The Forsaken Hero

No sooner did the realization come than I was hit by a transcendental feeling, a surge of mana so powerful it sent a wave of black dots dancing before my eyes. I shuddered as a wave of titillating pleasure followed hot on its heels, stealing the breath from my lungs and setting me on fire. Every fiber of my body tingled, from the tip of my horns to my tail, eliciting a small, breathless moan.

Fable writhed at my side, lost in the throes of breaking through. His body, which had only just adjusted to the immense growth a few hours before, exploded with growth. His size didn’t change, remaining about fifteen feet from nose to tail, but his aura underwent another qualitative transformation. The space around us cracked like a broken mirror, the unstable space of the gate struggling to contain the sudden flow of raw, primal mana. His eyes lit up with golden, starry light, his horns taking a beautiful, silver sheen. His fur seemed glossier and softer than before, if such a thing was even possible, and I found myself cuddling up close to him, drawn in by the heat pouring off his body.

At last, the sensations began to fade, and I finally fell still, my quivering tail the only sign of the overwhelming experience of breaking through. I felt empty without the seductive warmth of mana, but the hole inside me quickly closed as Fable draped his head over my shoulder, his tongue flicking my cheek tenderly.

”It’s done,” I whispered, my voice trembling with wonder. ”It...it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

For the first time since I could feasibly remember, there was no more pain. Even though my soul had been oversaturated with mana during my breakthrough, enough to stretch it past the bursting point, there hadn’t been any pain. Nothing. Not even the slightest burn or tearing sensation.

”Congratulations, my lady.” The ice spirit saluted as its avatar materialized before me, gauntlet pressed to its breastplate.

I nodded my thanks but found trouble raising my head again. My horns felt impossibly heavy, weighing my head down, and even my tail refused to flick with the joy that permeated my entire being. Darkness crept in on the edges of my vision, and the ice spirit’s crisp form began to blur. Even if my soul didn’t hurt, it practically quivered with exhaustion, and my physical body was no better.

”H-how long did it take?” I stammered, barely recognizing the soft, slurred voice as my own.

”Almost a day,” the spirit replied. ”Your condition worsened a few hours ago, and I worried you wouldn’t be able to finish. Thank you for surprising me.”

”It did? I hadn’t even noticed,” I mumbled. The ache of sunpurge was unmistakable now, pulsing through the haze with the fury of hot coals. The healing salve’s effects still took the edge off the pain, but even in the short time since I’d completed the spell, its effects had lessened considerably. Elinore had promised me little more than a few hours, so I was probably lucky it had lasted long enough for me to finish, but I wasn’t looking forward to the pain when it entirely wore off.

With a long sigh, I closed my eyes and leaned against Fable. He could have been a rock for all I cared. I was that tired, and his newfound warmth and the soft caress of his fur nearly stole my consciousness immediately. Another thought kept the darkness at bay, though, and I managed to open my eyes to slits, forcing myself to focus on the ice spirit.

”Korra?” I asked after much effort.

”Safe. The divine’s army fully departed the gate almost four ago, and the demons have withdrawn to the entrance. There are still several thousand in the gate itself, and I imagine more are waiting outside.”

”Oh.” It was hard to think, to even come up with a single reason why that was so. Shouldn’t they be attacking now?

The ice spirit smiled as though guessing my thoughts. ”I can’t imagine they dare attack right now. They don’t want to lose their precious apostle right now.”

His words seemed important, but I couldn’t bring myself to focus on them. Korra was safe, so what else really mattered? Perhaps if I had more presence of mind, I would worry about Sari and the other forces we had outside the gate, but thinking with that wide of a perspective wasn’t possible right now. I just wanted to sleep.

I didn’t even remember closing my eyes. The next thing I knew, I was lying on a small stone bench, curled up with my head resting on my arms. With a small yawn, I sat up and stretched, conscious of my tail swaying in the air over the edge of the bench. My soul didn’t hurt, nor did the sunpurge. Instead, I was filled with a quiet peace, a tranquil, rippless pool of water.

