The Forsaken Hero

The earthen dome trembled. Chunks of rubble the size of houses fell from the lower layers, flattening buildings and people indiscriminately. A moment later, a scathing pillar of light drilled through the stone, evaporating nearly half the city. It lingered for several seconds, burning itself into the eyes of all who witnessed its power, before finally fading.

I cringed as the accompanying shockwave of sun magic rolled over me. Adaptive Resistance protected me from any actual damage, but the Sunpurge throbbed painfully, remembering the moment it had been seared into my flesh. I hadn’t managed to turn away in time, either, and spent the next few seconds blinking away blindness, as though I’d just been staring at the sun.

The demonkin’s translucent form could be seen standing amid the scorched rubble. She looked up, a faint smile playing across her lips, and waved her staff. Eight magic circles rotated into existence around her. It seemed that even she couldn’t Soul Cast something that powerful.

But that didn’t make it any less intimidating. A single mote of concentrated mana gathered in front of her staff, condensing until that single point contained the energy of a miniature sun. The entire world seemed to grow darker and less colorful, appearing as little more than a pale shadow before the magnificent glory of the sphere. The entire world plunged into unsettling silence, the calm before the storm.

Soltair alone moved, launching himself through the gaping hole in the dome created by his Solar Flare. But even as he began to unleash a magical technique, the Demonkin released her spell, and everything turned white. A low, deep thrum reverberated through the air, traveling just behind the blinding wave of light. A thin sliver of energy lanced forward like a laser, moving so quickly it vanished before my eyes had time to register its existence. Soltair tried to avoid it, but even his eight-level strength and speed fell short. His protective aura shattered instantly, and he opened his mouth in a soundless scream. The beam seemed to pierce through him, clearing the sky of clouds and disappearing over the horizon.

The entire world was silent save the ringing in my ears. The force of the ray threw Soltair over the river, sending him plummeting to the earth glowing and trailing smoke like a comet. His soul still burned, if faintly, meaning he was alive. I should have felt disappointed, he was an enemy now, but some part of me was relieved. I tried to push the thought away, but it persisted. If Soltair were to find me, he wouldn’t hesitate to enslave me again. But even though I knew it was fake, I couldn’t forget his warm, noble smile or strong hands, comforting me through many a long night.

”Pity, I was expecting at least a decent challenge,” a voice beside me said. ”Looks like I won’t even need the Starfall.”

I turned, finding the translucent girl standing beside me. She rested on her staff, her tail swishing side to side, mirroring the dissatisfaction in her expression. I turned back up to the sky, where another girl, identical to the one before me, hovered. Levin, the Earth Hero, seemed to be the only one of three in good condition, and was doing his best to keep her busy until the other heroes recovered. His style focused on defense, which made him ideal for the task, but it was clear the demonkin was merely toying with him.

”How...?” I asked, looking between the two doppelgangers. At first glance, it was similar to what the Apostle of the Descent did in the Ice Gate. But neither of them was an illusion. They both had their own soul! No, that wasn’t it either. It was more like they shared a soul, as if she were in two places at once.

”A rather neat trick, but not one you should concern yourself over,” she said lightly, tossing her hair over her shoulder. ”At the very least, it’ll give us a chance to talk. Have you decided what you want?”

”I don’t understand,” I said softly. ”What I want?” When had that ever been a factor before?

There were so many things I wanted once, but it all felt so indistinct and blurry. I wanted someone to love, friends that cared for me, and freedom. But none of those mattered anymore. I just wanted to find somewhere to crawl up and cry, to go somewhere no one could hurt me and to escape from the unrelenting anguish, darkness, and pain.

Tears gathered in my eyes, and the woman’s expression softened. She stepped forward, and before I could react, swept me up in an embrace. Her soft, translucent skin was cool and held a curious sense of insubstantiality, and I found myself melting into her arms. Her touch felt the same as Fate’s, bringing instant peace and comfort to my mind and heart.

”Shhhh, it’s alright,” she soothed, gently stroking my hair. ”It’s all going to be okay.”

”But she’s gone!” I cried, the tears finally beginning to flow. I didn’t know whether I was talking about Aurle or Fate, perhaps both.

She glanced at my staff, hovering in the air behind us, and shook her head. ”Maybe for now, but deities rarely truly die. The entire universe mourns when a god falls, and their kingdom burns in the skies of every world.” Something about her tone left no question that this was mere speculation, but rather something she’d seen with her own eyes enough times for it to become normal.

I raised my, looking deep into her eyes. The colorlessness was disconcerting, but they held a profound sense of depth as endless as the sky itself. ”Then I can bring her back? We just need people to worship her and-”

”It’s not so simple. The Divine draws upon thousands of worlds for power. Even if this entire planet began giving her their faith, it wouldn’t be enough. Most small gods survive by drawing upon the shared pool of general belief, but Fate has been excluded from that. The Sun God and his faction of cronies have specifically excluded her from the church’s beliefs. Public opinion would have to change on nearly every planet to supply her with that sustenance again.”

