The Forsaken Hero

My scream was lost in the rushing wind, my hair dragging out in long, crimson ribbons. The side of the ship blurred past us, a solid wall of wood until it abruptly ended, giving way to a sliver of blue sky. But that, too, vanished as icy blue feathers rose around us, a flap of Borealis’s wing.

Mana exploded from Fable’s leg as we slammed into his back, a small shockwave washing over the long, sword-like feathers. My stomach flipped as the energy of the impact ran through me. Bile rose in my throat, and I coughed, but the sensation faded quickly. Trembling, I peeked over Fable’s shoulder, relieved to see we really had come to a full stop.

Fable bounded over the giant bird’s back until we rested between his wings at the base of his neck. Borealis let out a shriek and wheeled away from the ship. A gust of cold air forced me low over Fable’s shoulder, at least, until I soul cast a Wind Wall and stilled the gales.

A look upward saw the Windserpent shrinking to a small dot in the sky. The canopy neared, but Borealis barely slowed. He screeched and sent a wave of mana into the forest ahead, freezing the landscape for a hundred yards. His claws dipped into the upper branches, shattering them like glass. His wings beat back, easing us into the self-made clearing big enough to allow his landing.

The moment his talons touched the ground, Fable leaped off. I squeaked, clutching his fur, but the fall was barely fifty feet this time, with a much lighter landing. Borealis condensed as I scrambled off his back, flying a circle around my head before landing on my shoulder.

I took a long, deep breath, stilling my rapidly beating heart. ”That’s the last time I jump off a ship, okay?” I said in a trembling voice.

Fable paced beside me, rubbing my side. I smiled faintly and stroked his head. The hard part was over. All we had to do now was fight a dragon.

The soft crunch of footsteps in freshly fallen snow caused me to turn. A dark shadow traversed the frozen meadow, stepping over brittle branches and bushes. Black Mist billowed around him, staining what little vegetation survived the snow black. It flowed around my aura, leaving me in a small, golden bubble. He came to a stop as he saw me, and slowly drew his cowl back.

”Well, this is a surprise,” Connor said, looking around. I shivered as his black eyes came to rest on me. ”I expect this is your doing?”

”Connor...” My grip tightened on Fable’s shoulder.

”This isn’t your fight. I have no quarrel with you,” he said, stopping a dozen paces from me.

”Then who? Why are you fighting?” I asked.

He shrugged. ”The God of undeath demands souls. Unlike the others, his name inspires few believers, so he must gather faith in different ways.”

”You’re not doing this for him.”

”Hmm, seen through that easily,” he muttered. ”No, the truth is far simpler. None of us are free, Xiviyah. We’re all chained by death. Even the gods and the demons can’t escape their end. And believe me, it’s coming. The end of the cycle. The end of immortals.”

My stomach dropped. ”What do you know of that?”

He looked up, interest flashing in his eyes. ”You don’t seem surprised. Then surely you understand. If death is our captor, then only by passing through it can you be free.”

”But mortals are born again. Even your Risen will one day rot away, releasing their souls back into the cycle.”

”Risen don’t have souls. They’re more...echoes. They hold fragments of mind and memory, even some of their original soul’s power. Do they suffer? Perhaps. But they’re mere shadows of themselves. I doubt they can even comprehend it.”

”Then why? You’re freeing nobody by killing them. They’ll be reborn.”

”No, Xiviyah, you don’t understand. I do not care to kill the mortals, for as you say, no one can.”

My tail went rigid. ”The gods. You’re hastening their destruction.”

”This is a core world, with much divine power. Whichever side possesses it once the conflict is over will be perpetuated for hundreds more years. But to lose it...to have all that power consumed by darkness, will force the divine and infernal realms to the brink. They’ve already begun the war. Losing this world will bring it to an end. Force a final battle. And once that side falls...”

”...So does the other.” I swallowed hard, tail twitching. ”Except for the undead god, who would have Enusia, at least one world of power. Freedom for you, and power for him.”

