CHAPTER 1085: TALKING WITH KING

Erend’s eyes fixed on King Gulben the moment he entered the throne room. The Elven king sat with his usual imposing presence, his sharp features framed by silvered hair just like Aurdis, his posture regal but not stiff.

Their gazes met. Erend’s steady eyes burning with purpose and Gulben’s eyes were looking controlled even though a faint frown tugged at his brow as his eyes shifted to the pale stranger at Erend’s side.

The king’s expression held authority, controlled curiosity, and the smallest thread of unease. But all of it never broke his mask of command.

Just moments before, Gulben had been speaking quietly with one of his advisors. The conversation had circled around the creation of a fusion between Magic power and a metal construct which was a project the king himself envisioned to strengthen their future defenses.

But when his eyes settled on Erend and Aesa, he lifted a hand, cutting his words short.

"We will continue later," Gulben said earlier. His voice was calm but final.

The advisor bowed his head in acknowledgment and began to retreat.

As he passed, he offered Erend a respectful nod, a mark of familiarity, as every Elf in the palace now knew the Dragonborn who had saved them in more than one trouble.

But his gaze did not leave Aesa. His eyes narrowed slightly, scrutinizing the pale figure beside Erend with open caution. His look matched the silent questions that lingered on the faces of the other courtiers.

Aesa shifted her weight subtly. Her arms were tightening against her chest. She could feel every pair of eyes in the room fixed on her. Their eyes felt like needles prickling against her skin.

The tension pressed into her until it spilled out without her realizing it. Her aura slipped free.

In an instant, the temperature in the vast chamber plummeted. A chill spread across the marble floor, mist curling faintly in the air as frost kissed the edges of nearby silver fixtures.

Gasps erupted through the court. Voices falling into uneasy murmurs as the sudden cold wrapped around them. They knew that this wasn’t something natural.

Erend immediately noticed.

"Aesa. You need to calm down. It’s alright. They won’t do us any harm." His voice cut through the startled silence, firm but calm.

Her lips parted with a sigh, her tone hushed but sharp as she leaned slightly toward him. "I just don’t like them looking at me."

Erend’s eyes softened for a brief moment. He studied her pale face and the coldness in her eyes before whispering back, "It can’t be helped. Do you want me to tell them to stop?"

Aesa’s shoulders eased. But the coldness in her aura lingered faintly. "No. It’s alright now."

The temperature in the room went back to normal again.

"Alright," Erend murmured. He gave her one last glance before turning back toward the throne.

Stepping forward, he bowed his head respectfully.

"Your Majesty, it is good to see you again." His voice carried across the room with controlled strength. He then raised his hand slightly to indicate the pale woman beside him. "This is Aesa. She is... another Dragonborn like me and Eccar."

The throne room reacted as though struck by lightning. Gasps and widened eyes rippled through the crowd.

Some courtiers covered their mouths, whispers breaking loose in disbelief.

Even King Gulben’s eyes widened before he contained his reaction. His expression slipped quickly back into the careful composure of a ruler.

But the surprise was still there. He, like the others, had not expected to see another Dragonborn so soon after Erend’s arrival into their world.

The very idea that one Dragonborn existed had already shaken their belief in myths. To see another was beyond any expectation.

"I see," King Gulben said at last, his voice low and deliberate. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze fixed on Erend. "Then let us not waste any more time. Tell me what you have come to speak of."

Erend felt relief at the king’s directness. He appreciated that Gulben understood urgency and he knew Aesa did too. She had no patience for wasted words, especially in the company of so many strangers.

Without pause, Erend stepped further into the chamber.

"We have found where this mysterious entity resides," he said, his voice steady but edged with fire. "Eccar, Aesa, and I are preparing to go there. But whatever comes, it will not end with us alone. I need you and the Elves prepared for anything that may happen next."

The weight of his words hung in the cold air.

King Gulben’s brows furrowed deeper as Erend’s words settled into the chamber.

The king’s sharp gaze lingered on him.

"What kind of danger, Erend? I need the exact detail. What enemy should we prepare for and how powerful are they?" His voice carried the weight of a ruler who had weathered storms before, but also a ruler who knew that preparation demanded precision.

Erend inhaled slowly. His eyes narrowed as he recalled the fragments of Krono’s vision and the knowledge they had pieced together.

"From what we’ve gathered, the threat will be much like what we faced when the Great Calamity attacked," he said. "Creatures and disasters will come one after another, spreading across the land, swallowing everything in their path." His words grew heavier as he continued. "But the core of it, the main force that attacked this palace, will be the dead. The fallen will rise again."

Gasps tore through the throne room like a wave again. They glanced around in wide-eyed disbelief and tight jaw.

Their fear was expected. Erend understood why, that was because they had all seen it once before.

During the Great Calamity’s assault, countless corpses of enemies scattered around the palace walls before had risen again, twisted by the Calamity’s dark influence. The memory was still carved into their history.

King Gulben did not flinch, though his frown remained. He let the whispers and gasps run their course before speaking again.

"Then the first step," he said, "will be to prepare for a thorough cleansing. We will ensure that no remnants remain that can be turned against us."

His voice was steady, controlled, carrying the calm authority of a leader who could not afford to waver.

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