As the blade came crashing down, his irises trembled, and his breath caught in his throat.
Carmel's hand shot out.
Then the blade struck him. Neo's smile spread wide as she watched her father's body stagger backward, but then she noticed. There was no blood.
Her eyes widened as Jimmy balanced himself, touching the top of his head where the blade had landed and noticing a faint glow enveloping his body.
Carmel froze before sighing in relief, but as she turned to her daughter, her relief vanished. Neo stood there, trembling with indescribable rage.
Neo lunged at Jimmy. Carmel acted on instinct, grabbing him and leaping backward just as Neo's blade sliced the air where they'd been.
Emotions stormed within Neo, her aura spiraling outward like a violent wind, hurling debris across the room as thunder roared outside. She began to walk forward slowly.
Carmel's grip on Jimmy tightened as she trembled slightly.
"Any idea what caused this?" she whispered.
"No… but I've never seen her like this…" he replied, his voice growing more serious. "Could it have been something bad, something that really got to her?"
Carmel's eyes widened, her own irises shaking. Just as an idea of what might be troubling her daughter surfaced, Neo's aura swelled, sending a forceful wind that made Carmel skid backward. She tried to plant her feet, but the gusts were relentless.
"We're both dead at this rate. Let's wait for her to calm down," Jimmy muttered.
Carmel looked back at him with a small, daring smile. "I can't do that."
She set him down and braced herself against the wind. "Get out of here. I'll handle her," she said as she took a step forward.
Jimmy's face paled. "You'll die if you go any closer!"
"Maybe," she shot back with a smirk, "but I have a few things to say to her, and I'm not planning on kicking the bucket just yet." Her expression hardened as she turned and pushed forward toward Neo.
As Carmel pushed through the storm of aura, debris flew at her, tearing through her clothes. Broken pieces of the bed frame and furniture whipped through the air, one slamming into Jimmy and sending him flying out of the room.
From the hallway, he looked back, seeing Carmel still braving the raging storm of Neo's emotions. The chaos seemed contained within the room, at least for now.
—
"This is bad, you need to stop! Do you think this is what Jacob would want…what I would want?" Trivia's voice echoed in Neo's mind.
And there was Neo, all pink hair, pink eyes, and that infuriating, arrogant smirk, facing down another part of herself.
"Are you even hearing yourself?" she shot back. "Who are you to tell me what we want? You created me to be you. A version that's superior in every way. A version of you that knows you better than you know yourself."
Trivia's eyes widened, a wave of sadness crossing her face as she looked away, hugging one arm to her chest.
Neo folded her arms and scoffed. "And what's this about Jacob? You saw him yourself. Just another person who used you."
Trivia's head snapped back, her hands dropping to her sides, clenched into fists.
"You're wrong. You can't seriously believe that was Jacob who did that!" Trivia's voice rose in anger.
—
The dark void within Neo's mind began to shift as she sat on the sidelines, replaying fragments of her life.
In one memory, Neopolitan leaned against a tree, panting heavily, her clothes damp with sweat. She closed her eyes to catch her breath.
Jacob dropped down beside her with a smile, offering a water bottle, which she took quickly.
He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand before speaking. "You asked if I ever left the kingdom, and I said I'd tell you if you managed to land a hit on me," he admitted, still catching his breath.
He looked up into the canopy of leaves. "I was born in Mistral. Wind Path, to be exact. The only other place I've been is Higanbana. Not another kingdom or anything, just another part of Mistral."
He chuckled and met her now-open gaze. "Honestly? This is my first time outside the Kingdom of Mistral. I was scared because anything could happen out here…especially since my view of the world's so different from folks here in Vale. There's a lot of crime back home. Here…it's so much more peaceful." His voice carried a hint of sadness.
"I might miss Mistral, but I don't regret being here. Things didn't go the way I planned, but I'm fine with where I am now, and that's thanks to you," he confessed.
Neopolitan turned away, her face turning bright pink.
He chuckled, standing up and glancing down at her. "Wanna keep sparring, or are you done for today?"
