She nodded, keeping close to Fyren. "I know you think I’m just trying to preserve myself by making up conditions for my healing," she said, her voice trembling slightly, "but I’m not lying. I’ve managed to hide it from her for now, but the truth is that Xiviyah isn’t well yet. The sun purge has disappeared, but she’s weaker than she should be. As I told you last week, she healed her soul, but there’s still sothing off about her aura."
Luke snorted derisively. "Congratulations, you understand why I’m keeping you alive. But that doesn’t change the fact that she woke up or that she has access to her magic. Even if she’s not in perfect condition, isn’t she enough to prophecy?"
A chill ran down my spine at the cold detachnt in his words, like he was discussing a tool rather than a person. But as I gripped Fable’s fur, sothing about Luke’s expression seed off. Perhaps it was my unique connection to his mind, or maybe I was imagining it, but he seed reluctant, as though he didn’t entirely believe his own words. A flicker of doubt in his eyes, a hesitant twitch of his tail—subtle signs that belied his harsh words.
"It’s true," Fyren said, his voice firm. "I sensed...calamity within her. You’re too young and inexperienced to understand the feeling, Apostle, but it reminded of the mont before a world falls to the demons. There is a sense of ruin, of absolute despair, and then utter nothingness."
"How could sothing like that even be possible?" Luke paced restlessly, his hands clasped tightly behind his back. His tail remained agitated, though instead of frustration, I sensed a flicker of...worry?
"I don’t know yet," R’lissea admitted, her voice small. "But I’m going to figure it out. She spends most of her ti sleeping, only waking up for a few hours at a ti. I don’t think she even rembers most of those monts, anyway, which makes learning anything from her difficult. I believe if I’m to discover the problem, then—"
She froze mid-sentence, her eyes widening as they t mine. The others followed her gaze, each reacting differently to my unexpected appearance. Elise shivered, pressing closer to R’lissea, while Fyren simply sighed and shook his head. Luke seed startled, his tail stiffening. For a fleeting mont, his eyes lit up with what I could only interpret as excitent, but he quickly masked his expression, schooling his features into cold impassivity.
Before I could dwell on that flicker of emotion, R’lissea rushed towards , pulling into an embrace.
"Xiviyah, you shouldn’t be here!" she exclaid, quickly casting a Life Spell, the sa one she had used to diagnose earlier. A pulse of warmth flowed through my body. She relaxed slightly when it revealed no imdiate issues, but her scolding continued. "What were you thinking, walking all the way out here? Why aren’t you resting?"
It was then that she noticed Fable sitting beside . She froze, her mouth falling open. Elise’s eyes widened in fear, and even Fyren looked taken aback. Only Luke, who knew Fable through my mories, seed rely surprised, not expecting my soulbond to be here.
"This is Fable," I said, resting a hand on his shoulder. "He’s my friend."
"He’s...beautiful," R’lissea whispered, her initial fear giving way to wonder. With uncharacteristic boldness, she reached out and touched his cheek, gingerly stroking his fur. Fable rumbled softly in response, and she smiled, her touch growing more confident.
Elise, too, approached cautiously. She t my eyes and nodded, and I quickly introduced her and Fyren to Fable. He seed satisfied with them all, though he showed a bit of wariness towards Fyren, who simply crossed his arms and observed the wolf through narrowed eyes.
As the three of them focused on Fable, I slipped away towards Luke, my tail twitching anxiously. Fable had provided a welco distraction, but R’lissea’s words still echoed in my mind. What had she ant when she said I wasn’t recovering properly? And why had she tried to hide it from ? But more pressing was the veiled threat in Luke’s earlier words.
Luke inclined his head as I stopped a pace away. "Hello, Xiviyah."
I was struck by the change in him. He seed more mature and more confident. His dark eyes, holding the mysteries of the midnight sky, t mine, and I found myself captivated. His horns were sleek and powerful, drawing my gaze. He was...handso, in a way, the thin scar over his eye serving to enhance his allure.
I quickly dispelled the thought, blaming it on our entanglent. Handso wasn’t even the right word, either. I simply felt...drawn to him, like to a fire on a cold night. It had nothing to do with any sort of relationship or feelings.
