The Forsaken Hero

The Azure wing glided along its predetermined route, remaining directly above the main army as almost half the other skyships split off, rapidly leaving us behind. They were those carrying the strike forces, and needed to arrive early to be in position for the assault. Each had a mage on board who knew R’lissea’s Purify spell, allowing them to traverse the skies over the Black Mist without the protection of my Effulgent Dawn.

”I don’t like this,” Luke muttered, folding his arms, staring ahead at the departing skyships. It had only been a few minutes, but they had already been reduced to dots on the horizon. ”I think the plan’s too ambitious. There’s no way we can kill all six liches and the dragon at the same time. Someone’s going to end up bearing the full weight of that power, and I’m not sure we can do it. There’s enough maan in all this mist to equal another Arbiter.”

”You really think so?” I asked, rubbing my horn. ”Then...it will be us. Me, you, Fable, and Borealis.”

”And Fyren, I hope. The Emperors know we’ll need him,” Luke muttered.

”I asked him to make sure the other liches are taken care of first. He might be able to use that weird power of his to get rid of them permanently, without needing to destroy the artifacts. He might even be able to stop Connor from collecting their power after they’re dead.” I sighed, looking at the skyship closest to us, where I could feel R’lissea and Korra’s auras. ”I kinda wish someone had woken me before everyone split up. I wanted to give them my wards.”

”You know that’s a bad idea. I don’t even like that you’re considered a part of our team,” Luke said, frowning at me. ”The entire strategy relies on you being able to hold the Effulgent Dawn. You can’t waste mana fighting or passing your wards around to everyone.”

I puffed my cheeks out in a slight pout, folding my arms. ”I could do it. I’m strong now, with you. With this,” I said, touching my ring.

”I, for one, don’t want you to take the risk. You just stay with the Azure wing and watch us take care of that dragon. Just like we planned.”

”I suppose so,” I muttered.

”I’m not liking that tone,” Luke said sternly. ”Xiviyah, promise me you won’t do anything crazy. I can’t fight if I’m worried about you.”

”Fine,” I let out a resigned sigh. ”I’ll stay on the ship. I promise. But you’re really starting to sound like R’lissea.”

He nodded firmly. ”Good. I’ll hold you to that. And I’ll take that bit about her as a compliment. She’s pretty wise, for her age.”

I smacked him playfully on the arm. ”As if you’re so much older. In fact, you might even be younger than her.”

”Oh?” He raised his eyebrows. ”And what about you? Are you older than me?”

I hesitated, tugging on a lock of crimson hair. ”Well...maybe? How old are you, exactly?”

”Twenty-two, I believe. Or maybe a little older?” he shrugged. ”I wasn’t able to find clear information on the date of my birth. Whatever records the circle kept were long turned to ash when I started looking.”

”Then...I guess I’m a little younger. I couldn’t have been much older than this body here in my old world, and combined with the years here...” I shrugged helplessly. ”I really don’t know, though.”

”You didn’t keep records in your old world?”

”We did, but...I didn’t exactly grow up in a place where things like that mattered very much,” I said, looking down. ”The only thing that mattered was whether you were old enough to, um, work. Not legally, of course, but...I started younger than I should have. Didn’t have much of a choice.” I looked up at him, blushing as I found him staring at me. ”What?”

He smiled faintly. ”Nothing. I’ve just never heard you even mention your previous world. It sounds like you had it hard.”

”Something like that.” I shivered, rubbing my arms despite my wards. ”I’d rather not dwell on it much longer.”

”But you’re younger than me. Good. That feels right, somehow,” he said, grinning. ”It would have been a little weird if you were some old hag trapped in a young girl’s body.”

I giggled, letting the gloom fade away. ”I think Korra and R’lissea were both close to my age, but I have no idea about any of the others.”

”I bet Victor was a crotchety old man,” Luke chuckled. ”I still can’t believe he decided not to come with us. You’d think bringing Connor to justice would be right up his alley.”

I shook my head. ”I understand. He trained, studied, and fought alongside him for years. He doesn’t see this as his fight.”

