Chapter 421: Where Souls Meet
Luke and I locked in a silent gaze, our souls mere inches apart. The intensity of his presence was overwhelming, his hands gripping my arms with otherworldly strength. Hands that, if the things I had seen were true, had ended almost as many lives as I had.
The realization made me squirm, desperate to break free, away from this man who could overpower and hurt me but with a thought. But my struggles were futile. My physical weakness seemed to translate into this ethereal realm. After a long moment, I surrendered, going limp in his grasp.
"I-I’m so sorry," I stammered, "I should have prepared you for the nature of the soul space, or at least—"
He shook his head, his grip on my arms tightening, a surprising sensation in this ethereal realm. "I don’t give a damn about that. I know my own demons. But I saw you, Xiviyah."
A shiver coursed through me, my tail twitching in agitation. His words held a weight, an implication that resonated deep within. He saw me—not just in our shared visions but something more profound, more personal.
"Those golden threads," his voice was soft and hesitant, completely filled with disbelief in what he had seen. "They were you, weren’t they?"
The question hung in the air, heavy with unspoken meaning. I nodded, unable to meet his gaze. His dark and piercing eyes held a depth that both terrified and fascinated me. They reflected my own vulnerability, of a connection I couldn’t deny. They were beautiful, even as they mirrored my own fears.
"I knew it," he whispered, and released me, drifting a few feet away. His shoulders rose and fell with a deep breath, another oddity in the soul space where one didn’t need to breathe, and he continued, his voice stronger, "Was what we saw in the beginning real? Are those divine bastards truly developing some new weapon?"
I let out a small, relieved breath, rubbing my arms where his fingers had dug into my flesh. There was too much physical sensation in the soul space, significantly more than when I first brought him here.