Eclipse of the Chronicles

Chapter 7: Adapting Influence

(Scene opens with a flashback)

"It doesn't always have to be this way, Cooper," said Queenie, playing her role as Rachel Silver on set with Emily as Connie Cooper.

"Apparently, Silver... it does," replied Emily, cocking a shotgun.

"All I want is to get that package. You can have everything else... there's no need for a fight," Queenie continued.

"This package... intrigued. Now you really have to fight for it," Emily said, pointing her shotgun prop at Queenie, her character fully in control.

"Cut," the director called. "Excellent work today, ladies. Take a break for now, and we'll continue on Saturday."

"Thank you, sir," the two girls responded as they left the set.

Queenie and Emily were young actresses starring in the teenage spy movie *Rachel Silver,* where Queenie played the protagonist while Emily took on the role of the antagonist. Both were prodigy actors who had been discovered after their duets went viral on social media. Given their rising popularity, they were offered a chance to try their hand at acting and had excelled ever since. Though they went to different tertiary institutions after secondary school, their acting careers kept them connected.

However, as the film gained popularity, Queenie received most of the attention from fans, likely due to her role as the protagonist. Meanwhile, Emily, who played the villain, spent countless hours perfecting her performance. Despite her hard work, her efforts were often overshadowed by Queenie's rising star, and Emily became the target of online trolls who claimed she would never be as good as Queenie. The negativity weighed heavily on her, but she found solace in Queenie's support. However, as Queenie became more involved with the Fated Chronicles, Emily found herself increasingly isolated, with little time for her friend who was struggling with the pressures of being a young actress.

After the Fated Chronicle clash, Emily rediscovered her powers. While memorizing her script, anxiety overwhelmed her, filling her mind with fears of failing to meet fans' and media expectations. As her emotions intensified, objects around her began to levitate, shocking her. At that moment, Lilith appeared in her room and cast her mental pollution spell on Emily.

(Scene returns to the present, at Sean's polytechnic)

Queenie sat on a swing in the roof garden, gently swaying back and forth as she gazed at her Fated Chronicle card. A message on the card read: *Fated Chronicle of Adaptability VS Destined Chronicle of Influence.* She sighed deeply as Spike and I joined her on the swing. After exchanging greetings, we settled in.

"So, you're up for tonight's match, right, Queenie?" I asked, having seen the same message.

"Yup, and I have a pretty good idea of who the Destined Chronicle of Influence is..." she replied, her expression tinged with sadness. "If I'm right... I'll be facing Emily tonight," she continued.

"That girl who plays the villain, Connie Cooper, in your film?" Spike asked.

Queenie nodded. "I love acting with her on set, even though we have to stage fight scenes sometimes. But fighting each other for real... it feels wrong. And I can't shake the feeling that Emily is under Lilith's spell because of me. It seems like everyone's opponent is somehow connected to them."

I offered Queenie some comfort, telling her it was best to wait until tonight to clear things up rather than overthink it. She smiled back at me, stood up from the swing, and her aura seemed to shift from nervousness to confidence.

"Whatever the case, I will fight with all I've got and save Emily!" she declared.

"That's the spirit!" Spike and I cheered, supporting our teammate as she prepared for the night's battle.

(Scene transitions to Emily's college)

At Emily's college, she was busy studying before class when a group of girls approached her for an autograph.

"Hey, Connie Cooper, can we get your autograph?" one of the girls asked, holding out a poster for her to sign.

Emily smiled politely and signed the poster. The girls thanked her and walked away, leaving Emily feeling conflicted. No one ever called her by her real name; she was always addressed by the character she played. This was a stark contrast to Queenie, who was always called by her name rather than her character's. Emily sighed and looked at her Destined Chronicle card, which lay on top of her phone. The same message that appeared on Queenie's card was on hers: *Today's the day, Queenie...* she thought to herself.

(Scene transitions to the dojo house that night)

We, the Fated Chronicle team, stepped out of the portal toward the gate. Stephanie mentioned that she had some investigating to do but assured us she would be there in spirit to support whoever was fighting. Daisuke, looking disturbed, followed us out of the portal.

"Who among them has been possessed by Lilith? Is that where Lilith is focusing most of her powers? To plant a mole among us?" Daisuke wondered aloud, drawing Spike's concern.

"What's wrong, Dai?" Spike asked.

Daisuke shook his head. "It's nothing. I'm fine."

"You look more confident than you were before, Queenie," Simon observed.

"Do I? Well... I guess it's because tonight's match is important. I can't let everyone down, can I?" she replied.

"Just be yourself out there. You don't have to be anything for anyone," Simon reassured her, earning a nod of gratitude from Queenie.

"So, how are things between you and Amy, Sean-ie?" Jessica asked, curious about how things were going between us since we discovered Amy was a Destined Chronicle.

"Not great... We haven't talked in days, and she's been avoiding me. When we do see each other, she looks at me like we're enemies. I really don't see it that way... I just wonder what I can do to change that," I said, voicing my concerns.

"Hmm... maybe give her money?" Jessica teased, making me laugh as I quickly dismissed the idea with a firm "no way."

When we arrived at the fighting stage, I noticed Jake talking to Emily, who was on her way to the stage.

"In my opinion... you're as great a star as she is, if not better, Emily," Jake said.

His compliment brought a rare smile to her face, as it was the first time in a while someone around her age called her by her name.

"I know you can beat her," Jake added, and Emily nodded in response, bolstered by his words.

Both match participants entered the fighting area, where Lilith awaited them. At the opposite end of the spectator area, I saw Howard standing apart from the other Destined Chronicles, likely choosing to distance himself after being freed from the curse.

