The Forsaken Hero

His words blindsided me. I staggered, a weight on my shoulders. If Fate weren’t there, I might have fallen.

”Fyren?” My voice was shrill. ”But he wouldn’t...I mean...But why?”

”Calm down, Xiviyah,” Fate said, taking me by the shoulders. ”If the Lord of Ash is manipulating you to the end of consuming the Divinity, he would have done so by now. Rather, if it’s true that you’ve bound them with a Primordial Mark, nothing could be further from the truth.”

Arantius nodded. ”I have to agree with that. It was bad enough for the demons when the emperor severed the link, but you’re just a mortal. If you were to die, your soul would be washed clean in the Cycle of Reincarnation. It’s hard to say exactly what would happen, but it wouldn’t just end with every demon tied to you becoming a scion. Their souls might be carried after you, to be erased forever in the currents of Oblivion.”

My heart continued to race, fear chilling my tail, but I forced myself to take a few deep breaths. Even if Arantius were wrong, I’d come too far with Fyren to doubt him now.

”I still don’t understand,” I said, ”If the bond is so dangerous, why would he, and two demon lords, risk themselves like that?”

”I can think of two reasons,” Fate said, stroking my hair. ”The first is that this was done in ignorance. Perhaps they stumbled upon an ancient record in some forgotten world and wished to try it, or that it really was a coincidence they received a primordial mark. I find that less likely than the second option.”

I looked up at her, eyes wide, but it was Arantius who finished.

”They are just that desperate. Whatever they’re running from, whatever goal they have, is so important they would risk everything in the hopes you can accomplish it.”

”But we don’t know if this is true, yet. Perhaps we’re merely discussing a fate that could have been, and your makers on them are infernal. I suppose there is only one way to find out.” Fate turned to me, serious as I’d ever seen her. ”Xiviyah, child, would you please call your ice demon?”

I gasped. ”What? Borealis? But he’s a demon. And besides, I can’t. I can only summon...” I trailed off, looking down at Fable. ”You can’t mean–”

”But I do,” she said. ”Go on, call him. Just like you do for Fable. But focus on your mark with him instead of Fable’s bond.”

I took a deep breath, adjusting my grip on my staff. I could feel my bond with him, icy and cool. As I mulled over it, I realized it didn’t feel all that different from Fable. In fact, it felt closer to Fable’s bond than the one I had with Fyren, Zephyriss, and Incinderus.

I stretched out my hand, taking a deep breath. The crystal star atop my staff lit up, bathing the cathedral in golden light.

”Borealis, to me!”

At first, nothing happened. But then, one after the other, stars appeared. They started to move, swirling together, forming a gate of golden light. A familiar screech sounded, echoing through the halls of the Cathedral.

I stood, rigid with shock, as a gleaming crystalline bird dove through the gate. Borealis circled once, taking in the unfamiliar scene, before he caught sight of me. A glint entered his eye, and before I could react, he dove down, landing on my head. He cawed softly, nesting between my horns.

”H-hey!” I cried, waving my hands frantically. ”No! Stop that!”

Fate laughed, a clear, melodic sound. ”It seems I was right.”

I spun in a circle, trying in vain to dislodge the rooting bird. He finally grew tired of my yelps and hopped down, landing on my shoulder. I grabbed him off, hugging him tightly against my chest, making sure his wings were pinned to his side.

”Bad Borealis,” I scolded, giving him a firm shake.

”He’s a demon, Xiviyah, not a child,” Arantius said. The old remnant wore a faint smile, eyes bright with amusement.

”Then he should know better, ” I muttered, turning away with a sniff.

He chuckled. ”The Realms have forever been altered by this, and yet here you are, sulking.”

I flushed. ”I-I’m not sulking.”

Borealis shifted, nuzzling my hand with his head. My pout slipped, and I sighed, reluctantly petting him.

Arantius turned to Fate. ”So?”

”I’m afraid it’s too late to reverse it,” she murmured. ”Had I noticed even a week ago, things might have been different.”

