She threw the pan on the wall, shattering the TV.
The woman’s pupils narrowed and her eyes darkened dangerously. From the depths of her light eyes, ink seeped out of her pupils, slowly spreading outward. Fragments of glass cut through the general’s cheek and a drop of blood pooled, before slowly making its way down, its deep color catching the woman’s eyes. Blood. Red. Her head started to pound. Slowly, specs of red fluttered in her vision, merging into mist. Strands of ink and crimson fought in her eyes. Something in her shook, trying desperately to break free.
Darkness and blood. An endless battle. Unwittingly, her hand traveled to her throat and scratched at the splash of beauty marks.
A powerful pressure descended upon the room, almost crushing the people inside. The air felt electric, charged with something dreadful. The general dropped flat on the ground, his face squished against the carpet. He grunted in pain. He felt his organs being compressed and his bones cracking. The taste of blood rose in his mouth and his vision blurred, the breath of death creeping on his back.
Sam was being crushed under the pressure. The smile of his wife flashed in his mind. He had told her he would be back soon. He knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep until he came back home. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he recalled how he had promised her this wouldn’t take long.
In the end, she wouldn’t be able to sleep for a while.
Alice struggled to stand and her breathing became labored. She scolded the general in her mind. Because of his loose mouth, they all have to suffer with him right there. With difficulties, she raised her hands in front of her chest. Her fingers moved quickly in a mysterious manner. The jade ring on her hand shimmered, she clapped loudly once, and an eerie sound dispersed the pressure.
“Master, it’s Halloween tonight and there’s a special limited offer at the cheesecake shop.” Alice tried her hardest to cover up the shaking of her voice. “If you don’t put on some clothes, you’re going to miss it.”
Alice moved to the sofa and clapped again. The echo cleaved the haze in her master’s eyes. To further distract her, Alice did what she knew best: tempt her.
“Master. Do you remember the restaurant I told you about yesterday? How about we go there and eat something? You’ve been coiled up at home for ages, let’s go out.”
The woman in her undies snapped out of her trance and scowled. “I don’t want to go outside.”
“Really?” Alice crouched in front of her and tilted her head mischievously. “What to do? I booked a spot and even asked for a cutie to entertain you.”
Alice pouted her mouth cutely. She saw her master’s eyes twinkling. She knew her master well enough. She couldn’t be coerced into doing things, but she could be tempted.
“Wanna see the picture?” Alice continued her bluff.
The woman snorted softly, her stance softened.
“How about this? We go with them and solve their problems. Easy peasy. Then, off we go to Vegas for a week and I let you stay in a brothel instead of a hotel?” Alice smiled brightly, “Of course, their government will foot the bill. Isn’t that even better, not having to pay a dime?”
She knew damn well that Alice was making things up as she went but she didn’t care as long as she got enough benefits in the end.
The woman got up, side-eyed the general and warned, “No next time,” before going upstairs to change.
“He wouldn’t dare,” Alice chuckled.
Once the woman was out of sight, Alice snorted in annoyance. She waved her hand and the littering bodies were sent outside, only leaving Sam and the general. She sighed heavily and helped Sam off the ground.
“Uncle, you–” She shook her head. “Don’t you know how she is? Why did you let that guy open his mouth?” She saw his pale face and popped a small round pill in his mouth and helped him stand. “She’s not in the best shape and mood today so you better warn the people on the other side.
“I know,” Sam said, feeling better after ingesting the pill.
“Alright. Everyone is just unconscious, not dead. She acts like that but she still respects the law, somewhat.” Alice cheekily stuck out her tongue. “Here. Give them this.”
She pushed a small bottle full of pills into Sam’s hand. “We’ll depart in 30 minutes. Everything has to be resolved by midnight, otherwise...”
“I’ll make sure there’s no more mishap this time.” Sam grimaced.
“Haha,” she chuckled. “You better. You’re lucky I’m a pro at managing catastrophic situations.”
***
9:07 pm
Control room
Secret base, Area 42
“Catastrophic, my ass!”
Alice swept her hands over the desk and threw everything on it on the ground, shocking the general and the group of engineers around. She had never been the type to throw a fit in front of people but they had gone overboard. They had come all the way here for that?
“You build a cosmic reactor! You idiot built a machine that harnesses cosmic rays! You freaking dumbasses choose to test out a prototype during the biggest solar storm in history!”
She screamed at General Igs, “You fucked up and you dare come to us for help?!” She pointed at the blinking red warning messages on the screen and the countdown flashing on the side. “Look at that! It’s a fucking countdown till your reactor explode from overload and blow up half of your freaking country! Six fucking hours. SIX HOURS! And you dare yell at me in my own house?!”
Alice paced around in rage, pushing chairs out of her way and frightening the personnel.
“We didn’t think–” General Igs’ face was still deadly pale and his breath was labored as his body still hurt. “She usually deals with cosmic rays, we didn’t want to always rely on her. We didn’t think the reactor would be overwhelmed.”
