The Forsaken Hero

Emlica led me to a narrow alcove nestled between two hallways. It was small and cozy, with a dusty couch on either side. A small wooden table was situated between them, hosting a beautiful crystal lamp that filled the space with starlight.

She frowned at the couches and waved her hand, summoning a wave of wind that scoured the dust from the fabric.

”There, have a seat.”

I collapsed onto the left one, leaning my head back against the soft fabric pillow. My tail curled contentedly in my lap, begging to be stroked. I obliged with a sigh, a subtle ache pervading my legs.

”I didn’t realize you were so tired,” she said, sitting across from me.

”I wasn’t,” I said, scratching my cheek. ”I mean, I am now, but it just showed up.”

She pursed her lips, looking me up and down. Her eyes flashed with uncanny light, and I shivered, hugging my tail to my chest.

”Y-you have the Eyes of Fate too?” I stammered.

”Forgive me for the intrusion, but yes. Or rather, an evolved form called the Eyes of Eternity. It’s what your ability would have evolved into had you not received the divinity,” she explained.

I shivered again as her gaze pierced the depths of my soul. ”And what do you see?”

She clicked her tongue. ”That the Life Hero, young and inexperienced as she may be, was right.”

”R’lissea?”

”Indeed. Your soul has expanded far beyond what your body is capable of sustaining.”

Emlica waved her hand again, and a crystal glass materialized on the table. Condensation spread across the surface when the air touched it, clouding the clear fluid.

”Essentially, you’re like this glass here, only instead of a few swallows, you’re now holding an ocean. Somehow, your soul’s compensated for the differential, but just barely.”

I nodded, idly stroking my tail. ”Fate said something like that. She thought it would be dangerous for me to cast eighth circle spells back to back.”

”It’s more than that,” Emlica said softly. ”Until your body has completely acclimated to the enormous power resting within, your strength will be very fickle. An unconscious surge of power, or even a slight variation in the regular mana cycle, requires that much more from you to stabilize.”

”Is there anything I can do to master it quicker?” I asked.

She shook her head, dashing my hopes. ”The only option would be to acquire a magical tool or item to restrict the power of your soul. It’s my understanding you would rather avoid that.”

”So it’s just time?” I sighed, tail going limp in my lap. ”That’s fine. I’m used to healing. And from the way everyone treats me, they are too.”

She was quiet for a long moment, letting my despondency wrap around the room. At last, she gestured to the glass, aged face lifting in a smile.

”Please, drink. You fortunate than most in that your friends actually enjoy caring for you. If I were you, I’d just enjoy their pampering. Fate knows you have plenty of hardship ahead and behind to make up for it.”

”O-oh. Thanks.”

I accepted the glass and sniffed it, only to frown and lower it to my lap. Bitter, like alcohol. She gave me a quizzical look, and I averted my eyes.

”Is something the matter? I assure you it is safe to drink.”

Safe to drink? Like...poison?

”N-no, I didn’t mean to offend,” I stammered, shaking my head furiously. ”It’s just...wine.”

She raised an eyebrow. ”This wine was once famous in the world I saved, renown across all forty-seven kingdoms and empires for its refreshing qualities.”

I swallowed hard, the glass trembling slightly in my grip as I gazed into it. The wine was perfectly clear, and yet...there seemed to be something thick and coagulant floating in it, like saliva. I blinked, shaking my head, and the illusion disappeared. A sour taste filled my mouth.

Suddenly, the glass vanished, causing me to gasp. I looked up with wide eyes, cringing slightly. Emlica, however, didn’t seem frustrated, rather amused.

”Forgive my assumption. Most heroes leap at a chance for fine wine. I should have assumed you were different. Here, some water, perhaps?”

Another glass appeared on the table. Conscious of her gaze, I gave it a cautionary sniff, but this time, there it really was water and I took a sip. The glass was cool against my lip, and the water washed the dust from my throat.

”Thank you,” I said, wiping a bead of water from my lip. ”Sorry.”

She waved her hand dismissively. ”Think nothing of it. And now, I believe I was about to tell you about the other aspects of a deity’s power.”

