Shattered Remnants of a Dream

44. Get Out of My World

Eden watched Vance, studying the fire in his eyes. Even though it had only been a few months, he seemed impossibly older.

Naomi respawned her orbs and twisted her fingers, spinning them. "Your father sent me here, Vance. He's very disappointed in you."

"Bullshit," he shot back. "Tell me what's going on."

"I'll tell you nothing!" Naomi shrieked, sending the orbs flying toward.

"Vance!" Eden shouted, scrambling to stand up.

The Albavitrean stood his ground, keeping his eyes on Naomi. Psynergy began to resonate in his arms, and as the orbs closed in, he reached up and caught two in each hand. His fists glowed and he lowered them, gripping the psychic weapons like a child's marbles.

"What is this?" Vance smirked. "Some kind of joke?"

In the next moment, he squeezed his fists together, shattering the orbs to pieces. Psynergy dissipated into the atmosphere, and Naomi's jaw slipped downward.

"I'll give you one more chance, Naomi." Vance took another step toward her. "What are you doing here?"

"We're going to get you, Vance!" she screamed, speeding toward him through the air. Psynergy poured out from her helmet, energizing her legs. "You need to die, just like Victoria!"

"What did you say?" His right hand flew out as Naomi closed in on him, crushing her cheek with a loud crack. She screamed and went tumbling across the ground.

Vance was next to her fallen body in an instant with a glowing right arm outstretched. His hand curved down in a wide arc, cleaving the other two orbs with ease.

"I'll kill you!!" Naomi shrieked, in between hysteric howls. "You little rat!"

"You won't kill anyone," Vance said, then grabbed her by the neck of her suit and picked her up off the ground. "And you have no right to say my mother's name."

Naomi continued wailing and babbling incoherently.

"And if you ever try to harm me or any of my friends again," Vance continued, jerking Naomi in rhythm with his speech, "I'll kill you."

He dropped her to the ground and returned to Eden.

"Are you okay?" Vance asked quietly.

Eden stared back in shock, speechless. Why does he seem like a completely different person?

Vance stared at Eden with warm, compassionate eyes, noticing the dumbfounded expression on her face. "I know you could've taken her. Sorry for butting in."

"Vance..." Eden muttered, picking herself up from the ground and throwing her arms around him as best she could. "Thank you."

As Eden hugged Vance, he faltered for a moment, but did his best to return the gesture. For the first time in his life, he was consoling someone, and he didn't feel nervous or self-conscious at all. Instead, he thought of his old house in Pennsylvania, and then his father in California, wondering how he spent his days.

Vance glanced up to the hollowed-out mountain that stood before him, and he remembered how quickly he had been able to speed through it once he sensed Naomi's aura.

"Eden..." Vance whispered, feeling her red-orange hair on his hands. "What happened to the mountain?"

"Oh, I did that," Eden murmured. "I'm so tired I can barely move."

Shaking his head in disbelief, Vance continued to look around Eden and Azuka's campsite. Eventually, his eyes focused on the tired, decrepit-looking figure of Naomi as she frantically tried to crawl out of sight.