“Bullshit!” Alice threw him a death glare. “You created a technology you didn’t fully understand just because you wanted to rival her powers. Now, it went out of control and you need her to clean up the mess. I guess you also didn’t spare a neuron to think what would happen if Master couldn’t absorb this much energy if it goes south!?”
“You—” He didn’t like how she was berating him in front of so many people.
“Master isn’t omnipotent. Most of her powers are imprisoned under layers and layers of seals. If shit hits the fan, we’re all going to blow up.”
“We— I—”
“Shut up! I need to focus and think. Something you obviously can’t do!”
Alice stood in the center of the command room, her head lowered and her eyes half closed. The whole room was dead silent, only the rhythmic beeping of machines disrupted the calmness. She needed a plan. Seconds and minutes flew by with each flash of the countdown. After what seemed like an eternity, Alice finally dialed a number on her phone.
“Morgan, have everyone prepare and gather here in fifteen minutes. I need everyone to be ready to stabilize Master when she absorbs the generators’ excess energy.” Alice listed items for her cousin to prepare before hanging up. She turned to General Igs, “Start the evacuation now. Leave no one behind. No one is allowed to come in a five mile radius until I say so. No surveillance, no disturbance of any kind. Am I clear?”
“This isn’t protocol,” General Igs gritted his teeth.
“Protocol or your country, your call.” She turned to leave. She didn’t want to waste her time.
He stayed there, hesitant for a while before yelling, “Start the evacuation plan!” He paused, then declared, “Put the President on the line.”
***
9:33 pm
Break room
Alice entered the break room and saw her master lounging around on a sofa, drinking directly from a bottle of whisky. She lowered her eyes and sighed in her heart. She was about to do something somewhat despicable. She approached, her head drooping and a pitiful expression on her face.
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“Master～,” Alice said coyly while climbing on the sofa and laid down next to the woman. “They lied to us. Even after all you’ve done for them, they still try to profit from you.”
“How unusual,” she said sarcastically.
“Those bastards… But we still have to help them out. After all, if that reactor explode, it'll hurt us as well～.” She snuggled closer, putting her head on her nape, her forehead stuck to the woman’s throat.
“Alice, it’s a full moon tonight. ”
“I know. I don’t want this either but there’s no other choice,” Alice whispered.
“Do you think I’ll always do whatever you ask me to?
“I know, Master. You’ll never let us die like that,” Alice closed her eyes.
“How can you be sure? I’m not that good of a person.”
“Because I remind you of someone from your past,” Alice declared softly, “You’ll never let me die like that. ”
The black woman's eyes narrowed dangerously, “You’re playing a dangerous game.” Her voice was calm but the edge was sharp.
“As long as Master lets me play～,” Alice said with a coquettish tone.
“Don’t regret it someday.” She sneered.
***
10:07 pm
Engine room
When Alice and co first entered the engine room where all the generators were, they couldn’t help but feel oppressed by the high temperatures. The room was so immense they could barely see the opposite wall at the end of the room. Several cylinder-like units were lined up one after the other, each hotter than the next. Pipes and cables were cursing through the floors and walls. As they advanced in the room, they felt miniscule next to those colossal structures.
Alice had underestimated the amount of energy those generators held. Even worse, it was impossible to turn them off, so they kept on sucking cosmic energy like a black hole. She cursed, missing the wisdom of her dad. She shook her head and refocused on the figure of her master standing nearby.
She ushered her master to a unit surrounded by walkways and dispatched her cousins alongside the aerial bridges, creating a perimeter around the unit. She had gathered ten of them for this ritual. Each held an artifact in one hand, while the other was extending toward their Master in case they had to restrain her.
The black woman jumped down and gracefully landed on the generator. As if she didn’t feel the blazing heat, she sat down on crossed legs, her eyes half closed, seemingly nonchalant. Barely visible currants of energy fluttered before converging towards her. Little by little, the excess energy from the whole room was being absorbed into her body.
***
11:12 pm
“It’s finally over,” Alice let out a sigh in relief.
She looked around at her cousins who were also exhausted. Alice waved her tired arms around and let out a smile. The sitting woman opened her eyes and stretched, her face pale and fatigued. She rose from her seat and approached the edge to slide down.
“Master, well done. Let’s go and celebrate Halloween. What kind of candies do you want to eat first?” Alice cheerfully chirped despite her pale face while she was making her way down.
The sentence echoed through her mind and struck the woman on the edge, awakening a distant memory.
“Ma! Let’s go! I want to eat candies.” The child giggled.
Stunned and bewildered, the black woman slipped and crashed down on the ground. Her heart skipped a beat. Echoes of panicked cries and wails rippled in her mind. She couldn’t distinguish what was real and what was dreamt anymore.
“Everyone is waiting for you,” he stretched his hand, taking hers and pulling her away.
Her breath shortened, chest crushing down her heart, and shivers spread down her body. Her hand trembled and her head started to hurt. Her hazel eyes glazed over. She cradled her head, pushing away the ones trying to touch her. Memories and reality blended seamlessly.
Words of accusations.
Cries and tears.
The despair.
The wails.
The pungent smell of blood.
She was confused. A surge of power crackled through her body, overflowing from every inch of her being. She wanted to let it seep out, let it overflow and dye the world.
