The Forsaken Hero

Haven’s vastness stretched above me, filled with floating islands and glimmering stars. I stared dumbly upward, blinking away tears. Convulsions rocked my body from time to time, the searing agony of the curses lingering long after the actual pain had faded.

My abilities and bonds woke up, one by one, blossoming like flowers in my chest. Warmth radiated to the farthest corners of my body, slowly driving the frigid darkness of Enusia away.

An armored knight appeared above me, concern crinkling his face. He lifted me gingerly, slipping an arm under my back and knees, carrying me against his chest.

”Haven?” I rasped,

My eyes slipped closed as my head fell against him. His breastplate was warm against my horn.

”What happened?” Gathrin’s came from right beside us.

I forced my eyes open, watching as the remnant materialized in front of us. More remnants appeared, some I’d never even seen before. The clamor pressed against me like a physical weight, making it hard to breathe.

”My Lady,” Haven said, and the noise suddenly stopped.

The remnants parted, allowing Fate through. She wore her dress of the night sky, her serene expression crinkled by a worried frown. She stopped right above me and touched my cheek, a spark leaping from her hand into my very soul. Her eyes darkened.

”Villie, come here,” she said.

The small, child-like remnant appeared. ”Here, my Lady.”

”Do something about these injuries.”

Villie nodded and pressed a hand to my chest. A green glow filled the air, warmth surging through my veins. The scrapes and bruises vanished, leaving my skin unblemished. The two cuts the praying mantis had given me knit together, itching slightly before even the scars disappeared. I took a long, deep breath, letting the tension go from my body. My soul still ached, but just being in Haven soothed the pain. The wounds left by Rash’alon’s curses were already mending.

”I’m sorry,” I whispered, hunching my shoulders, pressing my chin against my chest. ”I couldn’t do it. Luke didn’t want to help me.”

”Shhh, it’s alright. Come, Haven,” Fate said.

The goddess turned and left, heading up the floating stone paths toward the city. Haven followed after her, carrying me tightly. The remnants parted to let us through, closing together and murmuring in low voices.

”I can’t stay here,” I protested. ”I left the portal open in the middle of the demons. What if one follows me through?”

”Hush, child, rest. We’ll speak once you’re safe.”

”But I’m here, now. Isn’t it safe?”

She gave me a look over her shoulder. A shiver crawled down my back and tail, causing it to wrap around Haven’s arm. I snuggled against his chest, as much because he was warm as to hide from whatever danger Fate saw.

We arrived at the cathedral in short order. Fate stopped in the great hall, turning about to face me. The towering Shard loomed over her head. Rainbow sparkles danced across the glassy mosaics and statues.

Haven gently lowered me to my feet. I stood shakily, tugging on my tail to get it to let go of him. He smiled, patted me on my head, and vanished in a puff of starlight.

”You’ve been avoiding me, haven’t you,” Fate said. ”Villie told me everything. Invading gates, sneaking off to see Apostles in the middle of demon hordes, sleeping alone...all without checking in.”

She clicked her tongue, shaking her head in disappointment. The wobble in my knees intensified, and my stomach twisted. I gripped the hem of my skirt, keeping my head bowed.

”I’m not scolding you, Xiviyah. You’re not a slave anymore.”

I jumped with a squeak, covering my mouth. ”I-I wasn’t–”

She chuckled, walked over, and ruffled my hair.

”I can read your mind, remember? It’s rude to compare a goddess to the head maid of some country estate, scolding her charge for dropping a plate.”

I blushed red with shame, twisting my skirt. She took me in her arms, pulling me tight against her chest and smoothing my hair down my back.

”You’ve been so brave, haven’t you. Doing things all on your own,” she whispered.

I nodded, eyes filling with tears. ”I was so scared. And I...I couldn’t do it.”

”Couldn’t do what?”

”Save the shards. Luke said he...he didn’t want to help.”

”So he already destroyed the shards?”

I shook my head. ”N-no, he just...said no.”

”So you didn’t fail. The condition was to save the shards, and as they’re not destroyed yet, you’re technically succeeding.”

”But I...” I couldn’t come up with the right words, so I just pushed my face against her bosom, another wave of tears spilling over.

”That’s not the real reason you avoided me, though. Do you need me to say it, or would you like it?”

I shook my head, not daring to look up at her. She sighed, tracing a curl of hair from my crown to the end where it cascaded near my lower back.

”You’re afraid to face me because you’re hurt. You did everything right and chose to trust Luke, yet now he’s betrayed you. Is that right?”

”You can read my mind. Don’t you already know?”

”Perhaps you’d be right, if that was what really happened. Tell me, how do you know Luke betrayed you?”

”Because he...he said...” I sniffed, the words petering out. Luke had said so many hurtful things. He’d left me when I needed him, when I wanted him. And yet...he’d come back, just as he always had before. He was fighting for his life right now, so I had a chance to escape and heal.

”Why did he do that? Why didn’t he take his offer?” I asked, finally looking up at her. Tears stained my cheeks. ”Why does it hurt so much?”

”There it is. It’s natural for you to be lost and confused. You’re still figuring out what a relationship is even supposed to look like.”

”But why does it have to be so hard? Why can’t it be–”

”Easy?” she interrupted gently. ”Would you like someone who only ever thinks of you, who pads your world and kisses every little bump and scrape? Or maybe you want someone like Soltair, who pledges himself to you every single day, who hugs and coddles, and only ever tells you the truth by his actions, with a dagger to your heart?”

I flinched, and her voice softened.

”Those aren’t relationships, Xiviyah. That’s the behavior of a slave and master, of a traitor and a betrayed. Relationships are about feeling lost and confused, about making mistakes and giving yourself, and them, a chance to fix them. Can you imagine what would have happened if you rejected Korra when she found you and apologized?”

I shook my head. ”But it’s so much more confusing with him. I don’t understand it. I feel so...different around Luke. Scared, but also...excited.”

”Are you done?” she asked.

I blinked up at her. ”Done?”

”Are you done trying. You don’t have to walk this path. You don’t ever have to see him again. If you’re done, then stop looking back.”

”I...I want to see him again. I want to, um...”

I flushed, looking down again. There were no words in my vocabulary to describe what I was feeling. I was terrified of him, of his strength, yet I couldn’t get enough of it. I yearned to feel his warmth again, maybe even...even hold his hand.

Fate found my chin, tilting my face upward, looking me in the eye. She smiled softly, brushing a lock of hair out of my face. ”Then don’t give up on him. And, perhaps, you’ll find he hasn’t given up on you.”

”My Lady,” Arantius’s voice came.

I turned, still held in Fate’s arm, and saw the remnant standing in the entrance hall.

”The Oracle was right. They’ve followed her in,” he said stiffly.

I gasped, shrinking into Fate’s arms.

”Take care of it,” Fate said. ”Our little oracle’s taken us as far as she can on her own. It’s time to step up and show what we meant when we said we had her back.”

His face tightened. ”Are you certain? You want me to take action?”

”An interesting question for the manifestation of Fate. But yes, I am. Preserve our safe haven, even if it’s just for a little while longer.”

He pressed his hand to his chest in a formal salute. ”As you command.”

Arantius vanished into stars, not just moving quickly, but slipping through space itself.

”What does he mean? Are the demons here?” I asked.

Fate nodded. She lifted her hand from my back, waving it in the air.

I turned from her, watching in awe as the air rippled, glowing glossy, like a mountain pond. A vision? No, it was happening in real time. Everything seemed normal, but there was something that felt very, very wrong. A darkness sat in the middle of the gate, working into the realm like a bubble rising to the surface of a pond. An invasion.