CHAPTER 835: OLD FRIEND

The spirit disappeared, and I looked up in confusion. Fate patted my head.

"Be careful where you open a gate, child. I would rather you find some place more secluded next time. Somewhere not in the middle of a demon horde, for instance."

I froze, lips gaping slightly. "Wha..? But I..." I ducked my head. "You’re right. It’s just that, when I remembered you, it was–"

"The fault is mine," Luke said, frowning at me. "You were confused and scared. I should have remembered that."

"Well, no harm done. Funny enough, it wasn’t even a demon that tried to sneak in. Just a rather pesky girl with no sense of propriety."

"Jessia." Luke gritted his teeth. "I should have guessed."

Fate chuckled, giving me a little push on the shoulder. "I won’t keep you from dealing with that any longer. And Xiviyah, I can feel you’re still rather lost and disoriented, so I’ll break my rule and offer you some advice."

"Really?" I clasped my hands, face lighting up.

She smiled. "Just this once, so don’t get used to it." Her face sobered. "Your friends are rather worried about you. I suggest you return to them as soon as possible."

"I’ll take you," Luke said without hesitating.

"No," Fate said sharply. "I understand that you two have laid your hearts bare to each other, but you must separate for a short time longer. Luke, you must

finish conquering this kingdom. Do not leave a single shard behind."

"This coming from a goddess?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"Heed my words, apostle. Should you return to the forest of the elves with Xiviyah, you will bring her nothing but sorrow."

Luke hesitated, looking as if he wanted to protest. After a few seconds of turmoil, his shoulders sagged.

"Fine, but don’t think I’m waiting a second longer. As soon as I take Agungrade, I’m heading to her side."

"How should I return, then? It’s not safe for me to travel alone," I said.

"You have many allies you can call to your side. You merely must remember them, first," she said. "Now, that’s all my advice for now. I wish you the best of fortune. And please, Xiviyah, remember to visit soon."

"Wait, but isn’t using the gate teleporting?" I asked.

She smiled wryly. "Good, I’m glad you listened to my warning earlier. But the difference is in the kind of magic teleporting. The risks, if you remember my words, were with using standard spatial magic. Your staff is far from standard. It’s uniquely keyed to your soul, thus one of the few methods you can safely use. Just beware of teleporting through shards, and most certainly avoid the wayward compasses."

I thanked her once more, and together, Luke and I left Haven behind. A sense of weight settled on my shoulders as we returned to Enusia. Luke’s tent was dim; the light filtered through thick canvas. Infernal mana was thick in the air, leaving me feeling a bit queasy.

"Thank you," I said, hugging Luke as the gate swirled closed.

He stiffened, gently patting my back. "For what?"

I held him for a second, then let go, sitting on the bed, resting back on my hands. "For going with me. And for what you said."

"I meant it, Xiviyah. But are you certain you don’t want me to go with you?"

"You heard fate. I’m not really sure what kind of prophecy ability she has without the divinity, but she’s never been wrong."

"I thought the future wasn’t written?"

I shrugged. "It’s not, and I don’t really understand it myself. Of the visions I can remember, almost none of them played out exactly as I had seen."

"Hmph." he folded his arms. "I suppose she wasn’t the goddess of fate for nothing. Has she ever explained why she hasn’t taken her divinity back?"

"Not that I remember. She just said she can’t."

"Can’t, or won’t? It puts a target on your back," he said. Not only from the demons, but the gods as well. Don’t forget the Fate God is still hunting you."

I shivered, clasping my hands in my lap. "I haven’t. I can’t even count how many inquisitors and assassins have come after me because of it."

"Right. Now, I assume you’ll be summoning Fable?"

"Fable..." I rubbed my horn, pursing my lips.

The name brought an image of a silver wolf to mind, but more importantly, caused the bundle of feelings in my chest to throb. My deep longing ached in my chest, and my fingers twitched, curling around empty air.

"Do you need a moment?" Luke asked, straightening. "

I started to shake my head, then paused, lowering my eyes and nodding. "Please."

