The Forsaken Hero

Gold and green power flowed from the heavens in streaks of rain, drawn to the souls of the Fatesworn. It swirled around them, bolstering their souls and strengthening their flesh. My breathing, too, eased as the hybrid array’s magic soaked through my skin, lifting my fatigue and reinforcing me against the poison. I barely felt its sting as I took a deep breath, my aura expanding another few thousand feet.

Rash’alon’s horde could sense the increased mana, but it only drove them into a starving frenzy. Fatesworn and infernal demons clashed together with renewed fervor, and unlike before, my allies gave no ground. Torrents of infernal fire and insidious curse magic drove into their ranks only to dissipate harmlessly against the Shining Aegis, wafting up in currents of filtered mana to flow into my soul.

Occasionally, across the two-mile battle line, an explosion signaled an attack that held so much power Adaptive Resistance couldn’t break down. But that proved disastrous for infernal forces, as once they penetrated my ability, they were forced to reconcile the brutal nature of the Shining Aegis itself. A full-strength eighth-level spell with the strength of the seventh-level Grand Aegis taken to its zenith, and the reflective properties of Mirror Sphere. The demons quickly fell into disarray as their own magic ricocheted, slaughtering thousands before some of the more cunning evolved demons realized what was going on.

”I think I’m beginning to see why we never won,” Verity murmured, staring across the battlefield with stormy eyes.

”This is only the beginning,” I said, taking my staff in one hand and resting my palm on the Aethereal Prism. ”But there’s no reason to hold anything back. We have to win here, as sure as we must beneath the walls of the Divine Throne.”

We were close enough that my aura entangled with the mists of High Valley, and that was enough. I called to Haven, and his armored form materialized before me. Verity gasped, her hand flying to her sword, but something about the spirit’s presence must have felt familiar, because she paused, wearing a dazed expression. They were woven of the same starlight, now.

”What is this?” Haven asked, regarding her curiously. ”A remnant of Enusia? How...interesting. I have no hold over this one. She’s bound to your stars, not mine.”

Maybe not the same starlight, then.

”How is the battle going?” I asked, preparing my mana. It swelled in my soul, spilling over and seething around Borealis like ocean waves in a storm. His own Aurora to match his name.

”The Fatesworn have held the line, as you see. Casualties are in the hundreds, and expected to rise to thousands in the next few hours. The Life Hero was reclaimed some hours ago and was taken into the realm with the other wounded. She’s personally being tended to by the remnant Villie, so you need not worry. The Lord of Ash has yet to return, but the demons of the Fatesworn are certain he still lives.”

”He does,” I said, shifting my grip on the prism. It resonated with my mana, amplifying it further. My skin began to feel hot, struggling to withstand the extraordinary amount of power welling up inside. ”And the Skyknights?”

”They await your call.”

That was all I needed to hear. With a groan, I waved my staff, releasing a pulse of golden light. My aura lit up the night like a second sun, filling every nook and cranny across High Valley and the surrounding peaks. Demons shrieked in discomfort, falling back as the Fatesworn surged forward, rallied by the presence of their oracle.

The stars thickened, and soon, huge shapes loomed in the starry mists. Shouts sounded in the sky, and flashes lit the golden banks. Brilliant streaks of light burst out like sunbeams, strafing the seething hordes of demons charging toward High Valley. Explosions ripped across the mountains, devouring the hordes in white light.

One by one, sleek, graceful skyships emerged, each firing dozens of mana cannons into the demons below. Almost a dozen of them, a full fleet born of starlight and fate, projected into the world through the power of my aura. The Fatesworn that crawled across their decks and manned the cannons were real, of course, but moved as though these were the very craft they had trained relentlessly on.

