VALERIA Everything turned into chaos all of a sudden.
Saying I wasnt afraid would be the biggest lie of my life.
Where did all these specters come from? It seemed like the closer we got to the ultimate truth, the harder the challenges became.
valeria, stay in the middle! they yelled as they fought, but I knew very wellthey were going to die.
I vaguely remembered what happened with that specter that attacked me once, Imanaged to defeat it, but could I handle five of them? And how the hell was I supposed to summon that damn power that only showed up whenever it felt like it? Ahhh! CELINE!! I screamed as I saw her struggling on the ground, trapped under the claws of one specter, while another closed in for the final blow.
I desperately searched for Quinn, but my blood froze in my veins when I saw him fighting the other three.
His body was completely covered in blood, a horrific scratch had left one of his eyes shut, and despite the terror on his face and his desperate effort to reach his sister, he wouldnt make it.
They didnt stand a chance, so I had to do it myself.
The other times, it was an overwhelming feeling of rage and helplessness that triggered my transformation.
Thats exactly how I felt now, so I let that madness take over my body.
allowed the darkness within me to take control, without resistance, without thought.
Looked up at the shadowed sky and raised my hands to summon my crows, to stir the air and shift the clouds, letting the moonlight shine through to give me strength and drive the shadows away.
The caws of black crows echoed from the forest, their wings beating as a massive flock quickly approached.
AAAHHHH! I screamed like a lunatic, and for the first time, I felt that other part of me rise to the surface.
I rushed toward the specter whose claws were already descending to slit Celines throat.
---- My scream made them freeze and look in my direction.
I felt the swift whisper of the breeze rushing past my ears.
I couldnt even measure my speed, and my vision was incredibly sharp, as if everything were bathed in daylight.
The specter turned to face me with that horrifying face, its sunken blood-colored eyes the only discernible features, surrounded by shapeless shadows.
My long claws slashed without mercy, and wailslike the cries of tormented souls echoed from where its mouth should have been.
Celine and Quinn struggled to harm them, their attacks dissolving into nothingness.
But not mine.
I could feel the sensation of slicing through flesh.
Suddenly, I found myself surrounded.
I didnt know any combat techniques, but I fought purely on instinct.
It felt as if I were watching from inside my own head as this new version of me, this superpowered warrior, took over.