The Forsaken Hero

Tana tossed her hair over her shoulder, a smile on her lips. "The correct way? And what would you know about that?"

I ignored her skepticism and held out my hand. My staff appeared in a flash of stars, and she sat up, suddenly realizing I was serious.

"Starlight, what are you...?"

Without bothering to respond, I seized my mana and began to cast. Over the past few days, my mana had increased enough to cast roughly four first-circle spells-still far from enough for an array. But with the staff’s help, it should be enough.

The array I cast was the first of its kind, something I’d been working on before I was sold to Lord Byron. The large-scale battles in the Gate had been an unwelcome wake-up call to the nature of war, and the limited influence I could exert on an entire battlefield. So many soldiers had died before I could save them, something that haunted me the day.

"Life Mist," I whispered.

Two first-circle spells appeared in the air, both paused a moment before completion. Using my remaining mana, I bound them together, tightly interlocking the runes until they became one single spell. Although it technically had two magic circles, the multiplicative nature of the array possessed the power of a weak third-circle spell.

Tana’s eyes widened as the circles fully merged. Wisps of mist curled from the center of the spell, billowing out until they filled the hollow. The fog was cool and soothing, washing away the aches of the night and calming the constant ache of the Sunpurge. I closed my eyes, lost in the gentle, healing touch of the magic. The array combined Life Dew and Mist, using the conjured mist as a medium to disperse the Life Magic to a larger area. The concentration was low, meaning the array could do little more than heal scratches and bruises, but it was more a proof of concept than anything.

"Amazing," Tana whispered.