Erend started to see something familiar. It looked faint at first, just lines of light flickering in front of his vision as if trying to form shapes that trembled and broke apart before they could fully take form.

He blinked and his heart skipped. It was the same pattern, glow, and the same translucent blue hue he used to see all the time before the System notifications.

When it had gone silent, he didn't think much of it at first. There were too many things to worry about for him, too many dangers that demanded his focus. But deep down he had felt that uneasy emptiness ever since it disappeared.

The System had been his constant companion and his mysterious guide through all his battles and impossible events. For it to suddenly vanish could only mean something had happened. Something big that could influence that kind of mysterious power.

But now, it was back.

Eccar and Aesa both noticed the change in him. He stood completely still in the air, his eyes fixed forward but not on Krono and Zerathul's clash, but at something else right before him. Something only he could see.

"What are you looking at?" Aesa asked, her voice calm but also tense.

"Wait a minute," Erend said without looking at her. "I'm seeing… the power."

Aesa's eyes widened slightly, genuine shock flashing across her usually composed face. That was rare.

She remembered what Krono and Eccar had told her about this "power". It was a strange, unexplainable entity that guided Erend like a divine will. They described it as something beyond any known Magic, beyond even the Dragons' comprehension.

She had thought it sounded far too good to be true. But now it was real, right in front of him.

Aesa clenched her hands and forced herself to stay still. If this was truly the moment she would finally witness that power, she would wait and see it unfold.

Meanwhile, Eccar paid little mind to it. He knew it was Erend's personal power, not something he could influence.

His eyes stayed fixed on the battle in front of them where Krono and Zerathul's collision of light and darkness had grown even larger. He could see mountains crumbling in the distance, the sky and air tearing open like shattered glass.

He wasn't afraid but the uncertainty of what Zerathul was gnawing at his mind. They still had no idea what kind of being they were facing and that alone was enough to make him anxious.

He threw another glance at Erend, silently hoping that whatever this power brought back, it would help. Though, he knows that it will. That mysterious power had always come to bring them the right guidance for the problem.

Erend kept staring at the flickering light. His brow furrowed as the lines of blue shimmer tried to stabilize but kept breaking apart.

"Why is it taking this long to form the texts?" He could feel the System was struggling. It wasn't just coming back but fighting to recover. Something really had happened to it.

Finally, the words solidified in front of his eyes.

[System reboot is online. We are sorry for the inconvenience.]

"Reboot? So it needs to reboot? What is happening to it?" Erend thought.

He waited, his heart pounding. Then another line appeared. They were now clear, steady, and glowing brighter than before.

[Main Quest updated!]

[Description: The Gravebinger has risen from his slumber. The ancient entity of unending time and necromancy known as Zerathul has awakened to reclaim the void between worlds. His presence erodes reality, and his purpose is to consume the flow of time itself until nothing remains but stillness. You need to stand against the Gravebinger and end his reign before he devours all that exists.]

[Objective: Defeat Zerathul, the Gravebinger.]

[Failure: Total collapse of all realms connected through the time flow.]

[Reward: ???]

Erend stared at the words as his chest tightened.

But then he sighed and controlled his emotions, forcing his breath to steady despite the weight of the words he just read. The notifications of the description of Zerathul, the scope of his power, and what would happen if they failed burned into his mind. The idea that this entity could consume time itself and freeze all worlds into an eternal stillness made his chest tighten with primal fear. But the fear was quickly swallowed by resolve.

The System was back. Whatever had silenced it before no longer mattered. Now, they knew what they were facing. They had a target, a name, and a purpose again.

He turned sharply toward Aesa and Eccar, his voice clear and unwavering. "Listen. I know what Zerathul is."

Both of them looked at him instantly.

Erend continued, "He's a being that controls both necromancy and time. The power called him the Gravebinger. His goal is to consume the flow of time across every realm and erase motion, change, and life itself. If he succeeds, everything will stop forever."

Aesa's lips parted slightly, her expression frozen in disbelief. Eccar's brows furrowed, the words sinking into him like heavy stones.

Necromancy and time should never coexist. They never heard of it. It didn't make sense, and yet the proof was right above them in the form of that abomination fighting Krono.

"What… how is that even possible?" Aesa asked, her voice low but trembling with tension.

"We don't have time to ask questions!" Erend cut her off. His tone was sharper than usual. "Every second we waste talking, he's growing more dangerous."

Eccar exhaled through his nose, shaking his head. "Damn it, you're right," he said, clenching his fists. "Whatever he is, we need to focus on stopping him now."

Aesa fell silent, biting down the questions still forming in her mind. She wanted to ask about this strange power that had just told Erend all this. She wanted to know where it came from, how it knew such secrets, and why it had been gone for so long.

But she saw the urgency in Erend's face and the light of determination in his eyes. This wasn't the time for curiosity.

She nodded. "All right."

Above them, the sky was tearing apart in streaks of gold and crimson. Krono and Zerathul clashed once more, their energies colliding in a storm.

Erend took one last glance at the flickering remnants of the System's light before it faded from his sight.

"Let's end this," he said quietly.

The three of them turned toward the storm where Krono fought.

—