The Forsaken Hero
Chapter 156: Flickering Flame

Chapter 156: Flickering Flame

Jolting at the sudden voice, I whirled around, only to see Elise’s radiant face beaming at me. "H-hi!" I squeaked, turning red. Had she seen me steal anything?

She laughed, slipping forward and entwining her arm through mine. "Come on, let’s got to the tower. I heard you’re going to be leaving soon."

Her touch sent tingles through my body, but I didn’t even consider pushing her away. Dragging me in her wake, Elise walked and talked cheerfully about her day, leading me to the library. On account of my lingering weakness, an effect of my time in the dungeon, we moved slowly, simply enjoying each other company’s. By the time we reached the tower, I was reluctant to part and clung to her as she tried to take her usual seat opposite me.

"So needy," she teased, a twinkle in her golden eyes.

My tail curled and I looked away, a bashful pink staining my cheeks, but I didn’t let go. Giggling softly, she relented and sat beside me. I knew I was being selfish, but even in our short time together, the gloom and fear circling my mind had diminished significantly. With the fear of our departure weighing on me, I yearned to bask in her light, as a sunflower turns to the sun.

Her smile faded as I sniffed, tears gathering in my eyes. Without hesitating, she wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close.

"It’s alright," she whispered, tenderly stroking my hair.

I collapsed into her, content with her ministrations. Her touch was far softer than Soltair’s, which practically oozed his pride and arrogance, bestowed on a girl he felt heroic protecting. But Elise was gentle, and tender, and I couldn’t help but shed a tear, my heart full.

Was this what it meant to have a friend? It wasn’t until this moment that I truly understood the difference. Soltair had preyed upon my inexperience and vulnerability, providing comfort when it stoked his heroic ego, but no further. A friend was someone who was always there, not simply when it conveniences them.

"Don’t go," I sobbed, not caring one bit that I was the one leaving.

Her shoulder rolled under me, a helpless shrug. "I wish I could go with you, but I would only slow you down. When you fought beside me in the duel, I finally realized the gap between us students and you heroes. To be honest, I think everyone at the school did. We go to classes, study, train, and fight duels with each other, but at the end of the day, we’re only small birds in a big sky. When the demon attacked, I couldn’t do anything. You were forced to give your soul to the demon and ended up shattering it to save me. If only I’d been stronger..."

Her hands tightened around me, almost painfully so, but I didn’t dare protest.

"I would do it again," I whispered, "if it meant saving your smile."

She was quiet for a time, and I closed my eyes, feeling the constant pulse of her heartbeat.

"I’m not worth that," she finally muttered. "You shouldn’t have to protect me. I-I want to protect you!"

"You already have. I don’t know where I’d be without you."

That was a lie. If she hadn’t been there the day I was freed, I had no doubts as to where I’d be. The darkness that had plagued my heart then made the feelings that drove me to take my own life look like a window’s shadow under the noonday sun. If she hadn’t healed me, and forced me to eat, I wouldn’t have lingered long. By the time Soltair felt like being a hero, it would have been too late.

She shook her head, eyes shining with resolve. "One day, I swear I’ll be strong. I remember all your spells and techniques, and I’m going to practice them until I can make you proud."

"You don’t ha-"

"No," she held up a hand, silencing me. "I won’t settle for anything less. You broke my curse and saved me. I want to make the most of it and show you it wasn’t an accident. If I couldn’t do this much, I wouldn’t be able to look you in the eyes again."

"Elise..." The soft scrape of my tail against the fabric caused her to glance at me, and I blushed.

She grinned and reached forward to brush a lingering tear from my cheek. "You’re too cute, sometimes. One day, I hope, I’m going to see you smile. I can’t even imagine how many boys are going to line up the instant you do."

My heart dropped a bit as I recalled a similar sentiment, many months ago. What was Selena doing now? Had she managed to escape the trouble with the inquisitors?

"Xiviyah? I’m sorry if that was too much, I was only teasing," Elise apologized quickly, gazing at me with concern. "Even if you don’t want to smile, please don’t frown."

"Sorry, it wasn’t that," I said. "I want you to be there too." If only because I couldn’t imagine a scenario it might happen otherwise.

She giggled, giving me a final squeeze before making a little space between us. "I’m glad, but that’s enough serious talk. I don’t want our final evening together to be just us crying. I had some questions about the fifth-circle Life Magic. Would you share some of your secrets with me?" she asked.

