Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 118: Strangeness ()

The moonlight gave way for the crack of dawn, the first streaks of daylight shone through the darkness and as dawn settled over the Dragon’s Keep, Neveah’s eyes fluttered open just like clockwork.

A quiet groan escaped her lips as she lifted a hand to rub the dregs of sleep out of her eyes, she sat up on her bed and ran a hand through her hair, brushing aside the strands that fell over her face.

"Get Xenon breakfast... launder his clothing, tidy his cave, fill in a report on his needs...do this, do that..." Neveah murmured quietly to herself, reminding herself of few of the tasks she had to attend to.

Getting off her bed, she headed over to her windows and pulled aside the drapes, letting the dim lighting brighten up her room.

Neveah peered out from the window, it was still so early but the keep was already full of life, up above were the dragons going about their daily duties and down below, the keep attendants shuttled about hurriedly.

Those were attendants that served the Asvarian nobles or had duties within the keep itself and so they were expected to have concluded their morning duties before dawn when the keep would begin bustling with life.

Neveah headed into her washroom and took a bath before she stepped out and dried herself, throwing on another pair of the attendant’s uniform in a shade of black.

It took Neveah another few minutes to pull her hair up into a neat and tidy bun like Davina taught her to, attendants could not wear their hair down as instructed by Lord Rodrick.

Neveah was yet to understand the reasoning behind this but she had to abide by the given rules.

In a moment, she was done and ready for the day but before she left her room, Neveah stood before a mirror and glanced at her reflection. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

There was not much of a change in sight between her look now and back when she was in the Eclipse Palace.

Her features were as soft and enchanting as they always were, her hair lush and gleaming brightly even in the darkness... and her eyes, those violet orbs were cold and devoid of light.

She was still the exact same Neveah, the one who had experienced so much darkness that it seeped within and contaminated her heart, blackening it so she could no longer muster a genuine smile but false expressions and reactions to everything.

So much so that she could no longer tell who she truly was, lost in the false identity she was raised in till it was all she knew of herself and she could not dare look in deeper to see anything more.

’Another day in the dragon’s keep Veah...we must make it a day closer to freedom.’ Neveah’s wolf thought to her.

"I know it... I will not forget it." Neveah murmured in response, she watched her expression...her true expression for a moment before her eyes fluttered closed and when they came open again, a small smile settled on her lips.

Though the smile still did not reach her eyes, now that the cold and dead look in her eyes were gone to be replaced by a blank look that revealed nothing of Neveah’s true state, her smile was now convincing enough.

’Go on ahead, I trust in your judgment. I shall rest and save my strength for when the time is right.’ Neveah’s wolf thought back to her before her presence faded away from the back of Neveah’s mind.

Neveah hummed as she headed out of her room, however the moment she opened the door, she was astonished to find someone stood right outside her door.

For a moment, Neveah just stared at him in astonishment, wondering what exactly he was doing outside her door.

"What are you doing here?" Neveah asked with a raised brow, her tone blank.

It had been sometime since she set eyes on Menarx after their last encounter at Mount Edar and so meeting him right outside her door was rather odd.

"Everon...wants you." Menarx said after a moment of quiet.

"Lord Everon? And he had you deliver the message in person?" Neveah asked in bafflement.

She already intended to head to the healer’s hall like she did everyday, but she did not intend to head over there this early in the day,

She usually went up to Lord Everon in the late hours of the morning, after seeing to some other affairs.

"It was on my path so I might as well." Menarx explained and Neveah frowned thoughtfully.

"Your path? But you have never gone by here before, don’t you Lord Dragons just fly about to your destination? Since when is the fourth level in your path?" Neveah asked again.

"Are you going or not?" Menarx changed the topic, his scowl deepening.

Neveah’s suspicious gaze lingered on him for a moment longer before she turned and walked on ahead, Menarx following behind her.

"You did not notice my absence." Menarx said out of the blue and Neveah passed him a glance over her shoulder.

She would not say she did not notice it, it was only that she did not find it to be something she needed to ponder over... she had not seen Menarx for days, but she did not expect to see him either.

He was Lord Dragon and she was an attendant, they were on completely different levels, naturally their paths would not cross often.

Other than Xenon and a few unfamiliar Lord Dragons she encountered in passing, she had also not set eyes on any of the other members of the king’s guard.

They had brought her safely to the dragon’s keep, and everyone had returned to their own place, Neveah was grateful for it too...the Lord Dragons did not favor her in the first place,

She had enough of her own problems surving each day in the Dragon’s Keep, the farther away from her they were, the better.

"The Lord Dragons are protectors of the stronghold, naturally there are many affairs you need to tend to. Your presence and absence from the keep are not mine to regulate or take note off." Neveah replied calmly.

"Your reasoning is difficult to refute. The keep is large enough for many affairs to go unnoticed. You have only just arrived, you cannot know of these things yet." Menarx said with a nod.

"How have you fared... in this past week? I have led flight patrol through the days, my shift was changed by Cassian and I have only just returned." Menarx relayed.

"The King’s guard also lead flight patrol?" Neveah asked and Mernax nodded.

"All dragon lords are regulated for flight patrol, my brothers and I are not just protectors of our liege, but the keep and it’s environs are also entrusted to us."

"My squadron consists of twelve divisions to scout the territories surrounding the keep for as far as the fodder groves." Menarx replied.

"Fodder groves?" Neveah asked with a raised brow, she was immediately intrigued by the mention of a place she had read of while reading of the territories of the Asvarian stronghold.

"You would not know of it...the territories of the Asvarian stronghold will all be strange to you. It is a field of greenery that marks the end of the Keep skies and the beginning of the Dusk Castle." Menarx said.

"Actually... I do know. I have read of it in the volumes Lord Rodrick gave to me. The Asvarian stronghold is divided into twelve fortresses that all answer to the Dragon Keep." Neveah replied with a roll of her eyes.

"And you can name all twelve fortresses?" Menarx asked with a raised brow and Neveah shook her head.

"I didn’t read that far ahead yet, but I do know of three. The Dusk Castle, The Claw’s Tower and The White Dunes, as for the other four... I should get through to those pages in time." Neveah replied with a shrug.

Menarx sniggered in amusement and Neveah passed him a glare.

"What do you find amusing?" Neveah asked.

"I have told you once before, haven’t I? If you want to know of dragons, ask a dragon." Menarx reminded and Neveah rolled her eyes.

"I prefer to read of it than listen to your voice." Neveah replied in a deadpan tone.

"At the mention of ’ask a dragon’, I am the first that comes to mind?" Menarx asked with a smirk and Neveah frowned at the absurd interpretation of her words.

"You were cold and hateful toward me but a few days ago, I would appreciate it if you maintained that energy." Neveah said as she hastened her steps to get far ahead of Menarx but he easily kept up with her.

"You do not get to tell me what to do, Princess." Mernax said.

Neveah did not dignify his words with a response, she was completely unsettled by Menarx’s strange actions recently.

It was already a week spent in the Dragon’s Keep...if Neveah wanted to maintain her sanity, she would have to keep as far away from any strangeness as possible.