The Forsaken Hero

Haven’s skies felt cold and distant as I stepped into the realm, Luke and Sari beside me. Luke reached for my hand, but I drew closer, clasping his arm instead.

”You can’t just explain it to me yourself?” I asked.

Sari shook her head. ”I don’t really understand most of it. But Emlica and Nithalee do.”

The mages were waiting for us at the entrance of the grand library. Nithalee’s arms were folded, her expression one of scholarly impatience. Emlica, on the other hand, huffed as she saw me, whirling and flying into the library.

”Hurry up, child. We don’t have all day.”

Sari squeaked and scampered after her, passing Nithalee with a slight curtsey. The elderly mage nodded in approval. I shared a nervous glance with Luke, who gave me a reassuring smile.

Inside, the library’s musty smell washed over, soothing my senses somewhat. The rustle of paper came from deeper in, and I could sense several flows of mana extending from Emlica. I wrinkled my nose, scowling at her. She wasn’t even wasting time, not with an ability like hers. Was this even the real one I was speaking to?

”So, you think you can help Xiviyah?” Luke asked Emlica.

”Perhaps, though there are certain...considerations. The Soul Binder was intended as a means of securing and controlling the soul. Xiviyah requires the first, but the method of accomplishing that cannot be separated from the latter.”

Nithalee nodded. ”Think of our plan like a corset. The same laces that fix the wearer’s posture restrict their breathing, and can be tightened and loosened by whoever holds the knot.”

”I don’t understand. How is controlling my soul supposed to help me?” I asked.

”Did you not just hear my example? It’s a perfect metaphor,” Nithalee huffed.

”It’s like this,” Sari said, tugging on my free hand. ”In order to bind your soul, the enchantment has to be strong enough to resist the force of your mana. My idea was to shift the way the enchantment works to take that same strength and use it to support your soul, rather than binding it.”

”But that’s...you can do that?”

Emlica nodded. ”We came up with a way to accomplish it, though, as I mentioned, it requires a mechanism similar to the original Soul Binder.”

”You mean an amulet,” I said, touching my chest, a shiver coursing down my tail.

”Yes, some sort of binding agent. But you would also need a control device,” she said. ”Like the ring the church developed.”

”From the way you’re talking, I don’t suppose I could have both the amulet and the ring?” I asked.

Emlica and Nithalee exchanged a look. After a long silence, Nithalee shook her head. ”We’ve debated at length and have concluded that’s not feasible. The binding agent is too complex to be built into the control device, and vice versa. Theoretically, it might be possible to have both of them on your person, but that would require more time and investment. And before we can even begin to research that, we would need a better understanding of how this magic would interact with your soul.”

”It’s new, uncharted territory here,” Emlica said. ”Never in all of my existence has something like this been attempted. I can think of several cases where Divine Curses were levied against mortals, but you’re the first one to ever survive long enough to reach a point where your specific limitations are even understood. That, and the resources required to overcome these limitations are far greater than the worth of any individual mortal.”

My tail swished behind me, curling around Luke’s leg. ”What would you need from me?”

”Time,” Nithalee said simply. ”We’ll have to develop a new enchantment matrix from the ground up. And, more importantly, we’ll need a binding agent and control device capable of withstanding the pressure of an eighth, perhaps even ninth-level soul, assuming you intend to break through.”

”You don’t have something like that here?” Luke asked.

Emlica shook her head. ”Unfortunately, when this realm fell, it lost all of its tangible assets. All of the books you see here are simply memories, as much remnants as we are, of their original source.”

”That’s why I couldn’t take them out of Haven,” I said, realization dawning.

”Precisely.”

”But that’s not the hardest part,” Luke said.

”I beg your pardon?” the remnant asked, eyes narrowed.

”You’ve been avoiding it since the beginning of the conversation. To do this, Xiviyah has to bind her soul again. That’s far worse than any magical or material consideration.”

Emlica hesitated, sharing a look with Nithalee.

