The Forsaken Hero

As the duel came to an end, scattered applause broke out in the audience, accompanied by cheers of appreciation. I looked around, uncertainty coursing through me at the unfamiliar display of support. Selena approached, smiling broadly as she laid a hand on my shoulder.

"Thanks for humoring my selfish request," she said words tinged with amusement.

I couldn’t contain my curiosity any longer. "Why?" I blurted out, "Why did you need to spar?"

She turned, giving me a playful wink, but the soberness of her tone gave me pause. "Not me. You."

Those two simple words left me reeling, but I scarcely had time to process her words before the elf disappeared amongst the collapsing crowd. I felt a sudden rush of unease, afraid of being alone in such a crowd, and hastily chased after her. My steps faltered as she disappeared, lost in the mass of mages. At first, I assumed they were moving in to claim a space to practice, but they closed around me, hedging me in with a circle of unfamiliar smiles.

I backed aware nervously, eyes darting around for any sign of Selena, I was alone. My soul was at its limit, and I doubted whether I could even muster an Aegis spell, should the need arise. What did all these people want?

"Excuse me," a young man said, pushing his way to the front. I didn’t recognize him and felt taken aback by the excitement in his eyes. "Are you perhaps a hero?"

I stared blankly at him for some time, unable to process his question. "A hero?"

"Yeah, there can’t be another explanation!" An equally enthusiastic woman said, flicking a thick black braid over her shoulder. "You’re pretty powerful, right?"