Chipped and broken statues wept as they floated around the chessboard as ₴₮₳₮ł₵ snow fell from the bruised, colored sky. Trees, buildings, and debris phased in and out of existence as the snow accumulated on the ground. Chosen trembled and panicked on the chessboard, clawing at the edge like animals trapped in a cage. Stars formed Emily's shadow as she stared at Rachel with an unreadable expression. Flames shot out of her eyes like a cigarette lighter.
Rachel's mulberry eyes widened as she stared at what remained of Lex and Mike. Their golden and green masks sat next to their hollowed bodies as they disintegrated into ₴₮₳₮ł₵ snow. Her mind was blank, and her heart raced inside her chest. She wiped the mucus dripping from her nose as she willed herself to look up at Emily.
Chosen begged her to do something, anything, as she struggled to keep eye contact with Emily. The star-speckled black hoodie Emily wore glimmered as she looked Rachel dead in the eye, unbothered by her actions. Rachel's eyes drifted towards the Prime logo on Emily's hoodie. Her eyes narrowed as the gravity of the role collapsed into her mind like a sledgehammer.
"Please pick before she kills us all!" Sarah yelled as she gazed up at Rachel. "Pick me if you must, just hurry the fuck up!"
"Rachel, I am your flesh and blood. Pick me now!" Sylas screamed, his eyes dilated as his heart thumped in his chest.
Rachel rubbed her face and shook her head. "No."
Emily's eyes turned towards the chessboard after Rachel's response.
"Damnit, Rachel. I will do it myself," Sylas yelled as he walked towards the position where the king would be on a chessboard. "I will not die here today because of you."
Emily stared at Sylas, then grinned before she shrank herself down and teleported onto the chessboard. Sylas's eyes widened as the other chosen backed up from Emily like identical sides of magnets. He gulped as he watched Emily walk towards him, eyes locked onto him with murderous intentions. A mulberry aura radiated off Emily as her grin turned into an unsettling Cheshire smile that stretched ear to ear.
"What are you doing?" Sylas asked as he slowly walked backwards till his back smacked into the wall of the chessboard. "Fuck you!" He yelled as he launched debris and chunks of the chessboard at Emily.
Emily continued her slow approach as the objects launched at her dematerialized the minute they hit her mulberry aura. Sylas rushed away from Emily as she closed the distance, and he continued to launch anything he could with his telekinetic powers. Chosen gravitated towards the corners of the chessboard, unwilling to assist Sylas as he pleaded for help.
"Rachel, do something!" Sylas screamed as he launched a statue at Emily, which had no effect. "I am of royal blood. I will not die here today. You are no Prime!" He yelled, pumping himself up as he launched a massive boulder at Emily.
The boulder crumbled into millions of rocks, scattering across the chessboard and shattering under Emily's dirty combat boots as she continued her approach. Sylas's eyes widened, scanning the environment for anything else he could throw at her. His heart sank as he turned back around, only to find Emily in his face.
"I," He garbled before Emily grabbed him by the face. His eyes turned sickly white, his arms went limp, and then his body slowly disintegrated into ş̛̱̹̻̜͙̬̰̳̙͇̰̦͈͍̦̟̣͔̣̥̫̃ͨ̓ͥ͂̈̓̑ͬ̑̋ͤ̈́̀ͥ̃̈́͂ͫ̄ͮ̓̽͞t̶̪͈̝̓ͯ̓ͥ_̨̞͍̅ͦ̓̆a̭̱̼̜̩̟̎ͯͩ̉͂ͨ͐̑́t̵̶̵̸̷̨̛͈̝̟̲̭͉͙͕̫͕̯̩̤̺͓̿ͤ͛ͮ̆̐͛̆͊ͨ̃̎́ͯͪͮ̅͝͡͝͞ͅí͙c̡̨̥̟̯̺̝̲͈̆ͭ̆ͤ̌͌̕͜ snow that drifted through the air.
"₱ł₵₭ ɎØɄⱤ ₭ł₦₲ ₳₦Đ QɄɆɆ₦," Emily said as she put her hands in her hoodie pocket while gazing up at Rachel.
Rachel blinked, mouth open as she stared at what used to be her brother's violet chosen mask. A cocktail of grief, anger, and relief boiled in her body. Her eyes fixated on Emily as she stepped on the mask, shattering it with a stoic expression. Emily then looked at the chosen, huddled up in the corner.
"We must fight for our lives," Gunter declared as his old body trembled, as he stepped away from the queen's position. "We may die, but at least we go down with dignity."
"Pointless," Shiyu replied as she stepped forward. "She is the PRIME, and Rachel is the only one who can save us."
"I would rather take my odds," Amos stated as he looked at Rachel, then at his fellow chosen. "What say you, Arthur?"
"Do you need to ask? This is what we were planning on doing anyway," Arthur replied as he clutched his designer cane. "But I admit … I don't see any of us making it out alive."
