The Forsaken Hero

Borealis flew overhead for some time, and gradually, his soul began to stabilize. The constant projections slowed until at last they vanished, falling under his conscious control. He circled once more before exploding in a cloud of stars identical to Fable’s, reducing in scale until he was the size of an eagle again. He tucked his wings and dove toward me, slowing at the last second, seeming to relish my panicked squeak.

”At least that part of you hasn’t changed,” I said, catching him in my arms.

He cawed softly, content to let me hug him again. His feathers were as warm as they looked, despite their crystalline appearance. They tinkled like glass, but were soft and downy. I couldn’t help but nuzzle him with my cheek, something like a purr vibrating in my throat.

”Would you let me see it?” Arantius asked, coming up behind me.

”Him,” I said, turning to face him, holding Borealis a little tighter.

Arantius rolled his eyes. ”Fine, him. And don’t look so troubled. If I wanted to harm the demons, I never would have allowed them in the realm.

I hesitated, eyeing him long and hard, before letting out a sigh. I lifted Borealis onto my arm, holding him up for the remnant to see.

Arantius studied him silently, his lips slowly curving in a frown. My tail began to curl, and I flinched as he suddenly let out a sharp breath.

”Damn it. They got all the best parts,” he muttered, turning away.

”Obviously,” Zephyriss said, folding her arms, a triumphant grin on her face. ”That’s our entire existence. Why would we bother assimilating inferior aspects of our prey?”

”Prey?” Arantius’s voice held a dangerous note.

Zephyriss coughed, her wings fluttering as she suddenly found the island much more interesting to look at than him. ”That’s, er, how it usually goes. This is different, of course,” she said lamely.

Arantius stared her down a moment longer before vanishing, leaving an unintelligible mutter behind. Zephyriss let out an unconscious breath, easing back to the ground.

”Emperors, that one’s temperamental,” she said, hiding her relief with a smile.

”He’s kind, once you get to know him,” I said. ”But what was he talking about? What parts do fate demons have?”

”I’d love to explain it myself, but I’m afraid my experience is...lacking,” she admitted.

”But you said--”

She chuckled, light and airy. ”I know what I said, but you shouldn’t try to ascribe meaning or purpose to everything a storm demon says. I was merely commenting on the general intentions of demonkind, not on whatever it was he saw. I don’t have eyes like that remnant, or any of them, actually. But...it was enough to get a rise, and that alone is an accomplishment.”

I stared at her, disbelieving. ”Then I should call Arantius back to explain it himself, then?”

She coughed, a hint of unease returning to her face. ”Perhaps if you extended me the chance you gave your ice demon, I could explain it better?”

”Borealis,” I said, petting his head. ”And didn’t you already accept Haven as your native realm?”

”They have not,” Fyren said, finally approaching us. ”That was one of the things we were meaning to explain, before all this,” he said, waving at Borealis. ”What happened before was merely a formality. That the Devoted even entered was proof enough of Haven’s acceptance of their souls. It was good to spell it out, to leave no question as to the arrangement. But now, as you did with Borealis, each demon must attune to the Realm Core. Or you.”

”That’s...a lot,” I mumbled, hugging Borealis. Just the one had been overwhelming, a hundred times more invasive and intimate than accepting their primordial marks.

”Accept Zephyriss and Incinderus, and they will bear the burden for you,” Fyren said.

Zephyriss floated closer, holding out her hand. Tentatively, I took it, and even without direct contact, the Final Star Resonated.

Millions of memories, sensations, and emotions crashed into my mind, an entire lifetime–a hundred lifetimes–of soulspeak compressed into a single instant. Day after day, year after year, my life was hers, and somehow, I knew that hers was mine. A tangling of souls less dangerous, but far more intimate than when I’d entangled with Luke.

It began in darkness and confusion, with senses and experiences I couldn’t comprehend. Slowly, I adjusted to it and realized I was witnessing Zephyriss’s first evolution, from a crawling scion to a humanoid being with feathered wings, horns, and a long tail. World after world she fought, wielding ever-growing power against ever-stronger foes. I felt her pain and hunger after every defeat, the ambition that only grew with every triumph. My heart swelled with pride when she finally earned the right to consume a shard for the first time, evolving again and becoming even more human-like, gaining a spark of true sentience.

