"Let's address the elephant in the room so you may understand, Naomi." Viktor bent his posture forward, his head looking at Naomi from below "This city is a figment of your imagination not based on reality--your reality in this case---and by that margin, we can conclude that all of that is around us holds foundation according to the very city plant that your mother had envisioned with years to come." Naomi, bewildered, attempted to interrupt Viktor "How do you know all of---" Yet with a simple gesture he shut her off.
Moving his right hand in an uncanny slow manner to the upper zone of her head, where her hippocampus area is, Viktor allowed Naomi to know the length of his knowledge as her eyes widened in terror.
"Don't worry---it's for the sake of my point; I mean no harm. So spare me the unnecessary intrusions and melodramatic interruptions and give me your most precious undivided attention for now." Viktor retreated his hand and reinforced his posture once again---Naomi complying albeit nervous "There is, for the most part, no good way to put it, but... This entire city is something you have made yourself. Dreams or nightmares are bounded by a higher power source that defies the common modern necessities when it comes to general construction. You could very well say that this is all merely a thought of your own, but alas, I digress." Viktor shrugged and continued "I understand for the most part why you don't want to move away from this city. I mean, it doesn't even seem like a nightmare. You're not in mortal danger and there isn't a high quantity of stress for you, apparently. You live here and continue to make the city flourish while giving all the necessary love to your dream. It's beautiful in a sense." Viktor didn't mind throwing a compliment or two.
Viktor proceeded to snap his right-hand fingers, one by one, in a very slow motion, including the finger's bones.
"But it's the product of what your mind wishes to achieve in reality and that's why it's set in motion and partially completed here. You don't feel obligated to go back to reality, because, why would you, right?" Viktor shrugged his two arms with a burst of soft laughter "This is what your mind wants. This ain't no nightmare, it's a dream for you. A dream, that's built on fake love, unfortunately..." He spearheaded those words to Naomi, who was visibly angry at him though he nevertheless continued.
He got up and said nothing. Then, he moved to the left subsequently moving onwards to the bridge door that would connect to the next carriage.
Naomi followed him behind as they entered the carriage filled with passengers.
Intertwining between passengers who were standing up, Viktor began to talk again.
"Naomi, your mother's ideology no longer holds any merit in your reality. All of this---is not realistic, and you know it. I don't know what year this is supposed to be but if you are eighteen years old like you've said, then this should be around 2040. I'm not saying all of this is impossible, but it's a little bit of a stretch when you have flying cars and trains that can travel through a city like this in less than ten minutes. All in all, I think we can also agree that though admirable, it's an exaggeration of an effort." Naomi's expression started to become incredibly pissed off as she felt ridiculed.
Passing through another horde of corporate suits and with Naomi somehow not losing sight of his blonde hair and black and yellow jacket, Viktor moved on to the next segment of his point.
"How does any of that have to do with what I said that threw you off, you might ask?" Viktor sat down in a horizontal row of eight seats adjoined to the left side of the carriage while Naomi did the same except she sat on the sixth seat from the right which mirrored Viktor's; their distance from one another being two meters "All of it, actually." Viktor chuckled "...." Naomi wanted to speak, but also wanted to see where Viktor was going with this "Do you have at least a minimal idea of what the plant is for? Is it just a city because the relevance of royalty is outdated therefore your mother found the absolute necessity in building a city that belonged to royal blood alone which would differentiate from the republic where the majority of the citizens who no longer see value in a kingdom reside in? Or, is it something like a city that is meant to serve as a vessel for her dream? To potentially cover up a loss..." Viktor alluded.
Naomi's memories were quick to relive that very dark moment when her grandmother's funeral was held underneath impending torrential rain.
"A loss that broke her so much that she lost sight of what is right and wrong---and in the process of that loss, her way of connecting to her late mother was through a valley of thoughts that led to her believing in what her mother thought was right all along." Naomi began to show weakness as her right hand started to tremble a bit.
Slowly, Viktor got up and walked to Naomi and softly took a light hold of her right hand with his right hand. He didn't meet her gaze and instead prioritized seeing when the hand would stop shaking.
After three seconds, it showed signs of slowing down, and as such, Viktor began to walk forward again while letting go of her wrist in the process, at a slower pace so Naomi could catch up.
"Her daughter, so distraught from one bad night, couldn't come to terms with her mother's behavior, so she thought about a way to not let her mother down. By becoming the product of endless devotion to her beloved mother's ideology and knowing nothing but studying until her heart gave out, and even going as far as secluding her real feelings inside a shell, she became convinced that this was her life's purpose. That it doesn't matter whether or not what she wholly encompasses as her mother's dream is genuinely distributed by real love." Viktor looked at her for a single second with a sharp glance.
Naturally, Naomi's vision was narrowed, and fully tired of Viktor's seemingly unstoppable rant.
"Let me ask you something and you can answer now, but only with a yes or no." Viktor grabbed an upper-hand supporter as he allocated to the right side of the carriage in front of an exit door "..." Naomi did the same "Did your mother ask for this?" He asked while looking at her to his right "...No." She revealed and Viktor released some heavy air out of his nostrils "I see..." The train momentarily stopped and Viktor exited the bullet train alongside Naomi.
Descending three degrees from the carriage's border, they were now in an open platform where many other corporate suits would leave. As a matter of fact, the train seemed incredibly empty after Viktor and Naomi waited out until all of them left. There were about ten different metallic ladders that would go up to the core of the station and ten others below that would lead to the subway beneath.
Going for none of those, Viktor elected to seat on a contrasting wooden bench that was just up ahead of them with enough space for two.
"It's about time I get your saying in this too." Viktor released her verbal shackles "...I agree." Naomi felt relieved as she took her seat next to Viktor in a place covered with an iron shelter which allowed for a relaxing shadow to be under "Tell me, Naomi... If your mother saw this, do you think she would be happy and proud of you?" Viktor asked, looking at the purple sun on the east side of the cerulean sky through a tight angle "She would. Everything I do is for her. I will gladly devote my life to her dream." Naomi confidently replied by placing her right hand on her chest "Really? Alright." Viktor gave an indifferent bored reply.
Confused and uncertain, Naomi couldn't figure out Viktor's true intention behind that simplistic and overly uninterested answer.
