The Forsaken Hero

”Hey, Xiviyah, are you alright?” Luke said, gently shaking my shoulder.

I huddled against Fable, eyes wet with gathering tears. My face burned as I remembered the silky strands of Luke’s hair between my fingers and his grin as he gazed up at me from my lap. He’d been awake the whole time!

A small whimper broke from my lips, and I squirmed closer to Fable, tail lashing. There was no way I could face them now. The best I could do was try to ignore them and hope it all went away.

”Look, I’m sorry already,” Luke said, ”And I really was unconscious for a second. It’s just, well, people of my strength don’t stay down for long. But after the sunpurge, it felt so good, and I...I couldn’t help it.”

His hand rested on my shoulder, his thumb caressing my shoulder blade. The rough, calloused fingers sent tingles racing across my flesh, driving me deeper into Fable’s fur. His tail curled tighter around me, and his breathing was a low, comforting rumble against my cheek.

Jessia burst out into giggles. ”Come on, Xiviyah, I thought you wanted to rest? We can’t do that if you’re hiding.”

”W-what were you even doing?” I mumbled into Fable’s side.

”Sorry?” The apostle leaned closer, his breath warm on my neck.

”Nothing!” I squeaked.

He was close. Too close. I couldn’t even remember the question, much less why I’d even tried to ask anything. That would only remind them I was still here.

”She wanted to know what you were doing here,” Fyren said, his voice closer than before.

Luke’s hand abruptly vanished from my back. His warmth lingered a moment longer until the cool night breeze washed it away, sending shivers down my spine and tail. I huddled closer to Fable.

”Aww, you ruin all the fun,” Jessia said. ”Can’t we tease her a little?”

I squirmed as Fyren’s huge, strong hands closed around me, one on my stomach, the other on my shoulder, and pried me from Fable’s side. He lifted me effortlessly into the air and shifted his grip, holding me in a princess carry. I buried my face in his chest, tail curling around his thigh. His broad shoulders shielded me from Luke and Jessia’s prying eyes.

”You wouldn’t speak so lightly if you understood a fraction of the ordeal she’s suffered these days,” Fyren said. ”Your victory over this city rests entirely on her efforts and the blood of the Devoted. Your demons never even made it to the walls.”

”You’re right,” Luke said. ”Forgive me, Xiviyah. We are indebted to you once again.”

”I-I didn’t do anything,” I mumbled, not caring that Fyren’s chest muffled my voice. ”I just...didn’t want you to get hurt, and–”

My soul shuddered, a shiver sweeping through my body. Since the moment Luke saved me from Lord Evlon’s spell, strange, foreign mana had seeped into my soul, bringing me the strength I’d relied on until now. Without it, I would have collapsed long ago and never been able to heal Luke.

But now, I’d reached my limit, every fiber of my soul filled with power. The tide didn’t cease, however, forcing my soul to strain and bulge with the flood of incoming mana. Every fiber of my soul started to ache and burn, rising to overwhelm my physical senses. I felt Fyren’s arms tighten around me, but his voice was jumbled and incoherent. My tail tightened around his leg, and I quivered in his grip, groaning slightly.

”She’s burning hot,” Fyren sounded far away.

”What’s wrong with her? Is she hurt?” Luke’s worry strained his voice.

”I can’t tell, but her soul’s going berserk. Where is all this mana coming fr--”

The power became too much, breaking past through the barriers that kept my aura in check. Fyren’s arms went rigid as my soul unleashed a shockwave of compressed mana, shaking the city to its foundations.

Visions flickered through the haze, glimpses of the chaos unfolding in the city. Buildings groaned beneath the weight of my aura, fires whipped in the winds generated by the shockwave, and survivors collapsed under the pressure. Another few more scenes came, showing thousands of men, women, and children fleeing from the southern gates. Verity stood tall among them, shouting wordlessly in the chaos. As my aura radiated over them, she turned toward me, eyes flashing with fear.

