The walls shifted as Kali ran, landing her in what could only be described as a clock tower. Winding gears and the ticking of clocks reverberated from the walls. Landing on a slow-moving gear, Kali saw Kyrik charged through after her. His vacant stare had been replaced with one of rage. A small hint of crimson appeared in them.

“Kyrik, I'm not your enemy!” Kali shouted as the wall sealed itself off, trapping the two.

“You are if you seek to harm her!” Kyrik retorted, a hint of lust in his voice. Completely new for Kali to hear.

Kali said nothing, having an idea of how this enchantment worked. It wasn't a complete possession, but one that amplified one of his traits; protectiveness. The lust part was no doubt a hidden emotion, brought to the surface by the necklace. It was the first time she had ever seen it, anyway, but doubted it was sexual from his complete lack of interest in anything close to the subject.

Wind whipped toward her, picking up smaller parts and throwing them. No way to fight him here; the area was much too small. Spreading her wings as far as she could, she leaped off the gear and flew upward. High above, Kali could see the exit.

Kyrik was right behind, controlling the air to force her down. Faced with no choice, she flicked her tail to launch flame. Predictably, it did little to deter. Hoisting herself up, Kali leaped for a railing.

The reaper landed before her, a noticeable difference on him. Green mist began to leak from his body, dissipating into the air. Kali had enough knowledge to realize what was coming, heart racing at the thought.

He had to be subdued, and fast. Muttering an apology, she swung her lower body around and kicked him square in the face. Possessed as he was, he was still Kyrik. As such, he had zero defenses for it.

The attack allowed Kali to stand on the railing, afraid she might have grievously wounded him. The rotating machinery had smacked him in the side, but he quickly shoved it off and snarled.

“Kyrik, you need to stop!” She pleaded with him. “She's turning you against us!”

“You bicker and argue with me all the time!” Kyrik deflected. Of course the necklace would amplify that. “All of you treating me like this naive little hatchling! I'm not!”

His scythe appeared behind her. The only reason Kali saw it coming was, out of a bizarre coincidence, one of the gears acted like a mirror. Ducking her head, she narrowly missed being decapitated as it swung back to Kyrik.

It couldn't have been a convenience. Not from what she knew of the castle. Which begged the question of why it was assisting her.

No time to dwell on it, she thought bitterly. Unleashing a gout of flame, Kali hopped up and cleared half the clock tower before Kyrik caught up again. The skull mask melded with his face, eyes smaller and much more ferocious. Between his claws, blades formed as what looked like his ribs poked out from his sternum.

Spectral chains burst forth, attempting to entangle her. Grabbing a spare gear, she tossed it at him, the chains changing to deflect the object. Leaping over it, Kali slapped her tail down over his head. It hurt a lot more than she expected, spikes growing out of the back of his neck nearly piercing the thick scales.

There was no avoiding his transformation. In such a closed environment, she was as good as dead. The gears all seemed to rotate to allow a near perfect flight up. Landing on a railing that had a ladder, she climbed up and pushed open the trap door.

From here, she could see that the room had once been occupied. A decaying mattress, tattered moth-eaten curtains. A musty tome that she had no time to investigate. Bizarre writing, one that she could not understand, scrawled on the walls. A large window behind her filtered moonlight to illuminate the entire room.

Oh, and the giant ticking clock behind her.

A giant, spectral blade raked itself across the ground. Leaping over the attack, Kali narrowly avoided the next. A spinning scythe grazed her shoulder. A tingling sensation raced down her spine. No blood leaked from the wound; only green mist that slowly faded.

A shadow from outside covered her. She stood up, slowly facing the creature outside.

It was Kyrik, but in his true form. Floating in the air, suspended by what looked like invisible puppet strings, a serpentine creature twice her size stared back with glowing green dots. The body was skeletal, covered in a dark shroud. Chains whipped around him, thrashing in the cold wind.

Her eyes drifted to his arms. Instead of normal, draconic ones, they transformed into scythes. Made of bone yet sharper than any steel. Having only seen this form twice before, Kali felt herself stepping back slightly. She knew how powerful he was in this form. One on one, she didn't stand much of a chance.

“I don't understand,” Kyrik's voice was distorted, hidden behind an icy veil. Somehow, she could hear him through the window. “Why are you trying to stop me from staying? Why can't you just move here?”

“I told you earlier.” Kali replied as calm as she could. “She's using you.”

He paused. It was impossible to tell his emotions when all she was staring at was a skeletal snake.

“No,” he shook his head. “You're lying. She would never do that to me!”

With a deafening shriek, he shattered the window and flung glass at her. Shielding herself, Kali moved out of the way as a beam of death magic ripped across the floor. The high-pitched whine was enough to make her wince in pain. The wooden floor rotted and began to collapse in on itself where it struck.

Focusing her flame, she struck while he recharged. Predictably, it did nothing. Folding his scythes, Kyrik summoned a volley of skull-like projectiles that exploded around her. Just being near them was enough to tear at her soul, feeling it momentarily loosen from her body.

Something made of soft crimson light shimmered before her. Where it came from, Kali had no idea. Once the glow faded, she saw that it was some sort of shield. Circular in shape, it pulsated with force that she never felt. A rune unlike any she had seen was engraved in the center. It reinvigorated her spirit, and without hesitation, she snatched it up.

A decision that proved to be a lifesaver, as another beam struck her only to be rebounded by the shield. However, the light greatly dimmed. She thought it to be done after that, but to her relief, it was starting to recharge.

She had a chance of winning now!