The Forsaken Hero
Chapter 422: Choices

Chapter 422: Choices

Gayron towered twenty feet tall, a monstrous demon of muscle, scale, and fire. His claws, large enough to engulf my torso, wrapped around me, pinning my arms. I screamed as their razor edges shattered my cloak’s protection, slicing through my dress. Long, thin lines of blood welled across my arms, back, and beneath my breasts where his claws dug into my skin. When one claw caught the edge of the sunpurge on my side, the world turned black and white, a blinding agony consuming me.

"Xiviyah!" Korra’s frantic voice tore through the air haze of pain, accompanied by a sharp bark from Fable. I could feel my wolf’s strength flowing into me from the bond, probably the only thing keeping me conscious.

We crashed down away from my allies, between the two armies. Gayron’s claws dug deeper as we hit the ground, a small crater forming in the tundra. Flames licked across my entire body, curling the edges of my shredded dress, but they had no power against my Adaptive Resistance.

Just as I was starting to recover my senses, Gayron’s voice snarled in my ear. "Shut up already!"

Even had I wanted to, the pain was too great. But he ended my struggle in an instant, laying a claw against my throat, silencing my screams. The edge scratched a searing line across my skin, drawing thick beads of blood that dripped down my neck and soaked into the torn remnants of my dress.

Biting my tongue to hold back a cry, I quivered in his grip, tears streaming down my face. My tail thrashed against his scaled wrist, the only outlet for my pain, a futile protest against his merciless grip. His claw remained poised on my throat, a burning brand against my skin, but mercifully, he allowed me to breathe.

"Let her go," Korra said, striding across the tundra. Her soul blazed with the fury etched across her face, her hands clenched in fists. An illusory dragon curled up her torso and down her arm, its eyes smoldering with hard, blue light. The Star Guard moved beside her, and the rest of the Last Light Company tightly gripped their weapons, death in their eyes.

Gayron’s claw pressed into my throat, drawing out another bead of blood. I yelped, and Korra hesitated, then held up a hand, stalling the rest of our soldiers from advancing.

"That’s a good, obedient girl," Gayron said mockingly. "Stay right there, or I’ll tear this slut apart. Slowly."

Her face tightened, the blue aura around her flaring, but she looked at me helplessly. Gayron started to smirk, but his smile faltered as Luke’s voice floated through the air, carefree and calm as always.

"Gayron, what do you think you’re doing?" he asked simply. He hadn’t moved a muscle since Gayron struck, seemingly indifferent to the unfolding scene. But I knew him better and more intimately than anyone now, just as he knew me. Beneath his nonchalant facade, the cold light in his eyes and the subtle tension in his tail betrayed his simmering rage.

"Stay out of this," Gayron spat, his voice dripping with venom. "Don’t think I didn’t notice how you just watched as they humiliated me. I’m the Apostle of Fire, not some filth like this slut," he jabbed his claw towards me, "to be abused at the slightest whim."

"What do you hope to achieve here?" Luke’s voice remained steady, unfazed by the Apostle’s fury. "You’re outnumbered and outmatched. Have you forgotten that we are merely guests in this gate? Do you not fear its god?"

The Apostle of Fire hesitated, glancing at the Last Light Company and, more importantly, the ice spirit that floated beside the snarling Fable. His gaze slid back to Luke, and he growled.

"You, of all people, should understand my aim. What else could it be but vengeance?"

I cried out as Gayron tightened his grip, pain lancing through my side and making my tail lash. With a low growl, Fable lunged forward, his fur bristling with rage, his soul radiating enough mana to level a small town. But before he could strike, the ice spirit descended, placing a calming hand on his shoulder. A soothing coolness flowed through our soul bond, easing my pain and quelling the terror that gripped me. Fable must have felt it too, for he stilled, though his eyes remained fixed on Gayron, blazing with fury.

Luke’s face tightened slightly, drawing a concerned look from Evla. She gripped his arm tighter, shifting nervously as she turned her worried eyes back to Gayron. Did she fear they would actually start fighting?

"Gayron, release Xiviyah," Luke said sternly, his voice growing with every word. "I understand your desire for vengeance and cannot deny you that right, but for once in your damned life listen to me. This is a battle you cannot win. Trust me."

