The Forsaken Hero

”Who the hell are you?” Gayron asked, his lip curling derisively. ”I expected someone strong enough to properly greet us. Is this all the mighty Circle has left?”

”No!” I bit my lip, gripping my skirt helplessly. ”Don’t trust him! He’s dangerous.”

The Eyes of Fate had been a part of me since I reached the third level. There had never been a time I couldn’t see my opponents clearly, and I had come to take that for granted. How scary it must be to live in a world where you couldn’t know if you were stronger or weaker than someone. But it was what Korra and Gayron faced every day. Surely, they wouldn’t fall for whatever tricks this man had planned.

”Yes, you’ve done a marvelous job pruning our ranks,” the robed figure said. ”I am the last Lord of the Circle. You may call me Lord Purpose.”

Gayron let go of Korra’s hand and drew his sword. ”Nah, I don’t think I will. You’re not important enough to remember.”

Purpose removed his cowl, revealing a handsome, middle-aged man with a strong jawline. He bowed his head slightly.

”Please, do not be hasty. On behalf of the Circle of Chains, I offer our surrender. Should you accept, I will personally disband the Circle and see that those slaves we have yet to process go free.”

”Process? They’re not cattle!” Korra spat.

The man regarded her coolly. ”No, they are far more valuable. Who can weigh the worth of a soul?”

”Spare me your theatrics. Once you’re dead, they’ll all go free anyway,” Gayron said.

”You would strike down a man who has surrendered? Have you no honor, filthblood?”

Korra’s fist tightened. ”Don’t call him that.”

”Oh?” Purpose’s brow furrowed. ”You care for this demonkin? What has filth like him to offer a true-blooded like you? Power? Wealth? Love?”

Her aura flickered, revealing her agitation. ”What would you know about love? You’re a monster, just like the rest of the Circle.”

”Yet you haven’t struck me down,” he mused. ”It seems you’ve accepted my terms, after all.”

”Don’t listen to him,” Gayron said. ”Just kill him and be done with it.”

”And you,” Purpose rounded on the demonkin. ”Hunted and despised, cast out for being born with tainted blood. You could kill me yourself, and yet you hesitate. Are you so desperate for this woman’s approval? Do you need her permission to take vengeance?”

Gayron’s knuckles whitened, his tail lashing. Korra laid a hand on his shoulder, and her expression softened.

”Gayron,” she said, ”If he surrenders, we won’t have to hunt down any stragglers.”

”Yes, that is right,” Purpose said.

He held out his hands, his face a mask of tranquility. Korra and Gayron exchanged looks and hesitantly entered the room. As the two got closer, the slaver’s soul wavered slightly, and he shifted on his feet, fidgeting with a bracelet on his wrist.

My eyes narrowed, and I willed myself into the room. The stench of death grew stronger, overpowering even the filth of the warehouse. Something was off, a sense of wrongness that felt familiar, but I couldn’t place it.

Purpose’s bracelet glowed faintly, bearing a sixth-level enchantment. I hadn’t noticed it at first, worried about his soul as I was, but now, as I focused on it, everything clicked. I whirled to the cages, gasping as my fears were confirmed. The slaves weren’t just tired and vacant but lifeless. None of their souls glowed.

”Korra! It’s a trap!” I cried, knowing full well she couldn’t hear me.

The cavern shook, dust streaming from above. Dread bundled my stomach as I looked up, finding the ceiling as far away as the walls. The darkness was thick and oppressive but yielded to my demonkin gaze.

A massive creature lurked in the gloom, watching everything below with smoldering black eyes. A dragon? It looked like one, but it was...bone. Strips of rotting flesh hung from the carcass, the source of the awful stench. It had no soul but emanated a mysterious sense of mana, like the remnants of Connor’s undead.

Purpose raised his hand, and the bracelet emitted a pulse of mana. The dragon coiled, and the cavern shook again. This time, both Korra and Gayron looked up. The undead dragon lunged from above, its claws tearing free of the stone in a shower of rubble. Gayron shouted and raised his hands, summoning a fire shield, but the dragon’s bone claws sliced right through it.

Korra screamed as it slammed into them from behind, spinning them into the cavern wall. The ground shook with the impact, deep fissures spreading across the stone.

The dragon landed a heartbeat later. Its wings spread, barely more than slender spears of bone, lacking the membrane to give it flight. With its proximity to me, the sense of wrongness intensified, and I finally matched it with the feeling I got watching Connor, the Undead Hero, fight. The power the dragon emanated surpassed that of him at the time, transcending the seventh level.

