Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 742: Says Who? ()
A chilling cold draft stirred Neveah awake, accompanied by a musky, damp smell. There was also an unsettling stench in the air, faint as it was, it upset Neveah’s sensitive senses and she scrunched up her nose as her eyes slowly fluttered open.
The first thing that greeted Neveah’s view was darkness, pitch darkness, but her eyes soon adjusted to realize she was in a dimly-lit, stone walled room, at least the wall she leaned against was a cold, hard stonewall. It radiated disturbing chills and a smell of rot hung in the air.
Neveah blinked, lifting a hand to pinch her nostrils as the smells all blended together formed an unbearable stench, one that took her more than a few moments to adjust to. Slowly, she got up to her feet, her vision now adjusted to the environment, she realized she was in fact in a familiar space.
"The hidden archives..." Neveah murmured to herself, glancing around at the familiar space. The shelves, rows and rows of books and history records never to see the light of day again. It was just as Neveah remembered it a few weeks ago, but for some reason, it also felt different.
It was difficult to tell if the difference lay in the dimmer lighting, or the stench that was never this unpleasant, or perhaps it was the layout, she had not realized stonewalls and shelves could even appear different than what it was when nothing had been added... except...?
The difference struck Neveah immediately, and what exactly it was. The shelves had been moved, and a few were missing some chests she had picked up on in passing. It seemed like a chunk of the hidden archives had been taken out, but as Neveah rounded a corner to find a familiar silhouette, she realized it was the complete opposite. A chunk of the hidden archives had not been taken out, it was just yet to find its way down here.
Neveah blinked, glancing around apprehensively. Her eyes squinted slightly, in hopes that she was perhaps mistaken but sure enough, she only got a clearer view of what she already knew to be true.
And then he moved slightly, his head tilting to the side. Neveah quickly retreated, hiding herself behind the closest shelf as his side profile came into view, confirming the identity of the last person she was expecting to see on any plane of reality...Asrig.
"You’re awake." Dressed in a dark red robe with golden trimming, Asrig stood leaned over a table. Had Neveah not seen him before in her shared dreams, she would never have guessed the young, regal man was in fact the King who was not to be named.
And it was even more unsettling when Neveah realized she could not sense any other presence but hers, did that mean Asrig was referring to her?
’This is a dream. He can’t be aware of us.’ Neveah’s wolf thought to her and Neveah hoped she was right. She remained hidden, contemplating why she had been brought here and not to Jian’s dreams as usual, wherever here was.
’This is your doing, isn’t it?’ Neveah thought to Demevirld. ’Why on earth would you bring us here?’
Demevirld’s presence surged slightly, rising to the surface from where he lurked in the depths of Neveah’s mind, waiting for her call or perhaps for a chance to drive her mad again.
’My magic...yes, but not my doing. Give yourself more credit, Neveah. You are slowly mastering how to bend my magic...to your will. So why do you think you brought us here?’ Demevirld replied.
"Come out now, girl." Asrig called again, "Come look at this."
’Still think it’s not us?’ Neveah thought to her wolf. They had already waited for a while and no one showed up, Neveah still could not sense any other presence but theirs. No one was coming, which meant there could only be them Asrig was referring to.
Her wolf growled uneasily in response and Neveah winced visibly as well, but slowly stepped out.
She crossed the short distance to the center of the archives where Asrig stood and the closer she got, the stronger the stench of decay grew. Neveah came to an abrupt stop when she was a few steps away and could finally see beyond Asrig’s frame to what was on the table.
Strapped down to the table with thick leather straps was a young, beautiful woman. A dark Fae, if the lifeless obsidian wings hanging off the sides of the table was any indication. There was a thin line leading from her faintly beating heart to Asrig’s wrist, and blood flowed through the line...though Neveah was not certain who was giving and who was receiving.
However, the sight in itself was familiar and Neveah realized something. Once, a short time ago, she had opened a scroll from Asrig’s writings... glanced through it, it wasn’t what she was looking for so she did not pay it much attention, Asrig’s writings had traumatized her enough.
But now that Neveah thought of it, there had been a few drawings. A wide space much like this...a table, and a winged woman strapped down.
’We are in his depraved writings... again.’ Neveah’s wolf thought in displeasure. ’Will this keep happening?’
Neveah did not have an answer for it. Demevirld said she had brought them here herself, which meant for some reason, the scene from that scroll must have crossed her mind, like it had when Jian was also pulled into it, relieving a memory he did not deserve to.
Neveah understood it now...why the dragons swore off Asrig’s writings and didn’t so much as look at it. Dark magic had one favourite playground... the mind.
"Heart blood...rumors have it, this is an ancient and long forgotten method through which Fae transfer their magic to the body of another." Asrig explained to Neveah. "It worked for my father, made him the most powerful dragon who ever lived...so what am I doing wrong? Why isn’t it working?!" He hissed, furious eyes turning on Neveah. It confirmed that Asrig could indeed see her, unlike the last time.
’He looks like him...so much.’ was the first thought that crossed Neveah’s mind. This close to Asrig, with his face just a few inches away, Neveah could see it, the striking resemblance Asrig and Jian shared.
It was something Neveah had not noticed the last time, the weight of Jian’s despair had made it impossible to think of anything else, to see anything else but the monster who was still a source of pain to the man she loved, even in his death, just as much as he had been while he lived.
But now, Neveah got a closer look, against her will but it was a close look regardless and Neveah was stumped for words, the resemblance left her speechless for a moment.
Where Jian had a pair of mismatched orbs, gold and silver, Asrig’s orbs were both a dim gold hue, a sign at least that he was of the royal bloodline, even if his scales would not tell the same tale. However those eyes were cold...dead, devoid of any semblance of empathy or humanity.
Where Jian had lush, silver tresses, Asrig had glossy brown hair, the sheen almost made it look bronze and he wore his hair short, lightly grazing his neck. He was about a few inches shorter than Jian was, but not so much that it was noticeable and he had a softer appearance, compared to Jian’s rugged beauty.
Where Jian exuded a cold and distant aura, Asrig’s aura was dark and dangerous. Similar to Xenon’s even, but it was far more dark than it was dangerous. An unsettling, brooding aura, like an abyss just waiting for a chance to be unleashed.
Asrig kept a day’s worth of beard, perhaps in an attempt to add some roughness to his softer appearance. But it was still obvious that he was no warrior... that did not mean he was a man to be trifled with.
From what Neveah had heard, Asrig did not fight wars, he created them and watched them play out from the comfort of his throne, while dragons rained fire storms on his orders. He was no battle lord, there was no honor in his eyes...he was just, Asrig, the one speck of dust on the otherwise untainted history of Dragon Kind.
But he was King nonetheless, and that one speck of dust had sullied and blackened the hearts of dozens of dragon lords, including his entire King’s guard, with honour traded for their belief in their King.
"Maybe because it is not yours to have?" Neveah finally replied, "Have you ever considered that? That all you desire to have might not have been yours to have?"
Asrig was quiet for a moment, his brows furrowed slightly. He studied Neveah’s gaze with those lifeless eyes and Neveah’s heart shrivelled in terror, despite knowing that this was just a dream.
And finally, just when Neveah thought he would not speak, Asrig responded with a casual question. "Says who?"