"Did I say something wrong? Well, prove me wrong, aren't you here for that? Or is that the length of your reasoning? If so, say so." Naomi pointed verbal daggers at Viktor who looked at her in the eye with seriousness "You need to take a chill pill, creature." He mildly laughed which irritated her "...What..." She murmured, annoyed "To tell you the truth, I know very little about your mother. I know all about her until she gave you that beating that still haunts your mind." Naomi felt mocked over the fact that this was the second time Viktor had brought that up "Can you not?" She spoke in a sour tone "Can't what? Talk about the obvious? I thought I was here for that, no?" Viktor seemed clueless "It's none of your damn business what happened in the past! I won't even question how you know that, just stop, alright?! That has nothing to do with it, let's just get that out of the way." Naomi attempted to cease the conversation about that specific point in her life.
Viktor could have stopped and he thought about it.
"No." He coldly said "What?" Naomi was mildly nervous by Viktor's blunt denial "I said no, Naomi. The real reason why I didn't bother to learn more about your mother is because, in my eyes, she's the source of all of this. It's all her fault you have to abide by such a ridiculous dream. It's all her fault why you suck at communicating your feelings anymore, because the last time you did, you got such a violent response that you can't muster the will to-----" Naomi erupted from her seat with precision.
Nervous and irritated, she began to counter Viktor.
"Stop, stop, stop! None of that is true! I can speak my feelings just fine, what are you talking about?! Don't you see how I can convey how I feel without any problems?!" She dared Viktor to counter-argue "Of course you can. I'm not your mother." To which he did "Again! Nothing to do with it! You're just saying stuff to throw me off!" She accused "You really think so? You really think that I'm going out of my way just to instigate how you feel? Because I sincerely don't have anything better to do with my time?" Viktor asked her as he got up as well "You're wrong, Viktor." She first spoke in an adamant manner "Very, very wrong. My mother, that night, gave me a lesson that I had to know. After my grandmother passed away, I didn't know that my mother was capable of feeling such a profound deep sorrow like she did, that's why she had to educate me, even if that means that she had to use physical force!" Her words rose in volume as her glasses fell off too.
But Viktor showed an expression of disapproval and was quick to argue back in spite of what Naomi had just said.
"Her lack of emotional control justifies the beating? Do you listen to yourself?" The wind turbulence increased momentarily "It doesn't matter! I learned from it and moved on! My mother didn't approve of me back then that's why if I continue to do something remarkable then I will maybe earn her approval by being a well-behaved daughter that strives to achieve something her mother would approve!" In addition to the turbulence, the sky no longer was cerulean and darkening clouds quickly gathered "Viktor, just because you saw portions of my life, don't think you get how I feel! I'm not hailing my mother as a saint, but she is the one I love the most and I earn for her respect much more than you could ever imagine!" Lightly, raindrops started to form "This approval you speak of is something that was never warranted from someone other than yourself. That's why everything you do in her honor is fake! It has no approval from the source, Naomi! You can't call this love when it's all built on a basis and not a mutual consensus, damn it!" Viktor exulted himself, allowing his arms to take various expressive movements.
That was, however, not a wise decision from him.
Feeling cornered and holding a tremendous necessity to burst out her inner anger; Naomi's purple eyes began to glow a clearly visible light aura surrounding them as well emitting danger in its might.
The raindrops became unstoppable the moment they penetrated the metallic surface; going as far as putting holes in the ground. Prevailing though, the iron shelter they were in, didn't allow the loud forming rain to intertwine with their unique atmosphere.
Viktor noticed that the railways were starting to dissolve due to this factor.
"...Naomi, calm down..." No longer seeking a hostile conversation and witnessing the beginning of a climatic change, Viktor thought twice about his way of going into this "Why?! What for?! You want to take away my dream, Viktor! And if it wasn't obvious by now, no, I don't want to listen to whatever you have to say!" Thunder joined the rain as anything outside of the iron shelter looked like a complete death zone "You idiot, you need to give me a chance here! I just want to help you!" Their voices also became lower as the mixture of the sound of the rain hitting the ground intensified "I didn't ask for your help, Viktor! I'm fine like this... Can't you see?! I don't mind if I don't have to wake up in reality because this is all I've ever wanted!" Naomi spoke her true feelings furthermore.
Above, Viktor could see that the rain was attempting to pierce through the metallic rooftop. The outside scenery was no longer crystal clear blue and was instead replaced with dark clouds engulfed in a gray hue. In addition to that, the thunder strikes became more and more frequent as they would reach out to certain buildings across Arkapella.
Even so, Viktor sought a way.
"I don't think that's true though..." Viktor relaxed his posture more, closing his eyes as he stretched the back of his eyes "What?!" But Naomi was still fuming "You said you wanted to make your mother proud but you're just fulfilling her idea. That doesn't mean she's proud of this, Naomi." Viktor began to approach Naomi "No, stop...!" Her emotions however rose to a different elevated height as she feared his physical advance.
What this caused was a sudden burst of wind that took out the iron shelter covering the iron train platform; Viktor and Naomi now being completely vulnerable to the rain.
There was, however, one difference.
Viktor's body was being pierced and impaled by the rain droplets that felt like lethal bullets every time they hit his body; whereas Naomi's body was absorbing those droplets by forming a subtle merge with the water every time.
Nevertheless, Viktor decided to stick to his script instead of complaining about the staggering pain his body was going through.
"Naomi! You need to stop running from it!" Dragging his body forward to Naomi who was witnessing that horrific sight as Viktor's mouth began dripping blood from within "...V-Viktor?! N-No...!" She tried to go forward but still felt the need to retreat just a little; Viktor closing in on their distance which was about a meter and a half "...Your mother is worried about you, damn it! Her daughter is not waking up and she's most likely doing everything she can just to keep you alive in the real world...!! GAH!!" Showing signs of pain, Viktor's right knee buckled as he struggled to walk forward "Viktor! No, but I didn't mean to..." Naomi began to show regret for bringing this forth but Viktor nonetheless continued "Listen, Naomi! This isn't a dream, it's false comfort! IF YOU TRULY CARE FOR YOUR MOTHER AND HER DREAM, YOU WOULD WANT TO RETURN TO HER INSTEAD OF FULFILLING A LIE MASKED AS ETERNAL COMFORT LIKE THIS!!" Viktor finished his sentence.
Yet his body; hailed by firing water bullets---showed signs of weakness as he no longer could stand up. His hair was immensely soaked due to all the rain but his eyes were still on Naomi, as he didn't give up on his words.
