The Forsaken Hero

Wisps of light settled around us, soaking into the ground as we fell under the shadow of the looming peaks. It seemed drawn to me, curling around my legs as if it could sense how uncomfortable it made me. I kicked a particularly aggressive thread of mana away, shivering as goosebumps broke out across my skin. The magic wasn’t particularly strong, nothing like the spells inquisitors or Soltair threw around, but it was so incredibly dense. I couldn’t even fathom how one could have compressed that much mana together, and yet kept it a fourth-circle spell. The explosion alone had seemed like something a fifth or sixth-circle spell would accomplish.

In the center of the blast zone, I was shocked to see the Star Guard. They turned as we approached, their expressions a mix of surprise and resignation. Luxxa stood at the forefront, her arms crossed over her gleaming armor. A shallow crater surrounded them, its edges smoldering, and the rocky ground was cracked from the heat.

They all noticed me and saluted, breaking into smiles, except Kahlen, who stared at his hands. Luxxa began to greet me, but I passed by her, running up to Kahlen. My tail lashed.

”What are you doing?” I cried. ”Are you hurt? What happened?”

The demon glanced at me, his mirror-like eyes glittering with reflected sunlight. ”Training, my Lady. As you commanded.”

”But...sun magic?” I faltered as I reached him, looking him over. Little wisps of smoke curled off his robes, but they were unsinged. I reached out, brushing his sleeve with a tentative hand. He was cool to the touch.

Realizing just how close I was, I quickly pulled back, flushing slightly. ”S-sorry. But you’re...cool. How?” I looked up at him, my brow furrowed. ”That spell had to be at least fourth level. Shouldn’t it have hurt you a little?”

”Fascinating, isn’t it?” A cool, feminine voice said.

I turned, my tail going stiff as Invica descended from the sky. The remnant settled gracefully beside me, her long hair flowing behind her. She smiled serenely, though her eyes gleamed with a hint of mischief.

”How was it?” she asked, turning to my Guard.

”My every instinct urged me to flee, but even in the worst of the storm, I felt nothing,” Kahlen replied.

Luxxa nodded. ”Sun magic isn’t normally effective against mortals, but it was the same for me.”

”Yep.” Jenna nodded, her fingers lacing behind her head as she leaned back, causing her curves to press against her low-cut dress. ”That’s fire, ice, storm, and now sun. Nothing seems to faze us here anymore!”

”What’s going on?” I asked, looking between them and the remnants.

Bethiv cleared his throat, touching his stubble. ”I ordered them too, my Lady. They’re the strongest amongst the Fatesworn, and the best suited to test this most recent, er, development.”

”Perhaps a more straightforward explanation would be of use,” Luxxa said. giving me a knowing smile. ”The truth is, my Lady, we seem to be acquiring a measure of resistance to magic while within Haven.”

”Or within your aura,” Jenna said.

R’lissea stepped forward, her expression thoughtful. ”I’ve noticed something similar, though I assumed that was just because some of it bled into your aura.”

”It’s truly fascinating,” Invika said. ”But it seems to be the case that it’s rubbed off on their souls. The demons, in particular, have gained a tremendous amount of affinity. The ones who have been by your side the longest, like dear Kahlen here–” The blade demon coughed, giving her a strange look, but she breezed by without noticing. ”–have acquired resistance to the second-level. From what we can tell, however, it gets dramatically stronger if they are within the stars of your aura, rising almost an entire level.”

”But what about you?” I asked, turning to the Star Guard.

”It’s more difficult to say, but it seems like they, too, are building up some sort of magic resistance. It’s most apparent in your aura, but negating even second-circle spells is unreliable,” she answered.

”I...don’t really know what to say,” I said, looking between them all. ”How is something like this possible? Is it related to my using Nexus on everyone so much?”

Invika shrugged. ”That’s the running theory. Luxxa mentioned that the entire Last Light Company experienced something incredible during one of your battles, when you drew directly on a shard while bound to their souls.”

”That’s how most of the veterans in the company advanced to fifth or sixth level. It reacted badly with a few of them, and they ended up crippled or weakened for a long time afterward,” Bethiv explained.

”Exactly. When I asked Fate, she said you had always been extraordinarily careless with your soul.”

”But that was a one-time thing!” I looked down and mumbled, ”I haven’t done it since.”

”But there’s one other thing that’s changed, isn’t there,” the remnant said more than asked. She stretched out her hand, running it through a current of starlight. It trailed in eddies between her translucent fingers, lighting up as it resonated with her very being. ”You’re familiar with auras, are you not?”

