Chapter 640 Filling the Holes Pt 9
"We chose you, not the other way around. He could have only given you the power, but gave it to your friend, knowing what would happen. Truth only cares about what he does not know, and he knows everything, like me, but we are not the same. My only goal is to rip this reality apart, and revel in the pain and destruction." Her voice echoed ominously around us, reverberating with a deranged pleasure, promising approaching doom.
"Suffering and pain are the only truth, the only constant in your world and mine," she continued, gazing at me with a crazed fervor. "Can you not see it? The agony, the anguish...it's beautiful."
I flinched back, a sickening dread coiling in my stomach. I had seen much pain and suffering as I had been forced to destroy my own world, but never had I found it beautiful. It was something I detested, and it was why I had gone to sleep.
"I never wanted this power! I forced myself to sleep, and yet, I was drawn to this place, to you! I may have failed before, but I won't now!" I screamed, but not I did was working.
"If you can't do it, then he is preventing you! You are a god, yet time and time again you are defied! Don't you find that strange, Godling? You don't even understand that you are nothing more than a pawn in a game! Your path is a closed path that you will walk, no matter the pain! This is what it is to be a god! just a plaything for a higher being like myself!
"No!" I denied it vehemently, but her words had struck my subconscious fear. Was I, after all, no more than a pawn in this cosmic game? Wasn't my destiny my own to decide? Despite the resistance, deep down, I knew she was right. Although an unfathomable power coursed through my veins, I was never the one in control.
The reality of my situation fell over me like a weight, binding me to my fears. I was still oblivious to so much of my powers, and here I was, failing to save a woman who was depending on me.
"Give up, Galio," she taunted again, her voice deeply resonating with my fears. "Your effort is futile. You cannot save her. Xieus belongs to me."
"Never!" I screamed back, pushing against the dark force radiating from Xieus, trying once more to sever the connection.
In response, Xieus writhed in agony, her screams piercing my heart. The pain, unbearable and vast, echoed in our surroundings, creating an eerie symphony of torture.
"You're hurting her! Stop!" I roared, but the reality was clear, with every attempt to save Xieus, I was only causing her more pain. It was a horrific paradox, an unwinnable situation.
With a deep breath, I released my hold, letting the monstrous transformation consume Xieus. It was a bitter defeat, a crushing realization that not all battles were meant to be won, not even by a god.
In my desperation, I had only worsened the situation and hurled Xieus further into darkness. Heavy guilt settled in my heart as I watched the once proud Queen crumble under her monstrous reality.
Why did everything I touch burn? Why couldn't I control my powers when it mattered the most? Was a god's power truly nothing more than a cruel joke?
Suddenly, a low chuckle broke through my turmoil, jarring me from my self-loathing. Hyron, who had silently observed the entire scenario, stepped forward, a sinister grin playing on his lips.
"Look how the mighty have fallen," he taunted, his gaze flickering between me and the writhing form of Xieus.
Every fiber of my being screamed to throw myself at him, to bring him to justice. But I stood still, bound by the chains of failure and desolation.
"A word of advice," Hyron continued, his smirk growing wider. "Next time you decide to play the savior...don't forget to save yourself."
With that, he disappeared into the shadows, leaving me alone with the echoing promises of destruction. I fell to my knees, the weight of the world heavy on my shoulders. The once vibrant castle now resembled a crypt, dark and ominous.
Then Xieus left out a scream that tore through me. Before I could turn to her, her monstrous form hit me with a force three times as hard as anything Matthias had been able to. Everything around us has blasted away, tearing away the castle and landscape down to the bare rock. When I finally came to a halt, I was embedded in the ground, and everything hurt. Moaning in pain, I tried to pull myself up, but Xieus was over me.
Before I could react again, I was thrown into the air with so much force that for a moment, I lost all sense of direction, the world around me collapsing into a blurry whirlpool of chaotic colors. When I finally managed to steady myself, my gaze fell upon the now towering figure of Xieus' monstrous form, her eyes radiating pure fury.
The full extent of the transformation left me breathless. The once regal queen now bore horns that spiraled high into the sky, her hands ending in massive claws, and where her legs should have been, there was an undulating, snakelike tail.
Seeing her in this state felt like a punch in the stomach. Desperation clawed at me, my throat tightening as the reality of the situation sank in. I had failed. In trying to rescue Xieus, I had only pushed her closer to the edge.
Before I could make another move, Xieus lunged at me, her monstrous form blurring as she moved with terrifying speed. Not prepared for the onslaught, I was once again sent hurtling through the air, crashing into the far wall of the castle's ruins.
Pain exploded throughout my whole body, the impact jarring my every bone. But I fought through it, forcing my trembling legs to stand. As I grappled with the pain, I saw Xieus advancing towards me, her eyes burning with insatiable hunger, her monstrous form casting an imposing shadow.
"No..." The word left my mouth as a whisper, my mind barely comprehending my situation.
"More," Xieus snarled, her voice rasping and completely devoid of the woman she once was, "More fear. More despair."
This couldn't be happening.
It wasn't supposed to be this way.
Powerless, I watched in disbelief as the monstrous warrior queen bore down upon me. Her vicious onslaught continued relentlessly, her power ravaging not just the physical landscape but also the very essence of my existence.
Every blow, every scrap of her brutal energy, proved that I was not up against Xieus anymore. It was the dark force coursing through her veins, the nightmare she had warned me about. Each wound she caused fed her monstrous form, encouraging its reign of terror. n//O(-v-)e((L)-B/.1/-n
Through my blurred vision, filled with the thick traces of desolation, I could see Hyron watching from the shadows, his victorious laughter echoing in the ravaged land. In my failure to save Xieus, I had granted him his escape. The shocking revelation felt like a final, lethal blow. But I had no energy left to chase him down, not with the monstrous Xieus standing in his wake.
Even as the reality crashed down on me, even though I was a god fearing for my own survival, I knew that I couldn't sit back while the world fell to this nightmare. But for all my godly power, I felt utterly helpless against this monstrous form of Xieus.
As my fight faltered, the sense of impending doom grew stronger. As the chaos raged on with no end in sight, all I could do was clutch onto my crumbling strength and promise, "I will fill these holes."
This was not the end. The chapter was not yet closed. I would fight, even if it meant putting my godly existence at stake, even if it meant diving headfirst into the monstrous reality.
But as the nightmare consumed my reality, my mind echoed Xieus' lament, "Welcome to my world, Galio."