Chapter 423: Quiet Evening
The following events were a blur, a hazy recollection of Luke’s army withdrawing peacefully. The next thing I knew, I was blinking awake in my tent, wrapped in Fable’s comforting warmth and familiar scent.
"Good evening," Elinore’s crisp voice greeted me.
I yawned, mumbling an incoherent reply as I slowly blinked the sleep from my eyes. Everything ached, as expected, but not as intensely as I’d feared. The sunpurge was a dull throb at the back of my mind—unpleasant, but not debilitating. My soul, however...
Tears welled up as I reached for my mana. It hadn’t been a dream. I was healed.
"Xiviyah, are you alright?" Elinore was at my side in a flash. "Where does it hurt? Damn it, I thought I had healed everything."
I shook my head, looking up at her with tears shimmering in my eyes. "I’m alright. It’s... it’s gone. My soul is healed."
"I should hope so," she huffed, relief evident in her voice. "After that stunt you pulled in the gate... it’s a miracle you succeeded. A miracle indeed."
Fable let out a whine of agreement, leaning over to give me a friendly lick. I giggled and pushed him away, wiping his sloppy kiss from my cheek with the sleeve of my nightdress. I couldn’t even muster up the energy to be mad, not right now, at least. I was healed!
"What happened?" I asked after giving Fable a good scratch between his horns.
My memories of the gate were sharpening with each passing moment, but remnants of Luke’s emotions still clouded my mind. I remembered healing my soul, the clash between the divine and infernal armies, and being captured by Gayron. The latter memory sent a shiver down my spine, and I absently touched my side, tracing the small white scar his claw had left on my sunpurge. But there was something else, a nagging worry lurking on the edge of my consciousness like a gathering storm.
Elinore pursed her lips, making a clicking sound with her tongue. "Too much to explain right now. It’s been almost a week since the battle, and everyone’s been busier than ever. We’re still camped in front of the gate, but—"