”Yes. I do not serve him. Our goals are merely aligned. Perhaps it’s that attitude that moved him to choose me at the end of my last life.”

”But Connor, mortals cannot survive without immortals. Fate and oblivion. You cannot end one cycle and not begin another.”

He pursed his lips, scrutinizing me. At last, he said, ”I’m uncertain what you mean.”

”I don’t understand it fully, but the gods and emperors serve a purpose. No, not them, but their divinity. They’re like nails in the fabric of Fate, holding it all together. They can shift hands, switch sides even, but remove them altogether...” I reached out, dragging my fingers through the golden mist. The stars scattered in their wake. ”It all comes apart. All that will remain is nothing...oblivion.”

My voice faded into the solemnity of the black mist. The only sound was the crackling of melting ice and the tinkling rustle of Borealis’s feathers.

”That is...acceptable,” Connor said softly.

”What?” My eyes widened. ”You want that? But...why?”

”I’m tired, Xiviyah. I feel it in my soul. What’s the purpose of it all? Live a good life? But then what? You’ll be left with nothing in the next. They say the purpose is in the journey, but what about when the journey has no purpose? If that’s true, then...that’s why there’s such a thing as an end in the first place. No more war, no more struggle. No more fleeting joy or sorrow. Just...rest. Oblivion.”

”That’s...Connor...”

My voice wavered, a small knot of unease tightening in my stomach. Wasn’t that exactly the way I’d felt in my last life? And not just my previous life, either.

When I woke up to Fate’s voice, I was disappointed. Not because of the gods, or the curse, or the mission. But because it hadn’t been the nothingness I’d yearned for. I’d been powerless to do anything about it before, but what if I had the power and opportunity Connor had? What if I could have found that darkness? The oblivion, though I hadn’t understood the concept then. Wouldn’t I have taken it?

I didn’t have to wonder. I’d already tried.

Connor sighed, running a hand through his hair. ”I thought I wanted your soul among the ranks of my Risen, but seeing you like this...you’re not on either side. You have nothing to lose. Just leave, live your life. Find the joy you seem to believe exists. All that changes is that after you die, there won’t be another. You’ll finally have peace.”

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. I didn’t want to believe him, but...he was right. How could I stop him when it was the very thing I’d wished to time and time again? That’s why...I wasn’t going to. There were those behind me I could rely on. Those with convictions different than mine, who could pierce the darkness even though I couldn’t.

”You’re going to lose,” I whispered as he brushed by my side.

He chuckled wryly, not stopping. ”We’re all going to lose, in the end. But that won’t stop us from fighting. You for your future, and me for mine. We’ll see whose path takes them to the end.”

I took a breath, turning to stare at his retreating back. ”I won’t let your Risen hurt the innocent.”

This caused him to pause, turning to look over his shoulder. ”I see. You’re too soft, Xiviyah, meeting me so far away from the city. Just how much of this did you predict? Eh, not that I care. If you wish to fight it, I won’t stop you. Just...try not to die. I really have nothing against you.”

He waved his hand, releasing a pulse of mana. It washed over me harmlessly, but when it touched the Black Mist, the undead mana condensed and shot through the trees. A long, haunting roar echoed through the forest, causing the trees to tremble. Connor backed away, vanishing into the mist.

The Black Mist continued to surge, growing more and more agitated. It swirled into the sky like a whirlpool, condensing into a single point. After a tense, breathless second, it exploded, tinting the world a colorless gray. A skeletal form took shape in the sky, serpentine coils of stark white bone sheathed in black undead mana. Instead of fire, its wings burned with shadowy mist, the same that wreathed its claws. It was easily a thousand feet from end to end, with a rotting, exposed jaw that gaped wide enough to swallow the Windserpent in a single bite.

”Do you see it, Korra?” I whispered, staring up at it in awe and terror. We were miles from the city, but that didn’t mean much now. ”This is a dragon.”