CHAPTER 1038: GOING UP

The red giant lumbered back into the shadows of the trees. His hulking body slipping into the depths of the forest.

Krono gave a small nod and moved after him, Eccar following with his usual casual stride.

Krono turned his head slightly toward Lyrel and Caelthar. "Come. Move."

The two Elves exchanged a quick glance, their eyes filled with hesitation.

The giant’s words still echoed in their minds. He said that Elves are bad. If he truly hated them then the moment Krono and Eccar looked away, he might crush them without a thought.

Doubt pressed heavily on their chests. But they had no choice. Fortunately, they were under the shadow of two Dragonborn and that gave them at least a fragile sense of safety. Hopefully.

Besides, their duty was to record everything.

They followed as well.

Towering trees loomed above. They looked ancient and massive. Their sheer size was the same as those at the Elven kingdom.

Eccar and Krono both lifted their heads briefly, a flicker of recognition passing between them.

Perhaps the kingdom’s trees had come from here long ago. Perhaps this forest was older than the kingdom. But it was only a thought.

Lyrel leaned closer to Caelthar, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Did you hear what Krono said earlier?"

Caelthar nodded, eyes fixed ahead. "About him saying he’s the same as her?"

Lyrel’s lips pressed thin as he nodded back. No more words passed between them, but the meaning was clear.

The pieces they had gathered until now were pointing to something staggering. Krono and Eccar were searching for a Dragonborn. Krono had said he was the same as her. Which meant... He and Eccar were Dragonborn themselves.

For generations, the Dragonborn had been spoken of only as myth and legends buried in lore. Beings who shaped history before time itself could write it. And now, not only had Lyrel and Caelthar seen one, they had spoken with two, walked behind them, recorded their steps.

And here in this world, there might even be a third.

Lyrel whispered, almost reverently, "This is worth recording." She pulled out her small book and quill, quickly scribbling notes.

"I’ll keep watch," Caelthar muttered, scanning the path with sharp eyes.

"Yes, you do that," Lyrel replied without lifting her gaze from the page.

They pressed on, passing through strange terrains. The pounding veil of a water wall drenched their cloaks, ridges of gray stone hills rising like teeth from the ground, and thick roots as tall as walls that twisted across their path.

Every step wore at the Elves’ stamina but neither dared to voice complaint.

Their breaths grew heavy and their legs were hurt yet still they walked.

Eccar and Krono, however, moved as if none of this weighed on them. Not a hint of exhaustion touched them.

At last, the trees thinned, giving way to a towering stone cliff that rose higher than their eyes could follow until its jagged wall pierced into the clouds above.

The red giant stopped and turned.

"She is up there. Do you want me to call her?" he said, his voice booming.

Krono lifted a hand in refusal.

"No. It’s alright," he said.

He turned to Lyrel and Caelthar. "You two should wait here for now."

Both Elves stiffened, their eyes widening with shock and protest.

Lyrel stepped forward and spoke with a tight voice. "No. Our task is to record everything you and Eccar do. We must always stay close to you."

"Not this time," Krono said, his tone firm and his gaze unyielding. The weight in his eyes silenced further argument.

Then he turned to the red giant. "Do not harm them. They are my friends as well."

The giant let out a low growl, grumbling deep in his throat. But at last he gave a stiff nod.

Krono exhaled, golden light flaring behind him then his radiant and vast Dragon wings unfurled. Showing golden glowing with black lines.

With one powerful beat, he lifted from the ground.

Eccar grinned and then his brown-scaled wings burst from his back. He leapt after Krono, following him to the sky with ease.

Below, Lyrel and Caelthar stood frozen. Their mouths slightly open in disbelief.

To see actual Dragon wings spread casually before their eyes was something beyond anything they had ever thought they would live to witness.

And now, as their quills shook in their hands, they realized they were left with a giant who hated their kind standing only a few steps away.

—

High above, the wind roared past.

Eccar kept his eyes on Krono, his grin fading into something wary. "Do you think she won’t attack us?"

Krono’s calm eyes narrowed against the wind. "She will." he said with usual certainty.

Eccar let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head. "Oh, okay."

They kept soaring higher, the wind whipping hard against their wings as the stone cliff stretched endlessly upward.

Higher and higher they went until at last they saw a massive dark hole appear in the cliffside.

They didn’t need to say it aloud. They both knew that was where the Ice Dragon lived.

The air changed. A sudden chill seeped into their bones.

The warmth of their breaths turned to mist and the temperature dropped so fast. Thin crusts of ice began to crackle in the air, forming in strange patches that shimmered before breaking apart and scattering into frost.

Eccar let out a low whistle, his grin returning despite the icy sting against his face. "Ah, this must be it. She already knows we’re here."

"Looks like it," Krono replied calmly, his golden eyes steady on the hollow above. "Get ready to harden your scales."

Eccar chuckled and nodded once. "Alright."

The next instant from the hollow above, a dozen ice spears erupted in an instant and streaking downward at blinding speed.

They didn’t even see them form. One moment the air was empty and the next it was filled with shards of frozen fury tearing through the sky.

Each one of the spears looks like they were sharp enough to pierce stone.

—