The Forsaken Hero

Tana and Sorrin were silent, although whether in surprise at my proactive declaration or the oddity of the name, I knew not. The half-elf gazed at me with her piercing green eyes, seeming to search my soul, before she slowly nodded.

”Starlight, hmm. Yeah, that fits. Who’s ’she,’ by the way?”

I immediately looked away, pressing a hand to my breast as my heart gave a throbbing shudder. Tana waited for a second, watching as my tail drooped, before sighing and sharing a look with Sorrin, who shrugged helplessly.

”The guild master’s waiting,” he said abruptly. ”We’d be best not to make him wait.”

Brushing away the gathered moisture in my eyes, I followed after them, burdened with thoughts of Aurle. The staff hummed softly, warming until its strength coursed through my veins and my soul flickered with light. I gave it a grateful squeeze and picked up my tail, hurrying after the two.

Our path took us across a bridge and to the town square. The houses gave way to shops, hung with painted signs and bright bits of ribbon and cloth. It had all the bustle of commerce in the city, from the persuasive cries of the merchants to the buzz of conversation and laughter. The buzz of the indecipherable words filled my ears, coming from all directions and very nearly overwhelming me. Children were everywhere, running between legs, running errands for shopkeepers, or otherwise doing everything in their power to be a nuisance to the adults around them.

My presence caused quite a ripple in the village proper, but it remained fairly tame compared to the reactions of the past. There were no curses, slurs, or rotten fruit from villagers, only curiosity and the occasional frown and scowl. For a time, I felt as though I were among the citizens of Viriden again, but the relief faded as another memory followed hot on its heels, of the hundreds of casualties wrought among them by the almighty power of the ninth-level Demonkin. I had walked among and healed them, and they had supported me, yet because of me, they were brought to ruin.

While the village square felt crowded, it was relatively small, and the villagers could be counted in dozens. Helron appeared, sliding between two arguing housewives, and came to a stop beside Tana and Sorrin. I hung back, waiting a few feet away, as they spoke in hushed tones. Occasionally, one of the three would glance my way, sometimes accompanied by gestures. It became especially obvious what the topic of their conversation was when Helron dropped all pretenses and openly stared at my staff, curiously tracing the glassy, crystalline artifact with his eyes.

Pursing his lips thoughtfully, he drew an amulet from his spatial pouch. It was a gleaming piece of sapphire and golden wire twin, crafted in an intricate spire with simple runes inscribed around the exterior. It seemed to catch the sunlight, spending it spinning around in a startling array of white motes, catching my gaze instantly.

An amulet. Helron handed it to Tana, but his voice faded into the background. A tremor seized my body, starting on the smooth, clear skin between my breasts and radiating out to the tips of my horns and tail. A terrified weight settled on my chest, forcing me to gasp for air.

”It’s a magic amulet that allows you to understand any language.” Tana was saying. Her eyes shone brightly with excitement, and even Sorrin held a small smile. ”If you put this on, you’ll be able to understand everyone!”

”N-no!” I whispered, fiercely shaking my head. ”Please, no!”

She paused, amulet held suspended mid-air, and tilted her head in confusion. ”Is something the matter? It’s just an amulet that helps you talk, so there’s nothing to be worried about.”

I took a step back, nearly falling as a burst of pain traveled up my leg, and clutched my staff, desperately fighting to breathe. An amulet. Why did it have to be an amulet?

The wind hushed and the birds fell still, tucking their heads beneath their wings. Even the trees paused, their leaves rustling softly as though whispering of a coming storm. My chest burned with phantom fires, the searing pain tracing familiar, lines and runes across my chest. The air shimmered, a growing bubble with me at its center.

Sorrin rolled his eyes. ”Oh, come on, it’s for your own good. It’s not going to kill you or-”

”Sorrin,” Tana said, cautiously looking around and laying a hand on his arm. ”Maybe we shouldn’t-”

Her words vanished as the terror twisted out of my soul. The Staff of Fate released a deep thrum, resonating with the sudden shimmer in the air. The village grew silent as an oppressive sense of impending doom settled upon the region, darkening the sun and placing a chill colder than the darkest night in everyone’s hearts.

”Starlight!” Tana cried reaching toward me.

A pulse of mana erupted from the blazing star atop the staff, sweeping through the village like the desolate north wind. It rolled over the ancient boughs of the forest, visible only by the expanding ripple of rustling leaves. The wave neither slowed nor faded, disappearing only as it reached the horizon.

All was still, save for my quiet sobs as the fear inside came to a head, clashing against what little control I retained.

Far in the distance, a wolf howled. It was sad and mournful, drifting over the housetops and reverberating through the air, solemn as the grave. Somewhere, a child started crying, a sentiment instantly adopted by their peers.