”You mean faith?”

”Faith, yes, but rather the source of it. Faith comes from mortals and is the primary power source of all gods. But no one worships for free; thus, if a god desires power, they must offer something in return.”

”Isn’t that the shards, though?” I asked.

”In part, yes, but that’s only a general gift to all worlds. Every god receives the faith generated from the usage of Divine Mana equally. This equality is unacceptable for beings whose value comes from their strength over their competitors, leading to various schemes to generate even more faith.”

I nodded slowly, taking another sip. ”That’s why the gods created the game of heroes, right? To get more people to worship them?”

”Precisely. But the strength of a hero is reliant on their god, creating a sort of cycle. To generate faith beyond that, it comes to the relationship between the god and his patrons without a mediator.”

Emlica tapped her wooden cane, gesturing to the shelves around us with her hand. I looked around, understanding dawning.

”You mean spells.”

”Close: knowledge. True believers of a god are granted exclusive gifts of power and magic, which often do come in the form of spells. Every deity must maintain a vast library to reward good behavior. Believers are often picky in their desires, and if they don’t receive what they want, they will forget all the good their god has done and find another.”

”Knowledge is power. Is that it?” I asked.

She smiled faintly, rubbing her thumb over her cane. ”That’s the gist of it. Now, that being said, this library is the single most important facility in this realm. It also belongs entirely to you.”

”What? But I thought this was all from Fate’s divine kingdom?” I gasped.

She shrugged. ”Who’s to say anymore? She lacks both the power of a goddess and a divinity. You at least have one. It’s as much yours as hers, though that matter is of some contention amongst the remnants. You shouldn’t concern yourself about that now, however, and focus on gaining as much strength as you can to protect it.”

”So I can read all of them?” I asked, looking around in wonder.

”All of them. One at a time, of course. And with careful supervision. I know how careless you mortals could be. One damaged book...”

Her eyes narrowed, sending chills down my spine. Even though she didn’t release her aura, I suddenly felt that Jasrin had a right to be afraid of her. Her presence wasn’t any weaker than Gathrin, the guard of the Citadel.

”No! I would never! I love books,” I said quickly, ”I promise I’ll take care of them.”

”I already said they’re yours. But not until R’lissea clears you to study magic again. Until then, you can only read runic dictionaries and theories.”

I tapped my spatial ring, withdrawing the book Nithalee had given me. At the same time, I touched the stack of eighth-circle tomes and stored them.

”A ninth-level mage gave me this in the Empire,” I said, sliding it across the table to Emlica. ”Is it worth studying? Or do you have something better?”

She picked the book up on a current of mana, idly breezing through the pages without actually touching them.

”It doesn’t seem bad, especially given it’s written in a manner familiar to you. It’s certainly missing a lot, but it will be sufficient until you are prepared to enter the ninth level.”

”If I ever get that far,” I muttered. ”It seems like I’m not even going to survive the eighth.”

She chuckled and floated the book back over to me. ”Study this one for now, and I’ll look around a few times to fill in the gaps. And if you don’t mind, I’d like to borrow it when you’re done. It’s been long since I’ve found a book worthy of laying on the shelves, but this will do.”

I titled my head. ”I thought you said it was missing things?”

”No book is complete. And besides, this is a personal gift from the god of magic. It would be a great offense to refuse it.”

She cleared her throat and stood, staff tapping sharply on the stone floor. I made to stand after her, but she held up a hand.

”Please, rest here a while. Perhaps do a little reading, as you are so keen to do. There are things I must take care of. I’ll keep an eye out for your friends and lead them here when they arrive.”

”Thank you,” I said, gratefully sitting back down. Even if we’d been sitting for a while, my legs still trembled at the thought of walking around.

Emlica gave me a short nod before vanishing in a cloud of starlight. I waited a second to see if she was gone before settling back and opening the book. The familiar, cozy scent of the library pressed in all around me, and soon, I’d long forgotten the world around me.

This was how life was meant to be enjoyed. Not on a battlefield but on a soft couch with a book in my lap.