The Forsaken Hero

The horrified silence that had gripped the city after the Mana Storm shattered as the two armies clashed. I winced, covering my ears against the din of battle: the horrific chorus of screams, the thunderous roar of explosions, and the sickening crunch of metal on bone. The two armies collided with brutal force, a maelstrom of violence and desperation.

The Last Light Company surged into the Brithlite ranks, leaving a trail of carnage in their wake. Each soldier fought with grim necessity, cutting down the weakened and disoriented men and women of Brithlite with chilling efficiency. Hundreds fell in the initial clash, their cries drowned out by the deafening roar of battle.

A profound sorrow weighed heavy on the actions of the Last Light Company. Their solemn faces lacked the glory and pride that marked their other battles, and even the youngest, most idealistic soldiers seemed reluctant.

There was no honor in slaying their countrymen, who, under different circumstances, might have been allies or even friends. But the Heart Crest had twisted their minds and souls, leaving them vacant and erratic. As they rallied against the sudden assault, they fought with mindless ferocity, each a zealot for the Circle’s twisted cause.

The screams of the dead and dying wore on me, weighing on my heart until I turned away, unable to watch. This wasn’t like any battle we’d fought before; we were the aggressors now, and our opponents were those who had no control over their own actions. Their blood was on my hands.

”My Lady, we should get going,” Luxxa’s voice cut through the haze of guilt that threatened to engulf me, startling me back to the present.

I nodded quickly and grasped Fable’s fur, straining to pull myself onto his back. My arms, still weak from casting Mana Storm, struggled to lift my weight, and I sagged back, panting with the effort. Suddenly, two strong arms caught me and lifted me effortlessly, like a child. The fingers brushed against my sunpurge, sending a sharp thrill of pain through me, but I bit my lip and nodded gratefully at Gith as he gently placed me on Fable’s back.

”Thanks,” I mumbled, subtly rubbing my side, hoping he wouldn’t notice my discomfort.

”It was simply my duty,” he replied.

As Kahlen and the Star Guard cast their final spells and prepared to enter the fray, I shivered, casting a lingering glance at Gith. The man was relatively lithe and slender compared to most warriors, and yet, gentle as he was, his grip had nearly left bruises on my flesh. Compared to him—to all of them—I was utterly helpless. Reminders of my physical weakness were always disconcerting, but for some reason, I felt particularly vulnerable now.

Perhaps it was just nerves or guilt twisting my thoughts into dark shapes.

”So the plan is to shoot for the shard, right?” Jenna asked.

”We’ve got to, or all this,” I said, gazing down at the battle, ”Will be in vain.”

Our mission was crucial; if we failed, all the death and destruction below would be for nothing. But this was the only plan that might work, the only way to save the city.

Bethiv had settled on it once I volunteered to take out the mana cannons. He would keep the main armies engaged and distracted while we blitzed through the city and secured the Shard of Omniscience. The hope was that most of the enemy would surrender or lay down their arms once we dismantled the device projecting the Heart Crest. I could only pray we were right.

”We’ll carve you a path through,” Luxxa declared, drawing her sword and hefting her shield, taking her place beside Kahlen. ”Just promise me you’ll remain behind us.”

”Alright,” I said, agreeing meekly. I was already nervous about traversing a battlefield so intimately, not to mention how precarious the balance I’d achieved with the sunpurge was. One misstep, one stray sun spell piercing my resistance, and it could all be over.

”Allow me to lead,” Kahlen said, ”I’ve been looking for an opportunity to test myself against these puny mortals.”

Before I could respond, he waved his hand and summoned four swords. The blades were massive, easily five feet from point to pommel, and floated in the air as if carried by unseen hands. Fable’s hackles rose, causing me to shift uncomfortably as they materialized. I stroked his neck soothingly, murmuring reassurances. His wary growl prompted me to look up again and observe the blades. Was he this uneasy because of their duel? Were they that powerful?

