The Forsaken Hero

The corridors of the keep blurred around me as we pushed toward R’lissea. My heart pounded in my chest, hot and jittery with trepidation. Every breath caught in my throat, and the sound of my swishing tail rose between footfalls. No matter how hard I gripped my staff, my hands trembled.

Borealis nuzzled my cheek, his eyes glittering with worry. I swallowed the lump in my throat for what felt like the fifth time and petted his neck.

”S-sorry,” I stammered, chewing on my lip. ”It’s just...what if she really does hate me? What if—” I shook my head, exhaling sharply. ”Agh, I know. I need to calm down. It’s just...I’ve never felt like this before. My chest feels so...tight. It was so much easier not to believe and–”

My voice caught as we passed an ornate door branching from the corridor. I turned slowly to face it, and a shudder coursed down my spine and tail. R’lissea’s aura pulsed just beyond it. Muted voices drifted through the door, accompanied by the clink of dining ware.

”No matter what happens, please, don’t leave me,” I whimpered softly, searching Borealis’s eyes. A wave of affirmation filled the Nexus, and the pressure in my chest eased slightly.

”Here it goes,” I whispered, pushing open the door. ”Please, R’lissea. Please.”

I stepped into the room and froze. A dozen eyes turned toward me, but I hardly noticed. There she was, beside Verity, just as in my vision. She turned, her eyes widening in shock.

”Xiviyah?” she gasped. Shock, excitement, and then fear flickered across her face/ ”What are you—”

One of the seventh-level inquisitors surged to his feet, a blade materializing in his hand. ”Filthblood! Where is Lord Evlon!”

His words didn’t even register, and I took an unconscious step toward R’lissea. Time seemed to slow, all of my anxiety and trepidation falling away. The only thing that mattered was her.

”Verity said you...you...” Tears pricked my eyes, but I blinked them back.

Her face fell, her lower lip trembling. ”Xiviyah...I...”

”Seize her!” the inquisitor roared, his body surging with mana.

”No, wait,” Verity said, standing slowly. She met my gaze, her expression hardening. ”You can do what you will with her afterward, but let her speak.”

”But—” the inquisitor sputtered, then groaned and rubbed his forehead. ”As you wish, hero.”

He gestured, and the three other sixth-level inquisitors circled me, cutting off my escape. Borealis shifted on my shoulder, keeping an eye on them, allowing me to focus only on R’lissea.

”Tell her, R’lissea,” Verity said, laying a hand on the elf’s shoulder. ”I don’t know what will become of her, but we should at least give her this.”

R’lissea flinched, avoiding our eyes. I waited, my tail twitching anxiously. Her hands clenched until her knuckles were white.

”You...you promised to be my friend,” I whispered.

”I, um...”

Her eyes darted to the inquisitors, then to Verity, who gave her an encouraging nod.

”You can do it,” Verity said. ”We owe her this much.”

”It was all...an act,” R’lissea’s voice trembled, on the verge of tears. ”I...can’t betray the Church.”

Can’t? Not won’t? I frowned, tightening my grip on my staff. ”But everything you said...what about our experiences, and the fun we had creating new spells? Did it mean nothing?”

She shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. ”I...had to. Magic was the only thing you liked. Pretending to care was the only way to gain your trust.” She glanced at the inquisitors again, her eyes lingering on their drawn blades. ”I’m sorry, but...I serve the gods. Just as I always have.”

The inquisitors smirked. Verity nodded and rubbed R’lissea’s shoulder.

”Thank you, R’lissea. I know it’s hard for you, but this was important.” Her gaze turned to me, hardening with resolve. ”Xiviyah, I know you don’t want to accept it, but this is the truth. The demons are evil, and someone as sensitive as R’lissea could never accept their horrors. They’ve deceived you with promises of revenge, but can’t you see that you’ll only be hurting people? Even if you can’t forgive the gods, do you really want to make the entire world feel your pain?”

R’lissea flinched, her eyes flashing. She opened her mouth, then paused, glancing at the inquisitors. Her shoulders slumped, and she stared down at her lap, clutching her skirt.

”Are we done here?” the inquisitor growled. ”The sooner we restrain her, the better.”

