The Forsaken Hero

”The first phase of my plan began long before you were reborn, a foundation upon which we now build. It was that which led to my fall, ending as Haven was born. The third shall likely stretch on long after this war. But for it, I need the support of the neutral faction. It is the key to inciting change within the Divine Council itself.”

”But why? So you can rewrite the cycle with the other gods? And how does true mana come into this?”

There was a glimmer of a smile. ”Patience, child. One thing at a time. But know that breaking the church is pivotal to it. Enusia might just be one world, but the Divine Cycle also began in one world. We’re putting in motion something you might never see yourself and yet which will ripple through eternity.”

”So, you’re saying that I should focus on defeating the church with Luke?”

”Yes.”

A breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding escaped my lips, and with it, the weight of uncertainty that had settled in my chest for months. Relief washed over me, cool and gentle as Haven’s starlight. If this was what Fate needed, my focus on Enusia and the war with the church, then my path hadn’t been a wandering one after all. She could deal with the endless politics of gods and cycles, the cosmic matters beyond my comprehension. I just had to fight the war in this one world.

My curiosity burned for more answers, but I had the feeling Fate had shared as much as she wanted. And I trusted her with that. Always, there had been a good reason she’d withheld information from me, and this time would be no exception.

Besides, I didn’t have to understand more right now. Just having a clear purpose was enough.

It was with those thoughts that I made my way to Starfall Keep, where a small escort of soldiers waited to guide me into the keep. The conference room was quiet and tense. Out of all the Fatesworn officers and demons that normally attended war meetings, only Bethiv, Fyren, and Korra were there.

”My Lady, welcome. Please, come in,” Bethiv said, welcoming with an uncharacteristically warm smile.

”Did something happen?” I asked, immediately on guard. ”Where is everyone else?”

”See? I told you she was fine,” Korra said, triumph lacing her voice.

Bethiv’s smile shifted to a wry one, and he spread his hand. ”Nothing to worry about, my Lady. I thought it might be easier for you if we kept this small, and take any plans or decisions we make to the council later.”

”He was worried you’d be too nervous if there were too many people. I thought you’d be just fine,” Korra said, patting the seat next to her.

I smoothed my skirt as I sat, clasping my hands in my lap. ”Thank you, Bethiv. That was very kind of you.”

He bowed his head. ”I meant no offense. I just didn’t want you getting overwhelmed.”

”The decision’s already made,” and I happen to agree with it, Fyren said. He alone was standing, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. ”There’s no reason for you two to get bogged down in the details and logistics that will accompany such a massive invasion. We simply need to understand what it is you want to accomplish. Leave the how to us.”

Korra shrugged. ”Fine by me, I suppose. The fewer meetings, the better.”

”So, given the circumstances, might I presume that the time for the invasion is soon?” Bethiv asked.

”Yes,” I answered softly, absently caressing the hem of the slit over my outer thigh. ”I had a vision Luke was returning soon. Today, I think.”

I lifted my hand, giving it a small wave. ”Memory Projection.”

The three watched with interest as I shared my memories of the Infernal Council upon the foggy mountain ridges. Fyren’s expression darkened as it progressed, until his aura smoldered, causing my horns to itch and tail to curl around the chair leg.

”Those bastards,” he muttered when Luke departed, and the memory ended.

Bethiv nodded, his brow low. ”I was under the impression Incinderus was a member of this council. Was he not invited?”

Fyren shook his head. ”No, we heard not a word. This time might be excusable, given he’s attuned to Haven, but we were unaware there were so many new members.”

”They don’t look new, either,” The commander said, rubbing his chin. ”Which means they’ve been leaving you out for a long time.”

”At least they seemed to respect you,” Korra said, leaning back in her chair, resting her head against her hands. ”You seem like quite the big shot. Been holding out on us or something?”

”Is that why you didn’t attune with the realm?” I guessed.

Fyren glanced at us, and a flicker of irritation crossed his face. But he sighed, consciously soothing his aura.

”I thought you might have overlooked that,” He said, giving me a reproachful look, but he quickly swiveled to Korra. ”And to you, hero, that’s not important right now. Besides, I doubt they have any real idea of my purposes, anyway, so whatever respect they give me is granted purely by virtue of their own assumptions.”

”A lot of words to say very little,” Korra replied, though she sounded more amused than annoyed.

I took her hand, squeezing it. ”Korra...”

”What?” she turned to me. ”Aren’t you a little curious now?”