And then it was gone. Sucking in deep gulps of air, I managed to restrain myself, dropping to my knees and wrapping my tail about myself. The staff dimmed and the distortion vanished, returning reality to normal.

”What was that?” Sorrin breathed, knuckles white on his sword hilt. His eyes darted around the village before finally coming to rest on my sobbing figure.

Tana shook her head, pulling her cloak tight about her. But even that did little against the chill penetrating her soul, and she shivered. ”I-I don’t know.”

She tentatively handed the amulet back to a frowning Helron, glancing at me as though afraid I might notice. He nodded at her and she took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders and approaching me.

I didn’t look up as she squatted beside me, catching my hands up in hers. Her elfin eyes practically glowed with caution, but her voice was soft and soothing like she was talking to a scared child.

”It’s alright,” she murmured, ”No one’s going to make you put it on if you don’t want to. Just calm down, okay? You’re safe now. Everything’s going to be alright.”

”What the hell is she?” Helron muttered, idly stroking his beard. ”I’ve never seen anything like that.”

”As if I’d know,” Sorrin snorted. Despite his relaxed appearance, his eyes shifted uneasily, and his hand remained on his sword hilt. ”The better question is what are we going to do about it.”

Helron nodded and, much to my relief, tucked the amulet away. I drew the first clear breath I’d managed in almost a minute, and soon succeeded in drying my eyes. Tana’s hands were warm and comforting, and she smiled as the last lingering light left the staff. The breeze whispered through the trees once more, carrying the song of the birds back to the stunned village.

The people stared at me in fear, their eyes crawling over my horns as though seeing them for the first time. But they hesitated, watching Helron closely, gauging the situation by his reaction.

I looked up at him with wide, glistening eyes, waiting for the condemnation. I only had the scarcest understanding of what had occurred, but it would undoubtedly bring fear, mistrust, and hatred upon my head. Tana and Sorrin were only treating me nicely because they wanted to learn about the monster. But once it became clear I was the true danger, they would swiftly-

”Well, that was unexpected,” Helron said loudly. He casually leaned against a nearby fence and stretched, ending up with his hands resting comfortably behind his head. ”What a wonderful demonstration of magic! A little warning would be nice next time though. I don’t think anyone knew you were a mage, so it caught us a little off guard.”

My thoughts died, filling my mind with a stillness so quiet I could hear each distinct heartbeat. Only after Tana repeated his words to me did I realize I could understand everyone perfectly. The villagers broke into smiles, saying how surprised they were, or how nice it was to have such a powerful mage in the village. One of the kids even ran up to me and asked to touch my staff, but Sorrin shooed him away before I could react.

Finally, I remembered to breathe and turned to look up at Tana. ”Why?” I stammered, clasping my hands in my lap.

”Hmm?” She raised an eyebrow. ”What do you mean? You’re a mage, right?”

I nodded dumbly, and she giggled, the stress of the moment forgotten. ”In that case, want to join our party?”

The invitation was so smooth and unexpected that before I could think, I nodded again. Sorrin seemed surprised too, stopping in place and staring at the half-elf.

”Tana?” he asked, watching her intently.

”Oh, relax. I’m sure the others will be fine with it. Rasce always said we need another mage, and Dyson can’t say no to a cute face.”

He frowned, and I looked away as he stared at my face. ”I don’t think she’ll ask though, so he won’t-”

”I was talking about me, idiot,” she laughed, punching his arm. ”I’ll do the talking. You just back me up, oh mighty party leader.”

”Alright, alright,” he said, backing away with his hands raised in surrender. ”She can join. But only if something like that never happens again. Whatever that was wasn’t right. It was like the entire world was planning my demise.”

”Oh? I felt like every tree, bird, and bug was watching me with the intent to eat me. Talk about scary,” Tana muttered.

”Meanwhile, I think I’ll look into this more,” Helron said, reminding me they’d been speaking in the unknown language the whole time. He fixed me with a meaningful look. ”A demonkin shows up in our lands for the first time in months, and something like this happens. That staff, too, is rather intriguing. Even my Eyes couldn’t determine its power level, and that’s saying something.”

Wrapping up their conversation, Tana and Sorrin resumed the tour, but my mind wasn’t in it anymore. What had happened back there? The moment I understood that they wanted me to wear the amulet, everything turned dark. It was that long, lonely howl that pierced that trauma and fear, reminding me that they were not inquisitors, and things were different this time.

Even so, I couldn’t bring myself to consider wearing the amulet. The mere thought of a chain around my neck caused me to tremble and send a haunting pain across my chest. Regardless of what came, I couldn’t live like this. This shadow, this terror, was as real as any chain, and I wanted to be free.