The Forsaken Hero

No soldiers or guards were in the courtyard; those had long been slain in the fierce fighting. The Last Light Company now surged into the inner districts, engaging the Church’s forces and keeping them off our backs. While I would have preferred to wait for Bethiv to clear the remnants of the enemy from the inner districts before venturing into the palace and whatever traps Alverin had prepared, there was no time. It had to be now.

With that urgent thought spurring us on, we hurried towards the main gates. But just as we arrived, two overwhelming presences swept over the city from opposite directions, their power dwarfing every soldier, mage, hero, and apostle.

From the west came a suffocating wave of darkness, a thick, oily presence that sent shivers down my spine and made the phantom pain of the slave crest flare on my chest. And from the east came the brilliant light of the sun, a beacon of purity amidst the encroaching shadows. Yet that radiant power also triggered a deep unease within me, a primal fear that made my chest ache.

"Hurry," I urged, my voice barely a whisper, the grip of fear tightening around my heart.

Kahlen sent one of his swords flying forward, slicing through the palace gates and breaching its defenses. We rushed inside, but the halls and rooms were eerily empty. Not a servant, soldier, or mage was in sight. The entire palace felt desolate and abandoned.

"No," I breathed, my hands clenching into fists. "It can’t... it can’t be."

My heart sank as we neared the throne room. Still nothing. Had all our efforts been in vain? Everything we’d endured, the pain, the suffering, the countless innocent lives lost... had Alverin simply left?

The sunpurge flared on my shoulder, spreading further, a cruel reminder of my dwindling time. It couldn’t be true. He had to be here.

But the reality before us was undeniable. Tears welled up in my eyes, and my steps faltered, my tail drooping in defeat. We’d lost. Elise was gone.