The Forsaken Hero

The fort was a small, almost unremarkable structure built into the mountain peak. The walls were short and thick, the towers raised barely a story above the parapets. Several barracks and a small keep filled the courtyard, with little else besides.

”Alright, Xiviyah,” Luke said, his voice pulling me from my thoughts. ”Time to do your part.”

We stood on a nearby ridge overlooking the fortification, and Luke and Jessia turned toward me expectantly. I hesitated momentarily, my tail twitching back and forth, before lowering my head. There was no point in withholding my abilities from them after everything they’d seen. Luke had already been inside my soul space, so this was nothing.

”Link Soul,” I whispered, casting the spell.

Luke blinked as stars drifted through his irises, his expression softening with wonder. It reminded me of one of my earliest positive memories in this world, when I first opened the Eyes of Fate. Just as I had then, Luke was witnessing the intricate flow of mana and the weave of fate for the first time, and it gave me a quiet thrill to see him enjoying it.

”Aren’t you forgetting someone?” Jessia asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

I averted my gaze, unable to meet hers. Luke glanced at her, confused, then frowned as his eyes fell on me.

”Xiviyah,” he said sternly.

I bit my lip, my grip tightening on my skirt. ”Does she really need to be included?” I asked.

My heart sank as his expression didn’t change, continuing to watch me until I wilted.

”Oh, come on,” Jessia urged, sidling up to me. ”Don’t leave me out of all the secrets. Besides,” she added with a sly grin, ”I can see the looks you two are sharing. How else am I supposed to know you’re not colluding against me?”

With a heavy sigh, I soulcast Link Soul and granted Jessia the same limited access to the Oracle of Eternity that I had given Luke. It was easy to isolate specific aspects of my power, like my connection to Haven and the ability to see visions, ensuring they only had access to the power the Eyes of Fate granted. Then, together, we focused our attention on the fort below.

”That’s a lot of cannons,” Luke muttered, his voice grim. The wonder in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a calculating coldness.

The mana cannons, the source of the surging mana, commanded a sweeping view of the valley and the surrounding landscape. Their mana crystals were fully charged, and I could make out at least one mage on stand-by beside each one. Even if a surprise attack caught them off guard, they would get at least one volley for free, with devastating consequences.

Looking around, I spotted other glittering points of light where the other forts were positioned, each similarly fortified. More importantly, each fort was within range and line of sight of the others, creating a formidable network of overlapping defenses. An attack on one fort would leave the attacking army vulnerable to a devastating barrage from all the others. With almost a dozen forts scattered around the city, the sheer number of mana cannons was staggering. Forget attacking the city, even one of these forts would cost an entire army to take.

Luke’s eyes narrowed as they settled on the barracks within the fort. Though the Oracle of Eternity couldn’t penetrate the solid walls, I could sense powerful magical auras from within. There were at least four or five sixth-circle mages in this fort alone. It wouldn’t have been a concern for the Last Light Company, as we would have still outnumbered them ten to one. But for the demon army, with its lower average power, it was a significant threat. Overwhelming hordes that depended on sheer numbers meant little when the enemy could unleash spells capable of wiping out entire swathes of demons in an instant.

I turned to look at Luke and Jessia, only to find the Apostle of Secrets gone. I shot Luke a questioning look.

”She’s scouting it out from the inside,” he said in a hushed whisper. ”Her ability lets her do more than just create illusions.”

I nodded, pulling my cloak tighter around me as the snow started to fall thickly, and settled in to wait. There were a few large rocks jutting out of the snow, and I tried a few before finding one wide and smooth enough. Even so, as I eased into a sitting position, the frozen stone rubbed against my thighs, digging through the thin material of my dress.

Time stretched on, each minute dragging into the next. A frigid breeze rose from the valleys below, carrying swirls of snow that stung my face. My temperature regulation wards were still active—they had no visible magical effects—but I still shivered. The storm was all too similar to the one that had left me half-dead in the slavers’ wagon on the way to High Valley. After surviving the summer under the anomaly’s influence, I should have been used to the cold, but some memories took longer to fade.

”What is it? You look pale,” Luke asked, sitting beside me.

”Nothing,” I lied, ”just...I don’t really like the snow.”

”I remember,” he said softly, laying what must have been intended as a comforting hand on mine. ”And I’m sorry. No one should have had to suffer like that. It’s why the gods have to pay.”

I shuddered at the touch and pulled away, clasping my hands in my lap. His hand was warm, but his words sent a shiver down my spine, a reminder of just how much he knew. Of how much he had seen when our souls entangled.

’Remember,’ he had said, something I didn’t doubt at all. I didn’t know exactly what he had seen of my memories, but if he had gained even a portion of what I had from him... there were some things I couldn’t bear to be reminded of. Just knowing them myself was torture, a dark stain on my soul, but if someone else knew...?

The thought was unbearable. I wrapped my arms around myself, as if to ward off the chill that suddenly settled over me, a chill that had nothing to do with the snow.

He was quiet for a moment. Then, his shoulders sagged, and he let out a sigh. ”You remind me a lot of her. She was timid and shy, even before we...before she...”

His hands closed into fists, fingernails digging into his palms. This time, it was my turn to gaze at him in pity. There was no need for him to say more; I knew exactly who he was referring to. My memories of the slave girl I saw in his past were fuzzy, but I remembered she was close to him. A friend, a sibling maybe.

”Why can’t it ever be easy?” he asked, looking down at the city beyond the fort. ”The demons are supposed to be an unstoppable tide that flows across the land, destroying everything the gods have touched. Why do they feel so weak? Why aren’t they enough? And why haven’t the gods’ greed and arrogance made them weak?”

His voice cracked with emotion, and I saw a vulnerability in him that I’d never noticed before. I didn’t answer, not because I didn’t want to, but because I didn’t have one. We were just two demonkin, alone in a hostile world, adrift in a sea of unanswered questions.

We sat quietly together, exchanging no further words, just gazing at the endless sea of dancing snowflakes. They had a mesmerizing effect, lulling me away from the questions, doubts, and fears that plagued my mind. That, along with the strenuous activity of hiking here, lowered my guard, giving a chance for my fatigue to catch up.

I woke with a start, a strange pressure against my temple. My entire body felt heavy, and I started to drift off again before I realized something was off. It was a struggle to open my eyes, but as I did, I found myself gazing blankly into Luke’s, my head resting on his shoulder. Somehow, in my exhaustion, I’d subconsciously found his warmth and snuggled up against him.

Shame and embarrassment sent a jolt of adrenaline and gave me the strength I needed to force myself upright, my cheeks warm and tail quivering. From how slow and lethargic I felt, I must have been lying there for some time, but... why hadn’t he pushed me away?

”S-sorry,” I squeaked, bowing my head.

He shook his head, his eyes glimmering with amusement. ”It’s nothing. Just try and stay awake for now; we have a lot more to do.”

”I’ll try,” I said. ”I’m just feeling a little tired.”

It was true. This marked the longest I’d been awake since killing Alverin in Brithlite. Until now, I’d only been able to handle short walks around the camp, and perhaps a conversation with R’lissea and Elise, before my strength failed and I was forced to retire. Now, not only had we trekked through the mountains, but I’d been awake since morning working on magic with R’lissea. It was no wonder my body was finally giving in.

”I know it’s hard, but we need you,” Luke said, then added in a small voice I wasn’t meant to hear, ”Please.”