The Forsaken Hero

The last rays of light faltered, cutting off one by one as the sun vanished behind the Solori Mountains. Fires burned across the peaks in lines of red that crept unevenly down the slopes. The occasional bloom of sun, lightning, or fire magic blossomed in the valleys, sending plumes of light reaching into the darkened sky. They faded slowly, leaving glittering starbursts to vanish in their wake.

Luke’s words, his promise, still echoed in my thoughts minutes after we’d fallen into silence. He had sealed them with a kiss, holding me tight until my head spun and my toes curled. That had seemed to take much of his strength, and now, I sat nestled in his lap, my legs tucked neatly across his thighs. His arm circled my waist, his fingers spanning across my hip in an almost possessive grip. His other hand rested on my knee, his thumb idly caressing my inner thigh. It was as intimate a touch as he’d ever dared, and even now, I could feel the tension in his chest. He was holding his breath, waiting for me to shiver or pull away.

I snuggled against him, letting my tail entwine with his.

Somewhere behind, I could feel Fable watching over us, and the Star Guard pacing nervously. Their watchful gaze made my face warm, but I had long since come to terms with the realities of my position. Besides, Luke and I were both drained, and our location was exposed beyond the defensive perimeter, vulnerable to any of Rash’alon’s remaining forces. It was only natural they worried, but demons were the farthest thing from my mind.

”Why are they still fighting?” I asked. My voice sounded unnaturally loud in the quiet, so I lowered it to a whisper. ”The demons, I mean. Isn’t he dead?”

”Yes, but Rash’alon was not alone. His evolved demons and supporters believe in his cause as much as he did. Perhaps they think that if they can complete his mission and break the Fatesworn, they might perform a sufficient sacrifice to summon him back.”

”And can they?”

He chuckled wryly, shaking his head. ”If they try, they’ll be disappointed. Last time, I thought killing Rash’alon was enough. My folly has caused us much anguish. This time, I did more than slay him.”

”What did you do?” I asked.

”I learned a lesson from the Life Hero. Is she well? I tasked your forces with recovering her, and I hope they were enough. I would like to thank her.”

”She’s in Haven, resting. She almost died,” I whispered.

”She protected you when I could not. Because of that sacrifice, I was able to triumph against Rash’alon. She proved that heroes have mastery over their domain, no matter what form it takes. Even the spells of her enemies were like putty in her hands. When the emperors forged the apostolic blessings, they did so to mirror and counter the power of heroes. Thus, by design, an apostle should always have dominance over a kindred hero. I found that advantage extends beyond mere mortals.”

”You stole his magic? But he used a sword, too, didn’t he?”

”Yes, and I’m afraid I still couldn’t compare to him. The remnants and Lord of Ash were one thing, but the last time I faced Rash’alon, I deeply underestimated just how much more skilled and experienced an immortal was. But that is beside the point. I never needed to cross blades with the demon. You see, demons are not like mortals. Mortals, even heroes, are perfectly neutral. Except for you,” he said, smiling at me. ”You’re a creature of fate with your own aura. But for most others, they merely wield an attribute. Demons are their attribute.”

I stared at him, lost in the endless swirling violets of his eyes. I knew all too well what it meant to hold an attribute. Haven, a realm of fate mana, was the only place I felt truly safe. Even Enusia, a neutral mortal world, felt coarse and rough. The one time I had been forced to enter a demon gate since my soul had begun to assimilate fate had been unbearable. Incinderus’s realm had been abrasive and constrictive, as if it were actively trying to erase me. From what I understood, it was that way with all demons. That’s why they descended in elemental gates despite marching under one mark in Enusia. It wasn’t just tribalism, but survival.

”You know that fate holds more power than mana. Just imagine it, an entire soul woven of curse mana. At one point, I would not have even noticed, but you’ve spoiled me, Xiv.” His hand moved up my thigh, rising to cup my cheek, tilting my head slightly. For a second, I hoped he would lean down and kiss me again, but he just smiled, caressing my cheek with his thumb. ”I see so much more now. The threads of fate hold much more power than any rune. An entire soul of the purest curse mana I have ever seen, and I only had to reach out and take it. R’lissea could take Hag’s spells. But for me? His mana was my mana. His soul subject to my every whim. It was almost too easy, too simple for all that he has made us endure.”

