The Forsaken Hero

Suddenly, a soldier’s scream pierced the air. He clutched at his throat, an arrow protruding from it. His comrades watched in horrified disbelief as he stumbled backward and collapsed, blood gushing between his fingers.

It wasn’t until a second arrow felled another soldier that the rest finally reacted, drawing their swords and erupting into a cacophony of shouts and screams. I flicked my wrist, and my spell resolved, enveloping me in a shimmering Blade Ward.

”Grasping Vines!” Luxxa’s voice called, her command cutting through the chaos. Hundreds of thick, thorny vines burst from the earth, trapping the limbs of the surviving soldiers and immobilizing them in their tracks.

At the same time, Fable plummeted out of the sky, smashing directly into the captain. The man screamed, trying to fend off the wolf with his sword, but Fable’s claws reached him first, tearing through his armor and into his chest. The captain’s voice cut off in a wet gurgle as he clamped his jaws around his throat, breaking the man’s throat and tearing out his windpipe.

The Star Guard burst onto the scene, their souls ablaze with righteous fury. In mere seconds, they dispatched the remaining soldiers, their movements a blur of deadly precision. There was no mercy in their eyes, no hesitation in their attacks; they killed with ruthless efficiency.

Through the chaos, I stood motionless, my gaze locked on Jessia. Her face contorted from shock to panic, but then her eyes met mine, and a strange calm washed over her. A faint, almost amused smile played on her lips, and she took a step toward me. But the moment her foot touched the ground, she vanished.

I stiffened as I felt her presence directly behind me, her voice a chilling whisper against my ear.

”Not bad, Xiviyah,” she said, sounding not the least bit defeated. ”I’m impressed. Really. In fact, I dare say you have a shot at bringing down that bastard king. Be careful, though. He’s got a lot of surprises prepared for you. I’d know. I helped set them up myself.”

She giggled, and a shiver crawled down my spine.

”Looks like I’ve overstayed my welcome, though,” she continued, her voice fading. ”So, I’d best be going. Good luck!”

Her presence evaporated behind me, dissipating like smoke. She was gone by the time I turned my head, leaving a lingering chill in the air.

”My Lady, are you alright?” Luxxa asked, rushing towards me. She looked me over carefully, even circling me once, checking for injuries.

”I-I think so,” I stammered, rubbing my arm where the Soul Binder bracelet had been.

She sighed and folded her arms, her gaze a mix of relief and reproach. ”Everything seems to have worked out alright, but would it have killed you to give us a little heads up? You’ve got to stop disappearing on us like this.”

I tilted my head in confusion. ”Oh, sorry. I thought Fable found you.”

She chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief. ”Was that your idea of letting us know that you were being kidnapped?”

”I wasn’t kidnapped,” I retorted, perhaps a bit too defensively. ”I needed to figure out what they were doing.”

”It was too risky,” she said, her voice firm. ”What if this damned thing—” she gave the bracelet a swift kick, sending it bouncing down the hillside, ”—actually worked on you? Did you even think about what that would mean for the rest of us? How devastating it would be?”

I looked down at my feet, biting my lip, a shiver running through me. ”I-I’m sorry,” I whispered. ”I didn’t, um... I’m sorry.”

She sighed and let her arms fall to her sides, looking as exhausted as I felt. Her voice softened as she continued, ”Xiviyah, I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to get so upset. It’s just... I’m worried you’re recklessly throwing your life away. I know you think it’s inevitable, but you can’t give up yet. Fate’s not written in stone, remember?”

”I’ll try,” I said quietly, ”but I’ll do whatever I must to see her free, to see her smile as herself again.”

A brief silence fell, and I sniffled, tears welling up in my eyes. Even though I’d known the Elise in the vision wasn’t real, my heart still ached. Just seeing her face, imposter or not, reminded me of how far away she truly was.

”A well-executed plan, my Lady,” Kahlen’s voice interrupted my thoughts, startling me. He’d walked over from where the others were examining the corpses.

I blinked, my tail twitching in surprise. In the bloody chaos following their arrival, I hadn’t even noticed the silver-toned demon. ”T-thanks,” I managed, wiping the excess moisture from my eyes, trying to compose myself.

”You didn’t seem the least bit surprised about this, demon,” Luxxa said, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Kahlen looked at her with undisguised disdain. ”It’s evident you mortals cannot be trusted with my Lady’s safety. Had the apostle not foolishly underestimated her Resistances, she would have been spirited away to the Circle in chains. It is my responsibility to ensure that doesn’t happen and to watch over the Oracle at all times.”

