CHAPTER 1025: THE DREAD

Sylmira rose from the chair. Her decision firmed with every step. She spared one last glance at the sleeping Arty before slipping out of the chamber.

The hallway outside was quiet at this time of night, lit only by the faint glow of the lamps on the wall.

She entered her own chamber swiftly and shut the door behind her, turning the lock with a click.

Her palms pressed together. Lips moving in a quiet incantation as she reached across the veil of worlds.

Her thoughts sharpened, her will focused until her voice echoed inside the mind she sought.

"Erend."

—

On the other end, Erend froze. He had just been drifting in that false sense of calm after speaking with his mother when Sylmira’s voice pierced through his mind.

The connection carried with it more than words. It carried a heavy and oppressive feeling, her anxiety pressing against his mind.

"Sylmira? What happened?" he thought back instantly, his tone tight.

The uneasy feeling that had gnawed at him earlier now coiled tighter around his chest.

He could feel it wasn’t a casual call. Something was wrong. And if she the one who called the things that had gone wrong must be related to Arty.

For a moment Sylmira hesitated, steadying herself. Then, her voice rang with an urgent clarity. "We need to speak in person. This cannot wait."

Erend didn’t question it. He knew. His instincts had been screaming at him all night and now Sylmira’s urgency confirmed it.

Without hesitation he swung his legs off the bed and stood. His body was still tired, but his will burned sharp.

He summoned the Magic energy then the portal opened with a low hum, bending space into a shimmering circle of light.

Erend stepped through and the sterile walls of his facility vanished. In their place stood the warm-lit stone chamber of Sylmira’s tower.

She was there waiting. Her face was looking grim, the usual calmness that she wore now shadowed by her anxiety.

Erend’s jaw tightened the moment he saw her expression. His heart sank. "So my feeling was right after all."

"What happened to Arty?" he asked, his voice low but trembling with restrained urgency.

Sylmira exhaled and motioned for him to sit. Her hands clasped together as though holding herself steady.

"Erend... there is something happening to your sister. Something I do not yet understand but it frightens me."

He gulped. For a long moment he simply stared at her, his throat too tight to form words.

Then, forcing his voice steady, he said, "Tell me everything. Don’t leave anything out."

Sylmira did.

She told him about the recording Jan had given her, about the way Arty had stared at her hands in terror as if they belonged to a stranger.

She described the devastation of the forest, the uncontrolled burst of destruction that could have leveled more than just trees.

And then she told him of Arty’s own words that she didn’t remember too much of it and what lingered in her mind was only anger and the burning desire to kill.

With each word, Erend’s fists clenched tighter.

His knuckles turned white, veins straining against his skin.

By the time Sylmira finished, silence filling the space between them.

"Is this like she’s losing herself?" Finally Erend spoke, his voice rough.

Sylmira’s eyes softened. "It may not be so simple. I suspect something is influencing her. Something that bends her emotions and her will. But yes... her control is slipping."

Erend stood, pacing a step away, his hands tugging at his hair before he forced them down again.

"I should have been here. I should never have left her alone like this."

The thought struck sharp inside him, but he swallowed it down.

Erend’s chest felt hollow as the realization struck deeper with every breath.

"If anyone could slip past me and Sylmira’s senses and twist Arty like this... it has to be them. Who else could?"

His thoughts clawed at him, bitter and sharp.

He had prepared himself for them, hunted for signs with Eccar and Krono yet still he had failed.

His hands trembled. He didn’t even notice until Sylmira’s gaze lowered and her lips pressed together in silence.

She could see the weight crashing over him. She knew of the lurking threat but not as deeply as he did.

Her voice quivered as she whispered, "Could it be..."

Erend turned toward her, catching the look in her eyes. She was already piecing it together, even without all the details.

"I’m not sure," Erend said. "But it’s only them. No one else."

The room seemed to grow heavier with his words. His mind flooded with the images of devastation about the ancient Dragonborn driven to madness, the forest god’s realm torn apart until nothing remained but ash and broken roots.

All of it had been their doing. The unseen hand, the shadow that corrupted and twisted from within.

And now they had reached out again.

But this time, they weren’t after kingdoms or gods. They had chosen his sister!

Erend’s jaw clenched so tight it ached. His breath came out in a shudder.

"Why her? Why Arty? What do they want from her?!"

A dark chill spread through him, colder than anything he had felt on the battlefield.

The worst part wasn’t just that they moved again. The worst part was that this time, their target was personal.

Erend’s breath grew ragged, dread gnawing at him as the thought struck.

"What if they’re watching my every move even now? For them all of this is just another game to them."

The uncertainty making him shudder. He could no longer be sure of Arty’s safety nor his friends’s safety.

His jaw tightened as he forced the words out.

"All I can do now... is trust you. Protect her, Sylmira. Keep her safe. If you can, cleanse whatever’s inside her."

His voice wavered, but his eyes burned with desperate resolve.

Sylmira placed a hand over her heart, bowing her head solemnly.

"I will try my best, Erend."

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