”That’s...true,” she said slowly. ”But binding the soul alone won’t cause any pain or lingering effects. The issue is that the two focuses introduce a vulnerability. Removing the binding agent, even if it’s done unwillingly, will tear your soul apart. It could be fixed, but until then, it would cripple you, and the pain would be excruciating. Not unlike what you suffered when you were bound the first time.”

I shuddered, huddling closer to Luke. That had never been a risk before, as I’d been under compulsion of the slave crest to leave it on. And when I did escape, Adaptive Resistance, empowered by Fate’s divinity, had shattered the actual curse, leaving the bindings while severing the connection. Emlica knew that, so the fact she hadn’t mentioned it meant she didn’t believe it could be replicated.

”And the control device?” Luke asked.

Again, another pause.

”That’s even more volatile,” Nithalee admitted. ”Just as with the Soul Binder, it controls your soul, not the person who bears it. Thus, if it were to change hands, so would you.”

Luke’s tail rose, wrapping around my waist and pulling me tight. ”We can’t take that kind of risk,” he said, looking around evenly. ”There’s no one we could trust to bear that responsibility. No one can be allowed to have that kind of power over her.”

Nithalee huffed. ”Of course. That’s the problem with mortal hearts. Always so suspicious, and for good reason. But what choice do you have? Let your power stagnate? Or continue to put yourself through needless pain every time you push yourself?”

I hid my face in Luke’s chest, her words a painful echo of my own thoughts. I was tired. Not just physically, but in every aspect of my life. Every fight was exhausting, leaving me aching for weeks if not outright unconscious for just as long. I had so much mana, so much potential, yet rare was the case I could actually take advantage of it. My flesh would always weaken me, yet what would it feel like to cast without restraint? To use every drop of mana and feel good, like I had when I first started?

”Okay,” I whispered, looking up, not at the remnants or Sari but Luke. ”I’ll try it.”

”That’s right,” Luke said, still glaring at them. ”It’s not fair to ask her to...what?”

My cheeks warmed as I smiled faintly. ”I said yes, Luke. If Sari thinks it will work, I trust her.”

”That’s a lot of responsibility to put on one not yet two decades old,” Emlica said, eyes narrowed.

”I’m almost thirteen!” Sari protested.

”That’s what I said.”

”Oh.” She ducked her head, ears twitching.

”Xiviyah, you can’t do this. It’s too dangerous. If something were to happen, you could end up in their hands again. You’d be completely vulnerable!”

”If I’m ever in a position where that would happen, it would already be too late,” I said, smiling sadly. ”Such is my fate, to be helpless without my friends around me. Without you.”

”If you’re willing, it won’t take much to prepare the enchantment. We’ll simply need the material components. Have you anything in mind?” Emlica asked.

”No, we’re not skipping over this. Xiviyah, are you sure this is what you want? I can’t bear the thought of you getting hurt because of this,” Luke said, staring deep into my eyes.

I nodded, caressing his cheek with my hand. He felt tense, his muscles tight. ”No, but I want to try. If it doesn’t work, I’ll simply take it off again.”

”But things will be worse for you after the backlash than they are now,” he protested.

”Then I’ll deal with that when it comes. It won’t be the first time I’ve torn apart my soul. Or... the second. Or third,” I mumbled, trailing off as I counted them.

”That’s...not something to be proud of,” he muttered. ”But if that’s your decision, I’ll stand by it. Just like I promised.”

”Thank you,” I said. Turning to Emlica, I pressed my hand to my chest, gripping Luke’s ring. ”Would this work?”

”Something so trivial? What if you were to lose it?” Nithalee asked.

My hand closed, the ring biting into my flesh. ”I would never! It’s too important to me.”

”Even so, I’m afraid it lacks the power. I can’t sense but sixth-level magic from it,” she returned.

”Perhaps, but there might be a way,” Emlica said thoughtfully. She eyed me, then Luke, her gaze coming to rest on his hand. He shifted his weight under her stare, tail twitching. ”Show me that, apostle.”

Reluctantly, Luke held up his hand, displaying the slender golden band of the Wayward Compass.

Emlica’s lips tugged in a smile. ”They’re already connected. This might actually work!”