[hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/cQ1NPja.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/jttTmEk.png[/img][h1]And...[/h1][/center][right][b][code]St. Eleanora's Orphanage > Streets of South Bank.[/code][/b][/right][right][b]Interactions: None.[/b][/right][hr][hr][quote][i]She’s back in the Pit. The air is thick, heavy, and it smells like rot. The ground isn’t solid—it shifts like mud, and sometimes she thinks it’s made of bones. Faces push out of the walls, mouths opening and closing like fish, but no sound comes out. Something crawls behind her. She runs, but her legs feel slow, like she’s moving through water. The whispers follow anyway.[i] You don’t belong. You’re nothing. You’re not [b]you.[/b][/i] She sees a faint light ahead, the only thing that seems safe in the dark. She reaches for it, but it turns into a hand, grabbing her wrist and pulling her under. She can’t breathe. She can’t scream. The Pit swallows her whole. [b]As it always does.[/b][/i][/quote] Destiny jolted awake, heart hammering, locket clutched so tight the edges dug into her palm. The room was quiet except for the soft snoring of the other kids in their bunks. The air smelled like laundry soap and dust, but she still swore she could taste the Pit in the back of her throat. She sat up and listened. No whispers. Not out loud, anyway. Just her head echoing too much. The beds creaked when someone rolled over. She watched them—kids her age, younger ones, and older ones. All asleep, all safe, or at least they looked like it. She didn’t feel safe. She never did. Sometimes they tried to talk to her during the day. Asked her to play, tried to share food, and asked about the locket. She never knew what to say. She wasn’t like them. She felt like an animal shoved in the wrong cage. Even here, surrounded by people, she felt alone. Worse than alone—like she wasn’t even supposed to exist in the same room as them. She lay back down, clutching the locket to her chest. Sleep wouldn’t come again, not after that dream.[hr]The morning after the nightmare, Destiny slipped out of the crowded dormitory before the other children had finished waking. Her feet carried her to the orphanage bathroom, where the cracked mirror and dim light offered her a quiet corner away from the chatter and shuffling. She stood at the sink, hands resting on the porcelain, staring at her reflection without really seeing it. Destiny sighed. Closing her eyes. She repeated the mantra her mother told her, [i]Hold onto the light.[/i] [i]Hold onto the light.[/i] [b][i]Hold onto the light.[/i] [/b] Then Destiny opened her eyes... [hr][center][hider=Busta Rhymes - Bad Dreams (Instrumental)][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxosHaW-t4c[/youtube][/hider][/center][hr][url=https://i.imgur.com/bCCDOn2.jpg][i]She[/i] was there with that smile.[/url] That smile was familiar to Destiny. It was the Mother Will. Anyone else would be losing their mind on the Mother Will's abrupt arrival. Destiny, on the other hand, didn't so much as flinch. If anything, Destiny would be rolling her eyes if she knew what that meant. The little girl simply stared at the reflection in the mirror. The Mother Will unnaturally lean forward until her lips are level with Destiny's ear, "... You feel it too, don’t you?" The Mother Will softly said, "You belong here. These children - they don’t understand you. But the Pit does. [b][i]I[/i][/b] do.” Destiny’s jaw tightened. She didn’t answer. She had learned long ago that speaking back only dragged things out. Her real mother’s voice echoed in her head: [i]Ignore her. She can’t touch you if you don’t let her.[/i] The Mother Will didn’t mind the silence. She never did. “Every night, it[i] pulls[/i] at you. Every morning, you wake with its breath still clinging to your skin. You are not like them, Destiny. [i]You never will be.[/i]” Destiny sighed. Closing her eyes, trying to steady her breath, trying to push the voice into the background like tv static. She pressed her palms flat against the sink, willing herself to think about anything else—the orphanage bell, the smell of toast still clinging to the halls, the kids arguing over who got the bigger slice or whatever videogame they were playing. But the Mother’s voice slid through anyway. “You’re wasting yourself here. Playing at being one of them. You could be so much more if you stopped fighting it.” Destiny sighed. [color=757566]”... [i]I'm not going back.[/i]”[/color] "You say that, yet you dream of it every night," The Mother Will whispered. “All that power, all that control... It’s waiting for you. The Pit would bend to your will, Destiny. You could shape it, master it, command it. You could be everything you were [i]meant[/i] to be.” Destiny forced herself to breathe evenly, to let her eyes trace the cracked tiles instead of the reflection behind her. [color=757566][i]I’m not going back. I won’t.