The Forsaken Hero

”So you still feel the sunpurge?” Fate asked, looking at me curiously.

I nodded, squirming beneath her gaze. She’d been strangely quiet since Luke and I had found her in the cathedral, simply watching me with those intense, unrevealing eyes. They were the same gold as mine, but they seemed to hold the entirety of the night sky in their depths.

”I would trust your elvish friend,” she finally said, turning from me and looking up at the shard behind her. ”R’lissea is far wiser than her years, and knows more of sunpurge than any remnant or even god. It’s always been something of a blind spot amongst the Divine, save for ways it can be further weaponized against demons.”

”Weaponized? You mean it’s caused intentionally?” Luke asked.

She reached out, touching the shard. It reacted to her mana, releasing a gentle wave of true mana. I shivered as it caressed my soul, an uncomfortable, scratchy feeling like breathing water through my nose.

”At a time, yes. Sun wasn’t always as powerful as now, nor was his magic as potent. His was a calming, supportive power, bringing light to the darkness, and strength to the weak. But he was dissatisfied with his place amongst the council and sought ways to increase his faith and influence. That was when he came across Holy.”

”I can’t say I’ve heard of a god like that,” Luke said.

”There isn’t one. Not anymore,” she said softly. ”Holy was what you now think of as Sun. His was the power to purge the impure. Disciples of his magic were unusually effective against demons. He thought Sun a good disciple, and mentored him for thousands of years, slowly growing him into an inner member of his faction.”

”Then what happened?” I asked.

She shrugged, letting her hand fall again. It retained the glow of true mana.

”The same that happened to me, and most of the other elder gods. Through careful maneuvering and sabotage, he was driven out of favor with mortals until, in the end, he had nothing. He was the first of the eldest to fall, his kingdom burning as it fell from the Divine Realms. They say it lit the night of every mortal world for months, a last, ironic act of defiance against the darkness he’d stood against his entire existence.”

”So gods can really die,” Luke said. His lips curved into a half smile. ”I was wondering if the emperors had been sharing that honestly with me.”

Fate nodded. ”They can, and how terrible the truth. A part of the Father, gone forever.”

”So Sun took his power?” I asked.

”Something like that. He shattered his divinity, absorbed the power he wanted, and disbursed the rest amongst the greatest archons of his faction, raising them to godhood. Minor gods, with a fraction of the original’s power, but gods all the same.”

”Clever,” Luke murmured. ”With only parts of a divinity, they lacked the capacity to gain enough power to challenge him, yet it was enough to secure their loyalty forever.”

”It was this action that created the schism between the gods. Those who sought power, and those who wanted to preserve the balance created by the first war,” Fate explained. ”That war all but ended when I fell, the last of the elder gods to support the cycle.”

”Why are you telling us this?” I asked. ”You’ve never been so forthright before. Why now?”

”Is that so? Just forget it, then. Just the musings of one who is bowed with the weight of eternity.”

Fate brought her hand up, still surrounded with true mana, and gestured toward us. It took shape, fluttering on butterfly wings. Instinctively, Luke reached out, and it settled on his hand. The light shivered and discorporated, sinking into his skin. He gasped, tail standing stiff.

”Well?” Fate asked.

”It’s...strange,” he said after a moment of hesitation. ”Like normal mana, but...not? I can’t really absorb it. I can feel the power, but it won’t assimilate.”

”Demon and Divine exist as two halves of the same whole. Divine mana and infernal mana. But this mana, the Father’s essence, is already in its pure form. It’s impossible to corrupt, to steal, if you would.”

”You can’t be serious,” Luke said, an uncharacteristic hint of uncertainty in his voice. ”What if there was someone who could use this mana? What would happen if a demon killed them?”

Fate smiled faintly. ”Their soul would return to the cycle, of course.”

He rolled his eyes. ”And the demon?”

”I imagine they would be disappointed. All of that effort for a meager drop of mana, a fraction the size of what they would have gained from a divine soul.”

Luke looked up, his tail flicking in agitation. ”And you have an entire shard of it? No wonder you weren’t worried about me invading and trying to consume it.”

”Oh, I would strongly recommend that. Even if you survived long enough to reach this point, you would likely perish upon the attempt. You couldn’t absorb even that much I gave you. What do you think would happen if you tried taking on all of this

?”She gestured at the shard, and Luke paled.

