The Forsaken Hero

After the morning’s excitement, I was relieved to reunite with Elise and R’lissea. They waited anxiously in the inn’s common room, already packed and ready to depart. As we waited for the rest of the infernal horde to assemble, I filled them in on what had happened, omitting the more embarrassing moments, like when Luke hugged me out of nowhere.

By the time I finished my recounting, the demons were ready to move, and the march got underway. It was nothing like a mortal army’s organized ranks and columns but more like a tidal surge. The demons received general sentiments and orders through the soul mark, which, in this case, was simply a direction to travel. Asking more of scions with the intelligence of animals was impossible, resulting in a disorganized wave of demons rolling across the landscape. The stronger, more intelligent ones would often fan out, searching for villages or straggling refugees, ranging for miles before the soul mark eventually pulled them back to the main force.

That was where the differences ended, however. The rest of the day-to-day march was too similar to my time with the Last Light Company. Aside from the lack of friendly faces, the infernal horde’s relentless pace was grueling. They had little need for sleep and often marched for days on end, even the weakest scions forced to stumble onward by the soul mark long after their strength was exhausted. Passing scions too weak to continue, left for dead by the wayside, was a common sight, and I quickly grew accustomed to the grim reality of the demon horde’s advance.

For my part, I tried my best to walk alongside Elise and R’lissea, but quickly found myself struggling, just as I had when trying to keep up with the Last Light Company. The pace was simply too fast, and I was constantly hurrying to catch up.

After watching me struggle for an hour or two, Fable snuck up behind me and gently grasped my cloak in his jaws, pulling me onto his back. I protested, of course, but was betrayed by R’lissea, who readily agreed with Fable. I stubbornly insisted on walking for an hour or so each day, but after the first week, I abandoned the attempt and resigned myself to riding.

Occasionally, Elise would join me, riding behind me to rest. As a fifth-level mage with no physical training, her endurance was limited. R’lissea, on the other hand, possessed the stamina of a seasoned warrior and could manage the grueling pace with the infrequent breaks the apostles allowed.

As we traveled, I gained a deeper understanding of the demon horde’s organization. My previous observations, limited to the immediate army under Luke’s command, had been incomplete.

Aside from the demons themselves, a large contingent of demonkin and beastkin accompanied us. They numbered almost as many as the demons, and most were rough and crude, hailing from bandit or cultist origins. Their loyalty stemmed from a shared hatred of the gods, the Church, or their former kingdoms. I tried to avoid interacting with them, as my past as a hero often made me the target of scorn and mockery.

There were a few escaped slaves among them, many of whom had suffered under the Circle. They were grateful for my role in dismantling the organization and often defended me, but that only escalated the inevitable conflicts that arose. It was easier to simply avoid them all and remain with the demons.

My status among the demons had improved significantly since Luke’s confrontation with Ixtra. Few evolved demons were bold enough to openly disparage me anymore. Those who did quickly vanished, with Fyren always seeming in a better mood afterward. The scions, however, remained terrified of my aura, keeping their lust and hunger hidden behind trembling claws.

Despite the constant hardships of the journey, I endured. Elise and R’lissea were my solace, and I spent many hours with them, discussing magic theories and inventing new spells and arrays. Fyren spent as much time with us as he did with the demons under his command, sharing wisdom gleaned from other worlds, or offering himself as a target for R’lissea’s and Elise’s offensive spells.

More than once, to help Fable expend some of his boundless energy, they would leave the column and spar. They would travel far out of sight, but the shockwaves from their battles left the scions trembling, and the evolved demons would glance around nervously, wondering if we were under attack. I had no idea who won those bouts, but Fable’s soul continued to grow, pressing against the threshold of the eighth level.

On the evening of the fifteenth day, the horde finally stopped again. It had been nearly a week since the last break, and even R’lissea was starting to look haggard. The scions and weaker evolved demons collapsed to the ground, exhausted and lacking the motivation to scour the countryside for wandering animals or humans as usual.

