The Forsaken Hero
Chapter 336: Between Memories

Chapter 336: Between Memories

A distant pulse of warmth washed over me, driving deep into the lethargy of my soul. It came again a second later, calling gently from the darkness, and my consciousness resurfaced. Had I died?

I came to surrounded by darkness, drifting through the utter blackness of fate. It took a moment before I realized I hadn’t actually died and was drifting in the darkness that proceeded a vision. My soul continued to pulse, feeling far away and distant, as was my body. Even if I wanted to, I lacked the strength to will the vision to end and awaken.

Slowly, the events of the battle came back to me. They flickered like holographic screens around me, portraying the scenes from various perspectives. The battle within the keep, the moment we found Korra, the arrival of the Ice Spirit, and finally the moment I shattered Levin’s soul. It wasn’t a vision, not exactly, more like an attempt for my mind to make sense of it all. There were so many things I hadn’t allowed myself to dwell on during the battle, beginning with what I had done to Levin.

Unfortunately, fate had no intention of letting me work through that in peace. Before I had even arrived at the climax of the battle, my memories scattered into stars before weaving back together into the familiar tapestry of a vision. I pushed my doubt and guilt away, focusing on the scene before me. I was exhausted and utterly spent, and fate must have known that. If it needed to show me something this badly, there was a reason for it.

I found myself in familiar halls, though not the Divine Throne or Brithlite Castle that I expected. My soul shuddered as I recognized the room, as well as the occupants. This wasn’t a scene of the future but of the past. A past mired in darkness and anguish, one I had done everything in my power to bury so deeply it would never surface.

Before me was the basement slave chambers of the City Lord’s Mansion in High Valley City. A large, spacious room lined with cages filled with slaves. Two of them caught my eye immediately, resting so close that the slaves within were barely a whisper away. One of them, a small, red-haired demonkin, sat with her back to the wall with her arms wrapped around her knees, and her tail curled limply around her ankles. She stared duly at the ground, eyes devoid of all feeling. That changed when the other slave reached through the bars and nudged her shoulder. A light entered her starry, golden eyes, and her face brightened, as the other spoke.

"Hey, Starlight, want to partner with me today?"

The voice was warm and kind but brought me no comfort. Instead, my soul shuddered with dread, and I tried immediately to end the vision. I was too weak, however, to gain any control over my ability, and resigned to watching the scene play out.

It was Aurle in the other cage, a beautiful, brown-haired foxkin. Her reddish ears and tail shone in the flickering light, beautifully brushed and tenderly cared for, in stark contrast to the disheveled appearance of myself in the cage. Yet that didn’t stop her from reaching out, asking again and smiling as I nodded, accepting her offer.

With mounting dread, I watched as the two dressed in their maid uniforms and began their daily duties. Both Aurle and I were scarred and beaten, having suffered months of torture at the hand of Lord Byron. I was in far worse shape, having been whipped senseless several times a week. She had just gotten back from spending a night with Lord Byron in my stead, this suffered from the bruises and afflictions of his attention. She’d never spoken of those moments, or how much it hurt when he raped her, but looking back, the pain was obvious in her eyes.

Yet she never once murmured or complained, instead taking the time to soothe my own pain and fears. Her hope didn’t flicker even as the vision continued and Lord Byron appeared and attempted to persuade me to surrender. I would have done it too, had Aurle not been there. I should have done it. Then maybe, she wouldn’t have...

The moment he stole Aurle to his chambers, the vision shifted forward to the next morning. The me in the vision yawned and stretched, opening her eyes to the sound of Lord Byron entering the room. He dragged Aurle by her neck and tossed her onto the floor for all to see. She was bloody and naked, heavily bruised, and had one of her eras torn off. Her beauty had turned ashen, her eyes dull and lifeless. I fought with everything I had to turn away and break the vision, but fate urged me on, forcing me to witness the cruel reality of the past.

Aurle....How could I possibly have forgotten? How could I have forgotten what he did to her? I’d always remembered her name and face, and what Lord Byron had done to her, but to see it fresh again, to be forced to relive the pain...it was unbearable. He had raped and murdered her because of me. It was my fault she had died. If only I had–

The vision faded to black, but Aurle’s voice echoed in the darkness. Another memory of something she had told me that fateful day. "It’s not your fault," she had said without hesitating. "None of it is. It’s Lord Byron. He’s the one who hurts us, who..."

She’d never gotten the chance to finish that sentence. I’d waited for her, just like she’d asked me, yet I’d never gotten to see her smile again. Lord Byron had killed her. But why was I forced to relive this? And why did it hurt so much?

I flashed awake, sitting up with a sharp gasp. The vision lingered in my mind, overlapping the stark white canvas above me. It took me a moment to realize I was in a tent, and that my entire body ached. No, not just ached, but burned. The fire emanated from my shoulder and side, where the inquisitor’s spear had cut to the bone. I had the thought to cry, but the hot tears on my face revealed I had already been doing so.

As I opened my mouth to scream, a cold, soothing hand came upon my cheek. I blinked away the tears and looked up into warm, worried eyes, and allowed Korra to ease me back to the bed.

"Shhh, it’s alright. Take it easy for now," she murmured gently, smoothing a strand of hair away from my face. "I’m right here."

With her encouragement, I took several deep breaths. Slowly, my heart rate dropped and the throbbing pain of the Sunpurge faded. Korra held me tight and crooned softly in my ear, tenderly stroking my hair until I managed to catch my breath and open my eyes. Upon seeing I had calmed, she tried to pull away, but I clung to her as tightly as I could, unable to let her go.

"Alright, I get it," she chuckled, smiling wryly. "I’ll stay a little bit. But the healer said you need to rest. You’re wounds aren’t healing very well, and if we’re not careful, the Sunpurge might continue to spread."

"Korra," I whispered, gripping her hand tightly, "I...I wanted to be the one this time...to hold you."

She giggled softly and rolled her eyes. I shivered as her hand stroked my head, rubbing up against the base of my horns. Her warm touch sent a flurry of tingles throughout my body, and I found myself leaning into her, yearning for more. My tail flicked back and forth contentedly, and for a moment, I was able to forget the pain and anguish.

Only after a minute passed did I finally loosen my hold, but she didn’t back off, continuing to stroke me lovingly. "Better?" she asked.

I nodded, blushing as I realized how childish I must seem. She had just been through her own harrowing experience, and yet here I was, soaking in her sympathy. It was the same as Aurle, who hid her own pain to comfort me.

"Don’t," Korra said, suddenly stern. "I know that look. You’re about to say something really dumb, aren’t you."

"N-no!" I squeaked, burying my face against her chest. First Aurle, then Tana, and now Korra. How did they always know what I was thinking? Was it my tail? I shot it a glare, mortified to find it twitching in embarrassment.

Korra chuckled, by her smile faded a moment later, and she sighed heavily. "Xiviyah, there’s something we have to talk about. I wanted to wait until you were well, but I don’t think I can wait any longer. Levin is dead."

The tip of my tail froze mid-twitch, a shock running through my entire system. My heart dropped in my chest, a solemn weight on my shoulders. "D-dead?" I whispered. "But I...I didn’t..."

She nodded in response, her hand falling still in my hair. "I’ve pieced together most of what happened when I was poisoned, but no one seems to know what happened between the two of you. There was an innkeeper who claimed he was staying at her inn, but she only knows you visited him, and then you met again after the fight started."

The shock overwhelmed even my renewed grief at Aurle’s death, not to mention my relief that Korra was well. Levin was dead? But how? He should have been like the Apostle of Fire and just been knocked unconscious. Why was he dead?