"You have my magic," Gunter declared. "Let's take down a god."
"You are fucking stupid," Alice said as she walked past Gunter. "You were safe, Emily chose you, and you are going to fight her?"
"Maybe I am a foolish old man," Gunter replied. "But what use is the title of grand mage if I cower when I have the power to fight?"
"Not a dead one."
Sarah shook her head and then walked towards Emily.
"What the fuck are you doing!?" Elijah yelled at Sarah.
"Dying on my terms," Sarah said flatly as she continued to walk towards Emily, who hadn't moved.
Sarah's body trembled, every instinct screaming at her to turn around, which she ignored. Her teeth ground in her mouth as each step felt exhausting in Emily's proximity. She fought to keep eye contact, refusing to show any fear or weakness. Fire radiated off her as she tried to match the mulberry aura surrounding Emily.
"You fucking fool!" Alice yelled from across the chessboard.
"Maybe, but fuck it. I am a stubborn flamingo, right?" Sarah chuckled as she walked. Her body collapsed inches from Emily. "Fucking hell. I always knew it would end like this," she muttered as she tried to will herself back up. "Go on then … kill me. I know you wanted to since you set eyes on me," she yelled as she threw a fireball at Emily at point-blank range.
Emily didn't even look at Sarah, gazing past her as if she didn't exist, as the fireball fizzled out before it could reach her face.
Sarah chuckled as her legs gave out. "You may break my body, but I will not give you the satisfaction of me being afraid of you."
"₴ⱧɄ₮ ₮ⱧɆ ₣Ʉ₵₭ Ʉ₱," Emily said as she gazed down at Sarah, kneeling before her, struggling to stand upright. Her face was unreadable, hands still in her hoodie pocket as Sarah finally stood up. Sweat trickled down Sarah's face as she closed her eyes, gathering all the flames buried within her into a massive flaming aura. The flames swirled around her, singing the space around her as a massive phoenix materialized from the fire.
The phoenix soared, radiating light over the bruised, colored sky while burning everything in its path. Its eyes locked onto Emily as its massive, flaming wings cast shadows across the chessboard. Chosen's eyes widened in awe as they looked up. Their hearts swelled with hope like a banner to fight. Emily looked up at the phoenix staring down at her. She didn't flinch; she didn't move; her expression remained unchanged.
Sarah's eyes lit up with cosmic flames as her aura swelled with her confidence. The phoenix let out a blood-curdling screech as a pillar of flames shot out of its mouth before it dived towards Emily. Gunter put up a barrier around him and the other chosen as the phoenix skyrocketed like a missile.
Flames engulfed the chessboard as the phoenix smashed into Emily. Waves of fire slammed into Gunter's barrier as it started to chip and crack from the heat before it shattered. Shiyu took on protection duty by casting an ice wall while Rusev used his gravity powers in an attempt to redirect the flames away from the melting wall.
The heat and flames dissipated, leaving a completely singed chessboard in their wake. Smoke lingered in the air like dense fog, obscuring the vision of the chosen hiding behind the ice wall that barely kept them alive.
"Did she get her?" Rusev asked as he tried to locate Sarah and Emily through the smoke.
"There's no way she survived that," Amos replied as he looked at his singed clothes.
Shiyu shook her head and sighed. "Fools," she muttered as the smoke faded away.
Amos's eyes widened as he noticed Emily standing unharmed. The hope that had made a home in his chest melted away when he saw Emily's hands around Sarah's neck. Emily then threw Sarah towards him and the other chosen before placing her hands back into her hoodie.
"She is still breathing," Amos said as he checked on her. "Hey, stop!" Amos yelled as Sarah got back up on her feet and walked back towards Emily. "Are you insane?!"
Sarah did not respond as the aura of flames radiated off her body once more. Sarah's eyes showed no fear, despite the violent toss. She walked with purpose, staring a hole through Emily, who hadn't moved a single inch. The phoenix erupted from a pillar of flames surrounding Sarah once more. Its fire illuminated everything around it like a second sun. The phoenix was undeterred, as if it shared Sarah's stubbornness to stay down.
"We need to fight now!" Gunter yelled as he marched towards Sarah.
"Agreed," Arthur replied as he and the other chosen marched in unison behind Sarah in defiance of their impending doom.
"Fools, trying to fight God," Shiyu muttered as she watched Amos and the other chosen walk towards Emily, who remained unbothered by the coalition forming behind Sarah.
Rachel gazed down at Sarah with wide eyes, standing in front of Emily once more. The dread that once crippled her withered away. She closed her eyes and inhaled before looking up at the phoenix hovering above the chessboard. Emily's eyes narrowed as Rachel shrank herself down, then stood next to Sarah.
"₱ł₵₭ ɎØɄⱤ ₭ł₦₲ ₳₦Đ QɄɆɆ₦," Emily said as she stared into Rachel's mulberry eyes.
Rachel met Emily's gaze while the chosen coalition stood behind her and Sarah. "No."