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Description

The Plane of Starlight stretches infinitely in every direction, including the arcane dimensions beyond the sight of normal humans. But I have not the time to appreciate the beauty of the swirling nebulae in the distance, nor to open my Third Eye to witness the unique arcane patterns that permeate its skyscape.

No, for this field, formed of clouds of astral energy spotted by orbs of starlight, is the arena of our final, climactic duel.

I stand here in my golden cloak, magic at the border of light and darkness crackling around me. I am Ophilia Dusk, the dark defender of justice!

Across from me, his stance wide and strong, stands the dark-eyed and bald Rohan Torlus. His dark cloak is tattered, and the tunic underneath is ripped in places, exposing his toned, dark skin below.

I brush my golden hair out of my eyes as my feet leave what counts for a floor in this wondrous place. The energy of my initial spell suffuses the air around me, freeing me from the confines of gravity. My hand reaches forward as I concentrate the arcane energy into a single blast of pure golden energy, tinged with the bright green of the demonic power hidden deep within my bloodline.

Of course, as the bolt is fired and I float back five feet from the recoil, I declare in my bellowing, melodic voice... "Eldritch Blast! Begone, evildoer!"

But that ebony chest, all too visible under his ruined clothes, only vibrates slightly. His deep chuckle is too far away for me to even hear. He draws from the void between the stars, a source of black power found in far too much abundance in this realm. Dark glimmers gather around his arms as he smashes his fists together, creating a disk of pure twilight. It thrums with energy as it rotates forward, absorbing my initial attack with ease, dispersing the mana downwards and through the gaps in the arcane forces binding the platform together and out into the far reaches of Starlight.

I land in a crouch, both arms already moving and fingers already dancing to form three different glyphs of profane angelic light in the air. I will be ready for my worthy adversary's counter-manoeuvre.

Rohan bends his legs, thick calves bulging beneath his trousers. He shifts his stance so his back foot rests on a neutron star orb, and straightens suddenly. He leaps into the sky, the twilit energy of his defensive disc unraveling and following him in two ebon strands. His hands, while rugged and strong, move in swift, deft patterns to create a pair of glyphs in black energy in the sky before him. The shadowy power wells in front of him as he presses his own thrumming will into the dark mass.

My arcane senses reach out, ready to gather a new bright defence of unholy justice. I know this deceptively handsome foe has a variety of tricks, and I will need Starlight energy as well as my own fell power to turn the tide that comes.

And the wave before those huge arms has begun to break. The shadows form into a pair of serpentine shapes, whirling around each other as they progress down towards me at ever increasing speed. As arcs of lightning start to ply between the star orbs beneath me, I gasp in shock. At the front edge of the oncoming shadows are fanged, horned shapes. This isn't just a Helix Onslaught - he has transmutated the void energy into a Dragonstrike!

A single Dragonstrike, especially one made of Void energy, would be enough to end me. I am a chosen one of the Dusk lineage, and a wielder of immense arcane might. But my body is not especially robust, and I would be torn apart as quickly as my lifeforce would be sucked away by the vacuum of the dark astral force Rohan has sent against me.

A single one would kill me. But he made a mistake in sending two. His arrogance was always his weakest feature, I have used it against him many a time.

Gold energy merges with the extraterrestrial purple of the plane as eldritch lightning strikes from my outstretched fingertips, joining with the electricity already coursing through the ley lines of Starlight I had called in preparation. I vibrate as solar power courses through me, joining to my own mana circuits through the lightning I have cast. My hair stands on end, my eyes glow pure and white. I triumphantly bring my hands together, co-mingling the arcs of lightning into a great web as my throat rings with incantation:

"LIGHTNING CONVERGENCE!"

The lattice of planar electricity spreads out before me, forming a defensive web of static which stops the Dragons in their tracks. They vibrate weakly, trying to get at their prey. They won't, that trap was just the arcane energy releasing. The net closes, magic crackling as shadow is engulfed by light. There is now a single, enclosed orb of pure void.

And then thunder claps as the net shatters into thousands of minuscule, luminescent sparks.

And the Void orb I have created flies out like it was launched by a ballista, heading directly at Torlus. His flawless face now wears an exquisite expression of surprise. It is, of course, then darkened by pain as he is hit square in the chest by a locus of negative energy.

He falls, his levitation spell broken, his body momentarily limp. It has not escaped my notice (at all) that Rohan is a lot more robust than me. His lifeforce is likely overflowing through his bloodstream in much the same way his muscles strain against his dark skin. And Void is one of his elements, and just like I can't burn him with Banefire, this shadow power can barely do more than extreme blunt trauma.

But I have also often found extreme blunt trauma to be effective. Eldritch Smackdown, where I generate a golden hammer of fell might, is one of my handiest spells. And as any person would, Rohan continues to fall, through the thin 'platform' of stardust on which he once stood. I chuckle behind my hand as I watch him fall into the dark reaches of the Plane of Starlight.