”So you knew?” Luxxa’s voice was sharp, accusatory.

”Isn’t that obvious?”

Suddenly, Jenna walked over and patted Kahlen on the shoulder, causing everyone to stare at her in surprise. It was such an absurd, unexpected gesture that it almost shattered the tension building between Luxxa and the demon.

”You know, Kahlen,” she said, leaning in close to him, making even the stoic demon shy back uncomfortably, ”If you wanted to be a Star Guard, you just had to ask. We’re rather few in number right now and could use your help in a more official capacity.”

”What nonsense are you spouting now? I should–”

”Absolutely not,” Luxxa said, cutting him off before he could finish protesting. ”I’ll let no demon get close to my Lady.”

”Luxxa, Kahlen,” I said, ”Please, I appreciate everything you do, but this isn’t the time to argue.”

The two glared at each other a second longer before Luxxa saluted, and the demon turned his head with a sniff.

”Forgive my impudence,” Luxxa said, lowering her head.

I nodded and swallowed before continuing. ”Um, Kahlen?”

He froze, glancing at me incredulously. ”No.”

”Please? It would help the soldiers trust you more, too.”

The temperature plunged as Kahlen shivered, his swords bobbing in agitation, but he quickly regained his composure. ”Fine,” he conceded stiffly. ”I will do as you command.”

Luxxa shook her head, disapproval clear in her eyes. ”My lady, this isn’t a good idea. You shouldn’t trust him.”

”I vote he can join,” Gith interjected unexpectedly. ”He’s... reliable. I can’t think of a time I haven’t sensed him by her side.”

”What? You too?” Luxxa exclaimed in disbelief.

”Really?” I asked, turning to Kahlen with wide eyes. He hung around a lot, true, but I only saw him for a handful of hours a day. Was he just hiding from me?

He nodded, folding his arms and puffing out his chest with pride. ”Naturally. The Lord of Ash tasked me with protecting you at all costs. Why would I ever leave you alone when you have such a knack for getting into trouble?”

I rubbed my horn, feeling a bit bashful, and avoided looking at the corpses of the Brithlitian soldiers.

Luxxa looked between everyone, her gaze settling on her companions, who nodded in agreement. Then, her shoulders slumped, and she sighed. ”Very well, if you’re all certain, who am I to argue.” Her eyes narrowed as she gave Kahlen one last glare. ”But I’m watching you, demon.”

He shrugged. ”Perhaps it would be better to watch after the Oracle.”

I half expected her to argue, but she just shook her head dismissively. Perhaps I was spending too much time around Korra and Gayron. Seeing someone end an argument so... maturely was a little strange.

”Then I shall accept the title as your official guard,” Kahlen declared, his voice ringing with a hint of pride. ”I have no need for such pretentious positions, but I can see the benefits of legitimizing my role. I’ll have it known,” he added, fixing his gaze on Luxxa, ”I accept no orders from anyone but the Oracle herself. I will act as I see fit.”

The skin around Luxxa’s eyes tightened, but she didn’t rise to the bait. ”I would expect nothing less from a demon.”

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. I’d done everything I could to distrust the demon, but he’d come through every time. He’d saved me from Victor, the Justice Hero, and many times since then, his presence as constant as my own shadow. Somehow, sometime, I’d started to trust him.

”Now that that’s settled, perhaps we should give the commander some attention.”

I nodded and looked over to where Bethiv, flanked by Jackal and Joel, stood waiting. They were dressed in their armor, their faces grim.

”I see you’ve been busy, my lady,” Bethiv said, glancing at the bodies as he strode over.

I inclined my head. ”The Apostle of Secrets approached me and tried to lure me away, to capture me. I’d been trying to figure out how they’d managed to overwhelm us with their curse, and then I figured it could only happen if I weren’t there. If they succeeded in kidnapping me, then it would be possible, so I sprung their trap.”

”So, it’s done, then? We’ve won?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

I shook my head. ”Not yet. I simply offset the future I was shown, but that doesn’t mean there’s not another we lose. Alverin hides behind layers of plans and deceit; this was only the first. I’m...afraid now. The one future we know is gone, leaving us to face the unknown.”

”Don’t be,” Bethiv said, resting his hand on his sword. ”Rather, he should be afraid of us. We’re no longer the ragtag group of mercenaries banished to the front lines. If we really committed, there’s not a force alive that can match us.”

”Should I give the order, my lord?” Joel asked, stepping up and saluting.

Bethiv glanced at me, and I nodded.

”For Elise.”

”Do it,” he commanded, ”We march on Brithlite.”