The Forsaken Hero

"...then the Archon swept me up in his arms and we took to the sky. His wings glowed with the light of the dawn, trailing across the sky like the rising sun. The land and sea below were endless stretches of darkness, occasionally broken by the scattered lights of a city. By the time the morning came, we were over the Southern Continent, the graceful towers of the Divine Throne approaching fast."

I fell silent, a shiver running down my tail as I recalled the terrifying journey across the world. The wind in my hair, the unfathomable height, and the absolute darkness that seemed to consume the world. If not for the strong arms and comforting words of the Archon, I never would have made it.

"That’s...incredible," Tana whispered, her eyes shining with delight. "To think it’s possible to fly that far in one night. What was he like?"

I blinked, startled from my memories by her question, and looked around at the faces of the Glory Chasers. I’d gotten so wrapped up in the story I’d completely forgotten they were there.

Blushing slightly, my tail stirring in embarrassment, I looked down at my lap. "He was kind, yet firm, and made it clear he was here to follow orders and fight the demons. He...protected me, too."

"Even though you were the Fate Hero?" Rasce asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who would dare threaten a hero?

I nodded, feeling a strange sense of peace as I thought of the angel. "The Fire Hero, for one. He, um...never mind. None of that matters now."

Tana frowned, but her eyes softened in understanding. "I can’t even imagine how difficult it must have been to go through all of those things. To think it was the demon who destroyed Western University. Those bastards at the church have a lot of explaining to do, trying to lie to everyone like that."

"What?" I looked up in surprise. "A demon? N-no, it was my fault. All my fault," I repeated, my voice falling to a whisper.