Of course, it was just a momentary reprieve. The great Ophilia Dusk would never assume she had won with a single spell. And as expected, my fated foe glows with a thin membrane of purple energy.

Too thin for a flight spell. What could he be doing, I wonder? I cup my hands together, charging a Dark Justice Spirit Fireball to distract him from any swift spells he might unleash once he has gained his footing. I continue to watch, when he is so surrounded by Void any offence would be immediately countered, and I would find myself even more helpless than he is.

And yet, he is returning to the stardust layer with remarkable speed.

Like he's falling towards me.

Upwards?

Of course! The sly fox, a gravity spell!

My orb of unholy flame spins in my hands, giving off heat and smoke as it grows in power, so close to the overwhelming energy of my heart chakra.

But before I know it his fist, shrouded in warm scarlet energy, connects with my jaw.

So. Fast!?

Had I not at least caught a glimpse of him charging his signature Scarlet Punch (had I the time, I would blush, I had named the move and convinced him to adopt it in one of our many intimate sparring sessions), my spine would be broken at the very least. But the Fell Goddess is on my side this day, and, just in time, I transmute my orb, absorving it into my chakra and turning it into a Shining Endoskeleton spell.

I had, of course, still been sent flying through the air.

HOW DARE HE use my own move against me!? To attempt to slay his trusted ally (turned mortal rival) with a dusk magic technique she herself had coined! This was a betrayal of his oath as a Twilight Guardian greater even than his choice to oppose me! (And I can't even remember why we were fighting - to be quite honest!)

He has landed from his uppercut, an infuriatingly cocksure grin lighting up his face, as I slowly float down onto what had been his stardust platform. My shoes have been flung off my the impact, I can tell by the energy of Starlight and latent Void magic from Rohan's spell both tingling in my soles.

Well, he has angered Ophilia Dusk. And left me with no small portion of his power lingering around me. It would only be fitting I draw on that as I drain as much Starlight energy as possible from the nebulous ground I am already levitating above. His eyes widened in titillating fear as he began to draw up another twilit barrier.

He knows my finishing blow is coming.

And he should have known from experience that there is no chance for his magic to deflect this attack. It is in a large part designed specifically to be unbreakable to him. Or to any future devotee of our Twilight Guardian alliance.

Mana courses through me, each node converting as it passes through my leg chakras, my heart chakra, my wrist chakras. Starlight becomes eldritch. Void becomes lightning. Pure arcane energy is changed to my own golden heroic power. I am surrounded by such an aura, hurtling through the empty air towards Rohan as his defensive spiral dissipates just from my mere presence.

I release my spell with a triumphant bellow.

"GOLDEN CHAINS OF DARK JUSTICE!"

As the name suggests, golden chains of crackling energy burst forth from my hands, binding with the stardust floor as they pierce into Rohan's skin. It is painless, but that does not prevent it from being incredibly satisfying to see as the chains bring his knees to a bend and his torso forward in a slight bow, his hands raised behind him to prevent any complex somatic invocations.

Ophilia Dusk is no fool, and I have many experiences of the desert firestorm, a spell so ingrained in Torlus' blood that he can summon it without a word or movement. But my golden chains give me yet another link to the starlight mana around us, and in a moment I have drawn upon it to circle Rohan in a Silver Ring of Midnight Retribution. He has experienced it before, and he is well aware of the suffering his psyche would go through were he to start gathering mana enough to attempt to burn me down with his eastern spells.

I look down on him with a wide grin. I have won. He bows his head in defeat. He knows it too. He accepts it honourably, good.

I draw my hands apart from each other as a Darklight Lance forms in the void between them, readying myself for the finishing blow. Admirably, my rival, traitor and friend raises his head. He will look his end in the eye. It's that sort of thing I've always admired in him, so I meet his gaze.

But his gaze is full of Eldritch energy, glowing from his irises.

I chuckle.

"A foolish gesture. Not befitting of a foe of your calibre, Rohan. And you know it. Eldricth magic is my specialty!"

My free hand flicks, absorbing the Eldritch energy into me. Most of my chakras are used up, so I send it to my Crown, allowing it to suffuse my mind with power. It may make me a bit overconfident, but it's fine. My victory is complete. I even have another Silver Ring forming in my free hand to render Rohan double bound.

But I can't move my right hand forward to throw my lance. I try to call upon the demonic energy in my heart. But to no avail, no matter how much I enhance my muscles. My arm is too heavy.

My legs... like being pulled down by weights.

My head... my head... the crown chakra...

I can't move... So difficult... Rohan is still, at least...

And then I find I can move. Downwards. Pulled down by the plane's arcane gravity to the starlit floor. If I don't fight, I go down.

There's a pulsing in my head. A faint, otherworldly sound. It gets louder and louder. Unbearable.

Just like the feeling in my arms. I can release it if I stop fighting.

Bump... Bump

The infernal noise is indescribable. I will do anything to stop it.

I allow myself to fall to my knees, for my arms to fall limp at my side. The sound subsides, but only barely. I look up... Well, my head pulls itself up, it seems.