"...But, my mother... She doesn't acknowledge me... In reality..." Naomi started to acknowledge Viktor's words as they ringed a ground of logic within Naomi; the rain calming down in the process "I haven't said a word to her in years, our relationship is broken, Viktor, I just---can't do it..." Her words though weak were nevertheless honest ".....Then..." Viktor began to erupt his posture as the droplets weren't as intensive as before "...Do you still wish to have a meaningful relationship with your real mother...?" He supported his right knee by pressing it with his right hand to get himself up; blood was all over his face as the previous piercing droplets had caused injuries "Of course I do! But I don't think I can do it, Viktor! What am I supposed to say to her?!" Naomi blurted out her true feelings as the clouds began to disperse; once again alluding to a cerulean sky.
Now up though frail, Viktor responded to Naomi as the three morning stars blessed the atmosphere with their majestic light.
"You already know what to say, Naomi. Your feelings---they will let you know. And even if you find yourself incapable of saying them, you need to tell yourself that you can do it. That this---is not the culmination of what you feel for your mother. You love her, don't you?" With a small distance between each other, Viktor and Naomi were practically closer; face to face "....gh..." Small tears began to shape themselves in Naomi's eye corners; her facial expression filled with sadness and grief "There we go." Viktor said as he embraced Naomi's upper body with a hug despite his drenched jacket "WUAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!" Loud and powerful, her crying screams as she let it all out on Viktor's chest, were all it took for Viktor to realize just how much she felt.
One scream after the other, one by one, she would tightly hug Viktor's jacket as she didn't erupt her head from his chest. Spasmatic breath movements from her mouth were hyperventilating her aerial frequency as Viktor noticed she was having trouble breathing amidst all of her pain.
Instead of saying any particular words, Viktor further embraced her as a way of calming her down.
Slowly but surely as the solar clarity illuminated the harmonic atmosphere that was previously a chaotically climatic one, Naomi's breathing was back to normal as she no longer struggled to form a single breath on her own.
"You can cry more if you want." Viktor didn't let go of Naomi's frail body in her corporate clothes and Naomi as she heard that, she let out more, but it wasn't as agonizing as before---more of an after cry "....." She slowly erupted her head to Viktor from below, showing her watery face; as well as a bit of red alongside it "You can let go now... I'm fine..." She said "Are you sure you want that?" Viktor asked with sincerity "..." She thought about it "...Ugh, just... Please..." Too embarrassed to say it, she didn't deny it.
Viktor chuckled a bit but didn't restrain her any further.
Now free and disjointed from Viktor, Naomi whipped her tears with her hands.
"I'm sorry, Viktor... I knew you'd come but still, when I found myself in the very same place that I had dreamt to build over the years so I could make my mother proud, I couldn't come to terms with leaving it behind..." Naomi apologized, looking at the bloody Viktor "...At least you realize it. Does this mean that you also realize that what this is can't possibly come to compare with the idea of genuine love? Even if the intended purpose is to honor her?" Viktor looked at her, wanting to see if they had reached a mutual consensus regarding the main point "...I don't... Can you explain to me, Viktor?" She admitted her lack of general understanding when it came to that.
Sighing, Viktor took his black and golden jacket and wrapped it around his waist using the long sleeves; his black t-shirt with short sleeves that covered his shoulders at maximum highlighted his strong biceps and triceps alongside his stern forearms that revealed a pretty strong structure lying underneath.
Naomi's vision was stuck on them but as Viktor walked past her she saw his incredible trapezium and latissiumus muscles revealed underneath the wet black t-shirt; her eyes widening as she became mildly shocked.
"Something you do that can be qualified as genuine for another is the presence. The presence of the other person in this case matters. Well, to put it in simple terms, your mother has to approve and show a great deal of genuine care for it. That's my interpretation of it. That, no matter how much you do for a person, it's not genuine unless the other has a positive saying in it. Genuine love is built on consensus between two parties and from my understanding, that is not the case, because..." Viktor began to ascend the metallic stairway that contained about thirty degrees up ahead as he turned to the absent-minded Naomi "....Hey." Viktor saw her eyes elsewhere and decided to snap his right fingers to catch her attention "...!!" She was quick to be brought back to reality "...I was listening, don't worry..." Naomi was additionally fast to apologize in a sense.
They began to climb the metallic stairway that had a wide width of five meters; with not another soul in sight---just the two of them as they thrived to make it to the top of the stairway.
Viktor on the lead and Naomi five steps behind, bright sunlight emitted and reflected upon the glass windows around the side structures of the stairway, giving birth to a magnificent morning view.
"So you're saying that unless I get my mother's approval and her thoughts on it that I can't possibly call it something... genuine...?" She attempted to form an understanding "Also, I realized something too... My childhood and everything you said was right and... That alone might be the reason why I succumbed to this nightmare in the first place, Viktor." Naomi added, showing a level of acknowledgment "I believe so too. And yes, that's almost it, Naomi. No matter how great this is, are you happy if your real mother doesn't know about it? The idea and why it was built?" Now on the upper platform with a wide hallway to the left where buildings could be spotted from afar, they walked "No, I can't be happy like this... Not unless I let her know just how much I love her... I don't want us to stay this way ever again... I want to fix our broken bond and reconciliate." Naomi admitted "That means you have come to terms with coming back to reality, Naomi?" Viktor stopped amid the empty hall and asked.
A peerless pressure was portrayed in Viktor's eye glare as his red eyes declared a decree to Naomi.
"Yes." She confidently said "Now there's no doubt about it... I want to talk with my mother and let her have a piece of my mind. I feel stronger now, Viktor---believe it or not, I don't feel as powerless as before..." She looked down embarrassed, unable to face Viktor "Because, um..." Her voice decreased in volume as she twisted her right ankle alongside her feet; left to right---as well as hiding her two hands behind her back "...Thank you for sticking with me, Viktor..." She thanked him "Aw, so you can be cute." He provoked her with a mocking smile and an afterthought chuckle "..." She didn't reply but met his confident eyes though ashamed "Then, does this mean that you are ready?" He began to walk even further to the end of the linear hallway that had automatic retina scan doors that would lead to the outside of the train station "I am ready to face her." She confidently said.
Viktor, relieved, took a deep breath.
"Finally, she came to terms with it, now..." Viktor had this specific thought but Naomi's upcoming words would set him off as they weren't in his predictions "Um, Viktor, just a thought but..." Naomi demonstrated a level of hesitance in saying the upcoming words "What?" Viktor wanted to know the context of her secretive information as soon as possible, so he showed no hesitation in asking "Erm...." However, she struggled a lot to just conjecture a sentence.
