Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 841: Out Of Reach ()

The silence that rested over the dark lands stretched for miles. With the void reversed and the death gale banished along with it, what was left behind was the evidence of the breaking.

A chasm of unknown depths remained where the earth had caved in on itself. And with the dark miasma no longer a hindrance, the second squadron and the dune dragons had been tasked with exploring and investigating the depth of this chasm,

On one end, it was to determine a possible solution, but most importantly, their mission was centered around Neveah.

After a month of scouring the abyss, their first discovery and the closest trace to Neveah was not anyone would have expected.

Jian stood by the edge of the chasm, his face expressionless. Xenon stood beside him, equally motionless as a dragon of the second squadron drew the remains out of the abyss.

When he reached the top of the chasm, the crowd moved aside to create space and the remains or what was left of it was laid at the edge of the chasm.

No one spoke. The silver mask covering was enough to identify the remains.

This was Ida... Misha, the woman who Neveah had brought down to the abyss alongside herself.

That feeling of dread already deeply rooted in his heart, twisted in deeper.

"The temperature at that depth is unnaturally cold. It is mostly intact and so we were able to identify the cause of death." Dante reported.

Jian’s mind strayed to the remains in the hidden hall in Ebonhollow. Maybe following their death, the final manifestation of their magic was this... creating an atmosphere where the body would be preserved for long. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"Other than the fall?" Cassian asked.

Dante nodded. He leaned down by the remains and tilted the head to reveal the evidence of a deep gash around the neck.

Cassian also crouched down. "It looks to be inflicted by claws... she was already dead before she hit solid ground."

"Not just any claws...Veah’s." Kaideon clarified. The month had not been kind to Kaideon either.

His hair was roughly tousled and his eyes were dark and sunken, evidence that he barely slept.

"The size and brutality is consistent with my daughter’s kills."

Jian’s brows furrowed. "If Veah was conscious enough to execute the kill, the toxin of the miasma must have been tolerable for her."

"Which is to say, she may have had just enough awareness to summon a portal at that moment." Dante confirmed. "There are no traces of Veah anywhere in the chasm. We’ve searched far and wide."

"I cannot be certain of much, but one thing is for sure. Neveah did not die down there." Dante’s tone was firm.

Estelle nodded in agreement. "We all know if anyone could have survived that fall, it’s Veah."

Jian pursed his lips slightly. Against his will, the warmth of hope had already spread its branches to every crevice of his heart and there was no going back.

"So this is..." Xenon’s first words brought along with it another silence.

"This is...her?" His brows were furrowed slightly. His tone was one of disbelief, as though he could not reconcile what he knew with what he had been told.

"Not the body." Cassian muttered, reaching for the mask, he pulled it off to reveal an unfamiliar face, with hideous runes engraved into the skin. "But the soul had been. It seems this body was a vessel for the sinister art of soul transfer... the rune evidence is there."

"Someone must have taken her soul, found an innocent vessel and maimed the face so the soul has no trouble sitting within the body."

"Planned a grand return, most likely. But when you and Verothrax arrived at the shadow tower, the plan must have fallen through."

"Then, all these decades..." Xenon trailed off again. The words were too heavy on his tongue to completely form them.

Jian glanced over at him, he reached for Xenon’s shoulder but hesitated. Dropping his hand back to his side, he turned, heading away from the chasm. The other dragon lords didn’t linger, and in just a moment, Xenon was left to himself.

He stood rooted in place, staring at the face marred with dark runes. A frown settled over his face.

"It wasn’t enough to ruin my life once?" He muttered, his tone was dark but hoarse.

His hands were clenched into tight fists at his sides. A distant ache blossomed underneath his ribs. It wasn’t strong enough to be overwhelming, it was just... there.

Like the echo of a long forgotten memory.

Fate... it was a cruel thing.

There were times when it made awe-inspiring pairings, choices as perfect as Jian and Neveah...or Imagor and Kaliana.

And there were times it made questionable pairings like Menarx and Adrienne,

And then there were times when it just made a cruel joke of the true bond. Xenon and Misha... Lodenworth and Keila.

It was unpredictable. It was ruthless.

"I have mourned you for decades...but not today. Not anymore." Xenon murmured. "I hope you stay dead this time."

He turned and headed away, and he didn’t look back...not once.

______

Xenon found Jian at the city wall a short time later. The Dragon King stood still, lost in his own thoughts. His hands were crossed behind his back and his gaze was far away.

He didn’t sense Xenon as quickly as he usually would.

It was no longer news to anyone that the past month and the events leading up to that had taken its toll on Jian.

Those events would have been enough to drive anyone over the edge. Xenon knew what that felt like better than anyone.

Even if Jian himself did not realize just how much he had changed. These changes, try as he might to hide it, were obvious. Not to Xenon alone, but to their kin who relied heavily on the Dragon King’s stability.

Jian finally glanced over his shoulder, just when Xenon climbed up the last of the stairs.

Nothing was said at that moment. Xenon walked over to Jian and he settled into the already established silence, gazing out at the dark lands they had just left behind.

After a time, Jian broke the silence.

"Did you..." He trailed off, hesitant. "See it through?"

Xenon understood the meaning implied. Was the Chapter on Misha finally closed? Was the lingering guilt left behind? Did he finally get the closure he was denied all those decades ago?

Could they truly move on from that horrid past for good this time?

He nodded once. "I did."

"Are you... alright?" He asked again,

It was hard to believe he had not been for decades. But now, even with all the uncertainty, all the guilt and grief he felt towards Neveah,

Xenon could not help feeling like a weight had been lifted off his chest. Because now, there was no question of if Misha had truly been evil or was just blinded by revenge,

It didn’t matter anymore. He no longer wanted answers to the past. He finally felt like he could breathe, like he could truly be the best man for himself and the woman he loved.

It was only that the woman he loved...

Xenon didn’t let that thought take root. He didn’t let that grief fester. Not now...not when there was still hope.

"I’m better for it." Xenon replied.

"I’m not." Jian’s voice was barely above a whisper.

Xenon didn’t glance over. What Jian needed at the moment wasn’t his sympathy, or comfort. It would do neither of them any good.

He just needed this moment. Where after a month of unspoken discord, they could both set aside their grievances and let the silence judge their hearts.

All the rage Xenon felt towards Jian drifted away.

"I know." He murmured instead.

"Do you think..." Jian trailed off, "she’s alive?"

Xenon thought about it for a moment. His heart ached and that hollow feeling hadn’t gone away. It wouldn’t. That feeling that made every breath ache, and every dawn dreadful. But deep within, where it mattered most, he still felt...whole.

"I know she is." He paused, drawing a sharp breath. "I still feel her, Jian. Like a presence just out of reach. She’s alive. I’d bet my life on it."

The mark on the crook of his shoulder was right there. He had made sure to take a close look every few hours and nothing had changed, except the fact that no one knew where Neveah was.

She was gone. But if she was somewhere out there in the world...then all they had to do was find her again.

No matter how far they had to go...or how long it would take.

"We will get her back, Jian." Xenon said after a moment of silence. "But the stronghold...is this what you want it to be when she returns?"

"You said you wanted to give her a safe haven. A world without wars, dangers , and constant bloodshed."

"You said you wanted her by your side in the stronghold we’ve always dreamed of. The reason we rose to power in the first place... the reason we relentlessly pushed on despite the obstacles."

"Everything we’ve built is caving, right before our eyes. I hope you do not let yourself fall into the abyss like I did..." Xenon trailed off,