The Forsaken Hero

The dark grip of the shadowy tendrils grew tighter, squeezing until my body groaned in protest. My tail, the only part of me that wasn’t restrained, lashed furiously, but no matter how I struggled, their grip only tightened, refusing to let go.

Last we met, Vithrass claimed this spell, the Chains of Shadows, was his own invention. It specialized in capturing mages, binding their tongue and movements to inhibit their spellcasting ability. It was useless toward me in that regard, but Vithrass had other plans, leaving my mouth free.

A strange magic radiated out through my skin from the icky touch of the tentacles. My soul warmed as Adaptive Resistance rose to meet, it, battling off the strange, invasive power. Tingles erupted across my body, crawling over my body as the waves of encroaching magic increased, jumping up an entire tier of power.

The pattern repeated once more, but the third time, the ensuing burst of icy mana pierced Adaptive Resistance, sweeping through my body and driving the breath from my lungs in a gasp. It penetrated my skin, seeping deep into my bones and causing my entire body to shiver uncontrollably. The cold bit at my flesh, and I whimpered, my skin going pale, my lips taking on a subtle tinge of blue.

”Hmm, so that’s your limit.”

Vithrass’ voice registered on the edges of my consciousness, for at that moment, the cold further intensified. My blood seemed to freeze, stabbing through my veins like jagged icy knives, drawing an agonized scream through my lips. I writhed in the tentacle’s unrelenting grip, the pain slowly building until my throat turned raw, my voice hoarse from screaming.

”Starlight!” Tana gasped, finally catching sight of me. The rest of the party had been consumed in their fight, leaving me helpless against Vithrass’ cruel desires, only now noticing as my voice filled the warehouse.

”Hang on, we’re coming!” Dyson called, gritting his teeth. He and Rasce were dripping blood from a multitude of shallow lacerations, fighting furiously against the cursed Dawn Blades. They’d taken a disadvantage early on, committing to subduing the adventurers without killing them, hoping we’d be able to remove the curse later.

Wait, the curse...!

My eyes, misted over with frozen tears, brightened, and I strained for my staff. A tentacle bound my wrist tightly, but the spell hadn’t accounted for the ability to will something into existence. Vithrass noticed the moment the flurry of stars appeared, stroking my cheek with his open palm. When I refused to respond, he grabbed my shoulder, digging his fingers into the glowing scars of Sunpurge. A wave of black dots crossed my vision, and I bit my lip, holding back a cry. My concentration faltered, my spells nearly failing, but I persevered, fighting against the bitter cold and blazing pain of the Sunpurge.

Removing his hand from my shoulder, he grabbed my throat, jerking forward until our noses almost touched. His red eyes burned like coals, filled with rage. I sputtered, gasping for breath, but his grip was like iron, slowly choking the life from me.

”Foolish slave,” he spat, ”What the hell can you do right now? Your friends are busy fighting their own kind, far too afraid of hurting their ’friends’ to fight seriously. Their only option is a slow, battle that ends in death. Nothing can free their minds, not you, or anyone!.”

Behind him, two third-circle spells formed, wrapping around the members of the Dawn Blade party. Sorrin, Tana, and Fable finally succeeded in tearing the last Shadow Golem to pieces. Something about the wolfkin, specifically, drew my gaze, for his soul surged with light. In his desperation, he fought harder than he ever had before, pushing his limits in a dire bid to protect who he loved. But even as they claimed victory and turned their attention toward us, Vithrass was far too distracted to notice.

”You are nothing,” He hissed, his breath hot against my frozen skin.

The last of my mana gone, I lost all strength to resist, and I sagged against the tentacles, relinquishing myself to their assault. He tilted my chin up again and smiled, releasing my throat.

”There, that’s better. There is no fighting it. The Joys are inevitable, and-”

”You...You underestimated me again,” I whispered, my voice labored and trembling.

”What?” He blinked, then reflexively threw himself to the side.

A silver blur filled my vision as Fable came out of nowhere, slamming into Vithrass. The two tumbled across the room in a flurry of sword and teeth, ending with the two standing several feet apart, staring at each other warily.

”Starlight!”

Sorrin’s sword flashed through the air, passing just beneath my feet and severing the source of the shadowy tendrils. Deprived of their roots, the tentacles writhed, withering into nothingness, and I collapsed into his arms. More shadows rose from the circle, grasping around my ankles, but he tore me away.

Even free of the spell, the dreadful stubbornly persisted, wracking my flesh with violent shivers. I clung to Sorrin, soaking in the warmth of his body, cradling my aching shoulder. A sob pushed up my throat, and tears finally began to fall. Tana ran forward, taking me from Sorrin and wrapping her arms around me.

Although herself tired and injured, she held me against her breast, stroking my hair and chanting a spell. The soothing glow of Life Magic soon emanated over me, breaking the worst of the pain and restoring my ability to focus on the battle.