She met his gaze, shook her head, and stood up alongside him. She sized him up, threw a punch at the air, then shrugged.
He grinned. "I learned how to fight because of my brothers, they're all Huntsmen, so that toughened me up. Plus, I work my ass off, so…I guess that's why I'm better than most." He said nonchalantly
She materialized a sign and chuckled: "Can fight but can't swim?"
He rolled his eyes. "Hey, maybe I can't swim, but how often am I getting into water fights?"
She raised her brows, then the sign changed: "Seriously, you wanna get into Beacon Academy, but you can't swim, and you just learned how to climb a tree. I'm not doubting you, but how exactly were you planning on getting into Beacon?"
Jacob let out a heavy sigh, staring at the sky for a moment before answering. "Does a basketball player need to be phenomenal at shooting, rebounding, dribbling, and passing just to get in the league?" He paused. "Or does a chef need to master Mistralian, Valian, and Atlesian cuisines to be considered a chef?"
He looked back at her. "The answer's no. A player can make it even if they're terrible at shooting, and a chef doesn't need to know every cuisine in the world. Same goes for me. Maybe I don't know how to swim, ride a bike, or drive, but I'm skilled where it counts. Fighting, strategizing, planning, and, yeah, even academics." He paused, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Point is, you don't need to be good at everything to reach your dreams. You just need to do your best and show that you're willing to grow." He finished, letting his hand drop back to his side.
—
Neo rolled her eyes, watching the flickering memories in the background.
Trivia, though, sat with a smile, hands folded neatly in front of her.
"Why are you showing me this?" Neo sneered, meeting Trivia's timid eyes.
She tilted her head back, looking disgusted at this softer side of herself. "To prove he loves us? That he cares? Do you even know what being used means?"
Trivia shook her head slowly, her eyes losing their usual nervous look. "What was on the plate in the video you saw?" she asked.
Neo scoffed, looking away with a scowl before snapping her eyes back. "Why does that matter?" The words barely escaped her lips before she froze, realization creeping in. Her mouth dropped open slightly.
Trivia's expression shifted to a smirk. "Exactly. Need me to go on?"
Neo's face contorted with anger as she looked down, fists clenched.
"You really think that matters?" she snapped. "You're fighting for a guy who doesn't even love you! No one ever has, except me! Your parents, your boyfriend, your teachers. They all hated you! Who's been there for you, huh?" she screamed.
—
Carmel forced her way through the blistering wind, each step a battle to get closer to her daughter.
'Look at her; she's trembling,' Neo taunted in her mind. 'She's afraid of you.'
The pressure was unbearable, yet Carmel kept pushing forward until it overwhelmed her. She fell to her knees, hands braced against the ground.
Gritting her teeth, she winced as the force drove her head to the floor, cutting a gash above her eye. Blood trickled down her face, blurring her vision. She looked up, her entire frame shaking, and muttered through labored breaths, "Trivia… we need… to talk."
Slowly, she rose to her feet.
"Is this… is this what you've been carrying?" she murmured, her voice cracking as she fought to keep standing. "This storm, this power... Is this the weight of her emotions? Or is it yours?" She took another shaky step forward, the wind tearing at her.
"I didn't see it… I didn't see how much you were holding in," she whispered, "I'm sorry."
—
"I truly hate you. You're soft, weak, and that's why you needed me. You let that loser put a dream in your head when all he ever did was lie to you," Neo sneered.
"And I'm done being lied to." Neo turned away.
"I'll make sure to finish him this time."
Trivia's eyes went wide. Without thinking, she rushed toward Neo, arm outstretched to stop her but as soon as her hand touched Neo, it shattered like fragile glass, fragments turning pink before fading away. Panic flashed across Trivia's face, but her momentum carried her forward, only for her whole body to dissolve into pink glass, each piece shattering and scattering into nothingness.
—
Carmel's eyes widened as Neo spun around.
"Hey, don't leave!" Carmel called out, her legs shaking as she forced herself to rush toward her daughter.
