Eight Intertwined II

238 - Flamebringer

Ophilia swung her staff at Mattias, and a bolt of light surged from the top of it toward her target. Mattias didn't seem to react though, and if he felt the pain from the blow, he didn't show it. In fact, Mattias didn't show much of any emotion. If he noticed Ophilia was fighting him, he didn't care enough to acknowledge it. It was a far cry from the deranged, wild laughter he had shared with the world during their previous battle. Back then, Mattias had seemed so full of life and confidence, and he wouldn't have let anything tear him down from his pedestal. 

Then again, Ophilia supposed, the change came from the fact that he was no longer alive. She had seen his body fall and then disintegrate into ash. Mattias was long gone, and Ophilia had been the one to deal the killing blow. In death, Mattias had been sent here to the Gate of Finis, and now... He was a test for Ophilia. If she could defeat him, then she would prove herself worthy of facing Galdera. If she could win this fight, then perhaps she would stand a chance when it came time to fight a god who genuinely wanted to kill her. 

This version of Mattias was a poor imitation of the man Ophilia had once known. He was made of a deep red substance she couldn't quite describe, and his skin seemed to constantly stir like it was made of oil. The dark red splotches gave way to pure black, and Ophilia found herself sick the longer she had to look at him. Mattias didn't even bleed where Ophilia had shot him with a bolt of her light magic. He was made of bright red the color of blood, and yet, any injuries he could have sustained didn't matter to him anymore. It was impossible to injure a corpse, Ophilia bitterly thought. 

But this wasn't his body, was it? Ophilia had seen his body fade away, and she doubted it would have somehow reconstructed itself when he passed through the gateway between worlds. This Mattias was simply a soul, the dancing blue fire Ophilia had seen when she first arrived. He had been given something vaguely resembling a physical form after she reached out to touch the trace of his spirit, but he was not alive the way she would have thought. 

Good, Ophilia frowned. Hopefully, that would make it a little bit easier for her to defeat him and leave all of this in the past. 

Ophilia watched as Mattias raised his trident high in the air. Dark magic sparked up around her feet, and Ophilia threw up her staff to try and block the force of the blow. She summoned a light spell that easily pierced through the shadows, and Ophilia watched it rocket through the air toward Mattias. He didn't bother with deflecting the attack, instead taking the column of light directly to the chest. Mattias slid backward across the ground, but there were no skid marks left in his wake. If Ophilia needed any other evidence that this was not as real as she would have expected initially, that certainly fit the description. 

Mattias charged toward Ophilia with his trident at the ready, and she slipped out of his reach at the last second. Even so, she felt the whisper of his blade when it brushed just a bit too close to her side. Ophilia summoned as much energy as she could before throwing one palm up at Mattias. Light exploded from her fingertips, and she looked away before it could steal her vision. 

Mattias didn't seem to have the forethought to avoid the attack though, and once again, he was sent backward by the blow. Ophilia glared at him once there was distance between them, her heart racing in her ears. This version of Mattias clearly lacked the instincts a person needed to survive. He didn't care much for any injuries he could have sustained as long as he was able to keep fighting. It was as terrifying as it was dangerous, and Ophilia had to wonder if she would be able to defeat him at all. Maybe it was impossible to stop him because he had no body to tell him he was hurting anymore. Could she ever hope to destroy a soul?

No... She couldn't think that way. Ophilia had come this far, and she wasn't going to let a moment of fear stop her from saving the people she loved. Facing Mattias wasn't going to be easy, but she knew what she had to do. Ophilia had come to the Gate of Finis to fight a god and emerge victorious, and she wouldn't let someone with the overconfidence of a false prophet stop her from succeeding. She wouldn't let Mattias of all people stop her from reuniting with her friends once more.