The Forsaken Hero
Chapter 144: Ash and Flame

Chapter 144: Ash and Flame

The world was filled with fire. Fire and ash.

I stood among the inferno, unable to discern a thing within the gouts of fire and vast plums of smoke. Sinister shadows danced between the sheets of flames, filling the air with mocking laughter.

"We come, child." The dark voice reverberated through my mind, raised to a blistering crescendo. "You shall be avenged."

I recognized the voice, even though it hadn’t haunted my dreams for nearly a year. The flames parted, revealing a demonic creature – black scales, serrated claws, and towering thirty feet tall. But the worst were its eyes, which blazed with infernal light. With a wave of its hand, the walls of fire exploded outward, unveiling a city in ruins.

Screams pierced the air as survivors, their bodies marked by severe burns, scattered amidst the wreckage. A dragon’s roar ripped through the city, and a blast of ice and fire consumed a nearby tower.

"Behold, your tormentors." The demon strode forward and picked up the lifeless corpse of a slender, golden-haired girl. The fires had ravaged half of her face, leaving her nearly unrecognizable, but the singed Titan uniform was unmistakable.

"Elise!" I cried, taking a step toward her.

Before my foot landed, the vision shattered into ribbons of light, fading away into utter darkness. I fell to my knees on the formless ground, hand reaching out as if to touch Elise’s vanished corpse. Tears welled up in my eyes and I withdrew my hand, pressing it to the bitter ache within my heart.

"Elise. No..."

A faint murmur pierced the darkness, beckoning to me. Fyren’s voice. I reached out and held to it, clutching it like a lifeline. The words were indistinguishable, yet I cried out in the void, begging for him to free me.

The next thing I knew, I was opening my eyes. Tears blurred my vision, but I blinked them away and made out the adventurer’s face floating above mine, concern etched across features.

"Fyren," I cried, throwing my arms around his neck. "Elise..."

He recoiled in surprise, but his strong hands soon slid onto my back, easing me back down. "Shh, it was just a nightmare," he soothed, "I’m sure she’s safe back in the city."

"But the dragon!"

"Hasn’t been seen in weeks," Soltair’s voice cut in. "I would know. I’ve been hunting it."

Suddenly conscious we weren’t alone, I sat up and looked around, blinking in the soft light of a thousand stars. I sat on a marble bench in a picturesque courtyard. Thick curls of vines wrapped around lifelike statues and fountains, whose waters glistened in the gathered starlight. A low wall surrounded the complex with a gate on each side.

My chest tightened as I slowly glanced over my shoulder. The gate behind us was open, revealing the shining lights of Western University perched on a nearby mountain. A shudder coursed through my body, and I tried to stand, but my legs collapsed beneath my weight. I fell into Fyren’s arms, who gently lowered me onto the bench once more.

"Take it easy," he murmured. "You’ve been asleep for a long time."

"Indeed," Slivera said, her face appearing before me. I flinched away as she bent over, peering into my eyes. "It’s amazing you survived at all, much less awake after a few days. I’ve never seen anyone survive an evolution after such a tentative breakthrough."

After several deep breaths, I finally managed to calm down. Soltair and Trithe stood nearby, hands clasped together and staring up at the vast sky of stars. But aside from Fyren and Slivera, we were alone.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"The Shrine of the Shard. I apologize for your confusion, but the month has passed. It is time for me to fulfill my promise to that old bastard," Slivera said.

Fyren snorted. "We could have at least waited for-"

"My time is not so cheap," Slivera cut in, shooting him a glare. "Now, come along," she told me, striding toward the shrine at the center of the courtyard.

Fyren muttered something under his breath and held out his hand. I took it, gingerly, and winced as he lifted me. My legs had stabilized, somewhat, but I leaned on his arm for support.

As we followed Slivera, I cast a final glance behind me, at the city on the mountain. By this time in the vision, it had begun to burn. Where was the dragon?"

The walls of the shrine revealed a marble spiral staircase, leading into the depths of the mountain below. The beckoning darkness sent a shiver down my tail, and I tightened my grip on Fyren’s arm. For an instant, I was surrounded by walls, buried alive a quarter mile beneath the surface.

Conscious of the others’ curious looks, I took a deep breath and allowed Fyren to lead me down. The stars were steep and narrow, rapidly plunging us below ground. Periodically, light crystals would appear, illuminating seamless walls and the next few stairs.

