The Forsaken Hero

The buildings and people of Blue Rock City passed us by in a blur of sights and sounds. I clung to Orion’s side, eyes shifting nervously from alley to alley, my chest tight with trepidation. There was nothing familiar to find, no small comfort in this city of noise and confusion.

At long last, Joel came to a stop before a large, three-story building. The sign above the wide, double doors was unintelligible to me, but it seemed to be some kind of inn. He gestured toward it and spoke a few words, frowning as I shook my head. His tone became increasingly agitated and his voice grew sharp, sending an anxious shudder down my tail. I shrunk behind Orion, heart pounding, desperate to hide from the lieutenant’s anger. Just what did he want from me?

At last, Orion held up his hand, cutting Joel off mid-sentence. I breathed a sigh of relief, but stiffened again as he laid a hand on my shoulder and gave me what must have been meant as a comforting smile. To me, it came off shallow and empty, his gesture toward the inn a death sentence. They wanted me to go inside? But...alone?

Clinging to his arm, I shook my head, body trembling. I couldn’t do it. Not alone, not without being able to understand anything. We had to go back and find Fable first. I tried to explain it, using words as well as gesturing with my hands, but he just looked at me blankly. Shaking his head, Orion pulled free of my grasp and nudged me toward the door, nodding encouragingly.

I stumbled forward a step, unsteady and on shaky legs, staring at the door in terror. I could call Fable here if I just summoned my staff. Even if it caused a disturbance, at least I could–

The world dimmed, sight and sound falling away, as a gentle pulse of mana stirred my soul, soothing the anxiety that threatened to consume me. It bubbled up like a spring, overflowing and stilling the tremors that rocked my body, a breath of air amid the suffocating tension.

Exhaling slowly, I embraced my soul and allowed my mana to fill me. Another pulse came, and then another, bringing peace to my heart. And with the peace came a bit of rationale. The soldiers knew I couldn’t understand anyone, yet they didn’t see a problem pushing me forward, alone. It could be a trap, a crafty plan meant to utilize my confusion to manipulate or trap me, but the odds of that were low. I sensed no malice in their actions, their anger justified by their frustration and inability to communicate with me.

Slowly, the soothing waves of mana took purpose, urging me onward into the inn. It was the same gentle tug that led me out of Lord Byron’s mansion those many months ago. Since then, it nudged me along every step of my journey, subconsciously guiding me to the paths I needed. Without it, I never would been able to control my vision and bring Korra this far, or taken the step to trust Fable in the woods.

Fate needed me to move forward, to take this small step into the unknown.