"You're going down bitch!" I screamed as everything started slowing down. Then everything froze completely except me, and the red dome faded away, creating a path toward the Riftwalker, who looked like it had been thrown back by a massive explosion or two already. It was pissed off bad now as its huge body slowly reared back up on excessively long legs with talons big enough to rip through someone or something like they were nothing but paper towels before slamming them back down into place, creating a tremor so strong everyone would have felt it even if they were behind walls.
I gritted my teeth despite being in pain everywhere from just holding onto all this power, trying desperately not to go over the edge too soon! The Brood Mother Riftwalker roared again but then turned its attention towards me, staring right at me with eyes that burned red from anger... But also hunger!. This time when it threw its head back, another massive scream came bellowing out a red Entropic Beam of Negative Energy.
I returned it with my own scream of Negative Energy that was even more powerful than the Brood Mothers! It caused the entire world around to distort as it struck the Brood Mother Riftwalker's Entropic Beam! The world around us buckled and distorted so badly that I couldn't quite tell what was up or down anymore, as everything between us was warped. Then my beam sliced through, blasting through the Brood Mother's head, but something happened at that moment.
I was no longer in control. My body was still my body, I could still feel everything that it was doing and everything going on around me, but I felt like a passenger somehow as my eyes turned white.
The moment that the Brood Mother's head exploded into black mist, it reformed instantly, but my body rushed it. I now only realized that I was looking this creature in the eyes, and I looked down, but the ground was so far away.
What was happening to me?! My body was no longer human, and my head was starting to change, stretch, and distort as my jaw and teeth grew much longer and became so much sharper! What was I turning into?!
----
Back over on the wall, all cannons had ceased to fire, and Tallia stood frozen as she watched the man that she had seemingly just gotten back into her life turning into one of the monsters he was fighting. While Galio Massive body was more like a horrific black cat on two legs with spikes instead of fur, there was no doubt with all the Negative Energy rolling off him what he was becoming.
Tallia's eyes grew wide with disbelief as her mind tried to process what was happening, but she just couldn't. It made no sense! There was no way that this was real! This had to be some kind of sick joke or nightmare that she would wake up from any second now!
But it didn't happen. Instead, the man that she thought could be the one for her continued to change right in front of her eyes until he became the very thing he swore to destroy. And yet, despite all this, despite becoming one of those things... He was still fighting...
"Tallia! What is going on over there! Why are there two monsters now?!" Carla asked as she ran over with Silvy.
"I-I don't know... I think Galio just turned into one of those things..." Tallia said, still in disbelief.
"That's impossible... isn't it? Isn't he supposed to be good? Those things are bad..." Carla said, shaking her head.
"No... That can't be right! There has to be another explanation!" Tallia insisted as she shook her head, trying desperately to hold onto anything that would keep her from facing the truth. But deep down, she knew that there wasn't any other explanation, and it broke her heart knowing that the man she cared about was being torn apart as she watched helplessly.
"It doesn't matter what he is now! We need to kill both of those things before they get to the city!" Carla said as she ran back towards the cannons.
Tallia just stood there, frozen in place, as she watched Galio fight off in the distance. What was she supposed to do?! Then it hit her, and Tallia squatted down to start creating the astral summoning circles just as Galio had. This was her only chance to have a hope of stopping Galio after he killed the other Riftwalker. She needed help, even if this was a risk, because she didn't know who she would summon or if they would be friends or foes.
But it was a risk she had to take because the alternative was just watching Galio kill everything, and maybe even her too.
"What are you doing?!" Silvy asked as she came over to squat down beside Tallia.
Tallia pulled out a knife and sliced her hand again, letting the blood drip in and feeding the spell magic. "I have to go somewhere to get help, but I will be back almost instantly if I make it."
"Make it?! What are you talking about?! What are you trying to do, you crazy Goddess?!" Silvy exclaimed but flinched and fell back as Tallia glared at her with tear-filled eyes. This man had lived and died hundreds of times for her, and now it was time for Tallia to do her part.
"I am going to do whatever it takes to save the man that I love!" Tallia cried out as the tear fell, and she slapped her hand down on the summoning circle that lit up, but it didn't move past the first zodiac.
Had she done it wrong? Before Tallia had a chance to think anymore, she was ripped from her body and thrown into the same tunnel that Galio and Tallia had traveled just before. This time there were no buffeting winds, and it was almost relaxing as the colors swirled around her.
The Tallia was standing in the middle of a massive empty arena that gladiators would have used.
"So, the idiot is in trouble, and you came to get power, hmmm? Just so you know, I am still very pissed at Ophiuchus, so I will not be holding back, Little Goddess!" A husky female voice called from behind Tallia.
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