Frustrated yet understanding that Naomi might have felt more pleased than usual due to the circumstances, Viktor attempted to humor her a bit.
"....We don't necessarily have to go straight to the location right away, there is, well, technically speaking, time." Viktor said "...Then, we could go..." She tried to say something but couldn't finish her sentence, which started to annoy Viktor as he noticed this frequent pattern "You can just say it, you know? I'm okay with whatever you have to say." He brushed his semi-wet blonde hair with his right hand "...Okay." She didn't rebuke him and instead took his approval as a way of letting her mind feel at ease to say what she wanted to say.
Through retina scans, Viktor and Naomi passed through the entrances; Naomi being the first one to do it as Viktor waited for her to pass so she couldn't see how he was able to get the retina scan to approve of the eye he had from another person.
Now on a two-way path that would lead to either the right or left side; as well as being present in the face of some population, Naomi went ahead and spoke again in regard to her previous matter.
"Viktor, how old are you?" Side by side with Viktor, Naomi noticed that she was far smaller than Viktor as she asked that "Twenty-one would be the appropriate answer, that was how long I lived my previous life, so there you go." He responded indifferently as they kept on walking under bright artificial lights "I see... That's quite the age difference, huh." She pointed out, which Viktor didn't necessarily agree with "Huh? It's not. It's just three years, don't be ridiculous, Naomi." He chuckled a bit "It's still a lot to me, but alright. I'm eighteen years old, so I just hit adulthood." She additionally pointed out "Congratulations, now your fiance in the real world can have the FBI off their consciousness." He laughed at his own joke.
Naomi was distraught at what Viktor's words implied as they exited the train station.
"I understood the joke but, um, what does that mean? I don't have a fiance in the real world." Viktor was shocked "Wait, what? But you're royalty. You need a husband so you can produce a healthy baby because you need to keep your bloodline going. Or am I wrong here? Do you not want your bloodline to expand?" Viktor put it in a different way than what Naomi was expecting but he essentially got the gist of it "...Yes, you're right, I guess..." She seemed down.
They took a nearby aerial electric and quickly flew to another district midst of Arkapella.
In a seat for two on the right side with a couple of other citizens though not many to the point where it was crowded, they continued their conversation while enjoying the soaring heights of the electric as it flew through multiple skyscrapers highlighting a view that was not possible in the current modern world yet.
On the furthest seats of the electric right next to the glossy window, they were seated.
"Are you suggesting that I give it more thought, Viktor?" She seemed mad, her eyebrows became rigid "It's something you should really think about. Your mother takes the royal agenda very seriously from what I understood and by complying with the marriage department, you are doing her a huge favor in my opinion. Of course, you shouldn't just marry whoever comes knocking first door. Create a criteria and so long as it's not utterly unrealistic, you should have your go-to man pretty soon, eh?" Viktor was proud of the insightful advice.
Naomi was a bit irritated by his narcissistic behavior.
"Look at you and your attitude, this is me we are talking about, Viktor." Naomi exulted herself while looking at him from the left side "So? I see no problem with my reasoning. You do want to make your mother happy, right? Hurry up and take it in so your bloodline can progress." He bluntly said "Wh---Do you have no shame! Viktor, how can you say something like that so openly? It's mind-boggling!" Naomi became bewildered at Viktor's implication but he just shrugged it off "Alright princess, what's the real reason as to why you are so against getting married to someone else then? Again, this is just something you have to think about if you really care about your mother's ideology. I mean, do you?" Viktor asked because he didn't know if Naomi really approved of her mother's views "Yes, I do care." She cleared his doubts very fast.
She continued to explain herself as she felt she wasn't being concise enough.
"But that doesn't mean I approve of it, necessarily... Anyways---you know too much about me at this point, Viktor!" She accused him, going out of her way to shout; attracting partial attention in the process "I do?" Viktor genuinely asked with a clueless look on his face "Oh yes, you do! If you know about my childhood trauma then that means you must have seen a whole lot of other things about myself..." She spoke with high volume though her words seemed sad as she had to remember them "That's true. But, for the record, I could only glance at a specific one at that time." Viktor lied about the other times he could see into her past "What?! Explain..." She demanded and Viktor complied "I got into a dark watery area where four water mirrors appeared, you see." Viktor told her and she paid close attention, getting closer and closer to him "Mhmmm, I see. And?" Her right arm was bumping into his left arm suddenly.
Naomi was paying more and more attention to Viktor's body and his left arm's contents as she bumped into it. Furthermore, she couldn't help but switch from looking at his pulsing veins that spread alongside his bicep all the way to his forearm and even his hands----or looking at Viktor.
"All of those mirrors reflected parts of you that belonged to your imagination. I wanted to go to one but the moment I tried to enter it, the other three started to fade. I then had to make a decision based on what I thought would be more important to understand you, Naomi." She was mildly shocked to hear this "Wait, wait, wait." She distanced herself as she panicked "W-What exactly did you see...?" Viktor thought about this and then gave a calm answer while Naomi was dying of anxiety "If it's about the mirror I went to, I saw an island." Naomi became curious "An island...?" She tried to remember something in regard to that keyword, but ultimately couldn't "Yes, an island. It was a tropical island with a highly dense temperature to it and you were in it. I think you were around sixteen or close to it..." She kept on listening without interrupting Viktor "It was your shell. You looked at fishes in a river constantly near a wooden house where you would study. Does that ring a bell, Naomi?" Viktor tried to see if there was a connection "Hold on..." And she made an effort to see it.
Viktor decided to look through the window as he saw the different shapes of the myriad of buildings midst Arkapella; now above the common ground by at least ten thousand meters.
Their destination would soon be at place, but Naomi had come up with an answer.
"Long ago, when I was young, I would go to my grandmother's house often. Unlike us, she lives in the countryside..." Viktor took note of this contradiction as he reminded himself of Naomi's grandmother "I would spend my summer vacations there with her alone. My grandfather had long since passed away, so I was her only company during that time..." Naomi spoke with a smile though reflecting sadness in her facial surface "I often spent time gazing at a peaceful lake in a forest nearby where my grandmother would take me. The water of that lake was... tranquil and unphased by anything, despite being water which is naturally fragile... In the summer, it was quite hot as well so I remember that I used to swim at my leisure along in that lake like it was a pool. At times, Viktor, you see, there would be two red fishes that would rise to the surface..." Naomi explained something Viktor already knew but from a different perspective "I enjoyed watching them, but I think what really made me feel at home was how I had a way to not face my past trauma... I didn't have to face my mother as I was in peace. So, maybe that's why it showed up to you. It does have significant value to me, Viktor." She smiled as she finished her sentence.
