Chapter 294: Ever-Burn Cave (Ch.294)
"Who did you say she was again...the Lady Misha?" Neveah asked before she could stop herself.
Neveah did hear Lord Skiren’s words from before, Lady Misha was the last rider who had faced the trials in his cave.
Neveah had also heard the words Lord Skiren had just said, of true bonds...but she just needed to be sure.
"Xenon’s true rider and beloved." Lord Skiren replied without glancing back.
At the confirmation, Neveah felt her breath leave her for a mont as though she had been hit right in the gut.
A dull ache blossod in Neveah’s heart. All along, Neveah had known Xenon cared deeply for the strange woman called Misha.
It had only taken a portrait of her to have Xenon completely losing his wits, but Neveah had never heard from anyone of who Misha truly was.
No one spoke a word of her, no one dared for fear of inciting Xenon’s rage and Neveah herself did not even dare ask.
If she had asked, then she would already have known that the Lady Misha was far more than just a cherished mory to Xenon.
She was far more than just a woman he loved... she was the other half of his soul, she was not just in his heart... she was a part of his heart.
"She was his fated rider...his true mate." Neveah murmured to herself quietly, the words sinking in even deeper as she said them with her own lips.
"Lord Xenon’s beloved woman is known to all who live and breathe in the Asvarian Stronghold, if you have not heard of her,"
"Then it would be in your best interest to make better acquaintances with actual people and not just books."
"That woman with the siren eyes was his undoing, a woman for whom he set the stronghold afla and broke his sacred vows...a dragon of the King’s guard still is nothing but a man." Lord Skiren added, having no idea what effect his words had on Neveah.
Each word Lord Skiren said echoed repeatedly in Neveah’s mind.
’A woman for whom he had set the stronghold afla...’ Neveah thought.
Neveah recalled Davina had once said Xenon’s wild haze had all begun due to a woman... that woman was Misha, his true mate.
Neveah knew just how deep the bond between a dragon and rider was, she had watched Lord Imagor practically wither away when his rider’s life was uncertain.
It was a far greater bond than any Neveah had witnessed amongst wolf kind.
The mont a dragon bonded a rider, the rider beca the very essence of his life and reason for his existence... the mate bond could not even begin to compare.
’Veah...’ Neveah’s wolf thought to her worriedly.
’It was the bond of a true mate all along...it is a bond I know so well, it is a bond that can never be overco.’ Neveah thought, more to herself than her wolf.
The dull throbbing of the mate bond sowhere in the back of Neveah’s consciousness made itself known again, in a bid to remind Neveah that she herself was still in the very sa bondage.
The only difference was the love factor, while Neveah had never loved Alessio, Xenon had only ever loved Misha.
Neveah allowed a mirthless smile, her own true mate had once taken her life, it was difficult to liken her situation to another.
The bond of a true mate was like an evil shadow that could never be shaken off, it was a shadow Neveah had lived with across two lifetis.
She knew what battles Xenon faced now, she understood it clearly and the last strands of hope in Neveah’s heart withered away.
"This is it... the Ever-burn cave." Lord Skiren said to Neveah as they arrived before a large stone door.
Neveah was drawn out of her lancholic thoughts, the distraction was welcod though it did nothing to ease the throbbing pain in Neveah’s heart.
"What am I to do?" Neveah asked quietly.
"Within the heart of this cave is a strand of fla belonging to every dragon that has yet to make a bond. It is the only part of this snow mountain that burns hot from century to century."
"Hence it is called the Ever-burn cave. Lord narx has never been bonded, his fla strand still resides within...you must claim it and bring it out with you." Lord Skiren instructed.
"If there are hundreds of flas within, how am I to tell which belongs to narx?" Neveah asked.
"You cannot tell, it is linked to Lord narx and knows who you are. If you are worthy, it will recognize you find you first.’’
’’But that depends on if you can make it to the heart of the cave." Lord Skiren said.
"What do you an ’if’?" Neveah asked, passing a glance to Lord Skiren.
"You may choose to forfeit at any mont, but bear in mind that you can never be regarded a true rider if you have not overco the five trials."
"Your first trial begins now, young rider. Do you accept?" Lord Skiren asked, ignoring Neveah’s question.
"I accept." Neveah replied with no hesitation.
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It was still quite early in the day, the sun had just risen from beneath the horizon and the citadel of Keep Skies still slept, but Dragon Keep was much different.
The mood in the Keep was cold and somber and it had been so since Lord narx was shot out of the sky.
The displeasure and rage of the dragons reflected off the very walls of the keep, as though the keep had co to life in the wake of the wrath of dragon kind.
In the sa manner, it appeared the keep itself recognized that its one true lord had left its halls.
It was the morning after the dragon king had taken flight with his second squadron and in his absence, the last strands of warmth in the cold dragon keep had disappeared.
A dragon’s lair was as much a part of him as his limbs were and the mighty dragon keep was in truth the lair to the great dragon king.
Without his fire energy to warm the keep, it had already beco inhabitable to all life but the dragons.
The halls of dragon keep were completely occupied by dragon lords, all residents and attendants had been sent out for their own protection as a temporary base was made of the dragon keep.
The twelve squadron had been busy in these days, it was the first ti in a long ti the dragons would have to subdue another race but they had all known this was long coming.
The hidden city had been left to itself in the great battle, a privilege the dwarfs were not at all deserving of and an error the dragons intended to correct.
Of all the twelve squadrons, the battle of the hidden city was entrusted to the fourth squadron, hence it was no surprise that Lord Lodenworth’s large green dragon was now a regular sight in the landing platform of the second level.
Fierce and agitated, the green scaled beast roared orders and readied his squadron for the battle order.
anwhile, there were still a few within dragon keep who had no business being there in such tis and one of such was the Lady Adrienne.
Lady Adrienne stood in the ascending room, her ams were wrapped around herself as she pulled her cloak even tighter around her form.
The chill of dragon keep was not so easily fought off and visible shivers ran through Adrienne despite all her attempts at conserving warmth.
After a short while, just when Adrienne’s teeth begun chattering, the ascending room ca to a stop right at the second level.
The second level was a height Adrienne had never been privileged to visit, the entire floor was reserved for the king’s guard alone.
Other than dragon lords, whoever else ascended to that level was courting death.
It was the unspoken rule in the keep, one everyone abided strictly to for fear of incurring the Dragon King’s wrath.
’Yet a re attendant frequented this level as though it was her own ho.’ Ca a dark and hateful thought in Adrienne’s mind.
The thought stirred rage and displeasure in Adrienne which she tried to ignore since she heard word...that the attendant was to be Lord narx’s rider.
That should have been a perfect arrangent, it should have satisfied Adrienne to confirm that the attendant never had eyes for her desired dragon.
It should have been all fine as long as it was not Adrienne’s beloved dragon king ensnared in the attendant’s trap...
But it was not fine...not nearly.
While Adrienne was yet to receive more than a single glance from King Jian, a re attendant had moved across two of the most influential dragon lords in the stronghold.
And now, she had stepped foot into the rider’s academy and all Adrienne had achieved in decades was still...nothing.
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