Chapter 46: Want

Surprised that Neo would ask this question at such a time, Charlotte blushes in embarrassment, her cheeks flushing red.

"But before you say anything, I think I should tell you about a few things I want and intend on doing," says Neo.

"Maybe we should continue this at another time? I think you should go back to practicing for now and you can tell me everything after we are out of the whale?" suggests Charlotte.

Neo smiles.

"Even though there is a lot on your mind, and you probably want to ask me what happened while I was underwater, you decided to do things in order until we are out of this predicament," he says as he starts to get up, holding Charlotte with his right arm, "But you don't have to worry about that anymore, I remember everything,"

Charlotte can't help but find Neo's tone to be comforting and confident in a weird and carefree manner.

"Remember?" she asks.

"Yes, they weren't visions . . . but memories. I remember a lot of them now but telling you about this achieves nothing. I am not interested in going back, all I want is . . . everything,"

"Everything? Neo, what are you on about?"

"When I obtain it, you will no longer know pain. You will no longer know the suffering of any kind, and you will be elevated to know satisfaction beyond your imagination that will never end. That much, I promise you, Charlotte, no matter what you respond with," promises Neo.

. . .

Charlotte and Neo both go quiet as he walks and reaches close to the mouth of the whale, and Charlotte seems to be in deep thought.

Neo looks at the water beneath him, "I might do things that you might dislike if not hate me for, to obtain everything. And I will also marry another person after having her acknowledge me instead of him. Those are my terms. This is what I . . . want,"

"And if I don't agree to them?" questions Charlotte.

". . . Then sadly, we can't be together,"

. . .

". . . Am I a part of the everything you want to obtain?" asks Charlotte quietly.

"Yes," Neo nods immediately, "However, you are a part that I can only accept obtaining by your free choice. I don't want to take the path of forcing you, this is what I want,"

"Why so?"

". . . I love you. That's all the reasons I need,"

"I still feel a bit lost. Who is this other person you want to marry as well other than me? Do you love her?"

". . . It's a bit unusual to explain. I met her when I went for a dive," says Neo.

"I am . . . confused as to what happened to you and where all of this is coming from," comments Charlotte, stressed.

"It's alright. Not even I fully grasp the scope of what I am saying and am a bit confused sometimes. Things are . . . incomplete . . . concepts missing . . ." he says, looking down his left arm to his hand.

He lifts his hand up slowly.

"But things are becoming more with time . . . you can take your time as well, observe me and decide for yourself. I can wait for your response," he says, placing the fingertips of his left hand on his face and forehead.

"Do you even have any idea how you will go about obtaining everything that you can't define?" asks Charlotte.

He smiles, "A little. And if that doesn't work, I'll just keep on searching,"

"I want to go wake up my pet . . ." he smirks.

". . . Time . . . want . . ."

"Interesting . . ." muses Neo, looking at the palm of his left hand up close.

"I want to get out of this place right now," he says.

Charlotte sighs, "We will have to wait─"

"No," interrupts Neo as his left eye starts to turn golden, "No more . . . bend to what I want. Everything will . . . will,"

Charlotte shifts her eyes and looks up as much as she can, somewhat seeing Neo's face. And through a small gap between his fingers, she sees his left eye slowly change . . . it becomes sharper and turns golden, but his other eye is still normal.

Suddenly she sees four tails rise up, they seem to be emerging from Neo's waist.

"Neo . . . what's this?! Who did this to you?"

"Don't worry, I'm fine. She let me borrow some strength from her," says Neo, cracking the knuckle of his first finger and the tails suddenly crystalize, looking like white diamond tails.

"She?"

"Yeah, I told you about her just now," he says, cracking his middle finger and his tails fly. Two heading towards the upper lips and two towards the lower lips of the whale. They pierce and start opening the whale's mouth open.

"The person I want as my second wi─"

Woosh!

Charlotte takes in a deep breath and holds it as the water flows in.

Neo uses his tails and launches himself outside the whale's mouth, swiftly swimming towards the surface with his tails.

Charlotte gasps, taking in a deep breath as they emerge.

Neo spots land with his left eye and swims over there, leaping and landing on it slowly. His eye goes back to normal, and his tails retract right after.

"Neo . . . this is too much, I need time to thin─"

Crack!

Rays of light start piercing through the ceiling a bit away and sounds of digging come from the underground save they are standing on.

Something approaches.

"Charlotte," says Neo, lifting his left arm in front of her face.

"Bite. As hard as you can" he instructs, standing in preparation as Charlotte sinks her teeth into his left arm.

Rubble falls as the digging continues and then finally, the light beaming from the hole showcase a huge animalistic figure standing in front, amidst all the rubble.

They hear its growl.