The Forsaken Hero

The Crimson Guards’ fort was situated on the edge of the lake. A wooden bridge, built on pylons of magically raised earth from the depths, crossed to the island in the middle. A few mages were working on extending the fortifications to the bridge itself, constructing the foundation of a guard house and wall.

Word had spread of my appearance, and the soldiers stopped mid-spell, saluting me crisply. I timidly waved back, sticking close to Rylam.

As we moved out onto the bridge, I rested my hands on the low wall and gazed over the side. Now that I was there, the crater from the Starfall really did look more like a caldera. The sides were glossy and smooth as obsidian, forming a perfect circle without flaw or erosion. The water lapped at the rim, but never quite spilled over, save for the river entering and exiting the valley.

A faint breeze tugged at my hair, sending ripples scattering across the surface. The water wasn’t actually liquid starlight itself, like it seemed from a distance. Beneath the coiling vapors of mist curling off its surface, millions of glittering stars drifted in the currents, creating gold and silver sparkles every time they clashed together.

”It’s beautiful,” I whispered, looking at Rylam.

He returned my gaze and smiled. ”Like your eyes.”

”O-Oh.” I blushed, looking down.

”Er, I meant the starlight, not that your eyes were beautiful. They are, but I didn’t...uh, never mind.”

I pressed a hand to my mouth, smothering a giggle. ”It’s alright. Thank you. But to tell you the truth, someone else gave me that name. Someone dear...”

I looked out across the waters, toward the island. Past it, really, to the epicenter of the lake. My blush faded as I exhaled, touching a horn.

”Someone...here?” he ventured.

”Yeah.”

We sat in somber silence for a while before I sighed, took my hands from the railing, and turned to him. Wordlessly, he led on. Our footsteps sounded hollow amid the gentle lapping of the waves.

The mists thickened as we neared the island. It was drawn to me, amassing in coiling tendrils of starlight. The Aetherial Prism resonated with the ambient mana, humming softly from where it hung on my hip.

The island was only a hundred feet across, smaller than most of Haven’s isles, yet it reminded me of them. There was a ring of grass and earth that sank into the lake, but the rest of it was laid with old, dilapidated cobblestones. They were cracked, uneven, and sinking into the ground. Some of them had vanished entirely, choked by grasses or weeds. A few groves of young trees grew around the edges.

In the center was an old church, surrounded by walls of round, smooth stones topped with an iron fence and an open archway instead of a gate. The courtyard was small, the walls merging into the main structure of the church. Flowers sprouted freely within, speckling color across the otherwise drab grounds.

I hesitated in the archway, half-raising a hand toward the stone pillar on my left. It had been so long since last I’d stumbled through here, hollow and afraid, stripped of everything I’d ever loved. My vision blurred as memories came back, clearer than any other. The butler’s whip, Aurle’s corpse in my arms, Fate’s whisper in my ear. I was reminded of the hopelessness that held me in its clutches, at the terrible darkness that whispered despair.

Things were different now. I was different. And yet, crossing this threshold, had much really changed? I was hunted, alone, and for all I knew, Luke was–

”Are you alright?”

”F-Fine,” I sniffled, and wiped a tear away before it could trickle down my cheek.

Rylam pursed his lips, looking worried. Taking a breath, I mustered my courage and straightened.

”He’s inside?” I asked.

”He never leaves, except to teach lessons to the children or instruct the mages. Would you like me to come with you?”

”I, um...”I hesitated, looking at him, then the church doors, and shook my head.

He looked about to protest, but then nodded, stepping back. ”I understand. Please, call if you need anything. I’ll be here when you’re ready.”

I gave him a grateful smile and slipped past, crossing the courtyard. The doors loomed bigger than I remembered, but smaller than the first time I’d approached them. The stained glass windows were still dusted with grime and cobwebs, and the window sills sagged a bit. I raised my hand and, stilling my tail, pushed inside.

