Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 800: Aloria 6 ()

Xenon did not favour the Fae race. He never had, and for good reason. Every new encounter with them left him even more convinced that such a malicious race did not need to exist.

They were no dark sorcerers, but their hearts were blacker than dark magic. Sinister, deceptive and evil.

Those were the nicest descriptions he could think of as he was circled by two massive forest spirits. Their antlers looked sharp and lethal, and their eyes gleamed with blood thirst. Though he wasn’t certain whose blood they thought they would be getting.

How had he ended up in this position, one might wonder?

It was quite simple. He had followed Neveah’s voice...or what he thought was her voice then. Only to face an ugly looking tree who for some reason had the ability to mimic voices.

What was worse, he had known it was a trap too. But it was a chance he was willing to take.

This forest was home to some of the strangest things, and that was saying a lot coming from him. And now, he was surrounded on all sides by forest spirits.

All he wanted to do was get back to Neveah. He didn’t think any of this was necessary.

Xenon didn’t flinch as another branch creaked behind him. His grip on his blade was easy, casual, like he’d forgotten it was even there. But his stance said otherwise. He was already preparing for the attack.

A heartbeat later, it came.

The forest spirit lunged, the earth shook. Xenon held his ground till it was nearly on him and then he twisted backwards, sliding down so he went underneath it. His blade flew up, ripping straight across the soft underbelly of the beast.

His movement was faster than the forest spirit could comprehend. In just a breath, it lay dead behind him and there was no sign of blood on Xenon’s robes.

But that was just one and he still had good company.

From the treetops, a blur of motion descended like a predator loosed from the sky. Dark feathers. Talons. Eyes the color of molten copper. The creature was huge, part woman, part bird. With clawed arms and wings that shattered the leaves as they beat through them. A harpy.

They were the priced guardians of Aloria, forest spirits not even sent out to battle.

Xenon felt honoured.

He moved quickly, ducking her first pass. She hissed, circling back around, shrieking. Two more dropped in from the trees above. One landed behind him, another to his left. He didn’t hesitate.

His blade caught the first harpy in the gut, slicing through thick feathers and something that felt like bone. She screeched and dropped, but the second was already in motion. She lunged at him with hooked fingers, aiming for his throat. Xenon sidestepped her swipe, slamming the hilt of his blade into her jaw. A sickening crack echoed.

The third harpy finally made her move, launching herself from a tree with uncanny speed. He had no time to slash. So he turned, grabbed her mid-flight by the throat, and slammed her to the ground. Her wings thrashed violently, kicking up dirt and leaves, but he didn’t release her until the fight drained from her limbs.

Silence was restored again.

There was one more forest spirit left, the second antlered beast. Xenon stared at it for a moment, daring it to attack. It didn’t.

The beast hunched down, baring its neck.

"I was actually in need of a ride." Xenon murmured, wiping his blade.

_______

As Xenon turned the corner. He caught a sight that made him lunge without giving it another thought.

One moment, he was on the back of the forest spirit and the next, his claws were squeezing the life out of the Fae battle Lord.

"Xenon...let him go please." Neveah did not seem surprised at his appearance. She reached out, placing a hand on his back in a placating gesture.

"Let him go. He wasn’t going to hurt me." Neveah assured Xenon.

Xenon passed her an uncertain look but she nodded once, her gaze soft and coercing, and he couldn’t say no.

Flicking his wrist like he was getting dirt off, Xenon sent the battle lord flying and he didn’t even glance over to see his hard landing.

"I’ve been looking all over for you." He murmured, tilting Neveah’s head up so he could properly inspect her face and ensure she hadn’t been harmed in any way.

There were dried blood smears on her cheek, and her armor, but Xenon knew none of it was hers.

She looked like she had torn apart a few men. Xenon didn’t doubt she had. He was simply relieved to see her unharmed and doing the harm.

"You little menace." He muttered, though his tone betrayed thorough satisfaction.

Neveah smirked slightly. Glancing around him at the docile forest spirit lurking a good distance away.

"You’re one to talk. We were separated for what? A few hours? You found yourself company." Neveah pointed out.

"Better company than yours." Xenon grumbled beneath his breath, throwing a glare at the Fae battle Lord.

"What are you doing with him?" Xenon asked, frowning. "He’s Diandre’s."

Neveah shrugged casually. "He knows the way around Aloria and seems intent on earning redemption."

"I don’t believe Fae know anything about that." Xenon wasn’t convinced.

Neveah didn’t argue, she glanced over at Lord João who had gotten up to his feet and now watched them in silence.

He was visibly displeased by Xenon’s attack, but Xenon didn’t care. It wasn’t like he could do anything about it.

Not if he still valued his life.

"What can you do for us?" Xenon asked the battle lord blankly. "Do you know where My Liege is?"

Lord João nodded. "I’m not certain where he is, but I know where he’s going to be. And if we don’t get there on time...it might be too late."

"There’s no one in this Forest that’s capable of taking My Liege on." Xenon’s tone turned dark at the words which sounded too close to a threat in his ears.

"Not directly, no." Lord João admitted. "But who said anything about taking him on? In Aloria, we have...some means."

That did not sound right. Xenon exchanged a look with Neveah who was also visibly concerned, though she kept a straight face.

He could tell by reading her gaze.

Before Xenon could say anything further, a sharp pain exploded around his thigh. His hand moved to the spot, eyes narrowed slightly.

He knew that pain wasn’t his.

"Is it..." Neveah began to ask, already guessing it.

"He’s hurt." Xenon confirmed in a low tone.

Nothing more needed to be said.

"We can find him on our own. You... find that marker and get rid of it. If you can’t even do that much, then you have no rights to seek truce." Neveah said to Lord João before dashing off.