The Forsaken Hero

The angel’s wings beat steadily, releasing shockwaves with every thrust and propelling us as fast as any airplane in my previous world. As the sun began to set, dying the blues and whites of the sky in brilliant colors, the ground abruptly disappeared, transforming into the endless blue of the seas.

When the sun settled beneath the horizon, we were swallowed in darkness. The soft luminescence of the angel’s wings illuminated the clouds about us, but outside of our little world was endless night, devoid of the comforting stars I’d grown so close to.

After several hours, a distant light appeared in the void of darkness beneath us, growing swiftly until it split into thousands of tiny, individual lights. They swept beneath us, briefly flashing by, and then faded into the distance.

”We’ve reached the southern continent,” Elek said, ”only a few more hours.”

Cities continued to appear and disappear with irregularity, occasionally broken up by rising masses of black mountains. Over the last several months, we’d traveled throughout the Kingdom of Radia, yet that same distance passed by in the blink of an eye. I’d hoped to journey back on foot, to get some extra time, but the speed of the arbiter made even thinking difficult.

Gray began to flood the eastern sky, spreading out to herald the coming dawn. As the distant stars evaporated, a new cluster of lights approached, spreading out wider than any city we’d passed. Towers that once seemed to pierce the heavens were barely more than pricks on the ground, but their grandeur was recognizable even in the early morning light.

The Divine Throne sat amid Roann, the capital city of the Kingdom of Radia. Elek slowed as we passed over the walls of the city, dropping low enough to give the buildings clear form. Early morning residents crawled through the streets like ants, some looking up and pointing at us, visible only as a streak of light crossing the sky. A soft breeze lifted the banners of the Divine Throne, greeting our return with spread pennants.

The arbiter snapped his wings open, catching our descent and alighting in the sprawling gardens of the inner courtyard, directly before the main entrance. His soft eminence radiated out over the flowers and trees, chasing away the shadows. We were on the cusp of winter, yet they hadn’t changed at all. Every petal, leaf, and branch was in its proper place, vibrant, yet hopeless at the same time.

”See?” Elek asked, gently setting me down, ”that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

”It was,” I groaned.

My legs shook as my feet touched the grass, forcing me to cling to him until my body realized we’d made it safely.

He chuckled, resting a hand on my head for a moment. Metal squealed as the towering doors of the Divine Cataclysm opened, and a dozen guards sprinted out, taking up positions around us. Several Fathers and an inquisitor emerged, followed by the Pope himself. The man was worn and weary, his hair white as snow. Long wrinkles traced his every contour, but his eyes retained their cunning intelligence.

”Welcome, High Arbiter,” he said, bowing low. ”We are delighted with your safe return.”

”Skip the pleasantries,” Elek said, ”We have much to discuss.”

The Pope’s expression fell, shadowed by the depth of his many wrinkles. ”And the gates?”

”Closed, at the very least.”

”Thank the gods,” the Pope breathed. He motioned with his hand, and the inquisitor advanced, taking me from the Arbiter. ”See her to the Grand Inquisitor.”

”Yes, Holy One,” the Inquisitor replied. His hostile glare felt strangely familiar, as did the eight-level pressure emanating from his soul, but it wasn’t until I laid eyes on the thin metal ring floating behind his back that I recognized him.

”Elek...” I whispered.

The angel’s wings fluttered as he shook his head, dismissing my desperate plea. ”If your innocence is upheld, you have nothing to fear from the Divine’s servants. They seek to save this world from demons and will welcome any ally who joins them in the fight.”

”It is as the Arbiter says,” the Pope agreed. ”However, we cannot ignore the claims leveled against you. But have no fear, I shall personally oversee the trial and ensure a fair judgment.”

”That’s what I’m afraid of,” I whispered.

I looked hopefully at the archon, but if he heard me, he gave no indication.

Inquisitor Terran’s hand fell on my shoulder, gripping dangerously close to the Sunpurge. His calloused fingers were rough against my bare skin, sending a shiver down my tail, which twitched nervously.

”Come along, Hero,” he snapped.

At his gesture, the ring of soldiers fell into formation, providing an armed escort. Every time I stumbled or fell behind, Terran’s hand was quick to correct, jerking or shoving without care. Half turning, I cast Elek a final, pensive look, but he failed to spare me so much as a glance, already deep in discussion with the white-haired Pope.

The soldiers were exceptionally powerful, even for here, with the weakest being at the middle stages of the fifth level. Although they seemed relaxed, there was a dangerous glint in their eyes, and their hands never strayed far from their swords.

