We remained in the adow for so ti, slowly catching up. She was eager to hear my story, keeping on the defensive for almost an hour before letting take a breath. After hearing of the wedding, she clapped her hands together, eyes lighting up.
"Do you think she’d let co?"
I thought about it for a second, rubbing my horn. "Probably. She did say that if inquisitors were going to attack, she’d make them sit patiently until it ended."
Korra laughed, a bell-like sound I never tired of hearing. "I find myself like this Tana more and more. I might just take her up on that."
After the longest ti, I gathered enough courage to look at her blood-stained cloak. "Korra...what happened to you? And why are you an inquisitor?"
The question cut through her levity like a dull knife, and her smile faded. After a deep breath, she flicked the hair out of her eyes and said, "It was the only way to find you. After that bastard stole you away, I spent days trying to find out where, but the church kept a tight lid on things. Anyti I asked, they’d just tell it was for the good of the world, and I should focus on getting stronger and breaking through to eighth level."
"You tried to save ," I said suddenly, rembering the battle at the Divine Throne. "And nearly destroyed the Divine Throne. One ti, I, um, accidentally killed a few priests in self-defense, and they...they...Weren’t there consequences for that?"
She shook her head, a shadow crossing her expression. "It was reported to the public as a training accident, and I never heard a word. The mont you were gone, the Pope and another ninth-level mage showed up, and that was it. Their auras were overwhelming, stronger than anything I’d felt before, and it was all I could do to remain standing. They kept us there for an hour, just shaking their heads in disappointnt, before just leaving. The next day, craftsn and mages showed up and began to repair the Divine Throne, and it was like nothing ever happened."
"Oh." The blatant disparity in treatnt shouldn’t have surprised , but it couldn’t stop my tail from drooping. The collateral damage must have been devastating, and yet they earned barely a slap on the wrist.
Clearing her throat, Korra forced a smile, squeezing my hand. "Anyway, after a few weeks, I talked with Grace. She’s a little...carefree, and just randomly suggested I quit being a hero to look for you. I’m not sure if she even ant it, but it really made think. I loved spending ti with the other heroes, but after what they did to you, I had trouble even looking them in the eyes. So," she said, taking a shallow breath, "I left. You should have seen the Pope’s face when I stalked into one of their etings and threw down my staff. They tried to stop , but I took my chances and disappeared. A day later...everything left."
"You were a priest," I said solemnly, understanding dawning in my eyes.
She nodded sadly. "I hadn’t even considered that before I left. All of my mana and power ca from Water, and he saw my decision as a betrayal. Without his support, I quickly fell back to first level."
"That must have been devastating," I whispered. "I...know how you feel. I’m sorry."
"I don’t regret a thing. It was the perfect cover, giving a chance to start over and progress through my own rit."
"Is that where your magical techniques co from? I’ve never heard of anything like them."
A faint red crept onto her cheeks, and Korra coughed lightly, scratching her cheek. "It’s an idea from my original world, a rather common trope in the stories there. I could have just started over as a mage, the base principles of magic are the sa, after all, but figured no one would expect a squishy priestess to suddenly change class to monk. There’s nothing like that here in Enusia, but the gas I played were fantasy genre, and seeing as this is a fantasy world..." her shoulders rose in a self-conscious shrug, "Sohow, it seems to have worked out."
I nodded slowly, pretending I understood at least sothing of what she was talking about. Noticing my tail twitching in confusion, her blush turned to a slight smile, and she changed the subject.
Regardless, I searched for a few months, traveling to every city and town I could find, asking if anyone had seen a red-haired demonkin. I even went to High Valley, but no one had even heard of you."
I nodded, suddenly grateful for the comforting grip of her hand. "He kept close, in the dungeon or as a personal maid in his mansion. Most of the other slaves got a chance to get out into the town occasionally, but Aurle and I..."
"Aurle...?"
I bit my lip, staring down at my hands clenched in my lap. "W-what happened next?"
She looked at for a long while, but as she saw the tears gathered in the corners of my eyes, she let out a breath. "Without any success, I turned to the only people who had a vested interest in finding you: the inquisitors. The official word was that you were dead, but there was a small faction among them that believed you not only survived the battle, but initiated it. If there was going to be anyone that found you, it would be them, so I infiltrated their ranks, taking a few months to beco an initiate. Initiates require so sort of proof of their abilities to beco a full-fledged inquisitor, so I managed to convince a relatively low-ranking inquisitor to accompany on a quest to find you."
