Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 522: A Third Option ()

"For the first few decades, Xenon was completely lost to the darkness and could not revert to human form, at some point, we believed he had lost the ability to shift."

"The wild haze was at it’s peak and Xenon destroyed everything in his path, knowing neither friend nor foe...he could not be controlled or restrained and no one dared attempt it." King Jian sighed quietly.

"All that could be done was contain the damage as much as we could...evacuate his surrounding, erect fire resistant wards."

"The entire stronghold petitioned for his execution and Xenon wished for death... tried to end his life many times, but I am a selfish man and I would not allow him leave me. Taking Xenon from me would be a victory for Misha, even in death."

"I would not have it, I would not allow her to achieve her wish of destroying our brotherhood. We brothers had no choice but to cuff him."

" Only then did he regain a semblance of control, and it took yet another decade before Xenon uttered his first words." King Jian recalled with a heavy sigh.

"It was a slow and gruelling process, getting Xenon back to the state of awareness you had met him... getting him to find life worth living again. Getting the stronghold to make peace with the fact that we would never accept the execution petition."

"And then you came along... and suddenly, Xenon was better. And for the life of me, I could not tell if it was a good thing...or just another danger lurking in the shadows." King Jian admitted.

Neveah sat in silence, mulling over all King Jian had just told her. While Neveah had always known of Misha, she had never fully understood what the circumstances had been then, until now.

"It must have been so hard on him." Neveah murmured quietly.

She could not imagine just what pain Xenon had gone through, grieving over a woman that ruined his life, threatened his brothers and sentenced him to eternal darkness.

Misha was the one who had done wrong, yet in Xenon’s eyes, he would always be the man whose hands was stained with the blood of his true bonded.

Because regardless of who or what Misha was, Xenon did love her.

To love one who only caused him pain, it was an even worse fate than what Neveah had experienced.

Though Neveah met her end at the hands of Alessio, her own mate, at least she had always known just what kind of man Alessio was,

Neveah had never had a misconception that Alessio was a man worth loving, he had never been one. She never held much expectations of him... she had never loved him and so, harsh as her fate had been, she had not been completely shattered.

"It was." King Jian agreed in a somber tone.

"And it must have been so hard on you." Neveah said again.

King Jian passed Neveah a look and Neveah met his gaze, they stared at each other for a while before Neveah reached a hand out and placed it over King Jian’s hand.

King Jian turned his hand over, interlocking their fingers, he grazed his thumb slowly over the back of Neveah’s hand.

"You are a good man, Jian... and you could not have done anything better because you did all you should have."

"You protected Xenon in the best way you could, in the way he would allow, but you cannot protect a man from his own heart... this was not your fault as surely as it was not Xenon’s." Neveah asserted in a firm tone.

"And I may have detested you at some point, because you hated me for crimes I knew nothing about and never bothered to get to know me or understand me...but now, I understand it..." Neveah murmured with a shake of her head.

"I understand how it must have hurt you, that Xenon was seemingly going down the same path he had before, with a woman you knew nothing about... I understand how you must have felt watching the same mistake play out a second time."

"I understand that you must have wanted desperately to make things right this time, even if it meant killing wrongly...it would be a better choice than risking a repeat of the past events." Neveah murmured quietly.

"Veah... I have wronged you. There is no excuse for my actions and I am sorry... I have always been." King Jian said, his tone sincere.

Neveah had not expected King Jian would apologise to her, he was Dragon King, he was not required to apologize for anything.

"I know." Neveah murmured, a small smile playing on her lips.

They fell into another short moment of silence before Neveah spoke again.

"All of this just makes me certain of one thing, I will never be the one to come between you two brothers... I would rather die." Neveah said decisively.

"Why do you think you would be coming between us?" King Jian asked Neveah with a raised brow.

"I... There is no path I can take that will not end with one...or both of you getting hurt. I have thought about it a thousand times and I cannot see a way out." Neveah murmured, her tone pained.

King Jian stared at Neveah in silence for a moment.

"And what if I told you there was a third option?" King Jian asked Neveah in a low, cryptic tone.

Neveah frowned in confusion, staring questioningly at King Jian.

"What if I told you that it does not have to be this...or that..." King Jian asked again.

"I am not sure I understand your meaning." Neveah said uncertainly.

"Why do you think you have to make a choice, Neveah?" King Jian asked for the third time.

"Why do you think you have to choose who to be with, between Xenon and I...can you not just...let it be? Be with us both?" King Jian asked, this time his tone was apprehensive.