The Forsaken Hero
Chapter 617: Eight Suns

Chapter 617: Eight Suns

The Coming Dawn dominated the sky, releasing waves of blistering heat that scorched my skin. Waves of tingles raced through my soul, a last, desperate warning of imminent death.

The Coming Dawn was an eighth-circle spell unlike anything I had faced. It eclipsed Solar Flare in all aspects, the spell that had brought me to my knees time and time again. I had no ability, spell, or ward to counter it, but escape wasn’t an option. I could retreat into Haven, but there was no way I could carry Fable in with me.

Though wracked with shivers and pain, I took a deep breath and laid a hand on my chest, calming my racing heart. I’d survived the deathtrap of the abandoned city and fought through hell itself to save R’lissea. There was no way I was going give in to despair now.

My heart slowed as I gazed up at the descending suns, and my mind reached a place of perfect clarity. It was too late to stop the spell from activating, so all I could do was try my best to survive it. Memories flickered through my mind, reminding me of the first time I met Gayron. He’d attacked me when I was traveling with the Last Light Company to the Fire Gate, using a fifth-circle spell I couldn’t hope to stop.

But, in the end, we’d survived. This time would be no different. I had to stop this spell, no matter the cost. It wasn’t just Fable, but R’lissea and Elise, too, were counting on me.

For the second time in this accursed city, I called for the power hidden in the depths of my soul. It answered in a burst of starlight, bringing time to a standstill. Stars spread across the sky, weaving between the motionless meteors just a hundred feet overhead. Lord Evlon’s face was etched with annoyance, his hands frozen while twisting his staff.

I glanced at Fable, hesitating as I weighed his soul. If I could allow him to enter this timeless state, perhaps I could heal him, and we could slip away together. But scarcely had the thought entered my mind than I shook my head, dismissing it. My soul nearly shattered when I last tried that over the abandoned city. I had even been in peak condition then, but now, after surviving the false soul binder and the constant pressure of the crystal enchantment, I was barely holding on as is. I simply wouldn’t be able to support two seventh-level souls without breaking.

With that option gone, I gazed again at the motionless suns. We’d survived against Gayron with an array, and though I wasn’t sure stopping an eighth-circle spell was remotely possible, attempting it seemed less suicidal than shattering my soul.

With that in mind, I set about weaving several magic circles. Grand Aegis was the only spell I knew powerful enough to give even a sliver of a chance, yet alone, it wouldn’t be enough. I could get away with defending third-circle spells with an aegis, but the difference between seventh and eighth-circle spells surpassed that of even first and fifth.

As I formed the first five circles, I refrained from weaving their runes together. When I started the sixth, I diverted a tendril of mana and began simultaneously casting Mirror Lock. Upon completing a circle of the latter, I slid it between those of Grand Aegis. Only once I was certain the runes aligned would I bind the circles together, slowly layering them, building an intersecting tower of the two spells.

Sweat beaded on my forehead, dripping into my eyes. It stung, nearly breaking my concentration, but I tightened my grip on my staff and persevered. Dual casting a sixth and seventh-level spell at once was grueling, never mind assimilating them into an untested array. The burden on my concentration and soul was comparable to the difficulty and stress of mending Haven itself, requiring every ounce of skill and experience I’d accumulated.

Slowly, rune by rune, the array came together. My staff sank lower and lower as my body weakened, the strain of maintaining the Oracle of Eternity becoming too much. It was good I hadn’t tried to save Fable this way, as I probably would have collapsed before finishing a healing spell.

As the final runes slotted into place, I allowed my staff to slip between my fingers. It dispersed into stars a hair’s breadth before hitting the ground. My soul burned fiercely, and my mind wavered, black edging in on my consciousness. It was the strength of Celestial Grace, in both body and soul, that kept me standing.

"Shining Aegis." My whisper barely reached my ears, a name snatched from somewhere deep in my wandering thoughts.