She nodded over on the other side of the clearing, where a middle-aged woman’s body lay, her corpse nearly torn in half by Fable’s fangs. "That was Leera, one of those idiots devoted to tracking you down and bringing you to justice. The Inquisitor’s network is vast, likely the best in the world, and given the nature of our cause and the backing of an official inquisitor, we had ample resources."
"But why co to Heartland?" I asked, unable to suppress my curiosity. "You were there before I even got to the city. What made you look out here?"
Korra glanced at , her eyes twinkling with confusion. "You’re right, but how did you know that? I’m pretty sure we first t in front of the Glossy Sparrow. I wasn’t sure it was you at that point, but I’m quite certain you didn’t see before then."
I clapped a hand over my mouth, eyes wide with fear. Korra’s steady gaze held mine, a flicker of concern replacing the previous warmth as she sensed my hesitation. My mind raced, spinning desperate possibilities. Deflect, lie, pretend confusion...every option felt like a trap, offering only the illusion of safety but leading back to the darkness I had tried so desperately to escape.
A cold shiver washed over , like I had just fallen into icy water. I gasped, breathless, tears trickling down my cheeks. What was I doing? I had chosen to take Sorrin’s hand, and in doing so, leave the shadows behind. Yet here I was, hesitating on the cliff all over again, yearning for love and trust, yet terrified of offering my own.
My fear was fully justified, a rational decision, even. Of everyone I’d t in the Divine Throne, only the Pope claid the ability to receive direct revelations from the gods. It had happened several tis during my ti in those sacred halls, but each was a great occasion, heralding so major decision that impacted the world. Perhaps there were others aside from the Pope, but if that were true, they were secrets fiercely protected, their nas unknown in the world.
As for soone who received visions on their own power, not sent by any god? Such a thing was absent in even the wildest fairy tails. The gods couldn’t be enslaved or controlled, but a small, vulnerable girl? Which kingdom or power wouldn’t leap at the chance to claim such a power? Predicting any part of the future threatened the balance of the world, giving whoever wielded it an advantage above all overs. If it beca known I could do this, the church’s current hunt would be ta in comparison. Every power and nation would sacrifice anything to possess , to enslave once more, to torture until I gave them what they wanted. I would be a cold, emotionless tool, never again free to wander through a flowery adow, denied even the rcy of death.
The weight of my secret pressed against my chest, suffocating. It was cold and lonely, more painful than even the throb of the Sunpurge, or ache of my shattered soul. I could run, hide, slip into the shadows and never be found. A life of darkness, or a single, glimring chance. A hand reaching down from above. Slowly, my body trembling, I let out a shaky breath. Despite the fear in my heart, a small candle burned within, the hopeful fla of conviction.
"Korra," I whispered, my voice gaining strength with every word. "There’s sothing I have to tell you, but I don’t know if I can. I...I..."
Suddenly, she was there, her piercing green eyes re inches from my own. My breath caught as she raised a hand, gently cupping my cheek. "You’re alright, Xiviyah. Just breath. Whatever it is, you can tell . There’s nothing you can do or say that’ll push away, or make hate you."
I nodded, my tail twisting anxiously. "T-then please be patient with . I’ve never told anyone this before, not even Soltair. The truth is, I can see things, Korra. Not just magic, or souls, but glimpses of fate. What is, or might co to pass. I’ve seen so many dreadful, terrible things, like the demons massacring towns, and horrible fates I just narrowly avoided. That’s how I knew there were inquisitors in the city, and that you were after ."
Korra was silent for a long ti, biting her lower lip thoughtfully. After what felt like an eternity, she tugged a stray lock of hair, smoothing it behind her ear. "You can really see the future? Is sothing like that even possible?"
I nodded, gripping my hands tightly in my lap. Fear twisted my stomach into knots of apprehension, and I held my breath, anxiously waiting for her reaction. It was impossible she didn’t realize the ramifications of what I shared, of the danger I posed to her. Surely, she would–
She let out a breath, leaning back, the tension draining from her shoulders. "Well, I guess that makes sense, if you saw us coming. Anything else, or should we take this back to the village? I’m sure they’re starting to worry about you. We should probably let them know about the demon, too," she said with a glance at the shattered pile of blades.
Before I could even think to react, she stood and stretched, reaching toward the sun. I watched her, eyes wide, lips parted in shock. Letting out a satisfied moan, she let her arms fall back down, before offering a hand.
"If you’re worried about others finding out...don’t be. I’ll kill anyone who dares touch you," she said matter-of-factly, so casually I almost nodded, only stiffening as I registered her words. Smiling brightly, she snagged my unresisting arms and effortlessly pulled to my feet. "Co on, we can talk more later. Don’t you have so flowers to deliver?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers