The Forsaken Hero
Chapter 352: Whispers of Dread

Chapter 352: Whispers of Dread

"Xiviyah, what is it? Please, wake up!"

I came out of the vision slowly, groggily opening my eyes to find Korra peering anxiously down at me. She held me tight in her arms, holding me close enough I could feel her rapidly palpating heart beating against my breast.

"I’m...alright," I groaned, rubbing a horn.

Visions were never easy, especially when I didn’t have a few hours of sleep to come out of it. This time especially though felt rough, perhaps because of the forced nature. The Oracle of Eternity proved yet again its differences from the Eyes of Fate. Instead of just warning me of incoming ripples in fate, it allowed me the chance to see them. With all of my practice controlling my visions, I could have stopped it had I really wanted to. Now, after witnessing the coming conflicts, I was grateful I hadn’t.

Korra smoothed a strand of crimson hair away from my face. "What happened? You just collapsed, and I...um, didn’t know what to do."

"Thanks," I whispered, looking up into her worried green eyes. "I’m alright now. Just need a second to catch my breath."

Gradually, my strength returned and I struggled to sit up. Korra’s hands were strong and firm, easing me back against the backrest of my chair. Nodding my thanks, I gently pushed her away, letting her return to her seat as I looked around the table. I’d missed most of their planning, but there were a few changes we were going to make.

"Orion, when did you say the demons were supposed to arrive?" I asked, looking at the two soldiers.

He shrugged. "Our scouts have been tailing them, but it’s difficult to get an accurate reading of the situation. The last I heard, Jackal was planning for their arrival at Bluegate in a little under a week."

"We don’t have that much time," I said slowly. If my vision was anything to go by, the demon army’s arrival was imminent. "There’s going to be a Demon Gate."

Korra’s gaze sharpened. "A Gate’s opening up? Did you see something?"

"Demon Gate?" Orion gasped, his mouth dropping in shock. "Here?"

Sensing our small meeting was about to devolve into chaos, I hesitantly raised my hand. Their eyes shifted to me, and I swallowed hard, already regretting the decision I had made. Korra’s stare bored into me, asking if I was sure, to which I felt like shaking my head. But I couldn’t, not now, so I nodded instead, and her expression softened. Her hand reached for mine beneath the table once more.

"I can, um, see the future," I mumbled. At their gasp, I quickly looked down at my lap. "P-please, don’t tell anyone. It’s...dangerous for me."

Joel raised an eyebrow, voice laden with doubt. "See the future? I know heroes wield great power, but to make such a claim...is it even possible?"

His skepticism was understandable, for it was a power that would shake the world and make all nations desire it. But there wasn’t time for it, not anymore.

"Joel, Orion, I’m telling the truth. It was by vision that I found you when Korra was hurt, and now I’ve received another one. A Demon Gate opened just inside the canyon, and the demon army isn’t far behind."

Their expressions darkened as I outlined the things present in my vision. At the mention of the Apostle of the Descent, both looked at me sharply, and I was forced to explain the existence of apostles to them. Again, I was reminded of just how ignorant the forces of Enusia were, how ill-equipped to face the demon invasion. Humanity possessed greater numbers and superior individuals, but their confidence often caused them to underestimate their infernal adversaries.

Once the picture was clear, Joel and Orion fell back into strategizing. The two were experienced veterans of many battles, and just listening to them made my head spin. Orion was one of the most senior members of the original Last Light Company, while Joel was a career military man. He’d fought for Brithlite since he was a lad, boasting more than thirty years of experience, most of that as a high-ranked officer. In the ranks of the Last Light Company, he only stood beneath Jackal and Commander Bethiv himself.

The thought caused me to frown, and I interrupted the two with a tentative cough. They both looked at me and waited patiently for me to gather my thoughts.

"Where is Commandeer Bethiv? Why isn’t he here with us?"

Joel’s eyes narrowed, his hands tightening into fists on the table. "That bastard king knows you’re coming for him and took a few security measures. The commander hasn’t left his side ever since they arrived here, reduced to his own personal servant and bodyguard. At first, I thought they finally resolved their differences and were working together against the greater threat, but after the king’s betrayal, I’m certain the truth is far darker."

