Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 463: Hardest Thing ()

It did not take too long for Neveah to arrive at the open cell from which the scream sounded and sure enough, Menarx stood there, his emotionless gaze fixed on the battered man who was hung up on some contraption, dangling some inches off the ground.

Neveah squinted and it took a moment before she could identify the face behind all the blood. As she had guessed, it was indeed the Fae noble who had presented the Ixora flower to her at the ceremony.

The fairy was already unrecognizable, battered and broken in different places, blood pooled on the ground beneath where he was hung and still dripped at a rapid rate.

It was a mystery to Neveah how the fairy had not already died from blood loss.

The state the fairy was in was barely hanging onto his life by a thread, and clearly the fairy himself would be grateful for death but he was not allowed the privilege.

It took an incomparable level of expertise in the art of torture to leave someone in such a state yet be able to preserve their life at the same time.

"To have held out this long, you are a strong one...but there have been many of your kind and greater to have shared this dance with me, and you know how it ends...they all break..." Menarx whispered to the fairy in a low tone barely above a whisper.

"Shall we take a bet as to how long you can hold on? I would say...a day at best..." Menarx guessed, tilting his head to the side in amusement when the fairy lifted a fierce glare to him.

"I will never tell you anything!..." The fairy forced out with difficulty.

"That is what you think." Menarx replied, his lips stretching to a sinister grin.

"Narx..." Neveah called out, finally making her presence known.

Neveah watched Menarx freeze up at the sound of her voice, and then slowly, he turned around to face Neveah, his eyes wide with surprise and horror at the same time.

Neveah’s gaze moved over Menarx, his eyes still glowed dimly and his blood trickled down his hands, dripping to the ground, none of which were his.

He was the farthest thing from okay, but her heart still skipped a bit at the sight of him, that hollow feeling returning to her...a reminder of the severed bond.

"Veah... you... " Menarx began to say, his hands clenching up into fists by his sides as he noticed Neveah’s gaze on them.

"You... how long have you been here..." Menarx asked in a low tone.

"A while..." Neveah replied honestly.

Menarx winced visibly, he took a step forward but stopped, a complicated look in his eyes.

"You shouldn’t be here..." Menarx asserted.

"The person I wish to see is here, if I do not come... what else can I do...?" Neveah replied with a question, though she did not truly expect a response to it.

"I had thought... you never wanted to see me again." Menarx admitted in a pained tone.

Neveah could see in Menarx’s eyes, that he still could not understand her choice.

"That is what you think." Neveah said, using the exact words Menarx had used just a moment ago.

Menarx winced again, Neveah understood this was a side of him Menarx had never wanted Neveah to see.

"You shouldn’t have seen this... I..." Menarx began to say but trailed off, having no words to complete his statement.

Neveah stared quietly at Menarx for a moment before she sighed, walking over to the wash basin.

"Come here." Neveah called as she picked up a dry towel and soaked it up in water before she wringed out the excess water.

Neveah turned around and Menarx still stood right where he had been, as if frozen in place.

Neveah said nothing more, walking over to Menarx herself but Menarx was quick to stop her.

"Don’t... don’t come in here." Menarx said quickly, stepping out of the cell and shutting the door so Neveah did not have to go in herself.

Menarx now stood before Neveah and for a moment, they both just stared, so many words and emotions weighed down on them, in desperate need of expression but neither of them knew where to start.

And so Neveah just went ahead with her intent, lifting up the towel, she gently wiped off the blood stains from Menarx’s face, putting all her concentration into cleaning him up.

Neveah reached for Menarx’s hand after she was done with his face, but he hid it away from her.

Neveah glanced up at him expectantly and Menarx gave in in just a moment.

Neveah took his hand and slowly but thoroughly wiped off the blood from finger to finger, before moving on to the next hand till there was not a single stain of blood on his person.

This process had taken a while and through it all, Menarx just quietly stared at Neveah, his eyes reflecting his pain.

"Do you not want me anymore?" Menarx finally broke the silence.

"Narx... you know that is not true." Neveah said in a heavy tone.

"Then why? Why did you let go of my hand?" Menarx asked, making no attempt to hide the depth of his hurt.

"I..." Neveah began to say but cut herself off.

The surge of emotions, rage, pain and a host of others were too overwhelming for Neveah and she just did not wish to face them yet.

"I can’t do this right now... I shouldn’t have come..." Neveah realized as she turned to leave but Menarx held onto her wrist.

"Veah..." Menarx began to say but Neveah cut him off.

"Because I want you so much!...Too much, and I know I cannot have as much of you as I desire to have...not anymore... I saw you by the cliff, what part of your promise can I still believe?! I’m not blind and deaf!" Neveah hissed,

"I let you in Narx! I do not let people in but you... I let you in, I gave you my trust, my heart... and...Narx... you hurt me and you know what is worse?...I cannot even blame you for it..." Neveah chuckled derisively.

"We’re all just being played by fate. I only came here to make sure you were fine... I have seen you, there is nothing more I wish for." Neveah murmured.

Neveah’s words shocked Menarx to silence as it dawned on him that he was in no position to cast blames, he had been the first one to break their promise.

Now, he had let things come to this and there was no way to restore everything to how it had been.

"I... I am sorry, Veah. I never wanted to hurt you like this... I have failed you..." Menarx admitted, letting go of his hold on Neveah’s hand.

"Eventually... everyone fails..." Neveah murmured as she turned to leave but paused in her steps at Menarx’s next words.

"I love you, Neveah..." Menarx whispered, his tone hoarse.

"And I love you, Menarx..." Neveah admitted.

Menarx sucked in a sharp breath at Neveah’s words and the irony of when they had come.

It was the first time she was saying the words out loud, she had never expected the first time she would say them would be her last.

"Scales! What have I done...?" Menarx hissed, his tone thick with frustration and self loathing.

"Will you ever forgive me?" Menarx asked quietly.

"I already did." Neveah replied without hesitation.

"I do not know how... how to let go." Menarx confessed.

"All it takes is one person ... walking away and never looking back, even if it rips your heart apart... even if it is the hardest thing you’ll ever have to do." Neveah murmured.

Neveah took a few steps forward, but then she stopped, turned around and walked back over to Menarx, her arms went up around his neck, pulling him down as she claimed his lips in a passionate kiss.