The Forsaken Hero

Dozens of auras exploded over the cliffs as enemy soldiers revealed themselves. Fire, sunlight, and a dozen other spells rained down on the Fatesworn, filling the air with the hiss and crackle of mana. Shouts rang out as my soldiers responded, throwing up hasty wards and ducking behind shields.

By the time the first spells detonated atop Fatesworn defenses, I had managed to summon my staff. When the second wave hit, my mana was in the air.

”Shining Aegis!”

The eighth-level dome took shape with a shimmer, and the air abruptly stilled. Light and explosions continued to flare across the sky, but they harmlessly rippled across the golden ward. Projectiles were reflected, striking the cliffs and sending cascading torrents of rubble and bodies tumbling onto the Aegis, piling across the fringes.

Bethiv’s shout cut through the tense silence. ”Find your ground, and hold it! Check for the wounded, but don’t leave the Oracle’s light!”

Fatesworn scattered for cover, hiding their movements from our attackers by the glare of their own magic. Several demons called for Gates, and I responded instinctively, and golden swirls appeared across the shattered valley. It had been less than five seconds since the ambush, but already, Fatesworn reinforcements poured through, glowing with wards and holding weapons at the ready.

”What’s happening? Where did they come from?” R’lissea asked, hovering beside me. The instant Verity had appeared, she’d summoned wings and her staff, summoning a half-dozen sixth-level elementals before I could so much as summon my staff.

”I don’t know. They were hiding with some sort of magic I’ve never seen before. It didn’t register on the Oracle of Eternity,” I said, scanning the cliffs in vain. Clouds of dust, debris, and flashes of light obscured everything beyond the Shining Aegis.

”Then how did you see them, Verity?”

”Foresight. I’m surprised you missed it, Xiviyah.”

I flushed slightly, my fingers curling around my staff. There was no excuse for it, but if I were being honest, I just wasn’t used to her power yet. If I weren’t actively concentrating, the shapes of every rock, soul, and tree all blended in a silver blur. If I didn’t ignore it all, it left me with a splitting headache.

”Lady Xiviyah, we’ve secured the perimeter. Nightwatch scouts on the outside have confirmed it’s a large-scale attack happening across the entire horde, not just us,” Bethiv said, landing beside us.

”They must have hid with Fate’s power,” I said, grateful for the distraction. ”But he doesn’t seem to be with them.”

”No, neither is the sun hero, just as the war hero predicted.”

”That’s good, right?” I asked.

”On the contrary,” Verity said, frowning grimly. ”From what I remember, the church planned to unleash a monster they had sealed beneath these peaks some thousand years ago. It’s a bit fuzzy, but Ronin agreed they were planning something big.”

”A monster? Like the Lava Dragons?”

”Likely. I’ve had the Nightwatch scouring the mountains since we heard about it, but they haven’t been able to find any sort of prison or seal. Either it doesn’t exist, or it was hidden so deeply no one should be able to find it,” Bethiv said.

I swallowed hard, a violent shudder running from my horns to the tip of my tail. Monsters were sealed only because no power at the time could kill them. The Divine Throne was in Radia with all of their power. They should have had at least as many resources as the Blacksand Empire. Just what kind of monster could they unleash? If it could defeat us, what would stop it from obliterating the entire continent?

Just then, a low, powerful hum filled the air, thrumming through the ground and into my bones. The vibration made every muscle in my body clench, and primal fear clawed at my chest. The feeling intensified as wisps of mana rose from the ground, manifesting from somewhere deep beneath the earth. The attacks from the cliffs ceased.

Bethiv didn’t wait to see what was happening. He barked orders, and the Fatesworn teams moved. They scaled the cliffs, half-climbing, half-flying, making use of the overhangs to preserve cover. Screams rang out as several demons crested the top, pouncing on enemy soldiers as they were attempting to retreat.

”Don’t let them escape,” Bethiv growled.

Korra, Gayron, and Grace appeared next, flying through the ward. I half-expected to see excited expressions, and I wasn’t disappointed.

”There’s something huge happening to the south. The whole mountain range is coming apart! I’ve never seen a monster so huge!”

