"Hey, Xiviyah, are you alright?" Luke said, gently shaking my shoulder.
I huddled against Fable, eyes wet with gathering tears. My face burned as I rembered the silky strands of Luke’s hair between my fingers and his grin as he gazed up at from my lap. He’d been awake the whole ti!
A small whimper broke from my lips, and I squird closer to Fable, tail lashing. There was no way I could face them now. The best I could do was try to ignore them and hope it all went away.
"Look, I’m sorry already," Luke said, "And I really was unconscious for a second. It’s just, well, people of my strength don’t stay down for long. But after the sunpurge, it felt so good, and I...I couldn’t help it."
His hand rested on my shoulder, his thumb caressing my shoulder blade. The rough, calloused fingers sent tingles racing across my flesh, driving deeper into Fable’s fur. His tail curled tighter around , and his breathing was a low, comforting rumble against my cheek.
Jessia burst out into giggles. "Co on, Xiviyah, I thought you wanted to rest? We can’t do that if you’re hiding."
"W-what were you even doing?" I mumbled into Fable’s side.
"Sorry?" The apostle leaned closer, his breath warm on my neck.
"Nothing!" I squeaked.
He was close. Too close. I couldn’t even rember the question, much less why I’d even tried to ask anything. That would only remind them I was still here.
"She wanted to know what you were doing here," Fyren said, his voice closer than before.
Luke’s hand abruptly vanished from my back. His warmth lingered a mont longer until the cool night breeze washed it away, sending shivers down my spine and tail. I huddled closer to Fable.
"Aww, you ruin all the fun," Jessia said. "Can’t we tease her a little?"
I squird as Fyren’s huge, strong hands closed around , one on my stomach, the other on my shoulder, and pried from Fable’s side. He lifted effortlessly into the air and shifted his grip, holding in a princess carry. I buried my face in his chest, tail curling around his thigh. His broad shoulders shielded from Luke and Jessia’s prying eyes.
"You wouldn’t speak so lightly if you understood a fraction of the ordeal she’s suffered these days," Fyren said. "Your victory over this city rests entirely on her efforts and the blood of the Devoted. Your demons never even made it to the walls."
"You’re right," Luke said. "Forgive , Xiviyah. We are indebted to you once again."
"I-I didn’t do anything," I mumbled, not caring that Fyren’s chest muffled my voice. "I just...didn’t want you to get hurt, and–"
My soul shuddered, a shiver sweeping through my body. Since the mont Luke saved from Lord Evlon’s spell, strange, foreign mana had seeped into my soul, bringing the strength I’d relied on until now. Without it, I would have collapsed long ago and never been able to heal Luke.
But now, I’d reached my limit, every fiber of my soul filled with power. The tide didn’t cease, however, forcing my soul to strain and bulge with the flood of incoming mana. Every fiber of my soul started to ache and burn, rising to overwhelm my physical senses. I felt Fyren’s arms tighten around , but his voice was jumbled and incoherent. My tail tightened around his leg, and I quivered in his grip, groaning slightly.
"She’s burning hot," Fyren sounded far away.
"What’s wrong with her? Is she hurt?" Luke’s worry strained his voice.
"I can’t tell, but her soul’s going berserk. Where is all this mana coming fr--"
The power beca too much, breaking past through the barriers that kept my aura in check. Fyren’s arms went rigid as my soul unleashed a shockwave of compressed mana, shaking the city to its foundations.
Visions flickered through the haze, glimpses of the chaos unfolding in the city. Buildings groaned beneath the weight of my aura, fires whipped in the winds generated by the shockwave, and survivors collapsed under the pressure. Another few more scenes ca, showing thousands of n, won, and children fleeing from the southern gates. Verity stood tall among them, shouting wordlessly in the chaos. As my aura radiated over them, she turned toward , eyes flashing with fear.
The pressure in my soul escalated, consuming the flickering visions. Darkness crept into the edges of consciousness, promising relief from the ravenous mana. I cried out, and sothing warm took my hand, squeezing it tightly. Tears rolled down my face as I griped it back. It was solid and real, sothing to anchor my consciousness to.
The tide of foreign mana continued to flow, pushing further to the brink. It ca from nowhere, literally pouring into my soul through the threads of fate itself. I searched my body and soul again but ca up with no answers. There were no injuries or blemishes in my soul, no hidden magics or enchantnts afflicting . All of my bonds, including my new connection with the demons, were in order. Worry oozed through them all, save for Fable. He radiated heat like the power ravaging my soul, feeling more distant with every trembling beat of my heart.
I reached for my mana, but spells fled my mind before I cast them, and the small amount I managed to muster slipped back into the seething ocean, breaking my soul. Again and again, I tried, each attempt ending in failure. Soon, my soul grew so strained that even calling it from my soul beca impossible, stealing away even that slight comfort.
There was only one thing my frazzled mind could think of, but I shied away from the thought. I couldn’t go back to her, not after everything I’d been through. I’d chosen to walk alone, and though she’d surely know what was wrong with , I couldn’t bear the thought of giving up now. I’d co so very far on my own.
The darkness beckoned to , growing ever more difficult to resist. I wanted nothing more than to slink into it, to let it wrap up and take away the pain. It would be so easy to submit.
At last, hovering on the fringes of unconsciousness, I surrendered. Not to the darkness but to a small, almost imperceptible nudge. I let the power rage into and forced it, with the last vestiges of my will, into the Final Star.
The crystal staff lit up like the sun, driving through the darkness clinging to my mind. The grip on my hand tightened, and Fyren’s arms loosened. For a mont, I was weightless, floating through the pain and pressure, until another embraced . My arms tightened around a neck thinner than Fyren’s, and my tail loosened its hold on the demon’s trunk-like leg, falling to dangle beneath .
Calm, familiar mana swept over in a tide of gold, temporarily clearing my mind. The world reversed, twisting in on itself in a swirl of starlight, sending a spurt of butterflies through my stomach.
The light receded, and the pain returned, leaving shaking helplessly in the arms of whoever carried . Flashes of gold burned through my eyelids, and more muffled voices drifted through my mind. Through a slit in my eyelids, I made out the blurry profile of a tall, slender woman with streaming golden hair and eyes that glittered like the night sky.
"Fate," I moaned, weakly reaching toward the shape.
Her voice pierced the darkness. "Sleep, little one."
She took my hand, and I gasped as cool, soothing power flowed into . My chest loosened, and I inhaled Haven’s fresh, clean air, breathing for the first ti in what felt like an eternity. My soul still trembled, but the mana had slowed. I could feel it there, hovering like a thunderstorm on the horizon, waiting for fate’s power to leave so it could ravage .
"I can’t," I cried, clinging to her hand.
Darkness pressed in all around , but I shook my head, pushing it away. The agitated swish of my tail felt unnaturally loud, as did the thundering beat of my heart. Why didn’t she understand? I didn’t want to die and leave everyone alone. There was so much I still had to do!
Fate’s hand caressed my cheek, wiping a tear away. "Your ti has not co yet, child. But you need to sleep. Everything will be alright."
Her touch sent another pulse into my soul, dispersing the soft, gold light that held the encouraging mana at bay. It crashed back into my soul with a vengeance, shattering my concentration. My thoughts dissipated like dust in a rainstorm, and the waiting darkness swooped in.
"What’s wrong with her? Why did she collapse?" Luke asked.
What little senses I retained faded away, leaving floating mindlessly in darkness. The last thing I heard was Fate’s voice, bearing a small lilt of amusent.
"Ah, that. Can’t you tell, apostle? She’s finally breaking through."
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