Eight Intertwined

173 - Forward

Ophilia was terrified. 

A few short months ago, Ophilia would have called true fear little more than a distant memory. Her recollections of the day Creek fell were hazy at best, and while that day was easily the scariest one she had ever seen, Ophilia could at least put some distance between herself and her terrors through the flow of time. As long as the world kept moving forward, Ophilia would be alright. She just needed to keep her head up and her eyes trained on the horizon. 

Since starting her journey, Ophilia had learned a lot about the world. More specifically, she had learned how terrifying it could be. Every day and every step taught Ophilia something new, and she had to decide in the morning if she would rise to the challenge or let it break her down. Most of the time, Ophilia was glad to choose the former. Even after she killed Morlock, Ophilia wanted to move forward. She refused to stall for any longer than was absolutely necessary. The world was grand, and she yearned for it. 

Perhaps that was her greatest weakness. Ophilia had found the best group of people she could ever hope for, and each day she spent at their sides was a day worth its weight in gold. Ophilia would treasure these priceless memories for the rest of her life, and she would never allow anyone to take it from her. Ophilia loved the travelers more than anything. She had been glad to let their journeys dictate their path for a while, doing all she could to help them move forward even if it meant she was left relatively stagnant. It had been ages since the group's first trip to Saintsbridge for the first stop of the Kindling, and Ophilia hadn't bothered to ask anyone to change course for her. 

But now... Ophilia knew she was going to have to set out for Goldshore. Now that the black market had been resolved--as much as it could be considered resolved given the circumstances--the travelers had no other destinations in mind that required immediate attention. Ophilia was the only one who hadn't tried to further her goals recently, and she knew that would need to change soon. She needed to go to Goldshore, strengthen the second Sacred Flame, and then return home. Her family was waiting for her there. 

That was what Ophilia feared most. When she first set out on her journey, Ophilia had wanted nothing more than to finish the Kindling as soon as possible so she could go back to her sister and father. She finally considered them her family after putting artificial distance between them for fifteen years, and Ophilia didn't want to lose them... But she knew what she had to do. Ophilia had hoped to rush through her journey and then rush just as quickly back into their arms. It was all she could want. 

But that had been before she got attached to the rest of the travelers. Ophilia loved them more than anything, and she had fallen in love with every little part of them and the journey they shared. As horrible as it was to admit, Ophilia was afraid of sparking the flame in Goldshore. That would mean she needed to go back to Flamesgrace, and Ophilia already knew she wouldn't be able to leave her home so easily a second time. Lianna and Josef needed her, and Ophilia couldn't abandon them a second time. 

Ophilia had been thinking more and more about Josef's last words to her in the last few days. Maybe it was because she could sense that she was running out of excuses to stay on the road. Every journey had to come to an end, and Ophilia knew that she was nearing the end of hers. Josef claimed when Ophilia left that he would die soon and that he knew his body better than any other... But Ophilia didn't believe it. The healers believed that he would recover, and Ophilia expected him to be back on his feet when she went back to Flamesgrace. He would welcome her home with a bright smile, and Lianna would draw them both into a hug that Ophilia finally accepted came from a place of familial love rather than pity. Everything would finally be alright again... But the close brush with death would scare Ophilia too much for her to want to get on the road again. What if the next time she left marked the last time she saw the people she loved most? Ophilia couldn't bear that. She didn't know how anyone ever could.