"Then we have to save him too," Korra said. When I looked at her, surprised by her conviction, she returned a small smile. "He’s another one of your friends, isn’t he? It’s not like we can just abandon him. Besides, we’re going to save Sari already, so what’s one more?"

I nodded, my voice stolen by a sudden swell of emotion. Bethiv was my...friend? Could I really claim that of him?

Just thinking about it sent a warm tingle racing through my chest, and my tail started to flick back and forth. Resolve hardened in my gut, and I nodded. Bethiv was my friend, just like Jackal, or Orion.

Joel looked between us and gratitude flashed through his eyes before his face hardened. "It might not be so simple, unfortunately. Bethiv was at his side long before he used the crystal on us. I assume he has the same type of curse that the prince and his fiancée have."

I nodded slowly, then my face paled, a ball of dread settling in my stomach. "His fiancée?"

He nodded, studying the map casually. "Yeah, some princess called Lissa or something. She’s quite the beauty and a protégé at magic, but didn’t like the way the king treated the beastkin. The prince took her side, of course, and he was all but banished to the northern battleground, to ’learn’ from the hero."

"What happened to Elise?" I asked again, my voice strangled.

He glanced up, eyebrows knit together. "Ah, Elise, that’s right. I don’t know the story too well myself, as I’ve been removed from the situation training the recruits and Bluerock, but I heard rumors she’s been remarkably more docile. A few claim she’s gotten very close with the King himself, even intimately so. I haven’t heard anything about a scandal, so it could be all rumors, but, well, you know..."

No. I didn’t know. I didn’t want to know. It couldn’t be true! Elise had lived her entire life under the Sun God’s curse. She couldn’t be enslaved now, not after everything she’d done for me! She as the light that guided me to freedom. How could she now be in the dark?

My grip on my staff tightened as fragments of visions flitted through my mind. I’d seen them countless times, though never more than glimpses in my dreams. Images of a young, golden-haired girl sitting atop Alverin’s lap in an intimate embrace, her soul smothered by a Heart Crest. The curse had always been shown in its perfected form, which I couldn’t understand. I was the only one who knew how to cast it, and I’d rather die than let the Circle learn of it. But from what present did this future descend from? Was Elise truly under Alverin’s grasp?

A golden haze overtook my vision, a dangerous current running through my soul. The star on my staff began to glow brightly as my aura was unleashed, but I remained ignorant through it all.

Alverin...if he dared lay one finger on her...

"Xiviyah," Korra’s voice floated through the smoldering embers of my fury. I initially ignored it, but her hand tightened painfully around my fingers, her desperation slashing through the haze in my mind. "Xiviyah, snap out of it!"

I started with a jolt, trying to blink away the mist of gold and stars obscuring my vision. But it didn’t fade, nor did the chaotic swells of mana writhing in my soul. The room began to tremble, strained by the sheer violence of my overflowing mana. It channeled the fire in my soul, rapidly swelling and spreading through fate itself.

Panicked, I looked at Korra and found her staring at me wide-eyed. She was...afraid?

"Please, come back to me," she begged. "I’m right here!"

Realization splashed over me like a bucket of cold water. I gasped and bit my lip hard enough to draw blood, finally managing to control my rioting mana. The gold and stars faded, drawn to my soul until the room was left lit by only the flickering light crystals. The final light to fade was that of my staff beneath the table, which shone brighter than the sun. When it finally did, my mana died with it, evaporating until only a few drops remained.

Weakened by the sudden loss, I collapsed in my seat, tears blurring my eyes. "I-I’m sorry," I said, struggling to hold back tears. "But Elise...she’s..."

Korra scooted her seat next to mine and drew me into a hug. I buried my face in her shoulder, letting her softly stroke my hair and whisper in my ear. I couldn’t cry, not with Orion and Joel staring at me, not when I’d promised to be strong.

Before I could even begin to piece together my feelings, or consider what my mana had just done, Luxxa burst into the room a second later, completely out of breath.

"A Gate!" she cried, her normally composed shaking. As our heads turned to her, she pointed to the shuddered window. "A gate just appeared in the canyon!"