Omega's Rebirth

"Riding a dragon is no easy feat, it requires immense skill and concentration... unlike any you have mastered up till this point."

"First, you must learn to be attuned to the greatest heights."

"A dragon is a beast of flight, the sky is as much land to them as land is to you. To be one with a lord dragon...you must master his habitat." Master Maloway’s voice sounded from the top of the cliff as Neveah made the grueling climb down with her bare hands.

Neveah’s recovery time had quickly passed because the very next day, Neveah was escorted to this cliff by the dragon guards on orders of Master Maloway.

It was yet another cliff she was faced with and Neveah was not even surprised, dragon territory was a mountainous terrain. There were more cliffs and mountain peaks than there was level ground.

"This cliff is known for it’s great fall and fierce winds, but it is nothing compared to the turbulence in the skies. I shall see you at the bottom within the hour." Was the last Neveah heard from Master Maloway before his voice faded off in the wake of the billowing winds.

Neveah spared a glance down, which was of no use since it was impossible to see beyond the thick fog and determine the height she was at.

Shaking off her thoughts, Neveah continued down the cliff.

______________

Neveah sucked in a deep breath to steady her breathing as she stepped foot down to the bottom of the cliff, right at the rocky edges of the stream flowing beneath the cliff.

Her surroundings were unfamiliar as this was not the path she had been lead through by the dragon guards.

This was Neveah’s first training session with Master Maloway, she did not expect it would be easy or get any easier and so as she took in the rapidly flowing stream and the dense forest ahead of it, Neveah’s expression remained unchanged.

Master Maloway had said he would be at the bottom of the cliff and truly he was, standing by the side of the cliff, leaned on his cane and his expression as unpleasant as always.

Master Maloway glanced down at the time piece in his hand, though Neveah was certain she made good time, an unimpressed grunt followed after.

"Keep up." Master Maloway grunted then moved on ahead, headed for the forest.

Neveah followed after, subconsciously wondering what Master Maloway meant by keeping up.

Master Maloway made his way across the stream, stepping over an array of slippery rocks with astonishing agility for his age.

Neveah followed his path, cautious so she did not slip off the rocks into the stream.

While Neveah still made her way across, Master Maloway arrived the other side of the stream and disappeared into the forest.

Neveah was a moment later and hurried after him the moment she got to the other side of the stream.

Stepping into the forest, Neveah barely caught a glimpse of Master Maloway’s retreating back before he was once again out of sight.

"How is he so fast?" Neveah’s wolf thought to her.

"Beats me." Neveah replied as she spared a glance around her surrounding before she broke into a jog, headed in the direction she had last seen Master Maloway disappear through.

Just like that, Neveah only ever caught brief glances of Master Maloway, never setting eyes on the grumpy old man for longer than a few seconds.

It did not matter if Neveah walked, jogged or broke into a full blown run, somehow, Master Maloway still managed to elude her.

Neveah was not even certain how long passed by or for how long she was within the forest but by the time she made her way out to find Master Maloway waiting, the darkness of the night already blanketed the sky.

Neveah blinked in astonishment, she had been summoned to the cliff at dawn, she had not realized so much time had gone by but it had.

And Master Maloway had kept a steady pace ahead of her all the way, not faltering even once.

Now, he stood and stared at Neveah with his eyes narrowed crossly.

Master Maloway tossed a sword at Neveah, Neveah caught it just in time before it could hit her square in the face.

"Painfully slow, overly confident...we will have to see if your strength is worth mentioning." Master Maloway said as he tossed his cane aside and righted his posture.

Neveah’s mouth dropped open in shock as the crooked old man now stood up straight before her, his hands crossed elegantly behind his back.

From his posture to his menacing gaze told Neveah she had terribly underestimated this master of hers and as Master Maloway beckoned on her to attack, Neveah could already tell how this match would go.

Even knowing that, Neveah drew her sword and lunged.

____________

Neveah sat by a large bookshelf deep within the library where the few rays of the descending sun reflecting from the large windows could not reach in.

And so Neveah could be left in the safety and serenity of the shadows.

This had quickly become Neveah’s favorite reading spot since no one ever came this far into the library and no one would ever realize she was there so long as she did not make her presence known.

Not that there were many patrons to the library given as majority of the riders were away and so study sessions had been halted for the most part.

Neveah was leaned against the shelf with a large volume in hand, turning from page to page every so often.

A few days had gone by in a flash and though Neveah’s training had fully commenced, Neveah found herself frequenting the library whenever she got even a moment of free time.

From the volumes on troll golems to the volumes on trolls themselves to the records of the greatest battles fought by the dragon lords and all their conquests, there was so much Neveah found awe inspiring.

Neveah’s attention was fully invested in the book and she did not take note of Mor’rud’s arrival.