She couldn’t keep it in anymore.
***
11:37 pm
Regrets, Alice was drowning in it. She had underestimated the impact of the date as well as her master’s mood, now they were in deep shit. Her face was taut with concentration and tension, pale as beads of sweat dotted her forehead.
The tendrils of darkness spread and swirled, their inky forms laced with whispers of crimson. As they rose, they seemed to morph and shift, taking on fleeting shapes. A surge of power pulsed through the room. The energy erupted and overflowed into torrent. Reaching the apex, the shadows veiled the room in an ethereal haze. Echoes and wails. People and monsters. The haze wove scenes of repressed desire and memories. Laughs and cries. Blood and darkness.
Awe and fear warred within the heart of the family members as they witnessed a glimpse of a distant past. A low hum resonated through the room and their blood. Their bodies spasmed and some of them spat out a mouthful of blood.
“We can’t go on like that!” Morgan yelled.
Alice bit her lips and made up her mind, “Get ready to suck in the flow, we’ll absorb it ourselves!”
“In OUR bodies?” She screamed, “No way, it’s too much!”
“Just the excess. Just enough to stabilize the seal.” Alice retorted. “We don’t have a choice. We’ll deal with it after going back home. The priority is Master. If she goes on a rampage, it’s game over!”
“Shit!”
“On the count of three!” Alice steeled herself, a glimmer of resolve shining in her eyes.
One -
Everyone threw their artifacts away at once and formed a circle around the woman having a breakdown, their hands extended in front of their chest.
Two -
Their fingers danced and drew symbols in the air.
Three -
They breathed in and the symbols stuck to their chest.
Immediately, a small vortex appeared and started to suck in the tendrils of power swirling around. A tremor coursed through the air, shaking their bodies. As they sucked in the excess power, it was as if they could feel their bodies scream in protest. Strand after strand of energy, they breathed them in, compressed it and kept it stored. The ground trembled. Arcs of pure, incandescent power whipped their bodies, leaving bloody gashes. They gritted their teeth, suppressing the power that was set on going wild inside of them. Little by little, the surge recessed and the phantoms faded. Only stillness and the frenzied heartbeats of those who witnessed the scene.
The woman passed out, curled up on herself, the cap on her powers barely holding on. The people around her fell to their knees, utterly exhausted and livid. They spit out mouthfuls of blood, their vision blurry and barely staying conscious.
***
11:52 pm
When Alice came to herself, only the flickering of the emergency lights illuminated the room. She coughed, uncomfortable, and tried to raise her head to survey the situation.
“Still alive?” Alice asked, breathless.
“Barely,” Morgan answered with difficulty.
“Anyone else?” She asked out loud while wincing in pain.
Although the others were also in bad shape and some were unconscious, they were all still alive.
“How’s Master?” Alice inquired.
Morgan, who was the closest, took a glance and responded, “Her breathing is stable and she’s passed out. As long as there’s nothing unexpected, she should be fine.”
Alice sighed in relief and grunted. She recalled the reason they ended up in this state in the first place and was furious once again. A flurry of curses and insults gushed out from her mouth in between coughs and cries of pain. In the end, they could only lay there, struggling to catch their breath, limp and vulnerable.
***
00:02 am
Alice was staring into space when, suddenly, her heart jolted and the premonition of a disaster gripped her soul. She tried to sit up but failed. She wanted to move. She needed to move. She looked around in a frenzy. All of a sudden, a blinding light emerged from the ground and it took her several seconds to recover her vision. She heard a gasp and her heart dropped.
“ALICE! MASTER DISAPPEARED!”
***
The black woman didn’t know how long she was out. Swollen eyes and dried blood streaking on her collarbone; tangled hair and a foggy mind were the result of her blackout. Clear tingles of chimes resounded through the space, with distant echoes of a divine-sounding chorus in the background.
Eyes still closed, she hovered on the boundary between sleep and wakefulness. Trying and failing to make sense of her muddled thoughts, she felt uncomfortable. Everything bothered her—the mattress felt harder than usual and the air, colder. The room seemed brighter. She became aware that she wasn’t in her bed and grumbled.
“Welcome, O Chosen One,” said a delicate and emotional voice.
Groaning in annoyance, the young woman clad in old pajamas and mismatched animal slippers kept her eyes stubbornly shut. She was exhausted and it hurt everywhere. She didn’t know why Alice hadn’t put her in her bed already.
“You are the one our world has long been waiting for,” the voice added.
“Quiet,” she grumbled.
Without her knowledge, the slender figure of a woman appeared up high in the white sky. Long silver hair and eyes as azure as a clear sky; surrounding her, a divine halo shimmered softly, and a slight smile hung on her lips.
“We need your assistance, O Chosen One. Our world is in peril; none other than you can save it.”
The divine being waited for a moment, but the sleepy woman didn’t respond. With a graceful wave of her hand, a spell flew beneath—a blink later, a shriek came from the floor.
“I am the divine avatar Lyres. You shall now embark on a journey to another world and will become a hero,” she said, the slight smile on her face growing larger and warmer.