Thick fog billowed through the crack in the door, heavy against my hands. I leaned into it, and the fog slowed, sloshing around my feet. Inside, the church was lit with a heavenly glow. The stars followed me back inside, sending a thrill through my soul. I relaxed, the tension flowing out of me. It was like coming home.

”Is that you, Xiviyah?” called a strong, masculine voice.

I raised my head, peering through the heavy mists. The entrance hall was just as remembered, small but simple, leading directly to the main chapel. A door on the side opened to what I knew was the infirmary, where I’d spent many hours honing my Life Magic, pushing for fifth level.

”I’m here,” I answered, stepping lightly across the wooden floorboards.

A figure appeared in the doorway of the chapel, a tall, handsome priest dressed in golden robes. The fabric shimmered like satin, with loose laces running down the front, revealing a toned chest. He had a kind, gentle face, with enough gray peppering his hair to show his age. He held his arms out, and I ran into them, hugging him fiercely. His big hands settled, one on my back, stroking softly, and the other on my head, holding me to him.

”Ah, child, I’ve been waiting for you,” he said, smoothing my wind-tousled hair back.

After holding me a few breaths, he took me by the shoulders, looking me over.

You’ve grown tall,” he said, nodding to himself. ”You barely reached my laces before. I doubt anyone would mistake you for a lost child now.”

I smiled up at him, my tail flicking shyly. ”E-Everyone says that!”

He returned my smile. ”I suppose it must be true, then. Come now, let us speak inside.”

He moved sideways, gesturing into the chapel. I slipped past and into the chapel, his hand a comforting weight on my shoulder.

”What are you doing here?” I asked as we walked through the row between the pews. High Valley had never had a shard. ”I mean...how? After the Starfall, when everyone else...”

”Who can say?” he murmured, shaking his head. ”Fate carved the city from around us, leaving only we few under her protection alive. When the dust cleared and the rubble settled, this crater was all that was left of the sins of High Valley. When the river eventually came back, it filled in the crater and allowed the others to swim to shore.”

”Swim?” I tilted my head. ”Why didnt they cross before the lake filled in?”

He smiled, ruffling my hair. ”Didn’t you see? This island has no roots. It floated in place as the ground beneath its foundations was consumed. It might seem an island, and it is, but a different kind indeed. The bottom is completely round, just like the walls of the caldera.”

”That’s...”

”Unbelievable? Crazy?” he offered, chuckling.

I shook my head. ”Hardly. It’s just...interesting.”

He gave me an odd look. I stepped past him, leaving the pews, approaching an altar in the open space before the back wall. High Valley hadn’t a shard, but before, there’d been a lectern where Rodrick had addressed his congregation.

”You changed it,” I said, glancing back at him.

He nodded, and I crouched down, smoothing my skirt over my legs as I studied the new altar. It was small, only a few feet tall, and made of translucent crystal. It featured Fate as I knew her, holding the Final Star in one hand, her other outstretched, palm up and fingers slightly splayed. Like she was reaching for someone, waiting for them to take her hand. Starlight flowed from the tip of her staff, spreading in lazy currents. It seemed to be the source of the heavy mists that enshrouded the island.

”This appeared shortly after you left,” Rodrick said, standing over me, looking down at the shrine. ”I think that glowing woman left it behind, the one who destroyed the city. It’s her magic that has created this place for us, her magic that shields us from the wrath of the Divine.”

”And you?” I asked, turning as I stood, looking up into his eyes. Little flecks of starlight floated through his plain, brown irises.

”Hmm, you noticed?” He touched his brow, smiling faintly. ”I suppose you would have, being her Oracle. Her power flows through me; it fills my magic. Her will directs my thoughts and guides my actions. I suppose I’m something like her priest now, not as those at the Divine Throne Worship, but as they were meant to be. An extension of her will. A...cleric. Not the first, though perhaps on Enusia, but right now, save for yourself, I’m most certainly the last.”