The Forsaken Hero
Chapter 257: Alone in the Dark

Chapter 257: Alone in the Dark

I stumbled through the streets, my cloak drawn tight about me. Alverin’s illusion had gone, yet the sun still felt cold and distant, shadows seeming to reach out to me wherever I went. The streets hummed with hushed murmurs, everyone looking over their shoulders, casting their eyes suspiciously at the other passersbys. Patrols of heavily armored guards ranged everywhere, stopping people at random for rough interrogations, still searching for the perpetrators of the battle.

Every step was labored and unsteady, and I had to stop many times to rest. Because I had burned my soul, it would be a long time until my mana began to trickle back, leaving me drained and dry. The summer breeze dragged over my skin, hot and oppressive, stinging my exposed wounds, yet the chill refused to depart from my bones, wracking me with shivers.

Sari. They had taken Sari, and Ror too. The thought of their small, innocent lives bound by chains, forced to serve the monsters of the Circle, filled me with dread. What if they chose to experiment on them with the Soul Crest? Would the children believe they were supposed to be slaves? Would they beg for the whip, for the cruel touch of their masters?

I came to a stop, slipping into an alley and collapsing, my chest heaving. Tears spilled down my cheeks, washing away thin lines of blood and dust from my face. For a time, I was reminded of Aurle, who willingly chose to be tortured and raped in my place, yet another Foxkin I had failed. She had died because of me, because I wouldn’t...wouldn’t...

No, it wasn’t the same. I wasn’t the same as before. This time would be different. I was free and could use magic, Fable was there, and the Glory Chasers were just as eager to destroy the circle as I was. Alverin had given me the location of the circle’s headquarters here, and, for some strange reason, I found myself trusting him. He had been brutally honest about everything, even if I refused to believe it.

Once I’d caught my breath, I forced myself to stand once more. The Guild House wasn’t far now, just a few streets away, and I could rest, safe with my party.

I hesitated before stepping back into the flow of the city, glancing around. Finding the coast clear, I slipped back into the flow of the city, sustaining as fast a pace as my weakened legs could handle. Guards were everywhere, but, somehow, I made it to the guild house without being apprehended.

The common room was abuzz with commotion, filled with as much nervous energy as the city without. A few glanced up as I entered, but their attention waned as their eyes found the emblem of the Glory Chasers on my chest.

"Ah, welcome, Starlight," the receptionist said, calling me over. "Your party is in one of the private rooms, on the second story. They said they’d like to remain completely undisturbed, but if it’s you, you’re probably okay to go in."

"Thanks," I said, nodding.

As I made my way up the stairs, I took a short, nervous breath, and reached into my spatial ring, retrieving the wrapped box Mistress Bella had entrusted me. Alverin was wrong, and this proved it. Whatever trinket was inside here was extremely important to both Sorrin and Tana. How could they have sent me to get it if they didn’t trust me? First, I would give him the parcel, then we could talk about how to rescue Ror and Sari.

Easing open the door, my heart skipped a beat as I gazed into the room, at the Glory Chasers arrayed around a table. Sorrin and Tana were there, as were Dyson and Rasce, returned from Eastfall Village. It had been several weeks since we were last together, the sight of their familiar faces made my tail wave in excitement. They were tensed and focused, their eyes fasted on something lying on the table, so focused they didn’t even notice my presence. The moment I opened to mouth to greet them, Rase sighed and reached forward, lifting the object of their focus, a paper, into the air..

"Ten thousand gold," he said solemnly.

My heart skipped a beat as the image on the paper came into view, a great weight settling in my stomach. It was the same as the one in the alley, a wanted poster with my face on it.

Tana groaned, rubbing her temples. "That’s enough to buy an entire town! Why would they give so much for such a sweet, shy, fifteen-year-old girl? They wouldn’t even pay that much for killing a literal demon lord!"

"’Xiviyah, fallen hero,’" Dyson read before he looked up at the party once more. "If she was the Fate Hero, then the answer to that question is clear. That is," he said, hesitating, "if the rumors can be believed."

Rasce snorted and folded his arms, leaning back in his chair. "I don’t know that there’s much to be doubted. Wasn’t that city destroyed because of her? They said the death count was in the tens of thousands, and that’s not even mentioning the double gate incident, where Brithlite lost almost their whole army. Right now, the demons are ravaging the northern lands, threatening the capital itself because Brithlite lost the means to fight them off."

"No, I don’t believe it," Tana said, furiously shaking her head. "There’s no way Starlight would do something like that."

"I saw how easily she killed," Dyson muttered, a shadow crossing his face. "Even if we had no choice..."

"That’s different, they were slavers, the same kind of people who-"

Tana fell silent as Rasce stabbed his finger at the reward, listed just below my picture on the poster.

"I’ll repeat myself: Ten thousand gold. Do you truly believe they’d offer such a sum without reason? I’ve been saying this all along, and I’ll say it again now. Starlight is a danger, Tana. If she’s truly a fallen hero, it explains everything—her skills, her magic, even her wolf companion. Who knows what she’s capable of now that she’s on the mend? She’s already shown her treachery once; who’s to say she won’t unleash her magic against us next? For the sake of our group, and possibly the entire world, we must carefully consider our next move."

Tana’s but her trembling lip, her pointed ears twitching. Why wasn’t she saying anything? Hadn’t she said they had trusted me, that we were a party?

Alverin’s words echoed in my mind, haunting in their accuracy. He had been right all along. I had brought this upon myself through my own naivety and deceit. The realization cut deep—through my actions, I had betrayed those who might have cared for me.

Yet, even if I had revealed my true self, they never could have accepted me. My hands were red with blood, a black stain upon my soul. Perhaps Soltair’s rejection had been justified. Maybe submitting to Byron’s will would have been some small way to atone for those I killed.

At the very least, surrendering to Byron might have saved Aurle. She had loved me too, just like the Glory Seekers, but I...I...

Alverin was right. I wasn’t worth their love or their trust, deserving only the anguish of slavery and abandonment.

The wrapped parcel fell from my limp fingers, clattering loudly on the floor. The Glory Chasers froze, their eyes shifting to the doorway, where I stood trembling. Tears trickled down my cheeks unchecked, my eyes dark and dull, the glittering stars within dim and lonely.

"Starlight!" Tana gasped, her eyes shooting open. "Wait, it’s not what you-"

Unable to bear it any longer, I turned and fled, disappearing down the hallway. The many aches and pains afflicting my body were gone, eclipsed by the rising tide of grief. Behind me, chairs clattered to the floor as the members of the Glory Chasers leaped to their feet, and I instinctively threw a Static Aegis in the air behind me, sealing the doorway.

They could have shattered it with ease, but the sudden appearance of the barrier caught them off guard. The situation was such that violence wasn’t the first thing in their minds, allowing me to escape before the thought of breaking through ever occurred to them.

I tore into the street, any worry about being recognized tossed to the winds. I didn’t stop until my chest heaved and my legs trembled, finally giving out and leaving me panting in an alley. The noonday sun was bright overhead, but none of its warmth penetrated the narrow alley, leaving me alone with the cold, merciless shadows.

Casting a lifeless look around, I found I had wandered far from the bustling commerce and traffic, now lost in a desolate residential district that resembled more of a slum than a neighborhood.

Struggling to stand, to flee from the torment gnawing at my heart, I found my limbs unresponsive and heavy. It was all I could do to stumble to the alley wall and surrender to the torrent of tears, hugging my knees tightly while my tail curled limply about me. The soft rise of my sobs echoed hollowly through the deserted alley, but there was no one to hear. I was alone. Utterly lost and alone.

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