Bound To The Ice Dragon King
Chapter 35: The corridor

Chapter 35: The corridor

With Draven who had taken his true face after retrieving his essence, he no longer had Jurian’s essence, making his identity as the general fade away. Furthermore, he could no longer go back to Qieldan residence at the moment. Hence, the four of them went to Sila’s house where she had been living all this while with Rinus.

The house was located in a remote area, in the very depth of the woods of the border town where almost no one would walk to. It stood as a solitary sanctuary in the depths of the woods. Surrounded by a cloak of nature’s calmness.

As they approach, Rhea couldn’t help but think; the house appears like a painting come to life. Its weathered, wooden facade blended harmoniously with its surroundings, as if it had been a part of the forest for centuries. The scent of pine needles hung in the air, mingling with the distant whispers of birds and the gentle rustle of leaves.

Large windows, framed by solid timber. Inside, a warm and inviting atmosphere enveloped her, Rhea took a deep whiff of the soothing smell of fresh flowers, it was as if the very walls had absorbed the warmth of all the seasons through the years.

"For how long have you been staying here?" Rhea asked the serpent, who was carefully sitting Rinus down on the wooden rocking chair.

"Since the day I brought Rinus to the border town." Sila replied.

Rhea was about to speak once more when she heard Draven, who was seated on the opposite side, hiss as if in pain. Glancing towards him, she noticed that he was attempting to remove his wet shirt, which clung to his back because of the wound inflicted by the serpent yesterday. The wound had not yet healed, causing the skin surrounding it to peel off alongside the forcibly pulled shirt.

Witnessing this distressing sight, Rhea couldn’t help but grimace involuntarily. Astonishingly, despite the fact that he’d forcefully pulled the shirt along with the wound, he didn’t seem to show the pain in his expression and endured it.

If not for seeing the wound now, Rhea had forgotten he was wounded while saving her yesterday, because he hadn’t shown any sighs of pain the entire time they were in that cave. And just like now, if it wasn’t for his tense jaw and deathly pale face, she’d think nothing was wrong with him.

Rhea silently observed him as he completely took off the shirt. His wet hair loosely poured down his shoulders, few strands sticking to his wounded back. His current state made him look some how pitiful. Even though she wanted to feel pleased at his condition, she still felt bad and also had the urge to ask if it hurt or if he was in pain.

However, in the end Rhea didn’t speak and just watched him silently. It was Sila who walked around him to examine the wound, "Oh heavens, it looks terrible. It’s must be because you soaked in water for too long."

"It’s just a small wound." Rhea remarked nonchalantly as if she wasn’t bothered by it and simply poured herself a cup of water and tipped her head back before gulping it down. Then she causally wrung out her own wet hair, "It’s just a mere wound, it’s nothing compared to the wounds he inflicted on me today."

Rhea received a quick look from Draven, however he remained silent. He stood up and asked Sila the way to the washroom. Sila guided him to the direction. He gave her a nod of acknowledgement, without another word, he steadily walked away, disappearing from their sight.

However, a deep frown soon settled between Sila’s brows, "Your partner’s aura has changed since your return from that cave, he no longer has a human aura...what kind of a creature is he?" Sila questioned as she stared at the direction where Draven had disappeared to.

Rhea raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, he’s completely changed. He’s aura is strange..." She paused briefly, then resumed, "It’s odd how I feel like I know that aura, but at the same time...he smells like any other creature the fire controllers would consider an outcast. Even though the aura is faint, it would be easy for them to detect very soon if he doesn’t cover it up..." Sila murmured.

Rhea frowned upon hearing her words, but she remained silent. She wasn’t in the place to reveal his true identity to anyone. Even though she’d threatened him in the cave that she’d expose him to the world, however right now, she couldn’t do so. She still had no clue in what way there were connected for her to feel and experience his pain from years ago. For now it would be best to keep his secret until she’d gotten away from him.

And about the change of aura. If any of the fire controller’s ’pet’ detect any strange aura in the air, it would only be a matter of a few days before they’d hunt him down if he didn’t cover his scent. However, that was none of her business. Since he’d gotten back his essence, he’d soon return to his realm and she’d also return to her life.

Rhea replied to Sila’s earlier question, "I have no idea what creature he is." She then asked, "Sila, do you have some spare clothes you could give me to change into? My clothes are in a terrible condition, I can’t step out with them."

