In a short time, Prime and Sara, now in their symbiotic form, confronted Annie. Although Annie's form was slightly smaller than Prime's, she exuded even greater intimidation and ferocity. Her long hair, resembling daggers, and sharp claws, reminiscent of knives, were all pointed directly at Prime, creating a tense and threatening atmosphere.
(Let's keep it together. Remember where we are. I don't want to have to clean up the mess afterward) Prime spoke telepathically to Annie.
Initially, Prime considered it wise to take the battle outside, but soon realized the discomfort of being seen. Already quite famous on the internet, Prime didn't want to further increase his popularity with a public confrontation. Therefore, despite not being the most practical option, he decided to confront Annie indoors. While pondering this, seconds later, Annie's voice echoed in his mind.
(Scream seems to want to fight you, father. And honestly, I feel that desire too... Could this be because of our symbiotic connection? Perhaps it's the bond between symbiote and host that awakens this impulse. Before, I never would have imagined wanting something like this) said Annie, her voice filled with doubt and perplexity.
To Prime, the question was entirely valid, although he couldn't be certain of the experience for hosts. However, it was clear that symbiotes developed strong bonds with them, often adopting their preferences and aversions. Prime had firsthand experience of this when he became Sara's symbiote. He came to appreciate things that hadn't interested him before, but which Sara loved.
(No worries, it's normal) Sara replied to Annie's doubts.
"Enough beating around the bush, let's finish this quickly" declared Prime, his voice cold and cutting like ice. The intimidating tone caused Scream to involuntarily step back.
Annie, next to Scream, experienced an unprecedented sensation as she approached Prime: fear. However, this fear wasn't hers, but Scream's, her symbiote, who feared her father, Prime. In Scream's eyes, Prime was a colossal and insurmountable presence, a true monster. He seemed enveloped in an infinite darkness swirling around him, ready to swallow anyone who dared to challenge him.
Scream's emotions flowed to Annie like a constant and deep river. She felt a mixture of fear, respect, and above all, admiration. This last emotion, more powerful than all the others combined, was what prevented Scream from completely backing down in front of Prime.
Annie deeply understood the feeling of not wanting to be a burden, even though their perspectives were different. Deep down, they both shared the same desire: to be useful to Prime. Annie because he was her father, the person she trusted most and learned so much from. Scream, on the other hand, felt this way because Prime was his creator, the one who gave him life and purpose.
Seconds passed after Prime's words, as they stared motionless at each other. Prime wondered what Scream's first move would be and how she would act. These doubts filled his mind. On the other hand, Scream didn't attack simply because it seemed inconceivable to try to breach the barrier in front of her.
Even motionless, her creator emanated a strong sense of terror in Scream, while she felt amazed to have emerged from such a powerful being. This duality scared her, while her predatory instincts urged her to attack Prime. Scream knew that such an opportunity would not come again, that she would not find a better prey than this. These were the thoughts echoing in her mind.
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Scream was the first to take initiative, advancing quickly toward Prime. Her speed far exceeded that of humans; while a human might take 10 seconds to cover the distance, Scream needed only 3 seconds. This was the striking difference between them.
But Prime wasn't intimidated. His fierce gaze remained fixed on Scream, while a slight smile revealed his sharp teeth. He could clearly discern Scream's plans; she would try to overpower him with brute force. Prime didn't resent this, but questioned whether he truly seemed so vulnerable that she believed she could defeat him this way.
Tentacles sprouted from Prime's back and lashed out towards Scream. Using her hair, Scream easily repelled the tentacles. Prime found this intriguing; even though she had emerged recently, she demonstrated skillful control over her abilities. He wondered if this was characteristic of her entire species or if it was a unique ability of Scream's.
Furthermore, though Prime considered it just a guess, he felt that Scream was significantly stronger compared to the first symbiote he faced. This was likely due to Annie being a much more competent host than Drake.
“Both of you are quite strong, but are you strong enough for me to take seriously?” Prime said, a smile crossing his face.
Although it wasn't his initial goal, Prime was also enjoying the fight. It was as if he was teaching his daughter to fight, a feeling that conflicted with his notions of what a normal family should be. Nonetheless, Prime chose to set these issues aside; after all, they weren't a normal family to begin with.
Internally, Annie could only think about how impressive her father looked at that moment. Additionally, she sensed the admiration Scream felt for Prime. With a gentle smile in her mind, Annie thought that at least she could lose while showing her father how much she had evolved.
Annie's and Scream's thoughts were in sync, needing no words between them. Without hesitation, Scream advanced again towards Prime. As Prime noticed Scream's movement, he shot his tendrils towards her, but her hair quickly intercepted them as Scream persisted in her advance.
From Prime's perspective, Scream showed good resilience and nearly perfect control of her powers, but she was still quite inexperienced. It seemed she attacked mainly on instinct, which wasn't necessarily bad but was far from ideal. For someone like Prime, capable of analyzing every detail of the battle, it was relatively easy to stop her.
And so, moments before Scream reached Prime, tendrils emerged from the ground beneath her and firmly restrained her. Scream hung in the air, writhing in an attempt to free herself, but no matter how hard she struggled, her creator's tendrils showed no sign of retreat.
“For a first transformation, it was quite acceptable” Prime said as he approached Scream. “But it's still not enough to defeat us” he concluded before releasing her.
In reality, Prime constantly held back his own strength. It was clear to him that he couldn't face Annie the same way he faced Ross; Prime was almost certain that his full power could kill her. This highlighted Ross's remarkable resilience, who managed to withstand his power, although it wasn't fully demonstrated.
Prime also slowly descended to the ground and then returned inside Sara. His body reappeared next to her, who at this moment was holding her neck with her hands, as if bothered by a slight pain.
Scream followed the same path, and within seconds Annie was in front of Prime with a defeated expression on her face. Ema, who had been watching from a distance until then, ran to Annie and embraced her, displaying a radiant smile.
“Sister, that was amazing. You looked like a heroine, and Dad like a hero” Ema said, a hint of sadness appearing on her face. “I wonder when I'll be like you guys” she continued, her voice choked with sadness.
With a slight smile, Prime placed a hand on Ema's head and the other on Annie's. Both turned their gazes to Prime, who observed them with a subtle smile, while Sara simply nodded.
“Don't worry, now that Annie's has awakened, yours will awaken soon too”
Prime's words brought happiness to Ema. Meanwhile, Prime pondered how unusual his family was becoming over time.