The Forsaken Hero
Chapter 278: Secrets

Chapter 278: Secrets

We remained in the meadow for some time, slowly catching up. She was eager to hear my story, keeping me on the defensive for almost an hour before letting me take a breath. After hearing of the wedding, she clapped her hands together, eyes lighting up.

"Do you think she’d let me come?"

I thought about it for a second, rubbing my horn. "Probably. She did say that if inquisitors were going to attack, she’d make them sit patiently until it ended."

Korra laughed, a bell-like sound I never tired of hearing. "I find myself like this Tana more and more. I might just take her up on that."

After the longest time, I gathered enough courage to look at her blood-stained cloak. "Korra...what happened to you? And why are you an inquisitor?"

The question cut through her levity like a dull knife, and her smile faded. After a deep breath, she flicked the hair out of her eyes and said, "It was the only way to find you. After that bastard stole you away, I spent days trying to find out where, but the church kept a tight lid on things. Anytime I asked, they’d just tell me it was for the good of the world, and I should focus on getting stronger and breaking through to eighth level."

"You tried to save me," I said suddenly, remembering the battle at the Divine Throne. "And nearly destroyed the Divine Throne. One time, I, um, accidentally killed a few priests in self-defense, and they...they...Weren’t there consequences for that?"

She shook her head, a shadow crossing her expression. "It was reported to the public as a training accident, and I never heard a word. The moment you were gone, the Pope and another ninth-level mage showed up, and that was it. Their auras were overwhelming, stronger than anything I’d felt before, and it was all I could do to remain standing. They kept us there for an hour, just shaking their heads in disappointment, before just leaving. The next day, craftsmen and mages showed up and began to repair the Divine Throne, and it was like nothing ever happened."

"Oh." The blatant disparity in treatment shouldn’t have surprised me, but it couldn’t stop my tail from drooping. The collateral damage must have been devastating, and yet they earned barely a slap on the wrist.

Clearing her throat, Korra forced a smile, squeezing my hand. "Anyway, after a few weeks, I talked with Grace. She’s a little...carefree, and just randomly suggested I quit being a hero to look for you. I’m not sure if she even meant it, but it really made me think. I loved spending time with the other heroes, but after what they did to you, I had trouble even looking them in the eyes. So," she said, taking a shallow breath, "I left. You should have seen the Pope’s face when I stalked into one of their meetings and threw down my staff. They tried to stop me, but I took my chances and disappeared. A day later...everything left."

"You were a priest," I said solemnly, understanding dawning in my eyes.

She nodded sadly. "I hadn’t even considered that before I left. All of my mana and power came from Water, and he saw my decision as a betrayal. Without his support, I quickly fell back to first level."

"That must have been devastating," I whispered. "I...know how you feel. I’m sorry."

"I don’t regret a thing. It was the perfect cover, giving me a chance to start over and progress through my own merit."

"Is that where your magical techniques come from? I’ve never heard of anything like them."

A faint red crept onto her cheeks, and Korra coughed lightly, scratching her cheek. "It’s an idea from my original world, a rather common trope in the stories there. I could have just started over as a mage, the base principles of magic are the same, after all, but figured no one would expect a squishy priestess to suddenly change class to monk. There’s nothing like that here in Enusia, but the games I played were fantasy genre, and seeing as this is a fantasy world..." her shoulders rose in a self-conscious shrug, "Somehow, it seems to have worked out."

I nodded slowly, pretending I understood at least something of what she was talking about. Noticing my tail twitching in confusion, her blush turned to a slight smile, and she changed the subject.

Regardless, I searched for a few months, traveling to every city and town I could find, asking if anyone had seen a red-haired demonkin. I even went to High Valley, but no one had even heard of you."

I nodded, suddenly grateful for the comforting grip of her hand. "He kept me close, in the dungeon or as a personal maid in his mansion. Most of the other slaves got a chance to get out into the town occasionally, but Aurle and I..."

"Aurle...?"

I bit my lip, staring down at my hands clenched in my lap. "W-what happened next?"

She looked at me for a long while, but as she saw the tears gathered in the corners of my eyes, she let out a breath. "Without any success, I turned to the only people who had a vested interest in finding you: the inquisitors. The official word was that you were dead, but there was a small faction among them that believed you not only survived the battle, but initiated it. If there was going to be anyone that found you, it would be them, so I infiltrated their ranks, taking a few months to become an initiate. Initiates require some sort of proof of their abilities to become a full-fledged inquisitor, so I managed to convince a relatively low-ranking inquisitor to accompany me on a quest to find you."