But as she got close, the force of Neo's storm slammed into her, throwing her off her feet. She spun helplessly through the air until she crashed hard against a wall, collapsing onto all fours. "W-wait… please. We need to talk."
Blood trickled down her face, but she pushed herself upright, leaning against the wall for support. Carmel stumbled yet she charged forward, rolling over rubble and sharp fragments that tore at her clothes. Every attempt to close the distance was met with failure, as the force kept slamming her back.
Neo's trembling grew, her rage flaring as she stepped back, then slipped out through a gaping hole in the wall, letting herself fall from the building. Carmel's heart sank as she watched Neo descend, her daughter's figure silhouetted by a storm of wind and anger. But Neo spread her umbrella and floated downward. With the use of her semblance, she created wind to propel herself upwards.
Carmel grit her teeth, sprinting to the hole and looking wildly for a way up. Seeing a rusted fire escape, she leapt onto it, her grip straining as she hoisted herself up. She pushed her body to its limits, running up the stairs until she reached the rooftop just as Neo rose into the sky above her.
Neo extended her arm, and a swarm of swords materialized in the air behind her. She flicked her wrist, and the swords shot forward in a spiraling mass, aimed directly at Carmel.
Enough was enough. Carmel ran forward, and dove off the building, throwing herself into the storm of blades. In the air, she twisted her body, narrowly dodging some swords and angling herself toward one to grab its hilt. Using the momentum, she swung herself to the next.
As Carmel made her final leap toward Neo, a sudden, sharp pain pierced her stomach. She looked down, realizing she'd been caught, and coughed up blood.
Her vision blurred, and through the approaching storm of blades, she caught a hazy glimpse of her daughter's body. Her eyes began to close.
'People are like food, huh?' she thought, surrendering herself to the metal that hurtled toward her. 'Some people savor the time it takes to prepare…but I acted like I had time to waste. Thought it was something I could buy back. If only it were that simple…'
"CARMEL!" a voice yelled from behind her. It was Jimmy's, jolting her back. She forced her eyes open.
She leaned back, dodging one sword that sliced past her, reaching out just in time to grab its hilt. Twisting the blade, she swung rapidly, deflecting the cascade of steel hurtling her way. When she hit the rooftop, she fell to one knee.
With gritted teeth, she reached down, gripping the sword embedded in her stomach. Trembling, she pulled, gasping in agony as the blood-slicked blade slid free. She let out a cry as her vision wavered.
"I don't want to leave you behind… Back in that park, I meant it… I want to understand you. But it's hard when you keep running." Her words barely escaped her lips as she rose, dual-wielding the swords.
'If all this rage is coming from something deep down…maybe, just maybe, if I tell her the truth…' she thought.
Neo raised a single finger, and the wreckage from her earlier destruction lifted, swirling around her like a storm of malice. She looked down at Carmel with disdain, then hurled the debris toward her.
The chunks of stone and metal crashed into the rooftop, filling the air with smoke and dust. Carmel charged forward, cleaving through the larger pieces, dodging or shattering what she couldn't avoid. Neo's expression twisted with irritation, and her hand clenched as she faltered mid-air. Above her, a colossal, building-sized meteor appeared, and she sent it crashing toward her mother.
Carmel's eyes widened, but she didn't stop, sprinting straight toward the falling mass. With gritted teeth, she leapt up, swinging her blades with all her strength. Metal clanged against rock as she fought against the meteor's immense weight, her swords splintering under the force until they finally shattered into shards of pink glass. But in that small opening, she used the meteor's momentum, vaulting herself upward and running up its surface.
Neo's face contorted in awe, which quickly turned to fury. She motioned down, tilting the meteor to stop it from crashing into the building below.
Carmel wavered as she slid down the meteor's steep incline, Neo's hand clenching with a final flick. The meteor exploded, flinging her forward, her vision going dark as her consciousness flickered.
Then, in mid-air, she awoke, the shock of the blast hurtling her closer to Neo. Seeing her daughter within reach, Carmel stretched out and managed to grab her, colliding with her in a desperate embrace.
