The Forsaken Hero
Chapter 436: Growing Power

Chapter 436: Growing Power

The moment I asked for his surrender, Gayron stiffened, his tail lashing out. I braced myself, a defensive spell ready on my tongue, for his inevitable outburst. His type hated to lose, and he’d find any excuse to reject defeat. Perhaps he’d accuse me of cheating, or feign surrender only to launch a sneak attack when my back was turned. He was just like Levin, and Vithrass, and...and...something wasn’t right. Why was he smiling?

Gayron shook his head, a wry grin twisting his lips. "Very well, I accept defeat."

I stared in shock, my eyes wide as saucers and my tail twitching nervously. I glanced around, even checking behind me for some kind of trap or ambush, but the Oracle of Eternity revealed nothing. My confusion only deepened as Gayron clapped his hands, and his remaining incarnations vanished into thin air.

"What?" he asked, sounding a little defensive. "Is something the matter?"

"N-no," I stammered, a blush creeping onto my cheeks. I looked up at the towering earthen arm, then back at him. "I-is it really over?"

He stared at me for a beat, then burst into laughter. My blush intensified, and I fidgeted with my tail, acutely aware of ten thousand eyes on me. What was happening? Why wasn’t he angry? And why in the world was he laughing?

"You don’t spar much, do you?" he said, his chuckles subsiding into a wry smile.

I shook my head. The only times I’d sparred were in official arenas, each with high stakes. The first was against Ronin, the war hero. The church had manipulated that match, bending and breaking the rules to ensure my defeat. If things had gone differently, I would have met Lord Byron much sooner.

The only other duel I’d participated in was at Western University. Again, it was a grudge match. I had no chance of losing that one, but the students we fought were determined to kill me and one of my closest friends at the time. At the very least, they wanted to ruin Elise’s reputation and crush her spirit.

I’d never fought without something precious, often at significant personal risk. Yet here I was, against an apostle who wished to see the world burn, having a "friendly" match? It was a concept I struggled to grasp, and even as I dismissed my spells, I couldn’t tear my gaze away from Gayron.

As the shimmering golden curtains of Bastion faded away, Korra dashed onto the field, a triumphant grin on her face. "Hah, how about that, Gayron? Not so weak, is she?"

"What the hell?" he muttered, rubbing his horn in disbelief. "Things might have gone a bit differently if you hadn’t misled me about her abilities."

Korra giggled and clapped her hands gleefully. "Hey, don’t blame me; I gave you the most current information I had. It’s not my fault she healed her soul since the last time we fought."

"Oh yeah? And how about her wolf? I’ve never heard of a familiar being able to go toe to toe with someone of the same level."

As they continued to bicker playfully, I gradually relaxed, letting my shoulders sag. Seeing the grins on both of their faces dismissed any doubts I had about the outcome of our match. It really was over.

"Xiviyah!"

I looked up as Sari and the Star Guard ran over. Their eyes shone excitedly, even the older and more experienced Luxxa, shone excitedly, and Sari’s tail wagged back and forth It was an adorable sight, and I couldn’t help but smile.

The girl bounced to a stop in front of me, beaming ear to ear. "That was awesome!"

"Indeed," Luxxa said with a nod. "Your performance was most impressive."

"Thanks." I nodded gratefully, and, to my embarrassment, my tail gave a pleased little flick.

Jenna shook her head. "No, seriously, that was incredible. I’ve never seen a fight of that level, not even between Gayron and Korra. He must have gone all out to beat you, but you still managed to defeat him. I can only imagine how popular you’ll be among the men now."

"Jenna!" Luxxa exclaimed, elbowing her in the ribs.

"What?" Jenna retorted, rolling her eyes. "It’s true, isn’t it? Only a handful of us witnessed what she was capable of in that first Ice Gate. Most of our army joined after that and have only seen Xiviyah after her soul shattered. Combined with the constant burden of her sunpurge, many soldiers found her precious, but not particularly powerful."

"And now they’ve seen the legends for themselves," Gith added quietly. "I doubt any of them will forget the day their Oracle stood against the onslaught of the Apostle of Fire and refused to bend the knee."

