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God, why did I do this.. what's happening to me...
Marina made a mistake. She felt her body start to disintigrate as the coral took over, veins pulsing with that filthy white ink. It hurt, so, so bad. Her own blood, her body, becoming what she wanted to avoid. She screamed for help... for Pearl... for anyone...
Stumbling through the spire's walls, she let out a desperate, instinctual shout. Using her Octoling claws, she attempted to tear out the coral chunks. Some chunks came out, leaving a stream of white-red blood. She gripped her arms, tearing them up ferally.
Her head pounded now, at the sight of her own body being corrupted, and at the thought that this was what she has become. A monster, ripping out it's own flesh.
She desperately called for her hivemind fish for help, but they were programmed to protect, not to rescue. all attempts failed, her fish had made it harder for her heroines to reach her.
She was losing herself faster, her body started to melt into what took over. Seeing her own reflection caused a final shriek for help, until she finally gave up. It hurts. Pearlie... please come and save me...
But she knew she could never reach her. Nobody would.
With her last moments of sentience, Marina gave up. She collapsed into a mess of coral and ink, no longer the Marina she was before. Not a hint of those fragile moments in the insentient mess.
P e a r l i e. Who was Pearlie?
The creature, staring at her reflection, saw a horribly coraled Octoling. The poor thing's tentacles were bleached out, veins popping white, and every last bit of free will gone. She was barely in the shape of an Octoling, too..
It stumbled across the spire, hearing something shout.
"Marina!" It was a small pink ball, accompanied by an Octoling, with faded tentacles.
"Rina! It's your girl!" She struck a pose, but didn't ring a bell.
"Rina?" She asked, in response to the octoling not responding. "Hey, you good?" She reached out to touch the Octoling. But she didn't feel anything.
The need to protect was all she felt. She grabbed the drone, with a very strong need to smash it...
But she pulled it and kissed it. What was this meant to be? No matter how hard, she couldn't kill it. The Octoling accompanying her tried to pry it away, but she blocked every attempt.
She curled around the drone, protecting it with whatever she had left. Nothing of her former self remained, except for a love for this drone... she let out white ghostly tears, the ruined Octoling remembered nothing, only the love she had for... whoever this was.