The Forsaken Hero

Leaving Brithlite was easier than saying farewell to Heartland. Perhaps it was because the city was in ruins, or that I had spent time with Elise far more recently, but I didn’t feel the same twist in my gut when I stepped into the rift to Sylvarus.

The Sunsinger grounds were calm and peaceful when we arrived. A few birds whirled in the sky overhead, scattering as Borealis rose to join them. The garden warmed as my aura billowed out to fill it. In all the time I’d spent here, some of my power had sunk into the plants and flagstone-paved paths. Not enough to influence anything, but it was the closest any place in Enusia felt to Haven. Almost as much a home as Heartland.

”My lady! You’ve returned!” a maid greeted us as we entered the manor.

I nodded in greeting. ”Is R’lissea in today?”

She tilted her head, thinking for a moment. ”I believe I heard King Aerion mention she was investigating the Fallen Sun alongside Lady Lastlight.”

I thanked her and left the manor, riding on Fable toward the enormous crater that bordered the city. The Fallen Sun, the elves called it, the only scar from the war that their life and earth magic hadn’t been able to heal.

The forest lit up as we approached it. Not with sunlight overhead, but thick currents of sun mana. Though invisible to the naked eye, they cast an ethereal glow beneath the boughs of the ancient trees, like thick, syrupy rivers of light. Elves basked in their warmth, but I shivered as we passed through them, my horns itching. I could only strengthen my wards, suppressing the uncomfortable sensations.

”Why do you seek the Life Hero out?” Luxxa asked, running alongside the others of my guard.

”I wanted to let her know I was coming back. And besides that, there’s something I have to tell her.”

As we reached the rim of the yawning caldera, Fable switched directions, having picked up her aura. We dropped over the edge a moment later, running to the center of a massive blossom of life magic. R’lissea and Selena, accompanied by a full escort of elvish soldiers, stood at the center of an active magic circle. One of the soldiers stood out, his seventh-level soul heavy in the weave of fate. He stood close to R’lissea, arms folded, but unlike the others who stared at the spell in awe, his gaze was fixed on her face. Esvitt, though seeing him at the beginning stages of the seventh level was something of a shock. Had he broken through recently?

R’lissea herself was in the center of the spell, under Selena’s watchful eye. Countless runes flickered in and out of existence around her, pushing tendrils of mana into the earth and sky, spreading like roots across the Fallen Sun. She lowered her staff as we approached, and the spell flickered and vanished, the circle dissipating into nothingness.

”Xiviyah!” she cried, offering me a hand as I slid off Fable’s back. ”You’re back. I expected you to be gone longer.”

I embraced her, breathing in her familiar scent. ”I missed you.”

”It’s only been a few days,” she giggled, patting my back. ”You shouldn’t be so needy.”

I let go of her, smiling shyly. ”It felt longer.”

”Your safe return gladdens me,” Selena said as I hugged her next.

”What are you doing here?” I asked when I stepped away, looking around the crater. I shuddered again, despite Adaptive resistance devouring any man getting close.

”Still sensitive to it?” Selena’s lips pursed. ”That all but confirms our findings. We’ve been keeping an eye on this place since the battle, trying to get an idea of how long it’s going to persist for.”

”And?”

R’lissea answered. ”Decades, maybe centuries. Fortunately, Duskwood is adaptive to it quickly, and we’ve seen nothing but benefits. Sun mana blends well with the local life mana, promoting growth and recovery.”

”I’m considering asking Aerion...er, King Aerion--” Selena glanced at the other soldiers, ”--to construct a mage school here, or maybe closer to the rim, between the two forces. In time, Syvlarus will be known as much for its sun mages as life.”

”That’ll be a day to see,” Esvitt said.

”Right?” R’lissea smiled at him. ”I can only imagine how frustrated the church will be with that.”

”If they’re even around,” he said with a meaningful look at me.

I shifted, feeling the urge to summon my staff for something to hold, but settled for folding my arms. ”If fate wills it. But, um, R’lissea, there’s something I wanted to tell you. Alone.”

