The Forsaken Hero
Chapter 472: Fallen

Chapter 472: Fallen

The Last Light Company marched on for several more days before Bethiv finally ordered a rest. As the company settled into camp, the sun hung low in the sky, casting long shadows over the hills. A small squad of young soldiers was assigned to prepare my tent, naturally under the watchful supervision of the Star Guard.

I dismissed them shortly after, claiming I needed to sleep. Luxxa protested, of course, but after a little convincing, she allowed Jenna to drag her away. Gith just stared at me a moment longer, his eyes narrowed, until, reluctantly, he followed.

It wasn’t a lie, either. The Last Light Company had stopped for a single night only, and I wished for nothing more than to collapse and fall asleep snuggled up in Fable’s fur. Even with my new enchantment, the constant pain of the sunpurge was wearying. That, along with my ever-increasing stress and anxiety about arriving at Brithlite, left me exhausted.

But I couldn’t rest now, not when everyone was counting on me. Even if they didn’t know it.

A few muted shockwaves rippled through the camp, causing a breeze that lifted the ends of my hair. They carried the distinct traces of Korra and Gayron’s mana, and I could only shake my head in amusement. Why was I still so surprised by their closeness, again?

"My Lady, you called?"

Kahlen’s voice cut through my thoughts, startling me. I hadn’t even noticed his approach. "K-Kahlen, you, um, startled me," I stammered.

He offered a faint smile, more a smirk of satisfaction than bemusement. "What is it you would ask of me?"

I looked around and, finding us relatively alone, met his silver eyes. As always, they were cold and metallic, devoid of the warmth I’d come to see in the eyes of my friends. It was unsettling, of course, a constant reminder of his infernal nature, but also exactly why I had called him.

"Please, I need your help," I said, folding my arms beneath my breasts. "There is something I have to do, but I can’t rely on anyone else."

He raised an eyebrow, his metallic face breaking into surprise. "Oh? Consider me intrigued."

Another ripple of power made its way from somewhere miles out, where Korra and Gayron were sparring. Fable rose from where he was lying at my side and stretched, his golden eyes glowing. He fixed his gaze on Kahlen, who returned it unflinchingly, before lowering his shoulder and allowing me to climb on.

A minute later, we descended on a secluded hilltop just above where the army had made camp. The sun brushed the tip of the hills before us, casting a red haze over the sky. Overhead, the first stars had appeared, glimmering faintly in the gathering dusk.

"My lady?" the demon prompted again. "For what purpose have you called me? And why hide from your guards? Are you planning to flee?"

I let out a long breath, only now facing the demon. He raised an eyebrow as I held out my hand and summoned my staff. "Kahlen, please, I can’t explain it. Not right now, at least. Just kill anything that comes out of the gate."

He frowned, losing a bit of his cavalier attitude. "Just what is it you’re planning? I don’t care one way or another if you abandon your useless mortal guards, but if you’re planning to do something dangerous, at least let me accompany you. My duties demand as much."

I hesitated for a second, glancing back down at the camp. I’d waited almost an hour for a chance to slip away unnoticed, even now, I was sure they were searching for me. Gith would have noticed the instant I left his abilities range, and we’d come this far just to avoid him.

"It’s fine," I finally said. "I’ll just be gone for a little bit."

"And about these things you want me to kill?" he asked.

"I’m not exactly sure. Just...they might be dangerous. Honestly, I don’t even know if they can leave, or if they’re real. I don’t even know if they can leave or if they’re real. But if they are, they need to be stopped."

"As you wish," he said, inclining his head.

I breathed a sigh of relief. This was one of the few reasons I was grateful for having a demon like Kahlen around. Unlike my friends and companions, he was rather apathetic and didn’t care enough to ask too many questions.

With one last look at the camp, I suppressed a lingering twinge of guilt and opened a passage to haven.

The resulting gate was small, seemingly just large enough for me to step into, the tips of my horns barely clearing the upper edge. It pulsed with a lethargic, golden swirl of mana, starkly contrasting to the stable flow I was accustomed to. It seemed weak and sickly, and I hesitated, my tail twitching nervously.

