The Forsaken Hero

At Captain Bethiv’s command, the Last Light Company plunged into the yawning mouth of the crevasse. Scarcely had the first entered the darkness then demons rushed out to meet them, claws extended, their icy scales clacking together like glass. Shouts erupted from the men as they released a wave of magical techniques, filling the tunnels with fire and sun. They forged ahead quickly, cutting a path through any of the higher-level demons that survived the bombardment.

”As we enter the tunnels, we’ll be forced to rely on your magic,” Bethiv said seriously. ”The demons can come from anywhere, any direction, and we won’t be able to defend from their spells.”

”I-I don’t know if can protect you all,” I stammered.

”You don’t have to. We just need to survive long enough to close the gate,” he replied softly. Without another look back, he drew his sword and charged into the crevasse.

My gaze lingered on him for a moment before I turned to the gigantic Ice Spirit towering above me. ”Guard the entrance,” I ordered. ”Kill any demon that tries to get through, or anyone that tries to break the crystal and open the gate.”

The elemental shifted, turning its massive body toward me. An alien mind touched mine through the Nexus, bearing with an unfamiliar sense of sentience. My tail curled around my ankles, nearly tripping me as I stumbled back a few steps, staring up at the spirit with wide eyes. This shouldn’t be possible. Summoned creatures bore enough intelligence to comprehend their caster’s orders, but thinking on its own? That shouldn’t be possible!

The ground shook as it lowered its massive body peering at me closely. My breath caught in my throat as its head stopped mere feet from my pale facts. Its featureless gaze held an unexpected sense of concern, a sentiment echoed through the thread binding us through the Nexus. Was it...worried about me?”

”I’ll be fine,” I muttered, my tail curling around my ankles. The strange intelligence had been hovering on the edge of my mind ever since it absorbed the Gate Commander, but its current behavior only made it all the more apparent. There wasn’t any hostility in the bond, but it was far too unpredictable for me to trust.

After staring eyelessly at me for a moment, it finally stood and lumbered back up the mountain. I let out a long sigh, the tension flowing from my body. The Ice Spirit was still technically a sixth-circle summon, but it had grown far beyond the limits, likely capable of fighting head-on with a mid seventh-level being. If it decided to go berserk, there would be nothing I could do to stop it. But at this point, I could only pray it would obey for now. I needed it to safeguard the gate, or everything we’d fought for would be in vain.

By the time I entered the crevasse, the Last Light Company had secured the entrance, pushing the battle back into the caverns beyond. Frigid bones and scales crunched beneath my feet, torn apart by the soldier’s merciless onslaught. I cringed as infernal blood caught the bottom of my boots, drawing out in viscous strands behind my every step. The thick taint of dense infernal corruption saturated the air, I staggered as a wave of nausea swept through me, accompanied by a searing pain.

The Soul Binder amulet held my soul in relative stasis, preventing my soul from fully healing from the injuries caused by the Infernal Mana during the battle against the Curse Demon. Ever since entering the gate, I’d abused and overextended my soul again and again, widening those cracks and leaving my soul vulnerable to the vicious darkness of the infernal corruption.

”Hero? What’s happening?”

Soldiers surrounded me, their faces fuzzy and blurred.

I attempted to rise, muscles strained against the pain, but my body betrayed me, leaving me slumped against the frigid, icy walls of the cavern. Strong arms enveloped me, lifting on either side with unexpected tenderness.

”We’ve got you, Hero. Just hold on,” a soldier’s words sounded in my ears.

As they supported me further into the cave system, the dense miasma of infernal corruption gradually thinned. As my mind cleared, the tunnels filled with the roar of battle. Flashes of light and magic refracted through the multifaceted walls, harsh against my sensitive demonkin eyes.

”We’re almost there, just hang in there,” a soldier urged.

I nodded, managing to recover some of my poise after a few deep breaths. The corruption was so much more than just infernal mana, acting very similarly to the force that had warped the wolf’s body and soul before I purged it. It was a tangible aura and force, eerily similar to Sunpurge.

Before I could pursue that thought further, the tunnel opened up into a sprawling cavern. Icy pillars rose from the ground, supporting a ceiling bristling with stalactites. Thousands of demons swarmed from various other entrances, streaming toward the two hundred soldiers positioned in front of me. A crystal floated in the center of the room, glowing faintly with Infernal Mana. The Gate Core.

”Glad you could join us,” Bethiv said, stalking over. ”As you can see, we’re close, but things aren’t looking good. The men are exhausted, and even with your magic, we’re encountering stiff resistance. I’d wager the other heroes are still down here somewhere, else the snake wouldn’t have bothered to leave so many guards.”

”That’s a relief,” I muttered, although I didn’t know how true that was. Would I really miss them if they were gone?

