Chapter 64: First Closure

Scraps, blood, and bodies are all over after the long battle. . .

Everything broken . . . parts and pieces sprawled all over . . .

Only destruction is seen as far as the lights from the fires and jellyfish shine . . .

Humming echoes in the air as she drags the body behind her, passing by a destroyed mechanical dragon. She stops in front of the queen piece that's barely standing up, many parts of her broken.

Placing the first finger of her left hand on the for heard of the queen's face, she scratches the metal slowly as she runs her hand down it.

"I had lots of fun! Let's do it again some other time," she murmurs as she moves her right arm and smashes the body she was dragging, into the queen. She then throws the body onto the ground with a cracking force.

Adora is unconscious, her body half buried into the ground, armor cracked and broken all over trying to rebuild itself, and her regeneration exhausted from trying its best to put her up together.

You were a fun toy with many tricks. Shame that regeneration can get exhausting and there is a backlash to it, wanted to play a bit more with you.

She looks up, seeing the large congratulations after she has taken all the properties by force during the great battle.

"Are you going to come out already? You have been eyeing me for a while now," asks Xzina.

. . .

In one of the shadows made from the light, a black blob emerges and a figure slowly makes an appearance from it as it fades away.

Her body is covered in darkness and dark mist floats around as they lock eyes.

"First of all, thanks for taking care of the stalker observing me. It was annoying but I couldn't do anything about it since I don't have all my powers," Xzina smiles, her tails floating around.

"My plan to rip whoever it is to shreds might be postponed for later now," she continues, glancing at her claws.

She looks at Charlotte, "I didn't believe it when I first held you, but you really can control it. At first him, and now this! This is getting more fun. Ooh, did you take care of the business I left for you?"

". . . I'll deal with him later. Right now, I want to talk to you," says Charlotte.

"To me? Flattered," muses Xzina, her tone snarky and curious.

". . . don't be, I only need but one more reason to lose it. If I had not seen and was not shown your actions, this conversation wouldn't be happening. This is a chance for you, not a promise"

Hearing Charlotte say all this, Xzina giggles, "Oh, well then. Indulge me!"

. . .

"Firstly, can Neo hear us?"

"Why does that matter?" teases Xzina.

. . .

She smiles, "Relax, I am in full control till I make a wish and the game ends. He can't hear us right now,"

"This . . . servant of a creature called Incarnate . . . I managed to extract some information from it, such as the existence of the Three Calamities . . ." starts Charlotte as she raises her left arm and mist begins to form into different shapes on the palm of her hand.

"Incarnate, The Calamity of Oblivion, Rage, and Torment," the mist takes the form of a dark monster.

"*****, The Calamity of ****** and ******" the mist then takes the form of a small kid and an old man.

"And Xzina, The Calamity of Lust and Obsession," the mist finally takes the form of Xzina.

"I prefer love and passion instead . . . but who cares, right?" chirps Xzina, placing a hand on her hip, "So? What now?"

". . . I will ask you this once . . . out of goodwill," says Charlotte, waving her hand and the mist fades away, "He was saying something about a second wife, and I assume you are what he pursues. Did you do something to Neo? Like . . . brainwash?"

One of her tails slides up behind her and Xzina hops on it as if it were a comfortable cushion. She sits cross-legged, with her left hand coming up to support her chin.

"I most definitely can," she stretches her right arm in front of her, looking at Neo's hand from the back.

"But, I did not," she says, looking at Charlotte who still looks unsure.

Xzina sighs, "If I did such a thing, you would be able to tell, he would be acting a lot differently. Add in the fact that he even wants to marry you still, first as well, which shows I have nothing to do with it. All I did was give him one kiss and he was smitten, I guess,"

. . .

"What about you? Do you accept him as such?"

"Hm, I am just thinking about things and observing at the moment, but who knows? If he lives up to my expectations in all that I deem worthy―which are not easy to reach . . . "

". . . then might most definitely let myself be his! But for now . . . you can just call us allies to reach interests . . . and he is a potential one of them depending on how well he performs. And so far . . . a passing grade," she says, swiping her tongue across her lips.

"He keeps up this pace and I might fully fall for him. Anything is possible while on the ropes of limbo, love,"

Charlotte nods, "Alright . . . I want to speak to him. Bring him out now,"

"Ooh assertive! I'll let you take the lead then, I like where this is going," Xzina snaps her fingers, and immediately, her right eye closes, and her right-hand falls, almost as if her entire right side falls asleep.

Neo's right eye opens slowly.

He comes to consciousness slowly, but as soon as he sees and realizes he is looking at Charlotte, he snaps awake.

"Charlotte?!" he asks, his tone filled with confusion.

"Neo," says Charlotte, demanding his focused attention, which he submits to and looks at her.

"You . . . you got your body! Also, is that . . . ?" questions Neo.

"Yes, it's what you saw back at the hill. It's under my control now. I guess it got drawn to me after my body was dropped because of what I am feeling . . ."

". . . am?"

"Yes. And I used it to control darkness to get back my body. Darkness serves it and it serves Incarnate. You can call it a Fraction, I guess. Anyways, I have some questions for you, and you will answer them truthfully . . . all of them," she says the last part in a distorted, terrifying voice.

"Hm, I see . . . I had some time to contemplate recent events while Xzina took over, and perhaps I was in the wrong to leave you in the dark about things. Ask your questions,"

"First of all, why did you decide to pursue marrying Xzina? What's the point or goal?"

Neo raises two fingers, "Two reasons come to mind at the moment. First being that I seem to have an attraction towards her that I find too powerful to resi─"

"Did she do something to you? Mind control?"

"No, nothing like that . . . I think. At first, the attraction was to how beautiful I found her to be, but as she . . . um," he pauses.

Her face twisting in annoyance, Charlotte raises an eyebrow.

