The Forsaken Hero
Chapter 561: Bitter Memories

Chapter 561: Bitter Memories

My emotions were in such turmoil it didn’t even take a conscious thought for the Oracle of Eternity to respond and bring me a vision. Stars exploded out from my soul in a volatile storm, rapidly weaving a world around me.

I waited anxiously, the tip of my tail twitching in anticipation, as the familiar night sky of my soul space transformed into the one I had just left behind. The landscape was flat, with gently sloping hills punctuated by the occasional form of a titanic evolved demon.

I materialized beside Fable, noting his vigilant gaze as he scanned our surroundings. His soul thrummed with power, his body coiled like a spring. Even though I knew he couldn’t see me, I couldn’t help but place my hands on my hips and glare at him. He was clearly aware of the mysterious threat that Luke and R’lissea were hiding from me, yet he had chosen to remain silent. Traitor.

Luke and R’lissea sat on opposite sides of her magically conjured fire, appearing relaxed, yet still alert. As I moved to join them, wanting to sit beside R’lissea, the elf sighed and leaned back, resting on her hands. I jumped slightly as her arm passed right through my leg, dancing back a step before easing down with enough space so it wouldn’t happen again. It wasn’t like she could feel or notice anything, but it still felt weird.

After I’d settled in, I waited, expectantly switching my gaze between the two. They seemed content with silence, however, simply staring off into space, the flames casting foreboding shadows across their faces.

Just as I started to wonder why fate thought this moment was important for me to see, R’lissea glanced at my sleeping body. She observed me for a few heartbeats, taking in the steady rise and fall of my chest, before turning to meet Luke’s eyes. To my surprise, she held his gaze without flinching, though her voice remained soft and timid.

"What did you do to her?" R’lissea’s voice was sharp, her eyes boring into Luke’s.

Luke blinked. "What?"

"In Haven," she pressed, "What happened? The only time I’ve seen her that terrified was when Soltair and Alex decided..." Her voice trailed off, a shadow crossing her face.

A flicker of confusion crossed Luke’s face, a small wrinkle creasing his brow. "Nothing, really," he insisted. "She actually seemed happier than I’ve ever seen her. She didn’t seem to mind me at first, but the deeper we went into Haven, the more anxious she became. Now, she won’t even meet my eyes. It’s like all the progress we made vanished, and she’s back to how she was when I first found her."

"I see," R’lissea murmured, resting her chin on her hand, a sigh escaping her lips. "I suppose I expected something like this to happen. I’m just surprised it took this long."

My head tilted involuntarily, a surge of curiosity compelling me forward. My tail, which had been rustling restlessly throughout their conversation, now stilled. It was unsettling to hear Luke speak so frankly about me, as though I were some creature to be tamed. But even more disconcerting was R’lissea’s apparent understanding of my inner thoughts – something I myself continued to struggle with.

Luke’s tail drooped. "So you’re saying it’s impossible after all?"

My confusion deepened as R’lissea seemed to grasp Luke’s unspoken plea, shaking her head slowly. "I don’t know, Luke. I just don’t know her well enough. I doubt even Korra could give you a straight answer."

"But why?" Luke pressed, his voice tight with frustration. "You were one of those who cast her out, weren’t you? How did you two become so close?"

R’lissea hesitated, her teeth worrying her lower lip. A wave of unease washed over me, and I shifted, desperate to escape this conversation where I was laid bare. But my limbs felt like lead, my body refusing to obey.

It was clear that my vision was clouded, distorted by the shadows of the past. There were days when I found myself drawn to Luke, yearning for his presence. But then, in an instant, I would see Soltair’s face superimposed on his, that false smile mocking the genuine warmth I desperately wanted to believe Luke possessed.

And now, with Luke holding my secrets hostage, I felt utterly exposed. He hadn’t given any indication that he planned to use them against me, but how could I be sure? The power imbalance was stark; he had everything to gain and nothing to lose.

