The Forsaken Hero

Suddenly, two more powerful presences entered the fray. It was Korra and Grace. Both appeared battered and exhausted, but they walked side-by-side, their hands almost touching, like old friends. Gayron glanced over as they approached and nodded curtly at Korra. He seemed wary of Grace but refrained from attacking her.

”Where is she?” Korra asked, her voice laced with concern.

Gayron opened his mouth to respond and started to nod to the palace but froze. His eyes widened, and his tail stiffened as he slowly turned toward the battle that was taking place without the city. A burnished glow lit the horizon, creeping over the city wall and bathing the city in a sinister red light.

”What the hell is that?” Korra asked, eyes narrowed.

”That’s...a lot of fire,” Gayron muttered back.

They took a tentative, almost unconscious step closer to each other, though I couldn’t blame them. A third, overwhelming presence rose behind the ocean of fire, equal to, if not surpassing, Soltair and Luke. The walls limited my perspective, but in less than a second, whatever was causing that glow came into view.

It reminded me of videos I’d seen of pyroclastic flow, only there was no smoke, just endless torrents of fire. The wall of flames stretched nearly a quarter wide and swept directly through the human and demon armies, engulfing even the battling Luke and Soltair, taking them by surprise. Building-sized chunks of molten earth and stone rained before it like miniature meteors, strafing the ground and obliterating both soldiers and demons. Only the Last Light Company remained safe within the Grand Aegis, meaning whatever spell caused such destruction hadn’t yet reached the eighth level.

The fires died out once they reached the walls, and everyone nearby, Victor and Gayron included, released an unconscious sigh of relief. But, as the third presence approached, the vision shattered once more, leaving my curiosity unsated and returning me to the suffocating solitude and darkness of my soul space.

When my soul returned, however, the soul space felt more firm, more solid, the stars glimmering just a little brighter. With the increased substance, it would be impossible to deny reality now, especially after the visions. At the very least, my soul had survived the grip of the sunpurge. For some reason, my consciousness was trapped in my soul space, and I had no control over my visions. It was unclear whether my body had as well or if I was now a disembodied soul left to wander and witness the world through visions for all eternity. Fitting, given my title.

Time passed incalculably, measured only in the breaks between visions. It didn’t take long for the dreams to move on from the battle at Brithlite, depicting all sorts of scenes of war, blood, and death all over the world and without any regard for linear time. I found myself staring at places I’d never seen and would probably never visit and the colossal armies that marched against each other. Towering demon gates, larger than any I’d seen before, appeared in remote mountains, valleys, and plains. When no heroes or armies appeared to challenge them, they inevitably broke and spewed forth endless ranks of demons.

The only moments of respite I had, the only real break in the endless drudgery, was when I was granted a vision of my friends. They were brief, and often meaningless, but just seeing them was a comfort, a small candle in the night. I caught a glimpse of Korra and Gayron walking hand in hand, the Star Guard training, and Sari cuddling a despondent Fable. The last was particularly heart-wrenching, seeing my soul-bound companion with dull, uninterested eyes, barely bothering to react as Sari tried to cheer him up.

Eventually, I sank into a vision unlike the others. Instead of a flurry of weaving light, darkness surged forward, consuming me. My soul trembled, and panic tightened my chest as the stars of my soul space blinked out, plunging me into suffocating darkness. Yet, curiosity rose aside the fear; at least this was a break in the endless monotony.

I found myself blinking in a soft, red-tinted light. Everything was blurry, but each blink brought a semblance of focus, as if I were truly waking up. A warm, radiant feeling enveloped me, and I heard a faint gasp as I inhaled. This vision felt more lucid, more real than any before. So real, in fact, that I instinctively took another breath, and warm air filled my lungs.

It felt so real that I almost doubted it was a vision. My soul form mimicked my physical body, even down to the involuntary need to breathe and the way my tail reacted to my emotions. I could even feel my heart beating in my chest and a gentle breeze against my skin.

