The Forsaken Hero

The room fell silent at her question. Why, indeed, did we have to worry about the empire?

I glanced at Fyren, finding him leaning back in his chair, utterly unconcerned with the discussion. Elise had vocalized the same approach, and I could hear her reasoning behind it. Hadn’t we already done enough? By destroying Brithlite, we’d broken the church’s stronghold in the northern continent. We’d defeated the dragons and negotiated a peaceful surrender for most survivors. What more do we need to give to a world that had taken everything from us?

”Connor caused this,” R’lissea said quietly. ”I tried to stop him, but I wasn’t strong enough. One of the things I saw when I touched you, Xiviyah, was what happened because I failed. If we don’t do something, the Empire won’t be able to stop him, either.”

”But he’s only eighth-level,” Elise protested. ”How could the empire not handle that?”

”Seventh, actually,” R’lissea admitted. ”Or rather, he was. After he claimed the dragon, he might have broken through.”

She shot me a questioning look, and I nodded. A small sigh escaped her.

”I think I see what you mean,” Elise said suddenly. ”The Empire won’t be able to use its full strength. There are tens of thousands of demons traveling through its lands right now. Even with a treaty, they can’t trust that a few won’t go rogue, so they need forces on standby in every city. Their capital was brought to the brink of ruin, crippling their production and trade for a long time.”

”Things will change following the Descent. And not for the better,” Fyren said. If we must fight somewhere, I suggest facing the Undead Hero. Engaging with the demon army would be unwise until the results are clear.”

”The Descent,” R’lissea said, ”Xiviyah talked about it briefly, but what’s going to happen?”

”I suppose now’s as good a time to discuss this as any. Would you care to explain, Xiviyah? I understand this Descent will be unlike anything I’ve participated in, so your knowledge may trump mine.”

”N-no.”

I shook my head. I didn’t want to even think about anything that had to do with Luke.

”Very well. The Descent is the true beginning of the Infernal Invasion. Until now, demon gates have opened at random, scattering what few demons manage to emerge around Enusia. These are the forerunners, their only mission to wreak havoc and cause chaos, generating enough infernal mana to bring about the Descent.”

”But isn’t the demon horde already here?” Elise asked. ”Luke’s army was huge!”

Fyren scratched his cheek. ”This world is an...anomaly. The leadership and power provided by the Apostles’ presence greatly expedited the process. Normally, demons have no one who can stand up to the realm’s defenders in terms of sheer power until the arrival of demon lords during the Descent.”

”So they rely on scions and infernal beasts to generate power? That must take forever,” R’lissea murmured.

Fyren nodded. ”That it does. Normally four or five years. But the Apostles gathered and protected those they could, allowing them to progress the invasion by more than that. With how strong the natives of Enusia are, this much progress should only have happened well after the Descent.”

”What will happen once the demon lords and their armies arrive?” Elise asked.

”Whatever organization the Apostles have built will be destroyed,” Fyren answered. There was no hesitancy or uncertainty in his voice. ”The dynamic of the Apostles will be an unwelcome one to the demon lords, and they will try and usurp whatever power they can, even if it means losing much of what the demons have gained. It will likely be a bloodbath, but whoever emerges on top will have the full might of the hordes behind them.”

”Are you saying we just abandon the elves? They’re next on the demon’s target list,” R’lissea said. She looked at me for support, but I kept my eyes firmly on my lap.

”As I said before, it’s too dangerous to get close,” Fyren said.

”But I, um, we can’t just abandon them. The Elves are good people. They’re not like the rest of the humans!” R’lissea said. ”And they have to be warned about Connor. His undead are going to spread everywhere, not just the empire.”

Fyren shrugged. ”You can go where you wish, Life Hero, and perhaps you could make a difference. But I would never, not in a thousand years, allow Xiviyah to follow you, especially with the shift in the apostles’ current attitude toward us. Even if they remain friendly, the demon lords will not. They’ll jump at the chance for revenge.”

”Revenge?” Elise asked, tilting her head.

Fyren coughed, not quite looking at me. ”I simply meant her soul is too tantalizing for them to pass up. Assimilating her would be as fruitful as consuming a world shard.”

”I’m not that strong,” I said in a small voice.

