Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 806: Soulless Eyes ()

Neveah had been on the receiving end of Jian’s wrath on many occasions... still, she had never seen him like this.

The moment she lowered the barrier, allowing Lodenworth entry, Jian’s eyes went cold. Not blank, a deathly cold. His posture was calm, deceptively so but his aura...it was something murderous.

It was at this moment she understood it. She had never truly faced Jian’s wrath, because he had never considered her an enemy.

An inconvenience, certainly. An irritation more often than not. He had wanted her dead once, but never had he looked at her in this manner...like the one in his sight was beneath even hatred.

Since she had first set eyes on him in the meeting hall of the Eclipse Domain until now, this was the first time she detected pure loathing.

A fury so potent that it chilled the very earth beneath his feet. She had to consciously suppress the instinct to withdraw, to retreat and put some distance between herself and this embodiment of cold death.

She had anticipated his first meeting with Lodenworth or Keila would reveal a side of him that she had never seen before, especially after the welcome gift prepared for him in the grove.

But to see it with her own eyes, it solidified the extent to which Lodenworth’s betrayal had hurt him.

The object of Jian’s wrath approached, with not nearly as much caution as he should have. It wasn’t because he was unaffected by the overwhelmingly murderous aura Jian exuded,

Rather, there was a look in his eyes that was simply... dead. Like he had already accepted his fate.

Had he truly known nothing of Adrienne’s death? The thought stunned her, but the grief clawing through him now was too raw to be faked.

Lodenworth’s gaze first met Xenon’s cold glare, then shifted to Neveah, lingered for a moment and finally settled on Jian. Only for a moment as he diverted his gaze just as quickly.

He lowered his head to a bow. "My..." He was interrupted.

"Don’t...you dare." Xenon warned.

Lodenworth’s fists clenched by his side. Like it was a struggle to hold himself together.

And in a moment, he cracked. He dropped to his knees, shoulders trembling in silent shame. He lowered his head till it touched the earth and there he sobbed, a low and mournful sound.

He didn’t know, Neveah realised. As unreasonable as it sounded that the world could crumble around him and he remained unaware, it was clear Lodenworth had been in the dark about many things...if not everything.

Neveah winced visibly. A dragon lord never knelt on both knees, even before their king, they were at liberty to bend a knee. Never both.

It was an unspoken rule. A sacred balance between subordinate and kin, a gesture of equality even in obedience. It was a bond of trust and willing submission.

But to witness a dragon lord kowtow, she did not think it had ever happened since the end of the dark empire.

"What... can I do..." He said hoarsely, voice trembling.

How much he now knew was still uncertain. But it was enough to have him so utterly shaken.

He lifted his gaze to Jian. His eyes were soulless...broken.

He made no excuses. Lodenworth had never been a man to tolerate excuses himself, much less give it.

He did not attempt to explain or defend himself. He did not deny any part in it or make it known that he had been unaware.

He had come seeking judgement. Not mercy.

Jian did not respond for a long moment. He had not spoken since he agreed to Neveah’s request, but in his silence, he had conveyed enough to utterly dismantle a dragon lord such as Lodenworth.

Jian’s eyes met his for the first time. "Deliver me Keila’s head."

"I will grant you the honour of death by my blade. Your title will be restored. You will be laid to rest with the greatest honour, and there will be no record of this in history."

His face was expressionless and there was no emotion in his voice. His judgement was brutal and clear.

Lodenworth did not argue. His eyes went closed, claws digging into the earth. He trembled from head to toe under the weight of Jian’s judgement and the implications of it.

Yet, he made no attempts to protest.

"I...shall abide."

Neveah was torn. Somewhere between reluctant respect and a sense of loss. This Dragon Lord...he was worthy of every title of honour he had earned. He had been by Jian’s side nearly as long as the King’s guard. He had protected Keep Skies as commander of the City guard for over a century.

Not once had he failed. Not once had the walls of the citadel been breached. To be exact, not even a single portal had been hijacked in his time of service.

They had never seen eye to eye on anything. But Neveah could not help feeling distraught.

His only sin... had been loving the wrong person. And even that love had never been his to choose.

"What is your final wish?" Jian asked.

"I...am to be a father by nightfall." Lodenworth whispered. "My son..."

"If he is Fae, he will be entrusted to Lord João of Aloria. If he is dragon..." Jian hesitated.

"Decaron will raise him as his heir."

Lodenworth nodded. His forehead hit the earth again, and for the longest moment he held his bow.

"It has been my honour...My Liege."

He rose to his feet and took his leave.

Jian’s gaze darkened, an inky, shadowy darkness that was eerily familiar.

The silence that followed was absolute. Even the wind seemed to still. Xenon’s gaze met Neveah’s and she could see in his eyes that they shared a similar train of thought.

Neveah stepped forward. Slowly closing the distance between Jian and her. She knelt by his side, her head resting on his lap.

His hands moved from where they clenched the armrest of the throne, to stroke her hair. A calming gesture more for his own benefit than hers.

"He gave you no excuses," she murmured. "He asked for no mercy."

Jian said nothing. His jaw clenched.

"He came to die with dignity. And you gave him that."

Still, no response.

"But must that dignity be death?"

His eyes finally moved down to hers, sharp and narrowed in warning. But she didn’t falter.

"Decaron is royal guard. That tells me your heart... Jian. You want to keep the child close."

"Every time you set eyes on him, you will think back to this moment. And when your wrath fades...it will bleed into pain. And you will punish yourself, every day... for as long as we live."

She let her words linger for a moment.

"He’ll carry this shame for the rest of his life, Jian. He will live every day as a man who failed you, and Adrienne, and himself. Let that be the punishment. Let him raise his son...to do better than he did."

He stared at her, long and hard, and in that stare, she felt the storm of everything he would not say. But Neveah didn’t flinch.

"You... forgive him?"

Neveah sighed quietly. "No."

"This isn’t about Lodenworth... it’s about you."