A Crisp summer breeze soured by gasoline fumes and cigarette smoke hit Elijah's nose as he flicked his cigarette butt out the driver's window. Ferns and weeds rippled in the vehicle's path, settling over cracked asphalt potholes that rattled the chassis. Colossal oak trees lined the mountain road. The sun radiated its warmth from the heavens as the ENGINE slumbered in the sky. Elijah put his foot on the brake as he drove towards a narrow turn.
"Isn't that the Horizon Mountains?" Emily asked as she stared at the mountain range as they turned the corner.
"You've never been out of Leonore, have you, kid?"Elijah asked, looking at Emily and Rachel in the rearview mirror.
"Obviously, sourpuss."
"You see that real tall one?" Shiyu asked as she pointed out the driver's seat window. "That is Mount Eversong. The tallest mountain in the world."
Emily's eyes widened as she stared at the peak, which cut through the clouds. A snowy summit stretched endlessly towards the sun. Farmland and industrial settlements dotted the countryside. Vibrant and thriving vegetation cluttered the base of the mountain. Yet even its magnificence seemed moon-like beneath the ENGINE's endless gears.
"They say every pilgrimage ends at the top of Mount Eversong. The PRIME ascends the highest summit and then the ENGINE ascends them." Rachel explained as she gazed out the backseat window.
"So that's what that line in that song means," Emily replied. "Not the strongest wins the summit."
"Exactly," Shiyu said. "Not the smartest breaks the seal. But the one who understands that. Gods must know how mortals feel," Shiyu sang.
Emily raised an eyebrow. "You sing?"
"A little here and there."
"Oh, you sing a tune, Emily of Leonore," Rachel asked as she grinned.
"Fuck off," Emily mumbled.
"Why are you so shy, Emily?"
"Because..."
"Because?"
"Because...fuck off, that's why."
Rachel blinked heavily as a frown formed on her face.
"Rachel, if she doesn't wanna sing, then she doesn't have to. Also, it would be lovely if someone actually turned on the radio," Shiyu grumbled.
Elijah blinked as he looked at Shiyu. "Oh, you don't wanna hear what's on the radio in Tyrial."
"How bad could it be?"
Elijah sighed, then flicked on the radio."PRIMEBERRY Crunch! A breakfast fit for the future PRIME!"
"What in the fuck was that!?" Emily asked with wide eyes.
"Oh, that's just an advertisement. Hold up," Elijah explained as he flicked to a different radio channel. "BOUNCE THAT BOOTY, SHAKE IT LIKE YOU'RE THE PRIME!"
"Turn that off now!"Rachel yelled. "I would rather listen to Sarah bitch forever than that."
Elijah chuckled and turned off the radio. "I was doing y'all a favor."
"I got a feeling I am going to hate Tyrial," Emily grumbled as she crossed her arms. "Sarah is from Tyrial as well, right?"
Elijah nodded as he continued to drive. "Yup...hard to imagine, huh?"
Emily nodded. "Yeah... It's almost like Sarah should be from Leonore."
"Believe it or not, I used to play bodyguard for her back when she was still making a name for herself in Tyrial. She started this music trend in Tyrial, then changed her style. Tyrial didn't adopt it and just expanded on her original style instead."
"Was she still a bitch?"Rachel jested.
Elijah nodded. "Yup, and she would get shitfaced after every concert. She is a train wreck behind closed doors."
"You seem to be well-connected, Elijah. Has my family hired you, perhaps?" Rachel asked.
Elijah shook his head. "Not that I recall, but I definitely heard of your family," he explained as he lit another cigarette.
Sky blue gives way to neon and acid-washed skies as their automobile approaches Tyrial. Skyscrapers rose from behind the mountain range. A city bathed in neon loomed below in a cloud of smoke that blotted out the sunlight. Ad drones hovered between the buildings, broadcasting vibrant, neon-glowing advertisements. A mulberry beam of light breached through the smoke as traffic came to a halt on Tyrial highways. Car engines rumbled across the asphalt as city contractors accept toll pay.
"More chosen?"A security guard asked as he gestured for Elijah's car to stop. "Toll is five tulrix."
"Ummm, sir, we are chosen. As tradition, all payment is waived for the higher cause," Rachel explained as she leaned forward in the backseat.
"Is that so? Well, here in Tyrial tradition is to pay your fucking toll...chosen or not chosen," the security guard chuckled as he laughed with his coworkers.
Emily sighed, then opened the backseat door.
"Hey, kid, what are you doing?" Elijah replied with raised eyebrows.