I am looking up at Rohan, leaning over me.

In chains, but he is so much more powerful than me in this moment. So much more dominant.

And his eyes are filled with blinding black light.

He is using the vacuum of the Void to pull me in.

And I can't fight. The beating in my head continues. Black walls close in on my vision. Creating a tunnel to that dark majesty in his once-beautiful eyes.

I can't move. I am transfixed. I am completely at his mercy.

So I retreat. Into the arena of the mind. My body may be defeated, and he is trapped in stalemate. So I will defeat him with my overwhelming will.

But as I pull his psyche into mine, he is not affected by my Silver Ring. I must have lost concentration... I did lose concentration, I could only see those eyes... Feel that beating.

I am small. A single warrior made of starlight, surrounded by sand brown desert, with constant red beating in the sky. In time with my heart, in time with the pounding I can still hear.

And Rohan arrives. Majestic and mighty and overwhelming. He is a great jackal. Winged and horned like a True Dragon. A Master of this domain.

A Master of this battle in the mind.

I don't even time to make a dignified surrender. To negotiate for my freedom. He roars and red sand wells around me, flying in from all directions.

My starlight barrier of will and resistance dissolves in an instant. Even my body is starting to fade into dust.

I have lost. He has won. Rohan is entering my mind.

My mind goes black. Not with blankess. With his shadowy energy entering, and claiming dominion. My consciousness returns to the real world. I am still kneeling. Still numb.

Rohan speaks, and his deep voice echoes with undeniable force in my mind.

"Release me, Ophilia".

I squeak out some sort of noise. Whether it is a dismissal of my Chains or simply a noise of defeated obedience is not a good question. It is both. The chains shatter. I remain on my knees. I can't not remain there. I can't make decisions any more. Literally. I am trapped.

Rohan's hands are making smooth notions, and I feel myself chill as my clothes telekinetically slide off my body.

And then a powerful weight fills my body. Not oppressive like the Void of my defeat. This is progressive. A powerful force which owns me right and true. Compelling me to crawl forward. Forcing open my mouth. Letting me revel in the drool starting to run down my chin.

And as my mouth closes on its target, I decide eternal servitude to my rival is not so bad after all. Or he decides for me. As my tongue explores, I simply do not care.

2nd Floor Dormitory (Women), Irivva Magical Academy, Areon

Ophilia woke up. Her covers had been thrown off during her sleep, but she was still drenched in sweat.

She rolled sideways out of bed, landing on the wooden floor of the dormitory with a light thud. No other initiates were in the room, as usual she had slept in. But she took comfort in that, at least they wouldn't see her in this state. Looking down she could see her body glistening with her dream's sweat, and her hair matted and knotted awfully.

I must have had another battle dream she thought, smiling in excitement. The memories of the dream which had flashed through her mind as she woke up were already gone. But it was not a rare occurrence for her to face down an opponent in a magical duel in her dreamscape. She had worked out some of her best spells there, from her dreamland avatar who was far more powerful than her (though, as every 2nd year tutor in Irivva would attest, no more creative than the Ophilia who walked the waking world).

Focusing her feelings of wonder and thirst for discovery into a golden orb swirling in her hands, she cast her Dream Recall spell, a golden mist coming over her vision as she relived the memory that never really happened.

Images passed before her eyes of how to channel against void magic, a brilliant lightning spell idea, the realisation of the chain spell she had been working on for years.

And then her white skin turned red. She squeaked (literally) and ran to put on her cloak and garments.

Using Dream Recall she could only see and hear, not feel the sensations of the dream. But seeing herself, bowed in supplication, doing things to her arch-rival that were making her tingle in uncomfortable places, that did cause sensation.

Ophilia knew she had to do something about this. One doesn't get a dream like this as a coincidence. Rohan had finally made a move to end their rivalry in his victory, and she would not allow it! She summoned an Eldritch Halo of gold-green light around her head to protect herself against mental enchantment. Professor Dormir always tried to convince her that fell magic was not an appropriate source for protection magic, but with her ancestry's might crackling at the top of her peripheral vision, she felt truly powerful and safe.

Her cloak billowed behind her as she ran at top speed down the corridor. Irivva's dormitory corridors were set up with many twists and turns and pointless staircases both to disrupt the flow of magic and to make it harder to get to the other genders' dorms. That was fine by Ophilia. She needed to steel her mind. She was already internally constructing eldritch barriers over her thoughts, and beneath them lightning crackled from thought to thought as she tried to come up with a way to surpass Rohan's oneiric enchantment.

If their confrontation lasted too long his Void power would definitely be able to drain away her Halo, so she would need to act quickly before he brainwashed her again. But she had just gained a developed understanding of Golden Chains, and Rohan had never been particularly good at escaping binding spells, he preferred to just use his fire to end the binding spell more... directly. But in dorms he wouldn't be allowed to use any of his desert magic, so she could easily bring him bound before the disciplinary committee. Then all she needed to do would be to get Dormir to mind-read her while she used Dream Recall. The evidence of Rohan's insidious dream-brainwashing would be laid bare, and her rival would be banished from the Academy.

