The Forsaken Hero

I spent the next few minutes recounting my vision, sharing the details I had gleaned from Verity and Soltair. R’lissea listened intently, her expression growing increasingly serious as I spoke. When I finished, a heavy silence fell over the room, punctuated only by the crackling of the fire and the soft melody drifting from the unseen source.

”To think they won’t even acknowledge that we’ve chosen to stand against them,” R’lissea muttered. She stared into her empty bowl, expression troubled, before shaking her head and meeting my gaze. ”I don’t want to fight them, Xiviyah, but if they come for us, I will. I won’t let them take you again.”

”R’lissea,” I said, eyes misting up slightly. ”There might be heroes among them.”

She shook her head resolutely. ”No friends of mine would try to enslave cities or worlds. And I know I’m not alone in thinking that. It’s why the elves have been resisting the Church’s edicts.”

”They have? I remember overhearing Soltair and Verity discussing the elves being difficult, but that was a long time ago.”

”The elves were the ones who developed the magical crystals used to power the flying ships,” R’lissea said. ”They’ve been working on that technology for a long time, hoping it would grant them some distance and independence from the Church’s influence.”

”But then the war started,” Elise said, her brow furrowed.

”Exactly,” R’lissea said. ”The Church had been turning a blind eye to their endeavors, but the moment the gods revealed the demon invasion, the Pope decided it was time to press those advancements into service. The elves resisted as long as they could, but the destruction of the Beast Kingdom gave the Church powerful leverage. And once they dispatched Soltair to negotiate...” R’lissea trailed off. ”The ship I was on was their first prototype, but now that they understand the technology, I’m certain we’ll see more of them in the future.”

”I bet the elves aren’t happy about that at all,” Elise mused.

R’lissea shrugged. ”From what I heard, it wasn’t the most...ethical negotiation.”

A thought struck me. ”Do you think the elves truly believe the demons must be fought?”

Her eyebrows lifted. When she saw I was serious, she nodded. ”I lived among them a long time, Xiviyah, and they never seemed content with the church. If we were to explain what the Church is doing with the Heart Crest, I’m sure I could convince them to remain neutral, if not outright rebel against the Church.”

”Has it truly come to that?” I whispered, staring at my empty bowl. ”Rebellion? Overthrowing the Church?”

R’lissea’s expression didn’t falter. ”It has. I was expecting this when I joined you, but I’d hoped we wouldn’t have to. But if the church is determined to go forward with the Heart Crest, we must.”

I rested my head on my hand, closing my eyes. ”I’m tired of fighting.”

”I hate it, too,” she admitted, ”But we do what we must. And right now, that means standing against the tyranny of the gods.”

”Even if it means standing with the demons,” Elise added.

I felt a flicker of surprise at the Life Hero’s determination, and I couldn’t help but recall the banquet where we met. She’d been so timid and soft-spoken, reminding me a lot of myself. When Ronin mocked and humiliated me, she stood up for me. Not because she knew me but because the tension made her uncomfortable.

That tender spirit was gone, replaced by firm resolve. Like Korra, she had faced the horrors of this war and had grown because of it.

I opened my eyes again, meeting their gazes. ”I’ll speak with Luke. If the elves agree to remain neutral, I might be able to persuade him to spare them.”

”If you’re the one asking, I’m sure we have nothing to worry about,” Elise said, a flicker of her earlier smile returning.

I tilted my head, but her grin only widened.

”Let’s get some more food!” she called, waving at the remnant innkeeper.

”Of course, fair ladies,” the man said, letting me hear his dry, sharp voice for the first time. ”I won’t have it said the First Light Inn lets its guests go hungry.”

The weight of our conversation evaporated as he glided over and placed a few more bowls before us. When I didn’t take one, he frowned.

”Perhaps something a little lighter?” he asked.

”P-please,” I stammered, lowering my head to him. I wasn’t used to eating so much at once, and the one serving had been plenty.

”As you wish,” he said, smiling faintly.

The remnant reached into his sleeve and withdrew a pastry, setting it on the table before me. My eyes grew wide as I looked between it and him. he offered me a mysterious smile and turned, returning to his work at the counter.

The moment I tasted the pastry, I sat upright, my tail swishing audibly in the air. R’lissea and Elise both laughed, but I ignored them, my eyes snapping to the Remnant’s sleeve. Unfortunately, even with the full power of the Oracle of Eternity, I failed to penetrate its secrets. Just where had he found something so delicious?

