Omega's Rebirth-Chapter 919: Worth Protecting ()

Neveah squinted as the familiar ruins of EbonHollow came into view.

"Veah!" Estelle exclaimed, "What happened? What took so long? The portal shut off for a moment there."

Neveah shook her head slightly, "I’m fine. Where’s Dante?"

"Tracking the camp of the first squadron." She relayed,

"It’s this way!" Dante called, waving them over.

Neveah nodded and they followed Dante’s lead through the ruins till they arrived at a clearing in the forest, where a mage barrier glimmered, easy to miss. But it kept the camp concealed.

They crossed through the barrier, and only then did the sounds of the camp reach them.

Dozens of tents erected across the vast clearing, going farther than Neveah’s eyes could see.

The dragon lords and mages around had already noticed their presence and they bowed in greeting.

"Neveah!" Kaliana jogged over, "You came."

"You knew I was coming?" Neveah asked,

Kaliana nodded grimly. "The moment we received word from Cassian about Asrig’s possible return, we hoped you would."

Neveah nodded, "Where is he?"

Kaliana sighed. "He flew out of camp once he heard. He hasn’t returned yet. Imagor was just about going in search of him."

"I’ll find him." Neveah assured, "Imagor’s attention is needed here."

Kaliana nodded in agreement. "Thank you for coming so quickly. We feared..." She trailed off,

Neveah smiled slightly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "He’s mine to protect. I don’t take that for granted."

She nodded to Dante before heading out of the barrier.

The forest was familiar. She had been here before so she had a reasonable idea of where she would find him.

It wasn’t too long before she arrived at the cave they had spent the nights in the last time they were here.

Sure enough, Jian sat at the exact same spot he had been the last time they were here, on the log outside the cave, staring out into the forest.

She sighed quietly, walking over to sit beside him. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"I told them not to say anything to you." He muttered, "They never listen, do they?"

She leaned against him, laying her head on his shoulder. "I take it you aren’t happy to see me?"

"Beloved..." He muttered, "I have been denied your company for weeks. The mere sight of you has my heart beating to a rhythm I can neither contain nor control."

Her heart warmed at his honesty, "Then just hold me."

He did. His hand went around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"They’re worried about you." Neveah finally broke the silence after a long moment. "I’m worried about you."

Jian hummed quietly. "I will not lie to you. If I had been told I would have to kill him...twice... I would not have overthrown his dynasty."

Neveah’s chest tightened. "You haven’t done anything wrong. You saw it for yourself, the kind of man he was."

"I do know." His tone was heavy, "Yet my memories of our youth, when he was by my side, of the bond we shared as we trained together. The values our father passed on to us."

"The hopes and dreams our mother entrusted us. Once...he had been noble. Where did it go wrong? Was my birth so hateful? If I didn’t exist, would he have lost his honour?"

"Jian..." Neveah’s voice was hoarse

"And I loathe myself... for thinking this way. For finding excuses...for being unable to accept the reality that my own brother gave himself to the darkness of his own will."

"That in all those times he rocked me to sleep, or hid with me when the dark lord punished our father...he held in his heart the intent to harm me." Jian’s voice faltered,

"I told myself that killing him then was for the greater good." He muttered, "But what if it wasn’t? What if I coveted the throne like he always feared? What if I always believed myself meant to be King because of my golden scales?"

"What if he had every reason to be wary of me? Every time he sent me to the borders, what if he fought the urge to kill me and put an end to it all, choosing instead to keep me far removed from the court?"

"Jian!" Neveah hissed, sitting up. She moved so she knelt before him, staring into his eyes. "Look at me. Really...look at me."

"The dying gaze of Alessio haunts me every night. And I have asked myself a thousand questions, thinking about a thousand ways things could have gone differently."

"If Lothaire hadn’t raised him so harshly, would he have turned out to be such a monster? If Vilma had protected him better, would he have ended up killing his unborn brother?" Her voice broke as she bared the darkness she’d kept away from him this long. "If I hadn’t been so similar to Eira, would Lothaire have kept me around? Would any of this have happened?"

Jian’s gaze turned pained. "Beloved, none of that is your fault..."

"You can’t know that." She whispered, "You can’t."

"But do you know what I realized?" She asked, "All of that, led me to this point. To you, My Liege"

"So what if I made a few mistakes?" She muttered, "What if I was a mistake myself? I am the one who gets to love you. Love Xenon. For the rest of my life."

"At some point in life, we all wish to have had an easier path. To have suffered less...been hurt less, or hurt others less."

"But if I could go back in time. I wouldn’t change anything." She sighed, "I would stain my hands with blood all over again. Kill the brother I’ve known for seventeen years...as long as it gets me right here, to you."

Jian’s eyes shone with unshed tears.

"Family isn’t just about who shares your blood, Jian." She lifted a hand to wipe the single tear from his cheek, "Xenon, Menarx, Cassian, Kirgan, Imagor..."

"These men have been by you through thick and thin. They’ve bled for you, loved you through... everything. Even now, they wait on your order to bleed for your dynasty."

"You must decide for yourself, Jian. What is worth protecting." She said, taking his hand, "But know this. I have made my choice. And it is you. You are what is worth protecting."

"So if you cannot kill him a second time, then leave it to me. I will bear your sin this time...For you, My Liege, I will kill a Dragon King."