We settled in as the match was about to begin.

"Queenie Snow, Emily Lim, raise your cards and let out your battle cry to commence the battle," Lilith announced.

"Let's settle..." Queenie said, raising her glowing card.

"...old scores," Emily echoed, mirroring the gesture.

"DESTINY!" they both cried as their flags raised into the air. Emily's flag had a purple, web-like aura.

"The time has come... for the fourth match of destiny to begin..." Lilith declared as both participants took their stances.

The match began, and there was a sense of familiarity as both girls took their stances. It felt like a scene from *Rachel Silver* when they confronted each other on set.

"This brings back memories, doesn't it, Emily?" Queenie asked, trying to soften the tension with old memories.

"Shame we have to fight for real this time, with no strings attached," Emily replied.

The girls began reciting lines from their film.

"It doesn't have to be this way, Emily..." Queenie said, looking at her friend, now her opponent.

"Apparently..." Emily began, summoning a shotgun from the weapons compartment with a dark aura that looked like telekinesis, "...it does," she continued, cocking the shotgun.

Queenie felt disheartened but quickly gathered her courage and rushed to the pistols she had used before. Emily tried to stop her, firing shots with her weapon. Feeling out of reach, Queenie decided to imitate Emily's powers and summoned the pistols to her via telekinesis. An all-out crossfire ensued between the two.

Emily then used her powers to summon robot dummies, arming them with blasters as well. They all aimed and fired at Queenie, forcing her to go on the defensive. Queenie retrieved weapons using the same telekinetic ability she saw Emily perform and shielded herself from the barrage of shots.

As it became increasingly difficult to block the attacks, Queenie attempted to bend the robot dummies to her will using the same powers as Emily. Both girls struggled for control over the dummies.

"I never wanted to be a star, Queenie... I only wanted to be your equal," Emily confessed, struggling to regain control over the robots. Her words took Queenie by surprise. "So we could sing, dance, and be together as best friends forever. I followed you into showbiz because of that. After secondary school, we hardly spent time together, so I always cherished acting beside you on set. But then you turned away, made other friends, and left me behind. That's when I realized I had to become as popular as you, to get you back, to make all my hard work WORTHWHILE!" Emily cried out, her powers intensifying. The robots followed her will, landing shots on Queenie and dimming her flag.

"Emily..." Queenie whispered softly. She recalled being in a similar position when she fought Simon in the Fated Chronicle clash, struggling to be herself amidst the hate comments she received, a position Emily was in now.

"I hear your pain loud and clear, Emily..." Queenie said as she rose from the last attack.

"No, you don't, Queenie. I'm putting an end to this fight, to gain the spotlight like you and become your equal again. Receive the spotlight and supremacy, follow my will to victory—Ultimate Chronicle Technique: Destiny Psychic Influence!" Emily cried as all the objects around the dojo levitated and launched toward Queenie in rapid succession.

Queenie struggled to hold back the psychic objects, amplifying her powers in an attempt to match Emily's. But she couldn't hold out for long, so she resorted to using her pistols, shooting Emily and stunning her, which disrupted Emily's control over the objects. Some of the objects landed on Queenie, causing damage, but she was still in the fight.

Both girls got back on their feet, their flags glowing with equal brightness. The shots from Queenie's pistols earlier had sapped Emily's strength due to the perfectly aimed hit.

"I know what it must have been like... getting all the hate and facing expectations from fans... having to be someone we don't want to be... dealing with those disgusting people over the internet sometimes," Queenie said, as Emily listened in surprise.

"But they aren't serious people; they never understand what we go through every day. We trained hard and performed our best on set because we were serious about acting, and I know you liked it too. You know what we should do when we hear all the hate? We should go like this: 'Oh my god, dudes, SHUT THE HELL UP.' Just like that," Queenie said, imitating what Simon had taught her. Simon, proud and impressed, let out a laugh, as did the rest of us. Emily's face showed a noticeable "huh?" expression.

"Let's do this, Emily. No strings attached—just two girls doing their best for the team," Queenie said, ironically influencing Emily, despite Emily being the Chronicle of Influence.

"Right!" Emily replied, seemingly freeing herself little by little from Lilith's spell.

"Alright... here goes... The beauty of ever-changing adaptability—Ultimate Chronicle Technique: Shapeshifting Mimicry!" Queenie cried as she imitated Emily's psychic ultimate move from earlier and launched objects all around her. Both girls struggled to gain control. Ultimately, Emily, weakened by the gunshot damage she had sustained, was overwhelmed and fell from the attack as her flag lights dimmed out completely.

"The winner: Fated Chronicle of Adaptability," Lilith announced as the scoreboard appeared again, adding a point to our side. It was now tied 2-2.

Queenie rushed to Emily on the other side of the stage as the spell lifted, freeing Emily from the mental pollution. The two girls hugged, sharing a sisterly moment, both promising to spend more time together from now on.

Amy, despite being on the opposite team, cheered for Queenie, their friendship unbroken. Jake kindly remarked to her how she hadn't changed despite the mental pollution. As I overheard their conversation, I wondered: if Amy hadn't changed how she felt for Queenie despite the mental pollution curse, why would she be avoiding me all of a sudden? Could there be another reason beyond Lilith's curse?

(Scene transitions to Stephanie's office)

In Stephanie's office, she was with Barry, her fellow cadet, hanging up photos, trying to piece together more information from the bulletin board already made.

"Think we can find more information in this area?" Barry asked, pointing at a photo showing the temple where Daisuke was when Charlie met him.

"If we do... it might be our biggest lead yet. Let's find out!" Stephanie said, filled with confidence as they prepared to delve further into the investigation.

(Scene cuts to black)