My wonder turned to wariness as I looked around, finding myself in a familiar place. The core chamber was gone, as was the gate. I was on a small, floating isle in a sea of stars as endless as the sky itself. Small trees grew on the island’s edge, with a small shrine-like fountain in the middle. The fountain held a statue of Fate, depicted in meticulous detail, with small, glowing eyes that seemed alive. Water overflowed from the bowl with the sound of a trickling stream, winding through the carpet of soft grass and flowers before disappearing over the edge.

A slight breeze wafted over the island, teasing my hair into swaying behind me. Sensing the disturbance in the peace, I turned and gazed up at the tall, slender woman standing behind me. Her likeness was identical to the statue in the shrine, save with the colors of life. She had long, flowing hair the color of starlight and wore a dress woven from the night sky itself, the hems fading into nothingness. Her eyes were bright and clear, shining gold irises alight with drifting stars.

Tears blurred my eyes, and before I could stop myself, I’d left the bench and thrown myself in her arms. ”Fate!”

She stiffened at the sudden embrace but softened quickly and wrapped me up in her arms, tenderly stroking my hair even as I broke into sobs. ”Shhh, it’s alright. I’m here now.”

Sniffling, I looked up into her eyes, seeing my own tear-stained face reflected in them. ”Why did you leave me? I thought you were...were...”

”Dead?” she asked, the corners of her lips twitching in a smile. ”Did you see my kingdom burn?”

I shook my head and clung to her even tighter. The Ally of Fate had said the same thing, but what did it even mean for a god’s kingdom to burn? ”B-but the new Fate God–”

”It’s difficult to supplant a god, especially one as old as me. But don’t worry about that now. Thank you for taking care of my divinity, even if you’ve taken it some rather dangerous places.”

I wiped away a tear, blushing softly. ”I’m...sorry. But I had to save Sari.”

She smiled kindly. ”I know, I’m only teasing. I wouldn’t have hidden it in your staff if I didn’t trust you with it. And I’m sorry for cutting you off. It was the only way to protect both you and my divinity.”

”But why?” I asked.

Fate shook her head, her eyes turning wistful. ”You’re a clever girl. If you haven’t already, you’ll figure it out, but suffice it to say it had to be done. It’s a small price to pay for freedom, but know it hurt you, for which I apologize.”

I nodded, and she rested a hand on the back of my head, pulling me against her chest. I closed my eyes and melted into her embrace, letting the thoughts and worries of my life fade into the background. I didn’t know how, but Fate was here. She hadn’t abandoned me.

After several long, tranquil moments, Fate spoke again. ”Xiviyah, you’re walking in uncharted territory. While Astral Breath is a powerful spell, no one has ever been able to use it to recover from such grievous wounds before. In all the millennia I’ve watched the realms, you are the first mortal to heal anyone above the fifth level. Even a god would find doing so to a seventh-level soul all but impossible. I could do it, as could Soul, and perhaps Healing, but beyond that?” Her smile softened, filling my stomach with butterflies. ”Xiviyah, I’m proud of you.”

”Y-you are?” I stammered, looking up at her with wide, shining eyes, barely daring to believe her.

She nodded and began stroking my hair again, patting gently between my horns. ”I’ve been watching you this whole time. After everything you’ve been through, after how hard you’ve tried, of course I’m proud of you. You come so very far.”

Hearing her say it again convinced even the most doubtful parts of me, and I broke down in tears. She held me and whispered soothingly in my ear, comforting me like I always yearned for my mother to do. She had abandoned me when I was a child, leaving me in the cold, ruthless world. But in the arms of Fate, I felt everything I dreamed it would be: all of the love, comfort, and security I so desperately wanted.

”It’s not over,” Fate murmured when I finally calmed down. ”Even though you’ve finally healed your soul, there’s still so much to be done.”

”I have to save Elise,” I said with a nod. ”And I can’t let Alverin finish his experiments with the Heart Crest.”

”It’s worse than you think,” Fate said sadly. ”The gods are looking for a new, easier way of harvesting faith power. If they manage to perfect an artifact to bind people with a heart crest, twisting their desires to give faith to the gods, they will enslave entire words. Every realm with a Shard of Omniscience will be shackled to their whims, a farm for faith. Can you imagine that, Xiviyah? A universe without freedom or choice?”