The Forsaken Hero

Helron led us into a lobby off the side of the common room, with thin carpet, a table with a pitcher of wine and a few cups, and a thinly cushioned couch. He offered that to me, pulling up a chair and sitting on it backwards, resting his arms on the backrest. I sat carefully, pulling Borealis into my lap, idly stroking his feathers. The Starguard remained outside, keeping watch over Sari as she explored the adventurers’ guild.

”Two demons, and three professional soldiers,” Helron mused, studying Borealis with a curious glint in his eye. ”I’ve never heard of a demon like that. It’s so...tame. Reminds me of the wolf you always had with you. I presume that hasn’t changed?”

I shook my head, a smile tugging at my lips. ”No, Fable’s outside. He’s grown a lot since I left so long ago.”

”I would say the same about you,” he said, lifting his gaze to me.

I resisted the urge to squirm as he studied me even more closely than Borealis, finally giving an appreciative nod.

”You know,” He said, rubbing his chin, ”I never thought you’d return, Starlight, or should I call you Xiviyah? That is your real name, is it not?”

”I...I think I prefer Xiviyah,” I said slowly, my tail curling slightly. ”Starlight was...before. But I really don’t mind either way. It’s me, all the same.”

”I’m not so sure about that,” he said with a chuckle. ”You never could have met my gaze before, or accepted my compliments without squirming and looking like you’d rather die. But I meant what I said. You’ve grown into a beautiful, strong woman. A far cry from the bloody, bedraggled child we dragged out of Heartland forest that night so very long ago.”

”Thank you,” I said, my cheeks warming a bit. ”I’ll forever be in your debt for that.”

”Oh? How fortuitous, having the legendary Oracle of Eternity in my debt.” He chuckled to himself before sobering up, jests forgotten. ”So tell me, why have you come back?”

My expression turned wistful. ”To say goodbye. I don’t know what news has reached here of the world, but the time draws near when the demons leave this land for the Southern Continent. I will be going with them to pull down the church and drive the Divine from this world.”

”So, you’ve allied with the infernals,” he said, rocking back in the chair, wearing a deep frown. ”I assumed as much, given the demons in your retinue. But do you really hate this world that much? To burn everything for the horrors they inflicted on you?”

”I...no. No.” I shook my head. ”I do not care for revenge. It’s cold and lonely, and takes you far from the warmth of those who care for you. I’m afraid I can’t explain everything to you, but I fight for a better tomorrow. For a cycle free of the tyranny of gods and demons alike, and to redeem the souls of the lost. It just so happens that the demon hordes align with my goals, so I fight beside them, but I am not one of them.”

”That’s a relief to hear,” Helron said, relaxing. ”I wasn’t sure I could stand idly by if your intentions were to destroy the world. Not that I could do much,” he chuckled wryly, shaking his head. ”You’ve done more than grow up since you’ve been gone. If I’m not mistaken, you hover on the precipice of eighth-level, ready to fall into ninth.”

My eyes widened slightly, turning gold as I glanced at his soul. Delicate ribbons of mana wove throughout its depths, pulsing as he studied me. So fine and subtle, I never noticed it before, not in all my interactions with him. But I wasn’t going to miss something like that now, not with my current level.

”You have an ability,” I asked, my tail flicking once.

”A trick of the trade, you could say. A little something to make my job vetting adventures a little easier.” He leaned forward. ”Now, what do you need from me? I saw the Foxkin girl outside. I assume you mean to reunite her with her brother?”

”Yes, that’s why we’re here, in Heartland,” I admitted. ”The woman before said Sorrin and Tana and the others were gone. Does that mean Ror is, too?”

”He started joining them on their adventures at the beginning of the year,” Helron replied. ”If you would like to see them, I can give you their destination. A powerful monster’s been stirring near Northfall Village, and it needs to be put down before it causes any real damage. It’s a draconian being, half-dragon, half-beast, empowered and driven mad by infernal mana. If all goes to plan, they will engage it this evening.”

”I see. Thank you,” I said, standing.

”Where are you going?” he asked, standing, looking confused.

I looked at him, the answer obvious to me. ”To find that monster, I suppose. The sooner it’s dead, the sooner we can return here, right?”

”Yes, but Northfall village is several days’ travel. Even on our wolf, you couldn’t possibly...” he trailed off, and his eyes widened. ”You can’t mean...?”

”You can watch, if you’d like, but I ask you to keep it secret,” I answered with a small smile.

”I would like that. You can use my office. It’s warded to keep prying eyes out.”

”That won’t be necessary.” The door opened as I called Kahlen through the mark, and the Star Guard entered, bringing Sari with them.

”Where are you going?” Sari asked as I summoned my staff.

”To find your brother and my friends,” I answered.

”Can I come, too?”

I started to shake my head, then paused, tilting it instead. Ror was there, fighting alongside the Glory Chasers. There was no way Sari was weaker than him, not after all her tutelage from me, Selena, and Emlica.

”Fine, but you have to stay close, alright?” I asked.

”Really?” Her tail wagged, her ears standing straight up. ”I won’t be a bother. I promise.”

Helron chuckled, folding his arms and leaning against the wall. ”It’s not hard to see how the two are siblings.”

”Brace yourself,” I warned, grasping for my aura. ”This might feel strange.”

I still wasn’t entirely certain what I was doing with my aura, but there was no better time to experiment. I closed my eyes, imagining Sorrin and Tana, and willed the stars to obey. As before, they swirled around me, creating a whirlpool in the room. Like before, the world broke into countless threads of light, reforming into a pine forest.

The heavy green pine trees, dusted with frost, had thick trunks but only a few low branches, leaving the ground relatively clear. The dirt was covered in yellow pine needles, the air thick with the scent of pine.

”Where are we?” Helron gasped, his hand falling to the knife thrust through his belt.

”Taking a walk through fate,” I said, peering at our surroundings with a small frown. The openness of the forest extended our vision for a few hundred feet, and yet there was no sign of the Glory Chasers. Had my aura led us astray? It was possible that this location was somewhere they had been, or would soon come, leaving an impression on the fabric of fate that drew us here.

The ground rumbled, and I let out a surprised squeak, hugging Borealis tightly. The tremors continued for a few seconds, and a burst of compressed air washed across the forest. It whipped the trees, strafing the ground with falling branches, needles, and pine cones. It passed right through us, leaving a phantom memory across my skin.

”Over there,” Rasce said, pointing through the trees. The ground sloped up in that direction, and through the gaps in the branches, a rising plume of smoke became visible.

With a thought, I shifted forward, taking the entire party with me. The world blurred, and when it stabilized, we stood atop a small knoll, overlooking the forest. A thick plume of smoke rippled out of a rising cloud of cinders. The explosion had turned trees into shrapnel, tearing them from their roots and hurling them away, ripping a hole in the forest itself. Despite knowing it was a vision, my guard drew their weapons at the sight, subtly moving into formation around me.

”That must be them,” Jenna said.

I followed her gaze to the forest between us and the unnatural clearing, movement in the smoke drawing my eye. Several figures sprinted out of it, their souls burning bright. Behind them, a massive thirty-foot-tall silhouette loomed in the smoke.

As they cleared the smoke, my heart skipped a beat. Tana, Sorrin, Rasce, Dyson, and...a tall, broad-shouldered fox-kin I only vaguely recognized as Ror. They ran with no regard for the creature looming behind them, cutting up the knoll toward us.

”Hurry!” Sorrin shouted, his tail lashing as he led the group. He wore the same armor and wielded the same sword, yet his soul now burned at the beginning stages of the sixth level. In the time I’d been gone, he’d broken through again.