”Oh course,” I said, ”But my aura just connects people with fate.”

”Who decided that?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it again, my tail flicking slightly. Invika’s lip curved into a smile.

”Normal auras are vastly more consequential than simply opening one’s eyes to fate. Do you not recall the previous state of Haven? Its aura generated a storm that plunged half of the world into eternal winter. And that was when he was consciously restraining it. Mortal realms are defined by strict laws, magic, and boundaries. An aura is when an individual exerts such power and presence that they warp those rules just by existing.”

”I...don’t understand. What rules are you talking about?”

Invika let out a sigh, folding her arms beneath her ample bosom. ”Haven has its own rules from Enusia, no? For instance, Enusia has clearly defined rules for traversing space. They can be manipulated by powerful magic, but doing so exploits features already present. Haven, on the other hand, has a very different interpretation of space. One can move across the entire realm with the power of a single thought.”

”But I thought that was because Haven carried me...” I trailed off, my eyes widening slightly. ”Oh.”

She chuckled. ”Exactly. You still view the realm spirit as an actual being, not a personification of the realm. It doesn’t whisk you around as a mage teleports. The realm itself decides where you are. One moment, you can be here, and the other, at the top of the mountains. The laws are just different here.”

”So, you’re saying auras let one change the laws in the realm there in? But doesn’t that mean their laws are stronger than the realm? How could anyone have more power than an entire realm?”

”An aura manifesting is, in and of itself, proof that they’re stronger than the native laws, else they wouldn’t be able to overwrite them. But you’re wrong in assuming the individual is contesting the entire realm. They only influence the local area, the size of which depends on their strength. Imagine it like gaseous air in water. The air has no problem pushing the water out, but at some point, the pressure exerted by the air becomes less than the compressed weight of the water, and a bubble forms.”

”So...you think my bubble, er, my aura, is what’s causing the Fatesworn to become resistant to Magic?”

She thought for a moment, choosing her words carefully. ”They are receiving your Adaptive Resistance because of your aura, but that doesn’t mean your aura’s power is to grant Adaptive Resistance.”

”But that’s...” I shook my head. ”That doesn’t make any sense.”

She smiled faintly. ”Perhaps not, but your aura is fledgling right now. We won’t be able to figure out its full effects until you reach the ninth level. Until we can do more research, you’ll just have to be satisfied with this. But don’t worry. I’ll be keeping a close eye on it. I haven’t had a puzzle like this to play with for some time.”

”It’s not going to be dangerous for Xiv, is it?” R’lissea asked.

”It shouldn’t be. I’ve never heard of an aura reacting poorly with the soul creating it. But then again, it’s extremely rare for a mortal to develop one, much less one beneath the eighth level. Given how nothing bad has happened yet, you’re probably fine.”

Nothing bad? Tell that to all the innocents I dragged into my visions. Then again, most of them seemed rather excited about the deal. It just didn’t make sense to me, about as alien as Korra loving to fight.

”How come you’re the one finally telling us about auras?” Korra asked. ”Wouldn’t Fate have more answers? It is her divinity causing all this, right?”

”I’m sure she’d have some theories, but I happen to be the resident expert on auras,” Invika said, proudly laying a hand on her chest. ”Every mage needs focus for research, and Emlica already had fate magic theory and the library. Given I happened to develop an aura for both of the attributes I specialize in, it seemed only natural I pursue it throughout the eons.”

Korra blinked. ”Fate, and...?”

Invika let out a chuckle. ”Fate? Gods, no. As far as I know, which is pretty far, there’s not a single being aside from the goddess who has managed to develop an aura for fate. Fate is a power as rare as oblivion for the demons. Most live their entire immortal existences without truly witnessing it. My auras are for fire and time, though I’m afraid my current form isn’t powerful enough to manifest either. Even if it was, I couldn’t do so within Haven. A sentient realm spirit can effectively suppress the aura of any being that’s not literally a god, and with so many remnants with auras here, I doubt it would allow any of them to shine through.”

She clapped lightly, floating a few inches into the air. ”But I think I’ve said enough for now. Your commander looks about two seconds away from scolding me for stalling your little tour.”

Bethiv offered a wry smile. ”I’m afraid we’re rather tight on time, though I doubt I dare to scold my Lady.”

She smiled, giving him a wink. ”Oh, you needn’t call me my Lady. Since we’re so close, Invika will do.”

”Then Invika it is. Thank you for your research on the auras. I expect an update if it continues to develop within the Fatesworn,” he said. Then, turning to me, he led on with a wave. ”Come, there’s one last thing I must show you. Haven finally has its own skydocks.”