The Forsaken Hero

Following the battle against the demons, both Korra and I were completely exhausted. She still bore many wounds, but she suppressed the pain with a smile, refusing to let me push myself to heal her. And so, we remained on the ground outside the village, resting and discussing the upcoming war and appearance of the Apostle. Though my retelling was scattered, I shared the things I’d heard and seen in my various visions and from Fate.

Perhaps an hour later, I was feeling well enough to summon my staff, but when I tried to cast a Life spell, searing pain exploded in my soul. The staff fell from my hands, vanishing in a cloud of stars, and I collapsed against Fable, clutching my chest and sobbing. Whatever I’d done, whatever that strange ability had been, pushed me well past my limits, tearing open the wounds that had begun to heal. Fable’s soothing power helped, as did Korra’s comforting presence, but by the time I managed to sit up again, the villagers had ventured out of their makeshift fort. There was the low murmur of Erik’s voice and Korra’s response, then everything faded away as I slipped into exhausted sleep once more.

For hours, I tossed and turned, haunted by scattered dreams of the past, present, and future. They would fall upon without warning, dark, intense flashes of blood, demons, and death. The moment a vision began to fade, another took its place, an endless parade of future wars and past tortures. In one moment, I thought I heard Fate calling to me, the next the inquisitor’s irons seared across my flesh. Once, I awoke sobbing, Aurle’s name on my lips, but a gentle hand was quick to answer, soothing me back to sleep. Beneath it all, my soul ached and trembled, a bitter reminder that our victory came at a cost.

When I could bear no more, the flood of scenes finally slowed to a trickle. A final vision flickered through my mind, a brief glimpse of an unfamiliar throne room. A man lounged on the throne, a slender girl in his lip. The scene was blurry preventing me from discerning any details, but their lips were pressed together in a passionate kiss. His hand rose to stroke her head, his fingers trailing through the long, glimmer strands of golden hair that pooled around her shoulders like a waterfall. Before I could discern any sort of details or meaning, the scene evaporated.

I plunged into darkness, falling for what felt like forever before the feeling inverted, and I found myself rising out of sleep. My body was heavy and weak, but the constant pain had faded to a dull throbbing. Uncomfortable, but manageable.

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, my hands came away wet, stained with tears. Why had I been crying? That last vision hadn’t been sad, had it? I stared at the moisture glistening on my fingers for a moment, then down at my clothes. I was dressed in a soft, cotton dress that was snug around the waist but a little loose around my arms and chest. Simply sitting up had caused it to rub against the Sunpurge, sending an uncomfortable tingle through my veins. Just how long had it been since I’d worn something with proper shoulders?

Pushing the thought away, I looked around the room where I’d slept. It was tight and homely, sparsely furnished, and with a single, shuddered window. A small fireplace on the wall opposite my bed blazed brightly, releasing waves of heat into the room. The flames practically overflowed the mantle, the fire built up as large as physically possible given the limited size of the hearth.

Shifting to the side of the bed, I lowered my feet to the floor and let the sheets fall off my body, pooling about my legs. A cool draft whispered across my skin, and, despite the roaring fire, I shivered. Moving purely by instinct, I tried to settle back, only to pause as Fable’s welcoming warmth failed to materialize. Catching myself, I rubbed a horn and blushed slightly. Perhaps there was a reason I never slept in a bed anymore.

I found my spatial ring on the nightstand, and, setting myself against the cold, I stood and slipped the poorly fitted cotton dress off. A soft sigh of relief escaped my lips as the pressure of the garment left the Sunpurge. The cold air caressed my bare skin, raising goosebumps across my arms, and I quickly donned a more comfortable off-shoulder dress. Loosely folding the cotton one, I left it on the bed and stepped over to the window. Parting the curtain, I was able to confirm my suspicions, finding myself looking out into a scarred village.