The Forsaken Hero

The library echoed the design of the Divine Throne’s Library of Light, but on a scale that stole my breath. I stood at the center of an immense circle, surrounded by hallways radiating outward like the rays of the sun. Delicate paintings of ancient spell weavers and mosaics of swirling constellations adorned the walls and floor. Glowing crystals, shaped like stars, were embedded in every surface, bathing the vast space in a gentle light.

From the central circle, the main hallways branched into smaller offshoots lined with bookshelves. Glowing runes, carved directly into the floor, marked each section. I craned my neck, gazing up at least ten more identical levels rising above us. More runes illuminated alcoves along the circle’s circumference, where I presumed floating platforms waited to carry visitors between floors.

Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply. The familiar, musty scent of ancient pages filled my lungs, bringing tears to my eyes. Protective and preservative enchantments emanated from every stone and shelf, creating a warm, cozy atmosphere.

”He would have loved it here,” I murmured, the words barely a whisper.

My eyes fluttered open, and I turned to find Emlica watching me, a faint smile playing on her lips.

”I-I don’t know what to say,” I stammered, ”Other than...thank you for bringing me here. It’s beautiful.”

”Your expression says more than words ever could. The wonder in your eyes is all the thanks I need.”

She appeared more solid than before, her aura swirling like distant storm clouds.

”You’re the real one?” I asked.

”In the flesh,” she said, a hint of wry humor in her tone. ”Or, at least, as close to flesh as a remnant can get.”

A flash of gold caught my eye as another Emlica walked into sight over the railing of the third floor. They caught my eye and smiled, then vanished in a puff of stars.

”Welcome, Oracle,” Emlica said behind me.

I turned to find two Emlica’s grinning at me. Aside from the weight of their presence, the only discernable difference was that the newcomer clutched several tomes to her chest. She held them with appreciable care, unconsciously caressing their spines with a gentle finger.

”Here, Xiviyah, I thought you might appreciate this.” the real Emlica said.

Her clone held the books out to me, head bowed slightly. With an uncertain glance at the remnant, I accepted them. The runes were etched into the leather bindings and gilded with gold. All three bore the same title.

”Descending Weave?” I read, looking up at them. ”All of them?”

The fake remnant disappeared in a puff of stars, rematerializing back on the third floor and walking out of sight.

”Do you remember the difference between a sixth and seventh-level spell?” Emlica asked.

I nodded. ”Yeah, it took me like twice as long to learn one the first time. Maybe a week?”

”The same difference exists between seventh and eighth, and again between eighth and ninth. It will likely take you several weeks just to learn the runes alone, much less the experience to shape the magic circles.”

The tomes suddenly weighed heavily in my arms. ”Really? But why?”

She tilted her head. ”What do you mean?”

I hesitated, tail flicking back and forth. ”I’m...not exactly certain, but I think I broke through because of an array. It only took me a few minutes to cast, though. And I’ve never cast it before.”

”An array? Elise explained them to me, and I’ll admit there are many things I have yet to understand about them. They do not seem that different from true spells, so I’m uncertain how you could have accomplished such a feat.”

”Elise advanced the same way,” I said, ”but it took her a long time to learn the array.”

”She shared that as well. Would you be able to show me the spell you cast?” Emlica asked.

I started to nod, then hesitated, my fingers curling into my skirt. ”I...can’t. I’m not supposed to cast any spells right now. R’lissea would be mad at me.”

She arched an eyebrow. ”Mad at you? You make it sound like you’ll start a war.”

”I probably would,” I muttered.

A light chuckle escaped the remnant. ”I see. In that case, I will have to be patient. It wouldn’t do to overextend and end up hurting yourself.”

I nodded, letting out a relieved sigh. ”Thanks, but we can still talk, right?”

”Of course. Most of my questions for you are in relation to your spells and abilities, but it seems more patience on my end is required. Is there anything you would like to ask me?”