Triumphant cries rose from the Fatesworn below as the Skyknights spread out across the battlefield, bombarding the horde into submission. I could feel the exhaustion, relief, and surging hope of my forces through the mists, and the fire that burned in their hearts. My eyes moistened, for I felt it as if it were my own. They had stood, bleeding and alone, throughout the night and into a dawn that had not brought the peace its light promised. Yet, still they stood, waiting. Waiting for this moment. For me.

My soul dimmed as the last of my gathered mana was consumed by the skyships, securing their presence for the time being. I slumped on my feet, and Verity caught me, slipping an arm around my back. I leaned against her, giving her a grateful smile.

”I promised to be your sword. I can be your feet, if you need them, too,” she said with a chuckle. ”But maybe I wouldn’t have been so quick to do so if I knew you had an army like this in your pocket. That’s gotta be, what, ten skyships? Twelve?”

”Only half,” I murmured, blinking tiredly. ”I thought I could handle more.”

”Half...” She shook her head wryly. ”I don’t think the entire church alliance has more than thirty!”

It took less than a minute for the skyships to establish full air superiority. The few flying demons that made it to them were blasted into pieces by the small deck guns of the skyships, with the Skyknight archers and mages picking off any that slipped through. It was then, once they were established in position, that they began to provide full air support to the grounded Fatesworn. Their cannons targeted the bigger packs and evolved demons, opening gaping holes in the ranks and crippling any momentum they mustered to assault the walls.

As they tore the hordes apart, Borealis made a wide arc over the battle. As impressive as the Fatesworn were, Rash’alon’s horde spread across the land, stretching over ten miles in either direction. Millions upon millions of demons of every shape, size, strength, and attribute. I couldn’t help but wonder where Korra was amongst it all, or Evla, or the others.

My gaze wandered to the distant rim of the canyon, where Luke had vanished. The entire region there was barren of other demons. The day had yet to reach the darkness there, though it was well past noon. That there were no shockwaves, nor world-breaking blows as should have followed a battle beneath ninth-level beings. I gripped the ring hanging from my neck tightly, wishing I could catch a glimpse of what was going on inside, but the shadows kept their secrets.

I could still feel him warm within my soul. He was alive. I had to trust he would stay that way.

”Be safe,” I whispered, reluctantly letting my hand fall, the ring pulling through my fingers.

”There!” Verity cried, pointing.

I didn’t need her to point, for I sensed her intentions before I looked. A plume of smoke rose from the far end of the battlefield, in the direction the Infernal Council had met before Rash’alon’s rebellion began. Powerful magic clashed, and for a moment, I thought I caught a whisper of Korra’s aura. It was four miles away, and I weighed it carefully before urging Borealis toward it. My aura was strong enough that it could continue to sustain the Fatesworn from that distance.

Borealis flapped hard, and we streaked across the sky, too fast for any demon to rise and challenge us. I fell to my knees, hiding behind Verity from the fierce winds. My staff vanished, and the Aethereal Prism had dimmed to about the light of a mundane torch. It would be a long time before I had enough mana to pull something like this off again.

Fable stood suddenly, growling as he stared over Borealis’s shoulder. I crawled up next to him and looked, my eyes widening. A small vale had been torn from the peaks of a mountain, sheltered from the rest of the demon horde by extraordinary winds raging around it, conjured by powerful shockwaves.

Water mixed with fire, forming gusts of steam that surrounded a thirty-foot-tall curse demon. It was humanoid from the waist up, but crawled on four clawed limbs like a dragon. It had four arms as well, each wielding a cruelly curved sword. Two of them were broken, cracked down the blade, but the other two had blood running off their edges. Dozens of small, sinewy water dragons crawled across its pitch-black plate armor, slowly wearing cracks and holes through to its smoky, insubstantial flesh.

Six small figures, battered and bloody, flitted around it, trailing auras of fiery red like fireflies. A single one had a blue aura, zipping around the front, drawing the demon’s attention away from the red. With a roar, the demon swung hard, swatting the blue from the sky. My chest tightened, and I urged Borealis into a steep dive.

”Korra!”