The Forsaken Hero

”You mean like this?” Elise asked, her voice filled with hope as she demonstrated two spinning magic circles.

I watched the runes complete a full rotation before shaking my head. ”Not quite,” I explained. ”You’ve managed to cast both a light and healing spell, but there’s no connection between them. Casting two spells at once isn’t the same as an array. It’s just two separate spells completed simultaneously.”

She tilted her head, her brow furrowed in confusion. I took a breath and tried explaining it again. It wasn’t the first time I’d shared this concept, but the idea of an array was foreign enough that even a prodigy like Elise struggled to grasp it.

”An array is designed to combine the best aspects of both spells into a single, more potent spell,” I clarified. ”Simply casting two spells simultaneously creates two separate effects, which spreads your mana thin, making it less effective. Arrays can also change how those effects are distributed, like this.”

I waved my hand and cast the array I’d created out of Mist and Gentle Song. The first spell created a thick fog by dispersing water droplets into the air, while the latter was a first-circle healing spell used to make potions. When combined, the healing magic infused the mist, diluting the effect but spreading it further, creating a sensation akin to a refreshing breeze on a hot day.

”Ah, I think I get it!” Elise exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with understanding. Concentration settled on her face as she channeled her mana and began casting again. I smiled slightly as she skipped the chant and directly manipulated her mana, taking advantage of the insights gained from our shared connection to the Oracle of Eternity.

As she wove her two spells together, attempting to create an array, I turned my attention to R’lissea, who was equally focused on the six magic circles slowly rotating around her.

My eyes widened in surprise, my tail twitching. I refrained from interrupting as the spell neared completion. The six circles aligned, forming a single, solid ring, and threads of mana shot out, connecting first to me and then to Elise.

”Nexus,” R’lissea declared in a quiet, commanding voice.

A thin, tenuous conduit formed between our souls, binding us to her. Her shoulders slumped slightly as her concentration wavered, and she gave me a tired but hopeful smile, seeking my approval.

”That wasn’t bad,” I said with a reassuring nod, ”though I don’t think it will last more than a few minutes. Are you sure that was only your second time casting it?”

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress the pride in her voice. ”I’m not sure whether to be surprised I succeeded or that you actually praised me. Maybe both.”

”H-hey!” I protested, my cheeks flushing. ”I-I try to praise you lots!”

”Yeah, but this time, you meant it.” She grinned at me, and I realized she was teasing.

I blushed, but couldn’t help the happy twitch of my tail. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been able to relax like this, to focus on something other than the Circle or my impending death. It was nice to simply enjoy the company of others, to share a common interest. Even the demons’ plans for destruction seemed distant and unimportant, as did the constantly escalating threat Haven proved to this world.

Even my apprehension about bonding with Elise and R’lissea had evaporated with a little effort. As different as we were, we all shared a love for magic, and I felt a genuine connection forming between us.

R’lissea was a naturally gifted mage, and with the blessings of a hero, she was far more advanced than her age suggested. She had picked up soul casting almost immediately, mastering it after only a few attempts. I attributed her rapid learning to her years of exposure to demons and monsters; she must have absorbed something from watching them use magic in their unique way.

On the other hand, Elise hadn’t even managed to compress the mana in her soul, let alone craft delicate magic circles with it. Instead of wasting time on a skill she clearly lacked, she focused on arrays. Having been present in Brithlite’s Royal palace, she was familiar with the Church’s new magic and their techniques. After I corrected a few of their inefficient methods and misconceptions, she quickly got the hang of it.

”There!” Elise cried, sitting back with a self-satisfied smile, her eyes shining brightly.

This time, her two magic circles spun as one, woven together by delicate strands of mana. As they resolved, a soft, pure light radiated from her hands, filling the tent with warmth. I shuddered as the light washed over me. Despite the uncomfortable itch, it had a soothing effect, calming my mind.

”Oh! Sorry!” Elise squeaked, noticing my discomfort. She waved her hands, and the circles and light vanished.

I breathed a sigh of relief as the sun magic faded. Adaptive resistance was more than capable of fending off the harmful effects of a first-circle spell, but the presence of sun magic always made my skin crawl—a natural reaction to my infernal blood. I didn’t remember it ever being this bad, however, and I couldn’t suppress another shudder.