”That’s what happened to me at Western University,” I whispered. ”But that...that’s a lot more. An ocean compared to a lake.”

She nodded. ”Exactly. Your soul would simply explode. The damage would go so deep, I wonder whether or not you would be able to successfully reincarnate again, or if you’d come back...damaged.”

”Even you don’t know?” Luke asked.

”There’s never been a mortal capable of doing so, or even a demon for that matter. True mana is the fabric of the universe, of fate itself. As far as I know, it’s never been distilled into a manipulatable force before now.”

”And again, you have a whole shard of it,” Luke muttered.

Her smile held a tinge of smugness. ”Isn’t it beautiful?”

I cleared my throat, pushing any more questions to the back of my mind. It was clear she wasn’t going to share more. I was just grateful she’d offered anything at all.

”So, long story short, I’m going to be okay?” I asked, touching my chest.

She nodded. ”Obey R’lissea’s council. With some rest and life magic, you’ll heal in a week or two. Ah, and Xiviuyah? You should try and get out some. It’s not good to stay cooped up indoors all the time.”

My tail jerked in surprise. ”What? I go on walks all the–”

She laughed, holding up her hand. ”I think that’s enough from me today. Why don’t you two run along? I heard Emlica has something to share with you.”

”But I–”

I stopped as Luke laid a hand on my shoulder, shaking his head. I bit my lip, but relented, giving Fate a small curtsy. She smiled, waving us off, before returning her attention to the shard. Just what kind of things was she doing with it anyway? I sighed, turning and leaving the way we’d come.

I waited until we were out of earshot before muttering, ”Why is she so...?”

”Frustrating? Unhelpful? Evasive?” Luke suggested.

”...Carefree,” I said, frowning at him. ”She doesn’t seem worried about us at all. We came so close to dying.”

”Is that uncommon?”

”No, it’s....” I turned, glaring at him. ”That’s not funny.”

He chuckled, raising his hands defensively. ”I’m just saying. She’s always been capricious, and if there’s nothing she can do for you, there’s nothing she can do.”

”You sound just like her,” I muttered, turning and stalking away.

”Maybe that’s because she’s right. What happens happens, and it’s not like she can change what’s going on outside of Haven. After so many millennia, I’m sure she’s used to this kind of thing.”

As irritating as it was, I couldn’t refute his words. He chased after me, and I slowly relaxed, breathing a deep breath as we emerged under Haven’s starlight sky. Arantius was there, waiting in the outer courtyard.

”Apostle,” he greeted, nodding to Luke.

”Hey!” I protested.

He smiled faintly. ”I’m delighted to see you, too, little one, but I’m afraid my business is with your escort today.”

”Oh? What could a remnant want with me?” Luke asked, folding his arms.

”I heard your swordsmanship is rather...archaic,” he said flatly.

Luke winced, his tail twitching. ”You too?”

”’Fraid so. The demon’s work is good, but his skill lies away from the blade. While several steps above you, it’s far from the peak of what a sword can accomplish.”

”And what, you think you’re there? I don’t think you know the Lord of Ash half as well as you think you do. His skill is better than anyone in Enusia’s, that’s for sure.”

Arantius showed a rare smile, though he looked more like he was baring his teeth than grinning. ”I’ve heard youth makes you impetuous, but to see it here before me...” he chuckled, shaking his head. ”And here I thought I was kind offering my services like that.”

”Luke,” I said, nudging him with my shoulder. ”Don’t be rude. Please?”

He rolled his eyes. ”Fine. It’s not like I’m opposed to more training, anyway. But we’d better make this quick. We’ve been here long enough already.”

”Don’t say that, it’s nice here!” I protested. ”Arantius, take all the time you want. I’m going to Emlica, and it won’t be shorter than an hour.”

The remnant saluted, ignoring Luke’s protests. ”As you wish, my Lady.”

Ignoring Luke’s protests, I turned and marched away, letting the remnant guide Luke towards the arena. Even with all the times Korra and Gayron sparred with Remnants here, I’d never once heard of Arantius taking part. But if he was willing to let Luke, I couldn’t let the opportunity go to waste.

Gods, Elise was right. He really was prideful.