The Forsaken Hero

The Last Light Company had expanded since the fight in the Ice Gate, forced to take on and train recruits to replace the armies they had lost. All in the camp I awoke in were fresh recruits, but they had all heard the stories. The soldiers who greeted me after I stepped outside the tent were no exception, eager to catch a glimpse of the hero who had quelled a sixth-level gate.

When I suddenly broke down and began sobbing, they reacted rather awkwardly, shifting about, not exactly sure where to look. Undoubtedly, in their experience, heroes were stalwart personifications of righteousness, utterly incapable of things like sorrow or relief. But after hearing Korra had survived, I couldn’t help it and broke down sobbing.

”Lady...” one said, reaching out tentatively, his brow creased in concern.

”I-I’m fine,” I stammered. Conscious of their gaze, I blushed and scrubbed my eyes, a futile gesture as more tears immediately welled up. ”Just...relieved.”

Fable pressed against my side, giving me a silver shoulder to lean on. Feeling an overwhelming urge to hug something, I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face in his fur. It didn’t matter what the soldiers thought. Korra was alive.

Eventually, Fable shifted beneath me, gently prodding me with his paw. I squirmed against him, reluctant to part. The circle of strangers felt a lot more real, all of a sudden, and I didn’t have the heart to face their excitement or enthusiasm, especially after the emotional scene I just presented.

Somehow, Fable wormed his way out of my grip, circling around me quickly and pushing me to my feet. Slowly, I turned and faced the soldiers, gripping the hem of my skirt at the thought of meeting their disdainful expressions. Surprisingly, they were all looking somewhere else, studying their boots, the ground, or even nearby tents. I smiled softly as my heart warmed with gratitude, relaxing my hands and clasping them together.

The moment they felt my gaze, they snapped to attention, pressing their right hands to their chests. My tail flicked in surprise, but I simply nodded, graciously accepting their salute. They had shown me such dignity; the least I could was return it.

”Thank you. Please, take me to Korra.”

A soldier, the one who had spoken before, stepped forward. ”Lady Xiviyah, there was a disturbance on the front lines, and Captain Jackal was forced to attend to matters personally. Your friend was in urgent condition and was rushed into the city, but I can promise she’s receiving the best care the healers can provide. It’s dangerous for a...someone like you...to wander the city alone, so Jackal requested we keep you here until he returns and can properly escort you. Until then...” he gestured at the fire, a hint of red tinting his cheeks. ”Would you care to join us? You must be feeling hungry.”

The other soldiers nodded, their faces bright and eager. I bit my lip, glancing at the fire, then back at the young man before me. Fable whined softly, nudging my side with his head, and I reluctantly nodded. They’d been so kind to us, and after the brutal battle with the centipede, burning my soul, and literally fainting with exhaustion, I was famished.

The soldiers scurried back the fire in excitement, rapidly straightening up their gear and finding a cushion for me to sit on. I smiled faintly, tail twitching, as they ushered me forward. They were rough, hardened men, and I a young demonkin girl, yet they treated me like some sort of princess. Their enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming, yet strangely endearing, filling my heart with warmth.

Fable curled around behind me, his head resting on his paws at my left. His tail drifted across the ground on my other side, occasionally twitching around to brush my ankles.

”Thank you,” I whispered as a cup was pushed into my hands.

I sipped it cautiously and was relieved to find it only water. A few seconds later, it was followed but a bowl of steaming soup. I blew on it softly and held it low, letting Fable get a sniff. When he just lay back down, eyes closed lazily, I relaxed and lifted it to my lips. The broth was hot yet filled with flavor, a welcome change to hard tack and rations we’d lived on for weeks now.

After enjoying the food for a minute, I paused, conscious of the soldiers watching me. Their own food was practically untouched. I’d checked it with Fable, but I still lowered the bowl.

”W-what is it?” I asked, my eyes wide, tail twitching nervously.

The soldiers all started as one, shifting and looking everywhere but at me. The soldier who’d spoken with me until now, his name being Solim, coughed and said, ”Please, forgive our lack of manners. We just didn’t expect you to be so...”

”Beautiful...” another finished, then immediately blushed as everyone stared at him.

Solim coughed. ”I suppose, though I was going for ’human.’ We’ve all heard the stories, about how you single-handedly closed the gate and saved this company. Is it true? Did you really kill a sixth-level demon?”

