sees options. Where you see failure, she sees success. Get what I am saying?"
Emily shrugged. "Kinda...also, why are you telling me all this?"
Elijah exhaled a cloud of smoke, then stopped walking. "Because people only see things from what they experienced in life. Her mind is trained only to see things from a particular perspective. That also applies to you, me, and everyone else."
"Must be nice only to be able to see the good in things," Emily said as she crossed her arms.
"You still think yourself an orphan after beating Sarah at her own game and being chosen by the ENGINE. Don't you get it, you can't see what we see because you think of yourself as an orphan."
Emily bit her nail as she stood still in quiet contemplation. Her eyes widened in a trance-like stare as she stared at the ground.
Elijah felt a sudden rush of energy about Emily as she stood there. It spilled out like a bubbling kettle of invisible melancholy.
"You alright?" Elijah asked.
Emily did not respond, eyes never blinking. Lost in her head, thinking about who knows what.