Across the room, the two remaining members of the Dawn Blades dropped to their knees, gasping for air, their eyes staring blankly. The curse had only been third-circle, yet the impact even weak curses had on the unprepared soul was devastating. Elise had suffered for days after I broke her curse, and that had been as simple as hampering her mana. For them, whose very body and mind were consumed, it would likely take weeks for them to return to normal.

Fable howled, and I turned my head just in time to see him thrown across the room, blood streaming from a nasty cut on his flank. He slammed into the ground, rolling several times, before staggering to his feet. Giving himself a shake, the wolf bounded over to us, circling protectively around our legs. Dyson and Rasce, now free of their opponents, moved to flank Vithrass, who was standing in the darkness. The demonkin dripped blood from a multitude of wounds, the worst being his arm, which Fable had torn to ribbons, but he glared at us with all the arrogance of an emperor.

”What is this?” Vithrass asked, staring at the Dawn Blades. His gaze moved up, locking onto my trembling body. ”What have you done?”

His cold fury made me flinch, but I brushed away my tears and forced myself to meet his gaze. ”They’re free.”

”Impossible! Even if there were magic capable of breaking curses, you are in no state to cast them!”

”Enough,” Sorrin said, stepping forward. ”Where are you keeping the other beastkin?”

Vithrass snarled, drawing his sword. ”You dare to stand before me? Even in my current state, you lack the qualifications to challenge me.”

Sorrin hesitated, glancing back at the rest of our party. Until now, Vithrass had fought using mostly third and fourth-level magical techniques. If he were to get serious, none of us would be able to resist his full power. The difference between fourth and fifth levels was so great that a true fifth-level expert could take on ten fourth-level fighters and once and win.

”Sorrin...” I called, straining to raise my voice above a whisper. ”You can...you can win.”

He glanced back, taking in our sorry state, and his eyes hardened with resolve. His knuckles turned white as his grip tightened on his sword and he stepped forward.

”We’ve beat you once, and there’s no reason we won’t again,” he said.

Vithrass raised his blade. ”Try it.”

The two kicked off the ground, closing the gap between them in an instant. Their blades met in a clash of sparks, emitting shockwaves that tore at my hair and clothes. Light radiated from their swords, leaving behind trailing ribbons as they engaged each other, exchanging blows with such speed I lost track of their swords.

Yet, it still felt...slow. I had learned from Fyren’s training to watch their souls, not their bodies, a technique that allowed me to follow combat no matter the speed. Compared to the Soltair and Trithe, their movements felt lethargic and lacking power.

But despite the difference, my heart labored in my chest, pounding against my ribs as though it were trying to escape. I’d rarely ever felt this worried for Soltair, his battles always felt larger than life. The Glory Chasers...felt real, a feeling I didn’t quite know how to address. I clasped my hands together tightly, my tail swishing anxiously, as Sorrin was pushed back.

Vithrass held his sword in two hands, channeling a fifth-level magical technique. Sorrin shouted and used his mana, reinforcing his body and blade, but the sudden rush of Shadow overwhelmed him, setting him stumbling back. He hurriedly raised his blade, but Vithrass was before him, his blade already descending.

Suddenly, an arrow flitted through the air, its fletching trailing the soft green glow of life magic. Vithrass turned his slash into a parry, sending the arrow spinning off into the dark, but the distraction allowed Sorrin to regain his feet.

”We’re with you!” Rasce called, stringing another arrow. He drew his bow and fired again, forcing Vithrass to duck out of the way.

Dyson appeared in the demonkin’s blindspot, blade flashing in the dark. Vithrass grunted, kicking him away, but the thief’s efforts manifested a second later as he fell to one knee, clutching a bloody laceration across his hamstring.

”Damned humans,” Vithrass shrieked. ”I’ll kill you all!”

His soul blazed with crushing, fifth-level power. Shadows flowed toward him, filling the air like foul smoke. The haze clung to my light spheres, plunging the room into an eerie twilight.

Vithrass summoned his mana, condensing it on the edge of his sword. He leveled his blade at Sorrin, but hesitated, a vile grin spreading across his face. As he turned toward Tana and me, my breath caught in my throat. Avoiding an attack of such speed and power would be difficult for Dyson, not to mention us, who were mere mages!

The demonkin’s eyes slid over to Sorrin as he slashed forward, watching the wolfkin’s reaction carefully. But regardless of his intentions, the attack was very real, a black arc of shadows that split the very air apart.

”No! Tana!” Sorrin cried, leaping forward. Driven by desperation, he met the attack head-on, drawing on every ounce of power he could muster. His soul trembled and shook, straining to answer his need.

The black crest slammed into him, pushing him back. He groaned under its fell weight, sweat and blood streaking his body. Just as he was about to fall, his soul exploded, rapidly expanding far beyond its previous limits. With a shout, he grasped at the newfound power and threw himself forward, slashing up in an explosion of light and mana.

The shadowy magical technique blew apart, dissipating like smoke on a breezy day. Sorrin stood amidst the fading magic, panting heavily, his eyes flashing with light. But it was his soul I watched, a soul brimming with power. Fifth-level power. He had broken through.