The array resolved in a flash of golden light, sucking the last of my strength. The world jolted back into motion, filling my ears with the deafening roar of the descending meteors. The sky was filled with light so pure I couldn’t look at it, and could only pray my spell would unfold in time.

Suddenly, the glare lessened, letting me peek through slit eyelids. A glimmering, golden membrane materialized overhead, rapidly expanding in a sphere nearly thirty feet in diameter. It was thin and sheer, like a stained glass window. Mana coursed through it like veins, forming intricate lines that crudely imitated the pure, graceful patterns of the Canyons Crawler’s shield.

As the Shining Aegis touched the ground, enclosing us completely, something inside my soul snapped. I doubled over, gasping, as the wind left my lungs. Unbearable heat surged in my soul, filling it with fire. The power spread to my heart and seeped through my veins. In seconds, my entire body burned like I’d been dipped in lava, and I collapsed next to Fable. I screamed, writhing helplessly, back arched, tail lashing. Nothing, not even the full punishment of the slave crest or crippling pain of the sunpurge, compared to the agony. My soul was being torn apart thread by thread and then roughly stitched back together.

The first meteor collided with the Shining Aegis. The explosion shook the world, throwing me back against Fable. I landed on my tail, still wrapped around his paw, and screamed as a wet crack filled the air. Black dots exploded in front of my eyes as my tail went limp, a thousand needles driving into the overly sensitive nerve cluster at the base of my spine.

The ground moved, rising to curl around my writhing body. Something warm and wet rasped against my face, piercing the pain. My eyes snapped open, and I stared directly into two golden orbs.

"Fable," I cried between sobs.

My wolf hugged me with a massive forelimb, sheltering me against his side. His tail curled around my lower body, keeping me from thrashing and injuring my tail further. Warmth blossomed within my soul, rising from his bond and tempering the scorching fire.

The feeling spread, radiating through my entire body, and the pain evaporated into soothing bliss. I collapsed mid-sob, hugging myself and trembling, unable to cope with the sudden shift.

As the warmth expanded, power began to well up deep in my soul. It began as a trickle, unnoticeable after the sheer agony, but quickly swelled into a torrent. Every fiber of my body itched terribly, like new skin growing beneath a scab. I moaned in discomfort and squirmed beneath the weight of Fable’s limb.

Another sun crashed against the Aegis, sending a ripple through the gleaming barrier. A third and fourth followed, and the membrane began to warp. The veins of mana bulged, struggling to diffuse the overwhelming energy before the next meteor hit.

As the sixth meteor slammed into it, there was a sound of breaking glass, and a thick crack spread across the dome. Sunbeams leaked through the fissure, melting the earth wherever they touched. Faint wisps of sunlight curled from the molten rock, seeking my infernal soul but failing to penetrate Adaptive Resistance.

"I’m sorry," I whispered. "I wasn’t enough."

The seventh sun fell, smashing through the Shining Aegis. The lingering remnants of my spell managed to absorb enough magic that Adaptive Resistance neutralized the remainder, but there was nothing between us and the final meteor, barely a second behind.

In the end, this was an eighth-level spell. Regardless of celestial Grace or my talent, it wasn’t something that a crudely improvised array could overcome. Had I a week to study and refine it, then maybe, but the difference in our abilities was just too much. I’d bought us some time, but...it wasn’t as if anyone was coming. My friends were trapped in Haven, Fyren was too far away, and Luke...

I squeezed my eyes shut, my heart throbbing. He’d returned to his army and was probably engaged against Connor. Taking advantage of the chaos to seize his objective was exactly what I expected him to do, exactly what he always promised to do. I didn’t blame him for doing just that, but...but...

It went against everything I knew, everything I felt, and yet...I wanted to see him. He’d used me for his gain, and yet...I felt safe with him, like when he returned for me in Whitecliff City or caught my hand atop Borealis. Men’s arms were dangerous; they led only to pain, manipulation, and despair. Ever since Soltair, I couldn’t even think of hugging a man without shuddering, and yet...I wished I could have been embraced by him one last time.

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