The pressure in my soul escalated, consuming the flickering visions. Darkness crept into the edges of consciousness, promising relief from the ravenous mana. I cried out, and something warm took my hand, squeezing it tightly. Tears rolled down my face as I griped it back. It was solid and real, something to anchor my consciousness to.

The tide of foreign mana continued to flow, pushing me further to the brink. It came from nowhere, literally pouring into my soul through the threads of fate itself. I searched my body and soul again but came up with no answers. There were no injuries or blemishes in my soul, no hidden magics or enchantments afflicting me. All of my bonds, including my new connection with the demons, were in order. Worry oozed through them all, save for Fable. He radiated heat like the power ravaging my soul, feeling more distant with every trembling beat of my heart.

I reached for my mana, but spells fled my mind before I cast them, and the small amount I managed to muster slipped back into the seething ocean, breaking my soul. Again and again, I tried, each attempt ending in failure. Soon, my soul grew so strained that even calling it from my soul became impossible, stealing away even that slight comfort.

There was only one thing my frazzled mind could think of, but I shied away from the thought. I couldn’t go back to her, not after everything I’d been through. I’d chosen to walk alone, and though she’d surely know what was wrong with me, I couldn’t bear the thought of giving up now. I’d come so very far on my own.

The darkness beckoned to me, growing ever more difficult to resist. I wanted nothing more than to slink into it, to let it wrap me up and take away the pain. It would be so easy to submit.

At last, hovering on the fringes of unconsciousness, I surrendered. Not to the darkness but to a small, almost imperceptible nudge. I let the power rage into me and forced it, with the last vestiges of my will, into the Final Star.

The crystal staff lit up like the sun, driving through the darkness clinging to my mind. The grip on my hand tightened, and Fyren’s arms loosened. For a moment, I was weightless, floating through the pain and pressure, until another embraced me. My arms tightened around a neck thinner than Fyren’s, and my tail loosened its hold on the demon’s trunk-like leg, falling to dangle beneath me.

Calm, familiar mana swept over me in a tide of gold, temporarily clearing my mind. The world reversed, twisting in on itself in a swirl of starlight, sending a spurt of butterflies through my stomach.

The light receded, and the pain returned, leaving me shaking helplessly in the arms of whoever carried me. Flashes of gold burned through my eyelids, and more muffled voices drifted through my mind. Through a slit in my eyelids, I made out the blurry profile of a tall, slender woman with streaming golden hair and eyes that glittered like the night sky.

”Fate,” I moaned, weakly reaching toward the shape.

Her voice pierced the darkness. ”Sleep, little one.”

She took my hand, and I gasped as cool, soothing power flowed into me. My chest loosened, and I inhaled Haven’s fresh, clean air, breathing for the first time in what felt like an eternity. My soul still trembled, but the mana had slowed. I could feel it there, hovering like a thunderstorm on the horizon, waiting for fate’s power to leave so it could ravage me.

”I can’t,” I cried, clinging to her hand.

Darkness pressed in all around me, but I shook my head, pushing it away. The agitated swish of my tail felt unnaturally loud, as did the thundering beat of my heart. Why didn’t she understand? I didn’t want to die and leave everyone alone. There was so much I still had to do!

Fate’s hand caressed my cheek, wiping a tear away. ”Your time has not come yet, child. But you need to sleep. Everything will be alright.”

Her touch sent another pulse into my soul, dispersing the soft, gold light that held the encouraging mana at bay. It crashed back into my soul with a vengeance, shattering my concentration. My thoughts dissipated like dust in a rainstorm, and the waiting darkness swooped in.

”What’s wrong with her? Why did she collapse?” Luke asked.

What little senses I retained faded away, leaving me floating mindlessly in darkness. The last thing I heard was Fate’s voice, bearing a small lilt of amusement.

”Ah, that. Can’t you tell, apostle? She’s finally breaking through.”