The Forsaken Hero

The dragon, formed entirely of water, shimmered with an ethereal, translucent glow. Waves rippled across its surface, following every curve and contour of its massive form. I felt its ancient, alien consciousness brush against my soul, a connection forged through the magic, and smiled.

With a roar that echoed like crashing waves, the dragon unfurled its wings and soared skyward, spiraling gracefully around me. Each powerful beat of its wings sent shockwaves through the air, summoning storm clouds that unleashed a torrent of rain and wind, punctuated by flashes of lightning.

”It’s beautiful,” Elise whispered, her voice filled with awe.

R’lissea nodded in agreement. ”I think you cast it even better than Korra did during the tournament,” she said. ”It’s much more detailed.”

”That’s because Xiviyah has actually seen a dragon,” Fyren rumbled, his voice a low chuckle. ”Magic is as much about visualization as it is about runes.”

I lazily waved my hand, and the dragon wheeled around, coming to hover above us. The pressure from the spell crashed against my wards, but they did little to stop the drizzle of water cascading from its form.

”Thank you for the show,” I said, bowing my head respectfully. As much as I disliked heights, watching such a magnificent creature soar through the air was breathtaking.

The dragon roared once more, executing a graceful flip. With another wave of my hand, I cut off the flow of mana and soulcast a new spell, conjuring a massive, concave barrier beneath the creature. The dragon lost its form and began to dissipate, a torrent of water cascading into the bowl-like barrier. The water rapidly evaporated, dispersing back into mana. Within seconds, the dragon and every drop of water had vanished, leaving the sky clear except for the lingering shimmer of my defensive spells.

I watched until the spell had entirely faded, its remnant mana falling behind us in the air as the army marched on. Only once the final droplets of water had dissipated did I dispel the barriers and lower my gaze.

”That was... impressive,” Jessia said, her face twitching as she struggled to keep her surprise in check. ”I had no idea you commanded such power.”

”I’m sorry if I startled everyone,” I mumbled, rubbing my horn sheepishly. ”But the days were getting long, and I couldn’t bring myself to wait until we stopped again to try it out. I had to cast it at least once.”

She gaped at me. ”Wait, that was your first time casting that spell? Ever?”

”I told you she was amazing,” Fyren said, a hint of pride in his voice. ”You should have believed me.”

”Yeah, but a seventh-circle spell like that?” She turned her gaze to me, still blinking away her awe. ”I don’t even think I could fight a dragon!”

I blushed at their praise, shyly twirling a strand of hair around my finger. I had expected them to be angry, but their reaction was a pleasant surprise, if still embarrassing.

”It wasn’t much,” I mumbled, downplaying my accomplishment. ”Just a water spell my friend showed me. Watching her use it encouraged me to learn summoning magic in the first place.”

”She was pretty amazing,” R’lissea agreed, nodding. ”I think she’s actually the reason I learned ’Life Dragon,’ as well.”

”You can cast one of those, too?” Jessia’s eyes widened in renewed disbelief. ”What the hell! After all we’ve been through, all the bitter battles, and you two could have just—”

Her frustration seemed genuine this time, and Fyren placed a calming hand on her shoulder. ”That’s enough, Jessia,” he chided gently. ”They had no obligation to help you, nor is it fair for you to expect them to reveal their secrets.”

”I know, that’s the frustrating part!” she exclaimed. ”I can’t believe I didn’t figure them out first.”

R’lissea and I exchanged a confused look. Was that what she was truly upset about? That she hadn’t managed to uncover our secrets before we revealed them?

Jessia turned and stormed off, vanishing the moment her third step landed. Fyren chuckled and rubbed his chin, glancing at me thoughtfully.

”That was a bold move, Xiviyah,” he observed. ”Are you sure you’re ready to bear the consequences?”

”I am,” I said, meeting his gaze with determination. ”Luke has placed a lot of trust in me. It wouldn’t be right if I didn’t return the favor.”

Elise frowned, her brow creased in confusion. ”What do you mean?” she asked. ”What consequences?”

”Xiviyah and R’lissea are heroes,” Fyren explained patiently. ”While that means they should be extraordinarily strong, they haven’t done anything remarkable since the demons captured the three of you. R’lissea is known for her ability to cure sunpurge, and Xiviyah’s known abilities are valuable, but that’s as far as it went in the apostles’ minds. Xiviyah’s curse and Life magic’s tendency for support spells leaves much to be desired in a war.”