As I thought about it, she led me to one of the magic elevators.

”What was the spell you used to bring us here? I didn’t even see any runes,” I asked as we rose to the second floor.

”Ah, that. It’s simply one of my abilities, called Astral Apparition. Kind of a mouthful, yet extremely useful.”

”It reminds me a lot of Gayron’s ability. He can summon clones of himself from the excess mana of his attacks. They all share the same soul, though.”

”Mine are a little different,” she explained. ”They are mere projections of my consciousness. I can cast spells and use mana through them, but it simply changes the origin point. They can’t actually act independently.”

”So your main body cast the spell, but had it affect me through the clone?”

”Precisely. You catch on quick.”

I flushed slightly, my tail twitching proudly. ”T-thanks.”

The hallways of the second floor were wide and beautiful, seeming to feature exclusively spells of the second level. The aisle markings were unfamiliar to me, lacking the normal runes describing which type of magic was contained within.

”Which spells are on this shelf?” I asked, pointing at a nearby aisle.

”Spells intended to restrain or restrict an opponent,” she said.

”So earth magic? Life?”

Emlica shook her head. ”Spells are only categorized by attributes in mortal worlds, where the gods have arbitrarily assigned them. As I believe you’ve learned through arrays, attributes are to be found in runes, not spells. True spells use many attributes and can be cast in any world regardless of the categories placed upon them.”

”Like Requiem?”

”Elise also mentioned that one, though she was reluctant to demonstrate it.”

”Oh,” I said, looking away. ”It’s just a spell to heal sunpurge and corruption. R’lissea and I created it together, but I don’t think Elise can cast it yet.”

”Is that so? Well, I’ll add it to the list of things I wish you to demonstrate later. As you asked about the runes, let me explain this library. We can’t have you getting lost.”

Emlica brought me back to the platform, raising it all the way to the eighth floor. I gripped the railing hard as we rose higher and higher, tail twitching anxiously. The remnant patted me on the back, smiling kindly.

”The calling of a god resides in two sources: their divinity and their faith. Divinity provides direction, while faith brings the power to fulfill it. While you hold Fate’s divinity, you are not a goddess because you lack the strength. If you were to ascend beyond the ninth level, you would likely instantly surpass the highest archons and attain a lesser divine kingdom, proof of a god’s calling.”

”Me? A god?” I gasped, forgetting, for a moment, that we’d reached over a hundred feet in the air and were still rising.

She chuckled lightly. ”Yes, you. On the other hand, the pretentious fate god has power but lacks divinity. And because of that, he cannot truly sustain his existence.”

”What do you mean? He already has a hero,” I said.

”A hero, yes, and he claims to understand the future. That alone is enough to prove it.”

”But what does that mean? What really is a divinity?”

”So many questions,” she said, wagging her finger. ”But it is good.”

The platform reached the eighth floor and stopped. The remnant drifted off and beckoned me to follow. I wasted no time leaving the railing and stumbling after her.

”Divinity grants the god unique insight into their domain.” She held out her hand, and a book flew off the shelf into her grip.

”Foretelling?” I asked, tilting my head.

”A spell to read the future up to a year in advance,” she explained. ”It allows something similar to the Eyes of Fate. Any mage or god can cast it to gain a similar power for a short time.”

I rubbed my horn, deep in thought. ”So you’re saying having a divinity is like the Oracle of Eternity?”

She broke into a smile. ”And I didn’t even have to spell it out. Wonderful.”

”When I had the Eyes of Fate, I thought everything I saw was sure to come. I didn’t realize how limited my senses and understanding of fate were until I gained the Oracle of Eternity,” I muttered.

”The pretender is likely experiencing something similar. He believes he has everything he needs, and the divinity is just a formality.”

”Then why try so hard to get it?” I asked.

She clicked her tongue. ”Even if the fool scorns the powers it brings, he still needs it to unlock his Divine kingdom. Which brings me to the true purpose of this library.”