The Forsaken Hero

I awoke with a pounding headache and a soul that felt like someone had dragged it through the sand. The ceiling of my room looked unfamiliar to me, and I lay on my bed, staring at it for the longest time.

”Oww,” I mumbled, pressing a hand to my head asI sat up, swiveling my legs over the side. As the blankets fell off, I saw I was wearing a soft cotton nightdress that was a touch loose around my bust. One of R’lissea’s?

I was hardly surprised, fingering the hem for just a moment before pushing myself to my feet. My clothing was locked in my spatial ring, much to my maids’ displeasure. If they had what they wanted, they’d choose my wardrobe every day, but this way, I could at least choose the dress.

With a groan, I risked a small healing spell, but it failed midway through, disrupted by a sudden spike of fire in my soul. But it was a pain I could deal with, a pain I expected every time I woke up. Being free of it these last few months was a blessing, not an expectation.

”I’m pretty sure I heard her,” Jenna’s voice floated through the door.

I jumped, startled, as the door swung open, and the mage stuck her head through. She grinned as she saw me coming into the room all the way. The other Star Guard followed her, their faces softening with relief.

I winced as they gathered around me, sinking into a chair by the table and clutching my horn. Their voices felt unnaturally loud.

”Hush,” Luxxa said, silencing the rest with a sharp look. She crouched on one knee before me, raising my chin with a gentle hand, her brow creasing as she studied me.

”You alright?” she asked.

I started to nod, then shook my head.

”Jenna, call the Life Hero.”

Jenna nodded, a pulse of mana leaping from her soul as she activated her ability. R’lissea arrived not a minute later, bursting through the door. Her hands were on me in an instant. ”Requiem,” she breathed.

Tendrils of life and fate magic wove around me, sinking through my skin. It landed like a cold shock, and I gasped, my tail going rigid as it penetrated my soul.

When the light faded, the pain was gone. Tears welled up in my eyes as I held her hand to my cheek, leaning into her touch.

”Thank you,” I whispered in a dry croak.

Luxxa found me a cup of water, which I downed in a single gulp, gasping for air afterward.

”You’re still looking a little pale,” she said, frowning.

”I’m just...tired. My mana barely recovered at all.”

”Probably because it was keeping you alive. Or at least preventing you from crippling yourself,” she muttered, shaking her head. ”What were you thinking, pushing yourself like that? When you fell unconscious, I couldn’t do anything! Your soul locked me out.”

I touched my chest, a nervous flutter in my heart. ”It did? But...it shouldn’t. You’ve cast magic on me when I was asleep before?”

”Not when you’re this weak,” she grumbled. ”It was probably an instinctive response to your condition, activating Adaptive Resistance at Full strength. Not even Selena could touch you with a spell.”

My fingers curled into my nightdress, and I looked down, my lower lip quivering. ”It didn’t seem so bad. Just a little. I’ve done worse before.”

”That was before you gathered this much mana. Even if, proportionally, you drew the same mana in relation to your soul, it was mere drops compared to an ocean! The Soul Binder might stabilize your soul, but that’s all it can do. Asking any more of it is just...suicidal.” Her face softened as I flinched, and she reached across, laying her hand on mine. ”Look, Xiv, all I’m saying is that you’re lucky you’re able to use magic at all right now, given the frailty of your body. If this time, you felt like you only burned a little, imagine what might happen if you actually pushed yourself.”

I looked down for a few seconds before meeting her gaze, unwavering. ”R’lissea, I did what I felt like I had to, and even if you must chastise me for it, I wouldn’t do anything different.”

Her eyes widened, but I turned my hands in my lap, gripping hers tightly.

”I don’t like feeling like this,” I admitted, ”I don’t like the pain or being a burden on everyone. But sending them home was important to me. Maybe it would be better to send the other half a week later, but none of my visions accounted for that. Cutting off half of Elise’s army for that long would jeopardize all of her plans. It was worth a little pain if it meant giving her the best chance at success. I would do the same for you, or Korra. Or any of my precious friends. That’s how much you mean to me.”