[/i][/color] “But there’s more,” the Mother pressed, leaning closer, so close that Destiny could feel the cold pull of it in her thoughts. “Your mother... Darlene. You want to see her again, don’t you? She’s waiting for you. I can show you where. You have to take the step.” Destiny’s heart thudded, and for a moment she froze. The Pit had taught her to be cautious, to distrust every word, every shadow—but the thought of Darlene, the faint hope of finding her again... it tugged at something raw inside her. The Mother Will’s smile widened. “You’ve survived the Pit once. You can survive it again. But this time… you won’t be alone. You’ll have me. You’ll have your strength. And [b][i]her.[/i][/b]” Destiny blinked. She could almost feel the pull of the Pit, the seductive promise of power and reunion, but she swallowed the panic rising in her chest. [color=757566][i]No. No. No. Don't listen. Don't listen. No. No. No.[/i][/color] The thoughts raced through her head. Her vision blurred slightly as The Mother Will’s words echoed in her mind. She couldn’t stay here - couldn’t sit in a room that smelled faintly of disinfectant and stale bread while that voice tugged at her from the mirror. She stepped back, grabbed her coat from the hook by the door, and slipped quietly into the hall. The orphanage was already stirring - voices calling from the dining hall, the distant scrape of chairs on the floor—but she ignored it all. Her feet carried her to the door, past the rows of other children, past the tired adults trying to hold the place together, and out into the streets of Cloverfield.[hr]A year had passed since the Cataclysm, and the roads of Cloverfield had slowly begun to reclaim themselves. Most of the collapsed buildings were cordoned off or cleared, and the larger debris had been removed, although the work on the South Bank was patchy at best. Destiny could still step over broken pavement, dodge leaning lampposts, and skirt around piles of rotting trash. Rusted cars sat abandoned in alleys, their windows shattered, tires long since stolen or flattened. The air smelled faintly of smoke, damp concrete, and the kind of rot that clings to alleyways where the city’s forgotten live. Graffiti stretched across crumbling brick walls, marking territory, telling stories, or warning off passersby. Destiny kept to the edges, letting her telekinesis lift small obstacles silently out of the way: a tipped trash can, a loose plank, a low-hanging cable. Her eyes flicked constantly, trained to notice everything. She wasn’t afraid here in the same way she had been in the Pit, but she couldn’t shake the sense that this neighborhood had its kind of cruelty, one that waited for the careless or the distracted. Her boots clicked on broken pavement, the sound swallowed by the distant hum of traffic and the occasional bark of a stray dog. She didn’t need to worry about anyone noticing her - not really - but she kept her head down anyway. Her thoughts drifted, as they always did, to Darlene. The memory of her mother’s hands, steady and warm, guiding her through the chaos of the Pit, flashed through her mind. The way Darlene had bent time just enough to save them, the way she had spoken of [i]hope [/i]even when everything around them screamed [i]despair[/i]. Destiny’s chest tightened at the thought—at the same time fragile and comforting, like a spark barely clinging to life. And then, like a shadow at the edge of her mind, the Mother Will whispered. She always whispered. Even here, far from the Pit, she could feel that presence brushing against her thoughts, leaning in, speaking in the tone Destiny had learned to ignore. “You remember her, don’t you?” The voice was soft, insidious, curling around her fears and desires. “You feel the pull. The Pit remembers you. And she... she waits. Don’t you want to see her again?” Destiny pressed her jaw tight and tried to shove the voice aside. The Mother Will walked just behind her, keeping pace. Ahead, a figure moved with an effortless grace, her blonde hair catching the weak morning light. Destiny didn’t recognize her—but the Mother Will’s voice slipped into her mind like ice. “See her?” it whispered. “That girl... Princess Nadine. Reckless. Impulsive. [i]Dangerous.