Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 498: Just Two ()

Jian awakened to the crackling sound of the final embers of fire and the first streaks of daylight reaching into the cave through the small entrance.

His eyes fluttered open slowly, to discover that he felt refreshed and well rested for the first time in far longer than he could remember.

"I... slept?" Jian murmured aloud in bafflement.

Jian could hardly believe it, he had slept with even more ease than he did a year ago, far before the nightmares came, when he was still troubled by insomnia.

Jian did not have the time to contemplate over it, not when he finally took note of the weight on his thigh and glanced down.

King Jian brows furrowed up as his eyes found Neveah, sound asleep, her head laid down on his thigh.

It was then a hazy memory of the night before came back to Jian...memory of his nightmares fading away the very moment someone touched him.

Those light, comforting strokes through his hair, Jian remembered it now.

And with those memories came the realisation that the reason he had been able to find sleep was perhaps this golden haired girl fast asleep on his thigh.

Jian suspected it because this was not the first time... the last time Jian had been so well rested was back when Xenon had brought Neveah to his quarters... laid her on his bed.

And Jian had gone to sleep a short time later with her scent still on his sheets.

Jian had never been willing to believe it, but it was now even more apparent.

’What am I thinking?’ Jian thought to himself.

Jian shook his head slightly, he glanced down at Neveah again, a single brow arching when he caught one of her eyes quickly going shut.

Jian knew Neveah was awake now, she had woken up to realize the position she was in and was not willing to face it.

Jian’s lips twitched slightly in amusement, wondering for exactly how long she intended to pretend to be asleep.

"I know you are awake, Neveah." Jian said.

Neveah winced visibly, her eyes coming open and she slowly sat up, lifting her head away from Jian’s lap while avoiding his gaze.

"I...uhmm... I will just go over there..." Neveah murmured, getting up to her feet and walking over to the other side of the cave.

Jian watched Neveah with a raised brow as she ran a hand through her hair, muttering quietly to herself.

"We should return to Dune City, Cassian tells me your father will storm the barrier with his enforcers anytime now." Jian said.

"But... Xenon..." Neveah reminded, gesturing over to an unconscious Xenon.

"He will be in and out of consciousness for the next few days." Jian said, rising to his feet.

"Then how...wait..." Neveah murmured as she finally recalled that she had left the merchant hidden in another cave.

All this while, Neveah had not even thought about him but recalling him now and the encounter with the shadow beast, Neveah winced at her negligence.

The merchant was just human, if he was found by a shadow beast, he would not survive the encounter.

"I will be back in a short time." Neveah said to Jian.

Neveah did not wait to hear his response as she strode out of the cavern.

Neveah navigated her way through the forest, soon arriving at the cave she had left the merchant in.

Neveah walked in, her brows furrowed slightly when she picked up on the scent of the merchant.

The merchant’s scent had already faded and Neveah did not need to go further in to know she would not find him.

Still, she did go in, and she was admittedly relieved to find portal shards on the ground where the merchant had been.

"He is not dead, at least." Neveah murmured.

She could not conceive just where the merchant hid away the magical artifacts, she only concluded he must have had some kind of way to store them secretly.

Neveah was about turning away when her eyes caught onto a particularly large portal shard, gleaming in the dim lit cavern.

Neveah walked over to it and crouched down, picking up the shard, she inspected it closely, taking note of the magical energy it still held.

’It has enough magic to summon a small portal. Perhaps strong enough to get back beyond the barrier.’ Neveah’s wolf guessed.

"Would it truly hold? It seems like a risk." Neveah murmured.

However, there was also the nagging thought on her mind that without a portal, the only way back to the Dune City was flight... and that was the last thing Neveah wanted to consider.

Neveah took the shard with her as she headed back for the cavern where she had left King Jian and Xenon.

It took a short while but she finally arrived at the clearing where King Jian stood outside the cavern, his gaze moving to settle on her the moment she emerged from the cover of trees.

"I... I think this can help us get back..." Neveah announced, lifting the portal shard to King Jian’s view.

King Jian did not even glance at it, his gaze lingered on Neveah instead, eyes narrowed in displeasure.

"Do not ever...walk out on me like that again." King Jian warned in his characteristic blank monotone.

He then strode back into the cavern, leaving Neveah to stare after him, completely puzzled.

Neveah’s brows furrowed slightly, she did not get the time to contemplate over King Jian’s strange words as he soon re-emerged with Xenon in his arms.

"The magic in that shard is weak, if I support it’s strength with my blood, it will hold...but the portal it summons can take two people at most." King Jian said to Neveah.

Neveah glanced down at the portal shard in her hand and then back at King Jian, unsure what to say.

"Take Xenon with you. He cannot ride in his condition and I

will handle myself better alone." King Jian concluded before Neveah could say anything further.