The constant turmoil, fear, and confusion were a suffocating weight. Yet, I knew I had to endure this vision, agonizing as it was. This might be my only opportunity to grasp the truth and hear a perspective untainted by the storm raging within my mind–one tainted by the darkness of my memories.

"What happened to her?" Luke asked quietly. "What were you talking about before? Just what exactly did the Sun Hero do, and why does she seem to think we’re the same person?"

His eyes flashed as he stared at R’lissea, who promptly averted her gaze. A small bead of blood trickled down her chin as her teeth sliced into her lip, but the tears in her eyes were from a very different kind of pain.

"I...no, we...we decided that she was... a risk," she whispered. Even with his demonkin hearing, Luke had to lean forward to hear her. "It was the festival, the year anniversary of our summoning into the world, and just like the first time we met together, there were only nine heroes. Xiviyah had been stripped of her status, meager as it was, and was no longer worthy to stand among us."

"That much I could find out," Luke said, nodding. "But what came afterward? Every source I could find said she just disappeared, and it wasn’t until her presence was confirmed in Heartland that anyone knew she was alive."

R’lissea took a shaky breath, soul-casting a healing spell, only to bite her lip again. Tears flowed freely down her cheeks. "It was...awful. We never should have done it. But Soltair... he said she was no longer useful, that he couldn’t risk having her around anymore. And Alex... he’d wanted her for a long time. As she was going to disappear anyway, he convinced us he might as well let her have one last enjoyable experience."

"You can’t be serious," Luke’s face was pale, his hands clenched into fists, trembling with anger. "You and the other heroes decided it would be fine to rape her before you sold her off?"

R’lissea flinched, a sob breaking through her lips. "I wanted to help her, but Ronin said that I couldn’t, Korra... she just stared at the ground. She’d spoken with Xiviyah after the inquisitors were done with her, but she came back crying and wouldn’t say what happened."

"And did the Fire Hero...?"

R’lissea shook her head, regaining some of her spirit. "I don’t know. After the others left, Korra suddenly stood up. She asked me what I thought, and when I told her I didn’t know what to do, she just left. I followed after her and, well, she ended up attacking Alex. Her courage was all it took to decide that I had to help her, but I don’t know if it was too late. Xiviyah looked so sad and lifeless, and even when we tried to help her... We’d already abandoned her and allowed a plan to be set in motion that couldn’t be undone."

"So what happened?" Luke asked tentatively.

"Soltair took her and gave her to a noble a secret. Later, I learned it was a man named Lord Byron, who had tried to purchase her before when they were traveling around."

Luke stood suddenly, his tail lashing, aura erupting full force. "Byron? Are you sure?"

R’lissea squeaked, ducking her head and clutching at her skirts tightly. "Y-yes, in a city called High Valley."

"That bastard," Luke forced through clenched teeth.

Fable growled softly, shielding my sleeping body from the aura, as it rolled over the camp. Demons trembled in fear as his curse aura rose and even the clouds reacted, swirling distantly high above his head.

"Luke!" R’lissea cried, face pale in the face of his aura.

He was still for a moment, letting his aura riot, before he seemed to come to his senses and collapsed back down, head bowed. "I’m... sorry. It’s just... when our souls entangled, I learned she’d been sold off somewhere, but I never imagined it would be to that monster. He was one of my master’s friends, and traded many slaves to him. They were always broken, not caring how many times the whip fell on them, or how often they were tortured in the master’s bedchambers."

"She was there for almost half a year," R’lissea said. "Whatever happened there must have left her like that, but I don’t know."

"You don’t want to. The Circle of Chains is home to the most sadistic, cruel men of any world. And the only people she had ever trusted allowed her to be tortured by inquisitors, gave her to his friend to rape, and presented her as a gift to the very worst of them so that he could break and kill her."

R’lissea’s head bowed, her voice a mere breath. "It was all my fault," she whispered, the words heavy with guilt. "If only I had..."

"No, it wasn’t," Luke interrupted, his voice raw with anger. "It was the gods, and that damned monster masquerading as a hero."