CHAPTER 1091: A LOT OF THINGS

There was a lot happening during this time. The Dragonborns spread out across worlds, moving from realm to realm with purpose and urgency.

They visited places both familiar and strange. Each world they entered carried the same tension, a trembling sense that something enormous and unseen was stirring beneath reality’s surface.

Everywhere they went, they carried Krono’s message. The warnings spread quickly, delivered through Dragonborn presence alone. Their words carried the weight of prophecy and those who received it believed them.

Krono had seen the signs through his visions about fractures, distortions, and shadows creeping across the weave of time.

He couldn’t tell where the strikes would begin, only that they would come soon, and that the damage would spread like a sickness through every world.

So he sent himself, Erend, Eccar, and Aesa out to prepare the others before it was too late.

Krono and Eccar took the task of visiting Adrius and Lysander. They arrived through a surge of blue light in Adrius’s tower where the air already shimmered with active Magic.

The Archmage and the apprentice looked up from his desk the moment the portal opened, his expression tightening with focus.

Krono wasted no time explaining what he had seen about the vision of the entity moving again. He told Adrius and Lysander to resume tracking it, to keep watching every anomaly that stirred in the leylines of this world, and to send any discovery directly to him.

Adrius listened and said that he and Lysander will keep their eyes on it and promise that it won’t hide from them again.

His tower pulsed with activity. Both of them had been preparing for this moment ever since the tracking device was finished.

By the time all the warnings were given and preparations secured, five days had passed. The Dragonborns gathered again inside Krono’s cave. The ancient Time Dragon rested on the stone floor. His golden eyes reflected the faint light.

Even with their task completed, none of the four Dragonborns looked relieved. The gravity and pressure of what they knew pressed too heavily upon them. Warning others wasn’t enough, they understood that this was only the beginning.

"After this there is only one thing left for us to do." Krono said.

They all knew what he meant. No one spoke, but their expressions turned grim.

They had to enter the ruined world where the entity resided and face the entity.

"So when are we going to do it?" Aesa asked, her tone sharp with frustration. She had grown tired of waiting and being caught in endless preparation.

She wanted this finished so that she could return to her quiet life far from the chaos of collapsing worlds.

"As fast as we can," Krono replied, his gaze shifting toward Erend.

His face showed his inner tension. Krono could tell Erend still had things he needed to resolve before going into battle.

"Right," Erend said with a slow nod. "I still have to talk to my mom first. We’ll go tomorrow, if that’s fine."

"It’s fine," Krono said. "I don’t see any further movement in my sights for the next few days."

Hearing that, they all agreed. It was decided that Erend would take care of his business while Eccar and Aesa stayed behind in the cave, preparing for what came next.

Erend raised his hand, opening a swirling portal that glowed with red and blue light. Without another word he stepped through and vanished.

Aesa let out a long helpless sigh. Her shoulders dropped as she watched the last flicker of the portal fade away.

"This will never end soon," she thought. "And I’ll probably have to wait even longer before I can go back to my cold cave."

Though she wanted everything to finish quickly, she couldn’t bring herself to push the others. The scale of what they were facing was enormous and forcing haste would only make her look reckless.

She hated that kind of comrade, the kind who moved without thinking much.

So she turned away from the others, walking quietly to a shadowed corner of the cave.

The vibration and hom of temporal energy from Krono that was being absorbed by the stones filled the air around her. She sat down, crossed her arms, and closed her eyes, letting her breathing slow.

The cave’s silence settled over her. She allowed herself a moment of stillness.

—

Erend knew he needed to go back to the military facility as fast as possible. His friends were waiting and they had to start preparing for what was coming.

But as the portal’s light surrounded him, another feeling took over that pulled stronger than his duty. He couldn’t help himself. Before anything else, he wanted to see his mother.

The portal opened quietly in the living room of his home. Soft light spilled across the familiar walls. His mother was sitting on the couch, watching television with a relaxed posture and a gentle smile that made the room feel warm.

When the light from the portal brightened, she turned her head slightly. She was not startled, not even surprised.

She had grown used to the impossible ever since her son and daughter became something more than human.

Erend stepped out of the portal, the glow fading behind him.

His body shimmered faintly before dissolving into faint sparks, leaving him in his usual clothes.

For a moment, he just stood there, taking in the sight of her calm, steady presence that felt like the center of the world no matter what chaos existed beyond.

Without saying a word, he moved forward and wrapped his arms around her.

The embrace came suddenly, and it felt almost desperate.

His mother blinked, then smiled softly and returned the hug, her hand rising to pat his back in slow, comforting circles.

Neither of them spoke. She could feel the tremor in his shoulders and the tension buried deep beneath his strength.

After a long moment, she murmured quietly, "Rough days again?"

Her tone was gentle, not really a question and more like an invitation for him to breathe.

Erend didn’t answer. He just held her tighter with his eyes closed, letting the noise of the television fade into the background.

"It’s alright," she whispered, still calm, her voice steady as if nothing could shake it. "You don’t have to tell me. Just rest a little, my son. I’m here."

Her words melted into him like warmth after a storm. For the first time in days, Erend felt his breath even out.

He didn’t need to explain the things he had seen, the worlds he had crossed, or the battle that was waiting for him.

She already understood, even without hearing it.

In that quiet living room, with the faint sound of the TV still playing, Erend stayed in her arms for a while. Long enough for the weight on his chest to ease, even if just a little.

Erend slowly raised his face and looked at his mother. His voice trembled as he said, "I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me, Mom... I’m sorry I can’t stay here to be with you. I always have to keep going." He hesitated, his throat tightening. "And now Arty’s gone too... I’m sorry for leaving you alone like this."

His mother shook her head softly, her smile gentle.

"It’s alright. You and Arty don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine, and I’ll always be fine." Her eyes gleamed with quiet strength. "You both have done so much and I’m proud of both of you. That’s enough for me."

Erend’s vision blurred as tears gathered in his eyes. He tried to hold them back, but one slipped free down his cheek. He wiped it away quickly, forcing a faint, pained smile.

"I have to go again now," he said.

His mother nodded, understanding without needing another word.

With a heavy heart, Erend stepped back. The air shimmered as he raised his hand, summoning a swirl of red and blue light that spun into a growing portal.

He looked at her one last time. His chest tightening, then turned and stepped through the light leaving the soft glow of their home behind.

—

Erend emerged in his living quarters at the military facility, the light of the portal fading behind him.

He stood still for a moment, his chest heavy with the weight of the farewell. Slowly he wiped away the lingering tears from his face, forcing the sadness to retreat behind the calm mask he had to wear.

His expression hardened, his eyes steady again. The Dragonborn and the soldier in him stirred again, reminding him that there was no more time to grieve.

It was time to move with purpose.

He straightened his clothes, exhaled sharply, and stepped out of his room.

The corridor outside was quiet. Soldiers and researchers moved past him, some saluting, others glancing with quiet respect before returning to their duties.

Erend kept walking.

He reached the office that he, Adrien, Billy, and Jessica had been using. The door slid open, revealing the room already alive with activity.

All three of them turned when Erend stepped in. Adrien’s sharp gaze softened just a little. Billy stood up, relief flickering in his face. Jessica gave a small nod, her usual calm hiding her concern.

Erend’s eyes met them, and the tension in the room shifted.

The exhaustion and emotion he’d carried from home faded into something steadier and colder—a focus they all recognized.

"Alright," Erend said, his voice low but firm. "Let’s get to work."

—