The Forsaken Hero

We dropped through the city with barely a whisper of noise, a silver shadow a streak of crimson hair. The streets were still packed with panicking civilians, split by the occasional armed patrol, so we kept on the roofs. I laid low on Fable’s back as we bounded over the evening skyline, urging him ever faster, and yet dreading that very thing. With the magical acceleration provided by Wind’s Speed, Fable practically flew over the rooftops. By the time we reached the outer districts of the city, my knuckles ached with how tightly I was griping his fur.

Barely a handful of minutes passed before we found ourselves on familiar streets, looking up at the Empty Nest Inn. This area of town was closest to the main gates and seemed almost abandoned. Every resident that wasn’t sheltering within their home had undoubtedly evacuated to elsewhere in the city. The few wide-eyed individuals we did see skirted around the infernal appearance of Fable before scurrying away without daring to look back.

I slid off of Fable’s back and landed gently on the ground, groaning as the motion upset the Sunpurge. I buried my face in his shoulder, my grip on his fur tightening, until the pain passed and I could stand. My soul had recovered a bit in our race through the city, but I remained unsteady on my feet, relying on my wolf for support.

The inn was deadly silent, but I was comforted by the slender line of mana that ran from my soul into the building, one of the threads of the Nexus. My tail twitched eagerly as I pushed through the door, but I froze stiff in the doorway as I found not one, but two heroes glance up at me.

"Xiviyah?" Korra’s mouth parted in surprise, and a guilty look flashed across her face. "What are you...I, um, weren’t you were supposed to get out of the city."

"You look...terrible," Grace said, eyeing me up and down.

I could only imagine what they must have seen. My long, crimson hair was dull and tangled, a few curls sticky with blood that oozed from a deep cut on my cheek. Dark scratches and bloody abrasions covered my body, especially around where my neck where the soldier’s gauntleted fingers had bruised and torn my skin. The sunpurge burned fiercely, its golden light giving me a particularly sallow, sickly look in the poor illumination of the inn.

A slight red darkened my cheeks as their eyes lingered on me a second longer, but then Korra smacked her on the arm, sharp enough to make me flinch. "And whose fault do you think that is?"

The Storm Hero only shrugged. "Eh, sorry about that. It looks like you managed to win though. Good job!"

I blinked, an uncertain twitch running down my tail, as she gave me a thumbs up and a cheery smile. Korra just rolled her eyes and rose to her feet, taking me by the hand and leading me to their table. I let myself be pulled along, still unsure of what was going on.

"Korra," I whispered, doing my best not to stare at Grace. "Isn’t she...you know...an enemy"