Likewise, Viktor smiled back too as he showed understanding of her coping mechanism.
"I see... I was worried for a second because I didn't think it would give me such a good edge of understanding when it came down to you, but compared to the other mirrors, it turns out it was probably for the best." Viktor reflected on his past choice "...Wait." Naomi became skeptical "Hold on, if those mirrors served as portals to my past memories then... Viktor, just how much did you see...?!" She started to panic "Relax, Naomi. They were all blurry at first and only became visible when I approached them, but I only really approached one. Sure, I did see some things in the others but I didn't pay much attention. I think I forgot, actually, sorry." Viktor apologized as his eyes widened "...You did? You can't remember?" Naomi, still skeptical, persisted with her interrogation "Nope, not at all. Must've been erased from my memories, it seems..." Viktor looked extremely serious "...." She believed it.
Feeling safe and no longer uncomfortable, Naomi placed her right hand on her chest where her white blouse is tightly wrapped around her upper body and calmed down.
Viktor sneaked a peek with his left eye and then a grin was born from the corner of his mischievous lips.
"Welllllll...." He stretched his sentence in a mocking way, making Naomi look in his direction "Sunflower fields with rainbow got my tongue-tied." He grinned "LIAR!" She punched his hard left shoulder with powerful momentum behind it.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The aerial electric reached its end destination.
With no one else in it but Viktor and Naomi---not even a driver as it was built on an automaton system that required only a programming system endorsed and not someone to pilot the course that the electric would have to undergo.
Its final course led to the higher capital of Arkapella-----Fatibala. Fatibala is part of an astronomically tall skyscraper amassing a brutal fifteen thousand meters in height, far outheighting any other building/skyscraper on the aerial plane of Arkapella. The difference is so massive that at the very top of Fatibala, no other sight but clouds below can be seen. Aside from the three uprising suns in their respective horizons, the tip of a fantasy skyscraper resides in the middle.
Their trip to the west side of Fatibala landed on a floating metallic platform with passengers nearby. The floating platform contained ten meters in horizontal width and four meters in vertical length. Unprotected from falls, there are no borders to this platform, so it's already a danger to be in such a place.
Forward, there is a floating metallic bridge of five meters that allows one to enter the main terrain. A wide squared area of two thousand meters in both sizes served as the vessel of Fatibala yet one specific daunting tall building that is adjoined to the entirety of this monstrosity of a skyscraper that redefines its meaning as a whole. Its borders were decorated with vigorous raging waterfalls from within somehow. These waters would fall to the clouds below but would nevertheless be held fast in their evaporation process; never reaching the end of the spectrum.
At the very center of the area, therein lies a tall black building of five hundred meters that is a part of the entire skyscraper, but obviously smaller in size and width. It has four different conjunctions; the outer one that covers half of the building as a whole and two others that cover half and a quarter of its entirety, leaving a small black standalone edge at the very top where the structure of this behemoth of a skyscraper finally ends.
Viktor and Naomi both glanced at it as they crossed the floating bridge midst of a pure blue sky with profoundly soothing air going through their nostrils. If one had to describe the current atmosphere, it might be akin to that of the heavenly.
"We stick to my plan, Naomi. Do I need to go over it?" Viktor now glanced a look at her---wearing his black and golden jacket now "There is no need... I just wish that it didn't have to come down with you... erm..." She couldn't finish her sentence, the words she wanted to say got tangled in her throat due to a resurging feeling of dread "It'll be fine. Come on." Viktor jumped to the central plaza with population in sight though not much.
Safely landing on the plaza's surface too by taking Viktor's left hand, Naomi got on board with it, though she looked extremely stressed for some reason.
On the other hand, confident as always, Viktor whistled to the pure air as he thoroughly enjoyed every breath he took. They began to head northwest to the entrance of the building where four royal mechanical guards in human skin remain adamant and monochrome. Not only that but there were guards allocated everywhere in the skirmishes of the building floating around the area, so there wasn't just terrestrial control at hand here.
Beautiful spring trees with dark blue petals scattered across the humming wind.
Face to face with the main entrance stairs that had over twenty degrees of a width of ten meters, Viktor and Naomi silently walked up. They passed through a multitude of people; Naomi's heartbeat became fast and her breathing a bit ragged as she kept looking at Viktor---who has an underlying smirk on his face with an eyesight permanently marked onto the robotic guards on the very entrance of the building.
On the top of the stairs now, Viktor took charge and carelessly walked forward.
"Present retina: Required." A silver-helmeted royal guard with heavy shaky armor walked forward while holding a nano spear in his right hand "Go, I'll handle it from here." Viktor said and Naomi, though reluctance, walked forward nevertheless "...Be careful, please..." Worried she said those words meekly and took a step onward to the retina scan on the right side of the metallic wall underneath the short two-meter steel shelter where the royal guards reside in "Retina: Approved. Welcome back, Naomiria Sophia of Prussia. Her Highness is expecting you; proceed with clarity." The retina scan spoke to Naomi and upon hearing that, she glanced at Viktor once again.
Letting her know that it was her time to make it count, Viktor gave her a stern stoic cold look with dead lingering red eyes as a backbone to the conjecture.
Acknowledging this, Naomi proceeded into walking to the linear hall guarded by royal guards; an automatic door with a royal emblem demonstrated as a goat to its symbol, opening, and closing as she got in.
All alone with the royal guards in front of them now, Viktor was left to do his part.
Following Naomi's example, Viktor also walked forward.
"Present retina: Required." Being forced to present a retina scan, Viktor took out a hidden eye from his right pocket and tried to see if he got any reaction from the guards.
He did not; therefore he proceeded to show the eyeball's retina to the scan on the left in the form of a computer with a stabilizing two-meter structure.
Scanning every part of the eyeball, the scan made its full course on it.