She would miss him, to be sure, but he was already clearly powerful enough to lead his tribe. If he could control her mind through the dreamscape, he was more powerful than her. There would be other worthy rivals.

And perhaps her next rival would have a slightly less remarkable body to distract her...

She had reached the top of the second staircase to take her up to the first floor (Irivva dorms really were weird), and had to stop to catch her breath. Curse the Dusk bloodline's curse of frail body in return for our fell power!

But it gave her chance to think.

Clearly, whatever dark enchantment the damned Torlus had cast on her had already wormed its way deep into her subconscious if it was emerging so... compellingly in her dreams. She reinforced her Halo with additional energy, to protect herself against any magic he had which would be clearly amplified by the presence of the magic already in her subconscious.

But...

If the spell was already in her brain, then what would it matter if Rohan was banished? Sure, Professor Dormir could probably dispel the enchantment after a few days of work. In that time though, she'd have had two more dreams (if she didn't take any power naps in the library, which was unlikely, so probably four or five). And she really enjoyed even watching that first one. Her resistance would be worn down. His insidious power would break her before she could get rid of it.

And then if he was banished, she'd probably walk out into the desert to be reuinited with her Master.

The scariest part of that was that it already didn't sound too bad. She blushed again.

No! I won't give him the satisfaction! I am Ophilia Dusk, heroine of dark justice! I will defeat him and bring him before the Magisters of Arbitration to have him punished!

She smiled with new life as she practically skipped up the stairs towards the 2nd year men's dormitory, Halo still crackling with arcane power as her head bobbed up and down slightly with the movement.

And then she came face-to-face with her black-robed adversary as he came down the stairs, blessedly alone.

"Hey, Ophilia." His voice was still deep and rumbling, but disarmingly friendly. He was acting like he didn't know what he'd done. Or maybe he just didn't realise his dark magic had flowered yet - after all he'd been just as friendly two days ago when he must have already cast the spell. "I was just going down to the training field. Were you wanting to discuss your theory about the lightning storm spell again?"

"S-... Yes-... I-..." She was blushing again. Her tongue seemed completely out of her own control, not because of his enchantment, but due to her own social failings. She tried to pull herself together, to accuse him of mental trickery and bind him for her own safety.

All the while he looked down the two steps between them, an eyebrow raised in confusion now he had seen her Halo.

Then her Halo shattered with a subtle crack.

Rohan hadn't broken it. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. Ophilia realised now.

She pulled down the fell-iron walls in her head, the defensive conceptual mist of golden lightning she had prepared blew away in a wind of her own will.

There was no point in fighting him, she had already lost. The only victory now would be not let him see her break down gradually, watching her resistance being pulled apart piece by piece.

Ophilia would win by submitting willingly, while she still had free will.

Of course, she had been silent for about a minute now, and Rohan was starting to look at her with increasing concern.

So she opened her mind completely. She felt the arcane sensation of pushing and pulling at once as she forced him to enter her mind.

And then a suddenly familiar pressure closed in on her thoughts. The feeling of being trapped, but more like a cushion than a prison cell. She couldn't think freely, but that was fine, he could steer her thoughts softly, make her do whatever he wanted.

A smile spread over her face at the comfort of this new feeling, experiencing it fully outside of a dream for the first time. She fell to her knees, her Master was above her, in power and status as well as physically. He deserved power over her thoughts and actions and will. And body.

Rohan Torlus, who had just been experiencing a fairly normal confusion at his friend Ophilia's odd behaviour, was now experiencing something completely new. His mind was extended now, he could feel his magical power wrapping around the gem which was his friend's mind.

He hadn't the slightest clue why this was happening, but he was a young adult at a boarding school.

Of course he was going to make the most of it while he worked out what was going on.

Ophilia followed him up the stairs to his empty dormitory.

-----

Eldritch Smackdown: Remastered. Hehe, re-'master'-ed. Yeah, you're not going crazy, this is a story I have posted before, with grammar fixes and some slight changes here and there. The previous version used a cosplayer I couldn't identify as the source image, and to be honest I don't know what I was thinking, and a crisis of conscience made me delete (we manip only public figures who have a different sort of relationship to their likeness than us regular folks in this channel!). But then I saw that OPHILIA DUSK had finally been added to the Fire Emblem gatcha, so now I have an image to use of her.

This is, though, a dangerous amount of anime girl manips in such a short space of time, so I will restrain myself for at least the near future. This is in spite of the fact that this has a lot of Chuunibyou energy in it, and I, Dekomori calls to me through the Plane of Starlight.

And yes, this exercise has shown me that leaving my stories for a few days then doing an extra pass at them makes them much better. And yes, that does not mean I will actually change my posting behaviour in any way. This is my off-time, this is where I'm free from having to meticulously proof-read long pieces of text before publication!