[/i] You’ve never met her, but she’s an imposter.” Destiny’s eyes narrowed, scanning the figure but saying nothing as they walked past. "You wouldn’t know it yet, but she’s left destruction in her wake. Lives ruined. Innocents hurt. All because she wanted to be a hero. Write the story. All to sate her ego." The Mother Will monologue, "And worst of all... she doesn’t realize how much damage she's caused!” Destiny pressed her hands into the pockets of her jacket, forcing herself to focus on the cracked sidewalks, the occasional flutter of trash in the wind. She wanted to ignore the voice, but it slithered closer, insidious and patient. “You could fix this,” the Mother Will murmured, almost tenderly, “End her reign of terror before it reignites! All it would take is one choice... You wouldn’t let her continue to hurt people, would you?” Destiny’s stomach twisted, a strange mix of revulsion and curiosity. She didn’t know this girl, didn’t feel any loyalty—but the certainty in the Mother Will’s words pressed at the corners of her mind. Destiny paused. With a quick usage of her telepathy, the girl was long gone. Or at least she couldn't detect her anymore. “She’s reckless,” The Mother will whisper, “And she deserves death. Not for yourself... but for the people she’s already hurt. For the chaos she left behind. You could stop it. You could stop her.” Destiny stood there. Before she kept walking, she didn’t turn. She didn’t [i]answer.[/i] Destiny let the noise of the South Bank swallow her thoughts. The smell of something warm and cheesy caught her attention—an unfamiliar aroma amidst the concrete and smoke. A pizza shop had opened for the day, a small neon sign flickering above the door: [i]“Sal’s Slice.”[/i] The Mother Will softly begin to coax her. “See that, Destiny? A simple little pleasure. One slice... and it could be yours. You know the spell. You’ve done it before. Just a nudge in their minds. A thought here, a word there...” Destiny hesitated at the door, the ordinary desire for food colliding with the unnatural pull of the Mother Will's voice. “It’s just pizza,” the Mother Will whispered. “Just a single slice. You could take it without asking. They’d smile, nod, and obey. And you... You’d feel that [i]power[/i] again. Isn’t that what you crave?” Her jaw tightened. She knew what the spell did—Domination. She could bend a person’s mind, erase hesitation, and force them to obey a single command. Usually, she resisted. Normally, she ignored the urge... But today, the day felt heavy and dull; the streets were empty enough that the pull seemed harmless. Destiny stepped inside. The bell over the door chimed. A young clerk looked up, smiling politely. “Welcome! First time here?” Destiny didn’t answer. Her eyes locked on the counter, on the perfect slice waiting in the display. The Mother Will’s voice whispered, patient, teasing. “Just a thought... and it’s yours.” Destiny let the Domination spell slip out. It was subtle at first—just a tendril of suggestion curling around the clerk’s mind. She felt the power, warm and intoxicating, threading through her thoughts and into his. The clerk’s eyes glazed ever so slightly, his posture relaxing, his smile widening almost unnaturally. “Give her the largest slice,” He said. The clerk nodded as if compelled by some invisible force, then grabbed a slice and handed it over. Destiny took it without a word, and quickly left the store without a once of subtlety. As she left, the Mother Will stood by the door. Watching her as Destiny got further and further away. As Destiny walked back into the streets of Cloverfield, the warm slice in her hands suddenly felt heavier than it should have. The city buzzed faintly around her, but she felt oddly isolated. A flicker of guilt pricked at her chest. The clerk... he hadn’t wanted to give it up. He had smiled, yes, but it had been a smile manufactured by her own mind. She had taken what wasn’t hers. She knew it. But the weight of the day, of the lingering emptiness that followed her nightmares and the Pit’s pull, dulled the guilt almost immediately. It was easy to overlook it. It didn’t matter. No one else mattered. Not today. [hr][center][img]https://i.imgur.com/gvIj9ue.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/cQ1NPja.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/z7wZElR.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/jttTmEk.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/4cmEf8O.png[/img][img]https://i.imgur.com/3hcZKz3.png[/img][h1]And...[/h1][/center][right][b][code][/code][/b][/right][right][b]Interactions:[/b] Some monsters. Maybe with their dongs out.[/right][hr][hr] The Mother Will was gone at least for a short period. Destiny should have felt relief, yet without the Mother Will, the streets of Cloverfield felt… lonely. Any company, even a dangerous one, might be better than none at all. She slipped into the narrow alley between rusted warehouses, the shadows swallowing her tiny figure. The warm weight of the stolen pizza slice pressed against her chest, a small comfort amid the city’s harsh chill. She didn’t dare slow down — the world had taught her that. Pressing herself flat against the cold brick wall behind a dumpster, she took a quick, cautious bite. A flicker of motion caught the corner of her eye. Her head snapped up. She reached out, her eyes closing briefly to tap into her telepathy, and she reached for the thoughts and emotions lingering nearby. [i]There.[/i] A presence, subtle but unmistakable — something watching, waiting. [i]Not human.