Chapter 512: Pleading
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 something 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 detachment in his words, like he was discussing a tool rather than a person. But as I gripped Fable’s fur, something about Luke’s expression seemed off. Perhaps it was my unique connection to his mind, or maybe I was imagining it, but he seemed 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 me of the moment before a world falls to the demons. There is a sense of ruin, of absolute despair, and then utter nothingness."
"How could something 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 time sleeping, only waking up for a few hours at a time. I don’t think she even remembers most of those moments, 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 met 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 seemed startled, his tail stiffening. For a fleeting moment, his eyes lit up with what I could only interpret as excitement, 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 me, pulling me into an embrace.
"Xiviyah, you shouldn’t be here!" she exclaimed, quickly casting a Life Spell, the same one she had used to diagnose me earlier. A pulse of warmth flowed through my body. She relaxed slightly when it revealed no immediate issues, but her scolding continued. "What were you thinking, walking all the way out here? Why aren’t you resting?"