As they tumbled through the air, Carmel clung to Neo, while Neo struggled, trying to extend her parasol. But in her panic, she accidentally closed it, causing them to plummet faster. They tangled together, Neo fighting to break free while Carmel held on tight. Moments before impact, Neo managed to summon a cushion of air, softening their fall as they hit the surface with a shuddering thud.
—
As the smoke cleared, they lay sprawled on the ground, motionless.
A few seconds passed, then Neo's fingers twitched. Slowly, she rose to her feet, taking in the sight of Carmel, who hadn't moved. Neo reached down, retrieving her parasol, her expression weary rather than triumphant. She sighed, then turned to leave, taking a shaky step forward until she felt a hand grip her ankle.
She glanced back in shock. Her mother, face bloodied and battered, was looking up at her.
"P-please… give me a chance…" Carmel's voice was barely a whisper.
A look of irritation crossed Neo's face. She yanked her leg free and continued walking in the direction she hoped Jacob had gone.
Behind her, Carmel struggled to lift her head, squinting through blood and pain as she watched Neo's blurry figure disappear into the distance. Her vision faded, and she collapsed back onto the ground.
Neo walked on, the world around her dark and heavy with storm clouds. The ruined dorm where she once stayed was now in ruins, and the rooftop of the school was shattered and broken. Everything else around her felt equally bleak.
'I can't wait to kill him…' she thought, her own vision clouded as she clutched her parasol tightly, each step echoing the emptiness she felt as she left her mother behind.
Suddenly Neo's jaw dropped, her eyes widening in disbelief. It was like seeing a ghost. Carmel stood in front of her, her wounds slowly closing.
"Trivia… let me be honest with you," Carmel said softly, her voice tinged with something Neo hadn't heard in years. Strands of her brown hair fell messily across her face, her once-elegant bob fallen and disheveled.
"I should've told you this a long time ago…" Carmel muttered as she locked eyes with her daughter.
Neo's grip tightened on her parasol. Her lips curled into a snarl as she let the blade extend. Without hesitation, she swung with full force, her entire being behind the blow.
Carmel raised her hand, catching the blade with her bare palm, her fingers wrapping around it as blood seeped from her skin. Neo's eyes widened. *Is she… using her aura?*
Neo poured every ounce of her own aura into her semblance, the storm swirling with her intent to make Carmel crumble. But Carmel pushed through, her grip tightening as she looked up at her daughter.
"I'm sorry I failed you," Carmel said, her voice breaking with genuine regret.
Neo's expression faltered. For a split second, she saw a girl with brown hair, wide-eyed and vulnerable. The girl she'd tried so hard to destroy within herself. It was like that broken, younger self had been brought back and was staring right at her.
Carmel's voice was weak, but there was sincerity as she spoke. "I would've died if my aura hadn't kicked in. I was trying to take those hits, sacrificing myself so I wouldn't have to use it. But I guess I had no choice... In all honesty, you're strong as hell. You'd make a damn good huntress. It's taking everything this retired vet's got just to stay on her feet…"
The world seemed to slow as she exhaled, bracing herself for the weight of the truth she was about to unleash.
"I'm a goddamn fake!" she screamed as she locked eyes with Neo. "A fucking failure... I've been a spy this whole damn time, a retired assassin who's been hiding in the shadows just to survive!" Her voice cracked.
"But I've always loved you. I've never meant to hurt you. I never did!" She grabbed Neo's shoulders, her grip desperate.
Neo stood frozen. The woman she had always known as a cold and abusive was unraveling before her. For the first time, Carmel's facade was gone, and the storm around Neo started to settle. Her hair flickered, shifting back to a pink and brown for a brief moment. Both mother and daughter stood in stillness, arms at their sides, as if everything had paused.
Carmel's breath shuddered as she tilted her head up, but the tears kept coming. She tried to look away, but her daughter stared.
"I'm a terrible person," she muttered. "And I've been an even worse mother... From the start, I've always been."