”Well, I don’t care much what he decides, so long as he doesn’t get in our way,” Luke said. ”I know several demons that would be eager to absorb him and his power.”

”Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. He seems sincere now,” I said.

”You have too much hope for people.”

”That’s why I still believe in you,” I murmured, taking his hand, smiling up at him.

He sighed, running a hand over his horn. ”I suppose that’s true.”

We stood in silence as the mountains slowly passed beneath us. The other skyships had long passed out of sight, but the Devoted fliers I had scattered around the entire region updated me on their positions. Most of them had already stopped moving, having reached their hiding places in the mountains above the capital.

It wasn’t long before we began to catch up. The black mist grew thicker and more stubborn, weighing heavily on the massive bubble of light cast by Effulgent Dawn. The edges pressed inward, shrinking by a good fifth, forcing the ground scouts and rangers to keep close to their armies.

It was a massive, sprawling city known as Ebber’eve, or something like that. Elise had mentioned it was an old elvish city, thousands of years ago, before humans took over. It had little resemblance to one now. It had several sectors, like Duskwood’s inner and outer city, except that the only wall surrounded the inner one. Every building looked fortified, with slanted roofs, towers on every corner, and parapeted walls around the manors. Forts and garrisons dotted the sprawling city around the walls.

Ebber’eve was nestled on the edge of the prairie against a large mountain range, with the coast some twenty miles eastward. Several villages, complete with nobles’ manors and populated with the occasional rotting orchards, were scattered across the grasslands. The black mist was so thick in parts that it obscured the land like early morning fog, with only the eaves of thatched cottages riding above the dark currents.

A bright purple flash of light rose from the Seraph, and the Last Light Company and Devoted moved eastward, following the main road across the plains, while the Sylvari armi staid the course, moving as if to flank the city. The Azure Wing hung between the two forces, where I could maintain the Effulgent Dawn across both.

The Risen reaction was calmer than we anticipated, with only a few wandering corpses falling upon our army. Like every other Risen stronghold, most were corralled within the walls. We were able to approach Ebber’eve almost entirely unimpeded.

When the Azure Wing reached a quarter mile from the outer city, I turned, hailing the captain. ”That’s far enough! Charge the mana cannons!”

He blinked, taken aback by my sudden instructions, but he quickly recovered. ”You heard the Oracle! I want those cannons humming yesterday!”

The ship shivered as dozens of mages unleashed their mana, causing the four mana cannons lining the railings to glow. Armored soldiers rushed to their positions, nocking arrows and leveling spears over the side, as if they worried the Risen would leap from the ground.

”What is it?” Luke asked. ”We’re to continue to the designated assault point.”

I shook my head. ”No, this is far enough. They’re waiting for us. I can feel it.”

Luke’s tail flicked, his brow furrowed as he peered over the prow. The city lay unnervingly still, an unsettling silence hanging over its battlements. He turned toward me, mouth opening to question, but before the words could form, a deafening roar shattered the sky.

I scrambled to the railing beside him, fingers wrapping around the cold metal as I leaned forward. Below, something shifted. The entire city was...alive. The Black Mist churned and coalesced, pulsing like blood in a vein. A torrent of dark energy shot upwards, not from any single point, but from every street and alleyway. It swirled above the city, gathering into a seething vortex of shadow and malice, thick with the tang of ozone and decay.

From the depths of that vortex, a vague, serpentine form emerged, coiling in great, sweeping loops that must have been a thousand feet long. Its head formed first, definition sweeping across a maw with jagged teeth and cruel, curved horns. The wave of black mist continued down its sinewy neck, forming scales, spines, and limbs tipped by long, serrated claws.

The dragon’s eyes lit up as the last of its body took shape, and it reared back, jaws stretching in a thunderous bellow. The roar struck the ship with tangible force. The deck pitched, and I tumbled against Luke. He grabbed the railing with one hand, while his other held me against him. His hand dug into my back as he gritted his teeth, staring at the monster.

”What the hell is that? What is this aura?” His voice held a hint of panic.

As the roar died away, I gingerly straightened, glad he didn’t remove his hand from my back. ”Looks like we were wrong,” I whispered, staring in dismay. ”That dragon’s ninth level.”