[b]Carmel[/b]

In every direction that she could perceive, the world [i]folded[/i]. A myriad of shapes twisted and coiled around her, each bursting outwards and folding back into itself like an ocean of tesseracts. An ever-changing, incomprehensible tableau of what was, what is and everything that it could become.

[i]It’s… beautiful.[/i]

Wading through the cascade of protean images, Carmel grasped for something, [i]anything[/i] to anchor her. It felt like wading through treacle, pushing against a viscous that fought and pushed back. Fluids that tugged at her body like quicksand, sucking her inexorably towards its depths. As her vision swam, eyes screaming in protest against the unravelling chaos, her outstretched hand caught on something alien. Something incomprehensible. Something [i]solid[/i]. And all at once, the myriad of possibilities folded inwards into a single, concrete certainty.

The world [i]hardened[/i].

Roaring in surprise, the man staggered backwards, colour draining from his face as he stared open-mouthed at her. Returning his stare, Carmel felt a wave of disgust and nausea swelling in her stomach. [i]Not this one.[/i] Especially [i]not this one[/i]. Glancing around and down, she saw her child - her Doll Master - lying sprawled across the floor. For a split second, their eyes locked and something deep inside her chest began to flutter. [i]This one.[/i] The moment was shattered as the man charged, screaming incoherently as he brandished his knife. Anger flaring inside her, Carmel stepped between the man and her Doll Master, planting a forehand chop directly into the assailant’s chest. The man flew just under a foot before crashing roughly to the ground.

Beneath her feet, she could feel the shapes unfolding; an endless array of geometric structures that grew clearer and more vivid by the second. As the man struggled to regain his footing, Carmel grasped at a single image - a single strand of possibility - and [i]pulled[/i]. A tide of concrete rushed upwards before her, shielding her Doll Master from further assaults and tripping the assailant as the concrete slipped beneath his feet. She could feel the low-level strain of maintaining the structure throughout her body, like a rubber band held taught by her every nerve and figure. With a grunt, she shifted her grasp and tugged at the ground beneath the assailant, drawing it down around him like a sinkhole. [i]Stay away from my Master.[/i]