The Forsaken Hero

She nodded, keeping close to Fyren. ”I know you think I’m just trying to preserve myself by making up conditions for my healing,” she said, her voice trembling slightly, ”but I’m not lying. I’ve managed to hide it from her for now, but the truth is that Xiviyah isn’t well yet. The sun purge has disappeared, but she’s weaker than she should be. As I told you last week, she healed her soul, but there’s still something off about her aura.”

Luke snorted derisively. ”Congratulations, you understand why I’m keeping you alive. But that doesn’t change the fact that she woke up or that she has access to her magic. Even if she’s not in perfect condition, isn’t she enough to prophecy?”

A chill ran down my spine at the cold detachment in his words, like he was discussing a tool rather than a person. But as I gripped Fable’s fur, something about Luke’s expression seemed off. Perhaps it was my unique connection to his mind, or maybe I was imagining it, but he seemed reluctant, as though he didn’t entirely believe his own words. A flicker of doubt in his eyes, a hesitant twitch of his tail—subtle signs that belied his harsh words.

”It’s true,” Fyren said, his voice firm. ”I sensed...calamity within her. You’re too young and inexperienced to understand the feeling, Apostle, but it reminded me of the moment before a world falls to the demons. There is a sense of ruin, of absolute despair, and then utter nothingness.”

”How could something like that even be possible?” Luke paced restlessly, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. His tail remained agitated, though instead of frustration, I sensed a flicker of...worry?

”I don’t know yet,” R’lissea admitted, her voice small. ”But I’m going to figure it out. She spends most of her time sleeping, only waking up for a few hours at a time. I don’t think she even remembers most of those moments, anyway, which makes learning anything from her difficult. I believe if I’m to discover the problem, then—”

She froze mid-sentence, her eyes widening as they met mine. The others followed her gaze, each reacting differently to my unexpected appearance. Elise shivered, pressing closer to R’lissea, while Fyren simply sighed and shook his head. Luke seemed startled, his tail stiffening. For a fleeting moment, his eyes lit up with what I could only interpret as excitement, but he quickly masked his expression, schooling his features into cold impassivity.

Before I could dwell on that flicker of emotion, R’lissea rushed towards me, pulling me into an embrace.

”Xiviyah, you shouldn’t be here!” she exclaimed, quickly casting a Life Spell, the same one she had used to diagnose me earlier. A pulse of warmth flowed through my body. She relaxed slightly when it revealed no immediate issues, but her scolding continued. ”What were you thinking, walking all the way out here? Why aren’t you resting?”

It was then that she noticed Fable sitting beside me. She froze, her mouth falling open. Elise’s eyes widened in fear, and even Fyren looked taken aback. Only Luke, who knew Fable through my memories, seemed merely surprised, not expecting my soulbond to be here.

”This is Fable,” I said, resting a hand on his shoulder. ”He’s my friend.”

”He’s...beautiful,” R’lissea whispered, her initial fear giving way to wonder. With uncharacteristic boldness, she reached out and touched his cheek, gingerly stroking his fur. Fable rumbled softly in response, and she smiled, her touch growing more confident.

Elise, too, approached cautiously. She met my eyes and nodded, and I quickly introduced her and Fyren to Fable. He seemed satisfied with them all, though he showed a bit of wariness towards Fyren, who simply crossed his arms and observed the wolf through narrowed eyes.

As the three of them focused on Fable, I slipped away towards Luke, my tail twitching anxiously. Fable had provided a welcome distraction, but R’lissea’s words still echoed in my mind. What had she meant when she said I wasn’t recovering properly? And why had she tried to hide it from me? But more pressing was the veiled threat in Luke’s earlier words.

Luke inclined his head as I stopped a pace away. ”Hello, Xiviyah.”

I was struck by the change in him. He seemed more mature and more confident. His dark eyes, holding the mysteries of the midnight sky, met mine, and I found myself captivated. His horns were sleek and powerful, drawing my gaze. He was...handsome, in a way, the thin scar over his eye serving to enhance his allure.

I quickly dispelled the thought, blaming it on our entanglement. Handsome wasn’t even the right word, either. I simply felt...drawn to him, like to a fire on a cold night. It had nothing to do with any sort of relationship or feelings.