He shook his head. ”The quality, not the strength, of the soul is what matters. Demon evolution is guided by the souls they consume. Very little of an attribute or quirk is left after converting the divine mana to infernal, yet your soul is so pure and unique that there would undoubtedly be some gains. Even if they received but a fraction of your abilities, it would be a boon beyond any other. Can you imagine a demon with the ability to glimpse the future? Such as where a gate might open up, or what attributes would be best for assaulting a world? They might even be able to find worlds long hidden in the Divine Realms.”

”I-isn’t there already a Fate Demon?” I asked, shivering.

”There are few deities without an infernal counterpart. Fate, Future, and Destiny are some of these. Others include Sun and Holy.”

”Holy?” R’lissea asked. ”I’ve never heard of that.”

”She’s a minor goddess in Sun’s faction. Her domain is adjacent to Sun Magic’s effectiveness against Demons. Few worlds worship her, so her power is mostly attributed to Sun instead.”

The three continued to speak for another half hour, going through every potential plan, from retreating to Brithlite to ignoring Fyren’s warning and pushing through to the elves. I saw silently the entire time, staring into the tea. Beatrice brought us. When I grew tired of that, I folded my arms on the table and rested my cheek on the back of my hands. There was so much to think about, but anything I focused on made my heart ache. Even so, I knew what I had to do.

”I’m going to Sylvarus,” I said softly, eyes closed.

The table went silent. R’lissea’s eyes lit up, but Elise and Fyren frowned deeply.

”Have you heard anything we’ve discussed?” Fyren asked.

Elise nodded. ”It’s too dangerous. And besides, Luke’s there. Do you really want to face him again?”

”No, but I have to. We have to save the elves’ shards.”

R’lissea, who had been about to agree, paused. ”Their shards? Shouldn’t we be focused on saving their lives first?”

Fyren’s eyes narrowed. I shrank under all three of their scrutiny, gripping Fable’s fur tightly. I swallowed hard.

”Fate’s counting on me. I can’t give up even if it hurts, even if he’s there. I promised.”

”Fate wants you to save their shards? Not the elves?” R’lissea asked.

I nodded.

Fyren rubbed his chin ponderously. ”Interesting. I’ll admit I didn’t foresee that.” His lip curled in a grin, revealing slightly pointed teeth. ”He’s going to hate this.”

Elise shook her head. ”No, wait. Fyren, you can’t give in like that. The Empire is the safest place right now. We can take time to gather our strength and defeat Connor. We can weather the storm and let the demons do whatever they want. It doesn’t concern us.”

Fyren shrugged. ”It’s a sound plan if you wish to survive, but I have greater intentions. If we must venture into the lands of elves and demons, so be it.”

Elise looked between all three of us. Surprisingly, it was R’lissea who was the most reluctant.

”Why do you want to save their shards? We didn’t talk about this before,” she said.

”I...don’t know. It’s kind of like a test. But it’s important, and I promised Fate I would do it. And if I didn’t, I wouldn’t...I wouldn’t be any better than Luke. Or Soltair. I don’t want to abandon my friends.”

R’lissea and Elise exchanged glances. Elise bit her lip.

”I don’t know what I can do,” she said hesitantly, ”But if this is really what you want, I’ll help too. I was able to convince Luke to accept the Empire’s surrender. If he’s still in charge of the demons, maybe I could do it for the elves. It’ll take some bargaining, and we’ll need something of equal value to exchange for, but I’ll do my best.”

”I’m going to,” R’lissea said. ”If what you said was true, Connor will be in Ornth. If he runs there, it’ll be much easier to attack him from Sylvarus than Blacksand. And I know the elves can help us fight him.”

”Then it’s settled,” Fyren rumbled. He touched his forehead, and I felt a flash of mana stream from his soul to all the demons that held my mark. He turned to me. ”We’ll leave tomorrow.”

R’lissea glanced at me. ”Could we push that back a few days? I’m worried her health won’t last long if she doesn’t get a chance to recover.”

He shook his head. ”If we delay any longer, we’ll miss the intercept window. All this will be for naught if the demons strike the elves before we catch up.”

”I’ll be alright,” I said.

I gave her a reassuring smile but couldn’t even convince myself. I was self-aware enough to see how volatile and unpredictable I was. One minute, I was fine; the next, I felt like crying for no reason. Compounded with the constant physical exhaustion, mustering the strength to even participate in the conversation was taxing.

One thing was clear: I didn’t have much time. My constitution simply couldn’t handle the burden my soul placed on it. I had to make the most of the present before the future came knocking.