The Forsaken Hero

The Gate Core glittered like a drop of morning dew, glowing with inner light. Millions of strands of mana, unseen to any eyes but my own, leaped from it like twine, binding the very fabric of the gate together. I could feel it coursing through the miniature world, shoring up the dimensional walls and driving it toward Enusia. With the gate commander dead, the core was like the helm of a ship without its master, waiting for me to take its power for my own.

But I couldn’t, not directly at least, or the infernal taint would corrupt and break my fragile soul apart. That was where the elemental spirit came in. At my nod, it broke into snowflakes once more, collapsing like a pillar of shining salt. The miniature storm swirled around me like a personal typhoon, the spirit’s mana sheathing my soul like a cloak. I could feel it all pulsing with my heartbeat, the soul bond a thousand times more intimate and intense than Fable’s had ever been.

Well, that wasn’t entirely accurate. It reminded me of the first time I ever attempted to cure infernal corruption, before Fable and I had linked and he was just a regular wolf. The spirit’s memories blended in with my own. At first, there was just cold and darkness, split by occasional blips of light. The flash of souls, and commands, followed each blip, like shackles settling around my heart.

Was this what happened when a spirit was summoned? I knew little of summoning beyond the spells to do it, but before I could learn more, a new blip of light enveloped me, bringing a whirl of sensations that filled my soul with fire. Not the painful kind, but of life, and light, and joy. I caught glimpses of a frozen tundra like the one we now stood within, and thousands of souls, both infernal and Enusian. One of them was strong and beautiful, shining among the others like the sun among stars. Tears came to my eyes as I experienced the spirit’s overwhelming gratitude and loyalty to this soul, as deep and intense as any emotion I’d felt before.

All too soon, the incredible warmth faded, and I felt the spirit’s longing for that soul as deeply as if it were mine own. Several more memories followed, each of a short burst of warmth as they were called to help that soul. But the soul grew weaker each time, leaving me with a growing sorrow. Until, at last, the spirit found the soul.

Before that memory could be fully realized, it was gone, and the spirit’s soul pulled back until our identities blurred no longer. I sniffed and brushed away an errant tear, overwhelmed by the depth of the spirit’s experience. It had seemed so foreign and alien to me, and many times had I questioned its intentions, but I could do so no longer. It felt as much a part of me as Fable did, bound by faith and memory.

"Are you prepared?" I heard the spirit’s voice in my mind.

I took a deep breath, feeling for the ache of sunpurge. It was gone, leaving me free of pain for the first time since Bluerock City, when I climbed the stone monolith with Korra. The only reminder of the dreadful scars was the soft glow on my shoulder and side, the latter barely filtering through the fabric of my silk dress.

"Let’s begin," I said.

Its agreement echoed in my mind, prompting me to reach forward and grasp the floating Gate Core. The crystal was cold against my hand, but not uncomfortable. The moment it touched my skin, it was like a gate had opened, and mana flooded into my soul. It came as sharp and hard as a flash flood, breaking through my defenses like they were paper. My grip on the crystal tightened and my tail lashed as I braced myself, preparing for the torrent of pain I knew was coming.