Sila, who had started to meditate on the couch replied without opening her eyes, "Go straight down the corridor, you’ll find my room on the right, you can choose from my clothes."

Rhea took the offer and made her way to Sila’s room. But when she reached the room, the door was slightly left open. She didn’t think much and opened the door only to find Rinus standing by the large window and fixedly staring outside.

When did he get here? She wondered.

"Rinus, can I come in?" Rhea asked first while still standing by the door. However, he didn’t reply nor did he turn to look at her. Rhea was aware that he wasn’t in his right senses, and was still suffering an extreme internal pain. Thus, she didn’t wait for his permission to enter and simply walked towards the opened wardrobe.

All the dresses were of the same color, black. She wasn’t choosey and took one. "I’ll leave you to continue staring out the window then." She said, not expecting him to reply.

However, as she was about to step out of the room, she suddenly heard his hoarse voice cracked out a sentence, "Rhea, you have to stop them."

Rhea stopped in her tracks and turned around, he was still standing in the same spot, staring at nothing. It was as if he wasn’t the one who spoke a moment ago. She walked towards him,

"Rinus what did you say?" She asked, but he didn’t speak properly again, and instead insulted her,

"Piece of trash!"

Rhea sighed deeply, before she’d end up losing her temper, she simply took the clothes and stepped out of the room. She walked into the room next to Sila’s room to change.

Rhea took off her uncomfortable wet clothes, and examined her body. Although her stabbed wounds had closed up, Draven’s bite mark hadn’t. It remained on her pale skin, looking frighteningly fresh and didn’t seemed like it would heal like the stab wounds.

She gently pressed a hand against it, but flinched when she felt the sting.

"Damn that dragon!" She cursed as she wore the black dress. She didn’t know why he suddenly attacked her and bit her when he’d said the corruption would clear off after he retrieved his essence.

Rhea yawned tiredly, she felt too exhausted after changing her clothes and cleaning her hair, thus she didn’t step out of the room and ended up falling asleep on the bed. She sprawled on the bed as if it was hers.

Night soon fell, with Rhea still sleeping in the dimly lit bedroom, the air heavy with silence, only the sounds of owls was heard from the distance. Moonlight filtered through the curtains, casting eerie shadows across the room.

Rhea still laid sprawled on the bed, snoring softly, completely unaware of the presence that hovered above her.

The moonlight slowly, revealing a ghostly figure standing at the foot of the bed, a woman in a tattered white dress, gazed down at Rhea with a look of sorrow. Her translucent form flickered, a sign of her ethereal existence.

Rhea stirred in her sleep, turning onto her side, facing away from the ghost like form. The room turned colder, and a soft whisper filled the air, barely audible.

"You promised to save him..." The ghostly figure whispered as she stepped closer, her face etched with a deep sadness. Her transparent hand reaching out, but unable to touch Rhea.

Few minutes after the ghostly figure disappeared, Rhea’s eyes fluttered open abruptly, sensing something amiss. She shivered, wrapping her arms around herself, unaware of the ghost who’d just disappeared.

She looked around in confusion, before finally realizing where she was. Rhea stretched her limbs before pushing herself out of bed and made her way outside the room. Only to be met with Rinus who stood before another window in the corridor staring at who knows what again.

Rhea got momentarily curious and strode towards him, she stood behind him and followed his line of sight. However, all she saw was the large moon in the sky.

Rhea frowned, she seemed to realize something, when she first met Rinus he was looking towards the east, and just like earlier and now, he was gazing towards the east again.

What was he looking at?

"Rinus...do you miss the capital?"

At her question, Rinus’expression brightened up, he finally turned towards Rhea and opened his mouth as if to speak, but in the end he didn’t say anything and turned back to look at the moon.

Rhea didn’t bother him again and slowly backed away from him. She walked down the dimly lit corridor and turned a corner just in time to bump into the shirtless Draven. The atmosphere turned tense. His well-defined abs glistened in the light, catching Rhea’s attention for a fleeting moment. However, her disdain for him quickly resurfaced.

Rhea’s eyes narrowed, and she took a step back, her face hardening with a mix of anger and disgust. Draven, seemingly unbothered, looked down on her.

"Watch where you’re going." He said, his voice low and deep.

Rhea was about to retort when something on his body suddenly caught her attention, making her eyes widened in astonishment.