The Forsaken Hero

The old, decrepit chapel continued to shake, threatening to come down upon our heads. Rodrick threw up a barrier, protecting the infirmary, and nodded at me. Not exactly sure what he meant, I moved to the doorway and peered out. Did he think I could do something against...this?

More bolts of energy fell from the portal, exploding amongst the city. The damage was devastating, but paled in comparison to what followed. A single pulse of blinding light swept out of the portal’s epicenter. The sheer power of the shockwave leveled every structure not built exclusively of stone and whipped up hurricane-force winds.

Driven by the erratic air currents, the river leaped onto shore, swelling up in twenty-foot-high waves to crash against the banks of the shore and island. Hundreds died as their internal organs ruptured and their bodies burst apart, showering the streets in blood.

I withstood the blast with ease, relying on the strength of Adaptive Resistance. Judging by the strain, the shockwave held the force of a fifth-circle spell. But how was that possible? Even seventh-circle spells failed to generate shockwaves anywhere near that, and this was only the gate itself breaking! The Pope had claimed ninth-level gates were impossible, but this was clearly no ordinary gate. Its presence felt...wrong. Like it didn’t belong in this world, or...time.

As the wave of light reached the far edges of the city, it imploded in on itself, collapsing back onto the gate. What few buildings survived the first blast fell on the second, until only the magically reinforced structures, like the church, survived. A crystalline, bell-like chime rang out as the wave collided with the point it originated in, and the entire world turned white.

Protected from it all by my abilities, I alone witnessed the moment the Gate broke. A single figure appeared in the center of the translucent gate, gazing imperiously down on the city. They, too, took on the insubstantial aspects of the gate, appearing bright yet drained of color. It was a female demonkin with long, flowing hair and horns with a graceful curve to them. She wore a provocative dress and carried a staff. The staff was blurry and indistinct, as though reality itself refused to acknowledge its existence.

The demonkin peered down at High Valley, and despite the distance, I was able to quite clearly see a look of confusion cross their face. A few brave soldiers launched a volley of arrows and magic at her, but she absently waved her hand, deflecting the attacks. Her presence overwhelmed the Eyes of Fate, placing her above the threshold of the ninth level, yet she kept her aura tightly restrained.

After a moment, her eyes shifted up a bit, locking onto my gaze. I stumbled back, my breath catching in my throat before I realized that should be impossible. I was in the outer city, and she was above the ruins of the mansion. How could she possibly-

”Well, this was a little different than I imagined.”

I froze, my tail going stiff, as a voice sounded behind me. The woman in the sky had vanished, and a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach told me what I would find if I turned around.

Swallowing my fear and clutching the staff in white knuckles, I slowly twisted, flinching as I found the translucent girl standing with her back to me, staring up at the old church. As though feeling my gaze, she turned, the hint of a smile on her lips. She was more impressive up close, a visage of nobility and grace, and breathtakingly beautiful.

”I suppose this is your fault?” she asked, and it took me a moment to realize she was speaking to my staff.

The staff trembled in... embarrassment? The woman rolled her eyes and exhaled a long, wistful sigh.

”W-who are you?” I asked, unable to keep a waver from my voice.

She continued looking at the staff, huffing irritably. ”And I suppose you thought this was funny? I was rather busy, you know. And don’t give me that look! Even if time won’t continue until I return, it’s still kind of annoying.”

The staff wilted, if such a thing was possible. I took an unsteady step back, holding it tightly to my chest. The woman finally seemed to notice me, her eyes widening slightly as she took in my features.

”Oh.” Was all she said.

I tried again. ”Who are you?”

”I suppose right now I’m meant to be an ally. Isn’t that right?” She asked, catching the staff with a piercing look.

It shook slightly, almost seeming to nod, and the woman sighed again.

”Very well,” she muttered. ”What would you have me do?”

The staff vibrated gratefully, and she nodded. ”I see. And what about you?”

”M-me?” I asked uncertainly.

She ran an absent hand along her horn. ”If you don’t hurry up, they’re going to be here soon.” Her eyes fixed on something behind me. ”Oh. Too late.”