[/i] Her breath hitched, but she forced herself to remain still—no sudden movements. No sounds. The pulse of emotions flooded her mind — tension, anticipation, a shadow of hunger. Destiny’s heart beat louder in her ears, but her body stayed still, blending into the darkness. She narrowed her eyes, extending her Emotional Prism carefully, trying to dissect the feelings from the watcher without revealing herself. From the alley's grimy depths, a figure unnaturally pulled itself up from its hiding space as if pulled from an unseen puppeteer by invisible strings. Even at this distance, Destiny could spot nothing reassuringly human about it. It appeared vaguely masculine, unnervingly tall, and carried a disturbing soft around the belly. Its eyes were pitted, locked on the dumpster Destiny hid behind, as if drawn by her panicked breath. [color=778899]“Hello! Are you lost?”[/color] The sound of the creature wetly sucking in a deep breath filled the air, followed by a rasping, guttural giggle. A bone cracked sharply. [color=778899]“Ohhh, oh you smell,”[/color] another sickening snap echoed, this time from its neck, [color=778899]“perfect.”[/color] The creature jerked completely upright and began to writhe, stretching in all directions as muscles ripped wetly, tendons shredded sharply, and bones crunched and splintered under the weight of an unatural warping. The human face and neck slumped grotesquely to the side as the shoulders sank unnaturally downwards. Its arms stretched, and stretched with a leathery tearing sound, until they dragged like boneless ropes on the ground behind the monster, each finger curling and hardening into an individual jagged spike. Its legs snapped violently backwards into distorted hindlimbs, and more cruel, knife-like spikes burst forth from the creature's toes. [i]The perfect vessel.[/i] That was what was going through the creature’s head from a glance using her abstraction. Destiny was brought back to her time in the Pit: [i]Hide. Run. Fight.[/i] She clenched the pizza slice in one hand as she raised the other and tuned in on the creature’s position… She activated Deception. She created an illusory version of herself and sent it hauling ass in one direction, as she quietly walked away in the other. [color=778899]“Run, run, run, run as fast as you can.”[/color] the creature paused as its arms pulled themselves back into the shoulder socket, before both were aimed up. One towards each form, aiming to wrap around their ankles. While the illusion was enough for the creature to not know which one was which, it was smart enough to know it could figure it out with just once simple strike. Both arms launched as if they were a rocket, with the pointed tips reaching out with malicious intent. Destiny screamed as the tendril wrapped around her ankle and fell to the ground. Her poor pillaged pizza also hit the ground, yet she was not going to stop here. She dropped the illusion before focusing on the dumpster that she previously hid behind - channeling Force of Will to grasp onto it with nothing but her mind and swung it at the monster like it was a mace. The dumpster impacted the monster and threw it into the nearby wall, granting Destiny a moment of reprieve as the grip around her ankle loosened and the monster lost its grip on its prize. Yet it would not be for long. The dumpster that crushed the monster was suddenly and violently flung off it, crashing through the wall of the building on the opposite side of the alley, and continuing through the building until it went out the other side, impacting a car on the other side and coming to a halt from there. A third arm had formed out of the sunken shoulder socket, and the dangling human face had its face locked onto Destiny. [color=778899]“Oh yes. OH YES. Yes, you are strong! You [i][b]ARE[/b][/i] perfect.”[/color] It pulled back both elongated arms, coiling them back up onto its shoulders and aimed towards Destiny once more. It launched them at a blinding speed once more. Destiny gasped. It was persistent as the other beasts. Usually she had the backup of the other Adepts in the Pit, but now she was alone. She panicked. Disregarding any of the other options she had at her disposal. She screamed yet. It was over.[h3][b][i][color=cd7ccc]”... STATIONARY BARRIER!”[/color][/i][/b][/h3] The creature's arms slammed into the barrier and instantly any remaining bones left in them crunched, and became dust as they failed to break through. Cracks would farm in a spiderweb pattern outward from the impact point, speaking to the power behind the strike, yet the barrier would stand. The dagger like hands would simply fall to the ground defeated, before they were reeled back into the shoulders. A smirk crossed the creature's face as its eyes began to dart across the alley. [color=778899]“I did not sense you before…. Why did you run if you had such an ally at your side, vessel?”[/color] Destiny groaned, [color=757566]”... I’m not your vessel!”