The Forsaken Hero-Chapter 1052: Beginnings of an Empire

She didn’t let go of my hands, instead pulling me further into the room. It was a modest office, the kind you’d give a mid-level administrator, not a conqueror. The large oak desk was covered in stacks of parchment, a half-empty mug of tea sitting beside an ink-stained quill. A half-open window let a few shafts of light through. They danced with the stars of my aura, filling the room with warm, yellow light.

"A little out of hand?" she asked as she sat me in a chair, sitting across the desk from me. "It’s rare to see you so shaken. Gotta be more than ’a little,’ no?"

I forced a small smile, balling my hands in my lap. She listened closely as I explained what had happened, from my initial visions of the inquisitors to our ambush.

"What were they doing in that alley?" she asked when I’d finished.

I shrugged. "Traveling, but to where, I can’t be certain. The church doesn’t like your presence here at all, but their main goal was me. Perhaps they were intending to strike you and lure me out. Or maybe they were on their way out of the city and hunting elsewhere. I just don’t know. But I couldn’t do anything. Sorry I didn’t tell you first."

"Seems like you’ve been running a rather tight schedule, getting into battle the moment you appeared." She took her tea in both hands and leaned back, soul casting a first-circle spell. Little wafts of steam rose from the tepid surface, and she took a sip, sighing contentedly. "How do you think they knew you would be coming here? I’ve made sure none of my officers spoke of any sensitive matters without the protection of Silent Stars.

"My coming was a secret among the Company, though details couldn’t have been known," I said slowly, "My guess is that Verity overheard some soldiers somewhere talking about it, out of the range of any wards. And had I come straight here, perhaps their ploy would have worked better. That artifact launched an attack at the peak of the eighth level, and that was only after absorbing one inquisitor’s mana."

"You think it could have taken more?" she asked, surprised.

"We won’t know for sure until it’s been retrieved and studied, but I suspect so. The gods are aware I’ve survived far worse than that. Even as desperate as they are, I doubt they would waste so many resources on a plan they knew wouldn’t work."

"Desperate, hmm?" She took another sip. "Why even strike you at this point. An arbiter and some of their highest-ranking inquisitors failed to capture you."

I slid a hand down my tail, bringing it into my lap. "Something’s changed," I murmured, idly stroking it. "My connection to the divinity has been growing stronger. I thought, at first, it was because I was approaching ninth-level, but that doesn’t account for all of it. The greatest changes should happen after I break through, not before."

"So you think something’s happening with your divinity?" she asked, cocking her head.

"Fate was clear when she said gods must need a domain and a divinity to be considered divine. The God of Fate has assumed the role, but he doesn’t have the authority of the divinity behind him. How long do you think he can stand on his own? How long before the weight of his calling crushes him?"

"Is that rhetorical?" she asked.

I smiled, shaking my head. "I wish I knew, but I don’t even think Fate knows. She said I was the first mortal ever to hold a divinity, so I’m pretty sure nothing like this has ever happened before."

She nodded, and we lapsed into silence. After sipping her tea, she sighed, placing the cup back on the desk.

"You’re part of a dangerous game. I hope you know what you’re doing."

"If only," I mumbled, letting my tail go. It flopped onto the ground, where it remained, twitching slightly. "I’ve managed to piece together so much of this world’s fate, but the realms beyond are hidden from me. I just take one step at a time, and trust that Fate has a plan."

"Do you have a goal? A purpose to your fight? And not just something abstract like freeing this world from oppression, or vengeance against the gods. There will always be oppressors, and there will always be a cause for revenge."

"I...I don’t," I admitted quietly. "I used to think it was stopping the church from developing the Heart Crest, but it feels pointless now. Even if the majority of the Divine Council rejects it, the Circle was able to advance it far enough that someone else could finish their work, even if it’s on another world. After that, I thought I was supposed to march with Luke and drive the church from Enusia entirely, but as you said, that doesn’t really mean anything in the long run. Fate wants to break the cycle, but it feels so much bigger than me. I don’t see what a mortal like me could possibly do. But just because I can’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there. There’s something at the end of this path, at the end of the war. Some meaning for all of our sacrifices."