Description

The Plane of Starlight stretches infinitely in every direction, including the arcane dimensions beyond the sight of normal humans. But I have not the time to appreciate the beauty of the swirling nebulae in the distance, nor to open my Third Eye to witness the unique arcane patterns that permeate its skyscape.

No, for this field, formed of clouds of astral energy spotted by orbs of starlight, is the arena of our final, climactic duel.

I stand here in my golden cloak, magic at the border of light and darkness crackling around me. I am Ophilia Dusk, the dark defender of justice!

Across from me, his stance wide and strong, stands the dark-eyed and bald Rohan Torlus. His dark cloak is tattered, and the tunic underneath is ripped in places, exposing his toned, dark skin below.

I brush my golden hair out of my eyes as my feet leave what counts for a floor in this wondrous place. The energy of my initial spell suffuses the air around me, freeing me from the confines of gravity. My hand reaches forward as I concentrate the arcane energy into a single blast of pure golden energy, tinged with the bright green of the demonic power hidden deep within my bloodline.

Of course, as the bolt is fired and I float back five feet from the recoil, I declare in my bellowing, melodic voice... "Eldritch Blast! Begone, evildoer!"

But that ebony chest, all too visible under his ruined clothes, only vibrates slightly. His deep chuckle is too far away for me to even hear. He draws from the void between the stars, a source of black power found in far too much abundance in this realm. Dark glimmers gather around his arms as he smashes his fists together, creating a disk of pure twilight. It thrums with energy as it rotates forward, absorbing my initial attack with ease, dispersing the mana downwards and through the gaps in the arcane forces binding the platform together and out into the far reaches of Starlight.

I land in a crouch, both arms already moving and fingers already dancing to form three different glyphs of profane angelic light in the air. I will be ready for my worthy adversary's counter-manoeuvre.

Rohan bends his legs, thick calves bulging beneath his trousers. He shifts his stance so his back foot rests on a neutron star orb, and straightens suddenly. He leaps into the sky, the twilit energy of his defensive disc unraveling and following him in two ebon strands. His hands, while rugged and strong, move in swift, deft patterns to create a pair of glyphs in black energy in the sky before him. The shadowy power wells in front of him as he presses his own thrumming will into the dark mass.

My arcane senses reach out, ready to gather a new bright defence of unholy justice. I know this deceptively handsome foe has a variety of tricks, and I will need Starlight energy as well as my own fell power to turn the tide that comes.

And the wave before those huge arms has begun to break. The shadows form into a pair of serpentine shapes, whirling around each other as they progress down towards me at ever increasing speed. As arcs of lightning start to ply between the star orbs beneath me, I gasp in shock. At the front edge of the oncoming shadows are fanged, horned shapes. This isn't just a Helix Onslaught - he has transmutated the void energy into a Dragonstrike!

A single Dragonstrike, especially one made of Void energy, would be enough to end me. I am a chosen one of the Dusk lineage, and a wielder of immense arcane might. But my body is not especially robust, and I would be torn apart as quickly as my lifeforce would be sucked away by the vacuum of the dark astral force Rohan has sent against me.

A single one would kill me. But he made a mistake in sending two. His arrogance was always his weakest feature, I have used it against him many a time.

Gold energy merges with the extraterrestrial purple of the plane as eldritch lightning strikes from my outstretched fingertips, joining with the electricity already coursing through the ley lines of Starlight I had called in preparation. I vibrate as solar power courses through me, joining to my own mana circuits through the lightning I have cast. My hair stands on end, my eyes glow pure and white. I triumphantly bring my hands together, co-mingling the arcs of lightning into a great web as my throat rings with incantation:

"LIGHTNING CONVERGENCE!"

The lattice of planar electricity spreads out before me, forming a defensive web of static which stops the Dragons in their tracks. They vibrate weakly, trying to get at their prey. They won't, that trap was just the arcane energy releasing. The net closes, magic crackling as shadow is engulfed by light. There is now a single, enclosed orb of pure void.

And then thunder claps as the net shatters into thousands of minuscule, luminescent sparks.

And the Void orb I have created flies out like it was launched by a ballista, heading directly at Torlus. His flawless face now wears an exquisite expression of surprise. It is, of course, then darkened by pain as he is hit square in the chest by a locus of negative energy.

He falls, his levitation spell broken, his body momentarily limp. It has not escaped my notice (at all) that Rohan is a lot more robust than me. His lifeforce is likely overflowing through his bloodstream in much the same way his muscles strain against his dark skin. And Void is one of his elements, and just like I can't burn him with Banefire, this shadow power can barely do more than extreme blunt trauma.

But I have also often found extreme blunt trauma to be effective. Eldritch Smackdown, where I generate a golden hammer of fell might, is one of my handiest spells. And as any person would, Rohan continues to fall, through the thin 'platform' of stardust on which he once stood. I chuckle behind my hand as I watch him fall into the dark reaches of the Plane of Starlight.

