The Forsaken Hero

The earthen dome trembled. Chunks of rubble the size of houses fell from the lower layers, flattening buildings and people indiscriminately. A moment later, a scathing pillar of light drilled through the stone, evaporating nearly half the city. It lingered for several seconds, burning itself into the eyes of all who witnessed its power, before finally fading.

I cringed as the accompanying shockwave of sun magic rolled over me. Adaptive Resistance protected me from any actual damage, but the Sunpurge throbbed painfully, remembering the moment it had been seared into my flesh. I hadn’t managed to turn away in time, either, and spent the next few seconds blinking away blindness, as though I’d just been staring at the sun.

The demonkin’s translucent form could be seen standing amid the scorched rubble. She looked up, a faint smile playing across her lips, and waved her staff. Eight magic circles rotated into existence around her. It seemed that even she couldn’t Soul Cast something that powerful.

But that didn’t make it any less intimidating. A single mote of concentrated mana gathered in front of her staff, condensing until that single point contained the energy of a miniature sun. The entire world seemed to grow darker and less colorful, appearing as little more than a pale shadow before the magnificent glory of the sphere. The entire world plunged into unsettling silence, the calm before the storm.

Soltair alone moved, launching himself through the gaping hole in the dome created by his Solar Flare. But even as he began to unleash a magical technique, the Demonkin released her spell, and everything turned white. A low, deep thrum reverberated through the air, traveling just behind the blinding wave of light. A thin sliver of energy lanced forward like a laser, moving so quickly it vanished before my eyes had time to register its existence. Soltair tried to avoid it, but even his eight-level strength and speed fell short. His protective aura shattered instantly, and he opened his mouth in a soundless scream. The beam seemed to pierce through him, clearing the sky of clouds and disappearing over the horizon.

The entire world was silent save the ringing in my ears. The force of the ray threw Soltair over the river, sending him plummeting to the earth glowing and trailing smoke like a comet. His soul still burned, if faintly, meaning he was alive. I should have felt disappointed, he was an enemy now, but some part of me was relieved. I tried to push the thought away, but it persisted. If Soltair were to find me, he wouldn’t hesitate to enslave me again. But even though I knew it was fake, I couldn’t forget his warm, noble smile or strong hands, comforting me through many a long night.

"Pity, I was expecting at least a decent challenge," a voice beside me said. "Looks like I won’t even need the Starfall."

I turned, finding the translucent girl standing beside me. She rested on her staff, her tail swishing side to side, mirroring the dissatisfaction in her expression. I turned back up to the sky, where another girl, identical to the one before me, hovered. Levin, the Earth Hero, seemed to be the only one of three in good condition, and was doing his best to keep her busy until the other heroes recovered. His style focused on defense, which made him ideal for the task, but it was clear the demonkin was merely toying with him.

"How...?" I asked, looking between the two doppelgangers. At first glance, it was similar to what the Apostle of the Descent did in the Ice Gate. But neither of them was an illusion. They both had their own soul! No, that wasn’t it either. It was more like they shared a soul, as if she were in two places at once.

"A rather neat trick, but not one you should concern yourself over," she said lightly, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "At the very least, it’ll give us a chance to talk. Have you decided what you want?"

"I don’t understand," I said softly. "What I want?" When had that ever been a factor before?