I turned back to the shrine. "I had no idea she was speaking to you. She never even talks to me..."

He laid a hand on my shoulder from behind. "It’s not that she speaks to me, but that I have learned to listen. I first heard her gentle whisper when you stumbled across my church, and again when I received that letter from the librarian at the Divine Throne. The longer I’ve spent in these mists, exposed to her power, the stronger I’ve grown. I can see things now, things I never could have imagined."

"Like...magic?"

I felt his nod through his grip. "Among other things. The weave of fate is complex, yet simple."

"And what about the rest of this place? What about Rylam, the slaves, and the Crimson Guard?"

He moved away, sitting on one of the pews, and motioned me to join him. I did, sitting next to him, my knee against his. My hands gathered in my lap, fidgeting with my spatial ring, as I recalled the last time we’d sat like this. The pews were just as hard and uncomfortable as I remembered.

"The power that being called upon High Valley was beyond mortal comprehension. It resonated with that shrine, drawn toward it like a basin drain. What spilled out were stars, as you see now. It’s hidden in this valley in the folds of Fate’s dress, sheltering all with a pure, untainted heart. It calls to those who seek the same safety and refuge you once did, and turns aside all others."

"Is that why the church hasn’t entered?"

"Exactly. Their forces swarmed the area after the incident, but none could find their way through the mists. Eventually, they cordoned the valley off and intercepted anyone who made their way here. Or, rather, tried, I should say. Somehow, those who feel the call always find a way. But everything changed when you arrived."

He waved his hand, and the mists lit up with color, forming illusory images. They showed the valley from different perspectives and angles: close-ups of the church’s forts, the seething banks of mist, the Crimson Guard’s bridge, and more. Every soul glowed like they did when I saw them through the Eyes of Fate. Nothing escaped it.

I let out a small gasp, covering my mouth, as a scene panned across a mountainside. The peak was charred black, like it had been struck by a powerful explosion. Twisted chunks of wood and metal littered the slopes, accompanied by scorched corpses. Part of a skyship hull had been embedded in a cliff, shearing effortlessly through the stone. Soldiers picked through the destruction, their faces grim, searching for survivors,

More scenes depicted the courtyards below. Priests walking through rows of dead soldiers splayed across the ground. Teams of church rangers moving through the mountains, searching for tracks. Even an old mage standing on the shore, attempting to penetrate the mists with a sixth-circle spell, but failing.

"You caused quite the stir breaking through here. Hundreds dead in a few minutes, and not a single alarm raised," Rodrick mused. "I didn’t know such skill was possible, not even among the strongest warriors of Enusia. His arrows struck true, punching through armor, wall, and flesh like it was paper.

I looked down, touching my horn. "I...wanted to sneak through. But we never would have made it."

"They still don’t know it’s you. That...being you called was beyond clever, and your other companion." He waved his hand, and an image shifted, showing Fable standing proudly at the peak of a mountain overlooking the valley. As if he could feel our gaze, he turned, looking right at him. His tail wagged. I breathed a sigh of relief, my hand coming back down, rubbing my spatial ring.

"He’s never once dropped his vigil," Rodrick said.

"You said this place is shielded from the outside world. Jasrin thought the same. Is it really safe here?"

"You mean for you? Xiviyah, you could say this place was made for you, for this very purpose. We have been but keepers of the lights meant to twinkle in your sky."

"Then...?" I summoned my staff, looking at him anxiously.

He nodded, and I took a breath.

"Haven?"

A swirling gate appeared, sending ripples cascading through fate. They were visible in the mist, cascading out from us like a shout in the silence. I cringed, bracing myself, waiting for something--anything, but like when I’d let my aura slip, the stars remained still.

Rodrick leaped to his feet. He looked at me, his lips agape. "Is that a...a gate?"

I giggled at his expression and reached out, taking his calloused hand in mine. I didn’t blame him for panicking, given what had happened last time a golden gate had opened above High Valley, but it would be so much easier to show him than to explain everything.

"Come on," I said, tugging at him. He stood firm, unmovable by my fragile strength.

"What is that? Where does it go?" he demanded.

I tilted my head. "Don’t you want to meet her?"

It was his turn to look confused. "Her?"

"Fate."

His stubbornness gave way, and we vanished into the gate. I let out a sharp breath of relief, blinking back tears as Haven’s warmth enveloped me. As kind as the people of High Valley were, and as comforting as the mists, nothing compared to the safety of my realm and the ones waiting for me inside.

"Xiviyah!"

The instant my foot touched the cobblestones, I was swept up in a bearish hug, the breath squeezed from my lungs. My face squished against a breastplate, my arms trapped at my side, but I knew Luxxa’s familiar scent by heart. Another wave of tears threatened me, but she squeezed me again, and my bones creaked.

"H-Hey!" I protested, squirming.

She let me go, but gripped me by the hands, as if afraid I would bolt again. She had deep bags under her eyes, and she looked like she’d been crying. I softened in her grasp, slumping against her, pressing my cheek to her chest.

"You’re alive," she hoarsely whispered.

"I’m sorry." I nuzzled her, blinking back the tears. "I didn’t have a choice."

"I know. I just didn’t like it. But I’m never letting you out of my sight again."

"You say that every time."

"And every time I mean it. But this time especially. I don’t care if I have to cuff you to my wrist," she said, her fingers tightening on me.

There was no doubt she meant it, and I shivered at the thought. Just wearing a chain necklace was hard enough. I doubted I’d manage something like a cuff without having a panic attack.

This time, when she let me go, she gave me enough space to breathe. Not that I minded having her close, but there were others I wanted to embrace first.

Someone cleared their throat, and I finally looked around, finding Jenna staring at us with an arched eyebrow. Luxxa coughed, stepping back, blushing lightly, but she didn’t go far. And her hand stayed close, ready to snatch me at a moment’s notice.

"I’m glad to see you, too," Jenna said dryly.

I giggled, hugging her and then Gith. He stiffened in surprise, but returned it. He looked even more tired than Luxxa, but all he did was grunt in greeting.

"He’s a big softy, at heart," Jenna teased. "He didn’t leave the entrance island here, even for food."

When I pulled from Gith, I came face to face with Kahlen, who had his silver arms folded across his chest. He raised an eyebrow when I looked up at him, pleadingly. He let out a long sigh and let his arms fall to his sides. He was as rigid as steel when I hugged him, but he actually patted my back. My tail waved as I stepped back, giving him a shy smile.

"Who is this?" asked Luxxa as she surveyed a very startled-looking Rodrick.

The priest gazed around with wide eyes, his lips parted in a silent gasp. The stars drew closer to him as they did to me, resonating with the unique traces of fate mana lacing his soul.

"This is Rodrick. I told you about him, remember? He’s the one who helped me after I escaped mast--Lord Byron, and gave me my ring," I said, touching my spatial ring.

Luxxa straightened, giving him a sharp salute. Gith followed suit, but Jenna gave him a friendly wave. I hurriedly introduced them, though from the glossy look in his eyes, I doubted the names stuck.

"A pleasure," he murmured, lowering his head respectfully. "I can sense your power. Lady Xiviyah is fortunate to have her at her side."

"She has a strange way of showing it, given how rarely we’re actually there," Luxxa muttered, shaking her head.

"Just what is this place? It feels like the chapel, but...it’s beautiful," he asked.

"Follow me. I’ll explain on the way," I said.

"You don’t want to teleport?" Luxxa asked. "I can tell you’re exhausted."

I shook my head. "It’s okay. I’ll sleep later. But, um," I shifted, my tail curling as I flushed. "Not too much later."