The Forsaken Hero

It didn’t take long to convince Soltair that there were mightier foes to play with. The mere mention of the Gate Core had his eyes lighting up in excitement, and he couldn’t help but mutter the word ”boss room.”

”Alright, let’s move, but stick close to Fyren,” Soltair instructed, casting a vigilante eye at the raging battle. Over half of the demons had been slain, but the survivors were beginning to rally, reinforced by more demons streaming from deeper into the caves.

Fyren, his colossal sword raised high, pointed toward the rear of the demon army, into the lava tunnels. ”I believe the core lies beyond there.”

”Then lead the way. I’ll cut a path through,” Soltair declared. Without waiting to see if we were ready, he leaped off the rocks and soared through the air, smashing into the ground a few hundred feet away on the front lines. His landing created a small crater, which he jumped from sword swinging.

Trithe sheathed her swords and shook her head incredulously. ”We’re literally at the heart of Demon Gate, and he’s happier than when I kissed him?” As though realizing her words too late, she quickly flushed red, and stammered, ”I, uh.. Need a lift?” she quickly changed the subject.

I blinked at her sudden offer, taking a step back as I realized what she meant. ”N-no, I’ll pass,” I stammered. My stomach lurched at the thought of careening the air with no control, the time fighting the Basilisk at the forefront of my mind. Before she could insist, I began walking forward, cautiously navigating the challenging terrain.

”Your choice,” she shrugged, jumping after Soltair.

Fyren, on the other hand, seemed puzzled. ”They’re quite the pair. But why would they carry you? You’re not so tired you can’t just use magic to fly, right?”

I glanced at him, expecting a wry grin, but his face was serious. ”Uh, well, you know. Flight’s not really a thing, right?”

”Isn’t it? Oh, of course. Must have slipped my mind,” he replied, sounding genuinely perplexed.

I followed the broad-shouldered swordsman as he quickened his pace, his gaze locked ahead. Unable to match his speed, I soon lagged, stumbling over the jagged rocks and avoiding the scattered pools of lava.

”Sorry, I didn’t realize you got so far behind. Are you alright?” Fyren’s voice startled me, and I looked up to find him by my side, his expression filled with concern.

I hesitated before answering ”I’m fine. It’s just that I have certain limitations when it comes to physical strength. I’m no stronger than a first-level mage.”

For some reason, Fyren’s expression, which hadn’t faltered in the slightest when the demons first appeared, bore a hint of curiosity. ”And why is that?”

”It’s not important right now. Let’s just focus on catching up to them.”

I had a feeling he might see me as even more pathetic or weak if he truly understood my limitations. The longer I spent with him, the less I felt on guard, and I’d hate to ruin what little relationship we had.

”Would you consider using me as a mount?” he asked suddenly. ”I promise I’ll be gentle.”

”Why would you word it like that...” I mumbled, cheeks red. Speaking of ruining relationships...

He scratched his cheek, looking baffled. ”Is something the matter?”

”No,” I replied quickly. Why was this guy so oblivious about everything? Besides, he looked nearly 30, much older than...wait, what was I thinking? ”Can’t we just proceed on foot?”

”We could, but we’re unlikely to break through the demons any faster than the rest of the army. Battlelines shift too quickly for someone with your physical abilities to keep up,”

As much as I hated to admit it, he was right. I was already breathing heavily, and the prospect of sore feet did little to motivate me. ”Fine,” I breathed. ”Just make it quick.”

”As you wish.”

I closed my eyes tightly as he scooped me up, holding me to his chest. The intimate embrace was almost overwhelming, and I squirmed uncomfortably but didn’t dare protest as we took to the air. Unlike previous times Soltair had carried me, there was no sudden jolt or rush of acceleration. In fact, I hadn’t realized we landed until he gently placed my feet on the ground.

”What...?” I exclaimed in shock. We were on the edge of the battlefield, with troops swarming away from us to the front lines. But not the human lines.

”Sorry, overshot a bit,” Fyren muttered, rubbing the back of his head. ”It’s been a while since I’ve had to do this.”

”But that was nearly a mile!” I almost shouted. But before I could argue further, I noticed a wide circle around us, spacing us from the nearest demons. Ash swirled within the circle, tickling my sensitive nose with the scent of charred scales. Fyren peered through the haze and shook his head, muttering in a voice too low for a human to hear.

”Shit. Must be losing my edge.”

A few small fire demons noticed our presence and closed in on us. At this range, I could sense they were third level, but their power was greatly drained by constantly generating the flickering flames covering their body.

”Aegis!” Without hesitation, I surrounded both of us with a golden shield. Fyren hefted his sword, swinging it easily in one hand, but waited for them to attack the spell before taking action.

Magical sparks erupted as the demons attacked our shield, sending soft ripples coursing along the barrier’s exterior. However, despite the constant attacks, the spell remained intact, capable of withstanding hundreds of blows of this magnitude

”Wasn’t this supposed to be a first-circle spell?” Fyren inquired, raising an eyebrow. I nodded in response, and he let out a low whistle of admiration before launching his assault.

With each swing of his broadsword, fiery red energy arced outward, cutting through scores of demons in its path. Those directly hit by the aura screamed in agony and began disintegrating, their scales sloughing off to reveal leathery flesh, which in turn curled and blackened before crumbling into ash. Even those merely grazed by his power collapsed in writhing heaps, the horrifying death prolonged as the light crept across their body, slowly consuming them in a pillar of ash. The fiery red sword lights dissipated after reaching a certain distance, leaving us standing in a demon-free space about as large as the circle we first arrived in.

Within a few breaths, all nearby demons had been eradicated, and Fyren sighed, resting his sword on his shoulder. ”How long do you think it will take?” he asked, surveying the hordes of demons separating us from Soltair and Trithe.

”Not long once he realizes we’re already here,” I muttered. ”The mere thought of entering his ’boss room’ before him will leave him all the motivation he needs.”

Fyren took a moment to clear another wave of demons before returning to my side. ”You don’t speak too highly of the Sun Hero. I was under the impression the heroes were a united front.”

”Heroes? I’ve never been considered one of them, so I really can’t say. Not that it’s his fault,” I hesitated, ”At least, I don’t think so. Things haven’t exactly been easy since even before the gods sent me to Enusia.”

”So you’ve had a run of bad luck. Don’t worry, that’s bound to change at some point,” he reassured me.

”Luck... I don’t know about that. Perhaps...Fate. Yeah, it’s just been my fate.”

He craned an eyebrow, a look of surprise coloring his face. ”And here I thought fate existed to be challenged. What else can a person do but fight against the destiny forced upon them by the gods?”

”Maybe,” I replied, ”but destinies controlled by no one, including the divine. They, like us, must act to influence and change things. There is no ’decree of the absolute.’” Even the Sun God, one of the most powerful of the Colosseum, was forced to take action to push me to where I was. His curse and constant, harassing revelations were proof of that.

Fyren gazed thoughtfully for a moment, his lips curving into a mysterious smile. ”Interesting, but I guess the Fate Hero would understand these things better than anyone.”

After he had wiped out the nearby demons for the second time, none dared to approach. Eventually, Soltair and Trithe broke through the remaining demon ranks and joined us. Thousands of demons still filled the volcanic caverns, but we turned our backs on them and moved deeper into the dungeon, pushing against the tide of reinforcements and delving deeper into the dungeon.