Emotive laughed, the sound echoing across the domain like wind chimes made of broken glass.

"Good luck finding him in the Wastes of THE Fallout," she said with genuine amusement. "You and others really don't know how it's truly going to be out there. But no, you can do whatever you want, and I will do whatever I want."

She pointed at Noah's illusory image with possessive intensity.

"For this guy, he laid the claim on The First Tongue, so I shall lay a claim on him. I've always wanted to raise a dog. THE Creature and others are too big as they would eat me up, but this Osmont..."

Her eyes widened with manic desire.

"Ahh, I want him. I want him!"

...!

Her eyes radiated a manic light as she said this, and in the next moment, she waved her hand to pull out something that made the entire domain tremble!

A teardrop.

A single crystalline teardrop that emanated wild power so profound that even the elements themselves seemed to bow before it. The moment it appeared, Elemental showed a shocked expression as he pointed a finger at it.

"How did you get that?!"

His voice cracked with disbelief, his composure shattering for just an instant.

Emotive looked over calmly, rolling the teardrop between her fingers with casual indifference.

"Oh relax, it's just a Fragment of an Axiom," she said dismissively. "See, this is why you can't be like THE Creature and Paradox, and even this Osmont. Where is your fucking composure? Your je ne sais quoi? You don't make me feel a thing because of how you act, man. It's abysmal."

She held up the Fragment, letting its light play across her features.

"But no, I told you I have a plan, and it involves this. Navigating the Wastelands, the Corrupted Existence after THE Fallout, will be impossible through normal means. But Axioms will make many things possible. This is something I can use to track what makes my heart flutter."

Her smile turned sharp.

"And I know it's not fucking you, so at this time it will be Osmont. I do hope it doesn't lead me to THE Creature as he will likely rip me apart right then and there... ah."

...!

Her manic light became even grander as a darkened, cloudy expression settled on Elemental's face after her words.

She seemed to be very set on playing with the emotions of others and making them feel lesser. It was her Way, after all. THE Living Emotive existed to evoke and manipulate feelings, and she wielded that power even against her supposed allies.

Elemental spoke with a voice that rumbled like tectonic plates grinding against each other.

"You can continue trying to crush my will by comparisons, but it is ultimately a waste of time," he declared with cold certainty. "My Way is firm. Games of manipulation will not work on me. I do not compare myself to THE Creature or any others as I have my own immensity. I am THE Living Elemental. I am the authority over Phonemes of Fire and Water and Earth and Air and everything in between. Your words are wind against my mountain."

Emotive rose up and actually sat properly on the elemental throne, crossing her legs as she twirled the Fragment of an Axiom in her hands. She looked over at Elemental with an expression that held pity and contempt in equal measure.

"You are one of the beings I least respect," she said with brutal honesty. "You had so much potential, so many possibilities, and look at you. Stuck. Stagnant. Mediocre despite your Depth."

She leaned forward, her eyes boring into him.

"If you want to prove me wrong, I will actually bring you with me when I find Osmont. I will. And do you know what I think will happen?"

Her smile turned cruel.

"Somehow, he will be standing right there before you, and you still won't be able to achieve what you want. You see, that is just how it is for some beings in Existence. They do everything, but never amount to much."

She sighed wistfully.

"THE Creature, oh, he amounts to much. I miss him even now. Paradox? He's up there. This Osmont? He fucking laid a claim on The First Tongue that nobody has been able to do, so I'm sure he's up there."

Her eyes met Elemental's with piercing intensity.

"I will literally put him in front of you, and you likely still won't get what you want. It's like you're so bad that Existence itself doesn't want you winning. So after you fail, I will then make my move. How does that sound, big guy?"

...!

Her words were truly poisonous and detestable to hear, but her eyes held a terrifying light that very few understood. She was not merely taunting him. She was speaking what she believed to be absolute truth. In her eyes, Elemental was simply not destined for greatness, and no amount of effort would change that fundamental reality.

Elemental looked at her coldly in an imposing demeanor, his flames condensing around him like armor made of pure destruction. The Phonemes of The First Tongue surrounding him blazed brighter as if responding to his fury.

Moments later, Emotive showed a bored expression as she lay back on the elemental throne, her body language dismissing everything he was projecting.

"Eeh, even your imposing glare doesn't get me excited," she complained with theatrical disappointment. "Man, I can't wait to track down Osmont. Maybe he will make me feel something, unlike being near a black hole of boring Weavings like you."

She closed her eyes, the Fragment of an Axiom still dancing between her fingers.

"Just wait for the second phase of THE Fallout to finish. Then the real fun begins. Then I get to see if this Osmont lives up to the hype. And you?"

She cracked one eye open to look at him.

"You get to watch and fail. As usual."

The domain of water and fire trembled with Elemental's suppressed rage, but he said nothing more.

Outside THE Loom, THE Fallout continued its second phase, reshaping Observable Existence into something unrecognizable.

And inside, two ancient powers waited with very different anticipations.

One waited to destroy.

One waited to claim.

And somewhere out there, completely unaware of the attention being directed at him, Noah Osmont was hosting a festival to celebrate surviving the end of Existence!

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