The Forsaken Hero

The moment I gave the command, the infernal wolf vanished, leaving me holding empty air. The monsters stopped in surprise, surveying the forest with wary gazes. When they failed to find it, they refocused their black eyes on me and raised their claws. All of a sudden, the Aegis felt fragile, and I shivered, clutching my staff.

A terrifying scream tore through the air, and the monster closest to me flew through the air, thick arcs of black blood trailing after it. It slammed into a tree several dozen feet away, embedding itself deep into the splintered trunk. It screeched in pain and clawed at the gaping hole in its chest, but was helpless to stem the flow of blood. After a few seconds, its eyes dulled and its arms fell limply to the ground.

A golden blur streaked through the clearing, landing atop another monster. I caught a glimpse of the wolf raking and tearing through its hulking body before it dropped to its knee, head torn free from its body.

The air filled with furious screeches, and the monsters charged forward, slashing their claws at the wolf. It leaped into the air and soared high into the air, disappearing as it crossed the starry sky. A moment later, it pounced from a tree, bringing another ape-like monster down.

I stood amid the chaos, forgotten in the storm of teeth, claws, and very angry wolf. The wolf fought without honor or mercy, slowly whittling their numbers with ambushes. It wasn’t actually much stronger than the monsters, only faster, but used that advantage to its full potential. The lumbering monsters were clumsy in comparison, reacting only after one of their kind was dead, swinging claws at after-images and shadows.

It happened suddenly. The Infernal Wolf made to strike one of the remaining monsters, but whether through chance or overconfidence, it missed the kill. The monster screeched in pain as the wolf tore through its chest, searching for its black beating heart, somehow managing to fend off death just long enough to wrap its swarthy arms around the wolf.

The others reacted instantly, charging toward the pinned wolf. Their scythe-like claws whistled viciously through the air, releasing powerful wind blades in their wake. The wolf could have withstood any single one of them, but combined, they held enough power to threaten even a beginning-stage fifth-level creature. Where the wolf excelled in speed, it lacked in defense, forgoing armor and magical reinforcement for powerful legs.

It snapped at the monster holding it down, finally tearing one of its arms off, but by that time, the others arrived. Powerful claws slammed into its body from all directions, seeking to tear fur, muscle, and bone asunder.

The Aegis flashed the moment the first claw connected, appearing around the wolf. Clouds of sparks erupted outward as the attacks scatted off the barrier, denied access to the vulnerable flesh beneath. The golden shield cracked and shook, but held the monsters at bay until the wolf squirmed free.

Lashing out with its claws and teeth, the wolf tore a monster in half, creating a gap in the encirclement. Its hind legs tensed, and it vanished, appearing beside me. It panted lightly, ears slicked back, a menacing growl rumbling deep in its throat.

Nearly a dozen monsters were remaining. They shuffled around us, forming a loose circle and cutting off all avenues of escape. Their black, beady eyes stared beyond the wolf, locked onto my small, vulnerable form. While their only verbal coordination was through grunts and howls, the fight before made it obvious they were communicating. Even before they managed to catch the wolf, they were reacting far too quickly and with great efficiency.

”They’re learning,” I said, resting a hand on its shoulder, ”We should end this as quickly as possible.”

It glanced at me and nodded, its golden eyes glowing with determination. Something sparked deep in my soul, a feeling much like the time I forged a bond with the Staff of Fate. A tiny, nearly imperceptible thread bound me to the wolf, drawing our souls together. With it came the missing piece of myself, filling the lonely emptiness torn from my soul the moment Fate died. It was the same feeling I got when I my gift of tongues returned. Was that all due to proximity to the wolf? But why?

The wolf’s muscles rippled beneath my fingers, coiling like a spring. Its eyes shone like golden mirrors, reflecting the endless vista of the night sky, and it took a step forward. The moment its paw hit the ground, the world slowed. The monsters’ advance came to a crawling halt, their jagged claws frozen in time.

For a brief moment, our souls brushed through the bond, and I saw the stars of Fate. I’d seen it once before when Fate’s divinity descended, but even now it took my breath away. Millions of glistening threads connected all of existence, dictating and weaving the very fabric of reality itself.

They were gone a heartbeat later, tucked back behind the curtains of the world. The wolf blurred, turning into a streak of light. It zig-zagged between the monsters, moving so quickly that my eyes only tracked afterimages. The entire scene was frozen solid, with only the lingering trail of light left behind by the infernal animal.