”That was really impressive,” I said, trying to keep the tremor from my voice. It took a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart. ”You combined sun and healing magic. That could be incredibly effective on a human army fighting demons.”

Her expression clouded with guilt. ”I’m sorry,” she apologized, ”I wasn’t thinking.”

”It didn’t hurt, did it?” R’lissea asked, looking at me curiously, though she didn’t seem overly concerned.

”Not really,” I admitted. ”I guess I’m just a little sensitive.”

She pursed her lips thoughtfully. ”That might be a lingering side effect of the sun purge,” she mused. ”I doubt it will do more than make you uncomfortable, but it’s important to note. Someone without your resistances might have a stronger reaction.”

Elise apologized again, but I waved her away.

”Alright then, my turn,” R’lissea said, lips pressing into a firm, focused line.

A suffocating pressure rose from her soul as she summoned a staff and laid it across her lap. It was the same gnarled wooden haft with twisting branches clutching an emerald, giving off the aura of a Divine Artifact.

The cause of the rise in her aura was evident as seven magic circles appeared around her, gleaming with a bright green light that forced me to avert my eyes. Without thinking, I cast a protective spell around our space, keeping the mana from reaching the demons.

”Life’s Grace!” R’lissea cried triumphantly as her spell reached completion.

The magic circles collapsed inwards, channeling a torrent of life magic into her soul. Her form glowed with a soft, emerald light, her expression one of pure serenity.

In an instant, the mana flowed into the Nexus, straining the conduits to their breaking point. Thankfully, they held, and the revitalizing energy surged into my body. I gasped as warmth spread through me, radiating like a miniature sun within my soul. My hands glowed with the same emerald light as R’lissea’s, and I noticed Elise’s also glowing.

Strength surged through me, banishing the lingering fatigue from my walk with Fyren and the mental exhaustion urging me toward slumber.

Elise leaned back with a dreamy sigh. ”What kind of magic is this?” she asked, her voice filled with wonder.

R’lissea shrugged. ”Nothing special, I guess. It’s supposed to cure almost any injury, disease, or affliction, but I’ve never had a chance to use it before. The casting time is too long to be practical in battle. The only time I tried it was on Victor’s hand, but whatever that demon did to him couldn’t be healed. It was similar to the sunpurge, actually.”

I gasped, sitting up abruptly. ”Actually, R’lissea, I wanted to talk to you about that. Did Elinore ever mention anything about Infernal Corruption to you?”

She tilted her head, thinking. ”Not specifically, no. But she did say you could heal people’s souls of it.”

”Exactly!” I exclaimed, my tail swishing excitedly. ”I think they’re two sides of the same coin. Sunpurge affects the body and works inward, while Corruption attacks the soul first, then spreads to the flesh.”

”Wait, hold on a second,” Elise interrupted, holding up her hands. ”What are you two talking about? I thought infernal mana could only corrupt animals and monsters?”

I shook my head. ”Fyren invented a method that could afflict people with it. I meant to ask him about that but never had the chance. Or just, um, forgot when I did.”

”That’s right,” R’lissea said, nodding slowly. ”He’s the one who fought Levin, then?”

”Yeah, and it was his demon that struck Victor’s hand.” I shivered at the memory of the Justice Hero’s hand closing around my throat, his sneering face inches from mine. I shook myself, dispelling the unpleasant memory, and continued in a calmer voice. ”Anyway, R’lissea, I wanted to teach you the spell I developed to heal afflictions to the soul. It’s called Astral Wind, and I’ve adapted a version to heal both sunpurge and corruption variants.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. ”Really? The one I finally developed for sunpurge is Life Magic, but perhaps we could find a way to incorporate them.”

”An array would certainly be possible,” I said hesitantly, ”but it might end up a seventh-level spell. That wouldn’t make it very accessible.”

She shook her head dismissively. ”Something like that doesn’t matter. Once we have a starting point, I can refine it and come up with different versions for different situations. Healing magic has everything from Life Dew to Life’s Grace, with varying intensities. I don’t see why we can’t do the same for healing sunpurge and corruption.”

Her reasoning was sound, and we spent the rest of the day working on creating the array. It started slowly, but the process went smoothly once I understood her healing spell, and she grasped my Fate magic. By sunset, we were finished.