CHAPTER 1048: WEIGHT

The room fell into stillness again, the air heavy with unspoken weight of danger.

Krono’s gaze remained fixed on the floor but his mind was turning sharper and faster than either of his companions could see.

Of the three of them, he was the most unsettled.

He had never once seen the vision of that tower himself. His power to pierce veils of time and look beyond the layers of worlds failed against it. The enemy’s shroud was absolute against his power.

Everything he knew of the tower and the broken world surrounding it came from Erend, who had been told by the candidate in his world... and now, this oracle’s dream confirmed it again.

"This is not good," Eccar thought, his chest tightening as his heartbeat picked up. Anxiety stirred within him and he could not shake that.

Both he and Aesa felt unease from the oracle’s description, but what Krono was feeling went beyond worry. It was distress that closed on dread and helplessness.

Eccar caught it immediately when he looked at Krono. He saw the slight trembling in his golden eyes, the quickening rhythm of his breath, and the tension along his jaw and shoulders.

Without thinking too much Eccar reached out and placed a hand on Krono’s shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked quietly.

Krono gave a small nod. "Yeah. I’m okay."

But his voice was tight, and his breath still quick. Eccar wasn’t convinced.

The oracle, too, had noticed that. She saw the fear buried in Krono’s eyes and the way his composure cracked for the first time since entering her chamber.

It was enough to chill her blood because if even one of these beings could fear something so deeply what did that mean for the rest of them?

But she still managed to kept silent and holding her own composure while feeling the edge of fear creep into her heart.

Krono finally turned back to the oracle, his face looked paler than before.

"Is there anything more? Anything you have not said yet?" He asked.

The oracle shook her head, her feathers shifting faintly. "No. That was all."

Krono’s lips pressed thin, and he drew in a breath that trembled faintly. "Then... be careful. Tell your people to prepare for the worst."

His face still pale, Krono rose to his feet. Without waiting for more words he turned and strode toward the doors.

Aesa rose as well immediately, her sharp gaze flicking once at the oracle before she followed closely behind him.

Eccar lingered a moment longer, offering a bow.

"Thank you," he said sincerely.

The oracle’s golden eyes studied him, a question slipping through before she could stop it. "Is something bad going to happen to us?"

Eccar straightened and gave her a small sincere smile. "We’ll make sure nothing bad happens."

Something in his words reached her. Perhaps it was because they were spoken by a Dragonborn, a being who carried that much power. It eased her heart enough and she nodded faintly in return.

Then Eccar turned, moving quickly to catch up to Krono and Aesa.

They walked the same way they had come before, their steps echoing through the chamber halls.

Eccar caught up just as they reached the outer corridors and saw Krono’s face that still looked stiff, his frown deep, his eyes still haunted.

Eccar let out a quiet sigh, his hand flexing uselessly at his side.

The guards stationed near the oracle’s chamber stiffened as the three Dragonborn passed.

Sharp eyes followed their every step, bristling with suspicion and unease.

But the Dragonborn did not slow. They moved forward with clear quick steps.

Krono finally glanced up at them. His golden eyes burned with an intensity that rolled outward like pressure in the air.

The guards’ feathers bristled and their chests tightened. The weight of pressure in his gaze alone pressed them back, forcing them to recoil and step aside without a word.

The three Dragonborn moved past without any disturbance.

When they reached the opening of the dais, the canyon’s wind rushed around them.

Krono spread his vast Dragon wings, the scales gleaming as the Aracokra of this kingdom quivered beneath their power.

Aesa unfurled her wings next, followed by Eccar.

With one powerful beat, Krono launched into the air.

His speed was sharper and his flight filled with urgency.

Aesa and Eccar fell into formation beside him, the three of them cutting swiftly through the canyon sky.

The Arakocra below felt it all at the same time. The pressure radiating from Krono was overwhelming, heavier than anything they had sensed before. Their gazes followed their flight.

Krono didn’t realize that he had unleashed that much pressure.

It was not aggression but distress.

They flew higher and faster passing roosts, spires, and patrols, they rose until the canyon itself fell beneath them.

And then, in a rush of wind and beating wings, the three Dragonborn burst free of the Arakocra kingdom, leaving the echoes of their visit behind them.

Eccar pulled his wings closer and matched Krono’s speed and spoke amongst the wind. "You don’t have to worry so much. We’ll find the way together."

"How?" Krono snapped, his voice rising sharply as his golden eyes cut toward him.

The edge in his tone was enough to silence the air between them for a heartbeat. For the first time, Eccar saw the Time Dragon lose his composure.

He sighed because he had no answer.

"Well, I have no idea for now," Eccar said.

Krono sighed hard. "Our enemy is playing with us. We don’t even know anything about them. They’re watching us, sending us messages openly and boldly because they know we can’t do anything to stop them. They don’t care. They’ll keep doing this."

His words carried a bitter truth.

"So now you have nothing else to say? You brought me out of my home for this?" From the side, Aesa’s voice cut in, sharp as a blade.

Krono’s head snapped toward her, golden eyes burning, his mouth parting as if he was about to lash out but he stopped himself.

His shoulders trembled faintly, the fury in him straining for release but he closed his mouth tight and turned forward again.

"We should contact Erend," Eccar said.

Krono’s head turned slowly back, his tone rough, almost scoffing. "What can he do?"

Eccar held his gaze, unwavering. "If you’ve forgotten, Erend is special. Even among Dragonborn."

Krono blinked at that, the reminder landing heavy on him.

For a moment his anger softened and his sharp breath easing as memory struck him of Erend’s unusual power and the weight of destiny wrapped around him.

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