”I guess that’s where he gets the food,” Elise said with a chuckle.

Another hour slipped by in lighthearted banter, and I found myself relaxing in the warmth of the fire and their company. They recounted all the wonders they’d discovered in Haven, including the library Elise had mentioned earlier.

Thron’s books had been invaluable to me so far, but I was at the point where I could no longer rely on them. The spatial ring had come with two dozen books, but only half of those were actual spell-books. The rest of them were theoretical knowledge and runic dictionaries. Between Mirror Lock, Grand Aegis, and Water Dragon, I’d exhausted the high-level spells he’d scrounged up.

”Elise, when you’re exploring the library, would you look for a few eighth-circle fate spells?” I asked.

She nodded. ”I’ll keep an eye out, but I don’t know much about fate magic. All my expertise is in sun and life. But maybe the librarian could help. I’ll ask him for you.”

”He’s certainly had enough time to know at least that much,” R’lissea added. ”But Xiviyah, are you really ready for that level?”

I nodded. ”I’m getting close. I’ve heard most mages spend years mastering a single eighth-circle spell, so I want to start early.”

She nodded, and we both rose. After giving Elise a hug and bidding farewell to her innkeeper, R’lissea and I left the First Light Inn. Haven materialized beside me as we traversed the floating paths between the islands, guiding us toward the portal.

As we descended through the realm, heading for the entrance, I couldn’t help but steal one last glance behind us. The islands floated serenely through the sky, illuminated in places by the soft, flickering glow of the remnants. Above, the stars twinkled brightly, offering a sense of solace that permeated my very being.

Stepping through the gate, I found the landscape outside unchanged. Fyren’s demons remained close by, though many of the scions had joined Luke’s forces scattered around the city. A few hunting cries echoed through the foothills, accompanied by the occasional human scream.

I turned away from the vista quickly, a painful twist in my stomach. Anyone left out here now was likely a refugee, alone and vulnerable. But there was nothing more I could do. If they hadn’t managed to escape by now, their fate rested in their own hands.

The sun hung low on the horizon, breaking against the back of the mountains and casting long shadows across the plains. Fires smoldered in the ruined city, but the demons had already left the walls. They assembled in loose, clustered formations, preparing to enter the breach.

”Just in time, we were about to leave you behind,” Jessia welcomed us.

She sat on the ground beside the gate, staring up at us with a bored expression. One elbow rested on a half-bent knee as she idly twirled a strand of shoulder-length hair around her finger.

My tail stiffened as I found the crumpled form behind her–the Father. His body was a horrifying tapestry of bruises and cuts, many jagged and uncontrolled. His white robes, once pristine, were now torn and stained with blood. Though his eyes were open and his chest rose and fell with shallow breaths, he stared vacantly at the ground, utterly unresponsive.

”What did you do to him?” I gasped, staring in horrid fascination at his wounds.

A shudder ran down my spine, and I unconsciously pressed a hand to my chest, the murky memories of my own torture at the hands of the inquisitors flashing through my mind. Only... they had been better. Their cuts had a skilled, efficient precision that hers lacked. An ability to coax out pain in a way one of the leaders of the evil demons hadn’t yet realized.

”Nothing they haven’t done to me before,” she replied with a shrug. ”But I did find some interesting secrets for you.”

I bit my lip, my tail trembling slightly as she gave me a playful wink. We had already decided on the course of action, and I didn’t really need to know more about the Church’s atrocities to be convinced it was the right one.

”Where’s Luke?” I asked, barely managing a whisper. ”He might want to hear it, too.”

”What, need someone to hold your hand?” she teased, a giggle escaping her lips.

Heat crept up my neck, and I clasped my hands together, fingers digging into the folds of my skirt. ”It’s just... I don’t want someone to hold my hand. Not anymore. So please...”

R’lissea stepped beside me. ”Jessia, this isn’t a teasing matter.”

”Fine, fine,” she sighed dramatically. ”You two are no fun at all. I’ll be patient.”

We didn’t have long to wait before I looked up and found a familiar figure descending from the sky. Luke hit the ground hard, startling a small squeak from me. His arrival was far from subtle; his feet left small craters in the earth, sending a spray of rock chips in all directions that pinged harmlessly off my wards.

”Sorry to make you wait,” he said, slowly straightening, his eyes on me. ”I came as soon as I sensed you were back.”