Heaven Door | The Finale of the Dragon Children Trilogy.

28 | Romeo & Juliet

"So.. you've finally arrived." Naphtali's eyes glowed an ocean blue. He turned around. "Rem." Rem looked in his direction. "And you've brought these nobodies with you?" Flora and Julius stood by her side. "Naphtali." Rem spoke up. "What happened to you?" Naphtali scoffed. "I saw the truth, Rem. I saw what really matters."

 It felt like no one else was around. Rem replied swiftly.
"And is that not me?"
"Not anymore." His words cut deep into her heart.
"It was you and me, Naph."
"It still could've been. You're too idiotic to see the truth."
"Idiotic? Naphtali, you don't mean this."
"'Course I do."
"You loved me."
"Did I?"
"You did.."
He repeated again, in a monotonous voice. "Did I?"

".. Did you?"
"Rem.. the Holy Stones are wrong. And you, you were too trusting. That's why I'm in control now."
"But I never thought you'd turn against us. Naphtali, what happened?"
"Don't you see, Rem? Power is everything. I won't let you stand in my way."
"This isn't the person I loved. What happened to the boy who cherished our love?"
Almost like a bullet, Naphtali shot words through Rem's heart. "That boy was weak. His heart was filled with love. To find true power, one must throw away all that is close to the heart. Join me, Rem, or step aside. There's no room for weakness in my quest for power."
"Weak?.."
"Weak."
"I'm weak?"
"You always were."
A heavy silence hung between them, filled with shattered trust and broken dreams. Rem's mind panicked, grappling with the harsh reality of the person standing before her, a stranger cloaked in the disguise of her beloved.
"You're wrong, Naph," She finally whispered, her voice with a mix of sorrow and despair. "Strength isn't measured by the willingness to remove love. True power lies in the ability to protect what matters most."
Naphtali's lip curled into a disdainful sneer. "Your naivety knows no bounds, Rem. But mark my words, in the end, it will be your downfall."
Rem shook her head, her resolve firm despite the ache in her heart. "I won't abandon who I am, Naph. And I won't abandon you, not now, not ever."
And in that moment, Rem and Naphtali sat at the tree they first met. "Naph?" A short-haired Rem looked up at him. Naphtali looked down at her. "Yes?" Rem smiled widely. "I love you." Naphtali responded, glee in his voice. "I love you too." She poked his cheek. "Always and forever?" Naphtali giggled. "Don't ask dumb questions. Always and forever." These memories cracked in their heads, like glass. Naphtali faced Rem. "You will die by my hands." 

Flora appeared above Naphtali's head. "ALRIGHT!" Flora swung down with her gauntlets. Naphtali stepped to the side, creating a blue blur beside him. He flung his leg at the girl, kicking her away. Julius caught her mid-air, swinging her in a circle and again throwing her back. Julius used his royal powers to trap Naphtali within the earth. "Tch. Nobodies." Flora flew past him, throwing a punch at him. "GOD DAMNIT REM, SNAP OUT OF IT!" Rem stood frozen. She couldn't fight. Julius appeared above Naphtali. Flora landed on the ground next to him, thrusting her gauntlets again. Naphtali vanished in the air, causing Julius and Flora to hit each other. Naphtali snapped his fingers in the air. "Perish." His palm blasted a large power beam toward the ground. Rem put her hands in front of her, trying to block out the sight. "What's wrong, Rem?" He smirked. "Too scared?" Julius stood in front of Flora, summoning a barrier. "Kss.. Damn, he's strong. Even for me." Naphtali cloned himself, without Julius knowing. The clone of Naphtali stood by his side. "You were the King, huh?" Julius looked to his side. "Wha--" Naphtali punctured a hole through his hip. "Can't say you fight the part." Julius stumbled back. "Gah.." He dropped to one knee. "JULIUS!" Flora shouted out. "Oh, don't worry. He'll live. You, however.." The clone, and the real Naphtali surrounded Flora. "Simetra's daughter? You.. are weak." Flora's eyes widened. "What?" All four fists were thrown at her. Flora dropped to the ground, splitting her legs. "No.." She swung her gauntlets and grabbed onto the clone's ankle. "I'm not WEAK!" She spun him around, and forced him to vanish by banging him against the real Naphtali. Naphtali stumbled back. "Eh?! Not bad!" He grinned. "Still not enough for Rem to come out 'n' play, huh?" He caught the spear which was behind him. Julius coughed out blood. "Damn.. how can he have these reflexes?" Flora and Julius both kicked at the same time. Naphtali jumped into the air, swinging his legs down, knocking both opponents at the same time. He crisscrossed his palms, blasting them away with blue energy spheres. The two fighters rolled on the ground. As the chaos of battle unfolded before Rem's eyes, her heart pounded with a mixture of fear and anguish. She stood frozen in place, torn between her loyalty to her friends and the grip of Naphtali's manipulation. Flora's desperate cries for her to snap out of it echoed in her ears, but Rem felt as though she were trapped in a misty forest, unable to break free from Naphtali's hold. "REM!!" With each strike and blast of energy, Rem's resolve wavered, her mind clouded by doubt and confusion. She couldn't bring herself to join the fray, not when the person she once knew as Naphtali seemed so distant, consumed by darkness. Julius and Flora were caught under Naphtali's feet, their confidence fading in the face of overwhelming odds. But as they continued to clash with Naphtali, Rem could feel the weight of her not acting pressing down upon her. "I.. I can't do it." Torn between her desire to protect her friends and her fear of confronting the truth, Rem remained left in this spot, a silent witness to the battle raging before her. As the sounds of combat echoed around her, Rem closed her eyes, seeking peace in the darkness that enveloped her. But the only thing she could think of..