Beautiful, huh?

"I already told her," Xzina pipes in.

. . .

"Well?"

". . . yeah as she did that, I got to see some small parts of her as well as a past she helped me uncover about myself. It made many things about myself clear to me . . . and ever since then, I just . . . grew more and more attracted towards her. Her power, confidence, competence, and action─"

"And not one alarm ran in your head that she might be manipulating you and using you? No sense of danger about her?" interrupts Charlotte.

"Of course, Charlotte! There were all kinds of alarms. Even when I first saw her, I was getting butterflies, but it was something telling me to run away. I understand the risk I am taking . . . I am choosing to trust her to cover for my weakness . . . I am using her as much as she is using me. On her end, she also trusts that once I do obtain power, I will come to break her free and not leave her there. It's a gamble we are both taking . . . I think . . . and she has been keeping her end of the deal up without fail, and even overperforming, I would say!"

Charlotte looks at Xzina on the left side and finds her looking away into the distance.

"Second reason?" she prompts.

". . . I find her presence necessary to help me obtain everything," he raises his hand and scratches his head.

Neo takes in a deep breath, " . . . I already knew this but . . . my fight with Adora made things even clearer. I have weaknesses and variabilities, and the more I experience, the more I discover about them. I was able to obtain this concept thanks to Xzina unlocking and showing me some of my older experiences and knowledge," he rubs his head as if giving it a massage.

"But as someone who seeks to obtain everything, these aspects of me will surely be exploited or abused by whoever intends to stop me from getting the─"

"And you couldn't see how she could be a potential person to do such a thing?"

"Of course. However, wouldn't that be the same for whoever I choose in the en─?"

"Why did you reject Adora's offer then? Why did you accept Xzina instead of her?"

. . .

"I have no for it words right now. It's difficult―" he says as he looks at Adora with a heavy heart.

". . . Xzina is someone who I find will cover a large aspect of them that I discovered. She. Is. Necessary," he stresses,

"And what will happen if you lose me? What do I cover?"

". . . I have no idea . . . what will happen to me if I lose you?" he asks, his face anxious.

". . . and what of this past you claim that she showed you?" asks Charlotte, feeling impatient.

He opens his mouth to answer her.

. . .

"And that's all I know for now," he finishes.

Silence fills the place and Neo moves his head up, looking at the void above.

"Also, I was thinking before that I am to compete with the previous me . . . before you gave me the name of Neo, to prove to myself and perhaps to Xzina that I am the better of the two. Yet, now I think . . . perhaps my attitude towards the matter had formed a new weakness for me . . ." he raises his right arm and looks at his hand, "So, let's give this a shot from a different approach . . . like Daki might say!"

"I will accept the past me, and the past me will accept the new me,"

Swish!

A comet lit aflame falls at high speed from the sky and lands right in front of Neo.

It's his sword, cursed by eternal flames, yet still loyal to him.

" . . . from now on . . ." he raises his right arm to reach for the hilt of his burning blade and Xzina raises his leg, settling it on her tail and placing her arm over it.

"My name is Neo or Habil, The First Pilot. I am both," Neo's right arm starts to crystalize . . . nay . . . it's as if a layer is coming over his arm like armor, to protect it. Fully covered, he grabs the hilt of his blade.

Charlotte shivers at the sight, goosebumps erupting over her skin.

The heat from the flames is not affecting Neo at all, yet their effect can still be felt by anything else, Charlotte included . . . until it no longer does, as if he controlled the heat of the flames to an extent since they can't be extinguished. Rather not him, but the sword did . . . in obedience to him.

. . .

". . . the last question," starts Charlotte.

Habil shifts his eye from the blade to her.

"Why did you go as far as make all those promises even if I rejected your proposal? Is obtaining everything more important than me? That you are willing to still go with her and on a path to obtain everything?"

"Desire, want, and choice . . . more . . . what a mess . . . almost torn to pieces . . ." he murmurs, looking around for a while.

"You know . . . as far as being a potential obstacle on my path, you might become the biggest. You really can tug at my heart strongly," he breathes in deeply.

. . .

He looks at Charlotte, his gaze overwhelming, "I will obtain everything,"

"As for you, you are free to choose as you wish, I will love you regardless," he says hesitantly, a hint of pain evident in his voice.

"And who knows what lays and is yet to be discovered in the distance?"

A moment of harsh silence passes . . . and for the first time . . . she seems to understand what he means.

". . . Alright, about your proposal, I will not give a response yet. I think that maybe I might have jumped the gun a bit too soon . . . I will take more time. For now, though, I choose to continue to stay by your side,"

Neo's face lights up, but only by a hint, barely noticeable only if there is a keen eye to catch the details. He nods in acceptance.

"Well, what now? What do you plan to wish for?" asks Charlotte.

". . . I will not be making any wishes. Xzina is the one who won, the wish is hers . . . however before she makes it, do you mind if we wait for a little? There is something I wish to retrieve,"

"I don't mind," says Xzina.

"I will look after Adora in the meantime," says Charlotte.

"Thanks," he says, standing up and holding his aflame sword tightly.

. . .

Charlotte looks down and brushes the face and hair of her dear friend very gently as she holds her up.

She drops a single spot of darkness onto her . . .

Help her heal once we are away . . . then be on standby till I tell you what else to do.

"I am sorry things turned out like this,"

"We are back," announces Xzina.

She turns around, looks at them, and places Adora down with immense care.

"Let's go,"

Xzina looks up, "I wish that *****************************"

Neo makes the wish for her and a bright light shines through the island from its center.

. . .

Hamizula, Yarateras, Tharuid, Neo, Xzina . . . and Aayn are all looking at it.

. . .

Sitting at the chair of his previously prepared set and missing an arm . . . he smiles.