The Forsaken Hero
Chapter 379: Promise

Chapter 379: Promise

Neither Luke nor the demons under his command had a chance to react to my spell., soulcast as it was. By the time they knew I’d even cast it, his soul was wrapped in the threads of my mana. He stumbled back and clutched his head with a single hand as his eyes turned gold and dozens of stars began drifting through his pupils.

"Damn it, filthblood!" Gayron shouted, raising his hand and charging another technique. "You dare launch an underhanded strike at a time like this?"

This time, he seemed intent on directly killing us, using a sixth-circle magical technique to bypass my resistance. Korra leaped in front of me, channeling one of her defensive magic arts to soak the attack, but the world slowed before the attack left his hand.

My soul shuddered at the sudden agony of supporting the full strength of the Oracle of Eternity, but I endured it as the stars of fate winked into sight around us. The entire world was still, the screams and explosions of the war lost in the timelessness of fate. Only myself, Fable, and Luke existed in this world of our own.

The black-haired demonkin stared around in wonder, not at all concerned for his forces frozen all around him. I suffered in silence for a few seconds, letting him adjust to the timeless state, before a stab of pain caused me to stumble to Fable’s side. Luke looked over as I coughed up a mouthful of blood, his brow creasing in concern.

"Xiviyah, are you...?" His tail swayed with worry as he came toward us, stopping only as Fable curled his lips in a growl.

"I’m fine," I managed, wiping a line of blood from the corner of my mouth. "I can handle this much, for a little at least."

He hesitated, his tail twitching back and forth, and I smiled faintly despite my pain. His tail only seemed to show his true feelings when speaking about the gods or where I was concerned, and I couldn’t help but wonder if that was the only thing he felt strongly enough about to express. My own tail was a thousand times more willful than his though, and he at least seemed to have a level of control over his emotions. Were we in a different place, and had a different relationship, I might have been tempted to ask for advice.

But there wasn’t time for that, and I couldn’t waste the precious seconds we had alone on such frivolous thoughts. I had to show him who I really was, that he could afford to let us go.

Gritting my teeth, I soothed Fable with a hand on his head and reached out my other toward Luke. He eyed the wolf for a moment before accepting it, taking my fingers gently in his grip. His hand was surprisingly warm and gentle, he treated me like a doll he was afraid of breaking. And perhaps I was, to him.

"Xiviyah..." he said, a slight blush overtaking his features. "I’m sorry, but I must kill you and the water hero. I can’t allow anything, not even one as special as you to–"

"Please, make that decision after," I whispered, wincing as another spike of pain drove through me. "We don’t have to be enemies, Luke. There’s not much time, but I’ll give you a reason. Just trust me."

He hesitated a moment longer and then nodded, and I pushed the last of my strength into my ability, dragging us both into the darkness of my soulspace. I’d never done anything remotely close to this before, but it came naturally to me, like I was remembering an old skill I’d all but forgotten.

"Be still and watch," I prompted again and then triggered a vision.

I could feel Luke’s soul shiver in surprise as a billion ribbons of light coalesced in the darkness, weaving a detailed scene around us. My soul shuddered as I recognized the scene. We were in the Divine Throne.

Tall, white walls arched high into the air, reaching together to form a pinnacled ceiling. Sunlight filtered through stained glass windows, painting the room with soft, colorful splotches. A massive circular table dominated the center of the room, overlaid with enchantments that depicted a 3-dimensional map of the Brithlite Kingdom. Cities, towns, and villages were displayed in immaculate detail, down to the individual buildings and fortifications. Most of the map was tinged a faint green, save for the western edge featuring the edge of Blue Canyon. This territory was marked red and covered Bluegate City as well as another city I didn’t recognize. Another patch of red crept down from the north, though this one was significantly small. Did they represent demon-owned territory or something?

Several high-ranking generals stood around the battle map, a sight I’d almost grown used to seeing in visions. The Pope and several fathers stood at the head of the room, but remained back, letting the soldiers discuss the map. One of them, an older man with hard eyes and a short trim beard, pointed at the nearest city to Blue Canyon that remained in friendly territory.

"We need to evacuate Greenhollow before the demons consume this region. We can’t let them gain any more souls right now."

Another general, this one a middle-aged woman with more gray than brown in her hair, shook her head. "We can’t spare the manpower. Both the Storm and Justice Heroes are preparing for Operation: True Strike, and our ninth-level mages are trying to deal with the anomaly. It’s been acting strange recently, and seems to have changed courses."

"Do we have a fix on its trajectory yet?" the pope asked, interrupting the military strategists.

The woman shook her head. "Not yet, but all estimates put it within range of Elcove, the trade capital of Brithlite. If we don’t find a way to stop it, or at least push it off its current course, we might have to evacuate the city."

"I see," the Pope murmured. "And what of this True Strike? Are you sure it will be successful?"

A third general answered him, this one looking vaguely familiar to me. Had I seen him at one of the banquets or events I’d been forced to attend? "King Alverin promises success. The northern demons are led by a mortal resident of Enusia, a traitor to our cause. She’s a filthy wolfkin who seems to specialize in large-scale army support and destruction spells. While it makes the average demon formidable, and proves a threat to our mass deployments of troops, she hasn’t shown any ability to handle individuals of great power. The Justice Hero is capable of locking down and restraining even high-level threats, while the Storm Hero boasts raw power second only to the Fire Hero. The two are practically a born counter to the weakness this wolfkin has displayed, and should be able to eliminate her with ease."

The middle-aged woman nodded. "It is as he says. With careful planning, we’ll take the demons by surprise and chop the head off this serpent. The entire northern force should wither without a leader, and Brithlite’s armies can hunt them down. Afterward, they’ll be able to reinforce the western line before Brithlite’s capital is ever threatened."

The Pope nodded, thoughtfully. "Very good. In that case, proceed with the plan and–"

The entire scene shattered as what little strength I had evaporated, plunging us back into the darkness of the soulspace. It had just been a fragment of a vision, barely half of what I normally witnessed even in a dream, but it should be enough.

The darkness rapidly withdrew, returning us to the timeless of Fate. Luke stared around us, his eyes jumping around erratically as he looked for any sign of the world we’d just witnessed. I knew the feeling myself, but had long since learned to stop questioning what I had seen.

He took a shaky breath and met my gaze, slowly recovering his icy composure. "W-what in the hells...how did you...?

"Do you understand now?" I asked softly. "It’s not a trick or an illusion. This is what it means to be the Oracle of Eternity. My burden, and...my promise."

"Promise?"

"You don’t want to kill me, Luke," I panted, squeezing my eyes shut in pain. Tremors wracked my soul as my mana threatened to destroy it. "I-I will give you a full vision later, after I’ve recovered."

"A full vision? Wait, you mean you can trigger and control it? See the future at will?" he gasped. "I mean...Xiviyah, that’s...no, it’s not possible!"

He shook his head vehemently, his tail lashing behind him. I understood his disbelief, and had feared greatly the time when I revealed my true power to the world. It seemed that time was now, though, and I didn’t know if I was ready.

"You...you showed me the future," Luke said, understanding and accepting dawning in his voice. Suddenly, he shifted and his eyes narrowed. "I need to warn Evla. They’re going to pick her off."

Evla? Was that the name of the apostle leading the northern battlefield? Before I could ask who he meant, another spasm tore through my soul.

"I can’t hold it any longer," I managed, coughing as hot blood seeped into my throat again. "Please...spare Korra."

With a final gasp, I released the Oracle of Eternity.