The Forsaken Hero

My plea echoed through the nexus, fading into the depths without the slightest response. The demons’ souls still burned bright, but they were mute and subdued, a huddling horde of dull, vacant eyes. Just seconds ago, I’d yearned for their voices to still +

Commander Conrad snorted, shaking his head. ”No one’s saving you now, Filthblood.”

”A fitting turn,” Garyth said, nodding. ”It seems trusting your new allies worked about as well for you as trusting you did for humanity. A bitter irony, but a welcome one for us.”

”No!” I said, prying at the soldier’s fingers, my feet kicking helplessly in the air.

They hadn’t betrayed me. They were the Devoted, sworn to follow and help me. They were Fyren’s gift in his absence! They were...doing nothing. Allowing the Empire to claim me.

His grip on my shoulder loosened, and for a moment, I felt hope. But then his gauntleted fingers dug into my arms, grasping me tightly around the upper bicep.

”Stop struggling,” the commander snapped.

His scowling face spun across as he jerked me back and forth like a ragdoll. The whiplash snapped my head back against his breastplate, sending a burst of stars across my vision. Darkness crept into the edges of my consciousness, growing deeper as I lost all sense of direction.

”Commander, careful! She’s fragile,” Garyth’s voice cut through the disorientation.

The shaking stopped abruptly, leaving me hanging limp in Commander Conrad’s hands. Every muscle, especially my neck, ached with fire, and a hot trickle of blood dribbled down my throat from where I’d bitten my tongue.

The world continued spinning for a few seconds before slowly falling into place. I coughed weakly, clearing the blood from my throat. A few fine droplets sprayed the commander’s breastplate, splattering it crimson.

”Damn it all,” Conrad muttered, tossing me to the ground. ”Garyth, carry her.”

The soldier saluted and knelt beside me, hands surprisingly gentle as he eased them under my back and knees. The other five soldiers formed around us, and Commander Conrad hefted his axe to his shoulder.

He took the lead before pausing, glancing back at Garyth with a small grin. ”Oh, and the heroes wanted her unharmed. Make sure she arrives that way, or you’ll be held accountable.”

Garyth cursed under his breath and shifted my weight to one arm. I flinched as he reached for my face, but he just dabbed the blood from my chin with the hem of his cloak.

”Try to stay alive,” he said.

I started to nod but whimpered as my neck screamed in protest. Dark blotches spread across the inside of my arms where the commander’s fingers had dug into my flesh. Considering he was a peak seventh-level combatant, it was enough that I was even alive, let alone in a position to resist further.

Our party advanced at a swift march, moving away from the ruined garden. The noble’s properties were enormous, but they passed one after another in a blur. I tried to keep from moving, but after a few minutes, my head lolled onto the soldier’s shoulder. His pauldron was ice old against my cheek, scraping against my cheek with every pounding step

Gradually, my eyes slipped closed. Despair bubbled in my heart, anxiety twisting my gut into a knot. My heart trembled violently, lurching every time a distant shockwave rocked the city, or one of the soldiers crushed a chunk of rubble beneath their feet. Fable’s presence fell behind us, leaving my soul hollow and cold, our bond suppressed by the power of the Crystal Enchantment.

When my eyes finally fluttered open, I was curled up on the ground. Low, garbled voices rumbled in my ears, interrupted at times by the screech of steel and rasp of leather. My vision was dark and cloudy, but occasional flashes of magic outlined the silhouettes of buildings and people.

”Where am I?” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes and groaning.

Everything still hurt, though the sharp pain in my muscles had faded to a dull ache. From the pitiful amount of mana gathered in my soul, it couldn’t have been more than a few minutes since the soldiers took me.

Memories trickled back to me, one after the other. Tears filled my eyes, blurring the sights that had only just begun to clear. Images of the soldiers carrying me and demons letting them pass flashed through my mind, followed by something I’d half-believed was only a nightmare.

”Fable,” I whimpered, squeezing my eyes shut.

A hand fell on my shoulder, causing me to shriek, hiding my head from whoever loomed above me.