”Your presence alone brings us strength, my lady,” he continued, ”But is there anything else you can offer us? There are at least ten fifth-level demons, and I doubt my men are a match for them. From what I’ve seen, you’re the only one who can match a demon’s skill at the same level, and that includes the other heroes.”

”It’s alright,” I sighed, resting on my staff. ”It looks like we’re right under the entrance.”

He glanced up, brow creasing. ”How can you tell?”

I shook my head, sending a call through the Nexus. A second later, the entire cavern shook. Raising my staff, I conjured a barrier above the troops right as enormous swathes of stalactites broke free from the roof, strafing the ground and crushing hundreds of demons. The soldiers stared around in wild-eyed trepidation, slowly backing back into the tunnels. Sighing, I closed my eyes and clasped a hand to my heart.

”Die.”.

The roof exploded, burying over half the cavern. Thousands of demon souls winked out as a massive fist broke through the final layers of ice, crashing directly down on the crystal. The moment it connected with the floor, dozens of gleaming ice spikes erupted out of the rubble, turning the entire cavern into a death trap. Demons howled as they were crushed and skewered, slaughtered like animals regardless of their power level.

The entire world of the gate rumbled as the crystal vanished beneath the titanic fist and millions of hairline cracks spread throughout the air and walls. At the rate it was spreading, the gate would collapse within hours.

As the screams dwindled, Bethiv glanced at me. I nodded, and he ordered the soldiers to advance. The Ice Spirit peered down the newly created caldera, scanning the room until it locked on to me. I ordered it to create an exit, and, after ensuring I was safe, it began widening the hole, using large chunks of debris to build a makeshift ramp ascending to the surface. After completing my mental command, it acted on its own and began decimating the remaining demons.

”Let’s get out of here!” Bethiv shouted over the sounds of the collapse and screams of the demons.

The Spirit kept our path clear, sweeping demons and rubble from our path with ease. As large chunks of ice broke from the roof and plummeted toward our heads, its hand flashed above us, betraying its lumbering size with speed faster than my eyes could track. A strong sense of urgency soaked through the Nexus, bleeding into my mind an unparalleled sense of anxiety.

As we stumbled up the ramp, a quick look behind revealed the collapse of the entire cavern. The spirit had dug through half of the mountain, breaking through ice that was supposedly indestructible. The catastrophic damage to the mountain left the entire ground unstable, and multiple tremors proved it was quickly going to go down.

The ground crumbled away beneath me, but the spirit proved its speed once more by sliding its hand beneath me. I Soul Cast several modified Binding Winds, using the air to soften mine and the remaining soldiers tumble into its palm. As it raised us out of the hole, I caught a glimpse of the absolute destruction in the cavern from the surface. The Ice Spirit’s attack had destabilized the entire tundra, and countless plumes of dust and icy mist rose into the air from just as many crevasses, signs the entire underground was collapsing.

The spirit deposited us next to the Gate Entrance, which remained stable due to its anchoring foundation in the dimensional walls themselves. The entire world quaked constantly as black cracks continued to spread, nearly shaking me off my feet.

Captain Bethiv grabbed my shoulder, his fingers a hairsbreadth from the Sunpurge, drawing a wince between my lips. The soldiers had all made it through the doors when we finally stumbled through, already beginning the process of teleporting out through the crystal.

”Wait,” I cried, ”the others!”

Captain Bethiv froze, turning to stare out the Gate Entrance. After a moment, his expression fell, and he shook his head. ”There’s nothing we can do at this point. Besides, I intend to see you safe. If we go back in, there’s no guarantee what’ll happen, even with that monstrous creature on our side.”

I glanced at the Ice Spirit, which was crouched over the cave entrance, its empty gaze locked within. It was still urging me to leave through the Nexus, adding credence to the captain’s words.

”Alright,” I relented, casting a final look back. The Elemental gave an imperceptible nod and stood, standing guard before the entrance. Even as the world collapsed, it seemed intent on following my command to prevent the gate from breaking.

Dismissing my staff, I rested my palm against the crystal, teleporting out. My soul wrenched as the Nexus was torn in two, abruptly cutting off my connection with the Ice Spirit. I collapsed the moment my feet hit the ground, doubling over in pain and coughing up blood. As I tried to stand, the remnants of the Infernal Mana in my soul drained away, leaving me lying weakly on the ground. The other soldiers weren’t in a much better state, as they lost the supportive strength of my magic, and the long hours of brutal warfare caught up to them.

Gradually, I recovered enough strength to open my eyes. A warm glow spread across the horizon, emanating from a distant, winged figure. It crossed the skies in minutes, revealing the glorious figure of the Archon. He frowned as he descended toward the gate, eyes sweeping over our small, battered company.

His wings snapped out, catching him in a hover several feet above the ground. His shadow fell over me, blotting out the sun and sending a chill through me. Gold light saturated his pupils as he cast a fifth-circle spell, and his eyes narrowed.

”What in the hells happened here?”