The Forsaken Hero

The wolf and I stared silently around us, eyes darting where corpses had lain just moments before. The monsters were huge, standing nearly ten feet tall and weighing hundreds of pounds. After the battle, they were inarguably dead, with many even lacking limbs required for locomotion. Their aura and blood had been real, meaning they weren’t illusions, so how was it possible they had vanished?

Driven by a spike of unease, I jumped to my feet and nearly fell as my weight fell upon my injured leg. The wolf rose quickly, pressing against my back and steadying me. Patting his head gratefully, I summoned my staff and stumbled over to where the nearest corpse had lain.

The ground and surrounding foliage were indented, as though something heavy had fallen there. A deep gouge in the dirt marked where the monster’s limp claw had penetrated the ground. The foul taint of its black blood lingered in the air but had vanished from the plants and surrounding area. Glancing around, it was true for all of the corpses. Aside from the destruction of the battle, there was no sign monsters had ever existed.

Just as I was about to give up looking, I caught sight of a faint wisp of shadow rising from a broken tree. I made my way over just in time to see the body of a monster break into misty shadows. It was a swift process, starting from the creature’s extremities and working its way in. Within seconds, only the heart remained, looking more like a black onyx stone than a once-living organ.

I jumped back, tail shivering anxiously, as it wobbled. A small magic circle appeared within, proving it the material to be translucent. The circle gathered mana for a second and the stone lifted off the ground, rising steadily into the air. Looking up, I found dozens of small points of light glittering beneath the stars, flying through the air eastward, in the direction of Heartland City.

Moving by instinct, I grabbed the stone before it passed out of reach. It fought my grasp, squirming like an insect, but I held on tightly. It was only a few inches wide, and cold to the touch, seeming to suck the heat and life from my body. For a brief moment, I caught a glimpse of writhing darkness and curse magic, but then the magic circle winked out, and the bitter chill faded.

The airborne stones, presumably from the other monsters, vanished into the night, leaving me holding an empty, black chunk of polished crystal. I stared at it for a moment before tucking it in my Spatial Ring. I would properly study it after I recovered more mana and could use the Eyes of Fate.

My eyes swept over the battlefield once more before I sighed, sagging against the wolf’s flank in exhaustion. The monsters were gone, with little remaining beyond crushed trees to prove they were ever there. They were obviously magical in origin, perhaps some sort of puppet or spawn, but even if I could communicate with the villagers, I doubted they’d believe me about the threat. All I’d be able to rely on was a dead black crystal and the word of a demonkin. Even in the most accepting, tolerant places, my kind were looked upon with great suspicion, our most solemn oath taken as little more than the transient breeze.

"You believe me, right?" I said, though more for my own sake than the wolf’s. I rubbed one of my horns, deep in thought, and scratched the wolf behind the ear. It hummed, closing its eyes blissfully, tail thumping heavily against the ground. I shook my head ruefully. How could such a powerful monster be so fearsome one moment, yet so simple and childish the next?

I ruffled its fur and looked deep into its eyes. Even standing, its head was level with mine. "I think I need a name for you. Have any ideas?"

I could always name it something simple, like "Silver" for its fur, or "Star" for the obvious motif, but that felt shallow. I’d already taken the name "Starlight," or I might have considered that seriously as well.