The Forsaken Hero

After a few seconds, I was down to a quarter of my mana. The surge slowed to a trickle, then to nothing. I braced myself for the torrent of infernal voices, but they never came. I could feel the new souls under my command, louder than the ones I already had, yet tightly restrained.

”Is that you?” I asked.

Zephyriss rose slowly, looking unsteady on her feet. Her wings stirred, keeping her balance. After a long, tense minute, she met my gaze.

”Congratulations, Oracle, for becoming the first mortal to ever mark a demon Lord, but by the emperors, may it also be the last. How did you stand it?” she asked, looking at Fyren.

Fyren grinned. ”You get used to it.”

She nodded, rubbing her head. ”This is my first time encountering fate, but I’ve never felt an attribute so overbearing before. It’s like accepting the mark of an emperor.”

I blinked. ”First time? Like the first time you’ve had the mark of a fate demon?”

”Xiviyah, there are no fate demons,” Fyren said.

My mouth gaped. ”But I thought there were demons matching every type of god.”

”There are destiny and time demons, but Fate is something of a unique existence. Her divinity is the closest thing to the imaginary ’reality’ divinity god can achieve,” he explained. ”Demon Emperors corrupt the divinity of a god, but they are two sides of the same coin. They just use a different form of mana. But if you corrupt fate...”

”It’s just the way it’s supposed to be,” I whispered. ”Fate is what was, is, and will be. There can’t be two versions of it.”

”Clever girl. Perhaps there is something to her, after all,” Zephyriss said. ”Though I do wonder why this is new to her. What kind of hero doesn’t understand the fundamentals of her deity’s divinity?”

I barely heard her words, staring up at the sky. Evening had set upon us, but the glow of the demon gate illuminated the valley. A few stars breached the crimson light, twinkling dimly. I could see Fate’s face reflected in their light, and her small, mysterious smile.

There were so many pieces of the puzzle, but no way to put them together. Fate claimed Sun wanted to replace her due to a faction war, but what were they really fighting over? Why did she give me her divinity? What purpose did she have experimenting with True Mana? If she held the powers of reality, why hadn’t she used them?

There were those questions and more, but all that came was a dull headache, throbbing in the place of answers. Someone touched my shoulder, startling me.

”Xiviyah, you okay?” R’lissea asked.

I nodded, rubbing my horn, wincing. ”Just...thinking. Why won’t Fate tell me anything? Is it really because someone else might steal it from my mind?”

She pursed her lips, eyes deep with sorrow. ”I can’t answer that. But we’re here for you, no matter what.”

Elise nodded. ”To the end. And for what it’s worth, I think Fate cares about you, too. Even Fyren and this...avatar seem to know something about her. It’s probably okay to trust her.”

She was right, but that didn’t make me feel any better. Trusting Fate had led me to Luke like a lamb to the slaughter. I would rather have never experienced the safety of his presence or warmth of his embrace than the pain I felt when he tore those things away. I still didn’t understand why. What had I done wrong? What did I do to make him hate me?

I sniffed, brushing a tear from my eye. R’lissea and Elise exchanged a look, and their expressions softened.

”Thinking about him again?”

I flinched. ”N-no.”

Elise took my hand, squeezing it gently. ”It’s okay if you’re hurt. That’s how you know your feelings were real. Even though...even though Jared’s gone, I’m glad I got a chance to be with him for a little while. He taught me a lot, and one day, soon, I hope, I’ll be able to move on.”

I shook my head. I loved Elise, but it was times like this that she didn’t make any sense. Why did she insist on reaching for the light over and over when it turned out it was just fire waiting to burn her?

But it wasn’t like I was any different. I’d trusted too many times now. Even now, I couldn’t bring myself to stop caring about my friends. Maybe that much was okay, as long as I didn’t look for anything deeper. It had to be okay. I didn’t want to go back to the dark anymore. Being alone was...scary.

My headache got worse. I pressed a hand to my forehead, struggling to calm my thoughts. I’d never felt so connected before. I yearned for something deeper, to find someone warm and safe, and yet...how could I? I didn’t know what to do, so I started crying.

