Chapter 523: Quiet Night
The fort was a small, almost unremarkable structure built into the mountain peak. The walls were short and thick, the towers raised barely a story above the parapets. Several barracks and a small keep filled the courtyard, with little else besides.
"Alright, Xiviyah," Luke said, his voice pulling me from my thoughts. "Time to do your part."
We stood on a nearby ridge overlooking the fortification, and Luke and Jessia turned toward me expectantly. I hesitated momentarily, my tail twitching back and forth, before lowering my head. There was no point in withholding my abilities from them after everything they’d seen. Luke had already been inside my soul space, so this was nothing.
"Link Soul," I whispered, casting the spell.
Luke blinked as stars drifted through his irises, his expression softening with wonder. It reminded me of one of my earliest positive memories in this world, when I first opened the Eyes of Fate. Just as I had then, Luke was witnessing the intricate flow of mana and the weave of fate for the first time, and it gave me a quiet thrill to see him enjoying it.
"Aren’t you forgetting someone?" Jessia asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.
I averted my gaze, unable to meet hers. Luke glanced at her, confused, then frowned as his eyes fell on me.
"Xiviyah," he said sternly.
I bit my lip, my grip tightening on my skirt. "Does she really need to be included?" I asked.