Samara saw a tall man rise to his feet, his jet black hair tousled messily over his forehead and beneath the smooth expanse of the pale forehead were the two orbs that made her heart skip a beat.

In animes she had seen eyes of all kinds but these ones were unique, for the first time ever, she had seen a man with violet eyes so beautiful that for a moment she wondered if she was seeing an animated character in flesh.

Besides, it wasn’t only his eyes that seemed inhumanely beautiful, it was his entire form. He easily stood over 6 feet and more, with his well built body and the proper fitting black shirt and black jeans. His looks were enough for the models and actors to sell their souls to devil to have.

"This is Samara and Sam, this is," Deva spoke.

The amethyst eyed man himself moved ahead reaching out to her.

"Hello, name’s Davin." He spoke with the hint of his accent seeping through his english greeting.

Samara stared at his hand before she hesitantly reached out and took it. His hand was larger than hers and it enveloped it completely. Davin... Davin...? Davian.

"Da...vian?" She mumbled.

His eyebrows twitched slightly before their hands separated.

"Your hands are pretty cold, Miss." Davin said.

"It’s normal." Samara spoke without thinking.

They had lunch together and Samara couldn’t help but feel the sense of her unfamiliarity with the world around her resurface again.

Her attention kept drifting from their talks and she couldn’t help but look around. The four spies she had spotted earlier now seemed like they were gone.

She blinked and now the entire restaurant was empty.

She turned her head and facing her was Davin, smiling at her. Her boss wasn’t there and she was suddenly unable to understand if she was drugged or something that she couldn’t make sense of whatever was happening around her.

"What’s wrong?" He asked and she rose to her feet.

"What’s going on?"

"Master?" She suddenly turned and her vision went black.

When she did find her senses, she found herself sitting in a dark room. She looked around and couldn’t help but see nothing but her own reflection everywhere. She kept looking around, her head spinning and she couldn’t help but feel as if several voices and several scenes from a different world poured into her head until she turned and face to face with her was a black mask that had silver engravings of a Dragon. His long blue hair brushed till his shoulders and he didn’t look any taller than her but the way his piercing blue eyes stared down at her, she felt smaller and weaker.

"Hello there," a sleek voice greeted her and she patted her side for her gun.

"Don’t be hasty, love." He said as he held up her gun and she prepared herself for the fight.

"You’re going to fight me?" He asked with a smile curling over his lips.

"You’re Dragon." Samara spoke as she recognised that mask and he chuckled. His voice was annoyingly familiar as if she had heard it numerous times.

"Ah, but... How will you do that?" He asked with a smile and then leaned ahead close to her face.

Samara swung her arm to distract him so that she could grab her gun but he grabbed her wrist twisting it painfully. She dropped to her knee swinging her other leg making him let go of her arm and jump back.

In a swift motion she rose back to her feet ready to fight again but suddenly he wasn’t there anymore.

"Looking for me?" She whipped around as the voice came from behind her.

But he wasn’t there, she whipped around again but he wasn’t anywhere. She could hear him laughing but she couldn’t understand where he was.

"Why are you looking around like a cat chasing her tail, Samara?" She heard him speak and this time she noticed.

"I’m right in front of you." He said and her blood ran cold.

He was indeed in front of her, no only in the front though. He was everywhere. Reflecting in every mirror around her.

She looked down at her hand which were covered in black gloves, the outfit had also changed. Even her body was not hers.

She looked up looking at her own reflection that looked exactly like the Dragon’s.

"What’s this... Why is this..."

"Everything you see is an illusion." She heard a deep voice in her head before a hand covered her eyes.

She could faintly hear familiar voices around her but couldn’t make sense of what these voices were saying. All she could do was listen.

"We should make sure no one knows..."

"Master’s safety is the most important..."

Suddenly the memories of everything returned as if the lid that had been kept over her memory was suddenly blown away and her memories came crashing down over her.

She wasn’t Samara anymore... She was Reina Aurelius and she had been living in a different world now, fulfilling a different purpose.

How could she forget?

Or was that a dream?

She couldn’t make sense of it until she opened her eyes and found herself in a beautiful garden that was surrounding a large blue lake. She looked down at herself and saw that she was in Samara’s form.

The sky above was clear and reflecting in the crystal clear waters with a lot of lotus flowers. Amid the water, she saw something floating, something larger.

She couldn’t see from so far out what it was so, she squinted her eyes.

"Just take a step ahead," she was startled as she heard a voice in her head.

She looked around but no one was around. She looked back at the floating thing at the center of the lake and frowned looking at the lake.

Was the person there asking her to go to them?

She sighed as she thought she might have to swim. But when she took a step ahead, her foot rested over the surface of the water instead of sinking right in. Her eyes widened and she stepped back in shock.

She heard the faint chuckle in her head and frowned taking a step ahead again. One step, then another and found out that she was indeed not sinking, the lake wasn’t frozen but she was still able to walk on it. Her footsteps created ripples across the water’s surface and as closer as she walked she realised that there was a floating platform in the middle of the lake.

It gleamed golden under the sunlight and she could see someone resting over the cushioned platform, lying leisurely while waiting for her.

