The Forsaken Hero

Scarcely had Fyren spoken than a sudden surge of mana erupted from the formation surrounding Selena. She cursed, flinching as a rune in the third circle suddenly popped. There had been nothing wrong with it to the eye, yet something in its placement had failed when stressed by the weight of the spell above it.

Borealis shrieked, releasing a burst of ice mana in the air above me and fanning out his wings, blocking my view. At the same time, Fyren’s arm snaked around me. Hot, fiery mana spilled over my body, causing my breath to come up short.

The explosion came suddenly, rocking the world. I squeezed my eyes shut as the shockwave struck us hard, breaking on Fyren and Borealis. But even with their twofold protection, my insides shuddered, and I coughed, tasting blood. Within the Nexus, I could feel Adaptive Resistance flaring around Selena, devouring an endless tide of mana. Occasionally, waves crossed the threshold it could bear, penetrating to lick at Selena like hungry flames.

At last, the maelstrom died down. I peeked out from behind Fyren, gasping as I saw the ruined gardens. The ground had been scoured clean for five hundred feet in a radius around where the spell failed, and no tree or bush survived unscathed for another thousand. The courtyard walls and manor were covered in glowing wards, but many flickered, looking ready to fail before the slightest breeze. The terrified faces of maids, servants, and guards peered at us from behind windows, eyes wide and mouths agape.

Selena stumbled out of the billowing dust clouds in the center of the devastation, her hair ragged and clothes a tattered mess. Blood streaked her face, leaking from her lips, and her soul was a chaotic, jittering mess. But still, I breathed a sigh of relief. Wounded and disoriented was still better than dead.

”Selena, are you alright?” I asked, squirming out from beneath Fyren and running to her.

I caught her as she fell, and very nearly toppled beneath her weight. Fyren caught up in a single step, catching us both and giving me a stern look. Though he now held her weight, I didn’t let go of her arm, clutching it tightly.

”That...could have gone better,” Selena muttered, wiping the blood from her chin with the back of her hand.

”I’d say. Had you been another hour in, you might have blown the entire estate up,” Fyren observed.

She gave him a look, but her eyes were too hazy for it to cut deep. ”I’ll do it next time. There’s a strange way the spell has you format the runes. I wasn’t used to it, so I must have made a mistake somewhere. But I figured it out now, so we should–”

”Selena,” I interrupted gently. ”I think...maybe you shouldn’t. You got too far and used too much mana. Even if things went perfectly, you won’t have enough by the time you get to the ninth circle. And besides, your soul is still reeling from the backlash. You need to give it some time.”

”Damn,” she muttered, ”Are you sure?”

I nodded solemnly, and she groaned, rubbing her head.

”Fine, but I’m doing this tomorrow no matter what.”

”On the bright side, you’ve got a nice, open field to practice in. Assuming you can get a groundskeeper to fill that crater, Fyren said, nodding behind us.

I turned, lips parting in a breathless gasp as I beheld that the dust cloud had dispersed, revealing a massive crater some thirty feet deep.

”Yeah, they’ll get someone on that. It’s not the first time,” Selena muttered. ”And I think, maybe, I’ll try this on the sparring fields next time. Should have thought of that before. Well, I did, but R’lissea did it so easily I thought...bah, she’s a hero. Of course she did.”

Once we’d helped Selena limp back to the manor, maids appeared, taking her from our arms. They ushered her away quickly, giving me a sharp look when I tried to follow.

”Let them go, she needs her rest. And some quiet to contemplate on her failure. It’s the only way she’ll progress,” Fyren said, resting a hand on my shoulder.

I bit my lip, watching as she disappeared up the grand staircase. ”Will she be alright? Her soul was really suntable.”

”I imagine she’ll be fine. There’s no real danger of permanent damage until the eighth and ninth circles. Everything before that bonfire’s little more than sparks.”