I followed her gaze to the horizon, where several motes of light streaked toward us. With the enhanced power the divinity provided the Eyes of Fate, I was able to make out several unique mana signatures. Soltair, Ronin, and Levin. They came from the direction of Viriden, the closest city with a Shard of Omniscience. It had only been an hour since the gate appeared, and given their speed of travel, they must have teleported soon after.

”I forgot how troublesome you could be. Try and find your voice while I keep them busy,” the woman muttered. She rose into the sky, and I gasped. Flying was impossible on Enusia, or rather, no one had invented the spell yet, but Fyren had once mentioned it was common on other worlds. But what was more startling was that even with the Eyes of Fate, I made out no spell or circles, nor even the slightest hint of mana. Had she...Soul Cast? If she had, it was on a level infinitely better than the clumsy technique I invented, maximizing efficiency, control, and speed.

She raised her staff. ”Starfall!”

Nothing seemed to happen for a moment, but then a new light appeared in the sky, descending earthward like a shooting star. The heroes landed heavily on the ground, staring up in grim determination at the massive gate and the woman floating before it.

”Who are you?” Soltair shouted, drawing his sword. His eighth-level aura flowed out over the city, nearly twice as strong as when I last met him.

”She’s a demonkin. What more do you want?” Ronin spat. ”Let’s kill her and get going. Brithlite’s under siege right now, or have you forgotten?”

”Very well,” Soltair replied, nodding.

He raised his sword and the beginnings of a spell appeared in the air over the demonkin. She smiled faintly but remained motionless.

”Are you sure you want to use that here?” She asked, gesturing at the town. ”Such powerful magic won’t leave this town unscathed.”

Soltair hesitated, glancing at the panicked civilians around him. They were searching through the rubble for survivors and filling the air with prayers and anguished cries of sorrow. The woman hovered just low enough that any powerful magic would undoubtedly cause collateral damage. Something as large as Solar Flare would likely wipe the entire city off the map.

”Damn it,” Levin cursed. He raised his heavy mace and slammed it down into the earth, submerging half the flanged head.

The Earth trembled again, but any building that might have fallen had already collapsed. People screamed in fear as large sheets of earth rose out of the ground, jutting out to form shields dozens of feet thick. The shelf-like walls enveloped the town like a curtain, shielding it from whatever happened in the sky above.

”Thanks,” Soltair flashed him a grin. ”I’ve been missing a support for a few months. Care to take up the position?”

Levin shot him an even glance. ”Not if you treat me like your last one.”

”Oh, shut up,” Ronin scowled. ”She was just a filthblood, and a slut at that. Even Alex wanted a piece of her.”

”Wait, are you still mad because she trounced you in that duel?” Soltair teased. ”If she’s a whore, then what does that make you?”

Ronin glared at him, but retained what little dignity he had left in silence. ”Let’s just close this gate and get on with it,” he finally muttered.

The three vanished from their places, forms blurring as they leaped up the shelves like giant stairs. After a few seconds, they vanished through the final gap, ready to confront the woman in the sky.

Over the next several seconds, bright lights and spells radiated through the cracks in the earthen curtains, flashing through the air like fireworks. The dome of rock protected the town, but also hedged it in. Screaming civilians banged on the rock walls with their hands, trying to find a way through, but were helpless against the Earth Hero’s magic.

A deafening blast echoed through the dome as one of the shelves collapsed, broken by some projectile. Millions of tons of rock fell into the river, sending miniature tidal waves riding over the city. Through the writhing clouds of dust, a figure struggled out of the water.

My eyes widened as I recognized Victor. The War Hero was bruised and bloody, one of his arms hanging by a mere thread. He spat a mouthful of blood into the river and held out his good hand, resummoning the sword he had dropped. After casting a quick healing spell to stem the flow of blood, he kicked off the ground, leaving behind an impressive crater, and shot through the hole his fall had caused.

I found it only natural the ninth-level demonkin would reduce the heroes to such a state, but I hadn’t expected it to be so fast. I realized with a guilty start it was satisfying, cathartic even, that Ronin was on his last legs.

The fact that he was alive meant the woman was taking it easy on them. But who was she, and how did Fate summon her? The appearance of the gate had nearly torn our reality to shreds, and now the battle threatened the entire city.

My thoughts evaporated like mist as the air charged with Sun magic and a chill crept down my spine. Soltair was about to make his move.