”Luke,” I said, meeting his gaze unflinchingly, ”What are you talking about? What are you going to do with R’lissea?”

He stiffened, his eyes sliding away from mine, unable to hold my gaze. ”She’s a hero, Xiviyah. The only reason I spared you and the Water Hero was because you were more useful to me alive than dead.”

I frowned, my hands balling into fists, clutching my skirt tightly. A strange heaviness overtook my soul, feeling dark and cold. ”So you were going to kill her the moment she healed me? Is that it?”

The harshness of my tone surprised even me. Even more surprising was the anger that flared within me, the realization that R’lissea, who had sacrificed so much to save me, was now in danger because of that choice.

He was quiet for a moment, his tail twitching uncomfortably. But when he met my gaze, there was nothing but resolve—a reluctant resolve but firm nonetheless. ”Xiviyah,” he began, his voice low and steady, ”why did you attack Brithlite? Didn’t you know how many innocent people would die because of your actions?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but my throat was dry, my tongue thick. The fire that had driven me to act boldly and aggressively against my nature sputtered and died. A shiver ran through me as the weight that had settled on my soul increased, the shadows deepening and growing icy cold. My hands unconsciously twitched, yearning for Fable’s fur and warmth. Luke didn’t need to spell it out. With those simple questions, I understood. And that, more than anything, terrified me.

He pressed on, his voice soft yet chilling. ”Like you, I will do what I must, no matter who suffers for it. This world is a pawn of the gods, a den of their corrupt desires. They’ve invested much in this realm, from that fantastical ship they displayed in the battle of Brithlite to even more terrible weapons meant to cause nothing but suffering. Losing their experiments here will be a devastating blow, setting them back in the battle of eternity. If a few innocents die in the process... isn’t that a small price to pay?”

”But not her,” I whispered, biting my lip. My tail curled around my leg, a subconscious gesture of vulnerability. Though I knew Luke would notice and interpret it as weakness, I didn’t care. ”Please, not her.”

He frowned, his expression conflicted. A small glimmer of hope flickered within me, and before I could stop myself, I stepped closer, my hands clasped together in a pleading gesture.

”Luke, you don’t have to hurt her,” I implored. ”She abandoned the Church, and even if she wanted to return, they wouldn’t take her back. She sided with me, a traitor in their eyes, and has been living among demons. That alone is enough to condemn her. She’s no threat to you.”

”But Xiviyah, the Emperor demands–”

”Please,” I whispered, tears gathering in my eyes. ”I’ll do anything for you, give you as many visions and prophecies as you want. Just don’t hurt her.”

I knew it was probably futile. Many had tried to appeal to the Apostle of the Descent’s mercy, yet none had attained it. A small voice whispered in my mind, reminding me that I had technically done so before, but that had been a transactional arrangement. But I couldn’t not try, not after everything R’lissea had done for me.

”Fine,” he said abruptly, turning away from me. ”I’ll spare her for now.”

The words were so unexpected that I almost didn’t register them. When I did, disbelief flooded through me. ”What?”

”I will spare her,” he called out, raising his voice suddenly. I flinched at the sudden volume and glanced over to that R’lissea and Elise had watched our entire exchange, and he was no addressing her directly.

”R-really?” R’lissea stammered.

He nodded curtly. ”After witnessing Xiviyah’s condition up close, it’s apparent her soul is unstable. Given the uncertain conditions of her life and the potential consequences of being afflicted with the sun purge, it’s only natural you remain by her side in case any unforeseen circumstances befall her.”

It was strange that he was speaking in such a veiled manner, as though he was trying to justify it. I glanced around, curious to see if any demons were listening or if there was some reason he needed to use an excuse. Wasn’t he the leader? Why did he need to bother with this kind of deceit?

I was distracted from the thought as a low shudder ran through my soul. I shivered, hugging myself. The cold was getting unbearable now, and I was starting to think it had nothing to do with my discomfort at the threat to R’lissea’s life.

Tears welled in R’lissea’s eyes, and she sagged with relief, as though a colossal weight had been lifted from her shoulders. ”T-thank you, Luke.”

He recoiled at the sound of his name as though hearing it from her lips was a jarring surprise. ”Don’t make me regret this.”