After a few seconds, my vision fully cleared, revealing my surroundings. I was in a small canvas tent with a single flap serving as the entrance. A warm, soft, red glow diffused through the ceiling, likely the light of the setting sun. I lay on a small cot, fine silk sheets cocooned around me. A young elven girl slumped over me, her upper body draped over the cot. Her long blonde hair spilled over the sheets, her beautiful, delicate face resting on her arms. She’d been kneeling beside me and must have inadvertently fallen asleep, her only movement the rise and fall of her chest.

After gathering my bearings, I tried to shift perspectives, willing myself outside the tent, but my soul was unresponsive. I stared blankly around the tent for a few moments before shaking myself and sitting up. The sheets fell away, revealing I was wearing a simple white nightdress. It felt too real, too detailed, to be a vision. My breath caught at the idea, a tentative tremor shaking my heart. Was I actually waking up? Had I really survived?

But just as quickly as it arrived, the spark of hope died, replaced with a sinking pit in my stomach. I glanced at my hand for confirmation but already knew it to be true—the one thing missing in this idyllic setting. There was no pain, my hand covered in soft, flawless skin.

The girl groaned as I stirred, blinking open large, hazy eyes. R’lissea, as I now recognized her, covered her mouth as she yawned and sat up. She gazed at me for a moment, her eyes still clouded with sleep, failing to register what they were seeing. But then her gaze sharpened, eyes going wide, and she stiffened. Her lips parted, but no sound came out, and we just stared at each other.

”X-Xiviyah?” she finally asked, her voice a faint, disbelieving whisper. ”You’re awake?”

I returned her gaze evenly, refusing to let my expression reveal anything. ”Which god are you?”

She blinked, taken aback. ”What?”

My hands curled around the sheets, gripping the silk tightly between my fingers. ”Don’t play games with me. I have no intention of telling you anything, much less what happened to your precious shard.”

She tilted her head, confused, and rubbed the last of the sleep from her eyes. Now that I looked at her, she seemed exhausted. Had she been with me for long? Was that why she had fallen asleep and–

No. I shook my head, driving away the thoughts. The lack of the sun purge was condemning. Even if this felt real, the only place I could be free of it was in a vision. Besides, what would R’lissea be doing with me? Why wouldn’t it be Elinore?

”Are you feeling alright? I know you must be confused, but—”

”You were wrong,” I said, interrupting her. ”It was a mistake to choose R’lissea. I would have trusted Korra, or even Luxxa, more.”

Or Elise, I added silently, though that thought made my heart ache. The last time I’d woken up to Elise, it had nearly caused my enslavement. If I hadn’t realized something was off and checked her identity with a false memory, I might have been captured by Jessia. As for now, I could only pray Elise had made it to safety and was beginning to recover.

Something like hurt flashed through R’lissea’s eyes. I quickly denied it, putting it down to my imagination. Now that I’d exposed her, whatever god stole her form was sure to break character. Her lips would curve up in a cruel smile, and she’d gloat, or perhaps express regret at not being able to fool me longer. They all did that, in the end. Every single one of them wanted to trick and hurt me, to—

Tears welled up in her eyes, and she threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around my neck. I stiffened in surprise, my tail rigid, as her weight carried us both down to the bed.

”It’s me, Xiviyah, it’s me,” she sobbed, squeezing me fiercely. I half expected to feel a spike of pain from the sun purge, but nothing came.

I tried to push her away but found her grip like iron. With a start, I realized I could see her soul—a maze of complicated mana far beyond that of an ordinary person’s. But, at the same time, it lacked the depth and power of a god’s soul and the hazy aura Jessia had when she’d disguised it. A true, heroic, seventh-level soul.

”I’m so glad you’re awake,” she murmured, calming down slightly. ”You’ve been asleep for so long, I was starting to think...”

She trailed off before pulling back, letting me take a shaky, uncertain breath. She dabbed at the corner of her eyes, the irises glimmering with moisture. She had blue eyes–something I’d never noticed before–a deep, rich color like a blue jay’s wings.”

”N-no, you can’t be,” I said, ”T-the sunpurge...”

I shook my head, desperately denying it with every fiber of my being. I wouldn’t be fooled again. I wouldn’t!

”It’s gone,” she said, a small, tired smile gracing her face. ”I healed it.”