There was nothing more for us to do that day other than help with the cleanup effort, which neither Fyren, Fable, nor Borealis seemed to want to do. I spent some time using Earth Magic to draw the scattered earth, rock, and stone together into the crater, but the groundskeepers were all mages with far more experience in the matter than I. After deciding I was only getting in their way, I retreated to Haven to explain the changes in the Divinity to Fate.

”Yes, you’re right,” Fate said musingly. ”Your aura formed prematurely due to the Divinity. There’s nothing you can do save control it, so I didn’t feel it was important to mention it. But it is curious that its power is slipping from your control.”

”Do you have any idea why? Is something wrong?” I asked.

She shrugged. ”No mortal has ever carried a divinity before, and certainly not for the length of time you’ve borne it. But this situation might be even more unique to you than that. I suspect it has to do with the frailty of your body and the resulting instability of your soul. You’re strong enough to begin to draw on its true power unknowingly, yet your vessel is cracked. It’s only natural that it begins to spill forth. I recommend you keep your distance from those you don’t know and trust. It won’t take much to cause the energy to lash out, trapping you, them, or all nearby in snarls of fate.”

”Like a vision?” I asked tentatively.

”Perhaps, but there might be more...drastic consequences as well. Let us hope it does not come to that.”

I pursed my lips, torn between asking more and letting the matter rest. She made the choice for me as she patted my shoulder.

”Don’t worry about it now, there will be plenty of time for that once it happens.”

Once, not if.

With that sobering thought, I gave her a small curtsey and left, more questions than answers swimming through my mind. At the top of the pile was the question of what would happen if I continued to get stronger. Logically speaking, it would only get worse. But could I afford to stagnate now? After how far we’d come, and much distance we still had to go?

That night, as I drifted through visions, I came to a dark city square. The sky was black overhead, choked by smoke and starless night. Bodies of demons, risen, and humans littered the ground, steeped in black, fetid blood. Tendrils of violet energy curled across the ground, drawn to the souls of the surviving demons pacing restlessly through the city.. My stomach twisted as one brushed across my leg, sending a jolt of filth through my soul form. Curse magic.

The demons parted, allowing a black-claoked figure to walk through. My heart fluttered as I recognized Luke’s violet eyes peering beneath his hood. I couldn’t help but notice the golden glint of a brooch on his breast. Jessia slunk beside him, a silver dagger in her hand, held in a reverse grip.

”What now?” she asked as they passed where I stood.

”These damned Risen...they’ve stalled us for too long,” Luke muttered. ”Even this victory feels hollow. How long until our forces secure the rest of the city?”

”A few hours, I guess. The liches retreated almost an hour ago.”

”That was when the black mist weakened. I wonder what happened. Did something draw the undead hero’s attention?” Luke asked.

”I wonder...” Jessia pursed her lips. ”If you give me a day, I could figure it out.”

”Don’t be reckless. Not even you can resist the Black Mist for that long. Damn, I miss Xiviyah. She’d be able to tell us.”

”Yeah, but she’s kind of cheating. And unreliable. Who knows if the sights she sees are true,” Jessia replied.

I flinched, but couldn’t refute it. Still, for some reason, the thought of my name on Luke’s lips, even with all the distance between us, warmed my heart. I knew it was foolish, but a small part of me hoped he missed me for more than my ability to pierce fate.

An explosion in the distance rocked the city. Luke and Jessia spun.

”Take a horde of Fire demons to secure the western walls,” Luke ordered. ”And tell Constance to drive the humans from the cathedral. Kill any who continue to defy us. They’ve ignored my mercy long enough. The time for grace has passed.”

”Finally. I was beginning to think you actually intended to let them stall forever,” Jessia said. She flashed a grin. ”Good to know you still have some steel...when she’s not here, at least.”

”Shut up,” Luke said, rubbing his horn. ”Just do it.”

Jessia vanished in a puff of black mana. Luke sighed and folded his arms, absently fingering the golden brooch.

”Wait for me, Xiviyah,” he whispered, enclosing the brooch in his fist. ”Just a little longer. I’m coming.”