"A little dark in here," Trithe muttered, clinging to Soltair.

He raised his hand and summoned a Divine Star, flooding the staircase with light. His Sun Magic had grown considerably during our time at the Western University, reaching the peak of Seventh Level, yet I felt nothing, not the slightest twinge of discomfort bathed in the holy rays.

After descending several hundred feet, we emerged in a large cavern. As the passage down, it wasn’t natural, but carved from the bedrock. A Shard of Omniscience floated in the center of the room, as large as the one in the Divine Throne, but significantly smaller than the one in the archives. Its brilliant light filled the room, revealing images and runes that had been delicately carved into the walls, depicting great murals of adventure and progress. There were no exit passages aside from the staircase, but the colorful spinning wheels of mana cascading from the shard decreased my sense of claustrophobia.

"Lay a hand on the Shard, child," Slivera instructed.

Tentatively, I released Fyren and walked forward, raising my hand and laying it flat against the crystal. Warmth flowed through the glossy facet, filling my body with strength. The swirling sparks of mana coalesced on the surface above my fingers, forming a display.

Name: Xiviyah, Hero of Fate

Race: Demonkin

Status: Sun’s Divine Curse; Fate’s Blessing; Slave Contract: Sun Hero; Mark of the Inferno

Abilities: Mana: 9th; Affinity: Fate; Adaptive Resistance (4th): Sun: (7th), Curse (7th), Fire (7th), Ice (6th); Eyes of Fate (Awakened); Soul Casting (5th);

I scanned the information, my eyes growing wider with every word. Mark of the Inferno? Soul Casting? The cavern was silent for some time, long passed the time it took for everyone to read it.

"Well this is unexpected," Slivera finally said, rubbing a strand of graying hair between her fingers.

"Now I want to check," Soltair muttered. He strode forward and placed his hand beside mine, generating how own screen.

Name: Soltair, Hero of Sun

Race: Human

Status: Sun’s Blessing; Slave Contract: Fate Hero; Champion of Heroes

Abilities: Magic: Sun Mastery; Heroic Fortitude; Indomitable Will;

"Might as well." Trithe followed behind him.

Name: Trithe

Race: Human

Status: Hero’s Lover, Noble of Radia

Abilities: Mana: 8th; Affinity; Favored Protege

I glanced back at Fyren, half expecting him to walk forward, but he remained in the back, his arms calmly crossed behind his back.

It was my first time seeing both of their statuses, but they were about what I expected. Trithe’s status was a little confusing, as status was more than a title, but rather a tangible effect based on outside factors, like my curse. Abilities were more straightforward and intrinsically belonged to the person in question. But Hero’s Lover? What kind of condition was that? Did she get some sort of buff? Noble of Radia was simple, as the gods were known to show their favor to their nobles and royalty.

Soltair’s status the Champion of Heroes was likely a buff coming from his victory in the tournament, and being crowned the strongest hero. As for what it did...Shards of Omniscience were notorious for providing little to no explanation.

Speaking of statuses, I returned my gaze to my own. Mark of the Inferno. What the hell was that supposed to mean? I could understand the Shard categorizing my invention of Soul Casting as an ability, but how did I gain a status with no apparent cause or effect?

"So, it’s reached seventh-level after all." Slivera’s voice sent chills down my back. In my bewilderment, I’d completely forgotten the reason for this trip in the first place.

"I, um, It’s not-"

Before I could stammer out an excuse, the ground trembled. Violent quakes sent storms of dust raining upon our heads, nearly knocking me off my feet. Fyren was beside me in a flash, steadying me until the ground stilled.

"What was that?" Soltair asked, hand on his sword.

Slivera’s face morphed to one of shock, and then fear. Without a word, she cast a sixth-circle spell and vanished.

"Let’s go!" Soltair urged, rushing towards the stairs with Trithe.

They blurred, leaving Fyren and me behind. Fyren looked at me, and I reluctantly nodded. The next thing I knew, I was clinging to his neck, eyes squeezed tight, as he dashed up the stairs. Before I could think to breathe, we were free, rocketing into the air above the shrine. The sky glowed orange, and a thick haze of ash veiled the stars. Twisting my head, I cried out, grasping hollowly toward the city. A city of fire.

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