”Yes, but, um...it’s more important to me that he’s my friend than anything else. We should focus on the matter at hand, anyway.”

She let out a long sigh, but her lip curled, and she took her hand, ruffling my hair. ”When I said you should stand up for yourself a little more, I didn’t mean to me.”

”Hey!” I ducked my head, covering my horns with my hands.

”What, mess up your hair? I thought you didn’t care how you looked. Or, could it be...?” Her grin widened. ”Maybe you wanted to look a little nice for a certain someone?”

”Koraaaa, this is serious!” I protested.

Bethiv cleared his throat, drawing our attention. ”I believe the point has been made, Korra.”

She finally settled back, a smug look on her face, but it took minutes for my blush to fade.

”So, regarding the Infernal Horde, they seem intent on allying with us for now. But they’re also aware that we hold the cards,” Bethiv said.

”Indeed. But keep in mind that most of them either do not know of or do not care about the significance of this war. Whether they win or lose, they will see it as just one more of thousands of worlds they’ve fought on.”

”What implications might that have?” Bethiv asked.

”That they will be prideful and arrogant, even if it leads to their downfall. All immortals, but demons especially, look down on mortals. That the Apostle of Curses has managed to retain leadership for this long is nothing short of miraculous.”

”They need him,” I said.

”For now, but what of once he fulfills his vow of breaking the World Barrier? Once demons have spilled across the Southern Continent, will they still heed the commands of a mortal? Especially one as volatile and inexperienced as he?”

I bit my lip, my fingers curling into my skirt. I loved Luke, but I couldn’t refute it.

If I were a demon, would I even trust Luke? His decisions to spare so many kingdoms, even if it was at my request, must seem ridiculous. Not to mention keeping his hordes from claiming the shards in Sylvarus.

”The apostles were merely intended to be an experiment on the Demon Emperor’s behalf. They held power when the number of demon lords on Enusia was few, but every demon on that council was a demon lord, and as we march across the southern continent and lay waste to their armies and defenses, more will be summoned. With enough death and destruction, there might even be a ninth-level one that manages to descend,” Fyren continued.

”All the more reason that we secure Lady Nithalee’s aid,” Bethiv said. ”At least we wouldn’t be defenseless, then.”

”And Selena. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind fighting a battle or two if we needed her,” Korra said.

”Yes, though I’d rather it didn’t come to that,” Fyren said. ”Once enough mana for a ninth-level avatar has been accumulated, the one who comes will not be a weak one. Nor will they allow any but themselves to command the horde.”

”So our priority must be to minimize the damage so that doesn’t happen,” Bethiv said.

”My thoughts exactly,” Fyren agreed. ”It’s my suggestion we volunteer for the hardest, most brutal battles in the most populated cities. That way, we can control the collateral damage and prevent mass casualty events. Not only will that limit the accumulation of infernal mana, but it would also remind the other demon lords how valuable our alliance is.”

”Are we certain they’ll even view us as in an alliance?” I asked. ”They seemed surprised when Luke told them he hadn’t enslaved me. They thought I was his pet!”

The words came out a little bitter, but the others nodded, taking me seriously. For that, I was grateful.

”Demons rule by strength. Like when you first arrived in the Infernal Horde, following Brithlite, there will be many challenges. We must crush them ourselves, not just rely on the apostle to negotiate on our behalf. The right to stand as a demon’s equal must be taken, as violently as possible, at that.”

”Could you do it?” I asked.

He hesitated, then shook his head. ”No, they already believe me stronger, but I am not the head of the Fatesworn. It must be you, or one of your other allies. The wolf, perhaps. Or the ice demon, if you would like to prove the strength of the fledgling fate demons.”

”We can cross that bridge when we get to it,” Bethiv said. ”For now, let us discuss more of what might lie ahead. My Lady, if you would?”

We spent another hour viewing memories on the illusory projection, going over several of the most likely paths fate would have us tread. When, at last, Fyren and Bethiv were satisfied, I was exhausted, and my head spun with all the ideas and questions. Maybe Bethiv had been right, after all.

”Thank you, my Lady, that should be all. We’ll have more to plan and prepare for once we unite with the Infernal Horde and begin the invasion, but this gives us a good start,” Bethiv said.

”Oh, good,” I said, managing to suppress a yawn.

”Finally!” Korar said, jumping to her feet and stretching. She took my hand, pulling me to my feet with an overly zealous tug. ”Come on, we’ve been trapped here forever. Let’s go see if Luke’s here!”