"I don’t care about the end of your path, so long as you’re content," she said, pursing her lips. "It just worries me that you’re fighting, but not toward anything. For me, if I didn’t have a vision for Brithlite, if I didn’t know who I wanted to become, I could never have the resolve to do what we’ve done. And already, in only a few weeks, we’ve saved tens of thousands of lives and brought more than a dozen cities under the Company’s banner. My banner, I suppose. Just think about it, would you? I couldn’t bear the thought of you fighting forever, searching for something you’ll never find. You deserve so much more than that."

I hesitated, then nodded. "I promise."

She held my gaze for a moment, searching my eyes, before settling back with a nod. "I believe you.

She held my gaze for a moment, searching my eyes, before settling back with a nod. "I believe you. Now, what was this you were saying about Heartland?"

It was a relief to return to easier topics, ones that didn’t have me squirming in my chair. And Elise seemed even more interested in hearing about the circumstances in the Heartland region and Tana’s ideas.

"You think I could bring them under our banner?" she murmured, a thoughtful sparkle in her eye. "They’re far, and their lands are wild and untamed. But that offers just as many advantages as challenges. They serve as a waypoint for the city-states on the northwestern coast, and could prove vital in establishing relations. Also, given the region’s remote nature, its resources are largely untapped." She nodded to herself. "Yes, that would work well. Developing proper roads would employ thousands, not to mention the prospects of mines, mills, and agriculture. It could sustain growth and expansion in the population for decades, maybe centuries."

"You lost me there," I said, chuckling wryly. "All I know is that the people there need help. The monsters there are even stronger than those that roam here."

"Yes, I see that," she said, nodding. "And even worse is that all the unsavory characters that have escaped our grasp and fled will soon make their way to greener pastures. Blacksand is south, which only leaves north. I’ll speak with Joel on the morrow during our next strategy meeting and see about sending a legion to secure it."

"Legion?" I asked, tilting my head.

She self-consciously tugged a ribbon of golden hair, twirling it around her finger. "I’m, eh, considering reworking the structure of the Company to better suit its current purpose. It’s grown almost twice the size since we arrived here, absorbing every patriot and desperate soul looking for a way to regain their honor and dignity. The old models aren’t working."

"So you’ll break it into groups?"

"Right. The Last Light Legions. It has a ring to it, doesn’t it?"

"Bethiv and the others had the same idea, actually," I said, suppressing a giggle behind my hand. "They’re calling themselves the Fatesworn, now."

She joined me in a laugh. "Who could have thought it? Two young, helpless slave girls becoming this? Served by armies and feared by many."

My cheeks warmed, my fingers digging into my skirt. "I...I don’t really see it that way. I’m just...me."

"And that’s exactly why you’re the one I trust. Not a hint of arrogance or ambition," she said. "I’m afraid I can’t claim that myself. Hard to lead an army to forge an empire without a healthy dose of both."

We shared a laugh, talking for a little longer before I felt a tug on my soul. It was Borealis, indicating he and Kahlen had finished absorbing the mana. It was time to go.

Rising, I embraced Elise one last time.

"Thank you," I whispered, hugging her fiercely.

"No, thank you. If you hadn’t come when you did, we might have lost everything to those inquisitors. And for everything else. It shouldn’t have been possible to do what we’ve done, but your visions prepared us in a way nothing else could have. Oh, and are you certain about Sari? We wouldn’t mind taking her into Brithlite. The city might be in shambles, but there’s plenty of room for a curious girl like her."

"I’m glad fate guided my path to Heartland first. She needs some time and room for herself. To reconnect with Ror and discover who she is without me, you, or anyone directing her path."

"You’re probably right about that. That’s why we fight, isn’t it? If by our blood, we can buy that freedom for all, every sacrifice would be worth it."

"I’ll miss you," I said.

"I’ll see you again," she said, clasping me by the shoulders. "Find your purpose. Win your war. And come home safe."

I gave her a small smile, blinking away tears as they gathered. "Stay safe, Elise. May the stars watch over you."