"Retina: Declined. Reason: Authencity of retina unverified and further eligible under Fatibala's providence. Advice: Turn back immediately." Viktor got rejected after being provided reasoning as to why; a silver-helmeted guard walked to Viktor from the left "Sir, unless you have a retina that has been approved by our providence, I will have to ask you to turn back." The guard politely warned Viktor, without pointing his nano white spear at him "..." Viktor looked into the guard's head gear attempting to figure out whether or not he was actually talking to a robot "So, I can only get into the building if I have a valid retina scan?" Viktor asked and the guards looked at each other from their respective angles and mildly chuckled.
Another guard answered, in a less persuasive tone, to Viktor.
"There ain't no other way to walk in, dim-head! In other words, if you're not royalty, you cannot walk in." He shoved Viktor off, verbally "But I am Lady Naomiria's acquaintance. Shouldn't I be able to walk in?" Viktor asked, with a smile on his face "No can do, only royalty's allowed." The guard clarified, showing signs of impatience as well as raising his voice which began attracting partial attention from the nearby civilization "Are there many more of you inside of the building? If so, are you all royalty too?" Viktor clearly mocked them and didn't attempt to shy from it "Why you----" The same guard began to show signs of irritation and so, the first guard to which Viktor spoke, stepped in, crossing his right arm to his acquaintance's chest so he couldn't walk any further "We are not. However, our house has long since been dedicated to serving the royal bloodline. If you have any more questions, you will have to direct your attention to me." Without fear, he demonstrated superior judgment.
This royal guard stood at over a little bit of two meters and Viktor completely felt the height presence.
Not seeing a way forward, Viktor's odds were not looking good.
"I think that was enough time for her." He said out loud, catching the attention of the senior guard "?!" Viktor, with immense speed in his form, directed his entirety to the impatient guard and drove a low kick to the armor despite its shelled nature "AGH!!" Dropping down on his left knee, Viktor took this chance to deliver a knee strike onto the guard's helmet, which in addition allowed him to grasp the nano spear in his right hand.
From behind, Viktor heard the notion of a swing being formed with the aim for his head; he turned around and swiftly dodged it by tilting his body to the left side while ultimately slicing the royal guard's head off with the nano spear that has a towering two meters in height.
"Get him!" The senior guard alerted the other useful guard that was in his northeast direction and drove a spear attack to Viktor's backside ".....!!" Viktor blocked the attack with the spear's middle body which allowed him to fence the attack.
With no rest in his movements, instead of going back to attack the senior guard, Viktor pierced the guard that was already buckled with his left knee on the ground onto his head; provoking an electric malfunction mixed with scarlet blood imploding from within.
However, two spears from the back were spear-headed toward Viktor's back and he was driven into a corner with a wall ahead of him. Unable to block both spears, Viktor abandoned the spear in his right hand which was unnecessary when it came to performing the upcoming movement. With his right hand, he created an impulse toward the wall, and with the momentum gained, his body was able to dodge the two spears while the spear on his hand prior fell onto the ground.
A steady breath was all it took for Viktor to plummet the guard aside from the senior one, to the wall as he smashed his head from the back through his helmet with his right hand. Furthermore, he took advantage of this to drive a surefire right kick which contracted the guard's entire back.
"AH!!" The guard squealed in pain but was still not out of action and Viktor had to worry about the senior's spear aiming for his entire body.
Allowing the spear's movement to reach out to him, Viktor sidestepped to his right side and craved a side-right kick to the senior's left ribs, which allowed Viktor to grab the spear that the senior was holding. By doing so, Viktor capitalized on the senior's physical turmoil though transient, and utilized his spear to strike back against the other spear attack that was formed from the remaining guard. A frontal wide swing shaped from an upper direction with the intention of striking down Viktor was rendered meaningless as Viktor twisted his body ninety degrees to the right and stabbed the guard's left side of his neck; anticipating his chances in the process as he groaned in succumbing pain.
All that was left to do was to take care of the senior guard, who instead of attempting to fight Viktor who had shown martial might, opted to do the one thing he could to assure Viktor's demise.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"Attention all units, intruder alert; permission to use lethal force on the intruder: Unlocked-------" An electric buzz cut from a spear was heard throughout the building's hall as Naomi fully became aware of this, the moment she exhibited her retina scan to the central elevator's entrance "Royal retina: Accepted. Proceed at your leisure, Naomiria Sophia of Prussia." The elevator's door, glimmering in black and golden stripes, opened.
In addition to that, as she hurried to the core of the elevator so she could go up, Naomi saw the sight of royal guards emerging from the right and left side; as well as the upper stairs---all guiding themselves forward toward the destination that lay beyond the downward staircase. She worried as the alarming siren sounds ran rampant throughout the halls; but as the elevator's door closed, Naomi was quick to leave the scene as Viktor was left to figure things out on his own.
With a mission in her hands, Naomi was taking a specific elevator that only royal-blooded members had access to. It had about seventy centimeters in width and a staggering six meters in height covered with bright illumination from the top. Painted in glittering gold and filled with a clean air ambiance due to the refreshing conditioning air circulating around, the elevator rose to an abnormally high-speed trajectory.
In less than a minute, the elevator fully hit its climax.
"You have reached your destination, mistress Naomiria Sophia of Prussia. Her Highness is up ahead." The bright lights from above turned completely dark as they fit the natural atmosphere's color now.
A red long carpet that reached out to a lingering five-hundred meters in distance with the royal throne in sight; alluding to the presence that Naomi, deep down feared. Taking an incredibly prestigious breath dripping traces of anxiety and nervosity, Naomi calmed herself down as much as she could and took a step forward.
"I need to do this... I can't let Viktor down---after I've let him down so many times, and more importantly, I have to face my mother so that I can have the confidence to face my mother in the real world!" She entrusted confidence to herself with a strong inner speech.
At last, she entered the royal hall that extended itself in a grand width of four-hundred meters under a black-colored floor. Unguarded by any royal guards, this hall alone was the silent property of only royal-blooded members. Yet only two were in such room and no more. The side walls were decorated with familiar paintings that Naomi already had a reconnaissance to, and she especially knew a female figure that had a singular painting alongside her young mother at the time of that painting. Regarding the height of the room, however, it had a massive eight-hundred-meter height which highlighted the numerous light chandeliers at the very top that were not lit up due to the shimmering daylight radiance emitted through the slim-modeled windows at the very end of the hall; right behind the royal throne.
Additional decoration kept popping up in the shape of ancient Greek statues of philosophers and even Gods on the sideways of the royal hall.
With time, Naomi started to visually grasp the figure on the royal throne that far towered her height. Overshadowed by the contrast of the immense daylight lasered to her throne, the figure in it wasn't clearly visible as it was drawn in a darker shade; not allowing Naomi to fully get a read on who was on the throne.