[/color] [hr][center][hider=Fight song: UNKLE - Nursery Rhyme / Breather][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIfXd73_hRo[/youtube][/hider][/center][hr] In the blink of an eye, a translucent barrier appeared before her and the creature’s arm. The source of the voice stood on one of the rooftops, holding a well-worn book at her side while a comforting, confident smile appeared on her face. [color=cd7ccc]”My, my,”[/color] She called out, [color=cd7ccc]”You sure are an ugly one! Please return back to whatever hole you spawned out of!”[/color] Elodie raised the book to chest level, opening it as floating pink runes and moats of light appeared. She raised her other hand and began reciting a chant as she charged up for a moment. [color=cd7ccc]”... [i]Acidic bubbles![/i]”[/color] Elodie shouted as several large green bubbles floated towards the monsters that would spray him with acid upon popping. [color=778899]“Exsanguinate,”[/color] the creature responded before tendrils of its own blood shot out from all over its body, with each one aimed towards the bubbles in turn. While these launched outward it pulled its arms back and prepped them to fire again..As they impacted, the acid would spray out, disabling the tendril from further snaking. Thus, even though most of the bubbles were popped well before they reached the creature a few would still impact it. The acid sizzled on the creature's skin, and sections of flesh would dissolve and fall off its frame onto the ground below. As the last bubble popped, the creature's skin began to pull downward, pulling skin from the creature back towards the chest area. [color=778899]“Clever insect,”[/color] the creature paused as it crouched down to the ground, leaned back, and launched itself at a blinding speed towards the woman on the rooftop while also launching both arms at the girl on the ground, aiming above the barrier from before. Thinking on her feet, Destiny cast Deception again - except on a far larger scale than before. She completely vanished, and in her place, about a dozen identical copies that scattered in random directions as Destiny ran off. [color=cd7ccc]”[i][b]... Predator![/b][/i]”[/color] Elodie shouted as Red runes floated around her as she placed a hand over the book. [color=cd7ccc]”I will ensure there is nothing left of you!”[/color] She chanted… before an explosion appeared near the creature. [color=cd7ccc]”[i][b]DETONATION![/b][/i]”[/color] Elodie shouted, but without even giving it another second, she charged up another spell. The explosion enveloped the creature in an instant, burning its skin and throwing its trajectory downward into the upper wall of the building. It’s arms were forced dowards and missed their targets. It crashed through the wall as a charred, smoldering amalgamation of flesh and contoured limbs, and the impact sent a cloud of debris into the air. A moment after impact, two voices screamed out in horror before their voices were cut off by the sound of the creature slashing, and stabbing. After a few seconds the two corpses were flung out of the hole impacting the ground below with a sickeningly wet crunch. [color=778899]“Tell me,”[/color] the creature spoke from inside the building. Instantly something would feel off to Elodie. The hues of color that defined a world of life instantly began to blend and fade together, sound would lose definition and clarity, and her skin would no longer recognize the sensation of clothes against it. All of these sensory inputs would be suddenly, and violently replaced with an overwhelming sense of dread and despair. [color=778899]“Have you ever experienced the true feeling of Nothingness, adept,”[/color] the creature mocked. The building between the creature and Elodie would explode outward for one moment before the bricks, wood, and other material simply blinked out of existence as if it never existed in the first place. As Elodie had her emotional field present she’d be able to see a thin, but precise, purple beam aimed towards her, fired from a crystal that was hidden inside the chest cavity of the creature. It exposed the crystal by having its rib cage open wide like a hungry maw. Elodie would also see that the beam seemed to utterly destroy everything in a ten foot radius around it. While it was small, its power was absolutely devastating to objects that did not have an emotional field. The Maw closed as the creature shot out of the ruined building, searching for its prey once more. When the creature changed priorities from her to Elodie, Destiny immediately dropped the spell as she ducked behind a wall in a separate alleyway. Something was telling her to run, but there was that vague curiosity about what she gleamed from the creature’s mind. Whatever there was… so she used her telepathy spell to reach out yet again - the exertion from all this magic was starting to get to her, but she couldn’t stop. She watched as the beam hit Elodie and from her thoughts - she wasn’t hurt, but there was something [i]horribly wrong[/i] about the beam of energy. Then her mind glanced towards the creature… Some mental complaints about “emotional fields”. Then… … [i]Orders.