”I’m sorry, ” I said, tail going limp. ”I...I should have come to you.”

”No, do not blame yourself. There were opportunities for me to glimpse the nature of the demons’ plans, yet I overlooked them. This Lord of Ash is beyond cunning, slipping something this bold past a goddess.” She smiled softly. ”I can say nothing else but that is as fate intended. And, given time, it might prove a blessing. After all, you no longer have to worry about your horde betraying you.”

”Yet she is also now bound to their schemes,” Arantius said.

”Schemes that might yet prove allied to our own.” For some reason, I got the impression Fate wasn’t as uncertain about this as her words might indicate. She sounded rather convinced.

”So, what is he, now?” I asked, holding up Borealis.

”Do you remember when I mentioned Primal Marks were the source of the first attributed demons? To make a long, complex history short, the original emperors were beings akin to gods, bearing the same domains and powers. Yet, when they formed the first demons, they bound them with marks, just as the gods are now trying to do with mortals, through the heart crest. Eventually, the emperor’s powers bled to the demons, forever altering their souls. To be honest, I’m surprised the Lord of Ash knew enough about this history to even attempt replicating it.”

”Wait, so you’re saying Borealis is a...a...”

”An ice demon, still. Or, perhaps, a hybrid. But in time, he will likely become the first ever fully fledged fate demon. The Lord of Ash, the demon lords, and the rest of their horde will follow. Given the rate of this particular demon’s transformation, I would guess the weakest scions and evolved demons are already showing signs. This transition will take longer the more powerful a demon is, for their soul weighs more equally against you and is thus less influenced.”

”A Fate Demon? Borealis?” I held up the bird, looking him eye to eye. He tilted his head, squirming until I lowered and hugged him to my chest again.

”No wonder he likes being so close to you,” Arantius said. ”The constant touch and proximity must accelerate the process.”

”Is that it? You don’t just like snuggling?” I asked.

He cawed faintly, and I felt a touch of guilt in our bond. I frowned, suddenly feeling less inclined to keep petting him. Yet, at the same time...he was soft. And warm. Maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing.

”You’re too easy, Xiviyah,” Fate said, shaking her head in amusement. ”At least try to feel taken advantage of.”

”I already knew there was a reason. Everyone’s always so quick to remind me he’s a demon, after all.” I said. ”At least now I know what it is. And why they call themselves the Devoted.”

”True. Now, I think I’ve seen enough for now.” Fate said. ”Please, visit often in the future. I would like to keep an eye on this as it develops. As they shift attributes, they will likely acquire new powers and abilities while shedding their old. As long as the demon lords maintain their ability to bear the weight of the demons you marked, there shouldn’t be any adverse effects on your soul, though I can’t say the same for them. It’s impossible to be certain, though, as no one has used a Primal mark in countless millennia, and certainly no mortal. Anything can happen.”

”Okay, I will.”

”Now then, I recall you came here with a purpose,” Fate said.

”Oh, right!” I took a deep breath, sorting my thoughts. I would have loved to spend all day thinking about the Primal Mar, but time was a luxury we didn’t have.

Once I’d managed to calm my mind, I explained our dilemma to Fate. She listened carefully, leaning as much from my mind as the words I said.

”Now this, on the other hand, is a problem you can solve on your own,” Fate said when I finished. ”You don’t need the help of a goddess to puzzle this out. You have everything you need already.”

”But what can I do?” I asked.

”Consider another angle. Instead of trying to find an item or spell worth a dozen or so evolved demons, why not provide what they would have, given they existed? A way through the World Barrier, for instance.”

”But I don’t even know what that is,” I protested. ”It’s not a spell, or even mentioned in the histories at the Divine Throne.”

”That’s because they’ve never had one in Enusia. But if it has the same, that means it’s existed elsewhere,” Fate said.

”So...the remnants!” My eyes lit up with the realization. ”One of them will know!”