Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 889: Burned ()

Xenon had never understood what it felt like to be burned. He was born of fire himself, the very blood in his veins was the fiercest flame. How could he be burned?

But now, as he held her in his arms, her blood seeped into his robes. It grazed his skin, warm...too warm. And he finally understood it.

What it meant, to be burned.

She was breathing still. That was the first thing he’d confirmed.

Slow, and pained as each breath was, she was alive. And that meant there was still an opportunity to make it up to her, for these months... for this day, and for their numerous failures.

"Beloved..." Jian’s voice trembled.

Xenon had never heard him sound like that before.

"Step aside." Everon’s tone was clipped as he came up to them. In the way he always sounded when he already knew how grim the situation was from a glance.

"Will she be okay?" The question came from Kaideon.

The answer? Silence.

______________

When Neveah woke up, she was staring up at a strange ceiling.

Every inch of her body ached terribly, and for a moment her vision spun. When it finally settled, her attention was drawn to a man standing by a table some distance away, busily stirring a bowl.

Only then did the smell hit. The pungent stench of herbs flooded her senses and Neveah scrunched up her nose in disgust, a quiet groan slipping out of her lips.

The sound drew the attention of the man and he turned, eyes wide and startled.

"You’re awake?" He asked, like it wasn’t already obvious.

Neveah wasn’t sure why, but he seemed surprised to see that she had regained consciousness.

"Should I not be?" Neveah replied with a question of her own. Her voice was hoarse and cracked, the words fractured and at the end, she broke into a coughing fit.

She grunted quietly as the movement stirred an ache in her skull.

The man pondered the question for a moment. He shook his head slowly, placing down the bowl he’d been stirring. "It’s you, after all."

"I’m glad you are." He added, pouring a glass of water before walking over to take a seat by her bedside.

He stretched the glass out to her and Neveah just stared at it.

She was tempted to flinch, but she didn’t have any strength left in her limbs to follow through with the temptation, and so she just stayed put, staring blankly at him.

"Weren’t you going to give me that?" She asked, gesturing to the bowl he’d left on the table.

"I was." He affirmed, "But something tells me you won’t be receptive of it. I had to improvise." He shook the glass lightly.

Neveah’s brows furrowed. "You’re a physician."

"I don’t trust your kind." She clarified.

He quirked a brow. "Good. It’s just me here. Not my kind."

He stretched the water closer to her lips. "I know your memories are back, Veah."

Neveah pursed her lips, before exhaling heavily. She parted them, letting the cool liquid moisten her parched throat.

When she’d had enough, he took it away.

"Ron." Neveah murmured, "How long have I been out?"

Everon shrugged. "Half a day. I’d expected a week at least."

Neveah frowned slightly. After everything that had happened in the past few days... she’d have thought the same.

It was no wonder Everon was so surprised to see her conscious so soon after.

But to Neveah, it didn’t feel like she’d slept at all. With the fog in her mind cleared up, however long had passed, she’d spent it reliving some of the moments leading up to this.

The stronghold... Dragon Keep...Keila... the dark lands, Verothrax...Beoruh.

All of it. It was a lot to assimilate at once. And there were still many blanks, many holes in her memory left to be filled.

But at least now, she knew who she was. What her life had been... and what she had left behind.

She had hoped recovering her memories would provide her some clarity. Some relief. Or at least a sense of purpose.

But now, she just felt numb.

Maybe her mind couldn’t yet handle the revelations. Maybe she didn’t want to.

To face everything the loss of her memory meant. All the times she’d gotten so close to trusting Alessio and forfeiting the life she’d left behind.

"Are you alright?" Everon asked gently, "You know...a few people are dying to know you’re fine."

"But I’m guessing you want a moment to yourself. Maybe a few moments..." He muttered knowingly.

Neveah winced. Her eyes were fixed on the ceiling and she traced the patterns of it... anything to distract herself from the hollowness she felt.

"Ron..." She finally said after a short moment of silence.

"What do you want to know?" Everon asked, his tone soft.

She hesitated.

"Did I...was I..." She stuttered, unsure how to get the words out.

"Did the child ever exist?" Everon guessed.

Neveah winced. She nodded in slow apprehension. Tears already stinging her eyes.

"Yes." Everon’s response was simple and direct as always.

The tears slipped out. Silently trailing down her cheeks as she chewed on her bottom lip, harsh enough, the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.

"Is it... gone now?" She asked after another beat of silence.

"Yes." Everon’s response was another heavy blow to the gut.

Her insides clenched tightly. But after what had happened before, she appreciated his honesty.

If she would ever be able to face it, she had to face it now.

"Was it...me?" She finally asked.

This time, Everon’s response came slower.

"The trauma accumulated these months took its toll." Everon admitted, "Your body was not in any shape to carry a child."

"But the toxin in your system...dealt the greatest harm."

Neveah’s hands clenched into fists.

"Do you know...who the father was?" She stuttered.

Not that it mattered. But for some reason, she wanted to know.

"It’s impossible to tell." Everon confessed. "The child could have belonged to Jian or Xenon."

Before Neveah could process it,

something snapped. Drawing her attention to the doorway.

And there they were. Not one... both. And they had clearly heard it all.