”Every planet?” I whispered. Even managing that on this one was next to impossible. ”So she’s really gone then?”

”Not quite.” The woman shared a mysterious smile. ”There are other methods besides faith, you know.”

I rubbed the tears from my eyes and waited for her to continue, but she seemed satisfied to leave it at that. She squeezed me one final time and pulled away, her hands resting on my shoulders, and looked into my eyes.

”Xiviyah,” she said, using my name for the first time, ”It’s almost time. I know you don’t feel like you can go on, but you must. There are still those who care for you, and they will find you. You aren’t safe here, though, so I’m going to send you away.”

”Where?”

She gave the staff a pointed look. ”I’ll let Fate determine that. Her divinity rests upon you and will for some time. But remember that the moment her power runs dry, you’re soul will lose its protection. Right now, you are heavily injured, and you need time to heal. Do you remember the spell the Curse Demon used to heal Elise?”

I shook my head, struggling to understand how she might know about that. Was she one of Fate’s archons, or a friend of the goddess herself? That would explain their seemingly close relationship.

”Watch closely.”

The demonkin raised her hand and a few magic circles appeared. They moved slowly and simply, the runes appearing one by one. The ground shook again, and the sky filled with light, as the heroes continued their fight with the other half, but for the next few minutes, everything faded away.

”This is only the framework, but it’s as much as I can show you,” she said as the magic circles disappeared. ”The rest of it depends entirely upon your individual soul and situation, so you’ll have to figure it out on your own. Remember, wait for her to find you. Use the time to live quietly and heal. Don’t tell anyone who you are. They will be hunting you.”

I opened my mouth, trying to voice my confusion, but she hugged me again. It was a long, desperate embrace, as though she were trying to convey everything she felt in a single squeeze. It was warm, and left tears trickling down my cheeks.

Over her shoulder, I saw the distant streak of light she had summoned when the heroes first appeared. It had grown larger, seeming to fill the entire sky with an orange glow. The heroes were taking notice of it, sparing glances in between launching or dodging attacks, their brows wrinkled in worry.

”Will you protect them?” I asked.

I didn’t specify who, but she seemed to understand, and a glowing barrier appeared around the church.

”Would you like to see it?” She asked softly.

I nodded. No matter how dark and hazy my mind was, the love of magic burned true. There was no way I’d be able to pass up a chance to witness first-hand a ninth-circle spell.

Her face brightened with a smile, and she led me by the hand to the church. The barrier didn’t stop us, passing over me with a cool tingle. The priest stared at us from a dusty window in shock, and the translucent woman waved cheerily at him. He looked between the two of us, and his eyes widened slightly.

”Look.” She said, pointing up at the sky.

The star fell faster, slowly growing to fill the sky. I followed her finger to the edges of the city, where my eyes found the rim of a magic circle. It was enormous, stretching thousands of feet across and hovering a mile in the sky. With the magnified power of the Eyes of Fate, I could just make out eight more, stacked atop one another, ascending into the sky. As the meteor fell through the first one, nearly five miles above, it released a burst of mana, gaining power and momentum. Each consecutive magic circle empowered it further, until the very air itself hummed in anticipation. The raw, concentrated power was far stronger than the laser beam she’d blasted Soltair with, overwhelming all limits I’d unconsciously imposed on possibility.

It was beautiful, in a dreamy, apocalyptic way. The sky burned with countless colors, the aurora stretched to the horizon, no doubt visible for hundreds of miles in all directions. It was as though a star itself descended upon our world, bringing all of its glory with it.

By the time it passed through the final magic circle, the heroes were long gone. Even Soltair’s obsessive heroic disposition knew when to surrender, and if ever there was a time, this was it. But no matter how fast or far they ran, I knew it wouldn’t be enough.

Through the haze and clouds of dust, I could make out a small cluster of figures standing in the ruins of the City Lord’s mansion. A small white bubble surrounded them, protecting them from the shockwaves and collateral effects of the battle, but it looked fragile compared to the descending star.

”Die,” the demonkin spat, her voice twisting in hatred. ”Die a thousand times for every girl you raped and killed. For Aurle.”

Her vitriol was unexpected, but perfectly mirrored the darkness writhing in my heart. My own hands were weak, my heart unstable, but for the first time in my life, I felt the urge to take another’s life. For all the things he did, for the pain he caused, and for Aurle.

By the time it touched the ground, the star was moving so quickly that my eyes couldn’t track it. Everything turned white. Not just a flash of light, or an explosion, but an expanding wall of magic thicker than any curtains swept over us, smothering all sight and sound. The earth groaned in pain, disappearing around the church, leaving a smoothly sheared hemisphere of earth resting on the barrier in a sea of white.

Multiple waves of power tore out from the epicenter, apparent only as ripples on the face of the shield. The volume of mana was beyond any spell I’d imagined, transcending even that of the smaller Shards of Omniscience.

At long last, the radiance began to dim, slowly retracting until only a faint shimmer filled the air. The city... was gone.