The Forsaken Hero

Lord Evlon’s hand caressed my cheek, tilting my head until the silver collar caught the purple-tinted light of the crystal enchantment. It was polished like a mirror, revealing my blood-smeared face as a mask of terror. The intricate seventh-level enchantments lacing the silver radiated a faint sense of pressure, adding to the suffocating aura the eighth-level inquisitor’s soul emitted.

”Beautiful, isn’t it?” he asked.

I shuddered, unable to take my eyes off the Soul Binder. ”P-please, no...”

He clicked his tongue. ”Disappointing. You’ve led me on a chase across half the world, but to hear you beg like that...it’s just pathetic. How could one so weak cause so much trouble?”

”You can’t make me,” I said, finally tearing my eyes away and meeting his gaze. ”I’ll never willingly accept the Soul Binder!”

”Is that so?” Lord Evlon asked. He tilted my chin a little further up, examining a small abrasion beneath my eye. ”Such delicate features. I can see why Lord Byron requested you. A pity he spent too much time playing with his meal.”

”Why don’t you finish it, then? You want the staff, don’t you?”

”Is Allana truly dead?”

I choked on my breath, my tail twitching at the unexpected question. ”S-she is.”

He sighed, letting his hand drop from my face. ”Ah, a pity. I was rather fond of her, too. It’s rare we find young talent with such fire in her veins. Do you happen to recall her final words?”

I swallowed hard, eying the Soul Binder, before shaking my head. Evlon sighed again, and suddenly, his wrinkles seemed to sag more, his age more pronounced.

”I suppose it was too much to ask. She was simply another face in a long line of those you’ve murdered.”

A massive shockwave broke over the walls, buffeting the courtyard with wind currents. The banners and tents flapped violently and chunks of masonry thumped to the ground beside us. I squeaked and ducked my head, shielding it as best I could with my arms.

Silence descended over the bustling courtyard as soldiers turned to stare at the sky. Tentatively, I raised my head and looked, letting out a small gasp. The sky blazed orange, a sea of fire spreading across the entire southern horizon. Thick ribbons of mana wound through the flames, slowly dissipating as they fanned across the stars. The origin was hidden behind the curtain-like walls, but the intensity of the heat warmed my cheeks and caused the frost to steam.

Lord Evlon rocked back on his heels and slowly stood. His body creaked in protest, but his aura never relaxed.

”It seems the cost for your retrieval only grows. Their sacrifice shall be remembered as long as the world shall stand,” he muttered, rubbing his chin. His eyes fixed on me, irises crawling with ribbons of sunlight.

I looked back to the fire crawling across the horizon, and the realization dawned on me. ”He’s coming.”

”Indeed, though, he’ll never make it in time. I had the others stall him an hour’s journey south.”

What little hope kindled in my chest gave way to bitter cold. I lowered my head, tail falling limp to the ground.

”Why don’t you just kill me?” I whispered. ”Please.”

He shook his head. ”I’m afraid you no longer have that choice.”

”But the staff–”

Lord Evlon broke out in a dry chuckle that ended abruptly in a cough. ”Who would strip the leather from a sword to make a knife? The one thing your rebellion has proved is that your abilities are not to be underestimated. Verity is powerful, but you...yes, you have your uses, filthblood, and it’s more than just warming some noble’s bed.”

I glanced at the Soul Binder and shuddered, unconsciously touching my chest. He couldn’t make me wear it, could he? They’d gone through so much effort to trick me into accepting it last time.

He cleared his throat. ”Now then, tell me plainly. Do you intend to submit to the gods, or are you determined to continue this foolish rebellion?”

But how else did he plan on forcing my obedience? The moment I recovered some mana, I could slip away to Haven. Verity had seen me do it several times with the Last Light Company.

I shook my head, letting the last of my courage speak. ”I will never serve the gods again.”

”Very well, then you leave me no choice. Just remember: this could all have been avoided.”

As he raised the collar to my throat, I held his gaze as long as I could, until the trembling took over. The cold metal band tightened around my neck and fastened with a sharp click. Immediately, my breath caught, and a chill raced through my body.