[/i] It was sending out commands to others like it to converse on the area to capture the vessel. [i]Her.[/i] Destiny’s heart began pounding. There were more, and she could barely handle one. Her help could barely handle one. While she wanted to help the cotton-candy-haired woman, she had to prioritize her own survival above all else. While it was distracted, the monster took off running. [hr] The beam hit Elodie, and she was instantly washed over with a sense of dread unlike anything she had ever felt before. It didn’t hurt. It didn’t injure her. But it was… [i]nothing[/i]. Pure nothing. Out of reflex, Elodie dove out of the way as the area was being disintegrated. Elodie choked as she forced herself to her feet and shouted, as Red Lux runes floated around her, [color=cd7ccc]”... For the good of mankind!”[/color] Elodie shouted before she chanted, [color=cd7ccc]”[i]Vine Lash![/i]”[/color] Vines then burst from the ground and wrapped around the doppleganger. The doppelganger was stopped in its tracks. Any attempt for it to move was quickly resisted by the vine lash and soon the creature stopped entirely from freeing itself. It’s dangling, burnt head suddenly perked up and twisted around with a grinding crunch, deep set eyes lining up with Elodie. A wide grin cut through the cheeks, pouring a steady torrent of blood down towards the ground. [color=778899]“You’ve stopped me from pursuing my vessel,”[/color] It paused as it sensed its fellow remnants closing in at speed. It didn’t need to fight for now, it just needed to delay, [color=778899]“who are you?”[/color] Elodie’s lip curled into a wry grin as she hopped from the rooftop onto a dumpster, then jumped onto the ground level. She slowly walked towards the creature, grabbing onto the Rose Petal that rested at her hip and slowly (and dramatically) unsheathing it. [color=cd7ccc]”... Elodie Baptiste,”[/color] The Rose Petal erupted into flames as she charged the creature, aiming for its core. [color=cd7ccc]”... The last woman you will ever see!”[/color] The creature's grin exploded out the sides of its mouth as all across its body bony protrusions erupted through the skin. The protrusions were human bone but they were shaped like the talons of a hawk. With a quick motion, they sliced through vines and its own flesh alike, freeing itself from its restricted prison but sending even more blood across the street. It did not have enough time to deflect, or escape the strike, but it did have enough time to change the location of its core. As the blade cut deep into where the core was, Elodie would watch as it practically slithered under its skin. First across the chest, through the shoulder, down the arm, until it ultimately forced the pointer finger apart, revealing the tip of the impossible crystal. It fired its beam again. Yet Elodie preserved and struck the core of the beast with the tip of the Rose Petal. It shattered into dozens of pieces on the ground as Elodie wiped Rose Petal clean with her fingertips. She looked to the left and the right as she sheathed Rose Petal and was surrounded by green Lux runes as she chanted her Corvid Shift spell and transformed into a crow. With a few firm flaps, she was airborne and took to the sky looking for the girl. [color=cd7ccc][i]She couldn’t have gotten far...[/i][/color] [hr] As Destiny ran through the alleyways, she tried to remember her way back to St. Eleanora's. Her best bet would be to mind control another cop to take her back - her mind constantly scanning for the creature’s “reinforcements”- Before she came to a sudden halt. She detected them. Or more accurately. They detected [i]her.[/i] Up ahead the brick wall of a building exploded outwards as another Doppleganger entered the area. Destiny would be able to sense that this one was much weaker than the one who assaulted her earlier, but she would know it was a threat all the same. It was taller, and thicker than the first one and proportional. Its right hand was like a hammer made out of all the bones in the body, with muscle sinew still keeping a finger or two strapped onto the sides. The rest of the body seemed to be coated in a boney armor with various spikes protruding from its collar bone and kneecaps. Its second arm was as limp as a noodle fresh from the boiling water of a pop and flowed in the wind, sending drops of blood to the ground below. Its face was that of a man, tears flowed from his eyes as soft whispers of pain emanated from his mouth. The neck suddenly spun around, twisted like one would a bottle cap, and winding upwards like a spring. The action revealed a second face, feminine, but