The Forsaken Hero

With Luke by my side, we made quick progress through Haven. Despite the oppressive gloom and ever-present shadows, a sense of optimism slowly rose within me, made brighter by Luke’s wonder at the surreal landscape. When he wasn’t battling remnants, he gazed around in awe, pointing at islands, and asking questions I couldn’t always answer.

It was hard to tell whether his curiosity was genuine or merely an attempt to distract me from the daunting task ahead. However, his expression grew increasingly concerned as I explained the nature of the realm, the catastrophe that had befallen it, and my desperate attempt to fix it.

”You mean to tell me you think you can repair a tear in reality itself?” he asked, incredulity lacing his voice.

I nodded, slightly deflated by his skepticism. ”It’s not reality, precisely,” I said, ”but Fate. And I’ve done it before, just never on this scale.”

He blinked, mulling over my words. ”Fate?” he echoed. ”What’s the difference?”

I opened my mouth to explain, then closed it again, realizing I had no idea how to explain the difference. From my perspective, Fate was merely the fabric of reality, the threads from which it was woven. Explaining it would be like trying to convince someone that a tapestry wasn’t actually the string itself—a conversation I had no experience with nor concept of where to start.

Luke smiled as I lowered my head in embarrassment. ”It’s alright,” he chuckled. ”You can explain it to me later. All that matters is that you can do it, and we can find a way to get out of this realm.”

After traversing several islands and battling a dozen more remnants, we reached the edge of the massive island that housed the city and the Cathedral of Fate. It struck an imposing sight, spreading almost a mile in either direction, the ruined walls reflecting the light of the rift. Now that we were closer, that light illuminated the entire sky, a sign that we were near.

”What is it?” Luke asked, noticing my hesitation as I paused at the edge of the bridge leading to the island city.

”It’s just... we’re almost there,” I said, biting my lip, my gaze scanning the city walls for any sign of the powerful remnant.

”Then what are we waiting for?”

”There’s a cathedral in the city,” I explained, my voice hushed. ”A powerful Remnant lives there. I don’t think we can defeat it.”

His tail stiffened in shock before twitching with agitation. ”What are you saying?” he challenged. ”I’ve had no trouble with the ones before... well, except for that one by the well a few islands back.”

I shook my head, not wanting him to misunderstand. ”It has nothing to do with you being weak,” I assured him. ”It’s just... these remnants are resistant to your curse magic, and this one is far stronger than the others we’ve faced. If your magic could hurt it, we might have a chance, but it fought a seventh-level winged demon to a standstill. I... I don’t mean to imply that you’re weak, just that...”

I trailed off, unsure how to phrase it without insulting him.

Thankfully, he seemed to understand, his expression softening. ”It’s fine, I get it,” he said with a reassuring smile. ”To be honest, I’m surprised I’ve done this well. I’ve never dedicated much time to swordsmanship, and I’d probably lose to Gayron in a physical fight. If someone like him couldn’t beat it, we should probably avoid it.”

”Thank goodness,” I whispered, half-afraid he was prideful enough to challenge it. ”But we might be alright if we just skirt the island. The Remnants have been a lot more aggressive this time, so if one comes for us...”

Honestly, I was a little surprised at the sudden show of humility. Luke had never once allowed himself to appear weak--not just to me, but to anyone. From the glimpse I’d had of his mind, it seemed like admitting he wasn’t strong enough brought him too close to his powerlessness as a child. Now, however, he seemed much more concerned about me than his own persona. As we crossed the bridge, he maneuvered even closer, his tail waving restlessly, as though it wanted to curl around me and draw me close.

”Stay close to me, and if that thing comes out and attacks, I’ll protect you,” he said.

His easy-going grin did wonders to put me at ease, though my tail still twitched nervously as we crossed the path to the island city. An oppressive air settled over us as we stepped onto the ruined cobblestone road leading to the gates, the heavy pressure emanating from the heart of the fortress.

”Looks like there’s enough room we can stroll around the outside,” Luke said, gesturing to the left where the island curved around the perimeter of the city.

”Yes, please,” I said quickly, breathing a sigh of relief. ”The Remnant doesn’t seem to leave the cathedral, and none of the others like to come near it.”

True to my word, nothing impeded our path, and without the constant harassment of the weaker remnants, our progress quickened. They hadn’t disappeared entirely, but none dared drift closer to the fortress than the neighboring islands. They seemed content to watch us, their glowing red eyes tracking our every movement.

”What are we going to find after this?” Luke asked, squeezing my hand and drawing my attention away from the lurking creatures.

I paused, searching my memories for what little I knew of Haven’s layout. ”Well, um, I’m not exactly sure,” I admitted. ”I’ve never had the time to explore this place properly, and now that it’s fallen... this is the farthest I’ve ever been.”

That wasn’t entirely true. The Heart of Haven lay a little further ahead, but there was no way I would take Luke to see a statue of myself. Our destination was on the other side of the island anyway, so there was no reason to go there.

We managed to skirt the entire city without encountering the Remnant within the cathedral. Perhaps it had already escaped into Enusia, or maybe it was truly uninterested in anything beyond the church walls. Either way, I was grateful for the reprieve and didn’t dwell on it.

We found another path leading down several hundred feet to a small island with what looked like an old water mill. Surprisingly, water sprang from a large fountain on one end, forming a small river that turned the creaky wheel, filling the silence of Haven with the eerie groans of wood.

”Where does it come from?” I wondered aloud, staring at the fountain.

The water flowed past the mill before cascading off the edge of the island, similar to the streams at the shrine island. The fountain was a large, beautiful stone pool with a wide rim adorned with life-sized statues. They depicted mighty warriors from various worlds and eras, some belonging to species I didn’t recognize that looked like a miniature person only waist high. They had slightly pointed ears and elven eyes.

”Come along,” Luke said, a faint smile tugging at his lips. ”We can explore this place later, after we fix it.”

I nodded, blushing slightly, and quickly pushed aside my curiosity about the unusual fountain. I didn’t even register that Luke had used a plural pronoun, unconsciously including himself in my plans for the future.

After traversing a few more islands, the golden glow from the rift filled the sky, illuminating the realm as if it were midday. Soon after, the rift itself came into view.

The tear in Fate was a jagged black line across the sky, yawning open like an inverted canyon. Inside swirled an abyss of pure darkness so profound it made midnight seem like day. It seemed to devour all light, consuming it entirely.

A medium-sized island floated directly beneath the rift, its gnarled trees covering over half its surface. They bowed and strained towards the tear, their branches reaching like desperate fingers. At the center of the island, towering above the trees, stood the Shard of Omniscience, its tip pointing towards the sky. It emitted a rainbow radiance that enveloped the entire area in a shimmering veil of mana. Through the Oracle of Eternity, I could see the mana battling against the tear in Fate, desperately trying to stabilize reality and prevent it from unraveling. But it was a losing battle. Even as we watched, the veil thinned, and the chasm widened slightly.

”I don’t think we have much more time,” I said, my voice tight with urgency as I observed the flickering barrier created by the Shard. ”Come on, we have to hurry.”

I started forward but stopped short as my hand slipped from Luke’s grasp. I glanced back to see why he wasn’t following, and my curiosity quickly turned to dread.

”You have a Shard?” he asked, his voice low and dangerous.

His expression was unreadable, but when his eyes finally met mine, a chill raced down my spine. In my haste, I had forgotten Fyren’s warning about the importance of keeping this secret. And of all the people to discover it, Luke was the worst.