”You mean you didn’t ride all the way out here just to see me?” She asked. Her playful smile faded as I shook my head, and shes traightend. ”Alright, we were just finishing up here. Selena, Esvitt, I’ll meet you back in the city.”

”Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” Esvitt asked, looking between us with his mismatched eyes.

She looked at me once more, and I could see her waver, before her mouth firmed. ”No, but thank you. But, um, is it still it alirght if I accompany you for dinner?”

He smiled, saluting. ”It would be a pleasure. I’ll find you shortly before dusk falls.”

Selena cast a spell, summoning a pair of wings. She lifted into the air and hovered a few feet above us. ”I would like to discuss something with you myself, Oracle, but it’s not urgent. Please, find me before you leave the city again.”

I nodded, and she flew away. The soldiers left us, too, and shortly, I was alone with R’lissea.

”What about them?” she asked, nodding at Luxxa and the others.

”They wouldn’t leave me alone if I asked. But I’m not exactly worried about them.” She nodded, and I took a breath, feeling my smile fade. ”R’lissea, I...I wanted to ask if you’ll still fight with me. Before, the war with the Risen had just ended, but now, things are different. I can see that much. You’ve a place here, a purpose, and...friends.”

”Friends?” she arched her eyebrow, and I blushed. Surely she’d seen the way Esvitt looked at her.

”The point is,” I mumbled, deciding she was probably teasing me. ”The hordes have nearly mustered. It won’t be long until they strike the southern continent. If you want to remain here, I...I won’t mind.”

”Oh, Xiviyah,” She said, drawing near, bringing her hand to rest on my cheek. ”You’re not fooling anyone.”

I bit my lip, but she wouldn’t let me turn away or hide the shimmering tears building up.

”You were there in my dark moments, never wavering, no matter how hard things got. And I promised you I would fight by your side when you needed me, too. I’m not going to forget all that just because things are going well.”

”I...I hoped you would say that,” I admitted, sniffling, wiping a tear from my eye before it could fall. ”But I...I didn’t want to force you or anything.”

”I left the other heroes because I wanted to. And now, I’ll fight them for the same reason,” she said firmly.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, my tail relaxing to a gentle swish. ”Thank you. I can’t say for certain when, but it will be soon. The visions have been growing thicker, more persistent. Every battle we’ve fought, every campaign...it’s all been leading to one last war.”

”And we’ll be ready when it comes, and wait for your call,” she said. After a brief pause, she smiled bashfully, her ears twitching. ”After tonight, that is.”

I giggled, and we embraced one more time before she summoned her own wings. Bidding me farewell, she flew away. I watched until she had vanished into the swirling sunlight and let out a heavy sigh.

”Where to next?” Jenna asked.

”Haven.”

Without elaborating, I opened a gate and stepped inside, leaving them to stand guard. I started in surprise at the sight of the new entrance island, with its ribbon-like streams and ornamental stonework, before letting out a self-conscious laugh.

I took a few seconds looking around, gathering myself. I’d come several times since the realm had expanded and the layout changed, but I still couldn’t get used to it. I missed the small, simple island from before, and the quiet path to the Heart of Haven. Now, with the Citadel and Fatesworn Keep looming in the skies, it felt...busy like a proper city.

”Haven,” I called.

The spirit appeared, and at my request, whisked me away to the Keep. The valley was filled with soldiers and demons training together, from running drills to sparring against each other. They noticed my arrival immediately, dropping whatever they were doing and gathering, bowing low or saluting.

”Please, don’t let me stop you,” I said, giggling as a bear-like demon with six legs pushed his massive head into my hand, whining like a puppy. His coat was riddled with stars, his eyes matching Fable’s. As I pet him, his coarse, metallic fur softened under my hand. Glimpses of a memory I never experienced flickered through my mind like soul speak, showing myself with my hand on Incinderus’s outstretched claw.

I blinked them away, feeling a touch woozy as they faded.

”How many of there are you?” I asked, scratching under his chin.

His response came, and my hands froze mid pet.

”That many?” I gasped, staring at him with wide eyes. ”But that means there’s more fate demons than not!”