smiling with eyes as black as a star less night. It’s head spun again up the spring as it began to charge towards Destiny. Out of sheer reflex, Destiny grabbed all the bricks that she could with her telekinesis, which began a very severe headache, and chucked it at the creature as she turned and ran the other direction as fast as she could. The bricks did little to slow down the hulking brute who simply raised the hammer in front of its face. The bricks still did damage to its exposed legs, and it began to leave a bloody trail in its wake. As the last brick impacted, it lowered its hammer and launched two spikes from its shoulders, connected in the middle by a web of muscle sinew and other rope-like bloody structures. The spikes were aimed on both sides of Destiny and were meant to get her caught in the web of the monster. Ahead of Destiny she would see three men and two women walking towards her, calmly, with impossibly wide grins. Destiny’s breath came in sharp, ragged bursts. The pounding of her heart echoed in her ears, drowning out the distant city noise. Her hands trembled as she tried to steady her focus, willing the headache behind her eyes to fade. Panic flared. She dove sideways, dodging the spikes - yet not far enough to get free of the spike web. Her telepathy raced, desperately seeking a mind to control, a body to commandeer, anything to get her back to St. Eleanora’s. She couldn’t give up. Not yet. Not here. “... Ah, child,” The Mother Will walked past the three, seemingly phasing through them with the cheshire grin on her face. “There’s an easy way out of this, you know…” Destiny ignored her and continue thrashing. “... Return to the Pit. Return [i]home.[/i]” All the creatures stopped suddenly as they felt the crystal core of their fellow creature shatter. While they knew it would not be down forever, this town had already broken their physical forms more times than any other place since they were created on this planet all those millennia ago. Their heads all remained turned in that direction before they slowly turned back towards Destiny. None of the creatures had a smile on their face. Instead, there was an almost cruel twist downward to the corners of their mouths. Destiny’s eyes flicked up at the Mother Will, cold and steady despite the pain clawing at her temples. Her voice sharp as a knife… [color=757566]”... I’m not going back,”[/color] Destiny said to the Mother Will. [color=757566]”That’s no longer my home.”[/color] Seemingly on cue, something strange happened. The air and space around Destiny and the Dopplegangers began to distort. Flux. [i]Shatter[/i]. Into dozens of razor-sharp fragments. They floated carelessly in the air… before they stopped, as if they primed themselves. They quickly became a rabid storm of blades that sliced the creatures to pieces. Destiny was confused as she used the last of her strength to try to find a source - there was [i]something[/i] but it was quite frankly, nothing like she had ever encountered. The creatures all raised their hands and arms, twisted their form to enlarge and elongate their limbs to try and block the incoming strikes but it was for not. Their bodies ripped under the assault, sending blood gushing and spraying outward. While they were not killed by the strikes, their annoyance at it hung in the air as they looked around the area for the source. Eventually a singular thought crossed each one’s mind. They had found another vessel, and this one was also perfect for their goals. They began to back away from Destiny and the assault from the unknown assailant. With one swipe of Destiny’s hand, the net was off of her. Between hurried breaths, she looked around, scanning for any signs of those creatures - more importantly, if they decide to come back. Her head was [i]pounding[/i], this was the first time she’s used her abilities to this extent since she’s left the Pit. Destiny’s little mind was [i]racing[/i], blood dripping down her nose. She paused for a moment, wondering if she had fallen into some sens- Footsteps approached from behind. [i]It was that abnormality.[/i] Destiny slowly turned around, activating her Domination spell as a last-ditch effort, but to no avail. By the time her pivot was complete, [url=https://i.imgur.com/F3LVLeb.jpeg]a tall African-American woman with hair styled into a high puff[/url] approached. She was wearing a fitted leather jacket over a white, sleeveless top, black cargo pants, and scuffed combat boots.. Destiny froze. Her mouth opened, then closed. Nothing came out. Every muscle tensed, her mind screaming for a plan, for anything. The woman’s eyes were locked on her, unblinking, unafraid. Destiny’s powers felt heavy in her arms, her fingers trembling on the edge of control. She wanted to run, but her body wouldn't let her. She was seen. Fully. And it terrified her. The woman calmly walked over to Destiny - whose body was frozen in shock, her mind struggling to process the presence before her. There was something… layered about it, as if one thought, one motion, one glance couldn’t contain all of her at once. When the woman’s hand reached forward, Destiny’s instincts screamed to bite, to recoil - but the touch came, gentle, and wiped the blood from her cheek. Destiny's eyes darted around, looking the woman up and down. [color=6D4833]”[i][b]I[/b][/i] got you,”[/color] The woman said with a confident smile. [color=6D4833]”We gotta-”[/color] [color=757566]”... Who are you?”