Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 715: Who You Are ()

Neveah’s heart trembled within her and she slowly turned around, and sure enough, her eyes found those familiar pairs of onyx orbs and Neveah just stared in quiet disbelief.

A sob was caught in her throat and suddenly, Neveah could not find the right words, or any words at all and so she just stared, and Xenon stared back, his gaze tender and even guilty.

But before Neveah even got a chance to find her composure and say a word, a pained roar echoed from the mountains, one that was familiar to them all and it was followed by a tremor through the earth.

Zephyroth turned over uneasily, clutching even more tightly to Neveah.

"Imagor." Xenon recognised, his gaze turning concerned.

"He is by himself...go..." Neveah consented, her voice hoarse.

Xenon hesitated for a moment and then his gaze moved to Zephyroth, reaching out to pat the child’s head gently, a gesture of comfort and assurance.

Neveah knew there was relief too, it was also Xenon’s first time seeing Zephyroth’s human form but there was hardly time to comment on it.

Xenon turned to leave but he stopped, glancing down. Neveah trailed Xenon’s gaze and found that her hand tightly clutched Xenon’s robes and she had not even realised it.

"I will not leave your side again, My love. Trust me." Xenon coerced gently, despite the urgent situation.

Neveah nodded slowly and she let go of Xenon’s robes. Xenon’s gaze lingered on Neveah for a moment before it moved.

"Verothrax...the kobolds. Keep her...them safe." Xenon instructed, referring to Neveah and Zephyroth and then he dashed off.

It was only then Neveah realised there were two others in Xenon’s cave she had not taken notice of until this moment.

One was Verothrax and the other was a woman, draped in a hood with her face covered by a strange mask.

Neveah frowned slightly, but she did not question anything.

"Stay here, Ida." Verothrax said to the unfamiliar woman before he walked over to Neveah, lifting a hand in a gesture of a wave.

Neveah still felt unsettled by Verothrax’s intense aura of darkness but it was not as off-putting as their first encounter, and so she forced a smile in return.

Verothrax tilted his head to the side, taking a peek at Zephyroth and Neveah shifted slightly, shielding the child on instinct.

Verothrax quirked a brow, but did not insist.

"I will take care of things outside... stay away from the entrance, you would not want to witness." Verothrax said and then he stepped out of the cave.

Neveah pursed her lips slightly, but for the benefit of Zephyroth, she complied.

Neveah spared the unfamiliar woman a brief glance before she headed deeper into the cave, into the tunnels that led to the other caverns until she arrived at Xenon’s inner cavern which she had only visited a few times.

The bookshelves overflowing with books and scrolls were exactly as Neveah recalled it, neatly organized like it had been and Neveah’s eyes moved to the spot, recalling the painting that had been right there all that time ago.

Neveah did not let the memories from so long ago unsettle her. She shook off the thought and went over to the makeshift bed of furs, dusting it down before she knelt.

"Zephyr...get some sleep. You must be exhausted." Neveah attempted to coax the child but Zephyroth shook his head firmly.

"Alright, alright. I get it, you are comfortable where you are. I won’t set you down." Neveah muttered, heaving a quiet sigh.

Neveah reached for Zephyroth, tugging gently, he loosened his hold and she moved him so she he now rested against her shoulder.

Neveah took a seat on a boulder, and set him down on her lap, gently stroking his hair as he stared up at her, Neveah smiled, winking down at the child who made a grumbling sound beneath his breath, though he returned Neveah’s smile.

"You can sleep now, I know you want to. Don’t force yourself." Neveah said quietly.

Neveah took notice of the arrival of the unfamiliar woman, Ida, but Neveah did not acknowledge it.

She leaned against the wall, heaving a quiet sigh as she replayed the events of the night through her head, still reeling with shock from Xenon’s sudden appearance.

"You must be the woman Xenon speaks so fondly about." Ida said to Neveah.

Neveah glanced up, finding the unfamiliar woman standing by a shelf, examining a book. She set it down and reached for a scroll.

"Do not touch Xenon’s things." Neveah said blankly.

"Right, forgive me." Ida muttered.

"You are his rider then? Neveah...he talked about you quite often." Ida commented again, taking a seat on another boulder.

The sound of the lightning and the storm were very so far away now, it was difficult to tell that there was so much fighting going on all around them. But Neveah could still pick up on the sound.

"Xenon doesn’t talk to strangers. He glares." Neveah replied uninterestedly, her eyes going closed.

"I meant when he talked...to Verothrax." Ida adjusted.

"He missed you and yearned for you at every moment." Ida continued.

"Naturally." Neveah muttered, finding the conversation off-putting.

"You must have had it more difficult, being away from him." Ida observed.

Neveah did not respond to that, she just kept silent, her eyes still closed.

"Sorry I’m speaking a lot. I tend to get talkative when I’m nervous." Ida apologised sheepishly.

"We portaled right into the midst of a battle and now we can only wait till it’s safe outside." Ida added.

"Xenon is here...there is nothing to be nervous about." Neveah said.

"And I have heard Verothrax is well worth his coin too." Neveah added, with a casual shrug.

"We have never met and you have not asked to know who I am." Ida pointed out.

Neveah did not respond for a short moment, uncertain what Ida was getting at.

"Who you are has nothing to do with me." Neveah replied blankly.

"No... no it doesn’t." Ida agreed after a moment of quiet.