Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 796: Aloria 2 ()

Aloria from the inside was a completely different world from the outskirts.

The change began with the temperature shift. It was surprisingly warmer, compared to the outside, and the air was heavier too. Saturated with something ancient... and unwelcoming.

They had only just crossed the inner barrier, and every breath Neveah had taken since felt like it carried with it a memory that was not her own.

This place, it was familiar. Not in a way that eased her, but in a way that unsettled. The familiarity warned that she knew this place, and she knew to fear it.

Gigantic trees stretched upwards in silent grandeur. They were wide enough for a dragon to curl around, enough to block out the skies and shield the forest from its glare.

The canopy of trees were so tightly woven together, Neveah was not certain daytime would be any different than the night.

The barks of the trees were covered in a strange colored moss that shimmered faintly under the sparse lighting. It was neither gold nor silver, just an otherworldly sheen somewhere in between.

’Beautiful’ did not even begin to describe it. It was unnatural...Aloria itself was.

Neveah’s survey ended with a deep exhale, a vain attempt to relieve the pressure from the hum of magic pressing in on all sides.

She glanced sideways at Jian and Xenon. Both were silent, but alert. Reading the forest in that perceptive way that was characteristic of dragon lords.

"Aloria is not just a forest..." Jian murmured. "It’s a living and breathing entity."

Neveah could not agree more. The forest was alive in ways that were difficult to describe in words. She could practically hear its breaths, feel its wrath.

Perhaps it was directed at them, perhaps it was not. What was certain was that the forest certainly was not pleased at their presence.

"Keep your mind armoured, Veah." Jian said to her. "Don’t trust what you see or feel. The Arcane is so deeply buried in the roots of the forest, it’s practically one with it."

"And with Demevirld in you, you will draw attention."

Neveah nodded slowly. "I’ll keep it in mind."

"Now how do we find the supposed marker when we don’t even know what we’re looking for?" Neveah asked, glancing between Jian and Xenon.

They exchanged a look and then glanced back at Neveah pointedly.

"Right..." Neveah shook her head slightly. "I see why I need to be careful now."

She took a few steps forward, her brows furrowed slightly. Exhaling slowly, she let her wolf rise to the surface. Her senses immediately grew sharper, adjusting to the forest.

The silence and stillness of the forest settled, giving way for the sounds and smells that were so distant, they would easily be missed.

Her senses were instantly flooded with a myriad of scents and sounds, so much so that it was hard to filter through. But she stilled her breathing and concentrated.

Strange as she had always found it, dark magic had a distinct smell. Perhaps because it originated from the most horrid sources, it smelled distinctly of death...cold, still death.

Dragons couldn’t exactly smell dark magic, they could sense it. But with the hum of magic so loud in Aloria, it was difficult to tell one apart from the other.

But for Neveah, it was different. No two things smelled alike. And she knew exactly what Beoruh’s magic smelled like, she could not forget their encounter on Mount Edar even if she tried.

And then, there was Demevirld. Because arcane pulsed in her veins, she could easily sift through it’s pressure. Maybe not easily, but at least she would fare better than anyone else.

"It’s hard to narrow it down, but I have a general direction." Neveah said, turning to them after a moment.

"Such a good girl." Xenon drawled, he smirked slightly and gestured with his head for Neveah to lead the way.

Neveah hesitated for a moment. "You did not need to say that like that...in that tone."

"He did not." Jian agreed. Though he looked more amused than bothered.

She turned to lead the way, ignoring Xenon’s chuckle. They carried on through the forest in silence, the only sound was the forest itself reminding them of caution.

The path they had taken was narrow, though not so much that they could not walk side by side. It was covered in dried leaves and sometimes buried by undergrowth.

It wasn’t long before the first trick of the forest revealed itself.

After a while on the single winding path, it cut off into two directions. Abruptly.

A path appeared ahead, smooth stones leading forward, with small flowers blooming along the edges. The flowers gave off a soft light, like a faint trail meant to guide them.

Neveah hesitated. "This wasn’t here a moment ago."

Jian didn’t even look at it. He turned to the left, stepping off the stones and onto the bare earth. His hand snatched an arrow from Neveah’s back, dragging the sharp arrowhead lightly across the ground.

As the steel touched the earth, the stone path shifted. Neveah blinked watching the stones move. They weren’t stones at all, but tiny snakes, curled and waiting. The moment Jian disturbed them, they hissed and slithered away into the undergrowth.

Neveah felt her stomach twist.

She passed Xenon a look. He frowned, his hand already gleaming with a small flame, but there was no need. The snakes were gone. For now.

"Silly tricks." Xenon grumbled beneath his breath.

The deeper they went, the thicker the feeling of wrongness became. It wasn’t loud or obvious, it was a slow, creeping unease, like walking into a room you weren’t supposed to enter.

Neveah saw wooden houses built into the trees high above. Lights flickered in the windows. They were being watched. She could feel it.

Neveah drew her bow, but she didn’t reach for an arrow. Summoning the magic coiling within her, she set an arrow forged of golden light and let it loose.

It hit squarely and one of the houses burst into specks of light, revealing three Fae, adamantium arrows already poised on Jian.

"Drop it." Neveah warned. "I promise you, it won’t hit your mark...but mine will."