Gritting my teeth, I focused back on the scene unfolding on the three-dimensional screen floating before us. Aquarius and the two shadowy Zodiacs were poised in attack, their energy crackling through the air. They weren't holding back, their attacks directed at me were grave. Bound by strings of deception and manipulated emotions, they saw me as their enemy.
Now that I solved one of the greatest puzzles that has been bothering me all along, acknowledging my divine status in the mortal realm, I was ready. Largely steeped in the anxiety of how to face my past, I steeled myself.
"I'm ready," I declared to Truth, my voice unsteady but my resolve unwavering.
"Remember, Galio. You are an aspect of their memory too," Truth said, his voice becoming a thread of energy that spiraled around me, "Use that bond to your advantage."
With that, time and space distorted, and I found myself back on my battlefield, facing the imminent strikes from Aquarius, Capricorn, and Sagittarius .
Meanwhile, in Yaggisdral, the three shades of Matthias appeared before Kadeon. The ever-changing disgusting forms of Helios, Angelios, and Apocolios stood taller than ever before, looming over the False god, but he did not budge.
"He knows!" Apocolios hissed, an eye sliding down his face. "He knows of True Magic!" Kadeon scoffed, "What does that even matter? Once I have found Xieus, I will consume her, and nothing he will do can stop me! He doesn't even know what I am looking for!"
"Neither do you!" Angelios growled.
"Silence," Kadeon commanded, his gaze chillingly focused, "This changes nothing. Proceed as planned. Let him reel in his newfound realizations. They will only make his upcoming defeat all the more delicious."
"I don't think you understand what you are dealing with. Whatever false hold you possessed over the Zodiac's will be gone soon, and you will be chased out of the underworld permanently. Mark my words, False God, the True God has awoken, and nothing that you do will stop him. You would be best to retreat from the Underworld while you still have a chance," Apocolios said with drool spitting out.
Kadeon sneered, "Retreat? I will not retreat. I will not bow before Galio, who has failed to realize his divinity until it was too late. His awakening does not worry me. He may have the power, but he does not have the ruthlessness to wield it. Even now, he struggles, fearing to hurt the very Zodiacs he wronged."
Kadeon raised his hand towards the shadowy figures on the horizon - Galio's final battle unfolding. "Whining about his mistakes, apologizing for his past. Pathetic. He is too weak to guarantee victory. And as long as he stays this way, victory is ours."
"Time will tell Kadeon. Time will tell," Helios murmured as they vanished, leaving the sole figure of Kadeon standing, smirking in the darkness.
---
The moment stretched on into infinity as I found myself back on the battlefield. My eyes met with Aquarius, her blue pools no longer held the familiar warmth they once had. They were cold, sharp, reflecting my monstrous form in their icy depths. It sent a shiver down my spine, but more than the fear of her impending attack, it was the pain at her strayed loyalty that hurt more.
Suddenly, everything came in at once. The deafening noise, the vicious torrents of water, the crackling of raw energy resonating from the shadowy Zodiacs - all converging at the single point that was me.
In the blink of an eye, I found myself caught in the torrential onslaught of elemental wrath. With every breath, I struggled against the tides, fighting against the tide of water and the onslaught of force that threatened to crush me, using the shield that I had crafted from the essence of my memories.
The touch felt familiar, the warmth foreign yet not entirely unknown. The Zodiacs seemed to stiffen at the counterforce of the shield, their attacks wavering momentarily in confusion.
Staring at each of them, a memory echoed in my mind, intertwined within the threads of the shield surrounding me. As the chaos of the battle raged around us, the shield served as a projector, pulling memories from their shared past, and reconstructing them into a tangible reality once again.
The Zodiacs' faded eyes widened in shock as the shield twisted and churned, each ripple reshaping into a vestige of their past. Aquarius caught the sight of shared laughter, Sagittarius a moment of camaraderie, Capricorn the promise of protection. Scene after scene played before them, each more vibrant and filled with warmth than the last.
I observed the flicker of confusion that was cast upon their faces, followed by the slowly dawning recognition. I was more than just their God, I was their friend, protector, and family, all projected within the shield.
"Galio..." Aquarius whispered, her attack faltering as memories flooded back. The gushing streams of water wavered, and she inadvertently stepped back, her eyes misty.
"Do you remember, Aquarius?" I asked, the weight of my past mistakes a bitter taste in my mouth, "The love and laughter that we have shared so many times? I can't change what has happened, but I can promise to atone for the pain I've caused you. To make things right."
She blinked, her eyelashes heavy with the weight of unshed tears. She looked at Sagittarius and Capricorn, their auras both faltering. A flicker of confusion reflected in their eyes as their attacks ceased altogether, their aggression momentarily stilled by the onslaught of their revived past.
"I...I remember," Aquarius whispered, her voice choked with emotion. "I remember our moments of joy, of shared triumphs, our tears, our shared dreams." A tear slipped down her cheek, reflecting the ethereal light of our emotional shield.
"I remember too," Sagittarius added, the savage outlook on his face softening. "Times when we fought and laughed together." His gaze shifted towards me, a faint glimmer of remembrance reflected in his eyes.
Capricorn stood silent, a sense of betrayal flashing in his eyes, but I could see a faint glimmer of our shared past lingering in them, faint but present. A small step towards resolution.
The battlefield grew eerily silent. The once angry skies and raging land held their breath, providing a tranquil atmosphere against the emotional turmoil that was unfolding.
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