Verity nodded. ”I think so. Just...be gentle. There’s no need to hurt her.”

”R’lissea,” I said, holding her gaze. ”I tried so hard to trust you. I thought you were like a... a sister.”

Tears streamed down her cheeks, but she seemed oblivious to them.

”Do you really want to be here?” I asked. ”Do you have faith in the gods?”

”Yes,” she whispered hoarsely. ”I have to. I’m sorry.”

”I see,” I murmured, closing my eyes. ”Then...”

My aura exploded outward, engulfing the room. The walls groaned, and the floor vibrated. Verity and the inquisitors stiffened in surprise, stunned by the sudden pressure. Their mana stuttered, stifled in their souls, giving me the chance I needed.

”Open!” I cried, thrusting my hand toward R’lissea.

A small gate the height of a person swirled open behind her, bathing the room in gentle golden light. R’lissea stiffened as she felt its appearance, and whirled, her eyes widening.

The next second dragged into eternity, and I held my breath, waiting for her to choose. One word was all it would take for her to expose my realm. If she warned them, and they managed to invade—

R’lissea’s eyes narrowed, and she opened her mouth. My heart sank.

”I’m sorry,” she said.

I bit back a sob, then realized she wasn’t looking at me.

”R’lissea?” Verity gasped, her eyes widening. ”What is–wait, that’s a gate! Stop her!”

R’lissea met my gaze one last time, her eyes shimmering with tears, before falling backward through the gate. It enveloped her like a hug, and her aura vanished.

”No!” the high inquisitor shouted, finally regaining his senses.

He lunged toward the gate, but I closed my fist, dismissing it. It took him a split second to reach it, but by the time he arrived, all he could do was claw helplessly at the dissipating wisps of light.

I turned and ran, sprinting through the corridor for all I was worth. I made it a whole three steps before an inquisitor appeared in front of me, moving so quickly he seemed to teleport.

He lunged forward, hands groping for my throat. My wards flared in a flash of light, deflecting him to the side. Borealis streaked off my shoulder and slammed into his chest, sending him crashing into the wall. He collapsed to the ground, breastplate crumpled in, a stream of blood trickling between his lips.

The muffled chant of another inquisitor reached my ears, and I whirled, finding him surrounded by six magic circles. His spell was nearly complete, but I raised my staff and soul cast a sixth-circle spell.

”Hell Spear!” he shouted, raising his hands toward me.

”No, wait!” Verity shouted, face pale. ”Don’t–”

But it was too late. A magic circle materialized before his palms, ablaze with fire mana. The mana coalesced into a lance, releasing a wave of heat that melted the stone beneath his feet. The inquisitor thrust his hand forward, but as the lance leaped toward me, I clapped my hands, completing my spell.

”Mirror Lock!”

A shimmering silver globe materialized around the inquisitor. The lance collided with the inner surface and abruptly turned back, slamming into the inquisitor’s wards. It deflected off and back into the sphere, only to ricochet several more times, growing in power with every bounce and filling the globe with fiery red light.

A distant scream penetrated the Mirror Sphere, and the light flared before vanishing, leaving the globe empty save for a charred corpse. Verity and the remaining inquisitors stared at the Mirror Lock in horror. I wasted no such time, ducking into a side corridor and out of sight. With their speed, it wouldn’t take long to find me, but I had to get out before they found reinforcements. Reaching the demons in the city might be my only chance of escape.

Unfortunately, I underestimate the power of a seventh-level inquisitor. I’d scarcely made it halfway to the gate when an arc of sunlight swept through the corridor and slammed into my back. My wards absorbed the worst of the impact, but it sent me stumbling forward.

The high inquisitor appeared above me and brought his sword down in a vicious arc, sending a crack snaking through the blade ward. Borealis leaped from my shoulder again, but the inquisitor raised his sword, parrying the bird mid-strike. He then swept his blade around, cutting at the demon’s wings.

Borealis allowed my ward to take the hit and slashed forward with talons, leaving deep furrows in the man’s breastplate. I backed away until my back came up against the wall, holding my breath as they exchanged a series of blows. The corridor was too narrow for me to sneak past, meaning I was trapped by the outcome of their battle.