Thousands of needles lanced into my soul, piercing me like fiery swords. My eyes rolled back, and I grew weightless before cold stone rose to meet me. Lord Evlon’s silhouette loomed over me, backlit by the soft, purple glow of the crystal enchantment. The pain was blinding, overwhelming my senses and dulling the world to a distant gray.

It was over. They had caught me. As soon as the Soul Binder cemented its grip, I would be completely helpless again, just as I had since crashing into the city. Alone, without my mana, and left at the mercy of the merciless.

Perhaps they were right. Perhaps, once the heart crest controlled me, I really would be happier. Perhaps this had all been in vain, and I was truly meant to be a slave.

The pain grew worse, and I could hear someone screaming. It sounded like my voice, but I was too detached, too overwhelmed by the sheer agony to care. My last comfort was that I had stayed strong. Unlike before, I hadn’t surrendered to them. I’d been brave to the very end.

But there was no point in fighting anymore. I’d done my best, and it hadn’t been enough. Luke and R’lissea had abandoned me, Fyren hadn’t been able to stop them all, and Fable was...was...

The threads tore into the depths of my soul, weaving between the strands of fate that made up my essence. They pierced my bond with Fable, the Nexus, and–

Fighting until the end? Hadn’t I just surrendered?

The thought surged through my mind, overpowering even the searing pain. Was I really going to accept it like that? If the church caught me here, everything would be over. I would never see Elise, never get a chance to return to Heartland, and never hug my friends. I knew how dark the dark could get, so how could I give up here?

A fresh wave of pain gripped me as the Soul Binder tightened its grip. My soul trembled, struggling against the threads but slowly losing. But it was fighting all the same.

But shouldn’t that be impossible? The Soul Binder was a Divine Artifact that, once accepted, essentially controlled the soul. And yet, I hadn’t accepted it, but it was still enslaving me. And...hadn’t the enchantments only been seventh-level? Was...was this not the Soul Binder?

The threads delved into the deepest depths of my soul. The fire was agonizing, but beneath it all, rising to meet the threads, there was power—a gentle power, like a warm summer breeze. The power of Adaptive Resistance, one I’d only just learned how to wield.

The threads crashed against it and slowed, like arrows plunging into water. They still progressed, tearing me apart, but I grasped the warmth, fanning it like I had when I overcame the crystal enchantment. As I willed it to rise, the threads wilted and retreated.

Forcing them back through the layers of my soul was like tearing fish hooks out, and the pain was beyond compare. More than once, my consciousness wavered, and when I came to, the false Soul Binder had regained ground, forcing me to go through it all again.

The inquisitor had lied to me and intentionally misled me so I would give up hope. It shouldn’t have stung, but it did. Because I had believed him. Again. How many times was I doomed to repeat myself? How many times have I trusted someone when I shouldn’t have? And how many times have I failed to trust when I needed to?

The Inquisitor had lied to me. But...had Luke and R’lissea really betrayed me?

At first, it was just frustration, but as the pain continued to increase, so did the intensity of my emotions. The guilt, the terror, and the anger all swirled together into a raging fire, driving my every thought. Adaptive Resistance flared up, devouring thousands of strands at once. My heart bled into the bonds, and for the first time since he’d fallen, and through the devouring power of the crystal enchantment, I felt Fable stir.

I had to free myself. I had to. I wouldn’t live in the dark any longer. Every step I’d taken since escaping Lord Byron had brought me here. I wouldn’t turn around and give up what little light I’d found.

”I need you,” I whispered, turning to the Nexus, and the strange connection I shared with the dormant demons. ”Obey me.”

My will, empowered by the anger and desperation, poured into the Nexus, flowing through the bonds and flooding the demons’ souls. Though they were out of sight, something crackled like a kindling fire, swelling into a deafening roar. Thousands of voices surged into my mind, matching the intensity I felt raging within.

There was a sound like breaking glass, and the pain vanished. It was so sudden I gasped, struggling to comprehend the lack of pain. My entire soul was my own again, bathed in the comforting warmth of Adaptive Resistance.

Everything was still for a time, even the demon’s frenzy. And then, suddenly, the cold band of silver around my neck fell away, clattering to the cobblestones. I took a fresh breath of air, feeling the weight of a mountain lifted from my heart.

I was free.