"My lady," Kahlen’s voice cut through my apprehension, "I would ask that you reconsider. Demon gates often look like this when they’re first formed, and it’s a sign they’re not yet stable. I’ve seen thousands of demons step into gates like this, only to vanish without a trace, lost in the void between worlds."

A tingle raced through my soul at his words, causing me to shiver. It wasn’t just unsettling, but an actual warning. Whatever lay within Haven was dangerous, so much so the Oracle of Eternity felt obligated to warn me.

"Even so," I said softly, "I must go. There’s no other choice."

Kahlen nodded solemnly and stepped back. He snapped his fingers, and his four swords materialized around him, each gleaming with a different elemental power. "Then I shall stand watch. I trust you don’t wish to be disturbed?"

"No, and thank you. Should the others find us, please don’t let them follow me."

Fable padded over to my side, rubbing against my unscarred thigh and pressing his giant head against my hand. I smiled faintly and pet him for a moment, loosening my grip on my staff. Despite the uncertainty of the moment, I wasn’t going in alone. Together, we could handle whatever terrors awaited us.

"I’ll be back," I whispered to no one in particular. The soft hum of the swirling gate was my only response.

Then, with Fable at my side, I stepped through, gasping as a wave of frigid air washed over me. It was like plunging into an icy waterfall, the cold stealing my breath and chilling me to the bone. The normally tranquil mana of Haven was now wild and discordant, scraping across my soul like sandpaper. For a moment, I felt as though my soul were injured again, and had I a voice, I might have screamed.

The sensation vanished as quickly as it came, solid ground appearing beneath my feet. I stumbled a step to the side right into Fable, catching myself on his shoulder. The realm spun for a few seconds as I adjusted to the teleportation, the stars overhead swirling in dizzying eddies. When everything finally stopped moving, I straightened and looked around, my tail going rigid.

Haven had...fallen. There was no other way to put it. The stars were dim and distant, their light barely piercing the oppressive gloom. The dark shapes of the broken islands loomed across the sky like forgotten tombs, blotting out what little light filtered from above. Shadows draped across the land like cobwebs in an abandoned house, their tendrils reaching towards me like grasping fingers.

A primal fear crept into my heart, the feeling of a thousand unseen eyes watching my every move. The mysteries that had once beckoned me now felt sinister, their allure replaced by the chilling dread of the unknown. But it was more than that, more than the chilling silence that gripped the land. Somehow, in some way I didn’t understand, I knew I wasn’t alone here. There were...things...out in the dark.

I bit my lip, holding back a whimper and clutching Fable’s fur with a trembling hand. The other gripped my staff so tightly my knuckles ached, and my tail coiled protectively around my feet. What had happened to my haven?

Far in the distance, where I assumed the edge of the realm should be, a faint golden aura shimmered. There, in the sky, I saw thin ribbons of nothingness, so dark they stood out against the blackness. The islands around this unstable space were clustered tightly, moving more rapidly than the others, forming a makeshift wall of crumbling castle walls and fragmented landmasses.

"H-Haven?" I called out, my voice shaking.

I shivered in the silence that followed, drawing my cloak tighter about me. The sunpurge protested as the fabric whispered over my shoulder, but I ignored it, grateful for anything even close to resembling a hug. Perhaps coming here on my own had been a mistake.

It was then that I noticed the island I was standing on was completely unfamiliar. Instead of the entrance island or even the shrine, the island was small and slanted, with only a few broken cobblestones peeking through the overgrown grass. The nearby islands looked no different, save for one, which had something resembling a cottage on it.

Slowly, tentatively, I made my way to the edge of the island. As I peered into the abyss below, floating bits of debris coalesced into a shimmering bridge, leading to the nearest island. At least that hadn’t changed, though it did cast doubt on my theory about Haven controlling it. If he was here and guiding me across, then why wouldn’t he speak to me?

Before leaving the small, dilapidated island, I took a moment to focus. Taking a deep breath, I reached inward and embraced my soul, drawing on the bond I shared with Haven. For a heart-wrenching moment, there was nothing but silence. But just as my hope faded and my heart began to sink, a tiny pulse of warmth echoed through the darkness, drawing my gaze toward the shattered sky in the distance. My eyes landed on the faintest glimmer of light, a beacon amidst the encroaching shadows, near the edge of the cluster of islands.

There. Haven was calling for me there.