The Forsaken Hero

The Western University, once a revered sanctuary for mages, had fallen to ruin. The Infernal Dragon shattered the sky with thunderous roars, announcing its triumph from its perch atop the Heart of the West. The blazing fires of the city reflected from the cracked facets of the massive crystal, which hovered askew in the air beneath the monster’s tremendous weight.

Broken cries and screams floated across the peaks, rife with pain and horror. I stared helplessly at the blazing city, tracing the contours of the once proud towers and structures of the university. Elise’s scorched corpse drifted limply before my eyes, hanging in the air as from a gallows.

Guilt clawed at my insides; why hadn’t I warned her? Why hadn’t I said anything? Her blackened lips condemned me in my own voice, a thousand times more real than any illusory figure in the nightmares I’d suffered.

The phantom scattered into ash, joining the endless sea of smoke in the sky, as Fyren gripped my arm. His fingers tightened painfully as he forced me to meet his gaze. With a start, I realized he was glowing. Illusory flames flickered behind his irises, and he radiated an incredible sense of power.

”Xiviyah. Do you want to help them?”

”I-I...” Though his fingers dug into my flesh, I was drawn to the crimson pallor of the flaming city behind him once more.

He gave me a gentle shake. ”Do you want to help them?”

I groaned, squirming in his grip. ”Fyren, you’re hurt-”

”Do you want to help them?”

The unrestrained ferocity in his voice emitted more pressure than any aura. Trembling, I struggled to nod, managing a scant dip of my head.

His grin brought me anything but relief. ”Good. I was in the mood to kill a dragon anyway.”

I collapsed as he released me, rubbing my arms with a wince. His fingers left deep impressions on my pale flesh, which slowly darkened into bruises. I raised my head as a sudden surge of power ripped through the shrine, emanating from Fyren in fearsome pulses. My soul shuddered beneath the horrifying suppression, and I unconsciously cast Earthen Roots. Even with the magical support, his horrifying might nearly blew me to the far end of the shrine.

As his gathering power reached its zenith, Fyren disappeared in a flash of fiery light, launching himself from the shrine. Within seconds, crossed the two mile gap between the peaks, leaving a raging trail of flames in his wake and closing in on the city.

The dragon raised its head mid-screech, appearing to sense the approaching threat. I ran to the gate overlooking the city as the blazing meteor collided with the Infernal creature’s chest, toppling it from the crystal. An arc of fire, raging hundreds of feet long, erupted from the inferno and slashed across the Dragon’s wings, driving it into the city below. Clouds of dust and debris rose as several large buildings disappeared beneath its titanic weight, obscuring half the city.

For the next several seconds, periodic gouts of fire illuminated the shadowy silhouette of the dragon within the storm of debris. Its head whipped two and fro like a ragdoll before a scorching blast of heat scattered the dust in a tremendous explosion. For a moment, it seemed half the mountain was consumed in the blast, but when the flames cleared, almost all of it had been absorbed directly by the dragon.

Riding the force of the blast, the dragon tumbled through the air before crashing into the lower crags of the mountain, below the city. Another meteor arced over the walls, streaking toward it. From its lower position, the dragon raised its head and released its magical breath, an explosion of ice and fire large enough to devour the walls of the city.

The ocean of magic parted before a speck of black, cast to either side of the city in sheets of molten ice. Either side of the deflected attack was large enough to bury it like a tidal wave, but the walls remained unscathed.

The battle rolled down the slopes of the mountains, leveling hills and consuming forests, until the city was no longer in immediate danger. I sagged against the pillar of the gate, breathing deeply. Soltair and Trithe had vanished before I’d even topped the stairs, leaving me alone several miles from the city.

Absently rubbing the aches from my arm, I gazed at the slender road weaving down the mountain. The slope was rough and steep, forcing the trail to rely on constant switchbacks to navigate the crests, cliffs, and gnarled groves of trees overgrowing the path. But downhill was only half the battle, as the city sat atop the mountain on the other side of the valley. By my estimates, the overland distance was at least four miles of hard, rugged terrain.

Was there even a point to leaving the shrine? I slid down the wall, sitting upon the cobblestones and hugging my knees to my chest. By the time I managed to climb to the city, the fight would be over. Why did I have to be so weak? Soltair and Trithe, never mind Fyren, had surely arrived already, yet I was trapped by this hellish curse.

I dropped my head, resting my chin on my knees. Tears welled up in my eyes, but, before they flowed over, Elise appeared before me once more. Not the scarred, burning corpse, but the face of my friend, complete with a vivacious smile. The sheer joy of her expression flowed outward as she reached a hand forward, beckoning me to take it. But all her warmth only made me feel cold.

”I can’t. I can’t save you,” I cried, looking anywhere but up. ”Go find a real hero.”

”I don’t need a real hero. I need you.”

The words were not Elise’s. Startled I looked up and found the golden-haired princess replaced with the visage of fate.

”F-Fate!” I stammered, jerking away, my back hard against the wall.

”The time is near. War. Despair. A choice. You have come too far to only go this far.”

The goddess graced me with a final smile, before dissolving into light. I stared upward, eyes glistening with tears, as the glowing ribbons faded into the ashen sky.

A choice. There weren’t many of those left. But I’d trusted Fate this far, and her blessings and guidance had led me to the only happiness I’d ever stumbled upon. But how bad were things going to get if she had to personally deliver this message?

With a heavy heart, I dragged myself to my feet. For the first time since my evolution, I gazed inward, feeling the warm pulse of my soul. An indescribable power welled up from its depths, a force so mysterious and vast I failed to recognize it at first. Was this...my mana? Mana circulated through my soul in overwhelming currents that, despite its foreign strength, responded readily to my call.

Perhaps, I had overthought things. I was no longer the helpless girl from before. Drawing on the endless tides of mana, I wove a six-circle spell, one mastered in my time studying at the university.

”Elemental Spirit: Earth.”

Driven by my soft voice, the complex runes of the magic circles spun rapidly, aligning together until they formed a hollow cylinder thirty feet tall. Between the flashing rings of magic, a brown haze coalesced, gathering together like a human-shaped sandstorm.

All at once, the spell competed and the magic circles vanished, leaving a giant figure floating in the air. I stared up at the spirit in awe, satisfied with my work. And, despite casting a sixth-circle spell, the mana expenditure was practically nonexistent. My passive mana regeneration replenished what little was taken almost immediately, leaving me brimming with power.

”Thank you,” I whispered, looking up at the sea of stars. Tonight, at the very least, my fate was my own.