[/color] Destiny asked, taking a step back, raising her hands. The woman put a hand on her hip, [color=6D4833]”[i]Latoya Strange.[/i] I was just… passing though…”[/color] Latoya laughed. Destiny swallowed hard, trying to push the fear down, but it clawed its way back up just as quickly. Her head throbbed as if it might split. Every instinct screamed to run, to vanish, but her legs refused to move. Desperately scanning Latoya despite the act making her headache far worse. There was something… strange. [color=757566]”I… I don’t understand,”[/color] Destiny began. Latoya’s smile didn’t falter. She leaned just slightly closer, eyes locked onto Destiny like a predator gauging the hesitation of its prey. Destiny’s head spun as if she were catching glimpses of something behind Latoya’s eyes that wasn’t her. [color=757566]“Stay… away,”[/color] Destiny managed, her voice shaking. Latoya tilted her head, amused, almost curious. Yet she respected Destiny’s space was taking a few steps back. However, the woman raised her hands as she said, [color=6D4833]“Hey,”[/color] Latoya said softly, keeping her hands raised and open. [color=6D4833]“I’m not here to hurt you. You’re safe with me - I promise.”[/color] Destiny remained on guard. Destiny’s chest tightened, and she blinked rapidly, trying to process the words—and the warmth behind them. For the first time in what felt like forever, the presence pressing on her mind wasn’t threatening. It was… real. Solid. Human. [color=757566]“…You really mean that?”[/color] Destiny whispered. Latoya responded with a nod. [color=757566]“I… I don’t know if I can trust you,”[/color] Destiny said, defensive. Her telepathy scanned Latoya for hidden intentions - but her mind was extraordinary and alien, refusing to settle. Latoya crouched down slightly, lowering herself to Destiny’s eye level without breaking the careful distance. [color=6D4833]“I know it’s hard,”[/color] she said. [color=6D4833]“People scare you, situations get messy… I get it. But I’m not here to hurt you. No tricks, no games. Just me.”[/color] Destiny’s hands twitched, her mind still screaming caution = but a small part of her, the part that remembered what safety felt like, relaxed just a fraction. [color=6D4833]“Take a breath,”[/color] Latoya added, [color=6D4833]“No rush. No pressure. Just… for a second.”[/color] Destiny’s chest heaved, and for the first time in what felt like hours, her frantic pulse slowed just a fraction. Her fingers, still trembling, hovered near the edge of her magic. The urge to dominate, to control, to protect herself - every instinct - throbbed through her. And yet, Latoya’s presence didn’t feel like a threat. It felt… patient. Almost human. [color=757566]“... Okay,”[/color] Destiny whispered, voice barely audible, more to herself than to Latoya. [color=757566]“...Just... okay, I’ll try.”[/color] Latoya’s smile softened, [color=6D4833]“That’s all I ask,”[/color] [color=757566]“…Why are you helping me?”[/color] Destiny finally asked. Latoya just shrugged, smile going flat. [color=6D4833]“... Because I can. Because I’ve been where you are. Because sometimes… someone just needs to know they’re not alone.”[/color] Destiny’s breath hitched. That last part—it resonated. [color=6D4833]“You don’t have to trust me all at once,”[/color] Latoya said. [color=6D4833]“Just… let me walk with you a little bit so we can leave this behind.”[/color] Destiny looked down the alley where the creatures had left, scanning one last time - only to pick up a crow perched on the rooftop. It appeared to be a simple bird… but from its thoughts, it was that cotton-candy-haired woman who saved her before. Destiny didn’t know how to say thank you - not that it mattered in the end, as the bird flapped off. For the first time since she’d left the Pit, she allowed herself to lower her hands, if only fractionally. The decision wasn’t full trust - far from it - but it was a start. Destiny hesitated for a heartbeat. No words came. No promises were made. Then, slowly, deliberately, she took a step forward. Another. And another. Latoya matched her pace without a word, giving her space, letting her set the rhythm. The alley stretched behind them, dark and empty, but for the first time, Destiny didn’t feel completely alone. Side by side, they walked - Destiny wordless, cautious, but moving. And for now. That was enough.