The Forsaken Hero

Fable struggled to his feet, shaking off the last of the scions. Every wound he left, no matter how slight, sprouted vines and thorns. The roses that blossomed on each one continued to absorb their mana until their body was completely drained. It never actually drained their soul, being life magic, but no attributed creature could survive without some trace of mana in their muscles and organs. Those with corporeal bodies became withered, mummified husks, while the demons made of darkness itself imploded into the vines.

As the last scions were torn apart, Fable set his gaze on the sword-wielding evolved demon. He was covered in wounds, and the demon’s aura made him shake, but he bounded toward it. Excitement oozed throughout our bond.

The demon lifted its long, skinny sword and gripped it in both hands, shifting its weight and striking a stance. The tip of its sword was unwavering, held in confident hands. It began to channel mana into the blade, readying a seventh-level magical technique.

Fable circled him a few paces before lunging and nipping at its ankle. The blade flashed, plunging the blade down at his neck. Its speed surpassed Fable’s, and the wolf barely avoided it by leaping aside. His extended teeth missed the demon’s leg by a few scant inches.

The demon brought his sword about in an arc, warding Fable back a dozen paces. He followed up with a whirling series of slashes. They seemed random at first, some not even coming close to hitting the wolf, but left dark lines of curse magic in the air. Fable tried to avoid them, but each was a string in a net slowly boxing in his movement.

Once the air hung heavy with curse magic, the demon started thrusting, forcing Fable to move erratically to dodge. His tail brushed one of the curses, and he stiffened, his speed dropping by an alarming amount. Like the thread attack from before, these curses clung to him, entangling his movements.

Sure enough, after acquiring a few more threads, the demon scored a bloody cut across his chest, baring the bone of his ribs. Fable lashed with his claws, but the demon’s sword was there, catching the glowing green blades with a jarring clang. It pressed forward, landing several more minor blows against his shoulders.

”Shouldn’t we help?” I asked, tail switching violently. ”He’s hurt!”

Villie shook her head. ”It’s just getting good. Watch.”

The remnant clapped her hands, and the vines constricting the demon corpses began to glow faintly. The fighting pair had wandered directly into their midst, surrounded by greenery. A rose atop the evolved demon Fable first killed suddenly exploded, releasing all its gathered mana at once.

The mana rolled out in a shockwave with force equivalent to a fourth-circle spell, rolling over Fable and the demon. It shouldn’t have been strong enough to so much as ruffle their fur, but somehow, the rose had converted it from infernal curse mana to divine life. It soaked into Fable, overpowering the curses that clung to him and mending some of his wounds. The demon, on the other hand, staggered half a step as sores and boils opened across his body. His mana quickly fought it off, but that split-second lapse gave Fable all the time he needed.

He closed the distance between them in a flash, slipping beneath the demon’s guard. His jaws snapped, and though the demon threw itself away, he succeeded in slicing open the side of its thigh. The demon moved to counterattack, but as its blade fell, another nearby rose exploded. It faltered mid-swing, and Fable managed to avoid it, getting out of reach of the sword.

Vines sprouted from the deep cut on the demon’s leg. They didn’t get far before the ends stopped and withered, but a few thorns dug into its pale flesh, slowly draining its strength.

As the seconds passed, more roses exploded, disrupting the demon’s flow. None were powerful enough to do actual damage, but they gave crucial openings to my wolf. It rarely landed meaningful attacks, but it healed the wounds Fable accumulated, and the ever-spreading vines wore the demon down. It wasn’t long before their speed was matched, and the demon stopped landing blows altogether.

With no further wounds for the roses to mend, the extra life magic began soaking into Fable’s muscles, empowering him. Despite being a level lower, he soon surpassed the weakened demon in speed and power, landing harder and deeper wounds.