Before I could blink, the wolf came to rest beside me, sagging in exhaustion. The luminescent glow faded from its eyes and time resumed flowing normally.

A dozen screams rent the sky as the monsters were freed from the grip of time. Blood spurted from vicious wounds in their necks and chests, filling the air with scarlet mists, and they collapsed as one. The light faded from their unnatural, black eyes, their thrashing limbs falling still. Soon, the forest was silent save for the rustle of the leaves and the heavy panting of the wolf beside me.

”What did you do?” I asked, staring at it in shock. Never before had I read about something that could influence the flow of time! Even my visions didn’t truly pierce the veil, showing only possibilities of the future or current events.

The wolf’s eyes glimmered and its lips curved up, giving it a smug expression. I shook my head helplessly and threw my arms around its neck, burying my face in its fur.

”Thank you,” I breathed.

Now that the monsters were dead and the adrenaline began to wear off, the reality of the situation caught up to me, and I began to tremble. I sank to my knees, still clinging to the wolf, tears welling up in my eyes.

I had almost died. No euphemism circumvented it, nor comfort that could hide it. If the wolf hadn’t appeared, I would be dead, and so would the two Foxkin children. With the savage bloodlust of the monsters, they might have even attacked the village itself, killing hundreds before anyone powerful enough to fight them responded.

I took a short, surprised breath as the wolf nudged me with its head, freeing me from the terrifying thought. Its tongue flicked out to dab my cheek, and it curled its massive body around me, wrapping around me like a blanket. I collapsed into its embrace, soaking in the comforting warmth and presence. One of my hands found its horns, idly tracing the familiar structure and ridges. The wolf whined, licking me again, its tail wagging in pleasure.

After a few minutes, my tears had dried and I pulled back, staring into its eyes. It returned my gaze evenly, giving me a good look at the stars drifting through the golden depths of its irises. It was a powerful, majestic beast many times my size, but even after seeing it slaughter the monsters so effortlessly, I felt no trace of unease. A thought wormed its way into my mind, a distant memory of a night long ago with an Infernal Wolf. I quickly dismissed the idea, knowing it was ridiculous. Even after I purged its soul of Infernal Mana, it hadn’t looked anything like this, and was barely more than a regular animal.

But those eyes...they really were just like my eyes, and there was no ignoring the similarity in our horns. Even its soul felt familiar, not necessarily in shape, but in mana. The currents were practically identical to my own, and the mana cycled through its soul in the same way mine did. I could feel it pulsing through our bond, without taint and free of Infernal Mana. No wolf soul should look like this, especially if it were an Infernal Monster. Could it be the same one?

As though aware of my thoughts, the wolf licked my cheek, tail wagging again. It felt impossible, but the more I thought of it, the more sense it made. My knowledge of souls was extremely limited, especially at the time I purged the Infernal Mana from the wolf. I had just begun toying with the idea of manipulating Infernal Mana, and the spell I invented was rudimentary and unrefined. Essentially, I had forcefully driven out Infernal Mana with my own, replacing one foreign force with another.

Was that what was responsible for the changes to the wolf? Despite what the church taught, Infernal Mana was simply a different kind of power. It was chaotic and untamed, which was why it led to such drastic changes in the mind and body of those it filled. Mortal souls weren’t made to handle such power, which was why they were susceptible to being warped in such a way. Theoretically, any mana different than the native power of a creature’s soul would have diverse effects on it, but any research on the field was clear that save for infernal mana, all tests and experiments in this field always led to death.

But the evidence was right there before me. The wolf had been ”corrupted,” not towards the visage of a demon, but in my own image. Its soul coursed with my mana, not to mention the strange bond connecting us. Besides the outward signs, If it weren’t the same, then why had it come all this way to save me?

”It’s you,” I said, hugging it again. ”It’s really you.”

The wolf barked, pushing me over onto my back and licking my face. Something bubbled up in my heart, an unfamiliar feeling similar to the warmth that accompanied me when I was teaching Sari. The emotion wanted to escape, to be made known in the world through my body, but I didn’t know how to express it. The thought frustrated me, but that was quickly lost in the shower of love and saliva from above.

”Hey, stop that.” I cried helplessly, but the wolf ignored me, continuing to lick me until I stopped resisting.

Finally withdrawing its tongue, it flopped down on the ground, curling its length around me like a blanket. I rested my head on its flank, taking a few moments to catch my breath before sitting up.

Looking around, I gasped, and the wolf raised its weary head, ears perked alertly. The monsters were gone.