CHAPTER 1087: GATHERING INFO

Erend emerged from the portal into the room that had become familiar to him. The warm light from the crystal lamps spilled across the floor, reflecting softly off the polished marble.

This was where his sister, Arty, had been staying inside Archmage Sylmira’s tower.

This place was far from the Elf Palace, across the vast stretch that separated the two realms. Communication between these worlds was difficult and unreliable. That was why Erend had taken it upon himself to travel personally, visiting each place to ensure they were prepared before the coming disaster struck.

His goal was clear, which was to help them prepare individually, so they could stand strong even without need to unite.

Arty already knew he was coming. He had sent word earlier and she was aware he would bring a friend even though she didn’t know who it would be. It could not be just Eccar.

When the portal closed behind Erend and Aesa, Arty finally saw her brother’s new friend. Her eyes widened in surprise.

Aesa’s appearance immediately caught her attention. Her short white hair, cold expression, and aura of quiet strength. Despite being smaller than Arty, Aesa radiated a presence that felt powerful yet strangely gentle.

Arty rose from her chair with a smile and approached.

"So this is your friend?" she asked, glancing at Erend, then turning to Aesa with curiosity.

"This is the one I told you about," Erend said, gesturing toward Aesa.

Arty extended her hand politely. "Oh, nice to meet you. My name’s Arty."

"Aesa," she replied, her voice soft but steady.

"Aesa... that’s a lovely name," Arty said warmly.

"Thank you," Aesa answered, and a faint smile flickered on her lips. For a brief moment, her cold composure softened. There was something disarmingly pure about Arty’s presence that even she couldn’t ignore.

Erend looked around the room. "Is she here?" he asked.

"Yes," Arty said with a nod. "I already told her you’d be coming. She’s been waiting and I think she’s ready."

"Good," Erend said. He motioned for Aesa to follow, and together they stepped out of the room.

Outside, a palace guard stood at his post. His eyes widened the instant he saw Erend and the pale-haired stranger stepping through the door.

Erend gave him a brief nod of acknowledgment, while Aesa merely cast him a detached glance.

A cold shiver ran through the guard despite the warmth of his armor. He swallowed hard, his instincts screaming that the woman beside Erend was no ordinary being.

"Another powerful being?" he thought nervously.

He knew Erend’s power well. The man who could walk into Archmage Sylmira’s chambers unannounced and still be welcomed without hesitation. If this new woman was traveling with him she had to be also as powerful in her own right.

The realization sent an uneasy feeling through him. Too many powerful figures had begun to gather lately here and that could only mean one thing: something vast and dangerous was coming.

Erend reached the tall wooden door and knocked.

A calm, measured voice answered from inside. "Come in."

He pushed the door open and entered with Aesa and Arty beside him, stepping into Archmage Sylmira’s chamber.

Inside, Archmage Sylmira sat amid a storm of tomes and scrolls scattered across her chamber. Books lay open on the floor and stacked unevenly on every surface.

The air smelled of parchment and ink. It was clear she had been searching for something and hadn’t cared about the mess left behind.

When Erend and Aesa stepped in, Sylmira lifted her head from a thick grimoire.

She straightened in her chair, trying to compose herself, but the moment her eyes met Aesa her breath stopped. Her pupils trembled and she swallowed hard a few times, trying to steady her nerves.

Aesa stood still and was still expressionless. Her white hair glimmered faintly under the chamber’s blue light as her eyes swept the room. She didn’t say a word, her presence cold and distant, yet impossible to ignore.

Erend took a step forward. "Have you found what I asked for?" he asked.

Sylmira nodded quickly. "Yes, I have. It took me a while, but I managed to locate the texts."

"Good," Erend said with a slight nod, then added, "Oh, I almost forgot to introduce her. This is Aesa. She’s my friend and also a Dragonborn."

Aesa gave a short nod, nothing more.

Sylmira’s lips curved into a stiff smile. "It’s... a pleasure to meet someone of such great power," she said carefully, her voice trembling just enough to show her unease.

Aesa didn’t respond. Her silence filled the air like frost.

Sylmira didn’t take offense to her attitude.

She turned away and began stepping carefully through the piles of open books scattered across the floor, her robes brushing against pages as she moved toward a heavy desk near the window.

The faint hum of Magical energy drifted from the tomes she passed, their glyphs pulsing faintly in response to her presence.

Erend followed her with his gaze, waiting for what she would reveal.

Sylmira reached her desk and carefully pushed aside a stack of notes covered in glowing runes.

Her hand hovered above a large weathered map spread across the table. Thin golden lines ran across it like veins, pulsing faintly with Magical energy.

Between the lines, ancient symbols were drawn in faded ink, their meanings long lost to time until a few minutes ago. Sylmira drew the map herself with her ability after gathering the information from the books and scrolls.

"These are the ancient leylines you had told me to find," Sylmira began, her voice steady now as her scholarly focus took over her nerves. "They’re not just conduits of ordinary Magic just likeI thought. Some of them are tainted by necromantic residue that’s been buried beneath layers of newer energy flows."

She pointed at several points on the map where the lines intersected. Each pulsed with a deeper, darker hue.

"Here," she said. "These convergence points are dangerous. When the leylines cross and are active, their power amplifies, especially where death energy lingers. I found references to old structures like shrines, catacombs, and forgotten fortresses that built to regulate that flow. But most of them are either destroyed or buried."

Her eyes flicked toward Erend. "If someone—or something—awakens the power within these intersections, it could spread corruption across entire regions. I believe these are the key locations we must watch before the dead rise again."

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