Even so, as Naomi approached the three-step stairway prior to the area of the throne, she stopped in her tracks; not going to the zone where her mother is in. Instead, she put on a serious face though feeling nervous, and spoke to the one she hadn't spoken to in years.
"....Mother...." Her words lacked strength and were unable to reach out to her mother.
Reminding herself of her trauma, Naomi began to feel doubt and her breaths became ragged as her nervosity further escalated.
A memory from a time not so long ago resurged in her mind, during her potential breakdown.
"You already know what to say, Naomi. Your feelings---they will let you know. And even if you find yourself incapable of saying them, you need to tell yourself that you can do it. That this---is not the culmination of what you feel for your mother. You love her, don't you?" Her memory of Viktor allowed her to realize something during this time, that she could not have done on her own "Viktor believes I can do it... So, even if I fully don't---just knowing he does, gives me the strength to..." She had this conclusive thought as she clenched her fists; culminating her emotions to her mother now.
With a strong right step forward, Naomi elevated the volume of her voice.
"MOTHER!" Her voice echoed throughout the hall and lasted for two split seconds "We need to talk, right now! This is important, so please listen to me!" No response came forward from the dark throne's heir yet Naomi could see a glimpse of movement within; indicating that she had gotten her attention though somewhat "I don't like the way things have gone between us, but I think that we can talk this out, mother, so please, can we talk about it?! I don't want you to be on your own and I want you to care about me too!" Naomi said things that she could never imagine herself saying.
The figure talked, showing a portion of her left face to the daylight, which revealed fair skin covering a skinny surface. Dead black eyes stared into Naomi subsequently as she felt a sudden dread.
"To think you'd come this far into your nightmare---you should have stayed at the temple, Hyperbola." An unfamiliar voice that didn't resemble her mother at all spoke to Naomi "...M-Mother...?" She couldn't identify her mother's voice in the supposed place her mother would be in "No, wait! That... That voice can't be my mother! Who are you?!" Revolted, Naomi's expression grew stiff and bitter "Who am I? Are you sure you want to know? I am the vessel of this nightmare---the very thing you are attempting to break free from. At the cost of my own; you aim to step outside of this realm and you think I will just let you...?" The figure who Naomi thought was her mother in flesh, rose up from the throne.
Wearing a thin black full-body dress that covered her naked feet, what Naomi thought would be her mother, turned out to reveal itself as a skeleton, wearing a fallen golden queen crown twisted to its left side mildly in a black dress with only a portion of her face remaining ---that portion being her upper left side of her face only containing an eyeball and traces of pale skin around that side of her skull. There were, however, lingering long black hair thin strands from the top of the head which made Naomi think that although this wasn't her mother; her body physique and how the skeleton was dressed, had more in common than what she initially thought.
"Where is my mother?! This is a place I've built with my imagination alone and I have always envisioned my mother here at the very top of everything in Arkapella!" Naomi spoke the truth according to her imagination as the walking skeleton revealed itself entirely to Naomi; placing a feeling of dreadfulness in her fibers "This is your mother, Naomiria." The skeleton clarified "That is not true! You talk differently from her, even your voice is different!" She continued to rebook "But this is your vision of her---over the years, your mutual lack of communication has created this. This is not a lie; this is the limit of your imagination when it comes to your mother!" The skeleton unleashed a scream that spoke horrors to Naomi "No... That can't be... My mother is... dead...?" Naomi made a sudden assumption.
Taking a step back, shaken, Naomi saw some ground of truth in those words and she thought about them.
"This is the end. This is what your greed brought you. If you hadn't gone ahead and left the temple---after I issued many warnings in many forms; you wouldn't have to see this. Naomiria---the truth is, you brought your mother's death upon you. By committing the usurping of attempting to clear this nightmare, the consequences unfolded. What you wish to achieve--- cannot be achieved." Naomi received information in regard to her quest thus far and seeing how distraught she was, the skeleton went a step ahead and continued "Enough with this foolish endeavor. You made well to go this far, but this is as far as you go. Your time in the world that you know has come to an end already. Your time here is eternal. Forever and perpetual, this nightmare welcomes you!" The skeleton laughed. maniacally; the sound maliciously echoing throughout the silent royal hall.
Under the impression that the skeleton had given her, Naomi began to doubt things.
However, a permanent memory burnt in her mind in the form of brazen red eyes that demanded Naomi become one with her belief rose to the surface.
Midst her emotional turmoil, Naomi gritted her teeth and rejected every idea that the skeleton was giving her.
"You're wrong! This isn't eternal nor perpetual! I thought it was, but his existence has proven you wrong! Viktor would never approve of your words and you are not my mother, so I don't have to listen to whatever you have to say! You can keep your lies to yourself because only his words matter to me!" Naomi emotionally rejected the walking skeleton as her eyes began to glow a purple aura.
Crumbling, the vagrant windows that allowed the outer illumination to shine through were brought to shattering falling pieces of glass. The bright daylight became secluded with darkening clouds---this familiar scenario overlapped as Naomi started to become aware of her own affinity with the weather.
In addition to that, the skeleton had visible cracks on the facial part of its structure.
"You would go against me---the very fiber of this nightmare?!" The skeleton's screech became resonant with the air, causing friction in the air, but even so, despite feeling a strong gust of wind against her, Naomi spoke back relentlessly "That's all I want! I want to be a part of this NO MORE!" Infused with thunder and a mixture of strong impending rain, Naomi unconsciously began to draw water from the clouds onto herself as her body became translucent; similar to that of fountain water---the mirror further cracking "This reality is not on par with what I genuinely wish for anymore!" Her glowing eyes narrowed as she willingly formed an unconscious intention to barrage the skeleton with something that would put a stop to its actions.
Unbeknownst to her, that single intention gave her permission to unlock the hidden power that she had used on some occasions thus far.
Unforgiving, Naomi, with her right hand, formed a sphere of water and then conjured a water canon that traveled to the skeleton's location; fully destroying its bones---breaking it all to pieces in the ultimate process.
Without being able to speak, the skeleton no longer was able to regain its form and instead remained lifeless on the floor; scattered with its prior bones.
"...What the...?" Surprised by her sudden water control and how light she was feeling, Naomi looked at her right and left hand "They are almost invisible---no, they are like water... I can feel them yet I can also go past them..." Naomi reflected as she did such "And I can conjure the water from the weather at my own free will..." She formed various spheres, varying from big to small; as well as form any object that her imagination deemed useful.