Of course, it was just a momentary reprieve. The great Ophilia Dusk would never assume she had won with a single spell. And as expected, my fated foe glows with a thin membrane of purple energy.

Too thin for a flight spell. What could he be doing, I wonder? I cup my hands together, charging a Dark Justice Spirit Fireball to distract him from any swift spells he might unleash once he has gained his footing. I continue to watch, when he is so surrounded by Void any offence would be immediately countered, and I would find myself even more helpless than he is.

And yet, he is returning to the stardust layer with remarkable speed.

Like he's falling towards me.

Upwards?

Of course! The sly fox, a gravity spell!

My orb of unholy flame spins in my hands, giving off heat and smoke as it grows in power, so close to the overwhelming energy of my heart chakra.

But before I know it his fist, shrouded in warm scarlet energy, connects with my jaw.

So. Fast!?

Had I not at least caught a glimpse of him charging his signature Scarlet Punch (had I the time, I would blush, I had named the move and convinced him to adopt it in one of our many intimate sparring sessions), my spine would be broken at the very least. But the Fell Goddess is on my side this day, and, just in time, I transmute my orb, absorving it into my chakra and turning it into a Shining Endoskeleton spell.

I had, of course, still been sent flying through the air.

HOW DARE HE use my own move against me!? To attempt to slay his trusted ally (turned mortal rival) with a dusk magic technique she herself had coined! This was a betrayal of his oath as a Twilight Guardian greater even than his choice to oppose me! (And I can't even remember why we were fighting - to be quite honest!)

He has landed from his uppercut, an infuriatingly cocksure grin lighting up his face, as I slowly float down onto what had been his stardust platform. My shoes have been flung off my the impact, I can tell by the energy of Starlight and latent Void magic from Rohan's spell both tingling in my soles.

Well, he has angered Ophilia Dusk. And left me with no small portion of his power lingering around me. It would only be fitting I draw on that as I drain as much Starlight energy as possible from the nebulous ground I am already levitating above. His eyes widened in titillating fear as he began to draw up another twilit barrier.

He knows my finishing blow is coming.

And he should have known from experience that there is no chance for his magic to deflect this attack. It is in a large part designed specifically to be unbreakable to him. Or to any future devotee of our Twilight Guardian alliance.

Mana courses through me, each node converting as it passes through my leg chakras, my heart chakra, my wrist chakras. Starlight becomes eldritch. Void becomes lightning. Pure arcane energy is changed to my own golden heroic power. I am surrounded by such an aura, hurtling through the empty air towards Rohan as his defensive spiral dissipates just from my mere presence.

I release my spell with a triumphant bellow.

"GOLDEN CHAINS OF DARK JUSTICE!"

As the name suggests, golden chains of crackling energy burst forth from my hands, binding with the stardust floor as they pierce into Rohan's skin. It is painless, but that does not prevent it from being incredibly satisfying to see as the chains bring his knees to a bend and his torso forward in a slight bow, his hands raised behind him to prevent any complex somatic invocations.

Ophilia Dusk is no fool, and I have many experiences of the desert firestorm, a spell so ingrained in Torlus' blood that he can summon it without a word or movement. But my golden chains give me yet another link to the starlight mana around us, and in a moment I have drawn upon it to circle Rohan in a Silver Ring of Midnight Retribution. He has experienced it before, and he is well aware of the suffering his psyche would go through were he to start gathering mana enough to attempt to burn me down with his eastern spells.

I look down on him with a wide grin. I have won. He bows his head in defeat. He knows it too. He accepts it honourably, good.

I draw my hands apart from each other as a Darklight Lance forms in the void between them, readying myself for the finishing blow. Admirably, my rival, traitor and friend raises his head. He will look his end in the eye. It's that sort of thing I've always admired in him, so I meet his gaze.

But his gaze is full of Eldritch energy, glowing from his irises.

I chuckle.

"A foolish gesture. Not befitting of a foe of your calibre, Rohan. And you know it. Eldricth magic is my specialty!"

My free hand flicks, absorbing the Eldritch energy into me. Most of my chakras are used up, so I send it to my Crown, allowing it to suffuse my mind with power. It may make me a bit overconfident, but it's fine. My victory is complete. I even have another Silver Ring forming in my free hand to render Rohan double bound.

But I can't move my right hand forward to throw my lance. I try to call upon the demonic energy in my heart. But to no avail, no matter how much I enhance my muscles. My arm is too heavy.

My legs... like being pulled down by weights.

My head... my head... the crown chakra...

I can't move... So difficult... Rohan is still, at least...

And then I find I can move. Downwards. Pulled down by the plane's arcane gravity to the starlit floor. If I don't fight, I go down.

There's a pulsing in my head. A faint, otherworldly sound. It gets louder and louder. Unbearable.

Just like the feeling in my arms. I can release it if I stop fighting.

Bump... Bump

The infernal noise is indescribable. I will do anything to stop it.

I allow myself to fall to my knees, for my arms to fall limp at my side. The sound subsides, but only barely. I look up... Well, my head pulls itself up, it seems.

