The Forsaken Hero

Luke and Korra moved to follow, but I waved them off, leaving them behind in the warmth of the First Light Inn. This was a conversation I needed to have alone.

I crossed the bridge to the neighboring island, the silence of the realm pressing in on me. Scarcely had my boot touched the grass when Arantius materialized from the starlight. He didn’t ask questions, merely offering me his hand.

The instant I took it, the world twisted. The ground dropped out from beneath my feet, replaced by the cool, polished stone of the Cathedral. I stumbled as reality stabilized, finding myself in the shadow of the Shard. Fate stood before it, her mana entangled with its pulsing light. She turned as we appeared, her golden eyes taking in my troubled expression, and simply opened her arms.

”Fate...” I whispered, my resolve crumbling. I collapsed into her embrace, burying my face in her robes. ”I...I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”

”Shh, child. You’ve done nothing wrong,” she soothed, her hand stroking my hair. ”As desperate as the remnants are, rushing into things never would have ended well. It takes time to adjust to mortal minds and perspectives, and you’ve done a wonderful job slowly increasing their exposure.”

”Maybe too good a job,” Arantius said, folding his arms.

She silenced him with a sharp look before turning her gentle gaze back to me. ”Xiviyah, this realm stands behind you, and every being here appreciates your efforts to protect them. But remember, any one of the remnants, Arantius included, could have said something if they desired. Don’t blame yourself for not reading their minds. You’re not a goddess.”

”I know, but...I should have listened,” I sniffled, gripping the fabric of her dress. ”They were always so eager to come and fight for me in Enusia. And Emlica always asks about what’s going on, and is so interested in the magic. Like the cannons.”

”Perhaps, but you know by now that the word ’should’ is rarely useful. What matters is what was, and what you will choose to do now. Isn’t that why you’ve come to me today?”

I pulled back slightly, scrubbing the tears gathering in my eyes with my sleeve. My throat tightened, the familiar tightness rising in my chest, making it hard to breathe.

I looked down, my hands trembling. ”I...I don’t know what to do next. How to start. Will you help me?”

”Is it still so hard for you to ask?” she murmured, caressing my cheek.

I nodded, and she sighed. After a moment, she spoke, her voice soft and firm.

”Then, to start with, be patient. You’ll know when the time is right to open this realm to Enusia.”

”That’s it?” I asked, tilting my head up.

She smiled. ”That’s it. See, nothing to worry about?”

”Could you be a little less vague on what that looks like?” I asked, rubbing my horn ruefully.

”Not today.”

”I figured as much. But it doesn’t hurt to try, right?”

She chuckled softly, but then her smile faded. My stomach dropped, and I leaned against her, hiding my face in her dress. She stroked my hair, her arm tightening around my back.

”You can tell?” I whispered, tears gathering in my eyes.

”I can read your thoughts, Xiviyah. But you wouldn’t have brought them here if you didn’t intend to share them. It’s the demon, isn’t it?”

I nodded, sniffling lightly. ”I just...when Luke saved me, he was so...different. Than Soltair. But Fyren wasn’t.”

”You don’t like that he scared you?”

I shook my head. ”No, it’s just...why? He asked Fable and the remnants beforehand. Why wouldn’t he tell me? If it were to help Luke, I would have gone along with it. But he didn’t. He just took what he wanted.”

She was quiet for a long time, idly stroking my hair. At last, she let out a breath.

”Are you really surprised?” she asked.

”What? I...I trusted him, Fate. I never thought he’d do something like that. I thought he cared.”

”The demon?” Her voice, while still soft, held a touch of reproach that sent a chill down my spine. ”You mean the one who abandoned you without a word for an entire year? The one who left you to the mercy of the church because he felt it necessary to protect you?”

”But that’s not...he didn’t...”

”And what of when he burned an entire kingdom to the ground, and slaughtered tens of thousands because he thought that might bring him a lead to your location? We could look more recent, too, like how he’s held you at the manor for fear of your safety.”

”But he...I’ve left,” I protested.

”Three, four times in the past few months? Are you saying you haven’t once wished to visit some place with Luke, or stroll through a market with R’lissea? Who stands between you and that fantasy?”

I bit my lip to keep it from quivering.

”Ask yourself, Xiviyah. Since when has he ever cared about your feelings? Sure, when it doesn’t matter, but about something he finds important? You’ve known he was using you since the moment we discovered the Primordial Mark. Hasn’t he said as much? So why are you surprised when he acts like it? Didn’t you believe him?”

”I didn’t want to.” A tear finally escaped, trickling down my cheek. I squeezed my eyes shut, a sob choking in my throat. ”I didn’t want to!”

”You wanted a friend. Someone to bring a sense of security and order to your chaotic life. A father, perhaps. But what you have is a soldier. A general with an endgame, a strategy, in which you play the crucial role. I can’t say he’s not fond of you, for the demon has told me that himself, but he is immortal.”

I sniffled, wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. The truth stung, but it also clarified the world in a cold, sharp light. ”A strategy,” I repeated, my voice hollow. ”Is that all I am? A piece on a board? I don’t like it.”

Fate released me, stepping back to look up at the pulsing white Shard. ”We are all pieces, Xiviyah. Even the gods. Even me. The difference lies only in who moves them.”

She turned back, her expression grave. ”You’ve forgotten that, haven’t you? These days of peace have distanced you from the war you sought so desperately to survive. I think, perhaps, that the Lord of Ash’s actions were as much a reminder of that as a lesson for the apostle. A warning that this peace and safety will soon come to its inevitable end.”

”Oblivion,” I whispered.

She stiffened at that, then slowly relaxed. ”How fitting,” she murmured. ”A whisper of oblivion.”

”So...it’s really time then?” I asked.

Fate nodded, raising her hand and summoning a ribbon of true mana from the Shard. ”It is. Your friends are preparing for it now, come what may. You should do the same.”

I watched her weave the mana together, spinning it so fine that even the Oracle of Eternity had a hard time tracing every thread. It looked like a...a soul, maybe? But she didn’t seem in the mood to share more, ignoring the question in my mind and continuing to work with the true mana. Catching her hint, I gave her a grateful curtsey and left. Arantius shadowed me out.

”What are you going to do?” he asked curiously.

”I think...she’s right. I’ve been avoiding it for too long, not wanting it to end. But it’s going to, and I’d rather be ready than not,” I said softly.

”A wise choice. I assume you’ll be gone for a while?”

I gave him an odd look, a smile twitching at the corner of my lips. ”A strange way to word seeking out visions.”

He smiled back, coming to a stop as we left the gates of the cathedral. ”I’ll inform your companions that you won’t be returning to the inn.”

”Thanks.” I hesitated, then turned, my tail twitching restlessly. ”Um, Arantius? Did you know? What Fyren was doing?’

”Of course. Even that demon wouldn’t dare do something so brazen without informing me.”

”And you were okay with it? With him threatening me?”

”I can’t say I liked the idea, but as Fate said, I think it was necessary. I’ll go further, and say the words she didn’t. Xiviyah, you can’t lose focus now. Everything rests on this war, on whether we can secure this alliance with Magic, and then this world. Endure it a little longer, and once we’ve walked our path and reached the end, you’ll be able to rest.”

”I’ll do my best,” I promised, forcing a small smile, showing confidence I wished I felt. ”And I promise I won’t forget again.”

He nodded and vanished, disappearing into Haven’s stars. I looked after him for a long time before I turned and set off toward the Heart of Haven. First Fyren, then Fate, and now Arantius. After hearing it three different times, in three different ways, I couldn’t ignore the words of the immortals any longer. I needed to be prepared.