CHAPTER 1073: MORE CURIOUSITY

Aesa’s pale eyes wandered as they crossed into the heart of the kingdom. She saw that all around her homes were etched into colossal trees with branches that twisted like nature’s own architecture, while others were carved into the earth itself, their doorways glowing with warm lights.

Elves walked the paths with easy grace. Their voices sounded soft, their gestures serene, and their every movement seeming to flow in rhythm with the living forest around them.

For a moment, a strange warmth bloomed in Aesa’s chest.

The peace of this place stirred something quiet inside her. Like it was giving her a sense of safety and belonging she hadn’t felt in ages.

But as her gaze passed over the sheer number of Elves moving about and the crowds pressing in on every side, her lips thinned.

The warmth soured, replaced by unease. There were too many eyes and too many people here. She could never feel comfortable surrounded by this much life.

Lyrel and Caelthar walked ahead, their return sparking soft greetings from fellow Elves.

Guards paused at their posts to speak briefly with them, though their eyes never lingered long before shifting toward the strangers trailing behind.

Krono and Eccar were already familiar to them because both had been seen within these walls days before. But Aesa—this pale woman with hair like snow and an air of biting frost—was new. Suspicion flickered across every glance.

Aesa could feel it like needles pricking her skin.

She can feel the pressure of their gazes that made her jaw tighten and despite her effort to ignore it, a grimace pulled at her lips.

Eccar, trailing just a step behind her, caught the look in her eyes. He knew well enough that she hated this sort of attention. Worse, he knew she might decide to answer it in some dramatic way that would only cause more problems.

He cleared his throat lightly, stepping forward with a smile.

"I think we need to rest after the long walk," he said, his tone easy, almost casual.

Lyrel and Caelthar turned to him, exchanged a quick glance, and then nodded in agreement. They both knew that this was directed at Aesa who doesn’t like attention and crowds.

"Yes, you’re right," Caelthar replied. "Come. We’ll take you to the same place Krono and Eccar stayed before."

It wasn’t long before they arrived at a modest house of wood and stone, its design simple yet comfortable.

As the door shut behind them and muffled the sounds of the kingdom outside, a hush settled over the room.

Aesa’s eyes drifted across the interior, her sharp gaze taking in every detail. Then, without a word, she sank into a chair by the table, crossing one leg over the other as if staking her place.

Eccar, with a groan of relief, let himself collapse onto the bed, arms spread wide.

Krono chose the other chair, his posture still tense and his face still drawn tight with unease.

"Ahh..." Eccar sighed, stretching his arms above his head. "Finally. A soft bed again. This is much better than the hard ground."

Aesa’s cold gaze cut toward him. "I always sleep on hard stones. Or ice." Her voice was flat and her eyes unblinking.

Eccar scoffed, one corner of his mouth twisting upward. "Of course you do."

The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the muted hum of life beyond the house walls.

Krono sat still, lost in his own thoughts, his fingers drumming faintly against the arm of his chair.

At last, Aesa spoke, her tone sharper than before. "So. What now?"

Eccar tilted his head toward Krono. The Time Dragon lifted his gaze, eyes shadowed but steady.

"First, we need to meet Erend," Krono said.

Eccar nodded once, settling back into the mattress.

Aesa frowned faintly. "This Erend... who is he? And how does he hold so many powers?"

Eccar pushed himself up onto his elbows, his grin returning. "I’ll explain. But you can’t freak out."

Aesa tilted her head slightly, eyes narrowing. "Fine. I won’t."

Eccar leaned back again, smirk tugging at his lips. "Good. Then listen carefully."

Eccar let his head sink back against the pillow, his voice carrying a lazy ease though his eyes held a certain sharpness.

He started again from the beginning, repeating what he had already told her before.

"Erend wasn’t born like me or you or Krono. He was human once. Just a plain man before... before the Dragon power took root in him and give him this much power."

Aesa’s expression didn’t shift much, but she gave a small nod, the thought still foreign to her.

She had lived long enough to know what humans were—fragile, short-lived creatures with no bloodline of Dragons in them.

How one could carry such power was something she couldn’t easily reconcile, even if Eccar said it plainly. But for now she chooses to just listen.

"And then," Eccar continued, "he has this... other ability. Some kind of prophecy. He can sense problems before they appear and see things before they happen. It’s not something I understand myself, but I’ve seen it with my own eyes."

Aesa leaned forward slightly, pale strands of her damp hair falling over her shoulder.

"Prophecy," she repeated, her voice low, as if weighing the word.

Eccar fell silent for a moment, his grin fading into something more thoughtful.

His gaze flicked toward Krono, then back at Aesa. He exhaled and finally added, "But listen... when you meet him, you’ll need to hear it from him yourself. There are things I can’t explain here. Or more precisely things that I won’t."

His tone carried a subtle edge, a warning layered beneath the casual mask of his voice.

Aesa’s sharp eyes narrowed a fraction, and she caught the meaning quickly enough. Perhaps this kingdom had its own ears like spells that listened for words.

She gave a slow nod.

"Fine," she said. "I’ll wait."

Her thoughts drifted even as she spoke, sinking into silence.

If such a thing were truly possible that a Dragonborn could wield more than one power and could see through the veil of time itself even when he is not a Time Dragon like Krono, then this Erend was unlike anything she had ever recognized before.

Her curiosity stirred and became sharp and insistent. She wanted to know more. She wanted to see him with her own eyes.

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