Her words caught in her throat as she choked on the weight of her own regret. She reached up, wiping her eyes and nose with the back of her sleeve.
Leaning back, she took a deep breath, then looked Neo directly in the eyes. "I lied about everything. About me. About the life I've lived. And about the kind of mother I am... I lied to myself. I lied to your father. And most importantly... I lied to you."
She paused for a moment, her voice trembling. "Truth be told, the day I saw you at the park, I lied then too. I wasn't a bodyguard. I was an assassin. I wasn't just passing by... I had a target to catch."
"But that conversation we had? It was the best thing I've had in years." A sad, wry smile tugged at her lips. "Truth be told, when it comes to not knowing myself... I'm about as two-sided as your hair."
Neo's eyes widened, her mouth slightly agape. Carmel took a step back, letting the sun's rays warm her face as she stood there, vulnerable in every way.
"And that's my greatest sin," Carmel continued, her voice soft but heavy. "Sorry for even considering myself a mother... But I do care about you. I really do."
Carmel's voice softened.
"I wanted to rise in the criminal underworld, to drag you along with me, hide this side of me until I could make it to the top. But then I realized… I don't want you becoming like me. I don't want you turning into a criminal, a failure, like I did." She paused, scoffing bitterly at herself.
"Look, I don't know what you're going through, and if you wanna communicate with me, that's your choice. But all I ask is that you figure out how to love yourself. See things from every angle, feel your anger, let it out if you need to, but don't let it swallow you whole. Trust me on that... I've lived a double life, and that other side of me? I hate it."
Carmel took a deep breath, her voice quieter now.
"If you're struggling with something like that, just try to be the most real version of yourself. It might mean blending the two sides or maybe picking one over the other. But be true to yourself, and find happiness. 'Cause the other side of me? I can't stand it. That prissy, high-class act... it's just that, an act. This version of me? This is who I really am." She looked down, regret in her eyes, but then a flicker returned.
"But don't abandon the other side of you either. Recognize what it gave you, the things you learned from it, but don't ignore the flaws. If it weren't for that high-class act, I wouldn't have stayed with your father... and you wouldn't have been born. And honestly? I wouldn't change that for anything. So, for all its faults, I owe that side of me a lot."
Carmel chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of her head.
"All I'm trying to say is, be yourself. Don't let anyone take that away from you. If you're dealing with an identity crisis, don't let one side of you control the other. Seek balance. Seek happiness."
She reached out and pulled Neo into a tight embrace, her fingers gently combing through her daughter's hair. The sun overhead fell and painted the sky in a golden light.
"You're fine… just the way you are. Flaws and all…" Carmel whispered into her daughter's ear.
They stayed like that for a few seconds, the world around them quieting, the storm inside Neo finally starting to settle. When they finally pulled away, Neopolitan seemed to have returned to herself, her gaze soft but distant as she looked down at the ground. The storm in her own heart wasn't gone, but it had calmed, at least for now.
Neo's eyes drifted. Her mind replayed every moment, every word, every action.
When she finally looked up at her mother, a soft, almost hesitant smile crept onto her face. Tears welled up in her eyes, and before she could stop herself, the floodgates opened. She trembled, her nose reddening as she whimpered, her chest heaving with each sob. The dam of emotions she'd kept hidden for so long finally broke, and the tears stained her cheeks as she cried openly.
Carmel stepped forward without hesitation, enveloping her daughter in another hug.
In the distance, Jimmy had returned, slowly making his way toward them, but for now, it was just the two of them.
Carmel held Neo tighter, her voice soft but steady. "Look, I'm sorry, kid… But it's gonna be okay. You've got a bright future ahead of you, and I'll be here to support you. I'll communicate with you, understand you... whatever you need, I'm here."
She nodded, her face still buried in Carmel's embrace as the sobs slowly began to quiet.
Carmel pulled back just enough to look her in the eyes, her voice shifting, a little lighter now. "And about all this mess... don't worry about it. I'll talk to Lady Beat, and we'll get this whole thing swept under the rug. I promise."