The swords’ blades were made of shining steel, the handles of pure gold. Each had a different-colored gemstone set in the cross guard that emitted powerful elemental fluctuations. Small bits of respective energy wreathed the blade, emitting an aura that reached the fourth level.

”Impressive,” Jenna remarked, sidling a little closer to the demon. ”Four at once, hm? It seems your evolution changed a lot of things about you.”

Kahlen barely spared her a glance, and his tone remained dismissive. ”Naturally, mortal. We demons are like nothing you’ve ever experienced.”

”Perhaps you could help me change that. Later, of course,” Jenna said with a playful wink.

”That’s enough, Jenna,” Luxxa’s voice cut through the oddly flirtatious exchange. ”We’ve got to move.”

Jenna flashed Kahlen one last smile, which he seemed to ignore. Still, as he strode down the hill, leading us all forward, the corner of his steely lips twitched upwards for a fleeting moment before returning to his expressionless mask. I just shook my head and let out a long sigh. Some things never changed.

But as we approached the battle, I felt oddly loose and relaxed. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Jenna watching me closely with a pleased smile. Had that actually been her intention all along? To distract me from the impending carnage? If so, it had somehow worked. For a few seconds, at least.

Fable leaped over a few squads of the Last Light Company, landing with a heavy thud just a dozen feet in front of a heavily armored battalion of Brithlite knights. They stumbled back in surprise as the Star Guard engaged, falling quickly before our relentless onslaught. They numbered close to fifty, but seemed like helpless sheep before a pack of wolves.

With a feral roar that shattered the air, Kahlen lunged forward, hands outstretched like grasping claws. He seized a screaming soldier by the helmet, crushing it effortlessly in one hand, then tossed the still-writhing body into a group of his companions. His swords spun together, their pommels nearly touching, forming a whirling star of death ten feet across.

The blades flickered with elemental energy as they whirled into the survivors, severing limbs and heads in a storm of gore, flinging arcs of crimson blood in all directions. The fluid formed a thick mist that settled on the crushed and torn corpses, beading like dew on their once silver plate mail.

I’d never witnessed such a brutal spectacle up close, never experienced the raw, visceral horror of war. I’d always been at a distance; a protector casting spells far from the true carnage. Even in the Ice Gate, fighting beside the Last Light Company, we had been three hundred against ten thousand. The demons had been a faceless, indistinguishable horde. Even in the skirmishes against Connor’s army, I’d remained safely hidden in the Core Chamber.

But here, there was no escaping the gruesome reality. Corpses littered the battlefield, many torn into unrecognizable fragments. The once-soft dirt and grass were now stained crimson with blood, and the air was filled with the haunting cries of the dying. It was every bit as dreadful as the darkness of the slave warehouses or the torture chambers of the Inquisitors.

A fifth-circle lightning spell from Jenna arced across the sky, striking a nearby troop of enemy soldiers, sending them sprawling, their skin blackened and cracked, their screams hoarse with agony. I tried to take a deep breath and calm myself, but the stench of blood was rancid, overwhelming my delicate nose.

I shuddered, gripping Fable’s fur tighter as my stomach lurched, bile rising in my throat. Every instinct screamed at me to flee, to hide, or at the very least, to bury my face in Fable’s fur and weep. The others were right; I had no place in this war. I wasn’t strong enough, brave enough, or even able to stomach the consequences of my own choices. I had brought us here. I was responsible for this madness.

And yet, despite all that, here I was, and I couldn’t flee now. Everyone was counting on us.

As I steeled myself, a tremendous plume of fire erupted from somewhere to my left, arcing across the battlefield in a devastating inferno. It swept past us, devouring two battalions of soldiers that had been advancing toward me, leaving a broad swathe of charred earth between us and the city.

Before the flames subsided, a dark, demonic silhouette rose from the ashes, and another wave of fire surged forth, scorching yet another section of the battlefield. Then another, and another, until a dozen demon incarnations had carved a fiery path through the entire Brithlite army.

”Now!” Luxxa cried.

With a cry, she plunged into the flames, leading us toward the city on a path riddled with ash and bone.