Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 787: Ice Field ()

The first subtle change was the sudden silence.

Not the calm-before-the-storm kind that would hit before the eruption came in full force, but the kind of silence that was perfectly still... like an end, like death.

Neveah didn’t notice it right away. They had only just left the Infernal castle, Xenon’s wings stretched wide across the darkening sky as he flew for the volcano.

It had become a routine to observe each eruption from a safe distance. Though the silent agreement still held that Neveah would not interfere with magic...there was also an underlying silent agreement that if necessary, what had to be done would be done.

This time, however, was different. From the moment they touched sky level, Neveah sensed it.

The distant glow of the volcano, a steady, ever-burning beacon usually pulsed with a rhythmic beat of lava, smoke, ash and breath.

But at this time, it seemed like it held its breath. It was too quiet... like it had not caused the tremor from a moment ago.

The tremors that had become second nature, those low, ever-present rumbles that trembled through the land, were gone. The sky no longer tasted like ash. The air no longer vibrated with tension. There was only quiet.

Still and wrong.

Xenon felt it too. She could tell by the slight falter in his wingbeat, the way he angled his body midair as if trying to sniff out something unseen.

"We’re close," he thought to her, though his voice was distant, distracted.

They flew lower, dipping beneath a bank of clouds. The wind rushed past, colder than it should have been. It hissed through the crevices of Xenon’s scales and pricked at Neveah’s skin like tiny needles. Neveah pulled her cloak tighter, her eyes narrowing against the bitter sting.

And then, she saw it.

The sight that greeted Neveah when they arrived at the volcanic terrain was unlike anything she had ever seen before or imagined.

The air was different and she sensed it from a good distance away. That sweltering heat had been doused and by some measure, each breath was cleaner... fresher, easier on the lungs.

Instead of the wave of heat and noxious fumes that accompanied the lava, a chilling cold warped around them. The air around the volcano was heavy with frost and a cloudy mist, and as they flew closer, they saw the ground itself freezing in intricate patterns.

Like a curse of ice, swallowing up what had been a sea of liquid fire.

The ice was rapidly spreading from the volcano itself, it followed the path of the lava flow, freezing as it went. As if some unseen force was sweeping across the land. The icy tendrils spread outward, encasing everything in a frozen grip, inch by inch. The volcano itself, usually a symbol of fire and destruction, was now surrounded by an unnatural, biting cold.

Neveah’s breath caught in her throat as she looked down at the frozen landscape. "What in the world..." she whispered, her voice laced with disbelief.

"Is it... Arcane?"

Xenon hovered, his wings beating gently as he surveyed the scene below. "No. This is something else." His voice was low, almost a growl, as if trying to make sense of the impossible.

The ice continued to spread, crawling up the sides of the volcano, freezing the ground far below. Neveah felt a strange, unsettling energy in the air. There was something terrifying about the cold, something far more dangerous than fire...yet something eerily familiar.

She shook it off quickly. She had tasted the results of tapping into the eerily familiar. The Arcane had felt that way the last time, and up till this moment, she was plagued by the residues of it in her veins.

"What is it then?" Neveah asked, her voice barely a whisper. "Where is it coming from?"

Xenon’s eyes narrowed, his mind racing. "I don’t know... This feels familiar...too familiar. Whatever this is, it’s not natural. We have to get closer."

The familiarity, she was not the only one who sensed it. Xenon was not connected to the Arcane, he should not have been able to sense it so distinctly... which only proved Xenon was right, this wasn’t the Arcane.

With a swift motion, Xenon angled his wings and swerved toward the volcano. Neveah held on tightly, her heart pounding in her chest. The ice was closing in around them, and she could feel the creeping cold biting at her skin, far colder than anything she had ever encountered.

As they neared the base of the volcano, the air grew thick with the freezing presence of whatever was causing the ice. The land beneath them seemed to crack and groan, the frozen earth shifting and moving like a living thing.

Neveah’s mind raced. What force could control both fire and ice with such power? And what could it want from the volcano?

Xenon’s wings dipped low as he began his descent. Frost-laced winds pushed against them, but Xenon pressed forward, cutting through the unnatural blizzard with the precision of someone who had done this too many times in too many battles.

Neveah’s heart pounded as the biting cold seeped into her bones. It wasn’t just the chill...it was the wrongness. Like the land had descended into something completely uncharacteristic, freezing over to bury something it could not purge.

Below, cracks formed across the surface of the frozen lava. The steam that once belched from vents had stilled, turned to icy wisps that barely moved.

The air grew heavier the closer they came. Not just with cold, but with pressure.

They landed at the edge of the barren landscape that had now become an ice field, the ground beneath them solid and unyielding. Xenon shifted back into his human form, his eyes scanning the area with growing unease.

His boots crunched against the frost-laced earth as he took a step forward, slow and cautious. His breath came in a visible puff as he crouched down, taking off a glove. With bare skin, he pressed his palm to the ground.

"We need to find out what is causing this," Neveah said, her voice steady despite the swirling storm of confusion in her mind.

The moment he made contact with the ice, his spine stiffened. A sharp breath hissed from between his teeth.

"Veah..." His voice was barely audible. Raw.

Neveah stepped closer, worry knotting in her stomach. "What is it?"

Xenon didn’t speak for a moment. Just stared at the frost patterns under his hand, swirling arcs that looked far too deliberate to be nature’s doing.

And then he lifted a gaze to Neveah, his eyes wide and doubtful. "Veah... I know this ice."