Hearing Erend's words stunned Billy and Adrien for a few seconds. They looked at him, then at each other, exchanging worried glances filled with fear.

They had never heard Erend fail at solving a problem before. And now, even with four other Dragonborns beside him, they had failed.

This was unexpected, unthinkable, and it left both of them frozen.

Erend himself still could not reconcile his mind with what had happened. All of it still felt unreal.

First, he and the others had encountered an existence so strong, so overwhelming, that it faced all of them head-on without hesitation and was able to get the upper hand.

Then that being defeated them.

He had moved further and faster than anything they had ever imagined.

That being who called himself Zerathul had planned everything. He planned for them to come to that ruined world then executed his plan flawlessly.

He was even able to take Krono and absorbed him.

The power of a Dragonborn… The Time Dragon… had been taken and consumed...

It was their greatest defeat.

Billy and Adrien watched Erend's expression. He looked sad, shocked, and blank.

They worried something was breaking inside him.

"Erend… you okay?" Billy asked quietly.

Erend snapped back to reality as if waking from a trance. "Yeah…" he answered. But he didn't believe it. Not fully.

"There's no use thinking about this now. I must deal with what's in front of me. We're not done here." he told himself.

He exhaled, steadied his thoughts, then asked, "What happened here? Is everyone alright?"

"Besides the facility being wrecked by that thing," Billy said, "I think we're alright. My body hurts all over, but I'm still breathing."

"I'm fine too," Adrien added. "Fortunately we managed to hold that thing off before you came."

"Captain," Erend said, voice steadying, "that being… wasn't its real body."

Adrien and Billy frowned.

"What do you mean?" Adrien asked.

"What you fought was just an avatar. It's a long story. I'll explain later. For now, let's get back inside."

The three of them walked toward the facility.

The five candidates stood waiting near the crater, looking at Erend with a mixture of curiosity and awe.

"These five are the most capable from the candidates," Adrien said, gesturing toward them. "Their Magic is the most stable. And they've developed good abilities, they helped a lot."

Erend smiled at the group and nodded. "Good job."

The candidates, flustered, shook their heads.

"W-We didn't do much, Sir."

"Yeah, we barely slowed that thing."

"We're still not used to real Magic combat…"

Erend shook his head. "Don't undermine yourselves. You bought time for everyone to survive. If you weren't here, they might've been dead by now, including Billy and Captain Adrien."

The five exchanged quick, embarrassed smiles. They feel proud, relieved, and grateful.

They walked inside together.

Erend stepped through the ruined doorway and glanced around.

Walls were chipped and cracked from lightning. Floors were scorched. Metal panels hung loose. The smell of burnt circuitry and ozone lingered in the air.

He tightened his jaw. He knows that this was only the beginning of the disaster.

—

On the other world, Eccar leaped out of the portal. Black and brown sparks scattered behind him before fading into the wind.

He hovered in midair, his brown and black scales still glowing and his wings spread wide as he scanned the land beneath him.

He immediately felt something was wrong.

The air tasted of burned Magic. The sky above the city shimmered with a massive Magic barrier, thick and strained, barely stable. Soldiers and Mages stood along the ramparts, guarding the perimeter with pale, exhausted faces.

But there was no sign of Arty or Sylmira.

"Where are they…" he muttered, anxiety tightening his chest.

He looked toward the forest and his pupils tightened.

The entire expanse of trees had been devastated. Scorched earth stretched in every direction. Craters, uprooted roots, shattered boulders, broken grounds, and blackened ash marked the area as the remains of a massive battle.

Far worse than he expected.

"I hope I'm not too late," he thought.

He pushed forward without hesitation.

He flew low over the treetops—or what remained of them—until he sensed familiar Magic energy signatures nearby.

He shifted direction and dove toward the source.

Moments later, he found them.

Arty and Sylmira sat near a crater, surrounded by debris.

Arty was leaning against Sylmira's embrace, her breathing slow, her face pale.

Sylmira herself looked exhausted but alert, one arm around her student protectively.

They both looked up the moment his shadow passed over them.

Their bodies tensed and ready for another enemy.

But then Eccar landed before them and dissolved his scales and wings, returning to his human form with a soft exhale.

They relaxed instantly.

"Eccar…" Arty whispered, relief washing over her expression.

Eccar walked closer and knelt beside them. "You two alright?"

"Yeah," Arty said with a small nod.

Sylmira glanced at her student, her eyes narrowing a little. She clearly wasn't convinced. But she wouldn't say anything for now.

Arty's Magic energy flow was a little bit unstable. Her aura was shaky. But Arty forced herself to appear composed, and Sylmira didn't press for it yet.

Eccar let out a breath of relief. "Good. At least one good thing is happening."

Sylmira frowned. "What do you mean?"

Eccar's expression changed instantly. The relief evaporated. His face darkened.

"We failed."

The words hit Sylmira like a blast of cold wind.

Dragonborns… failed? That wasn't supposed to be possible.

Her mouth parted, but no words came out.

Arty also stiffened, her heartbeat skipping. But unlike Sylmira, she forced herself to steady her breathing.

Her fingers trembled slightly, but she held her composure faster than her.

"We fought something impossible," he continued, voice low. "Stronger than anything we've ever faced. Four Dragonborns… and we still lost."

Sylmira finally managed to speak, her voice thin.

"What… happened?"

Eccar looked down at the ruined forest around them, then back at the two women he came to protect.

"We met a being who calls himself Zerathul," he said quietly. "And he defeated us all."

—