I am looking up at Rohan, leaning over me.

In chains, but he is so much more powerful than me in this moment. So much more dominant.

And his eyes are filled with blinding black light.

He is using the vacuum of the Void to pull me in.

And I can't fight. The beating in my head continues. Black walls close in on my vision. Creating a tunnel to that dark majesty in his once-beautiful eyes.

I can't move. I am transfixed. I am completely at his mercy.

So I retreat. Into the arena of the mind. My body may be defeated, and he is trapped in stalemate. So I will defeat him with my overwhelming will.

But as I pull his psyche into mine, he is not affected by my Silver Ring. I must have lost concentration... I did lose concentration, I could only see those eyes... Feel that beating.

I am small. A single warrior made of starlight, surrounded by sand brown desert, with constant red beating in the sky. In time with my heart, in time with the pounding I can still hear.

And Rohan arrives. Majestic and mighty and overwhelming. He is a great jackal. Winged and horned like a True Dragon. A Master of this domain.

A Master of this battle in the mind.

I don't even time to make a dignified surrender. To negotiate for my freedom. He roars and red sand wells around me, flying in from all directions.

My starlight barrier of will and resistance dissolves in an instant. Even my body is starting to fade into dust.

I have lost. He has won. Rohan is entering my mind.

My mind goes black. Not with blankess. With his shadowy energy entering, and claiming dominion. My consciousness returns to the real world. I am still kneeling. Still numb.

Rohan speaks, and his deep voice echoes with undeniable force in my mind.

"Release me, Ophilia".

I squeak out some sort of noise. Whether it is a dismissal of my Chains or simply a noise of defeated obedience is not a good question. It is both. The chains shatter. I remain on my knees. I can't not remain there. I can't make decisions any more. Literally. I am trapped.

Rohan's hands are making smooth notions, and I feel myself chill as my clothes telekinetically slide off my body.

And then a powerful weight fills my body. Not oppressive like the Void of my defeat. This is progressive. A powerful force which owns me right and true. Compelling me to crawl forward. Forcing open my mouth. Letting me revel in the drool starting to run down my chin.

And as my mouth closes on its target, I decide eternal servitude to my rival is not so bad after all. Or he decides for me. As my tongue explores, I simply do not care.

2nd Floor Dormitory (Women), Irivva Magical Academy, Areon

Ophilia woke up. Her covers had been thrown off during her sleep, but she was still drenched in sweat.

She rolled sideways out of bed, landing on the wooden floor of the dormitory with a light thud. No other initiates were in the room, as usual she had slept in. But she took comfort in that, at least they wouldn't see her in this state. Looking down she could see her body glistening with her dream's sweat, and her hair matted and knotted awfully.

I must have had another battle dream she thought, smiling in excitement. The memories of the dream which had flashed through her mind as she woke up were already gone. But it was not a rare occurrence for her to face down an opponent in a magical duel in her dreamscape. She had worked out some of her best spells there, from her dreamland avatar who was far more powerful than her (though, as every 2nd year tutor in Irivva would attest, no more creative than the Ophilia who walked the waking world).

Focusing her feelings of wonder and thirst for discovery into a golden orb swirling in her hands, she cast her Dream Recall spell, a golden mist coming over her vision as she relived the memory that never really happened.

Images passed before her eyes of how to channel against void magic, a brilliant lightning spell idea, the realisation of the chain spell she had been working on for years.

And then her white skin turned red. She squeaked (literally) and ran to put on her cloak and garments.

Using Dream Recall she could only see and hear, not feel the sensations of the dream. But seeing herself, bowed in supplication, doing things to her arch-rival that were making her tingle in uncomfortable places, that did cause sensation.

Ophilia knew she had to do something about this. One doesn't get a dream like this as a coincidence. Rohan had finally made a move to end their rivalry in his victory, and she would not allow it! She summoned an Eldritch Halo of gold-green light around her head to protect herself against mental enchantment. Professor Dormir always tried to convince her that fell magic was not an appropriate source for protection magic, but with her ancestry's might crackling at the top of her peripheral vision, she felt truly powerful and safe.

Her cloak billowed behind her as she ran at top speed down the corridor. Irivva's dormitory corridors were set up with many twists and turns and pointless staircases both to disrupt the flow of magic and to make it harder to get to the other genders' dorms. That was fine by Ophilia. She needed to steel her mind. She was already internally constructing eldritch barriers over her thoughts, and beneath them lightning crackled from thought to thought as she tried to come up with a way to surpass Rohan's oneiric enchantment.

If their confrontation lasted too long his Void power would definitely be able to drain away her Halo, so she would need to act quickly before he brainwashed her again. But she had just gained a developed understanding of Golden Chains, and Rohan had never been particularly good at escaping binding spells, he preferred to just use his fire to end the binding spell more... directly. But in dorms he wouldn't be allowed to use any of his desert magic, so she could easily bring him bound before the disciplinary committee. Then all she needed to do would be to get Dormir to mind-read her while she used Dream Recall. The evidence of Rohan's insidious dream-brainwashing would be laid bare, and her rival would be banished from the Academy.