Elise gave R’lissea a long look and hugged me, stroking my hair. I was aware of Fyren and Zephyriss watching us curiously, but didn’t care. I just wanted Elise to keep holding me, to shield me from all the fears, doubts, and questions.

Elise’s breath warmed my ear. ”Do you know why he abandoned you?”

I shook my head.

”Then don’t convince yourself otherwise. Luke’s at a very stressful time right now. Maybe he just wanted to protect you.”

”That’s not what he said,” I said.

R’lissea sighed, folding her arms. ”And what we say is always what we mean?”

I shuddered, burying my face against Elise.

”Yes,” I said in a small voice. Then, in an even smaller voice, ”N-no.”

”So fragile, isn’t she?” I heard Zephyriss mutter.

Fyren cleared his throat. ”Xiviyah, please. Compose yourself. It is nigh time for the gate to break. We must enter it first.”

”G-go inside?” I asked.

He nodded. ”There is something I must ensure before allowing the one inside into this realm.

”Is it Incinderus?” I asked.

Fyren’s eyes flashed, and Zephyriss glanced at him sharply.

”You told her?” she asked.

”Of course not. But you try hiding something from the Oracle of Eternity.”

Zephryiss’s lips pressed into a firm line. ”Then she’s aware...?”

Fyren shook his head. The storm demon let out a short breath.

”Good. Then get going. I’ll trust you have no issue with me commanding your forces while you’re away?” she asked me.

I stiffened. ”I’m going to? But I thought–”

”I’m afraid I need a mortal to trigger the gate,” Fyren said. ”Unless you’d be so kind as to lend me one of your friends?”

Elise’s hand froze on my head. R’lissea shook her head, looking a little pale.

”I-I’ll go. But aren’t you coming?” I asked, looking at Zephyriss.

”I’m afraid only natives of a realm can enter invading gates. The Lord of Ash is an...exception.”

”What about us?” R’lissea asked.

I looked at Fable. He nodded.

”Fable will watch after you. And please, Zephyriss, take care of them. I owe everything to them.”

The winged elf bowed slightly. ”They shall be in my care.” She smiled. ”Besides, there is much I wish to ask of the young Life Hero. This world is...unique, and I would learn of its workings.”

Elise released me. I drifted right over to Fyren, latching on to his side. He shifted uncomfortably, then laid a reassuring hand on my back, guiding me toward the gate. I looked back at my friends, letting out a long breath. Seeing them surrounded by demons made my stomach clench, and my heart flutter. Elise was right, I had to focus. For their sake as much as mine.

The fire gate loomed over us, filled with an ominous swirl of infernal mana. I cast another look back, biting my lip. Fyren’s gentle pressure on my back nudged me forward. I took a deep breath and stepped through the gate.

The shift was a brutal shock, a splash of cold water. I gasped as every fiber of my being was pulled apart and stitched back together. It was a thousand times worse than any of the other demon gates I’d gone into. For a moment, I yearned for Haven’s embrace, for the gentle warmth I felt going to that realm.

The sensation pulled back, and my feet touched the ground. A scorching wave of heat slammed into me, and my knees buckled. The sudden rise in temperature came from a swell of fire mana, which, fortunately, was negated by Adaptive Resistance.

A strong hand landed on my shoulder, steadying me before I fell. I grabbed it, hugging the giant, calloused hand to my chest. The disorientation faded slowly.

I blinked, groggy as if waking from a terrible dream. The ambient infernal mana was thick and syrupy, not foul like curse mana but overbearing all the same.

”Are you alright?” Fyren asked.

I shook my head, taking a shallow gasp of breath. ”That was...”

”Probably how I felt entering Haven. When was the last time you entered a demon gate?”

My vision came into focus. I was standing in a large, empty lava tube. The dark igneous walls were smooth and glassy, glowing cherry red with heat. A passage large enough for Fable in his full form opened before us. The gate entrance crystal floated on a dais behind us.

”The ice gate in Brithlite,” I said.

His grip tightened. ”That long ago? Are you sure?”