Gathering my courage, I dared to look Terran in the eyes, but my voice betrayed me, reflecting the wavering uncertainty gripping my heart. ”Where are you taking me?”

The hand on my shoulder tightened, fingers digging into my flesh. A dangerous tingle raced through the Sunpurge, causing me to wince in pain.

”Silence, slave.”

I groaned, twisting under his grip, but held my tongue. The inquisitor’s eyes were dark, his voice cold, completely devoid of mercy. The very same as the people who first greeted me in this new world, the slavers who saw me as nothing more than another coin waiting to be had.

The halls of Divine Throne were gray with the early morning light, just as cold and lonely as I remembered them. Every breath was difficult, the air stale and stifling. Occasional slaves or servants passed us by, their eyes locking onto our small procession. There was no doubt they recognized me, as the moment they thought we were out of earshot, they broke into whispers, building gossip around my unexpected presence and circumstances.

Within minutes, we wound through the maze-like corridors and arrived at the stairs leading to the slave quarters. The halls here were dark and narrow, but it was early enough still the majority of the slaves had yet to rise. Even so, several soldiers advanced before us, hands on their swords, ensuring the way was clear.

Every step was heavy, bringing more and more unwelcome memories to mind, and it was all I could do to keep my feet from dragging and risking the inquisitor’s ire. As we passed a particularly narrow doorway, my tail twitched in memory of the agony of breaking curfew, which had left me slumped against the very same.

”Excited to be home?” Terran asked.

I shook my head, struggling to breathe through the tightness in my chest.

”Please,” I gasped, ”Where are you taking me?”

The inquisitor spat, striking my cheek with a glob of spittle. ”Please? What use is it to beg now? Will mere words clean the blood of thousands from your hands?”

I flinched as the glob of wet, sticky fluid dripped down my cheek, staring at the ground. The ruined streets of Western University flickered through my mind, filled with the bodies of the dead and dying. If I hadn’t surrendered myself to the Curse Demon, how many more would have lived?

My hands were dark, stained with countless sins, and yet, somehow, I felt peace. I had done what I had to, or at least, what I believed to be right. Bethiv’s words echoed in my mind, that I hadn’t killed half, but managed to save half. If I hadn’t done what I did, things could have turned out much worse at Western University. Besides, had I not acted, Elise would have died. And that...that would have been too much for me to bear.

I took a long deep breath before facing Terran, and this time, the waver in my voice was gone. ”I have given everything for this world, lived through more pain than you could possibly understand. Why am I being treated like an enemy?”

”A bold claim, coming from one of tainted blood,” Terran replied, ”But your lies will be tolerated no longer. Soon, the whole world will know of your evils and betrayal.”

His vicious smirk sent a shudder down my spine, quelling my indignation and leaving me feeling hollow. Even now, after everything I had done, all that I had sacrificed, they still wanted to kill me. After the Shard declared me a hero, I gained a sort of immunity. But should my calling and efforts come into question, what protections would I have left?

Judging by the Inquisitor’s words, the church held no intention of putting me away quietly, either. Humiliating me before the world power’s representatives at the banquet wasn’t enough. Now, they planned on besmirching my name again, tarnishing what little reputation I managed to garner through the long months of adventuring.

And that thought terrified me. Throughout the last year, I’d forged tender relationships and found many people I grew to care about. When I was gone, sacrificed to the church’s self-righteous purging, who would they remember? Would Elise remember the one who healed her, or the monster that sold their soul to a demon? Would Captain Bethiv still support me when some of his men succumbed to the lingering remnants of Infernal Corruption plaguing their souls?

By the time the church finished, would anyone even miss me? Or would I just be lost to time, a single, meaningless casualty in a war spanning eternity?

Burdened by those sobering thoughts, I hardly noticed as we arrived at a place I’d never dared enter before. It was a doorway at the edge of the slave quarters, leading to the only place allowed to be deeper underground than the place the filthblood slaves laid their heads to rest.

Even after the long months absent from the Divine Throne, it was impossible for me not to recognize the rough, iron-bound oak. The hall of the inquisitors was black and ominous, carrying the weight of a thousand screams.

”The Dusk Chambers,” Terran murmured, a faint smile curling his lip. ”Many speak of it as a place the light never touches, but to be more accurate, this is where we bring the light to those who’ve never known it. A rather fitting place for a filthblood like you, no?”