However, this moment of reflection was short-lived and briefly interrupted by the royal throne which caused the room to enter a premature state of what seemed to be an earthquake.
"?!" Naomi's body, unstable from the earthquake, started to tremble, despite being in a water form "You should haven't done that, Hyperbola!" A dreadful voice resonating in distant terror spoke from the throne as a figure that was not known to Naomi began to unravel from the very core of the throne "T-That's...!!" Though not known, it was allusive to her, ever slightly.
Scrapping the right and left wings of the throne while obliterating its entire structure; reducing it to cinders at maximum----a reptilian Komodo dragon with three meters in height emerged from the core of the throne. Over a meter and a near half Naomi, the green reptilian with a skinny physique and out-of-character two-width meter black wings strapped onto its back that had visible spine bones popping out of proportion. Its body was overly scaly and oily; the arms and legs were muscular in spite of their overshadowing skinny anatomy.
Dripping saliva from the wide corners of its abnormally large mouth, it roared to Naomi; utterly looking down on Naomi in height.
"No one escapes from their nightmare! Perpetuation is something you should know, Hyperbola! Everybody dies in their nightmares and you are no exception!" The gigantic steps scared Naomi beyond her wits, enabling her to not focus on her target "A-Ahh!!" The drip of saliva fell onto her face and Naomi's horror was crystal clear "S-Stay back!" She, however, didn't allow herself to be a victim this time as she knew for a fact that she had a way to fight back against that adversity.
Firing a water cannon just like last time, a splashing impact was made onto the reptilian dragon's face; Naomi hoping to replicate the prior result.
Nevertheless, she was met with a havocking roar denying any sort of hope.
"No way! But it worked last time, so why?!" She kept on retreating back as the reptilian dragon moved forward slowly "My skin has endured hundreds of millennia yet you think your insignificant water powers can hope to leave a single stretch on me?!" It performed a wide swing from its right side and aimed at Naomi with deadly claws "Water shield!" Naomi spelled out that order and without any necessary time to form, an instant water sphere wrapped around Naomi's body; shielding her from any damage.
That was the core idea when Naomi shouted those words; that it would protect her from such said damage.
"AGHH!" Though serving as a necessary measure to save her from critical damage; Naomi's body flew twenty meters into the air and had a catastrophic landing as she began emitting threads of blood from the corners of her lips.
The very reason why she was alive was noticeably due to her water body ability which allowed her body to permanently enter a state of water transfusion; directly decreasing the damage of anything physical by an extremely significant margin. Even so, Naomi clearly felt the lethal claws that went through her entire upper body.
Staggered and unable to properly make a move, Naomi trembled on the floor as the physical toll showed to be nevertheless immense for her to handle on her own.
"YAHAHAHAHA!!" The reptilian dragon tilted its posture backward and placed its two hand claws on its stomach; performing a loud primitive laughter toward Naomi "That's what you get, Hyperbola! Oh lord Asmodeus, to imprison me in this realm; whereas I must prove my worth and undying loyalty to you; free me of this eternal anguish!" It spoke words that Naomi had no idea what to make of "And you, Hyperbola, will forever remain a subject confined in this realm of purgatory!" It bent its upper body forward, sticking out its longe greasy tongue to Naomi's face as she was vis-a-vis with the primordial terror of her nightmare; causing her endless shivers as her fear peaked.
Naomi, upon seeing the reptilian dragon transform its right arm into a gigantic sword made out of its skin and aiming at her body from above; closed her eyes in fear as she no longer saw any hope in conjuring a defensive water sphere shield or any possible water attacks to fend the reptilian dragon off.
A clash unfolded; unveiling a potentially decisive outcome.
"That's no good. Giving up after having come this far; you were doing so well I almost shed a tear in the process." A confident familiar voice made Naomi's eyes open with no hesitation whatsoever "Viktor!" Two swords of high caliber in their respective nights clashed; both its wielders trembling just at the collusive force from the impact.
Unable to look at Naomi and instead revealing a wide grin with his side left teeth all closed up yet open to see, Viktor made his entrance.
"...V-Viktor...?" On the floor, however, Naomi had a second thought as she looked at Viktor better this time around "It's you! The eradicator! You've upset the balance of this realm, you impending waste!" The reptilian showed spite as its upper posture leaned forward to Viktor's force as well as its sword; prolonging the powerful force behind the titanic push "Oh I'm famous now?! That's good to know! But I just gotta ask something..." Viktor's eyebrows twisted in the form of mockery as his opponent grew impatient in knowing what he has to say "What?! What is it?!" Visible friction from their swords was created midst the air that began showing a mist of evaporation from that very friction "Does Hell have an "Ugly only allowed" department? I hope it does, otherwise, your entire existence has no meaning!" Viktor pushed the sword back with a sudden impulse.
Demonstrating dark red on its surface, the skin sword with irritated lively eyes, was able to push back the reptilian lizard ten meters back with a strong lasting impact.
"RAAGH!!" It roared in agony as its body was blown back; Viktor wasted no time at all with his movements---turning back to Naomi who was on the floor "Hot posture, Naomi. But I don't think it's time to make summer model poses, especially without any cameras around." Viktor extended his unused left hand covered in blood and with multiple torn muscle tissues to the perplexed Naomi, who didn't retort at the joke and instead worried about another factor "V-Viktor! Your face, your body, it's all---" She showed genuine worry and concern as she got up thanks to Viktor, but he placed his bloody left index finger on her semi-bloody lips; not allowing her to speak any more words.
Addressing the real issue in the room as it rose back to full height, only with a more vigorous and lethal expression, Viktor looked at the reptilian dragon that had now conjured two swords with both of its arms.
Roaring throughout the room, it began a raging march with the intent to kill; crushing the surface of anything it placed its monstrous feet under.
"Now is not the time for peculiar details; Naomi. That can come later." Viktor elevated his skin sword and conjured an offensive sword stance, highlighting his confidence and seriousness "Right now, we take that thing down. You and me. Whatever happens afterward, happens afterward." Viktor said as Naomi fully understood the intent behind his words "...Alright. Viktor, together, we will bring it down!" Reassuring herself with confidence, Naomi showed a willingness to aid Viktor in his quest and focused on the unstoppable furious reptilian dragon.
Their clash began.