His expression softened, and he rested a hand on my shoulder, thumb stroking my arm. "You can do this."

I shivered as he left the tent, covering my shoulder with my hand where he had held me, trying to hold the warmth in. My throat tightened as the flap closed behind him, leaving me alone. Lifting my feet onto the bed, I hugged my knees to my chest, staring dully at the packed dirt floor.

Of all my core memories, the ones of my friends were the most distant. Everything else I was able to experience directly, or at least tangentially, since waking up, but they felt an entire world away. Fyren and his demons were the closest to me, the memories reinforced by the constant taint of infernal mana and proximity to Luke’s horde.

He seemed a good starting point, so I closed my eyes, focusing on Fyren’s face. It was hazy and indistinct, shifting between man and demon without settling on either. The feeling of his...his presence, however, returned to me quickly, burning deep within my chest. It was almost as if I could feel him, his anger and...fear. But what could he have to fear?

I followed the thread into the cluster of feelings inside my chest, finding countless more beings beside it. Each was its own thread, course, and filled with chaotic, volatile emotions. My tail twitched as they bled into me, polluting my feelings, making my heart race even though there was nothing to be agitated about.

A noise caused me to look up, my tail curling reflexively. My heart skipped a beat as a dark silhouette loomed over the entrance, and a hand parted the flap. My eyes were fixed on the golden ring on the index finger, and the small sapphire set within it. A match to the one hanging around my neck.

"Xiviyah?" Luke’s worried voice called.

He ducked through the entrance, relaxing as we made eye contact.

"Everything alright?" he asked, standing before me. "You look a little pale."

"Yes, just...feeling," I whispered, pressing a hand to my chest. "I think I’m starting to understand what Fate’s talking about. Souls. There are so many of them, welling up within me like a spring."

"Did you find Fable’s?" he asked.

I hesitated, chewing my lower lip. "I...don’t know."

"I think you would know if you did. What do the souls you’re connected with feel like?"

"Hungry." The word popped out without a moment’s thought. "And angry. Scared, too."

"Your demons, then. Why don’t you try getting some distance from them and looking for something different? Try warm, bright, and, uh, cozy."

Calmed by his familiar voice, I took a deep breath and refocused. Following his advice, I gave the demon souls some distance. The feeling changed, moving from examining a painting up close to at a distance. The individual strokes blended in a cohesive whole, forming a small world of its own within me. I could still feel the chaos, but it no longer bled into my heart.

"Cozy," I mumbled, "Warm and cozy."

My eyes shot open as I brushed another soul, smaller than the collection of demons, but far brighter. It radiated warmth, beckoning to me. Tears filled my eyes, and I let out a long sigh, huddling around it like a fire. The soul responded to my touch, filling with surprise, and then relief. I got the distinct impression it was nudging me, pleading for something I didn’t quite understand.

My staff materialized in my hands, resting horizontal across my lap. Luke stepped back, folding his arms. The warmth inside me rose, overflowing into my staff.

"Come," I murmured.

A golden gate appeared, stretching from the floor to the ceiling, less opaque than the one to Haven. But, instead of seeing Luke through it, the gate acted as a window to somewhere else, showing a spacious courtyard filled with flowers and neatly trimmed trees. The sounds of a fountain burbled into the tent. A massive, twenty-foot-long wolf stood on the other side, ears pricked and tail wagging. The moment the gate solidified, it pounced through, landing beside my bed. It’s bulk filled over half the tent, forcing Luke back to the entrance.

"Fable?" I asked, standing, half-raising my hand toward him.

The wolf barked, a thunderous sound that made my ears ring. Before I could react, he pounced on me, knocking me onto the bed. I shrieked in surprise, covering my face as his tongue dabbed all over, coating me in thick saliva. I tried to roll away, but he pinned me to the bed with a paw the size of my torso, licking me until I was gasping for breath and soaking with saliva.

"Stop it already," I cried, somewhere between a sob and a giggle. "I’m glad to see you, too."