The Forsaken Hero

Luke’s gaze bore into me, his eyes narrowed and intense. My chest tightened with panic, my tail coiling anxiously around my ankles. Shards of Omniscience were the ultimate prize for the demon army. Consuming one was the only way for an eighth-level being to break through to ninth level. How could Luke, a man driven by his pursuit of power, possibly overlook this?

”Luke, please,” I pleaded, stepping closer and taking his hand in mine, squeezing it gently.

He remained silent for a moment, a deep frown etched across his face. But as he looked into my eyes and saw the fear reflected there, his expression softened.

”Come on, then,” he said, his voice gentle. ”Let’s hurry.”

I nodded, my shoulders slumping in relief. I knew this wasn’t the end of it, but at the very least, I had bought myself some time. He understood, for now, that I needed this Shard.

The island was roughly triangular, dominated by a tall ridge that cut through its center and rose a couple hundred feet above the forested edges. The trees were gnarled and ancient, their thick boughs reminiscent of the primeval forests of Heartland.

This island seemed to possess an aura similar to that of the fortress city. None of the remnants dared follow us as we approached, lingering on the surrounding islands, content to observe from a distance. The path to this island felt narrower and less stable than the others, and I found myself clinging to Luke’s hand, my anxiety growing. Through a gap in the floating cobblestones, I caught a glimpse of the endless darkness below, and a shiver ran down my spine.

Midway to the island, we passed through the shimmering barrier erected by the Shard. It wasn’t a solid shell but more of a field, with radiant mana permeating the entire area. A wave of tingling energy washed over me, accompanied by a pleasant warmth that seeped into my chilled body. The air crackled with mana, distorting the air like ripples in water. It was so thick that I would have sensed its presence even without the Oracle of Eternity.

”I need the s-shard,” I stammered, glancing nervously at Luke, my finger trembling as I pointed towards the ridge where the Shard hovered.

He simply nodded and grasped my hand tighter, guiding me over the forest’s twisting roots and cracked boulders. I drew nearer to him, practically clinging to his arm, as the cold within me grew with every step. At the same time, my muscles burned with exertion, the conflicting sensations of heat and cold combining to drain my remaining strength. Even with Luke’s support, by the time we reached the top of the ridge, I was panting, a sheen of sweat on my forehead, yet shivering uncontrollably.

”Xiviyah, you need to rest,” Luke insisted, his voice laced with concern as we reached the top of the ridge.

I shook my head, my tail limp as I struggled to catch my breath. ”I’ll be alright,” I rasped, though I wasn’t sure I believed it myself.

He looked about as convinced as I felt but, after another glance at the widening rift in the sky, didn’t argue. His hand slipped free of mine, and before I could lament the loss, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me against him. I squirmed at first, more than a little embarrassed at the impromptu hug, before realizing he was guiding me up the final rocky slide to the shard. Once we reached it, I took a few moments to steady my breathing and calm my racing heart before looking up at the rift, the enormity of the task ahead weighing heavily on me.

I had some experience mending tears in Fate, but those were mere cracks compared to the gaping chasm that now yawned above me. I had conserved my mana, refusing to cast anything but the most essential wards, but it was clear my power wouldn’t be enough. Not even the ninth-level mage I had studied with at Western University possessed a mana pool large enough to attempt such a feat.

”Can you really do something like this?” Luke asked, his voice laced with doubt.

”I have to try,” I said, determination hardening my resolve. ”We’ve come too far to give up now.”

Despite my brave words, I felt a knot of anxiety tightening in my stomach, feeling no more confident than his question sounded. Still, I didn’t hesitate to reach out to the Shard. It pulsed gently as I laid my palm against one of its warm, glowing facets, sending a jolt of energy surging through my soul.

Luke instantly summoned his sword, leaping forward and placing a protective hand on my shoulder, pulling me away from the shard. Only after he determined the change to the mana wasn’t dangerous did he back away and allow me to proceed.

I felt a slight twinge of annoyance at that, shaking him away before reaching out once more.

”Are you sure it’s not dangerous?” he asked as I connected with the shard again.

I nodded, my voice trembling slightly. ”The shard isn’t, no,” I admitted, ”But if I fail here, it will probably accelerate the collapse of the realm, or even tear it apart completely. If you want to leave, I can probably open a gate here. No matter what happens, you can survive, though I can’t guarantee what will happen to Enusia afterward.”

”I’m not leaving you.”

His immediate response surprised me, and I looked up to find his gaze locked with mine, a fierce determination burning in his eyes.

”Thank you,” I whispered, releasing a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. For some reason, just having him there felt like enough. I couldn’t bear to imagine facing this alone, and even if it meant exposing the shard and putting my life in his hands, I was grateful for his presence.

With that, I returned to the shard and called to it, linking its mana with my soul. I had grown much since the last time I’d channeled directly from a shard and found myself able to handle it without much discomfort. Drawing in too much at once might still be dangerous, but it was a manageable risk.

”Once I start,” I said, shooting Luke a final look, ”I have no idea what’s going to happen. The Remnants don’t seem to like this place, but if they sense something like this, they might assume it’s wrong and come for me. If that happens...”

”Don’t worry about them,” Luke reassured me. ”Just focus on doing what needs to be done. I’ll take care of the rest.”

I gave him a small, grateful smile and summoned my staff. As I pointed it toward the rift, marshaling my power, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu. Here I was, about to fix something that shouldn’t be fixable, with a powerful ally protecting me. It was strikingly similar to when I had healed my soul, only the consequences of failure this time were far greater, involving much more than just my own life.

The moment I linked with the Shard, its mana surged towards me like a tidal wave. The sheer force of it should have overwhelmed me, yet it responded tamely to my will, allowing me to craft the first runes of a colossal magic circle.

Luke gasped as the spell began to take shape, a circle measuring hundreds of feet across materializing in the air. It stretched from one end of the gaping chasm to the other, brimming with more mana than I had ever channeled before, surpassing even the combined power I had wielded to heal my soul and create the first ice gate. It was so vast that the pressure emanating from it rivaled that of the Starfall Fate’s Ally had used to obliterate High Valley—the only true ninth-circle spell I had ever witnessed.

With the mana cooperating, flowing into the runes with minimal guidance, the spell took only a few minutes to complete. When the final rune slotted into place, the circle froze, its mana intensifying. A heartbeat later, it released a clear, resonating pulse through Haven, uniting me with the realm itself. It was a simple spell, granting me unrestricted access to the weave of Fate within Haven and joining my soul with everything within its boundaries. It felt similar to the moment I had first teleported here, granting me an awareness of everything touched by the spreading shadows.

As I embraced this newfound connection, I stiffened, overwhelmed by the sudden influx of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of presences. They existed both within Haven and within the spreading shadows plaguing the city. Their thirst for destruction and darkness was overwhelming, yet even that paled in comparison to the cries for vengeance echoing within their consciousness.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I felt their pain, a loss so profound it rivaled the sorrow I felt for Aurle. I couldn’t comprehend what had been taken from them or why they craved revenge so fiercely. Where did their anger originate, and how could killing and destroying everything possibly satiate it?

Just what even were the remnants?