"PHILL!!", yelled Darien as he lunged towards the wolflike beast, his form once again changing to that of a tall adult as he activated-
{Great Mother's Gift: Growth}
Cassien watched as the beast turned to face the charging Darien, his eyes wide open as it dropped the lifeless body of a small boy from its maw. His feet felt rooted in place as he watched the boy's inanimate body plop into the puddle of blood beneath the beast. His heart pounded against his chest, his breath ragged and sharp as dread overran his body.
'No…not again.', Cassien thought as he observed the beast. Its glowing emerald eyes locked onto Darien as its muscles tensed, its hair swaying as small threads of greenish energy swirled around its body.
Darien blinked, and the beast was gone, disappearing from his sight. The wolflike beast lurked in the shadows, and before Darien could locate it, the beast lunged at Darien's back. Its razor-sharp teeth aimed for his neck.
But with the beast's maw only inches from his nape - {Great Mother's voice: Behind you.} - a voice far beyond human comprehension rang in Darien's head.
"Behind you, Darien!!", called out Cassien.
In an instant, Darien moved in a swift motion as he dodged the beast's deadly attack.
"Don't worry about me!", yelled Darien as he continued to dodge the beast's onslaught. "Just go check on Phill and Greg."
Cassien hesitated, his eyes filled with concern for Darien and fear of the beast. But as he looked into Darien's determined golden eyes, he knew-
'I need to help.'
Cassien uprooted his feet from the ground, moving towards the bodies of Phill and Greg as Darien led the beast away from them.
Reaching the two boys' inanimate bodies, Cassien couldn't help but vomit as he took in the sight before him; Greg's head and limbs were missing as dark crimson blood gushed out of his lifeless body, creating a thick pool of blood. Whereas Phill -
COUGH
COUGH
Dry and hoarse coughs came from Phill's body as Cassien immediately rushed over to him.
"Phill! Phill! Can you hear?", called out Cassien as he knelt next to Phill, blood soaking into his bodysuit. "Open your eyes. Everything is gonna be alright now. Darien and I are here.", he continued.
"Ca.ssien?", called out Phill, his voice hoarse and weak.
"Yes, Phill. It's me, Cassien.", said Cassien as he clasped Phill's hand. "I'm going to use my power on you, and everything is going to be alright. Just stay awake. Ok?", he continued.
"I…don't want…to die, Cassien. - COUGH, COUGH", whispered Phill, blood streaming out of his mouth as he tightened his grip around Cassien.
"Don't worry. Everything is going to be alright.", said Cassien, his voice filled with determination and faith, but his eyes. His eyes gleamed with something else - unease? fear? desperation? - as he began a silent prayer.
"Oh, Great Mother of Creation, the source of all life, hear your child's voice and repair the broken."
{…}
"Oh, Great Mother of Creation, the source of all life, hear your child's voice and repair the broken."
{…}
"Oh, Great Mother of Creation-", called out Cassien before a voice far beyond human comprehension rang inside his head.
{Great Mother's voice: My child. Are you not the one who denounced me?}
{Great Mother's voice: Yet now you call on me?} The voice continued.
"Please! Help Phill.", pleaded Cassien as his eyes teared up.
{Great Mother's voice: I cannot help you, my child. The ethyr bond between us was severed, and without it, I cannot channel my power through you.}
"No! There has to be another way-"
{Great Mother's voice: It's pointless for you to plead with me.}
"Wha-"
{Great Mother's voice: Your friend has already departed from the world of the living.}
Hearing this, Cassien tightened his grip around Phill's hand, his fingers trembling as he searched for any warmth in Phill's hand - nothing. And as Cassien opened his trembling teal eyes, his heart pounding against his chest, the sight of Phill's pale blue face and aimless brown eyes staring into the air shot an immense ache through his heart.
"NOOO!!"
Cassien yelled to the top of his lungs as streams of dark fluid flowed down his face. His once teal eyes turned crimson red as his cry of grief changed into that of rage. His scarlet hair darkened, swaying as black threads of energy swirled around him.
'Kill him…This is all his fault…Kill him.', Cassien thought as his mind drifted further from consciousness. And as he stood up from Phill's dead body, his eyes locked onto the battle between Darien and the wolflike beast.
The massive beast dashed in flashes of green and emerald. Far too fast for Darien's eyes to keep up with as he continuously narrowly dodged and evaded its insistent onslaught. But as Cassien observed the attacking beast, it looked slow; its movements clumsy and predictable.
The world around him felt as though it had slowed down, the relentless beast visibly frozen in time as Cassien calmly raised his hand towards it, the darkness in the cave shifting to form a long black spear hovering at the side of his arm.
'500,000 RPM'
BOOM!!
The long black spear shot towards the unsuspecting beast with thunderous force, tearing through the air at immense speed. And before the beast could react, the spear was only a hair's length away from its head. The beast's glowing emerald eyes widened as it took in the sight of the spear's sharp tip. But before Cassien's spear could go through the beast's head-
{Great Mother's Gift: Protection.}
A thick shield of swirling green energy formed between the beast and the incoming spear, narrowly deflecting the spear as it shattered.
The beast instinctively jumped back as it locked eyes with the approaching Cassien; his steps were slow and deliberate, his eyes cold and emotionless as a black fluid flowed from them. Shivers ran down the beast's spine as it locked eyes with Cassien, its legs trembling as it moved further away from him.
Cassien once again raised his hand as the darkness shifted and formed a multitude of smaller spears, each one rotating at an immense speed. And with a flick of his wrist, hundreds of spears rained down upon the terrified beast.
The wolflike beast ran along the cave walls as it desperately dodged and blocked each incoming spear. And as Cassien continued his attack, the beast's movements became slower and more sluggish, its once massive size shrinking by the second.
"That's enough, Cassien!", called Darien as he rushed over to the maddened Cassien. "Arael is about to turn back to his normal form. And if you don't stop, you are going to kill him.", he continued.
"…"
Cassien didn't respond as he continued making and firing dark spears at the beast, his eyes hollow yet focused.
"Cassien! Stop!", yelled Darien.
"…"
Noticing that Cassien wasn't halting his onslaught despite Arael being only seconds from returning to his regular form, Darien opted to take matters into his own hands. And with a swift motion, he swung his hand, knocking Cassien out.
Cassien gently fell into Darien's arms as the now shrunk beast also came to a halt, staggering and stumbling to the ground as its thick emerald fur withered from its body, revealing the body of the frail green-haired boy - Arael.