"Luke," I said, eting his gaze unflinchingly, "What are you talking about? What are you going to do with R’lissea?"
He stiffened, his eyes sliding away from mine, unable to hold my gaze. "She’s a hero, Xiviyah. The only reason I spared you and the Water Hero was because you were more useful to alive than dead."
I frowned, my hands balling into fists, clutching my skirt tightly. A strange heaviness overtook my soul, feeling dark and cold. "So you were going to kill her the mont she healed ? Is that it?"
The harshness of my tone surprised even . Even more surprising was the anger that flared within , the realization that R’lissea, who had sacrificed so much to save , was now in danger because of that choice.
He was quiet for a mont, his tail twitching uncomfortably. But when he t my gaze, there was nothing but resolve—a reluctant resolve but firm nonetheless. "Xiviyah," he began, his voice low and steady, "why did you attack Brithlite? Didn’t you know how many innocent people would die because of your actions?"
I opened my mouth to respond, but my throat was dry, my tongue thick. The fire that had driven to act boldly and aggressively against my nature sputtered and died. A shiver ran through as the weight that had settled on my soul increased, the shadows deepening and growing icy cold. My hands unconsciously twitched, yearning for Fable’s fur and warmth. Luke didn’t need to spell it out. With those simple questions, I understood. And that, more than anything, terrified .
He pressed on, his voice soft yet chilling. "Like you, I will do what I must, no matter who suffers for it. This world is a pawn of the gods, a den of their corrupt desires. They’ve invested much in this realm, from that fantastical ship they displayed in the battle of Brithlite to even more terrible weapons ant to cause nothing but suffering. Losing their experints here will be a devastating blow, setting them back in the battle of eternity. If a few innocents die in the process... isn’t that a small price to pay?"
"But not her," I whispered, biting my lip. My tail curled around my leg, a subconscious gesture of vulnerability. Though I knew Luke would notice and interpret it as weakness, I didn’t care. "Please, not her."
He frowned, his expression conflicted. A small glimr of hope flickered within , and before I could stop myself, I stepped closer, my hands clasped together in a pleading gesture.
"Luke, you don’t have to hurt her," I implored. "She abandoned the Church, and even if she wanted to return, they wouldn’t take her back. She sided with , a traitor in their eyes, and has been living among demons. That alone is enough to condemn her. She’s no threat to you."
"But Xiviyah, the Emperor demands–"
"Please," I whispered, tears gathering in my eyes. "I’ll do anything for you, give you as many visions and prophecies as you want. Just don’t hurt her."
I knew it was probably futile. Many had tried to appeal to the Apostle of the Descent’s rcy, yet none had attained it. A small voice whispered in my mind, reminding that I had technically done so before, but that had been a transactional arrangent. But I couldn’t not try, not after everything R’lissea had done for .
"Fine," he said abruptly, turning away from . "I’ll spare her for now."
The words were so unexpected that I almost didn’t register them. When I did, disbelief flooded through . "What?"
"I will spare her," he called out, raising his voice suddenly. I flinched at the sudden volu and glanced over to that R’lissea and Elise had watched our entire exchange, and he was no addressing her directly.
"R-really?" R’lissea stamred.
He nodded curtly. "After witnessing Xiviyah’s condition up close, it’s apparent her soul is unstable. Given the uncertain conditions of her life and the potential consequences of being afflicted with the sun purge, it’s only natural you remain by her side in case any unforeseen circumstances befall her."
It was strange that he was speaking in such a veiled manner, as though he was trying to justify it. I glanced around, curious to see if any demons were listening or if there was so reason he needed to use an excuse. Wasn’t he the leader? Why did he need to bother with this kind of deceit?
I was distracted from the thought as a low shudder ran through my soul. I shivered, hugging myself. The cold was getting unbearable now, and I was starting to think it had nothing to do with my discomfort at the threat to R’lissea’s life.
Tears welled in R’lissea’s eyes, and she sagged with relief, as though a colossal weight had been lifted from her shoulders. "T-thank you, Luke."
He recoiled at the sound of his na as though hearing it from her lips was a jarring surprise. "Don’t make regret this."
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