CHAPTER 1078: THE TRAIL

Just when they were about to start again, Erend felt a sharp tug inside his mind, a ripple of thought from another being brushing against his brain.

His eyes narrowed slightly as a voice pressed into him. Someone was calling him through telepathy.

He raised his hand slightly.

"Wait," he said to Adrius. "Someone’s calling me."

Adrius frowned, his concentration breaking. He studied Erend carefully, weighing the tone of his voice. It wasn’t casual.

"Telepathy?" Adrius asked.

Erend nodded once. "Yeah."

The Archmage’s brow furrowed in thought, then smoothed. He gave a small nod of acceptance.

"Then take it. Whoever can reach you now this way must be important, or bring something important."

Without another word, Erend stepped to the side of the room and leaned his back against the wall.

He closed his eyes and allowed his thoughts to sharpen and align with the current of energy within him.

"What is it?" he asked silently into the bond.

The answer came at once, deep and steady.

"We need to meet."

The voice and energy was unmistakable. It was Krono, the Time Dragon. His tone carried no warmth this time, only seriousness.

Erend’s expression tightened. Krono wouldn’t call him without reason especially with this tone. He knew that both Krono and Eccar were out in another world, searching for the other Dragonborn.

If they were only reaching out now, after such a long silence, it meant they had come to a conclusion. Whether that conclusion was success or failure, Erend couldn’t yet tell.

He let out a slow sigh. Timing couldn’t have been worse. He was knee-deep in another task with Adrius that already demanded his full focus.

He hesitated for a moment, considering. Invite them now or delay it?

After a few seconds, he sent back his reply. "I’m in the middle of something important. A Mage and I are tracking the entity. I need more time."

Krono’s response came without irritation. "That’s fine. We can wait. I only wanted you to know that we are already with the other Dragonborn."

Erend blinked, then a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. His chest eased with the warmth of relief. "What Dragon is it?"

"She is an Ice Dragon," Krono said. "Her name is Aesa."

The link fell silent as the telepathic bond dissolved.

Erend stayed there for a long moment, leaning against the wall with a rare genuine smile. Optimism stirred within him, brighter than he had felt in days.

"Aesa..." The name echoed in his thoughts like a promise.

With a new Dragonborn as their partner their chances grew. Now there were four of them—himself, Eccar, Krono, and Aesa. Four Dragonborn gathered together. They were almost certainly the strongest force that any world had seen in ages.

But even as the warmth of hope filled him, Erend tempered it quickly.

He couldn’t allow himself to be blinded by victory before the battle began.

The entity they faced was still shrouded in mystery. Its strength was unknown and its location was still hidden. Hope was a weapon, but overconfidence could be bad.

With that sobering reminder, Erend pushed off the wall and returned to Adrius.

The Archmage caught the subtle shift in his expression immediately.

Erend had been smiling when he turned back, but then suddenly his expression hardened again with thought.

Adrius’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he didn’t press. He only tilted his head and asked with curiosity in his voice.

"Whoever it was, you looked relieved, but serious again after. Good news, but heavy news?"

Erend offered a small smile, enough to ease the tension. "I’ll explain later. For now, let’s stay focused on this."

Adrius studied him for a moment longer, then exhaled softly and nodded. "Alright. We better begin again."

They returned to the tether. Adrius raised his hands and began weaving the spell once more, his murmurs soft but sharp and the syllable drawn with precision.

The device pulsed to life again, its light filling the room.

This time, Erend waited patiently, his hands clasped behind his back until Adrius’s voice cut through the hum of energy.

"Now. Come closer and stretch your hands forward just like me."

Erend stepped forward without hesitation. He mirrored Adrius’s stance, lifting his arms and spreading his palms open toward the tether.

Adrius’s eyes stayed fixed on the tether as his voice came out low and steady. "Now pour your Magic energy into it."

Erend glanced at him briefly. "How much? How should I do it?"

"Moderate," Adrius replied quickly, his hands never faltering as they traced fresh runes through the vibrating air. "Not too much. Just let it flow as you normally would. I’ll handle the rest."

Erend gave a single nod.

"Alright."

He shifted his stance, centering his breath. Heat flickered in his chest and that familiar current of fire and lightning waking together under his skin.

He extended his will into his palms, letting streams of energy course outward.

The moment his power met the tether, the orb’s pulse surged violently.

What had been a steady heartbeat of light turned into a frantic rhythm like a heart in palpitations. The glow burst against the walls, rippling across the room.

The silver rings orbiting the black sphere began to spin faster, no longer moving in calm rotation but whirling wildly, shifting in erratic patterns as if driven into frenzy.

The runes Adrius had etched into the air shivered then suddenly collapsed inward, sucked violently into the orb’s core.

A deep hum shook the chamber, the sound resonating in their bones.

Then the threads of Magic like radiant filaments of silver-blue and crimson tore outward from the orb. They lashed through the air like rivers breaking a dam, darting in every direction at once.

Some streaked across the ceiling, some carved glowing arcs along the floor, while others vanished through the walls.

Adrius gritted his teeth, his arms straining as he wrestled to guide the chaotic flow.

"Hold steady!" he said.

Erend felt the raw surge of power pushed against him. His hands were still steady because this much pressure wasn’t much for him and poured more discipline into his control.

The energy coursed out of him in a steady stream.

The tether devoured it hungrily, the orb’s surface warping as if ripples spread across its black glass. Each ripple seemed to stretch outward into the flying threads, feeding them and giving them direction.

Adrius’s chants grew sharper, his voice rising above the hum. The threads of energy, once wild and scattering, began to bend, twist, then arc back toward the center.

Slowly the chaos started to knit itself into patterns.

And then, as if something vast and hidden had been struck awake, the lattice of light solidified with a shuddering snap.

The threads froze in place and suspended like veins of Magic etched into the air itself.

Adrius’s lips parted, his breath ragged. His eyes flicked over the patterns with astonishment gleaming.

"This is it," he whispered hoarsely. "I think I got the trail."

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