Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 496: Shelter ()

"Neveah...are you ever where you are expected to be?" King Jian asked, in a tone that was more of an animalistic growl than actual talking.

"Y... Your Grace..." Neveah stuttered out.

Any further words were caught in Neveah’s throat, because what exactly did one say in this situation?

Neveah’s heart sank even further when King Jian’s gaze moved to settle on Xenon, his expression changed immediately.

"I... I can explain..." Neveah tried, but again trailed off, in the light of King Jian’s blank stare.

King Jian silently strode past Neveah without a single word, crouching down beside Xenon.

Neveah turned around slowly, her expression alarmed as King Jian inspected Xenon’s condition, his gaze drawn first to the bleeding bite mark on Xenon’s neck.

King Jian tilted Xenon’s head to the side and inspected the bite, his brows furrowing visibly.

"You did this." King Jian said in a low tone.

It was not a question but a statement made with complete certainty and Neveah’s fists unclenched and then clenched up again.

"I... I... I did not mean to mark him... I just...it..." Neveah stumbled over her words in a desperate attempt to explain herself.

"Mark?" King Jian interrupted Neveah’s words, glancing over at Neveah questioningly.

Neveah realized then that the dragons were not completely familiar with the ways of wereshifters and Neveah immediately regretted opening her mouth in the first place.

But then again, Neveah knew had she said nothing, King Jian would not be any more pleased to know she had randomly bit into his brother’s shoulder.

Before Neveah could confirm or deny anything, King Jian had already figured it out himself.

"This is what your kind call the mate mark..." King Jian murmured in realization.

"Xenon he... the wild haze was creeping on him, I just wanted to help him... I did not plan to... I..." Neveah trailed off again, lowering her head in guilt.

There was absolutely no way Neveah could explain her way out of this situation... this situation where King Jian’s fears had been confirmed and she had finally caused harm to Xenon.

Neveah waited with bated breath for King Jian to put his rage into words and give another one of his harsh reprimands, or perhaps rip her head off for what she had done.

She waited, and waited, but it did not come.

Something did come, it just was not what Neveah was expecting.

"Who hurt you?" King Jian’s first words after a long while of silence was a simple question, one that took Neveah a moment to process.

"I... I... what?" Neveah asked in bafflement.

"You are bleeding." King Jian stated.

Neveah trailed King Jian’s gaze down to her knee and sure enough, her breeches were stained with blood and it was only then she realized she had sustained a deep cut while breaking Xenon’s fall.

"I... it is nothing." Neveah said uncertainly, still completely astonished and all the more unsettled by King Jian’s lack of reaction.

"That was not the question." King Jian stated blankly.

"No one, it was a fall." Neveah adjusted, watching King Jian warily.

King Jian stared up at Neveah for a moment, before his gaze reverted back to Xenon.

"I let him out of sight for one moment..." King Jian murmured, his words clearly directed at himself.

King Jian reached an arm around Xenon’s shoulder and lifted him up into his arms like Xenon weighed nothing, he easily carrying Xenon’s weight as he got up to his feet.

And then King Jian strode off, again without a word and Neveah was left wondering if she was expected to follow or this was King Jian’s silent way of telling her she was condemned to death in this dark forest.

"What are you waiting around for?" King Jian asked without turning back.

Neveah’s eyes widened and she moved immediately, jogging over to King Jian.

King Jian had suddenly stopped and Neveah quickly halted, just an inch away from bumping into him.

Neveah took a few steps back in caution, only moving forward when King Jian continued on.

"I... where are you going?" Neveah asked slowly.

"It will be night time soon and we are a long ways from the barrier, once the daylight gives way to darkness... the shadow beasts have nothing more to fear." King Jian said to Neveah.

Neveah nodded slowly, she recalled Kaideon had also said it, that light was the greatest nemesis of the shadow beasts.

It was why all the Asvarian Beacons were kept at their brightest glow by the fairies of the light hall, all these centuries.

The light from the Asvarian Beacons shone on a vast expanse beyond the barrier itself, as such, shadow beasts could never venture even remotely close to the barrier, except the light of the Asvarian Beacon faltered.

Just a moment of weakened glow and the shadow beasts would swarm the barriers, this was why the Asvarian Beacons and the forts guarding them were the most important in the stronghold.

"Are we really that far from the barrier?" Neveah asked after a moment of silence.

"A half hour flight." King Jian replied.

Neveah frowned slightly, Xenon was gone long enough to have gotten this far, though Neveah could not understand why Xenon had gone beyond the barrier in the first place.

Neveah assumed it was to lure the shadow beast away so the city was not harmed by the battle, but even then, Xenon did not have to fly out this far.

And what exactly had triggered his wild haze out here and led to his fall?

"What do we do?...He is still bleeding." Neveah asked cautiously, uncertain of what she would say that would finally trigger King Jian’s rage.

His current calm reaction to the mark on Xenon’s neck was completely unlike him and Neveah knew this was only the calm before the storm.

"Find shelter first. I will see to his... injury, then." King Jian replied, pausing for a moment before choosing the word with which to describe Neveah’s mark.

Shelter... Neveah was not certain if it was the shadow beasts she needed shelter from, or the strangely calm King walking ahead of her.