CHAPTER 1049: PONDERING

Krono blinked slowly. His eyes then looked distant, and he fell into silence for a few moments as Erend’s image surfaced in his mind.

In his stressed state he had only been thinking of Erend as another Dragonborn like them, someone who was now tied up with other matters in another world.

But then the memory returned and he remembered that Erend was different. He was special indeed.

His power hadn’t simply come to him from their birth like them.

Krono had seen it with his own eyes, the thread of destiny wound tightly around Erend’s being.

The first time he had glimpsed it he had been struck with amazement, wondering what greater things Erend was bound to do at that time and he had done it just like what he saw.

And now... perhaps only Erend could face this situation. Krono wasn’t sure but at least it was a thread of hope. After all, he can’t see the future about this event because his power was blocked.

"You’re right. I’m sorry," Krono said at last, turning to Eccar.

Eccar sighed. "Sure. Don’t think about that, man."

Before Krono could answer, Aesa spoke, her voice laced with curiosity. "Who is Erend?"

Krono shifted his gaze toward her.

"Erend is one of us, a Dragonborn. Right now he’s in another world, dealing with his own matters."

Aesa’s sharp eyes narrowed. "Why is he special?"

Krono’s tone grew heavier. "Because his power didn’t come naturally. Not like ours that tied to us from birth. Erend was once just a human. Then he became a Dragonborn."

Aesa frowned, confusion flickering across her face. "Is that even possible?"

"I didn’t think it was," Krono admitted. "But Erend’s presence proves otherwise."

Aesa fell silent at that, her expression thoughtful, her wings drawing in closer as if she was folding herself inward.

Krono saw it as a sign that she wanted to mull over this matter privately, not to be pressed further. But nobody actually knows what Aesa was thinking right now.

From the side, Eccar’s lips curved into a small grin. "Wait until she finds out how many Dragon powers Erend has... I can’t wait to see her face."

They pressed on, wings beating harder as they quickened their pace.

The horizon began to shift and in the distance the towering red giant came into view. Beside him sat the two Elves, Lyrel and Caelthar.

The Dragonborn descended swiftly, landing upon the rocky ground with a rush of air.

Lyrel and Caelthr rose to their feet at once and dusting off their cloaks.

Lyrel’s eyes searched Krono’s face. "Is your business with the Aracokrac taken care of?"

Krono nodded, letting out a long, weary sigh. "Kind of... taken care of, for now. Let’s go back."

Lyrel and Caelthar exchanged a brief look with a lot of unspoken questions, but neither of them voiced it for now.

Aesa then stepped forward, her expression softening as she turned toward the red giant.

"This is as far as you can follow us," she said with a small smile. "Thank you for all this time."

The red giant let out a rumbling grunt, the sound was heavy with sadness.

He crouched slightly, meeting her gaze, and finally gave a slow nod. "Take care of yourself, Aesa."

Her smile lingered as she nodded back. "I will."

With that, the red giant straightened. His massive body turned away.

His heavy steps shook the earth as he trudged back into the depths of the forest. Then his figure fading slowly into the trees.

After the giant was gone, they all continued their journey back.

The familiar path stretched in front of them again, but right now no one spoke. The silence feels pretty heavy right now. It’s not actually feel uncomfortable, but it was thick with each of their own thoughts.

Krono, Eccar, and Aesa were pondering in their mind with worry and their own unanswered questions, while Lyrel and Caelthar walked behind them, sensing the unspoken tension.

Something must be happening when they were in the Aracokra’s kingdom that made them think about it this hard.

The two Elves exchanged brief glances every now and then, their curiosity was peaking. They wanted to ask their own questions because they needed to know what had happened inside the Aracokra kingdom, but the air around the Dragonborns told them it wasn’t the right time.

So they held their tongues. Still, disbelief lingered in their minds. To them, the Aracokra had always been savage primal beings who were incapable of proper dialogue.

But here the three of them were, returning unscathed as if they had merely visited an old ally. But it wasn’t actually surprising because the Aracokras too, could feel the power of these Dragonborns.

The Elves quietly wrestled with that realization, their steps crunching softly against the forest floor as they let the silence remain unbroken for a couple more hours.

—

For Erend, the past few days had been nothing but the same routine. He trained alongside the candidates who had begun to grasp their foundation in fighting with Magic power.

He had been guiding them step by step through the challenges of control and endurance and also teaching them based on his experiences.

Each afternoon, he would visit Arty in another world and check on her condition and make sure she was fine and comfortable, and afterward he would call his mother, giving her gentle updates about Arty’s progress.

At night, Erend’s mind turned to evaluation.

He sat in quiet reflection and assessed the day’s work, the candidates’ growth, and the gaps they still needed to close.

The rhythm was steady. The repetition made him calm even though a part of him still felt the storm of larger things looming beyond this world.

Adrien, Billy, Jessica, Thomas, and even Conrad also had gone from their own personal lives during this time.

None of them went home. They were tethered to the project and working late into the night just like Erend. Their eyes fixed on screens and reports.

These days were too critical. The project was at its most fragile but also the most promising stage, and every second mattered.

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