The Forsaken Hero

My heart skipped a beat as a tremendous amount of mana poured from the Life Hero’s soul into the spell. Seeing such a vast ocean come from such a small figure seemed absurd, but I felt a touch of irony as I realized I probably looked the same. My build was no different than R’lissea’s, after all.

Her seventh-circle spell was beautiful, beginning as a winding mass of thick tendrils of life mana that curled around each other like tree roots. As the seconds passed, they began to take form, carving runes in the air and forming the frame of the seven magic circles.

Shortly before the spell was completed, the mana cannons fired again, this time four of them, eighth-circle, centered on me. It seemed they hadn’t quite realized I wasn’t just resisting their magic but utterly immune to it. Perhaps they were like Luxxa and the other Star Guard had been. It truly was unheard of that anyone could just be immune to sixth-circle spells.

As both of our spells neared completion, I locked eyes with R’lissea. We were hundreds, if not a thousand, feet apart, but I could still see the pain and reluctance in her gaze. She broke away first, biting her lip and taking a hesitant step back.

But her spell never wavered, and it completed before mine did. The seven magic circles came together to form one giant circle, and it stiffened, recognizing it as the exact same sequence as when I summoned an elemental spirit. Only this was a seventh-circle spell, a life spell, cast by the Life Hero. My elementals were strong, but I could only imagine how powerful one would be that matched the attribute of its caster, a hero no less.

A brilliant sphere of life magic coalesced at the heart of the magic circles. It swelled in size—ten feet, fifty, a hundred, then three hundred. It became impossibly dense, a blinding emerald radiance that obscured its inner workings from both my natural eyes and the Oracle of Eternity.

I didn’t have long to wait, however. In a fraction of a second, the sphere imploded, collapsing inward and taking on a draconic form. The creature that emerged was a hundred feet long, sculpted from the very essence of the forest—trees, leaves, and unworked stone. Layered horns of gnarled branches twisted from its head, and its wings were a magnificent canopy of leaves, each shimmering with vibrant green energy. Bark and rock formed its body in place of flesh and scales, covered in patches of prickly moss. Its eyes shone a startling green, and as it opened its maw to roar, it revealed rows of jagged, stone teeth.

R’lissea shouted a command, her voice swallowed by the winds that whipped around the colossal creature, stirred into a frenzy by its sheer presence. Each beat of its majestic wings created miniature cyclones that descended on the warring armies below, tossing soldiers aside like dried leaves in a hurricane.

I couldn’t fathom what kind of creature she’d summoned, or the spell that had conjured it, but it was clearly some form of life elemental, one far more powerful than any summoned entity I’d ever seen. It radiated an aura of strength, powerful enough to challenge any of the heroes, perhaps even overpower them.

I gaped at the young elf hero, a shiver coursing through me as the dragon’s gaze locked onto mine. She’d always been quiet and timid, a kindred spirit, but this was nothing like the girl I remembered. Just how powerful had she become?

Fable growled as the dragon came a wingbeat closer, stepping before me. I quickly shook off my shock, though my tail continued to tremble, and nodded at him.

There was no need for a command or even words. My wolf understood me perfectly. This was our last, and most important fight. We couldn’t afford to keep any cards hidden or hold anything back.

The Life Elemental opened its massive jaws, wide enough to swallow one of the forts whole. The surrounding air rushed into the gaping maw as a tiny, glimmering point of light materialized within, rapidly intensifying in both power and aura. Fable howled a challenge as the creature unleashed its attack, a beam of pure energy glowing brighter than the sun. Stars swirled around him, thick as fog, expanding rapidly until they enveloped the entire hillside.

Suddenly, before I could even comprehend what was happening, I was thrown from my feet. I struggled to maintain my grip on the spell, blinding bursts of pain rolling through the sunpurge as I tumbled across the unforgiving ground. Tears blurred my vision as I pushed myself to my knees, clutching my side, fighting back a sob.

Finally, blinking away the tears, I looked up to see what had knocked me down. Fable had launched himself into the air, utterly obliterating the hillside where I’d been standing moments before. It wasn’t just the force of his impact, but his sheer, overwhelming size. Just the act of jumping had displaced the earth beneath my feet, flattening the hill and sending me tumbling.

The last time I’d seen Fable in his true form, he’d been close to sixty feet long. That had been enormous, almost beyond my comprehension. But if that weaker version of him were standing next to his current body, it would have looked like a mere pup.

The silver wolf now stood proudly atop several flattened hills, his coat gleaming with the light of a thousand stars. He was smaller than the dragon, only about a third of its size, but still easily more than a hundred feet from snout to tail. His horns were cruel, exaggerated versions of my own, and his soul blazed with power at the peak of the seventh level.

With a deafening roar that shook the very heavens, Fable leaped into the air once more. A visible wave of displaced earth rippled outward from his launch, scattering soldiers like ragdolls. This time, I was ready and soul-cast a third-circle spell that increased my stability and balance. But even with that precaution, the shockwave still shook me as it passed beneath my feet.

The dragon’s wings propelled it forward in a powerful dive, its claws outstretched. The two titanic monsters clashed with a bone-jarring impact, jaws snapping and claws slashing. Blood rained from the sky in thick globes bigger than my head as the dragon’s talons left thick furrows in Fable’s back, but he, in turn, tore building-sized chunks of earth, wood, and foliage from its chest.

The two behemoths weren’t utilizing any elaborate magical techniques or abilities, yet the resulting shockwave rivaled the force of any attack, save Mana Storm, that had been unleashed thus far.

It was a brutal reminder of the vast gulf between humanoid mortals and these monstrous beings. Even though their souls were merely seventh-level like the rest of us, their raw physical power elevated them to an entirely different echelon. A single fifth-level magical technique from Fable could easily strike with the force of a peak sixth-level technique.

The airship lurched violently as the concussive waves from the battle slammed into it, tipping precariously. A few screaming figures were flung from its decks, disappearing into the chaotic melee below.

After a few seconds, the ship righted itself, and R’lissea waved her staff, conjuring a sixth-level protective barrier around it. The mana cannons fired another salvo, which streaked directly through the ward and slammed into Fable’s side. He ignored them all, trusting in Adaptive Resistance, and leaped up, jaws closing on the elemental dragon’s leg. The dragon kicked at his face, raking a back claw over his snout, but Fable hung tight. He dragged the monster down through sheer weight alone, causing another earthquake as they hit the ground.

”Xiviyah!” Korra called, sprinting towards me with Gayron in tow—or rather, several versions of him. She looked exhausted but managed a relieved smile as they came to a stop.

”I’m glad you’re alright,” she said, her voice breathless. ”I lost sight of you when that hill got destroyed, and... never mind, it’s fine.”

I glanced over her shoulder and swallowed nervously. ”Did you... um...”

Gayron folded his arms, a smug look on his face. ”Dead,” he declared. ”Which is a pity; I was just starting to warm up.”

I nodded, eyes drawn to the flickering flames dancing around his armor. Perhaps that was true in more ways than one. Even with Adaptive Resistance, I could feel the heat radiating from his aura.

”The Star Guard are still fighting, though,” Korra added, looking towards where they’d been engaged earlier. They were lost in the chaos now, but I could still sense their souls burning brightly in the Nexus. I could feel no fear in their hearts, only resolve and determination.

”Should we go help them?” I asked, concern creeping into my voice.

I opened my mouth to respond, but a powerful aura descended upon us before I could. Startled, I looked up, my tail stiffening at the sight of the airship hovering directly overhead. Three figures leaped from its deck, their souls instantly recognizable. The heroes had come for me.