In the car, Prime continued to drive, trying to locate Emma. By now, it was clear to him that Emma had awakened her symbiote, and from the initial impression, Prime suspected she wasn’t as benevolent as he had imagined. Additionally, his attempts to call Emma were futile—she simply wasn’t answering her phone.

(Prime, have you found any sign of her?)

As Prime made a turn, Sara’s voice echoed in his mind. Without taking his eyes off the road, Prime subtly conveyed his feelings, which was enough for Sara to understand his current situation.

(I understand, we’re running out of time. We don’t know why she suddenly disappeared, and it probably wasn’t Emma’s idea, since she tends to be obedient. Also, dusk is approaching. Annie and I are monitoring a small area around the school. If...)

Sara couldn’t finish what she was saying because at that very moment, Prime realized that she had sensed something as well. Prime’s connection with the symbiotes was unique. He hadn’t paid much attention to it in the morning, but if he had tried harder, he would have certainly noticed Emma’s symbiote awakening.

Therefore, with the slightest subtle movement, Prime could detect any presence. And that’s exactly what he felt: the precise location and the level of power. This new symbiote seemed a bit stronger than Annie’s, but it also displayed a certain impatience.

Prime felt a mix of emotions: anger, amusement, and even a touch of happiness. Without hesitation, he accelerated the car further, driving through the streets until he reached a more rundown area of the city. At a certain point, Prime parked his luxury car and got out.

There were few people on the street, and those few who were still walking on the sidewalks stopped to admire Prime’s car. It was rare to see such a vehicle in that area, as the neighborhood was considered lower-class.

Returning to Prime, the reason he stopped at that location was because he knew Emma was nearby. Well, Prime was almost certain that, upon finding her, she probably wouldn’t be the same Emma he was used to. Starting to walk, he headed towards the point where he could feel Emma’s presence.

Prime halted his steps and looked to the side, observing a dark alley that, to him, was as clear as day. In the distance, he spotted a purple mass covering almost the entire alley. Prime sighed in relief as he finally found Emma.

(I found her. You and Annie can head back home; I’ll take Emma with me)

(Okay)

(... Annie, can I ask you something?)

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(Ah! Dad, it’s a bit strange hearing your voice in my head; it sounds different from when I’m talking to Scream. Anyway, what do you want to ask?)

(Do you and your sister... have any attachment to your old family? I mean, your biological parents)

(That was an unexpected question)

(I know, you don’t have to answer if you don’t want to)

(No, it’s fine. Actually, I don’t have specific feelings about it. I really hate my father, more than anything in the world. There were times when he would leave the house, and I would pray that he never came back. As for my mother... she was indifferent to both me and Emma, so honestly, I don’t care much whether she lives or dies)

(I see. Anyway, I’ll take Emma with me. See you and Sara at home)

(Sure)

After this brief mental conversation, Prime sighed and looked back at the alley. His eyes briefly glowed with a white hue when he spotted Emma. Prime then rifled through his memory and, to be honest, didn’t like what he found.

With these thoughts, Prime walked softly down the alley, where his footsteps echoed as if they were in an isolated world where sound seemed unable to enter or leave. In this peculiar environment, Prime observed the purple symbiote, which had relatively long hair and was smaller than Annie’s symbiotic form.

In summary, while Annie appeared childlike in her human form, her symbiotic form resembled that of a teenager on the brink of maturity. Prime found this somewhat interesting but decided to ignore it for now.

As Prime approached, he noticed slight changes in the symbiote. Whereas it had previously seemed ready to attack, it now appeared relatively calmer. As Prime pondered this, the symbiote turned, revealing its face. It was similar to Scream’s, though with different colors and body structure.

The symbiote then began to shrink and retract, transforming back into Ema within a few seconds. Ema looked at Prime with a happy smile on her face. Behind her, on the ground, was the same man Prime had warned earlier, with both legs bloodied, indicating an attack he had suffered.

“Daddy!”

“Ema, can you wait outside? We need to talk at home about your sneaking out”

“Oh! Hehe, sure”

After this brief exchange, Ema ran out of the alley, leaving Prime and the man behind. Noting that Sara had completely left the alley, Prime turned his attention to the man. For some reason, the man seemed relieved to see Prime, which, from Prime's perspective, made no sense at all.

“Do you remember me?”

The man, lying on the ground with his face marked by pain and his nose running, glanced briefly at Prime without showing interest.

“How could I remember you? Hurry up and help me, you useless fool! Is this how you treat another human being?”

With this, Prime confirmed: the man definitely did not remember him. Prime had never imagined this could happen. From Prime's perspective, the man should be traumatized for the rest of his life. Moreover, even if he told someone what he had seen, who would believe a fat, sloppy drunk?.

“Well, if you don’t remember, it doesn’t matter”

After saying this, Prime grabbed the man by the collar of his coat and lifted him, startling him. The man looked at Prime with a gaze filled with hatred, as if he wanted to kill him.

“Idiot, what are you doing? Don’t you see I’m injured?”

However, as soon as the man said this, his eyes widened. This happened because Prime, still holding the man, began to be enveloped by living white biomass, transforming completely.

“Don’t worry about your injury; soon you won’t feel anything”

As he said these words, Prime opened his mouth, revealing rows of teeth, and slowly approached the man before closing it completely around his head.