The monster reared back its head and roared, and Purpose strode forward, releasing his aura in full. Korra and Gayron stumbled out of the dust cloud, coughing and unsteady on their feet. Thick, bloody lacerations laced their bodies, and Korra’s arm hung limply at her side, nearly severed at the shoulder.

”Korra,” I whispered, horrified.

”You...you bastard,” Gayron gasped. ”You dare speak of honor?”

Purpose folded his hands, smiling faintly. ”There is no honor to be had in dealing with demons. But I must say, you played your part perfectly. You should have trusted your filthblood lover, Water Hero.”

He waved his hand, and the dragon lunged forward. Its jaws gaped wide enough to swallow a house, razor teeth dripping with putrid black mana. Korra shouted and grabbed for Gayron, but the dragon was faster.

Black energy wreathed its rotting flesh, filled with eighth-level power. Its jaws snapped forward, fast as lightning, and Gayron disappeared. Korra screamed, clutching her arm. Blood fountained from her wrist, her hand completely gone.

The dragon’s claw swept down, shattering her hastily erected shield. Only the tip of the claw managed to reach her, but it sliced from her shoulder to her hip, baring her ribs and organs. Her scream cut off in a gurgle of blood, and she staggered, falling on the second step.

Time stopped moving. I wanted to scream, to reach out to her, but my muscles refused to respond. Her eyes met mine, and she coughed another mouthful of blood, her entire body going limp.

At last, I found my voice, but my shriek was swallowed by the crash of the dragon’s claws descending again, piercing her with talons the size of trees. I screamed as the dragon slashed her again, painting its bone red with her blood.

My hand stretched toward Korra, a spell on my lips, but my mana refused to answer. The vision faded until only Korra was left, bloody and broken in the darkness. The light in her eyes faded, first to despair, and then...nothing.

The vision shattered, and I awoke in a cold sweat for the second time that night. This time, Fable was already awake, pressing his head against my chest before I even sobbed.

”She’s...gone,” I whispered hoarsely.

He nuzzled me gently, drying my tears with his fur. My entire body trembled as I cried, my tail curling so tightly it ached. All of Haven felt dark, the starlight streaming through the windows cold.

At some point, a soft, golden glow filled the room, and I opened my eyes, flinching as I saw Rivlitt. The remnant stood in the center of the room, a curved short sword in either hand. He looked around the room, scrutinizing every shadow, before relaxing. His swords vanished into golden mist.

I sniffled, wiping my eyes with my sleeve. ”I-is something wrong?”

He didn’t answer for the longest time, watching me until my tail twitched. At last, he shook his head. Had something happened to Elise or R’lissea? After watching Korra die, I didn’t know if I could take that.

”I would ask you the same thing,” he said slowly, ”but I see my presence isn’t needed. Forgive the intrusion.”

The innkeeper vanished in a puff of golden smoke. I watched as it settled like morning mist across the floor. After a few seconds, the light dissipated entirely.

It was strangely soothing, and as the small spike of adrenaline his appearance caused faded, I sank back against Fable’s side. His tail curled around me like a blanket. It was warm and comforting, eroding the worst of the anguish that clouded my mind.

Fable nudged me with his nose. When I didn’t respond, he licked me. I shuddered and glared at him, tears streaking my face.

”Not now!” I said.

He cocked his head, ears pricked, and I sighed, rubbing his head.

”Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap.”

He licked my face again, leaving a long, wet trail. A series of impressions came through our bond, making me freeze in the middle of wiping my face with my sleeve.

”But I can’t do anything!” I protested. ”Even if I wanted to, I can’t use magic!”

His lips drew into the wolfish expression equivalent of a frown. His tail unfurled from me, twitching to match the agitated swish of my own. A shiver ran down my spine, and I stared at my hands, watching as my fingers curled into fists.

”No, you’re right,” I said, the tension flowing from my shoulders. ”The Circle took everything from me. They took Aurle.”

Something in my soul ignited, releasing a subtle pulse that swept through the realm. All of Haven answered in return, flooding me with warmth. Stars blossomed around my soul, swirling like snowflakes. I raised my head, eyes glowing, and met Fable’s worried gaze.

”No one’s taking anything from me anymore. I won’t let them have Korra.”