CHAPTER 1081: THE THING

The room grew brighter with every heartbeat of the tether, its pulse swelling into streams of radiance that spilled across the walls.

Specks and sparks of Magical energy drifted through the air like fireflies and swirling in lazy arcs before dissolving into shimmering trails.

Those present here could not help but look around. Their eyes wide or frown with amazement and curiosity.

The meeting room that was once a plain chamber of tables, chairs, and sterile equipment, now felt alive and transformed into a sanctum brimming with unseen power.

Jessica’s lips parted slightly as her gaze followed the sparks. A sharp and unsettled thought crossed her mind. "What if this room changes forever and the walls, the desks, even the projector absorb the Magic he’s channeling? What kind of anomaly would that create?"

But Erend wasn’t thinking about the room. His attention was locked entirely on Adrius.

The Archmage was on the verge of founding the entity they had been chasing, the one that haunted them from the shadows and spread its influence like poison.

Erend’s jaw clenched as a surge of anger burned in his chest. The memory of Arty’s near danger about how the entity had tried to twist her mind and nearly rob her of herself flared inside him.

His fist had clenched without him realizing, the knuckles whitening as his grip tightened harder and harder.

"When I get to you..." The thought swirled like fire, it was violent and unrestrained. But he held his silence. For now all he could do was wait.

Adrius suddenly let out a sharp grunt, his body stiffening with the strain.

Adrien moved closer immediately, his stern face breaking with concern. "What’s happening?"

Adrius’s brow furrowed deeply, sweat dotting his temples.

"It will be fine," he answered, his voice edged with effort. "Don’t worry about me."

Erend stepped forward slightly, his tone calm but firm. "If you’re tired, you can rest. Don’t push too far."

"I’m fine," Adrius replied curtly, his voice clipped, almost harsh.

The answer didn’t convince Erend. He could see it plainly that Adrius was straining himself even though he had only just begun. But there was nothing else to do but trust him.

The room fell into tense silence. Every spark seemed louder, every breath sounded more pronounced.

Adrien glanced at his watch, his brows rising.

"Three minutes," he muttered to himself. The seconds had stretched into something heavier and longer, as if time itself was reluctant to move.

They waited with their hearts suspended in the weight of it all. Two more minutes crawled by before Adrius finally spoke again.

"I have it," he said, his voice steadier now, laced with the certainty of success. "I managed to lock onto it!"

Without another word, he reached into his storage dimension. Another blank parchment and a quill slid into his hands.

He lowered them onto the table, his focus was sharp and his eyes unblinking as he began to scribble.

Symbols took shape swiftly under his hand, written with his power. The symbols glowing faintly with an otherworldly shimmer like before.

The parchment became alive with meaning, a web of signs that only he could fully understand.

The sparks and currents of energy in the room lingered as he worked, hovering in silence.

None of the others spoke; they watched in taut anticipation. The air was thick with expectation.

At last Adrius laid the quill down. He pressed his hand firmly against the tether, and the room shuddered once as the sparks extinguished. The energy collapses into silence.

Adrius exhaled slowly and lifted the parchment. The runes and sigils upon it glowing with a faint shimmering light.

His voice carried the weight of finality as he declared:

"I’ve got its location. It’s in another dimension... a world that looks like ruins."

Thomas’s brow knit. "A world that looks like ruins... what does that mean, exactly?" he asked with curiosity in his voice.

He had never stepped beyond this world. The thought of another world thrilled him even as it scared him. He did not want needless risk but also curiosity.

Adrius gave a short tired chuckle and sank back into the chair. He rubbed his temple, the lines at his eyes deeper.

"Exactly what it sounds like," he said. "I see broken landscapes. Collapsed spires. A sky gone dark, thick, like iron soot. A dead sun that throws no warmth, a black moon that bleeds shadow. Creatures that hunt in the dark and favor the ruin." He let the corners of his mouth lift, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. "Fun, right?"

Adrien’s face hardened. "So it was dangerous terrain as always. What is this thing, though? If we’re going in we need to know what we’ll be fighting."

Adrius closed his eyes for a beat, then opened them with a grim set.

"I didn’t see its shape clearly," he admitted. "The tether only scraped at its trace. It’s clever. But I felt the core of it. That thing was ancient. Its energy is not like anything cataloged in my studies. Cold and terrible, and—" he stopped, searching for words, "—utterly alien. I can’t map it to familiar Magic."

The room went cold with silence. If the Archmage who is a scholar and archivist of Magic oddities from another world couldn’t name it, that fact would be pressed down on everyone.

Erend watched them a moment, then the fury in him hardened into rock. He pushed to his feet; the chair scraped.

"It does not matter." His voice dropped, low and iron-cold. He stepped closer to the table, eyes burning like flint. "Ancient or not, this thing attacked my sister. It hurts people I care about. I don’t care for its history. I’ll find it, and I’ll crush it with my own hands."

His words landed like a hammer. For a heartbeat the room held its breath. Then resolve began to spread through the faces around him.

People needed someone to anchor their fear, and Erend’s vow anchored theirs. Nobody could do it better than the strongest warrior here.

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