I gazed at the army arrayed around us, more than a little taken aback by the enthusiasm and cheers that still filled the air. The older members, those I’d fought alongside so long ago, sat back with self-satisfied smiles. The rest, mainly consisting of men and women aged fifteen to thirty, talked and laughed together, their gazes constantly darting between me and Gayron. Though he was still conversing with Korra, I could tell the Apostle basked in the attention, looking for all the world the victor of our duel.

I shook my head and rubbed my horn, my voice soft and åsolemn. "Fate has only begun to write our story, and I’m afraid something as small as today will barely make the footnotes. You don’t know what’s coming. The blood, and war, and horror."

They fell silent, looking between each other with worry in their eyes, until Sari asked, "Is that why you held back?"

I froze, glancing down at the foxkin girl. "Sorry?"

She giggled and hugged me, her arms gentle to avoid aggravating the sunpurge. As she pressed her head to my chest, she looked up, her eyes shining. "Your soul. I could see you suppressed your soul during the fight."

"Ah, that. Yes, that might be part of it."

"What do you mean ’suppressed?’ Is something like that even possible?" Luxxa asked with a frown.

"Technically," I murmured, stroking Sari’s hair, its softness like kitten fur, "though it requires experience I wouldn’t wish upon anyone: the touch of the Soul Crest. I worried it would be bad for morale if I allowed the duel to end too quickly."

Luxxa’s brow creased. "I’m not sure I follow. What more could you have done?"

I hesitated, glancing at the Star Guard in turn, lingering on each face. The stalwart Luxxa, Jenna with her playful enthusiasm, and the reliable Gith. They’d been by my side since we freed Sari, but even now, a knot of doubt twisted in my gut. Could I truly trust them? Was this reluctance and anxiety a healthy caution, or was it preventing me from forging deeper relationships?

My gaze fell on Korra, who was watching me intently even as Gayron spoke to her. Her eyes were soft and warm, and in them, I found my answer.

Luxxa cleared her throat. "Forgive me for asking. It’s alright if you don’t want to share. You bear more secrets than most, and it was unfair of me to pry."

"I...I think it’s alright," I said, rubbing my horn bashfully. They all leaned in closer, their curiosity piqued. "One of my abilities is Adaptive Resistance. It grants me immunity to magic below a certain level."

"I think we’re all familiar with it," Jenna said, flicking a strand of hair out of her eyes. "You always link it into the Nexus whenever we fight together. A lot of the stronger soldiers complain it makes things too easy, actually."

"It’s good up to fourth level, right? Or, at least, it was. It’s got to be stronger now that you’re healed. That’s what Gayron was talking about, right?" Luxxa asked.

I nodded, taking a shaky breath. Everyone knew I had some sort of protection. Soltair and the church had known that, too. But things changed the moment they discovered how it worked, and I was forced to receive restriction after restriction and curse after curse.

"Adaptive Resistance grows with my exposure to different attributes of magic. It’s got a general threshold around fifth-level, I think. I haven’t been able to test it much since healing my soul, but it should be around there somewhere. But beyond that, I’ve experienced certain elements even more, like Sun, Curse, and Fire Magic. Those have grown beyond the threshold, and that’s what Sari so carelessly mentioned."

Sari cringed, her ears drooping as my gaze met hers. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No, not really," I reassured her, offering a gentle smile. "I just hadn’t expected you to notice something like that. It’s actually really good. I’m glad you’re getting a handle on your powers."

"Just how powerful are your resistances, then?" Luxxa inquired.

"Well, um, I can’t be certain without checking a Shard," I admitted, "but Fire is at least seventh-level. I think Curse is as well, but Sun might be a little weaker, maybe at sixth."

They all blinked, mouths agape in shock. Gith recovered first, staring at me incredulously. "You mean you’re immune to fire magic up to the seventh level? How is that even possible?"

"Did the gods truly permit such a thing?" Luxxa asked, her voice hushed with awe.

"Fate did," I whispered. She had used the last of her power to grant me the blessing of potential, surrendering her ascension so that I might survive and protect her divinity. Even then, my death was all but assured, and it was only by Fate’s grace, at the cost of final bits of power, that I had made it this far.

They peppered me with a few more questions about the duel, mostly about specific techniques or how I’d deflected certain attacks. I answered as best I could, but as more soldiers approached, seeking their own guidance, I was relieved to hear Gayron’s voice rise above the din.

"Xiviyah!" he called, his tone demanding. "We need to talk."

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