"What in the PRIME is she doing?" Rachel muttered as she got out of the backseat.
"Who pissed in your PRIMEBERRY Crunch?" Emily asked as she approached the security guard.
"Kid, don't make bitch slap you," the security guard threatened.
"I would advise against that," Emily responded flatly.
"Emily of Leonore, I can pay...I was seeing if Tyrial had more class...which their citizens clearly do not!" Rachel barked.
"Doesn't matter. I don't like this guy's attitude," Emily replied. "We are going to go through that toll booth. Don't lose your life over a few coins," she warned with a stoic expression.
Emily caught the security guard's hand as it whizzed past her face.
"Ahhhhhh!!!....what the fuck let go!"The security guard screamed as Emily had a firm grip on his wrist.
Emily tightened her grip as the security guard crumbled to the pavement. "I just saved your stupid ass life. If I let you hit me, you would be a hollow," she explained blankly as she stared down at the security guard.
"I am sorry...I didn't know!"
"Clearly," Emily replied as she twisted his arm.
"You can pass... I'm sorry... I'm sorry!" The security guard screamed.
Elijah glanced at Shiyu and then at Emily as she released the security guard's hand with force. He turned on the car's engine and lit a cigarette as Emily got back into the vehicle, slamming the door shut. The toll booth screeched upwards, then Elijah drove through the tunnel built into the mountainside. Fluorescent lights flicker over, illuminating the multiple-mile tunnel highway that leads to Tyrial.
"I appreciate you sticking up for me, Emily of Leonore. Even if I don't necessarily like the manner you went about it," Rachel said, breaking the silence.
"He was an asshole. Lucky I bothered to stop him," Emily replied as she crossed her arms.
"That's some serious strength for an orphan," Elijah interjected as he drove.
"I kinda blackout when I get really pissed. I don't even remember what I said," Emily replied as she gazed out the backseat window.
Elijah nodded. "I am noticing that," he muttered.
"Is everyone in Tyrial like that?" Emily shrugged.
"Kinda yeah...sometimes worse."
Emily rolled her eyes. "I am going to hate it here."
"Probably, and if it isn't obvious...your method isn't going to work," Elijah jested as he drove. "Just let me handle the social dynamics. I was born here...I know how these people's hearts work."
Neon lights and Industrial complexes emerged at the opposite side of the tunnel. Car lights glowed like fireflies on the highway as Elijah drove. Skyscrapers reached through the smoggy air as if gasping for fresh air. Drones zoomed through the sky, advertising products that claimed to cure all manner of Tyrial citizens' demons. Streetlights glowed on the foggy roads like stars in the night sky.
Restaurants, vending machines, and designer clothing stores zipped past as Elijah stopped at a stoplight. Citizens gambled, shopped, and gossiped on sidewalks. Influencers donning chosen masks snapped photos near fancy cars. Pulsating music thumped from clubs, bars, and designer jewelry stores.
Ghettos pocketed Tyrial's glamorous districts. Addicts stumbled across weed-infested plazas. Brick skyscrapers stretched upwards, weathered by hazardous acid rain. Children played in rusty old parks while ad drones zipped overhead.
"Welcome to my hometown, Tyrial. City of sin, neon, and broken dreams," Elijah explained as he drove.
"So where are we staying?"Shiyu asked as she stared out the driver's window.
"Hotel Sin."
"Why there?"
"That's where all the chosen are going to be."
"How do you know?"
"Fanciest hotel in Tyrial."
"Sarah going to be there isnt she?"Emily groaned.
"Probably...but it's a big hotel, we probably won't run into her."
"She will, I swear she saw some radar on me or something."
"You keep doing the stuff you've been doing... everybody's going to have a radar on you, kid."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Shiyu nudged Elijah in the hip.
Elijah shook his head and flicked his cigarette butt out the window. "Nothing...just forget it."
Neon mulberry strobe lights glowed in the air as Elijah drove downtown Tyrial. State-of-the-art holograms projected artistic experiences in the smog. An obelisk-like, luxurious black hotel loomed in the background. Vintage and expensive vehicles lined the streets as valets drove them into the multi-story parking garage.
Elijah glanced up at the towering hotel, then parked his car nearby. His eyes lingered on the chosen walking by as he turned off the vehicle. He pulled out a cigarette and then lit it as he exited the car. A cloud of smoke lingered in the neon glow as Shiyu, Emily, and Rachel left the vehicle shortly after. Ad drones hovered by advertising Reunion Day promotional offers. A gnawing melancholy sank in his gut as Elijah thought about his childhood home.