I slowly stood up, taking in the woman in front of me, Eleanora. She was rather short, had long black hair, and looked extremely kind and warm. Her smile radiated love, and she tilted her head to get a better look at me as well.

​

“You are not what I expected, dear Harper.” She pulled me into a hug, and I quickly embraced her back, feeling her warmth. “But I am so glad you are here.”

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I pulled away, smiling at her, and noticed a slight gold glow surrounding her. I realized I was staring and hadn’t said a word to her, and quickly looked away, embarrassed.

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“It’s great to finally meet you. I’ve been trying to get to you, but I didn’t know how.”

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“It is not the easiest task to travel across this plane, but I knew you would be able to do it.”

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I looked at her again, closely studying her, when realization dawned on me. Short stature, long black hair…

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“Corey?” I said, slowly stepping back, dread filling the space where peace was just moments ago.

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“I was expecting this, but I hoped we would have some time before you noticed.” She sighed deeply, and I saw grief fill her eyes. “I am not the creature you call Corporate. I am Eleanora, the owner and protector of this place. I know of Corporate, of course, but I am not her.”

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I believed her, and that scared me. I thought I was under Corey’s control somehow, so I took out the necklace Sam had given me and put it around my neck, closing my eyes and trying to feel any fog that may have taken over my mind. I felt the necklace lift, and opened my eyes to see Eleanora standing before me, holding the pendant carefully.

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“This belongs to Samuel,” she said blatantly, and looked at me with fear. “Where is he? Is he alright?”

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“He’s fine,” I said, studying her carefully. “He gave this to me when I jumped into the sea of souls. He said it would protect me from…”

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She looked up, understanding in her eyes. “I gave this to him many years ago, when he was first brought to my shop. I could feel his fear of that creature, so I led him to my vents and left this for him. It is made from my essence, and it protects whoever is wearing it from her power, at least for some time.” She thumbed the pendant carefully before gently placing it back on my chest, and looked me deep in my eyes.

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“I am not her. I can explain everything to you, as it is clear you have been kept in the dark for far too long. Will you give me this chance?”

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I hesitated for a moment, but remembered Meredith and Thomas. “I will.”

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She smiled sadly, and began her story.

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“I started this business as a way to connect myself to humans. I had spent centuries hiding in the shadows and observing, enthralled by their lives. I decided I wanted to be part of it, and opened my small shop to experience them. I have always had a knack for fashion, in my opinion, and decided I wanted to bring this kind of joy to them. It was a great success, and back in those times, any business run by a female form was unheard of, let alone successful. Of course, the war began, and those were dreadful times. I saw millions of deaths, people living in the streets, and my own business began to decline. I didn’t want this to end my time among them, as I knew this war would end, so I did what I had to do to keep my shop alive.

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“My shop, of course, has always been special, even before I was the inhabitant. She breathed, felt joy and pain, and enjoyed the presence of humans as much as I did. I could feel her energy dying with the lack of customers, and I had to do something drastic to keep her alive. I decided to start catering to a different demographic, one more like myself. These creatures had a desire to live like humans, whether it be to blend in as a predator or experience life through a human perspective. I made a barrier for my shop, creating a wall between the humans and those who may seek to harm them. This shift in business helped for a while, but my building needed human life to survive, and she was starving. So, I did what I needed to do. I found someone to work with me, someone who could entice humans into my shop, just to exist within its walls. Someone who I thought I could trust to take over for me, so I could give my building some of my power. You know her by the name I gave her, Corporate. I thought it was rather humorous, and still do. I gave her control of my work, which was my biggest mistake. I told Corporate everything she needed to know, and let myself anchor to my shop, giving her some of my life force to keep her strong.

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“This tied me to my building, and she and I became one. I was unable to leave, and any attempt to do so would lead to a shift in realities, bringing the entire building and everyone inside to the world we are in now, my building’s natural habitat. Of course, this world looked much different back then, but it was still a risk to bring unsuspecting humans to this realm. At first, I had no desire to leave my building. I could still interact with humans when they came in, and enjoyed spending all my hours with my shop. But, with Corporate bringing in more clients every day, and the new clientele I was serving, I was beginning to get overwhelmed with the workload. I made all of my garments by hand back then, and demand was too high. Corporate suggested opening a small warehouse, where we could employ humans to make the clothing for humans, and I could focus my work on the clientele with more particular taste. I was hesitant, of course, and even though her power doesn’t affect me, she is still a very convincing being, so I conceded.

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“I was never able to see this warehouse, of course, but I met all the humans who were to work there. I interviewed them, made sure they were some of the good ones, and hired those I trusted with my life’s work. With the human garments off my mind, I was able to expand into more exotic fabrics, weaving even the most delicate and tricky materials into beautiful pieces for my other clientele. I was so occupied with my new work, I didn’t notice the shift in Corporate. Her form began to change, slowly. She was once a rather tall, slim, beautiful woman, but she was beginning to form into something horrifying. A true monster, and I don’t use that word lightly. She became angry and testy, her hair lost all color and became matted, and she bore a terrible scowl that seemed to pierce into the souls of those around her. This was beginning to affect her abilities, as her appearance was a big part of her influence, and she was driving customers away instead of bringing them in.

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“I decided I needed to let her go. I couldn’t risk my shop anymore, and with the war ending, I believed business would begin to pick up on its own. I planned on shutting down my little warehouse, pulling back on my other clientele, and returning my business to how I intended it. When I sat down Corporate and explained this to her, something in her snapped. Her scowl seemed to protrude from her face, and for the first time, I could hear her thoughts in my head. She was powerful in her anger, and was able to do something she never could before: she gained control of me.

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“She made me lead us to my building’s world, and trapped my essence here. She separated me from my life’s work and my home, and as you know, she stole my physical form. She took my body, my face, and merged it over her appearance, giving her back her ability to control humans, and abandoned me in this place. She took my building back to our reality, and I have been trapped here ever since. This place used to be a safe haven for lost souls; those who were unable to cross over for many different reasons could find refuge in these waters, and within my building’s walls when it returned to rest, until they were ready to move on. Soon after Corporate took control, the souls began pouring in, more than this world could hold. They were different from those who came before; more tortured, pained, and trapped within their sorrow than I had seen before. I was able to speak with a few of the more fortunate ones, who retained their ability to communicate, and learned they were coming from the warehouse. A warehouse I had approved, that I had given Corporate control over, was now turned into a prison for those that fell under her spell. These poor humans were working with the materials I had created, fabric that was never meant to fall into human hands, and were suffering from their lack of guidance and knowledge about them. I spend my time here attempting to bring some peace to them, but it is draining me of what little power I have left. Without my physical form, and my tie to my home broken, I am beginning to fade away. I sense the same is happening to my building as well, since she has begun returning to her world more and more frequently over the years.

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“This is why I brought you here. I cannot return to my building - Corporate has made sure of it. Any attempt puts Corporate’s voice in my head, draining me of more power and distancing me farther from my home. She has taken my building and myself hostage, and is forcing innocent humans to bleed themselves dry for a company that I created. That I lost. It is my fault, yet I am incapable of fixing it. I hope you believe me, and I pray that you will help me, because I know one thing for sure - Corporate cannot overpower you. You have a strong connection with yourself, and you are now armed with the truth. I can give you all the guidance you need, but in the end, it has to be you who puts an end to this.”

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

Part 9

Part 10