When she realised who it was she stopped in her tracks and just stared at the being who smiled serenely at her.

"How are you?" He asked without moving his lips, his voice echoing in her head.

Samara gulped once before she walked the rest of the steps and stood right in front of the platform.

"Why do you ask when you know how I am?" She responded to his question and his smile deepened a little.

Samara couldn’t take her eyes off of his form. The golden ornaments glinted over his bluish form, a golden yellow robes was draped over him. His eyes deep black stared unto her with a feeling that she couldn’t understand, the smile still on that enchanting face. It was The Preserver, in flesh.

"It feels better to the listener when someone asks how they are," he spoke and Samara stood in her spot.

He smiled and gestured for her to take a seat. She looked at the floating golden bed of sorts with the design of a huge snake and she hesitantly approached it before sitting near his feet. He looked down at her and she touched the soft cushions.

"What was that?" She spoke in a low voice.

"What?" He asked.

"My previous life..." She spoke, "It wasn’t that happy, I had no such thing as a family and yet..."

She recalled the morning she had woken up surrounded in a pretty normal household scene.

"Which life do you think was better?" He asked and she looked at him.

"Why does it matter?" She spoke and his eyes softened.

"So you do realise that whatever world you end up in is a struggle?" He asked and she sighed.

"Life is a struggle after all, wherever I am I will have to fight." She spoke.

"Life is an illusion, child." He corrected and she looked at him.

"You say you have to fight but that’s just the process of how you deal with your illusions. What you just saw, you might call it a dream but it’s as good as reality if you believe it to be."

She stared at him, "I... don’t understand."

He chuckled and then pointed at the surface of the lake.

"What do you see there?" He asked and she leaned down looking at her reflection and saw Samara’s form.

"It’s my reflection." She spoke turning to him and he chuckled.

"Look again."

This time when she turned her head, she saw Reina’s reflection staring back at her.

"Wha-"

"You believe what you are, child. Reina and Samara are the same sides of two coins. You weren’t given the task to save the lives to burden you. It is a heavy responsibility but you are strong enough to handle it. Your despair and struggles aren’t false but they aren’t that strong before your resolve." He explained.

"You are the last hope of that world but you never heard what would happen of you if you failed, right?" He asked and her eyes widened a little.

"W-Would I receive a divine punishment for failing or something?" She asked and he chuckled.

"Of course not, you were given that responsibility by us but yourself are our responsibility. If you fail, we fail, and there’s nothing to be done for that. Even if you fail, there’s no need for any punishment for you, because the heavens know how you’ve worked hard enough to save the world and those efforts count. You shall just return where all souls return, that’s all." He said and she felt as if a weight on her shoulders was lifted.

"What about the other people from that world?" She asked.

"They will face their own destinies."

"What if I said I don’t want to go on any more?" She asked.

His smile didn’t dwindle, "Then you’re free to quit. The system or your other Patrons might try to say it’s for that world but it’s for you as well. If you think you cannot do this then remain here. I shall see to it that you go to your destination."

She stared at him for a long moment, she couldn’t sense any manipulation from him. It wasn’t even like a normal conversation. It was like a parent talking to their child.

"Then, what if I want to go back?" She asked.

"You just have to step through that portal." He pointed at the glowing portal that just appeared near the floating platform.

She stared at it for a moment before looking at the God who lay right beside her. The pilgrims, monks and all kinds of people were dying to have a sight of this Being, yet, she had ended up having an audience with Him.

"Don’t think too much." He said as if reading her thoughts and she sighed.

"Besides, why didn’t you accept Nandaka as your weapon? I thought you would choose it." He asked and she looked at him with a smile.

"Because Sharanga would be better for me in the battle against the demons. I wouldn’t want to be close enough to them." She said and he chuckled.

"Also, I still don’t think that Nandaka would accept me as its wielder."

Vishnu smiled and lifted his hand, reaching out to her.

"Hold out your hand." He said and she brought her hand to him.

His hand hovered over hers and a glowing sword appeared in her hand. She stared with wide eyes as the sword with golden hilt and sharp silver blade sat in her hand.

Vishnu pulled his hand back and she had a good look at the sword. It was a breathtaking sword.

"It doesn’t look like Nandaka rejects you." He commented and she looked at him in disbelief.

"This is... Nandaka?!" She gasped and he smiled.

"Do you wish to have this instead of Sharanga now that you have seen it?" He asked and she brushed her fingers over the blade feeling the hum of Divine energy emanating from it.

She was tempted to, but she knew Sharanga was strategically better for her.

"No, I have already made my choice and I’ll stick with Sharanga." She said handing the sword back and he smiled.

"Don’t lose sight of yourself just like this." He said and the sword disappeared from her hand.

"You wouldn’t have given me this sword if I had asked for an exchange?" She asked and he chuckled.

"I would have. Don’t worry." He said and she smiled before she rose to her feet.

"I should be heading back now." She said and turned to walk towards the portal.

"Child?" She stopped as she heard Vishu call for her and she turned.

"I bless you," he spoke, "fulfill your duty and return soon."

She stared at him for a moment and then smiled before she stepped into the portal.