My heart felt heavy, and I didn't want to open my eyes, but I slt sothing strange. I opened my eyes to see that Truth had taken a glowing human form and was eating popcorn on a couch.
"What are you doing back here? Things were just starting to get good! I don't even know what that nut job is talking about, but it really sounds like he has you on the ropes! And wow! That Aquarius is really sothing! You really have done a bang-up job of ssing up everything in your life!"
"Shut it!" I growled as I sat down on the couch beside him as we floated through the infinite void. I could see the three zodiacs all frozen but just about to strike my body on a large flat display.
"Well, I suppose that this isn't completely your fault, but at the sa ti, both of us know it is. No matter what angle you look at, this is your fault, unknowing or not," The 4th-dinsional being said as we drifted.
"I know, and it's eating up, Truth. I never wanted things to turn out this way." I sighed heavily, looking at the frozen figure of my body, surrounded by the three loyal warriors who had once fought by my side with loyalty and honor.
"I wish I had paid more attention, and treated them better. Maybe then Kadeon wouldn't have been so successful in stealing them away." I clenched my fists, my anger resurfacing.
Truth shrugged, "Well, the past is the past now. There's no use crying over spilled milk. What you need now is to step up and correct your mistakes."
I blinked at the straightforward Truth, his casual deanor in stark contrast to the intense situation unfolding on the screen.
"? You are saying I can fix this ss? How am I supposed to do that, Truth? I didn't even know I was capable of such harm!" I snapped, my frustration and helplessness seeping into my voice.
Truth looked at before breaking into a grin, "Oh, that's the thing you see. By confronting and acknowledging your mistakes, you've already taken a step toward fixing things. Here, let show you."
With a wave of his hand, a four-dinsional cube floated in front of us and images of my past, my countless experiences, and interactions with the Zodiacs who were once my Royal Guards on Pri. I had saved them all from Kadeon once, but I failed. Just like Matthias, I didn't kill him, and he ruined everything, made forget everything, and now we were stuck in these myriads of twisted realities.
Truth pointed at the images, each showcasing a different face of my past relationships with the Zodiacs. The happy monts, the tis of camaraderie, the warmth, and loyalty - it was all there. But so were the instances of neglect, my preoccupation with matters of imdiate concern disregarding the needs of my loyal followers, and worst of all, the instances where I had rejected them in favor of the more appealing Mortal Realm partners.
"These fragnts are the key to your redemption, Galio." Truth's voice beca serious. "Look at them, understand what they reveal about your past. The love you bestowed upon them as well as the hurt you unknowingly caused."
He motioned with his hand, causing another set of images to rise from the cube's deep recesses. This ti, the images were tinted with a darker hue, revealing the twisted transformation of my followers. Their bodies, once lithe and full of life, were now grotesque caricatures under Kadeon's loathso influence.
"Compare them, the past, and the now. See the transformation that you brought upon them, without even realizing it."
His words were like daggers, each word pricking my conscience. A twinge of guilt shot through as I took in the horror of my actions. Unintended they might have been, the consequences were irrefutably real.
But Truth wasn't done yet. "Now, your task is to embody this understanding, accept the mistakes you've made, and prepare to rectify them. How, you ask?"
He paused, letting digest his words. I waited anxiously, my mind buzzing with questions.
"By using the power that's been yours all along. The power to empathize, the power to forgive – and most importantly, the power to love unconditionally... Just kidding. The only thing that is going to work here is True Magic! You have ssed up too much to try to make them co back around the easy ways with words and such! Now you need to create sothing new to defeat them! That is, without killing them! You know, because you're such a big softy!" Truth laughed, shifting through forms to suit his tone as he prattled on.
"Can you ever be serious?" I snapped, but Truth rely shrugged, appearing utterly unconcerned by my stern tone.
"I'm always serious," he retorted with a grin. "But seriously, Galio, you need to use True Magic. It's the only ans you have to reach them, to counter Kadeon's influence, to show them you're here for them."
True Magic - In reality, this is what got in all of this trouble. Umbramancy was my first real attempt at using it to make a new kind of magic, but what was I supposed to create that would help ? Binding magic? So sort of ability that would restrict them?
"No, no, no. Restricting them is the last thing you want to do. That way, you'll just be repeating Kadeon's mistake," Truth waved his hands, dismissing the thought before switching into a form that looked eerily like an academic professor.
"Think about it, Galio. All this while, they were confined, controlled. What they need is freedom, a sense of their own selves. They need to rember who they are. So, you need to create sothing that will aid their mory, revive their true selves."
I mulled over his words, looking at the fragnts of past and present floating around . I thought about all the tis we'd spent together. The shared laughter, triumphs, and even the discord. They weren't rely my guards, or followers. They were...family.
That's when it struck - A magic that would act like a beacon, guiding them back to their true selves, reminding them of the bonds we shared. Could such a thing even exist?
A ripple ran through the cube, as if in response to my thoughts. Truth glanced at it, a strange glow in his eyes.
"Ah, it seems like you are onto sothing. Keep going, Galio. Explore that idea further. It's the only way to save them."
His words reignited the determination within . I would save them, bring them back. Not as a God, a Master, but as soone who cared for them, who regretted his past mistakes and was ready to make ands.
I closed my eyes, focusing on every mont, every mory with them. There was a sense of warmth in those mories, a connection that transcended the norms of loyalty, duty, and royalty. Could I perhaps... manifest those feelings into magic, into a force capable of tearing down Kadeon's borrowed influence and bringing back those I held dear?
And so, the preparations began, under the whimsical yet wise guidance of Truth. I dove deep into my mories, summoning the warm glow of love, camaraderie, and shared bonds, ready to wield it as my sword against Kadeon's twisted creations.
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