x
Naomi could see the others as they trudged through the storm, but she couldn't see herself. It was as if she were watching as part of the blizzard.
She watched as Damien led the others forward and approached small balls of blue light scattered throughout the storm. Predictably, the lights revealed parts of her past to them each time. The first memory was of the year 2940 when she first met Za'Fia, Michael, Damien, and Arne at the Russos branch's HQ. Judging from this, she had a feeling that whatever trauma she experienced must've happened when she was younger.
Acting instinctively, she yelled for them to leave. That they shouldn't be seeing her memories, but they couldn't hear her. She knew it was illogical, that she could simply open up like everyone else had to move on, but she herself couldn't remember her trauma, let alone wanted others to see it.
"Wait! I already know what my keyword is," Naomi called out, spilling to the pneumarian. "I'm resentful of humans. I've watched humanity create famine, destroy ecosystems, spread diseases, and commit awful atrocities against one another over simple disagreements and stupid ideals like segregation. It's what split my once joyful personality into a cold one as well. It's why, before meeting Alissia, I saw the human race as a cancer on Earth, but I've already come to understand that it'd be wrong to judge them all based on the notable percentage. We don't need to go further!"
"Oh dear girl," the pneumarian's voice rang near Naomi. "A valiant effort, but I am known as The Revealer for a reason. That is not the complete truth. My power will make you dig deep to unearth the real cause of your mental impairment."
Naomi looked at the others who had now moved further into the blizzard and were standing before another blue light. The memory showed July 2, 2863, the day Naomi had been reincarnated. But Naomi knew something was wrong. How'd they pass by the other memories? Was it the aid of the pneumarian guiding them somehow?
In memory, Naomi had been found by a selfish woman who lived in the depressed trenches of a once-forgotten city, Detroit, untouched by modernization. This was where Naomi was raised. The woman would do anything for money, but being a child, this didn't bother Naomi. She was happy to know that the woman had a soft spot for her. Naomi eventually started to view the woman as her mother.
Growing up, Naomi was a naturally happy kid, but then came the day her abilities started to reveal themselves.
Naomi suddenly screamed in pain as a suppressed memory began to resurface. The mindscape shook from her resistance as she tried to regain her mind. Through pained vision, she saw that the others had started to freeze as they called out her name.
"I suppose I will have to step in for this one," Naomi heard the pneumarian state as another blue light appeared before the others.
They stood, freezing as they watched the memory. Naomi was 13, and after her mother learned the nature of Naomi's abilities through observation, she began to take advantage of them. Particularly, Naomi's power to spread joy. She would make a small fortune selling Naomi's power to people of the town who wanted her to use Naomi's power to give them elation. The city as a whole was a mess, but that neighborhood in particular had always been the worst of the city – a place where things like happiness and trust seemed to escape people.
Listening to her mother, Naomi had always thought she was helping people by making them happy and giving them joy, but one day, while out, she witnessed what atrocities people committed to get the money they used to buy their happiness.
Siblings and friends turned on each other, husbands lent out their wives, some women sold themselves... Everyone in this poor cesspool of a town was desperate to experience something as scarce as joy.
Seeing this, Naomi's sheltered mind was filled with fear. She tried to run away from it, but only saw worse things as she ran deeper into town. Eventually, she stumbled across a house where she found her mother talking to a man whose clothes were too clean to be from around there. They were both standing outside the front of the house with a duffle bag on the ground between them.
Naomi's mother noticed her immediately and looked at her with shocked concern.
"Naomi!? How did you get here? It's not safe for you to be out alone," she said as she knelt and checked Naomi's body.
"Okay," she said with relief, patting Naomi after being satisfied with her having no wounds or marks. "Go and sit inside while I finish speaking with this man," her mother told her, pointing at the old house.
Naomi somehow sensed that the house was empty, so she listened to her mother.
Stop! Naomi yelled, clutching her head and begging for the memory to stop, as everyone, aside from Arne, whose Hardshatter was active, was now mostly frozen, except for their heads.
Stop resisting, Naomi heard her older self say. You're risking damaging our friends' minds. I'd prefer you came to this on your own, but we both know that'd never have happened. It's time you faced what happened.
Her body fully covered in organic metal, Arne turned her head toward Naomi. She could see her? The ice around Arne's legs broke as she moved forward, determined.
"I can see your silhouette, Naomi. I'm almost there," Arne's voice carried through the howling, brutal wind as her metal skin cracked from the immense cold as she got closer.
She passed by another blue light. The memory continued.
Naomi obediently waited for her mother inside the empty house, curling herself into a corner as images of what she'd witnessed earlier replayed in her head, etching themselves into her memory. Eventually, it got to the point where she could hear it all in her head, clear as day.
Then she realized it wasn't in her head. She could hear everything around her, even things that were from blocks away.
When her hearing picked up on her mother's voice outside, she was able to somewhat focus on it and was horrified by what she heard. Her mother was being offered a large sum of money to let the man receive a "special kind of joy" from Naomi.
Continuing to listen, Naomi expected her mother to outright refuse and hit the man, but instead, her heart dropped as she heard her mother hesitate for a moment before agreeing and saying, "Just...don't hurt her."
The man's sickening voice responded like slick oil, "I'm experienced with this kind of thing. I'll be gentle. The first time's always a little rough, so earning her trust is key. Easiest way to do that is by having someone she trusts present to her soothe her. Think you can do that for her?"
"Y-Yes. Yeah, I think I can," Naomi's mother responded, disheartened.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡihlG1KKNFA
