[Somehow, Darin always had a feeling it would come down to this. There was a terrible sinking feeling in his gut. That he was about to witness the end of a world and there was little to nothing he could do to save it. If only he'd gotten used to his powers in time...if only he'd made a conscious decision to use them as opposed to hiding them!]
[Then the Flamines started appearing in larger numbers. And hesitation melted away. He had to fight. He had to fight now and he had to give it his all.]
[So, he dives in. No quips. No complaining. Darin meets the oncoming Flamines in a flurry. If this was really it, then what's the sense of holding back, right? He draws his jet black dao and proceeds to cut down the wave of mercenary aliens with skill and precision. Darin is far from a slouch, and for the first time ever, he's cutting loose with strength far above what he's previously demonstrated.]
[He's a literal whirlwind.]
-PHASE III-
[And if things couldn't get worse, Darin finds himself with a feathery mask. With a break in the fighting, he examines it, traces the smooth surface and looks at the feathers. Somehow, he knows what it means. What it entails for him. But worrying about how he's going to be perceived can wait until this is all done. For now, if there's anyone around, he'll sling the mask over his shoulder, almost as if he were trying to display it prominently.]
Are you alright? Come on, we're not done yet! Stay close to me and I'll protect you!
-PHASE IV-
[He was doing so well too. He was controlling his strength. He may have been cutting loose but...]
[It happens all at once. Darin suddenly keels over, clutching at his head. He's twitching and growling, and then finally a scream of pain erupts from his throat.]
[Two jagged horns rip through his skin, jutting up and forward, covered in blood. He's raking long, ragged gasps of air as he pounds his fists down into the ground, shattering it, splintering it like an earthquake. Blood drips from his face as he feels himself losing control of the chains that bound Diomuhr's power start to slip.]
[He's still retaining his humanity...but for how long?]
no subject
[Somehow, Darin always had a feeling it would come down to this. There was a terrible sinking feeling in his gut. That he was about to witness the end of a world and there was little to nothing he could do to save it. If only he'd gotten used to his powers in time...if only he'd made a conscious decision to use them as opposed to hiding them!]
[Then the Flamines started appearing in larger numbers. And hesitation melted away. He had to fight. He had to fight now and he had to give it his all.]
[So, he dives in. No quips. No complaining. Darin meets the oncoming Flamines in a flurry. If this was really it, then what's the sense of holding back, right? He draws his jet black dao and proceeds to cut down the wave of mercenary aliens with skill and precision. Darin is far from a slouch, and for the first time ever, he's cutting loose with strength far above what he's previously demonstrated.]
[He's a literal whirlwind.]
-PHASE III-
[And if things couldn't get worse, Darin finds himself with a feathery mask. With a break in the fighting, he examines it, traces the smooth surface and looks at the feathers. Somehow, he knows what it means. What it entails for him. But worrying about how he's going to be perceived can wait until this is all done. For now, if there's anyone around, he'll sling the mask over his shoulder, almost as if he were trying to display it prominently.]
Are you alright? Come on, we're not done yet! Stay close to me and I'll protect you!
-PHASE IV-
[He was doing so well too. He was controlling his strength. He may have been cutting loose but...]
[It happens all at once. Darin suddenly keels over, clutching at his head. He's twitching and growling, and then finally a scream of pain erupts from his throat.]
[Two jagged horns rip through his skin, jutting up and forward, covered in blood. He's raking long, ragged gasps of air as he pounds his fists down into the ground, shattering it, splintering it like an earthquake. Blood drips from his face as he feels himself losing control of the chains that bound Diomuhr's power start to slip.]
[He's still retaining his humanity...but for how long?]
N-Ngh...Guh...get away...
Get away from me...!
-WILDCARD-
[Anything goes! Let's do this!]