Chapter 20: A Battle of Wills

I found myself once again on my back in a large puddle of water, staring up at a never changing bright blue sky. How long has it been? How many times have I tried and failed?

Time moves faster in this world. A world inhabited by two people and only two people. Both want to leave but they can't. For every time that try the other stands in their way. An endless stalemate that's left us both trapped here.

No matter what I do or what I try, Gil is stronger than me, faster, smarter. In every way he is better. He has the experience and skill to defeat me with no effort endlessly.

In return he can't kill me, if he does, then my body dies too and everything has been pointless.

We each are holding onto hope. One singular hope. That the other will give in and let the other leave. I could never give up on seeing Xynthia again, she'd never forgive me for letting somebody else take my body.

Gil has only ever given me vague reasons on wanting my body. But what I've come to understand is he wants to rebuild his home, and take revenge on "the true culprits" behind this broken world.

He just sits on the other side of our rocky outcrop and gazes out over the endless ocean as he waits for me to feel ready to try fighting him again. Sometimes he'll start talking. Either to me or himself.

I wouldn't call what we have conversations. More him trying to convince me to give up. He says he will give me my body back once he gets himself a better vessel for his soul, and until then he'd keep mine safe. But I couldn't accept that and never will. My life is mine to live, not to leave in somebody else's hands.

Even with what's happening between the two of us, I can't bring myself to believe that he is at all a bad person. After all, he did save my life even when he could have picked a different host. He tried his best to train me, unfortunately I wasn't a good student.

Even now, after countless times trying to fight him, his eyes looked pained. It doesn't feel like this is what he wants. I fully believe when training me he truly wanted me to be able to get him a new body, but realized that I wouldn't be able to do it.

I can't say I'm surprised. He gave me access to so much power, and I'm awful with it. I'm not creative enough for the transformations, not commanding enough to be a summoner, and not strong enough to unlock any other skills.

"How long are you gonna stay laying there? Have you finally given up?" Gil asked me from across the way.

"Like I would ever do that," I said while sitting up, "just wondering how long we've been in here doing this."

"For the two of us, to long, to the outside world, a couple minutes maybe. It's hard to tell. All I know is our time is so much faster that you could live hundreds of lifetimes in here easily, and that is a scary thought."

"Only that short a time, how can I trust you?"

"Given our current situation I can't say that you can, but it's not like I want to waste any time either. Your body is very much just human after all."

I said nothing as I stood up and stared him down.

"Oh so you're ready to go another round? I don't know why you keep trying, the outcome won't change."

"Maybe it won't," I said walking towards him. "But doing nothing or giving in are nothing worse than trying to push forward!"

Just like that me and Gil were in another fight. Truly I didn't expect to win, to be honest, I had yet to even land a hit on him. While he casually knocks me about easily. If he knocks me off of our rocky outcrop the water rises to carry me back up.

Sometimes he fights me with punches and kicks, other times abilities. Of which his are numerous and varied. He wasn't kidding when he said his ability allowed him to do just about anything he wished. Yet even he had limits, otherwise why would he need my body?

Like all of our fights before, I ended up bouncing along the rocky ground, coughing and wheezing while he was completely fine.

"I won't lie Caesar, you continue to surprise me, yet I can't understand you. Why struggle so much? Why fight to live in a world so broken, so unfair? Why not let me take over? I could make your body nearly invincible, so when I procure myself a desired vessel you wouldn't have any worries?"

He made many good points. The world really was awful, being forced to go to this camp where I could've died was proof enough of that.

"Why not take the easy road? I'll tell you why. Because if I did that then I've gained nothing! Walking that path was never the one I wanted!" I shouted at him while struggling to stand back up.

"Then why not show me the path that you desire, show me right now that you are fit to push onward and face the challenges this world carries! If you can land one hit on me, I'll stop trying to forcefully take over your body, but if you can't even do that much after everything I've been putting you through, then your body is mine."

"So you're saying this next fight is for keeps then?"

"Yes Caesar, this next fight is winner takes all. So show me your will and your path here and now. Let me see if it can keep up with my own."