My blood chilled as what he said sank into me. Anyone else might have overlooked the implication of his words, or been blinded by their victory. But not me. I understood what he had just admitted, what that victory really meant. Twice, I had taken that victory myself. That he--anyone--could do the same was more terrifying than being left alone in Alex’s clutches.

”You destroyed him.”

Luke nodded. He didn’t even try to deny it.

”And Fate? Did you, um, break it?”

His brow furrowed slightly, then relaxed, and he smiled faintly. ”You did that? Is that what caused Haven to go dark, all those years ago?”

I nodded, my heart beating hard.

”Then you needn’t worry. Rash’alon was not tied to the fate of this world, as were the souls of those you tore apart. He is a demon, with the majority of his existence in an infernal realm. What we saw here was just an avatar. Maybe, if I had your power and mine, I could have reached through oblivion and touched his true form, but all I could manage was annihilating his presence here. It takes a tremendous amount of power to project an avatar through a sacrifice, as he did after we destroyed the one that descended through the demon gate.”

”I remember,” I whispered. ”It’s not the first time he’s come to Enusia that way.”

Luke smiled grimly. ”It will be the last. His main body’s soul was still injured from what you did at Western University. What I did today will cripple him forever.”

”Forever?” I gasped.

He hesitated, then shrugged. ”Okay, maybe that was a little much. Forever is a long time for an immortal. But I would be surprised if he manages to retain his strength as a demon lord beyond the year. It’s entirely possible I damaged him enough that he’ll be unable to stop his fall and return to a regular evolved demon, or maybe even a scion.”

”One can only dream,” I said.

As Luke continued to explain the details of his battle with the curse demon lord, the tension flowed from my body, and I relaxed into his care. Looking back, there was no real reason to worry. The atrocities I had committed against Levin and Gayron were of the same kind as what Luke had done, but the scale was the difference between heaven and earth. I had struck their immortal soul itself, as it was anchored in Enusia, something that was only possible because I held the literal divinity of fate.

”All that’s left of Rash’alon in this world is within me,” Luke said, moving his hand from me and cupping his palm.

A small wisp of curse mana flickered like a candle flame above his palm. I stared at it, fascinated. Though a simple manifestation, the mana was impossibly pure. I barely felt any of the taint I associated with curses. It just felt like Luke.

”I didn’t simply release his mana, as you did. I’m afraid I’m too selfish for that. Too...”

”Resourceful,” I finished, giggling as he let the light go, pinching my cheek.

”Okay, we’ll go with that. But regardless, it was much simpler than absorbing a shard. It came to me naturally, filtered through my aura. Again, I must thank you. Were it not for everything you’ve shown me was possible through your Resistance, all of this might have gone to waste.”

”So this is all my fault?”

He leaned down, kissing me. I blushed fiercely, looping my arms around his neck, kissing him back. He broke away, leaving me breathless.

”All of me is your fault, Xiv,” he said, his lips still so tantalizingly close.

”Not Alara?” I whispered, panting lightly.

I regretted it as soon as I said it, but he didn’t flinch, just nodded thoughtfully.

”Everything I was is because of her. But everything I am, I owe to you. Alara’s brother never could have retreated to save a small, little star.”

He kissed me again, as if I didn’t know he was talking about me. I giggled, my heart warming as his smile softened.

”Do you remember that conversation we had in Sylvarus? Or maybe it was on the Arboreal Plains of Blacksand?” He shook his head. ”I hope you’ll forgive me, but it seems like such a long time ago, I can’t remember.”

My smile faltered as I realized I couldn’t either, only that it had happened. Yet another piece of me I had sacrificed to bring Luke back from the edge of Oblivion. That he was suffering from the same was yet one more thing tying us together.

”Anyway, what I mean to say is that we promised to move forward together, even if we didn’t understand what ’together’ meant. Love was such a strange word back then. I’m not even sure I had considered that concept before you spoke it to me.”

”But...?”

”Well,” he said, giving me a small, shy smile. ”I don’t feel that way anymore. I know what love means now, so when I say it, please take me seriously.”

”Say what?”

I knew the words, but I had to hear them. I had to know they echoed the ones that I had found for myself. The ones that remained once all the warmth, the light, and the hugs had disappeared. I had been so afraid they wouldn’t be, that everything had been an illusion. But it wasn’t.

Luke kissed the top of my head. My lips moved without sound, forming the words as he spoke them. Making sure they were the same.

”I love you.”