Her memories shifted from there, blurring together as she fought on hundreds more worlds, slaughtering humans, elves, beastkin, and a dozen more races I didn’t recognize. Time in the infernal realms was short and miserable, the very air stifling and hard to breath. The memories didn’t dwell on them long because there wasn’t much to dwell on.

But in the mortal worlds, there was freedom. Not just a chance to sate the hunger or experience the rush of battle, but in the open skies. It was only there that she, and I by extension, truly felt alive. The gusts of a storm, the lash of the rain, the wind in our wings. Free and unchained.

The end came quickly, culminating in one final war, a five-year conflict that ended before the World Shard of an unnamed realm. A being of incomprehensible power descended, the very essence of storm manifest. A being whose very presence caused countless fissures to appear in the air around them, the world barrier strained by the weight of their soul.

At the pinnacle of the ninth level, with nothing to lose but everything, they fought for hours, and then days. In the end, she was defeated. But instead of killing her, that being extended a hand and led her broken, shattered soul to the World Shard.

I couldn’t comprehend what followed. I didn’t have the capacity to understand the true depth of the experience of consuming a world shard. But it resulted in her ascending, shedding her infernal form, and taking on the mantle of demon lord.

The memories faded.

When it was done, I was panting, gasping for breath. My legs trembled and threatened to give way. All of Haven stood still, unmoved. Untouched by the seeming lifetimes I’d experienced. None of my senses seemed to work; the world was a vague blur around me. Even Borealis was reduced to the slight prick of crystalline feathers against my skin. I couldn’t remember how to feel, smell, or see. Not like a mortal could.

Gradually, the feelings faded, and my sense of self returned. The world stabilized. The breath of the astral breeze in my ears, the warmth of Borealis, the soft stars overhead. I focused on Zephyriss, who had since let go of my hand. Her appearance remained the same, save for her eyes and wings. The constant, flickering lightning within her eyes had lost its edge, softening from a harsh white and blue to a warm gold. The same was true for the occasional arc of electricity crackling through her wings.

Zephyriss wore a dreamy, distant expression, drifting languidly on currents that stirred her wings alone. Her soul was still inscrutable and endless, but the mana within, both her native storm and my invading fate mana, had reached a harmonious balance. No longer was she at war with the realm. Her very presence felt as natural as any of the remnants.

”It’s so warm,” she murmured, shivering in pleasure. ”Is this why you were always so eager to retreat here?”

”Daydream later,” Fyren said. ”Is the process complete?”

She shook her head, her voice regaining its usual capricious tone. ”It’s been millennia since I last experienced it, but I believe I’ve attuned to the realm. It will take time yet before I’ve assimilated enough mana to convert, but you’re not getting rid of me anytime soon.” She gave me a wink. ”You’ll have to try summoning me later, now that you can. That should prove to be a unique experience.”

”Xiviyah, how are you? You seem shaken,” he said, ignoring her.

I cleared my throat, only to clear it again. My body still didn’t feel right, and inexplicably, I found myself yearning for the wind in my hair and across my face. ”Alright,” I mumbled, my tail twitching. ”It was...strange. Much more...powerful...than Borealis.”

”That’s to be expected. The good news is that you’ll only need to bear it once more, for Incindurus. Their souls are powerful enough to propagate the realm’s offer to every other demon in your horde,” Fyren said.

I swallowed hard, my tail growing more agitated. ”I...have to do that again?”

”You don’t want to?” Zephyriss asked, a hint of worry in her voice. ”Was it truly that overwhelming?”

I nodded, struggling to speak past the lump in my throat. I barely even knew who I was right now, and though my own memories were getting stronger, reclaiming the essence of who I was, I was still torn between the two. Most disconcerting was the dichotomy of my experience. Did I fear the skies, or did I yearn for them? That I didn’t know the answer was frightening.

”It doesn’t have to be now, but be cautious withdrawing any demon from Haven before you have,” Fyren said, folding his arms sternly. ”If they perish before they attune to the realm, they will fade into oblivion. Returned to some infernal realm, but devoid of memory, power, and purpose. Such is the price for an untethered demon.”

”I understand. And thank you,” I said, slumping in relief. To think I’d been so full of energy and excitement just minutes...years...ago, and now I felt no better than after losing myself in fate at Blacksand. At least this time I didn’t have to fight a dragon.