”Xiv, I...” she bit her lip, her emerald eyes shimmering. I flinched as she pulled her hands away, only to throw them around me, hugging me fiercely. ”I’m sorry, I understand. I just hate seeing you hurt.”

I returned her hug, burying my face into her shoulder. She held me a long time, stooped over awkwardly until she lifted me to my feet, giving me one last squeeze before pulling away.

”Don’t do any magic for at least a day,” she said, some of her sternness returning.

”Only a day?” Luxxa asked, raising an eyebrow. ”Isn’t it normally a week?”

A ghost of a smile touched her lips. ”Normally? I suppose this happens often enough, you’d think that. But Xiv’s magic isn’t the only one improving. I was able to cleanse almost all the damage with that Requiem. Her soul just needs some time to recover from the shock and return some mana.”

”What about Sari? She must be still in Haven!” I gasped, sitting up sharply. My tail lashed in agitation.

After a moment of thought, R’lissea shrugged. ”Visiting Haven should be fine. Just don’t keep the gate open for long.”

She didn’t linger long, sending the maids in after her. They scolded me themselves as they bathed and dressed me, though returned to their typical, fawning selves as they brushed my hair out.

”It’s getting long, my Lady,” one of them said, holding out a length of crimson and admiring it. ”You might consider cutting it soon, or it’ll get in the way when you try to sit down, or, well, you know...”

She and the other maids giggled.

”Thank you, but...I like it long,” I said, twirling a strand around my finger. I hoped Luke did, too, but it was hard to tell. He always seemed to pay more attention to my horns. I shivered at the thought of his fingers crushing them, my tail curling as I blushed.

”Thinking of someone?” a maid teased. ”The tall, dark apostle, perhaps?”

I let out a small squeak, snatching my tail into my lap, and they all broke into laughter. I couldn’t help but smile too, a warmth blossoming in my chest. Luke...I was going to have faith in him. He might have pressures and duties as an apostle, but he wouldn’t forget me. He was cold and ruthless before, but he’d never treated me unkindly. There was no reason to believe he would be any different when he got back.

Magic might have been off limits, but I had other obligations to fulfill beyond pushing for ninth-level. The moment I was dressed and ready, I took Korra and Gayron, riding out on Fable to meet Fyren and the Devoted. They were worried, of course, of my condition, demanding the reason for my collapse, but let the issue drop after I explained my reasons.

”Has the time come? Is your realm prepared to receive us?” Incidinderus asked, folding his clawed arms.

I summoned my staff. ”If you are willing, I can open the path for you now.”

The three lords exchanged glances, their silence stretching longer than I expected. My tail began to twitch nervously against my leg as butterflies took flight in my stomach, churning with uncertainty. Just as I opened my mouth to speak, to offer some excuse that might soften what I assumed would be their refusal, Fyren gave a slow, solemn nod.

”We accept your offer,” he said.

He said it with such gravity, such finality, that I began to second-guess myself all over again. Why did it seem like, to the demons, this was more than merely a home? The Fatesworn loved their new keep, but that was all it was. A place to camp.

”The horde awaits your command,” Incinderus said, gesturing to my staff.

I gave them one last questioning look before raising the Final Star. R’lissea cautioned against using my mana, but I needed more than a simple human-sized gate, and poured my mana into the staff, opening a vortex of gold and starlight before us.

The gate stabilized after a few seconds, nearing the size of the rift I’d opened to Brithlite. The draw was less, of course, but the majority of the burden fell on my staff, and it still took my breath away. The demon horde assembled below shifted as its power radiated over them, filling the valley with the rasp of scales and leathery skin.

”If you’ll follow me,” I said, stepping through the gate. At long last, it was time to introduce the Devoted to Haven.