”That’s because you were gone in Blacksand,” R’lissea muttered, shivering herself. ”You wouldn’t be so excited if you hadn’t.”

”Right, whatever. This is our chance to fight together finally,” Korra said, flying a circle around the elf and grabbing her hand. ”Just like we were always meant to! A full party of heroes.”

”And me,” Gayron said, folding his arms, staring at her.

”And Xiviyah’s not technically a hero anymore,” Grace said.

”And I’m a ghost,” added Verity.

Korra rolled her eyes. ”Whatever. It’s not like there’s anyone else who can fight. Come on, Xiv, you can see that, can’t you?”

I froze as everyone turned to me, my tail going rigid. Why was she looking at me? ”I, um...but that’s...”

The ground groaned again, heaving beneath Fable’s paws. He rode it easily, somehow keeping me from bucking off, but Fatesworn around us stumbled, the weaker ones thrown off their feet. A stream of soulspeak entered my mind from Borealis, giving me visuals of the entire region from miles above the earth. Cracks large enough to swallow cities snaked through the mountains, devouring entire peaks and valleys. Molten red issued from the depths, lighting the shadows from within. The epicenter of it all was miles to the south.

”Fyren?” I asked.

Our souls linked, and I could sense him somewhere in that general direction, fighting furiously. His response was tense.

”A team of inquisitors and an arbiter came after the apostles. They seem to be targeting the war hero, but haven’t yet caught on that; he’s hidden within your realm.”

He sent another stream of soulspeak, this one without words. I gasped as I recognized the unique energy signatures demons used to judge strength.

”Ninth-level? Two of them?”

”The inquisitor barely qualifies as such, but even so, has your apostle pushed hard. It will be difficult for him to disengage should you call him, unless you wish him to abandon the other apostles to certain death.”

”Can you protect him?”

Fyren communicated something akin to amusement. ”He’ll have to deal with things on his own, as will you. The demon lord of death and I have engaged the arbiter. Stay back from the fight and remain hidden. Don’t try to fight whatever the church just unleashed. Let it rampage for a bit, and we’ll tackle it together once the immediate threats are dealt with. Remember Blacksand.”

I let the link slip, twisting my staff in my hands. The others were still looking at me, waiting for an answer.

”There’s an arbiter, and a team of inquisitors fighting the apostles and demons,” I explained, my voice small.

Korra’s eyes lit up. ”So we have to fight it then, right?”

”We don’t even know what it is,” R’lissea protested.

”Bethiv?” I asked.

He paused mid-command, turning from his officers. ”My lady?”

A violent tremor broke between us, the groan escalating into a roar. The escaping mana thickened, taking on form visible to the naked eye. Earth Mana, just like the kind Levin used to wield.

”How close are we to Roann?”

He paused, his brow furrowing. ”Not far. We’re barely an hour from the plains of Roann. Maybe three until the city’s in sight.”

”Can you handle things here?”

”You’re not thinking of fighting the monster alone, are you?” He asked warily.

I glanced around, taking in the faces of my friends. Korra nodded enthusiastically, while Grace tossed her hair, attempting to hide the glitter in her eyes. R’lissea looked at me pleadingly, her lower lip trembling. I didn’t like that I felt closer to her than any of the others.

”I’m not alone,” I said quietly, returning my gaze to the commander. ”If that monster breaks free and heads to Roann, hundreds of thousands are going to die. Fate could probably stop it, but he won’t unless it threatens the Divine Throne itself. No monster that strong lacks intelligence, so that would never happen.”

”They know you’ll feel that way,” Bethiv said. ”They’re planning on it.”

”I know, but even if it’s a trap, I can’t do nothing. R’lissea, I’m sorr–”

”No, you’re right,” she said, holding her own staff a little tighter. ”But gods, this is just like Tormod’s Breach.”

”No, not this time,” Verity said, flashing a smile. ”They only set that up because of me. I’m on your side now.”

”Then we’re decided? Even if it’s something like the lava dragons?” I asked, meeting everyone’s gaze.

No one wavered. All nods.

”Then, Korra, you get your wish. We’ll face this together.”