Chapter 87: Slave of Obsession

The door opens, revealing a man with long tied hair wearing a coat.

Splash!

The man steps through the door and into the water.

"You really are alive," he murmurs as the door closes behind him.

Neo somewhat recognizes the figure before him. He has seen him somewhere or someone similar, in a game. He feels his blood boil, but not because of the man—because of Xzina.

"Ah, Kayn," says Xzina.

"Yo, Calamity. How's the swim? Mind if you piss off for a bit? You're kind of ruining a reunion here."

"Reunion? What do you mean?" asks Neo, confused.

"Aww!" Xzina coos, "Poor thing still thinks you are Habil. He thinks you are the brother he once knew."

"Brother? Who? What? Me?"

Kayn's forehead creases, "Wait . . . oh no. Were you affected by the expunge as well . . . ?"

"The expunge? What?"

"It's what Mercy decided on doing to save people from their demi—"

"Shut it!" shouts Xzina, and Kayn looks at her unimpressed.

"Hab—" Before Kayn can say anything, Neo's consciousness fades inward.

 . . .

Huh?

Neo suddenly finds himself inside his mind, in a space other than where his physical body is . . . and in front of him . . . is himself . . . Habil. Behind that, Xzina emerges from the shadows.

"We don't have time for this. We need to reach the Omega and get more power, for Charlotte!" says Xzina to Neo, floating toward him slowly. "But Kayn surely intends on getting in our way and not letting us obtain . . . everything."

"Is this really the time to be curious, Neo? Does he really think you such a fool that you would fall for his mind games? Didn't his wife try the same thing?" She floats around him.

"Xzina," says Neo, breaking his silence. "I do not know what purpose you have for doing this, but don't do something like this without asking me first again."

He glares at her with dominating intent in his eyes.

Xzina goes silent and sizes him up for a second. "You know, you said that you accept being Habil, yet all you really did was steal his name. In fact, you fear freeing Habil fully!"

She loops around the ice crystal containing Habil.

"You still fear what such a thing would bring with it. To you. You fear he will consume you! A lot has happened in a relatively short amount of time, and oh, and you think he might like you? Be your brother? Neo's brother . . . really? After what you did to his wife?"

"Was I the one who stabbed her in the back while she was disabled?"

 "You say that you have resolved yourself, yet with each new experience or enemy, you get rattled and confused . . . you are weak . . . that is why I am here . . ." she flies closer to Neo.

"You are a hypocrite . . . a coward, but I can fix that. Just submit to me and let me save your Charlotte and give you everything . . . I don't ask you to trust me . . . but to become mine! And I will be yours," says Xzina, holding Neo's chin. "Let me deal with him. He is the reason I was sealed! You owe me this . . . let me get my revenge."

Neo clenches his hand. "That is one thing, but this is another. You have gone far beyond the reach of our agreement. You leave me no choice but to enforce the Sacred Oath."

A mark on Xzina's shoulder lights up, and she screams in pain before fading away.

. . .

Neo is back to reality, seeing Kayn in front of him. On his other side, Xzina is panting in exhaustion.

It was a gamble . . . I will get my battle anyway, but it seems like I didn't have enough time to mellow him under my thumb fully. Damn Kayn, of all the times to show up.

"You are back! Did you just enforce a Sacred Oath? I am impressed!"

"You know what that is?"

"Of course. How did you come to find out about it?"

"I'm sorry, I promised him that I would never tell anyone about it."

"My gut feeling says Daki has something to do with the matter." Kayn says, rubbing his chin, "Haha, we both had our secrets after all, I guess. I am surprised he went through the trouble of teaching it to you, though."

"I have no time for more chitchat. I need to reach the Nexus," says Neo.

"I'm sorry, I can't let that happen. We will need to have further chitchat. Don't you want to catch up, brother?" Kayn reaches out his hand.

"No."

"An eternity . . . an eternity of NOTHING!" shouts Neo.

"NOTHING BUT THAT DAMNED FALL! AND WHEN I FINALLY BROKE FREE . . . THROWN INTO ALL THIS AND JUST WHEN I STARTED TO GET SOME CONTROL, SOME WILL, THIS LIFE DECIDES THAT IT'S TIME TO END THINGS! I WANT TO CUT IT, SHRED IT, RIP IT APART!" he lashes out.

He sneers, "You all had much to experience all this time . . . while I knew none but the sensation of a FALL! I refuse these results . . . this rigged game . . . this ruse! This only confirms to me that I was right to pursue everything!"

He heaves, placing his hands over his head. "I . . . I just got here some time ago . . . I just left that void . . . and yet so much has happened . . . it's all too fast . . . too soon . . . I refuse it all . . . so . . . it's my turn . . . I intend to control everything . . . things will be rigged for me from now on. And I will do whatever I must do to ensure it!"

Kayn looks upon Neo with pity.

"No talk now . . . proclaimed brother . . . if you want that, you will have to earn it whatever way you can. Just like I have to earn what I want . . . whatever way I can . . . " Neo shakes his head, "Xzina, get us to the Nexus."

Neo finds himself standing in front of the crystal yet again, Xzina taking full control. She floats around him, holds his hand, and together with hers, they reach out to the crystal.

Neo jerks back for a second.

"Sshhh," Shushes Xzina, firming her hold. "It's alright, dear. We won't break everything. Just another crack, with precision, to extract just the knowledge we need . . . for more power."

Crack!

Before his eyes . . . the full armor and body of the first pilot . . . controlled by a calamity.

Kayn feels saddened... and it shows on his face.

"Aww, poor thing. Did I break your heart? It's alright, you can just kill me for it. Oh, wait, but then you would be killing your brother!" she looks at her claws. "You know Wrath has its servants and Disappear has its pet. I personally like slaves the most, and you got in the way of me making him fully mine. But he is still on the road, don't worry. Hahahahaha," she laughs at Kayn's pain.

Kayn chuckles along. "I'll give it to you, Calamity. You worked hard and earned it. This is the closest you have come to causing damage since we first met."

"Allow me to fix that!" Xzina smirks, launching all her crystallized tails toward Kayn.