”Right, that’s why I was so surprised when you started casting,” R’lissea said, turning to me. ”Now they know what we can really do.”

”It’s not just that,” I said, smiling faintly. ”This situation allows us a lot more freedom than before. Because I chose to reveal my abilities, it gives us leverage when refusing any requests they might make. I was worried they might force me to participate in a battle against those I don’t want to fight, but that won’t happen now.”

”Ah, clever girl,” Fyren said, beaming with pride. ”I was wondering if that was your intention, or if it was simply a fortunate coincidence.”

My tail flicked proudly at his praise, but I quickly grabbed it and maintained my composure, admitting, ”It’s something I’ve been thinking about a lot.”

”Honestly, I’m not sure I follow or why this helps us out,” Elise said with a frown, ”but I’m glad it does. Maybe it will even earn you a little more respect.”

I nodded, but respect didn’t feel particularly important to me. The demons no longer mocked me as they had before, and the positive reinforcement I received from my friends far outweighed any negative influence. Rather, I was looking forward to seeing Luke’s reaction. I had half-wanted him to witness the display, not to show off but to demonstrate that I was willing to reciprocate his trust.

Despite having everything to gain from Haven, he had refrained from even bringing it up to me. Shards of Omniscience were incredibly rare and valuable to the demon army, and having one within reach should have been an opportunity he jumped at. It meant the potential for another seventh or eighth-level demon on their side.

After the incident, the demons eventually settled down, and we returned to the monotony of the journey. The little display had lit a fire under Elise, though, and she practically begged me to teach her more about high-level spells. She was only fifth-level, but seeing such powerful magic had inspired her.

A few days later, the hills retreated behind us, the land opening up in a vast plain of sparkling white snow. The sky was clear, the sun beaming brightly, and Elise was ready to try her most difficult spell yet. My limited collection of spell books had nothing suitable for her to learn at the fifth circle or above, so I’d been tutoring her on arrays, hoping we could combine a few spells she already knew to create something exciting.

”Elise,” I said, frowning, ”you should begin the final stages of weaving together a sun and life magic spell. Your mana is getting a little erratic.”

”I know,” she said, her voice tight with strain. ”It’s just... slippery. The two mana types don’t want to combine.”

I nodded, looking to the Oracle of Eternity for anything she might have missed and any guidance I could offer.

”There,” I said, nodding at the third magic circle in the sequence. ”The forty-ninth rune from the left. The mana is a little loose, keeping it from snapping together.”

She groaned and rubbed her forehead. ”Of course it was. Couldn’t you have said that a little sooner, like before I got to the fifth one?”

”Sorry,” I said, pressing my lips together. ”You’re right. I should have.”

”No, no,” she said, shaking her head. ”It was my fault. Don’t take it so seriously.” She chuckled and quickly tightened the runes, fixing her mistake before returning to the fifth magic circle. A few minutes later, she broke into a wide smile. ”Well?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement. ”Do you think it’s good?” ”Only one way to find out,” I replied, anticipation rising within me. She flashed me a confident grin and clapped her hands together, completing the spell. The array vanished in a flash of light, and a new magic circle appeared around her, radiating holy light. I instinctively recoiled as the light sizzled against my adaptive resistance, sending an unpleasant shiver down my spine. ”It definitely works,” I muttered, rubbing my arms to try and disperse the lingering chill. Elise stretched her hand towards a stretch of barren land slightly ahead of us. Green and white light erupted from her fingers, striking the crest of a small hill and exploding outward in a fine mist. Wherever the sparkling light settled, flowers sprouted, rapidly blooming and growing until their petals overflowed with seed pods. My eyes widened as I took in the sight, and I glanced quickly toward a group of demons nearby. As the flowers began to glow a blinding white, they released a powerful wave of sun magic, causing the scions to shudder and recoil. Elise had chosen her target carefully, but her calculations had been off. She was assuming this was a normal fifth-circle spell, and unlike my earlier display with the Water Dragon, this mistake could prove disastrous. Without a second to spare, I threw out my hand, soulcasting my own spell. ”Mirror Lock!” I cried.