”It’s alright. I’m not going to hurt you,” Verity’s voice came. ”Though I would like to know what this spell you have on your soul is. It’s like you’ve got a thousand threads connecting all over the place. It makes your soul feel so heavy.”

I peeked between my arms, finding the Fate Hero squatting beside me. She wore a set of gleaming plate armor and had a slender long sword sheathed at her side. Her silver gaze sent shivers racing down my tail, piercing me to the core and exposing all my fears.

”They weren’t supposed to hurt you like this, but...it’s that curse, isn’t it,” she said, touching the bruises on my neck. ”The Sun God’s?”

I turned my head from her, letting my eyes shut again. She was quiet for a long time before she exhaled softly, voice turning wistful.

”I...learned your story. Soltair was reluctant to talk about it, but Alex...well, a few drinks in, and there’s nothing he won’t share.”

She paused, taking a breath, and rubbed my shoulder. The silence stretched out until she sighed and let her hand rest again.

”You must have been so hurt and alone, hated just for being the Fate Hero. I get it. I really do. Even now that there’s a new Fate God, a good one, people still don’t trust me. I get dirty looks, and they roll their eyes whenever I say something. A few even asked me where I was hiding my horns.”

She chuckled dryly, and I sniffled, biting my lip.

”The truth is, it wasn’t fair. I looked into all the ’chances’ the church gave you to prove your innocence, but the Fathers themselves admitted they did everything in their power to skew things against you. I think I’m starting to understand why R’lissea said some of her feelings really were genuine.”

My tail stiffened. ”R-R’lissea?” I stammered, peeking up at her again.

Verity smiled, expression softening. ”Thank the gods. I was half-afraid you weren’t even listening.”

I struggled onto my knees, tail curling around my legs. I gripped my knees, turning my knuckles white.

”Where’s is she? Is she alright?” I asked.

Verity shrugged. ”Of course she is. She got a little scraped up in the fall but healed herself right up. Being captured by demons must have been rough, but after a hot bath and a good meal, she’s back to her cheery self.”

”Is she here?”

I looked around, finally taking in my surroundings. A massive wall towered over us from behind, broken only by an iron portcullis and gates. Behind me was the inner keep of the city, easily a hundred feet tall and almost a quarter mile wide. The courtyard itself was nearly half a mile across, filled with tents and regiments of soldiers. Towers glowed like torches overhead, bathed in the light of empowered mana cannons.

”No, she’s inside resting. I can’t even imagine how hard things must have been for you two,” Verity said.

I nodded, letting my hands relax. ”Um... what did you mean that some of her feelings were genuine?”

Her expression turned grave, lips firming in a line. ”Xiviyah, about that...I’m sorry. It was the only way.”

My heart skipped a beat.

Verity continued. ”She didn’t want to hurt you, but... pretending to be your friend was her only chance at survival.”

”No!” My tail started to twitch. ”That’s not true. She wasn’t pretending.”

Verity smiled sadly. ”Did you really think the Life God would decide to turn traitor? In the history of the Divine, gods and demons have committed countless atrocities, yet no one’s ever taken the other’s side. From what the Fate God has shown me, no one ever will.”

”I...no...”

She reached out, taking my hands in hers. Her touch stung, but I couldn’t push her away.

”Xiviyah, I know your hurt, and that things haven’t always been easy for you. But siding with the demons isn’t an option. They kill everything, from the heroic adventurer to the smallest child. They don’t care about helping you get revenge. They’re lying.”

She lifted my hands, clasping them together against her own. I stared at them, tears welling up in my eyes.

”It doesn’t have to be this way. You don’t have to be hurt and hunted anymore. I talked with the Pope, and he said that if you are willing, he would let you join us again. All he would ask is that you surrender the Staff of Fate and submit to a few cautionary conditions.”

”A few cautionary conditions? Like...a slave crest?”

Verity pursed her lips. ”I...don’t know. But maybe. At the very least, I can guarantee you won’t be treated like you were before.”

I looked down at my lap, tears trickling down my cheeks. She held her breath, squeezing my hands anxiously. After a long pause, I exhaled softly and closed my eyes.

”Verity...do you really believe that?”