I nodded, somewhat reluctant as her warmth pulled away. "I don’t know how much help I’ll be, but I’ll do what I can."

"Awesome!" she procured a tome from her spatial ring, flipping open the crusty pages. "Now, about this part here. What do you..."

As she talked, I snuggled closer to her, peering over her shoulder at the book. "Oh, this section of the circle should feel like..."

It wasn’t until evening that we bid our final farewells. As she left the library tower, I looked down at the icon in my palm, which she’d slipped me during our final embrace. It was a student badge, portraying a fist, signifying House Titan.

I flipped it over, finding the back blank save for a single rune, etched into the flat metal by what appeared to be a concentrated beam of Sun Magic. My eyes widened as I recognized the carving as a common component in most Life Magic. Although there were no direct translations between normal language and magical runes, this one was commonly associated with a single concept: hope.

Humming softly, I returned to Soltair’s room with a swish in my tail. Although we’d only been parted for a few minutes, Elise, like Korra and Thron, was someone I eagerly awaited to see again. Only...my steps slowed as my circumstances returned to me. Would I ever see any of them again? Just what did the Arbiter, and by extension the gods, want from me? I assumed dismissal or execution, but the addition of the impending magic item confused the issue.

Deep in thought, I reached the door to Soltair’s room, only to be startled by voices from inside. With my demonkin hearing, I was able to make out the words through the thick oak door, a feat that would have been otherwise impossible.

"She should be getting back soon, right?" Soltair asked, his voice a mix between anxiety and expectation.

"Yeah. I asked some of the servants, and they said she usually returned to her old room by dark. If I were her, I’d be spending every minute possible taking advantage of my status and enjoying the town," Trithe said with a huff.

"Oh, she’s not like that. It’s probably a habit she picked up at the Divine Throne. You know about the slave curfew, right?"

"But that was almost a year ago! Can’t she just let it go? Then again, maybe it’s good practice for the future. Did they mention anything about that in the message?"

"No, but I hope it’s nothing too bad. Do you think she knows?"

"Probably. I don’t know when she figured it out, but she mentioned something about it to me once before, a long time ago."

"Then it’s for the best we’ve been trying to cheer her up. I was worried after the dungeon, but she perked right up after those sweets. At the very least, she should been in a better mood and avoided causing us any trouble."

"The easiest way to get a woman to smile," Trithe agreed, and then her voice lowered, "Or at least not frown. She always seems so dark and distant. Smiling’s probably too much to ask for her. Can’t she lighten up for once?"

"Yeah, it’s kind of getting old. Well, we just have to watch her until we get to the northern continent. It’ll be the first anniversary around that point, right? I bet they’ll invite us to the Divine Throne for another party, so we can drop her off then."

"Any idea what they have planned for her?"

I leaned forward, nearly pressing my ear against the door.

Soltair sighed, almost sadly. "Unfortunately, I know nothing more than you. They might even decide she’s no longer a threat and send her back out with us. But I decided yesterday, after we found her in the dungeon, I wouldn’t allow them to kill her, or send her anywhere that that might happen again. I’m sure they’ll give me that much."

"And if they don’t?" Trithe asked.

He was quiet for a time before he chuckled. "If a young, beautiful girl needs help, what’s a hero to do? I’ve already threatened them once, and although the circumstances have changed, I’m not opposed to doing it again. If push comes to shove, I’m confident in my ability to at least get her out alive. Once I break through to eighth level, not even their ninth-level monsters can stop me from doing much. Not unless they decide to get serious."

"As if that’ll happen," Trithe muttered. "That would flatten the entire kingdom. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that."

They moved on to other things, but I waited a few minutes to knock on the door. They let me in with bright smiles, politely inquiring about my day and asking if I needed anything. Shaking my head, I slipped past their masks and prepared for the night. My body was weak and tired, far from recovered following my ordeal, but I didn’t drift off immediately.

Perhaps, if I played on Soltair’s pride and sense of responsibility, I could survive this yet. I clenched my fist, feeling the cold ridges of a badge press into my palm. The times ahead would try to break me, of that, I had no doubt. But whether it was pain, anguish, or chains, I resolved to keep a single, flickering hope alive. Before I could die, there was a promise I must keep.

I would learn to smile.

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