space | fairy tail

28 | dragon or human?

There was many things Galatea loved about her magic. It allowed to have a physical connection to Andromeda, her adoptive mother who she saw as her true mother. It was also one-of-kind among humans, which gave her a sense of pride. But with pros, also comes cons. And for Galatea, hers came with several moral drawbacks. People would question why she didn't use her more powerful spells such as her Secret Arts in battles normally. The truth was Galatea was scared of what her magic could do. She had seen what her magic could do when she didn't have control of it. She remembered crying to Andromeda as a child because she accidentally dismembered a deer because she didn't have control of her magic. The fact that at any moment, her magic could act up and rip a person near her to pieces was horrifying. And with many of her stronger spells, they could do so much worse. She had only used Dying Star on Atlas Flame because she was desperate. It was either him or her Guild that would die today. She would do whatever it takes. When Andromeda told her to commit two forbidden acts, Galatea was scared. She knew that her Secret Arts could be less than humane, and was scared about people would see her. She was glad the only person who took damage from Dying Star was Atlas Flame. And that currently no one was looking at her like she was a monster.

But for what Galatea was planning, that might quickly change. She needed to get an edge over the Fire Dragon, and if it was a the cost of everyone she loved hating her or her ending up in prison, so be it. But she needed to do this. For their sake.

Finding a larger piece of rubble to sit on, her knees hit the stone as she slouched down. Slipping a dagger out of the holster on her thigh, made easier by her ripped dress that hung mid-thigh, she held it to the back of her hands. Biting her lip, the began carving a magic circle into the back of her hand.

"What are you doing?" Evergreen yelled as she flew by.

But Galatea didn't listen to her. Her teeth tore through the first layer of skin on her lip, causing blood to dribble down her chin. As she completed the circle on her right hand, her shaking hands transferred the blade and she began the process on the other hand. Blood was pouring from her hands, staining her dress and pooling onto the ground.

Finally, she completed the circle. The bloody blade clattered to the ground as she released her grip. Moving closer to Atlas Flame, she caught the eye of her friends, who easily noticed the magic circles carved into her hands.

"Are you insane?" Laxus bellowed, watching as Galatea sank into the dirt beneath her, the blood from her hands seeping into the earth.

"Maybe!" Galatea yelled, as she pressed her palms into the earth. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Forgotten Time!"

It would seem that time froze for a moment, before a purple light emitted from the earth beneath her hands. The light spread, creating a replica of the very circles on her hands. Though this one was much larger and made of glowing purple light that blazed in the night sky. Galatea's hair blew behind her, whipping around on its accord as she channeled her power into the ground.

"What is this supposed to do? Entertain me?" Atlas Flame questioned, looking at the glowing ground beneath him.

Then, an inhumane growl ripped through the ground. Through the cracked pavement and patches of soil, a bony hand with patches of grey rotting flesh dangling off of it emerged. It shook as more of the bony arm appeared.

"What the hell is that, Tea." Evergreen asked, horrified.

Galatea looked back at her friend, giving her weak smile. She was pouring a lot of magic energy into this, apparent by the beads of sweat on her forehead. Nervously, she glanced at the reactions of her guild mates. As expected, they were looking at the scene in horror. The purple-haired dragonslayer looked back at her spell. She was unfazed by the horde of walking, decaying corpses coming out of the ground and surrounding Atlas Flame. Many of them had missing limbs, chunks of torso, eyeballs, and even heads. They clawed on his fiery body, unaffected by the flames hotter than hell.