A rose barely five feet from where they battled exploded, knocking the demon back a few steps. Fable lunged forward, using his wings to get behind the demon. He slammed into it from behind, leaving blood gouges in its back with his claws and knocking it to the ground. Before it could roll aside, his jaws clamped down on its throat. Black blood splashed across his maw, hissing where it came into contact with the life magic. What would already be a mortal wound turned catastrophic as his foot long teeth completely severed its head, sending it rolling across the void.

Villie clapped her hands, giggling. ”See? Wasn’t that waaaay better than before?”

Another rose exploded, making me flinch. ”I-It was too close for me. I don’t like seeing him get hurt.”

”He didn’t seem to mind,” R’lissea said, stroking her hair idly. ”But did you see those roses? We didn’t even have to be here, but it still healed him.”

Villie nodded. ”That’s right. Using Life Magic in battle is very different than outside. When you come across someone sick or injured, you want to use all of your power at once to make them feel better. But in a battle, injuries happen all the time. If you spend all your power healing them at once, more will just come later, and then what?”

”So you staggered the explosions?” R’lissea asked.

”Exactly. None of the explosions could heal all of his wounds at once, but each one gave him the strength to survive to the next one.”

”And then, when he didn’t have any more wounds to heal, they gave him a burst of strength to get ahead,” R’lissea said.

”And all the while, I used the other spells to weaken the enemies, allowing him to, eventually, transcend someone an entire level higher,” Villie said. ”And that someone was a demon. Didn’t you see how skilled it was with the sword? But Fable still won!”

I looked away, rubbing my horn. ”I...couldn’t tell. Was it good?”

”Almost as good as Fyren,” R’lissea said.

My eyes widened. ”Really? And he won?”

She giggled. ”Didn’t you watch? Of course he won!”

Fable bounded over to us, tail wagging. I opened my arms, desperate for a hug, but he stopped at Villie, licking her face all over. She laughed and hugged him. I shrank back as R’lissea started petting him too. There was a pit in my stomach I hated, but couldn’t get it to go away.

I bit my lip hard and stammered, ”We should get to Evla.”

They pulled away from Fable, nodding. Together, we ran toward the Apostle. Fable killed the few scions in our way. The opposition grew stiffer as we approached, the horde turning from her to us. The other seventh-level demon, the mage-type, noticed us soon after.

”Alright, my turn,” Villie said.

Some of my mana vanished, and she rose into the air, wreathed by an aura of life magic. I stared at her, gripping Fable tightly. The same green wings Fable had sprouted from her back. She wasn’t just floating. She was flying. Weren’t those spells supposed to be for monsters and animals?

Villie stretched her hands out, sucking my mana greedily. I slumped against Fable, panting heavily. Just how much did she need?

”Inevitable End!” she cried.

Her childish voice echoed over and over, swelling until it roared like thunder. The demons cringed, flinching as a pulse of power swept over them, breaking the aura of an eight-level spell.

A magic circle blinked into the void above, covering the entire cavern. Motes of golden light materialized above each demon’s head. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of them, like stars glittering in the night sky.

Before the demons could react, Villie lowered her hand. For once, her expression was grave.

”Die,” she whispered.

The motes streaked downward, forming javelyns of fate magic. Demons ran, hid, and conjured barriers, but the spears were unerring, tracking every movement without once wavering. They pierced wards as if they weren’t there, leaving them completely undamaged. The mage demon used a seventh-level technique to shield itself, but it too was struck.

The spears stabbed deep into their target’s soul before detonating. The room filled with light, blotting out even the deepest shadows. It was like tearing the roof off a cavern and exposing it to the noonday sun.

The light was warm and comforting, yet blinding. I covered my eyes, and when that wasn’t enough, pressed my face against Fable’s side. Even then, I could see the beautiful swirls of light dancing behind my eyelids.

When the last shockwave faded away, I risked peeking out again. My eyes widened, my lips parting in a silent gasp. They were dead. Not just the demons, but even their auras, residual mana, and very souls. Only their corpses remained, slowly discorporating into shadows. She had killed every single one of them.