Gayron’s eyes narrowed. "Trust you? I used to trust you, Luke, and still do. But you’re not yourself whenever this slut’s concerned. She harbors the Water Hero, and you know as well as I do we’ve been commanded to kill them wherever possible. How could you take their side after what she did to me? Do you have any idea what it’s like to have your soul ripped apart? I still can’t use my project avatar ability!"

Luke’s gaze softened as it fell upon me, and for a moment, I thought I saw a flicker of pity in his eyes. "Yes," he murmured, "I have a pretty good idea what having your soul shattered feels like." His tail twitched, and he shook his head, his voice regaining its usual confidence. "I may not object to your quest for vengeance, but I will not tolerate your slander against my purpose. Xiviyah has not bewitched me, nor am I unduly partial toward her and her allies. I swear on the name of the Emperor of Curses and my calling as the Apostle of the Descent that we have no quarrel with her, or the Water Hero."

Evla gasped, her eyes widening in alarm. "Luke! How could you swear that? You know what happens if you invoke his name like that!"

He offered her a faint smile. "It’s alright. I’m confident my faith is not misplaced. Now Gayron," his voice shifted, hardening as he addressed the Apostle of Fire, "release Xiviyah and stand down. She has shown you more mercy than you deserve by allowing you to live this long. Few others on Enusia would be so lenient."

Luke knew. He knew everything about me, or at least, that was how it felt. I could kill Gayron in an instant, if I desired. Setting aside the Ice Spirit and whatever strange connection I still had with the gate, my soul wasn’t damaged. Even though my body was bloody and weak, I could destroy his soul with a thought. We weren’t in Enusia anymore, so it didn’t matter what kind of backlash struck fate. The gate would close, and the destruction would vanish along with it.

As Gayron hesitated, Korra took another step forward.

"If you hurt her again, I’ll hunt you to the ends of the earth," she swore solemnly, not taking her eyes off Gayron. "There will be no army that will save you, no fortress to protect you, and no mountain that can hide you. You’ve already tasted defeat at my hands once today. Don’t even think of trying to escape."

The apostle’s scowl tightened, his tail striking the earth with enough force to send cracks snaking out for a hundred feet. "You think I’d fear a little girl like you? I care nothing for you. You’re victory," he said the word like he was tasting poison, "was nothing more than a sham, thrown together by cheating weaklings who have no understanding of what real power is."

"Is this real power? Resorting to a sneak attack to hurt an innocent girl?" Korra’s voice dripped with disdain. "You know the truth, Gayron. As much as I might wish to, especially with scum like you, we’ve never initiated a fight. We’re here because you sought revenge for a wound inflicted in self-defense. Stand down, and we can end this peacefully. I won’t ask again."

"Your threats don’t scare me," Gayron retorted, though a tremor of uncertainty tinged his voice. His gaze darted across the Last Light Company, lingering on the ice spirit for a beat longer than the others. Finally, his eyes met Luke’s, and the flames flickering around his scales dimmed slightly under the intensity of Luke’s stormy gaze.

His eyes widened, his voice barely a whisper as if the thought was too incredible to hope for. A tremor ran through his massive, infernal body. "Heal me?" he echoed, doubt coloring his tone. "You mean the pain...it would stop? I...I don’t believe you!"

My heart sank at first, and yet, despite his defiance, his grip loosened. I let out a whimper as the edge of his claws tore free of my skin, letting out fresh rivulets of blood. The sunpurge agony was unbearable, my side and shoulder searing with the fury of the sun.

Biting back a cry, I seized the opportunity and soulcast an aegis. Soft golden light enveloped me, gently forcing the demon’s claws away. The moment I was free, I slipped through his grasp and tumbled through the air. Gayron’a hand remained grasping air as he watched me go, his burning, demonic eyes filled with a flicker of indecision.

The ground rushed up to meet me, but before I could crash, I was caught in a cloud of soft, silver fur. I buried my face in Fable’s pelt, clinging to his neck as he swept me away with such speed that the world became a blur. Before we even reached Korra, I soulcast a healing spell, closing the gashes left by Gayron’s claws. Only the thin line accross the sunpurge resisted, leaving a partially healed scar marring my glowing skin.

I closed my eyes, letting the tears flow freely, as Korra pulled me from my wolf and into her comforting embrace. I wanted nothing more than to slip into unconsciousness, to give in to the darkness calling my name, but there was something I had to do first.

Opening my eyes, I gazed at Luke, mustering the last of my strength into a small, forced smile. "Thank you."