She nodded over on the other side of the clearing, where a middle-aged woman’s body lay, her corpse nearly torn in half by Fable’s fangs. "That was Leera, one of those idiots devoted to tracking you down and bringing you to justice. The Inquisitor’s network is vast, likely the best in the world, and given the nature of our cause and the backing of an official inquisitor, we had ample resources."

"But why come to Heartland?" I asked, unable to suppress my curiosity. "You were there before I even got to the city. What made you look out here?"

Korra glanced at me, her eyes twinkling with confusion. "You’re right, but how did you know that? I’m pretty sure we first met in front of the Glossy Sparrow. I wasn’t sure it was you at that point, but I’m quite certain you didn’t see me before then."

I clapped a hand over my mouth, eyes wide with fear. Korra’s steady gaze held mine, a flicker of concern replacing the previous warmth as she sensed my hesitation. My mind raced, spinning desperate possibilities. Deflect, lie, pretend confusion...every option felt like a trap, offering only the illusion of safety but leading back to the darkness I had tried so desperately to escape.

A cold shiver washed over me, like I had just fallen into icy water. I gasped, breathless, tears trickling down my cheeks. What was I doing? I had chosen to take Sorrin’s hand, and in doing so, leave the shadows behind. Yet here I was, hesitating on the cliff all over again, yearning for love and trust, yet terrified of offering my own.

My fear was fully justified, a rational decision, even. Of everyone I’d met in the Divine Throne, only the Pope claimed the ability to receive direct revelations from the gods. It had happened several times during my time in those sacred halls, but each was a great occasion, heralding some major decision that impacted the world. Perhaps there were others aside from the Pope, but if that were true, they were secrets fiercely protected, their names unknown in the world.

As for someone who received visions on their own power, not sent by any god? Such a thing was absent in even the wildest fairy tails. The gods couldn’t be enslaved or controlled, but a small, vulnerable girl? Which kingdom or power wouldn’t leap at the chance to claim such a power? Predicting any part of the future threatened the balance of the world, giving whoever wielded it an advantage above all overs. If it became known I could do this, the church’s current hunt would be tame in comparison. Every power and nation would sacrifice anything to possess me, to enslave me once more, to torture me until I gave them what they wanted. I would be a cold, emotionless tool, never again free to wander through a flowery meadow, denied even the mercy of death.

The weight of my secret pressed against my chest, suffocating. It was cold and lonely, more painful than even the throb of the Sunpurge, or ache of my shattered soul. I could run, hide, slip into the shadows and never be found. A life of darkness, or a single, glimmering chance. A hand reaching down from above. Slowly, my body trembling, I let out a shaky breath. Despite the fear in my heart, a small candle burned within, the hopeful flame of conviction.

"Korra," I whispered, my voice gaining strength with every word. "There’s something I have to tell you, but I don’t know if I can. I...I..."

Suddenly, she was there, her piercing green eyes mere inches from my own. My breath caught as she raised a hand, gently cupping my cheek. "You’re alright, Xiviyah. Just breath. Whatever it is, you can tell me. There’s nothing you can do or say that’ll push me away, or make me hate you."

I nodded, my tail twisting anxiously. "T-then please be patient with me. I’ve never told anyone this before, not even Soltair. The truth is, I can see things, Korra. Not just magic, or souls, but glimpses of fate. What is, or might come to pass. I’ve seen so many dreadful, terrible things, like the demons massacring towns, and horrible fates I just narrowly avoided. That’s how I knew there were inquisitors in the city, and that you were after me."

Korra was silent for a long time, biting her lower lip thoughtfully. After what felt like an eternity, she tugged a stray lock of hair, smoothing it behind her ear. "You can really see the future? Is something like that even possible?"

I nodded, gripping my hands tightly in my lap. Fear twisted my stomach into knots of apprehension, and I held my breath, anxiously waiting for her reaction. It was impossible she didn’t realize the ramifications of what I shared, of the danger I posed to her. Surely, she would–

She let out a breath, leaning back, the tension draining from her shoulders. "Well, I guess that makes sense, if you saw us coming. Anything else, or should we take this back to the village? I’m sure they’re starting to worry about you. We should probably let them know about the demon, too," she said with a glance at the shattered pile of blades.

Before I could even think to react, she stood and stretched, reaching toward the sun. I watched her, eyes wide, lips parted in shock. Letting out a satisfied moan, she let her arms fall back down, before offering me a hand.

"If you’re worried about others finding out...don’t be. I’ll kill anyone who dares touch you," she said matter-of-factly, so casually I almost nodded, only stiffening as I registered her words. Smiling brightly, she snagged my unresisting arms and effortlessly pulled me to my feet. "Come on, we can talk more later. Don’t you have some flowers to deliver?"