We found a sheltered spot in a knoll beside the road, and Elise gathered some logs for a fire. After using a second-circle wind blade spell to split them into kindling, she waved her hands, and a magic circle appeared. A gout of sparks sprayed from the spell, igniting the shavings before spreading to the larger sticks. The wood was damp from the snow, giving off a lot of smoke, but after a few seconds, we had a cheerful blaze.

”Was that Soulcasting?” I asked, slipping off Fable’s back and joining her by the fire, stretching out my hands towards the flickering flames. My wards kept the biting chill at bay, but the heat radiating from the fire was a welcome comfort, doing far more than just holding back winter’s icy grip.

”Oh, you know, just a first-circle spell,” she replied with a shrug. Though she tried to appear nonchalant, the corners of her lips twitched in a pleased smile.

”Wait, you soulcast a spell?” R’lissea looked up from where she had collapsed by the fire, her eyes wide with surprise.

Elise’s smile widened, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. ”Well,” she admitted, shyly twirling a strand of hair around her finger, ”I’ve been practicing for a while, but this time it actually worked.”

”I knew you’d get the hang of it,” I said, patting her back encouragingly. ”Your technique was pretty good, too, though I’d recommend practicing compressing your mana a bit more. It makes sculpting the runes easier when you’re dealing with a thread instead of a ribbon.”

She pouted, puffing out her cheeks slightly. ”Come on, can’t you just appreciate it for once?”

I bit my lip, my tail curling anxiously. She was right, I was pushing her too hard. Every day was a constant grind, and I should have complimented her more, not–

”Oh, lighten up a bit,” she giggled, giving my arm a playful push. ”You always take things so seriously.”

I stared at her, momentarily confused by the sudden shift in her tone, until I noticed the good-natured glimmer in her eyes. Realizing she was only teasing, I breathed a sigh of relief, my tail relaxing.

”I’ll try,” I mumbled, though, at this point, I had all but given up. Even after spending so much time with Korra, I still found it difficult to decipher when someone was joking. It was hard to shake the ingrained distrust, the constant expectation that any disparaging remark was meant in the worst possible way. Honestly, I was just grateful I had learned to smile at all.

Fable lay down behind me, his enormous form taking up half the space around the fire. I quickly joined him, nestling against his side, just beneath the crook of his front leg. His warm fur enveloped me, and I could feel the faint beat of his heart through his chest.

Between the fire before me and the furry furnace behind, I let out a contented sigh, my tail swishing in pleasure. After enduring the bitter cold of Haven, I couldn’t get enough of this cozy warmth.

”Finally, I thought we’d never stop,” R’lissea said with a long sigh, dragging herself over and collapsing against Fable. Her slight, elven frame fit perfectly next to mine, and we snuggled together as Fable’s tail curled around us.

Elise stood from her place by the fire, placing her hands on her hips with a playful glare. ”Aren’t you forgetting someone?”

”Snooze you lose,” R’lissea mumbled, her eyes fluttering with exhaustion. ”He’s so soft... and warm...”

”Yeah, yeah, keep talking,” Elise grumbled good-naturedly, rolling her eyes. ”But you’d better let me have a turn next time.”

Elise settled down, resting against Fable’s flank. She seemed comfortable enough, so I decided against mentioning that Fable could probably grow large enough to accommodate all three of us. The two had been vying for the spot next to me every chance they got, having fallen in love with Fable’s warmth and soft fur the first night we spent under the stars. It had become a playful competition between them, and I didn’t want to spoil one of the few chances for lighthearted fun we had during the monotony of the march.

The evening was still young, yet R’lissea’s soft breathing had already evened out beside me. I tilted my head, finding her fast asleep. Despite the faint light lingering in the sky, I yawned, my eyelids growing heavy. I couldn’t help but remember the countless nights I had spent in cold rooms and on hard floors, unable to sleep no matter how exhausted or injured I was.

I nuzzled my cheek against Fable’s soft fur with a faint smile, grateful those days were behind me. Now, sleeping with him presented the opposite problem. He made me feel so safe and warm that I couldn’t seem to stay awake!

As my eyes began to close, Fyren’s amused voice startled me back to alertness.

”And what do we have here?”