She would miss him, to be sure, but he was already clearly powerful enough to lead his tribe. If he could control her mind through the dreamscape, he was more powerful than her. There would be other worthy rivals.

And perhaps her next rival would have a slightly less remarkable body to distract her...

She had reached the top of the second staircase to take her up to the first floor (Irivva dorms really were weird), and had to stop to catch her breath. Curse the Dusk bloodline's curse of frail body in return for our fell power!

But it gave her chance to think.

Clearly, whatever dark enchantment the damned Torlus had cast on her had already wormed its way deep into her subconscious if it was emerging so... compellingly in her dreams. She reinforced her Halo with additional energy, to protect herself against any magic he had which would be clearly amplified by the presence of the magic already in her subconscious.

But...

If the spell was already in her brain, then what would it matter if Rohan was banished? Sure, Professor Dormir could probably dispel the enchantment after a few days of work. In that time though, she'd have had two more dreams (if she didn't take any power naps in the library, which was unlikely, so probably four or five). And she really enjoyed even watching that first one. Her resistance would be worn down. His insidious power would break her before she could get rid of it.

And then if he was banished, she'd probably walk out into the desert to be reuinited with her Master.

The scariest part of that was that it already didn't sound too bad. She blushed again.

No! I won't give him the satisfaction! I am Ophilia Dusk, heroine of dark justice! I will defeat him and bring him before the Magisters of Arbitration to have him punished!

She smiled with new life as she practically skipped up the stairs towards the 2nd year men's dormitory, Halo still crackling with arcane power as her head bobbed up and down slightly with the movement.

And then she came face-to-face with her black-robed adversary as he came down the stairs, blessedly alone.

"Hey, Ophilia." His voice was still deep and rumbling, but disarmingly friendly. He was acting like he didn't know what he'd done. Or maybe he just didn't realise his dark magic had flowered yet - after all he'd been just as friendly two days ago when he must have already cast the spell. "I was just going down to the training field. Were you wanting to discuss your theory about the lightning storm spell again?"

"S-... Yes-... I-..." She was blushing again. Her tongue seemed completely out of her own control, not because of his enchantment, but due to her own social failings. She tried to pull herself together, to accuse him of mental trickery and bind him for her own safety.

All the while he looked down the two steps between them, an eyebrow raised in confusion now he had seen her Halo.

Then her Halo shattered with a subtle crack.

Rohan hadn't broken it. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. Ophilia realised now.

She pulled down the fell-iron walls in her head, the defensive conceptual mist of golden lightning she had prepared blew away in a wind of her own will.

There was no point in fighting him, she had already lost. The only victory now would be not let him see her break down gradually, watching her resistance being pulled apart piece by piece.

Ophilia would win by submitting willingly, while she still had free will.

Of course, she had been silent for about a minute now, and Rohan was starting to look at her with increasing concern.

So she opened her mind completely. She felt the arcane sensation of pushing and pulling at once as she forced him to enter her mind.

And then a suddenly familiar pressure closed in on her thoughts. The feeling of being trapped, but more like a cushion than a prison cell. She couldn't think freely, but that was fine, he could steer her thoughts softly, make her do whatever he wanted.

A smile spread over her face at the comfort of this new feeling, experiencing it fully outside of a dream for the first time. She fell to her knees, her Master was above her, in power and status as well as physically. He deserved power over her thoughts and actions and will. And body.

Rohan Torlus, who had just been experiencing a fairly normal confusion at his friend Ophilia's odd behaviour, was now experiencing something completely new. His mind was extended now, he could feel his magical power wrapping around the gem which was his friend's mind.

He hadn't the slightest clue why this was happening, but he was a young adult at a boarding school.

Of course he was going to make the most of it while he worked out what was going on.

Ophilia followed him up the stairs to his empty dormitory.

-----

Eldritch Smackdown: Remastered. Hehe, re-'master'-ed. Yeah, you're not going crazy, this is a story I have posted before, with grammar fixes and some slight changes here and there. The previous version used a cosplayer I couldn't identify as the source image, and to be honest I don't know what I was thinking, and a crisis of conscience made me delete (we manip only public figures who have a different sort of relationship to their likeness than us regular folks in this channel!). But then I saw that OPHILIA DUSK had finally been added to the Fire Emblem gatcha, so now I have an image to use of her.

This is, though, a dangerous amount of anime girl manips in such a short space of time, so I will restrain myself for at least the near future. This is in spite of the fact that this has a lot of Chuunibyou energy in it, and I, Dekomori calls to me through the Plane of Starlight.

And yes, this exercise has shown me that leaving my stories for a few days then doing an extra pass at them makes them much better. And yes, that does not mean I will actually change my posting behaviour in any way. This is my off-time, this is where I'm free from having to meticulously proof-read long pieces of text before publication!