Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 491: Greatest Loss ()

~In another time, in another life, we were meant to be, you and I...now I walk by you once, I walk by you twice, again and again it goes...

Though my heart knows you, I know you not... and though your heart knows me, you know me not~

-JHeart

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The sun had just begun to set, casting a warm golden glow across the dense forest.

And it was precisely at this moment that the isolated cave in the depths of the forest came into view.

Just as Cassian had said, they had taken a secluded path through the forest and had not encountered a single person on the way to the cave.

"There... this is considered sacred grounds and the nymphs do not dare venture out here unless summoned by the seer." Cassian said to Jian.

Jian’s brows twitched in annoyance as he stared at the cave.

The mouth of the cave was framed by ancient trees, their roots entwined like a gnarled hand reaching out to the cave’s entrance as if to embrace it.

Beyond the entrance was just a dark abyss, it was only noon but the cave seemed to be swallowed up by darkness, other than the entrance itself, all that was ahead was dark shadows.

"This time, do this for us... that is all you need to think about." Cassian said to Jian, knowing Jian was greatly unsettled.

Jian nodded slowly and they continued on their way to the cave, they soon arrived at the entrance.

"You should go in alone, I will wait out here." Cassian said as he stopped at the entrance.

Jian pursed his lips slightly but continued in without a word. Walking right into the darkness of the cave.

It did not take all that long for his eyes to adjust to the darkness and Jian walked down the narrow path leading deeper inside the cave at a slow and relaxed pace.

It took a short time of walking before the path opened up to a cavern that was just a little brighter than the rest of the cave.

The cavern was empty, or so it appeared to be but Jian had long picked up on the presence of life and so he was not even deterred in the slightest bit when a croaking voice sounded from somewhere in the cavern.

"The Golden Scaled...He who stands at the peak of the world... the one true King..." The croaking voice lauded, seeming to originate from everywhere around the cave. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Jian was not certain what about seers made them always attempt to be mysterious but Jian just stared blankly ahead, he did not even care to know where exactly the seer was speaking from.

"You have been told of my coming, whatever you know of the reason I am here... forget it." Jian made clear.

"Ahhh... your hatred burns strong, King of the great beasts of Asvar. But what is it that you hate, truly?...Is it magic? Or perhaps there is more to it than you are willing to admit?" The voice croaked out again.

Jian’s brows twitched slightly, it was this prying and prodding that he precisely wanted no part of.

"I have questions and you need only give me answers." Jian replied blankly.

"And what is this question that you wish an answer to?" The croaking voice asked.

Jian was silent for a moment as he gathered his thoughts before he spoke again.

"The reoccurring dream I have had in the past year...Is it a vision?...A premonition...? Or a memory?" Jian asked warily.

"Do you not already know the answer to this?" The croaking voice asked.

Jian frowned slightly, sucking in a sharp breath before he continued.

"Does this memory belong to me? Or it belongs to another?" Jian asked again.

"And what did it feel like to you, Your Grace?" The croaking voice asked again.

Jian thought over it for a moment, that dream felt all too real, too personal to have belonged to anyone else.

"Then tell me this, at least...did I survive that night?" Jian asked his final question.

"You have your guess as to what that pain was. So tell me exactly, how many of your kind survive it... how many dragons survive a severing?" The croaking voice asked.

Jian bit down harshly on his lip, his eyes going closed.

"I died...on that night... I also died..." Jian murmured, the words sinking in and weighing heavily on his heart.

Not much was clear to him, but this one fact...in that memory, whatever it was,

Jian had faced the greatest loss of his existence and that pain had claimed his life also...

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Neveah shifted back to her human form right before she shot out the other end of the portal,

She landed with a harsh thud, crashing straight into a tree trunk and down to the ground after.

It was difficult to regain her balance since she and the merchant had been sucked haphazardly into the portal with neither of them prepared for the sudden surge of magic.

A grunt of pain escaped her as she rolled over to her back, wincing at the ache that shot up her spine, Neveah did not need a diagnosis to tell she had most likely broken a rib.

Neveah did not bother charging at the merchant or checking his condition, he had landed just as harshly as she had and given that he was only human, Neveah could hear his slowed out breathing and the smell of blood.

It was not hard to detect that the merchant was out cold and would not be recovering anytime soon.

’Wake him up and knock him out again.’ Neveah’s wolf suggested in distaste.

"He will need the rest, there will be a lot of answering to do when father sees us like this." Neveah murmured, knowing just how overprotective Kaideon could get, especially when she sustained bodily harm.

’I would have handled that better.’ Neveah’s wolf pointed out, referring to Neveah shifting out of her wolf form which was far stronger than her human form.

’But then, our landing would draw a lot more attention and heaven knows where we are.’ Neveah thought back to her wolf.

Neveah’s wolf was too large in build, if she had landed in wolf form, the tree that had received the first impact would surely have snapped in half.

Neveah’s wolf grumbled but did not argue with Neveah’s reasoning

Neveah eyes went closed as she just laid there on the forest ground, allowing her wolf some time to heal them.