So that was it. My hands tightened in my lap as I leaned forward, looking around at the circle of eager faces. ”Captain Bethiv and the others fought beside me. I couldn’t have done it alone.”

”And the dragon?” Another asked, eyes wide. ”What about the dragon?”

Question followed question as the soldiers, most of them young men, dug for the truth behind every story and rumor. For a few minutes, I was back in Westfall Village, Ror and Sari beside me. Their eyes had shown the same way as these soldiers did.

The next time I managed to touch my soup, the final wisps of steam had already faded from the oily broth. The sun had fully set, revealing a wide, wondrous vista of stars. I glanced at the lights of the city beneath the monolithic rock formation and ran a hand over the soft ridges of my horn. I hated the thought of spending another night apart from Korra, but it seemed unlikely she was in much danger. Once Jackal returned, we could go to her immediately.

I’d only woken up an hour before, yet, prompted by the soldiers, I returned to my tent for the night. Fable yawned lazily and stretched out across the floor, his tail wagging invitingly. Smiling faintly, I nestled into his fur and rested my head on his shoulder. I had no intention of falling asleep, but the moment he wrapped around me, my eyes closed on their own.

Perhaps it was because I’d been thinking of Sari, but as I fell out of consciousness, I landed in a vision. Light blossomed around me, gradually weaving an unfamiliar scene. I stood upon a mountain overlooking a great city–one far larger than the one beneath the monolith. Behind the towering walls and soaring towers, the canyons and ridges of Blue Canyon stretched across the horizon. The fields between were covered in bristling spears, white tents, and snapping pendants. Tens of thousands of soldiers moved amongst the camp, organized beneath the colors of many different countries. I recognized the banner of Radia and Brithlite, as well as a couple of others, though most camped beneath the standard of the church.

The vision shifted, and I was inside the central citadel of the city, in a throne room of sorts. Alverin lounged upon the throne, gazing down at several soldiers bowing before him. Sari sat on a step beneath him, a chain leash binding her to his hand. She wore a plain dress that hung on her in rags. It hung loosely on her shoulders, the back open nearly to her waist. Long, blood cuts laced her flesh, wounds I was intimately familiar with. The stripes of a whip.

The king tugged on the chain, and she weakly raised her head to look at the soldiers. ”T-the one on the left,” she whispered hoarsely.

”Good,” Alverin said, and a pleasant smile flitted across his face. ”Very good indeed.”

He waved his hand dismissively to the others and opened his mouth to address the soldier Sari indicated. Before he could speak, the vision burst into ribbons of light, and I sat up sharply.

I gasped for breath and pressed a hand to my breast, expecting an explosion of pain in my soul. One second, two, then three, and there was nothing. Slowly, I relaxed and settled back content to nestle against Fable’s side. He stirred slightly and one eye cracked open just long enough to ensure I was still there before he

”Sari...” I whispered, my hand tight against my breast.

Slowly, my finger traced the pale, smooth skin of my chest, tracing invisible lines that had once been branded into my flesh. As my finger reached the middle, a shiver ran down my spine and I withdrew my hand, closing it into a fist.

Alverin had finally discovered Sari’s ability, which came as both a blessing and a curse. The good news was that no power would willingly discard someone with an ”eyes” ability. They were simply too valuable. On the other hand, it also meant retrieving her would be nearly impossible. Sari would be missed and sought after with much greater force than a simple slave.

At long last, I let out a sigh and closed my eyes, beginning a meditative cycle. Moving slowly, I threaded a trickle of mana into my soul and was pleasantly surprised when there was only the barest tingle of pain. Curious, I drew more and more, filling my soul until, suddenly, a surge of fire exploded outward, lancing through my veins. Smothering a cry, I eased off my mana until the pain faded and I was left at the limits my reckless casting had left me.

Fifth level. After burning everything to save Korra, my soul stabilized around the beginning stages of fifth level. It wasn’t nearly as bad as I expected, stopping only after reversing the progress of the past few weeks. Given that my natural healing had drastically slowed once reaching fifth level anyway, it could have been much worse, beyond even dropping me a level. But there was no point worrying about that now, not anymore. Going forward, If I were to advance, I would have to master Astral Wind, a spell that still felt entirely out of reach.

I took a deep breath and began to cycle my mana once more. Attaining freedom had felt out of reach once too, and so had learning to smile. Yet now I had both. All that was left was to practice.