Chapter 170: The Poisonous Alternative And Maren’s Question!
Neve blinked hard and shook his head, trying to understand what Skarr had just said.
The dark magic user’s voice echoed in his mind, filled with confidence and eagerness to take over a new body. To possess Zyreth’s power.
Neve still wasn’t in support of killing Zyreth, but Skarr doing it? It sounded like a total bad idea.
If Skarr was to kill Zyreth, Neve did not know how he was going to do it. He did not know what would happen next. What if Skarr took over Zyreth’s body completely? What if Neve’s consciousness floated in space and he could only see his own unconscious body lying in a hospital bed somewhere far away in his original world?
The thought terrified him.
He shut his eyes, trying to stop the negative thoughts from consuming him. He looked at Maren, his expression troubled.
"Does he really have to be killed?" Neve asked, lowering his head. "Can’t we just tie him up or something? Can’t we restrain him? Lock him away?"
He paused, his voice becoming quieter.
"A lot of people have died because of me and I... I don’t want any more death even if Zyreth is a bad person. Even if he’s evil. Even if he deserves it."
Neve’s guilt was clear in his voice. The weight of all the deaths connected to him was heavy.
Maren’s expression softened slightly. He walked closer to Neve and touched his own chest.
"If there was a way to strain him, Neve, trust me, a lot of beastmen would have done so already," Maren said, his voice carrying the weight of experience. "Zyreth is not someone you can simply lock away. He is a king. He is powerful. He is dangerous."
Maren paused, his voice becoming more vulnerable.
"I’ve died once already. I have no intention of dying again especially since I’m trying to escape from this world myself," Maren said quietly. "If we do not eliminate Zyreth, he will hunt us down. He will find us. He will kill us."
Neve lowered his head, understanding what Maren meant. The shark king had also died in his original world. He had also been transported to this beast world. He also wanted to escape.
Neve’s mind raced, trying to think of alternatives.
"Golden frog poison could be a way to poison him," Neve said suddenly, an idea forming. "The poison that kills within minutes. But... it’s only found in leopard territory. Going back there would be a suicide mission. We would all die trying to get it."
Skarr’s voice returned in Neve’s head.
"Can you just let me handle it?" Skarr hissed impatiently. "Let me kill him. Let me take his body. We can both be free."
But Neve chose to ignore the voice. He would come back to Skarr if he had no other option. Because if he chose Skarr, he would have to tell them about the dark magic user living inside his body. He would have to explain the ritual and the deal to everyone here. He wasn’t ready for that conversation. Not yet.
Sable’s eyes lit up as an idea struck him.
"What if Aldric already has some of that powder?" Sable asked thoughtfully. "What if he brought some with him from the leopard tribe? If he takes it, maybe his medical knowledge ability could combine with the poison to create something deadly enough to affect Zyreth."
"Aldric was coming along?" Neve’s eyes widened with hope.
"Cael had Ryker stay back to keep an eye on Doris siblings and also to watch Soren," Sable answered, his expression darkening. "Soren almost stopped Cael from coming to save you. That bastard tried to use his position to prevent the rescue."
Neve clenched his fist at the mention of Soren.
"I should have killed him that day," Neve muttered angrily. He sighed, releasing the tension. "Let’s wait for Cael and Aldric to arrive then. We’ll think of something together. Maybe Aldric will have a solution we haven’t considered."
"Tsk. So boring!" Skarr hissed inside Neve’s head, clearly disappointed by the decision to wait rather than take immediate violent action.
Neve just pretended not to hear him. He would deal with Skarr later.
The others agreed with Neve’s plan. It made sense to wait for reinforcements before making a final decision about Zyreth’s fate.
Maren nodded in agreement.
"I will help Cael and the others stay under water until everything clears up," Maren said, his voice becoming commanding. "There is no way Zyreth is going to try to sniff them out or sense them if they are in my territory under water. The sharks will protect them. They will guide them safely."
Neve felt relieved. With Maren’s help, Cael would be able to reach them without being detected.
Just before Maren left the cave, he walked toward where Neve was seated. The shark king’s expression was serious. His eyes were fixed on Neve with intensity.
"If after we deal with Zyreth, you should stay here," Maren said quietly. "Stay in the shark territory. Stay with me."
Neve blinked, surprised by the sudden proposal.
"In case you’re not aware, I’m bonded with three or four mates and I have more to add to the list," Neve said, his voice carrying a mix of sadness and resignation. "I can’t just stay away from them. I can’t abandon them. They’re waiting for me. They’re the ones risking their lives just trying to rescue me."
He paused, his mind thinking of another complication.
"Also, if Vaelthorn wakes up from his slumber and finds me in this territory instead of the leopard tribe, he may burn it down," Neve explained. "The dragon is protective and so territorial. He might see you as a threat to his mate since you know... this is the outcast territory."
"I guess we’ll have to find a way around it," Maren said, not letting the rejection bother him. "We’ll have this conversation when everything is over. When we’ve dealt with Zyreth and the immediate threats."
His voice dropped to a whisper, intimate and carrying a strange intensity.
"Except you wish to stay in this world forever."
Neve flinched hard as he bit his lips.
The question hung in the air between them. The implication was heavy. The meaning was layered.
Was Maren asking if Neve wanted to stay in the beast world? Was he asking if Neve had given up on returning to his original world? Was he asking if Neve’s feelings toward the beastmen had changed his desire to escape?
Or was he asking something more personal? Something more intimate? Something about whether Neve’s feelings for his mates were strong enough to keep him in this world?
Neve’s mind raced with possibilities. His heart was conflicted just as his emotions were torn.
He did not know how to answer. He did not know what the truth was anymore.
Did he want to stay in this world forever? Or did he desperately want to return home?
He had been in this beast world for so long that his memories of his original world were fading. The faces of people he used to know were becoming blurry. The places he used to frequent were becoming distant memories.
But his original body was still in a hospital bed somewhere. Still in a coma and connected to life support machines.
Could he really stay here forever and let his original body die? Or had he already accepted that he belonged in this world now? That his life here was more real than the life he had left behind?
He didn’t know how to answer that. He just smiled at Maren.
"I’ll choose what I want when it’s time," he said.
Maren smirked.
"You have to make your choice fast. Before then, I’ll try to see if it’s just us who came from earth. Who knows? There might be more people who want to go back,"
Neve nodded silently. He wanted to tell Maren about those voices in the control room, but he didn’t even know where to start from.
’Let’s just deal with one thing at a time,’
He thought to himself and watched Maren walk with Sable out of the cave. As soon as it was silent, Popi walked towards Neve.
"Maren really is different from Zyreth and they are both outcasts," she said, sitting close to him.
"I wonder why Vaelthorn had tagged them as outcasts. What had they done?" Neve asked.
Popi lifted a brow.
"Oh! You wouldn’t know since you’re not from this world. The Dhole tribe had eliminated the whole of the red panda tribe. The snake tribe had kidnapped some beastmen from other tribe and used them for hunting practice. They used females as breeding tools," she said and then tapped her fingers on her chin. "What did the shark do again?"
"Ah yeah... The shark king also collaborated with the snake king to kidnap other beastmen to steal their life force for his mother to survive," she said and Neve gasped.
"He... killed people?" Neve asked. "Stealing life force? How... How was he able to do that?" He asked.
Popi shrugged, wearing an ’I don’t know’ look.
"Dark magic," Skarr replied in Neve’s head and his eye widened in shock. Dark magic... just like Skarr’s.