Just by looking into Erend's eyes, they all knew he was deadly serious.

There truly was a place where they could grow stronger, one that had once been accessible only to him. But now, that door has opened for all of them.

Adrius and Lysander exchanged glances again, uncertainty flickering between them.

"What do you think, Master?" Lysander asked quietly.

Adrius exhaled, shoulders dropping. "We don't have a choice except this. So let's accept the opportunity."

Aesa still looked dazed, her thoughts drifting somewhere dark.

Erend walked toward her, his steps slow and careful. His expression softened with a guilt he rarely showed.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Erend said. "I can't imagine how you must feel."

Aesa gave him a bitter smile. "It's awful. But… just like you said, it already happened, and I can't change it. I can only try to make sure your world doesn't experience the same fate as mine."

"That won't happen again," Erend said. His tone carried a firm edge, meant more to convince himself than anyone else. His resolve tightened.

Aesa nodded. A faint smile touched her pale face. The cold around her eased, though its presence still lingered.

Eccar stepped closer and offered her a few words of consolation.

Aesa only nodded again with the same pained smile tugging at her lips.

"But I should thank you," Erend said to her, his voice steadying. "Because you've given us more information about this being's power. That matters. It helps."

Aesa lowered her gaze, the frost at her boots slowly fading into mist. Her voice trembled, but she forced steadiness into it.

"More than you know," Rend added.

"Yes. But even though we know what he's capable of, we can't be sure we can defeat him," Aesa said. "He already absorbed Krono and now he has the power of a Time Dragon. What he did before was already terrifying. And now he has that power."

Her words dropped over them like a stone sinking into deep water.

Heavy and suffocating silence settled.

Even Eccar, who usually brushed off fear with arrogance, clenched his jaw.

Adrius and Lysander looked pale again, the hope they had gained thinning around the edges.

Then, after several long minutes, someone else moved.

Thar'Zul-Vekar stirred, the roots around their arms tightening as they slowly pushed themselves to their feet.

Their stance was weak, slightly swaying, but their eyes held a clear spark of anger and resolve.

"I think I can do something about it," Thar'Zul-Vekar said.

Every head turned toward them immediately.

Aesa straightened. Erend's brows lowered. Eccar leaned forward in anticipation. Even the chamber seemed to quiet itself.

Thar'Zul-Vekar raised a trembling hand and rested it against the sealed surface encasing the ancient storm god.

Blue and white thin lightning flickered under their skin, reacting to the divine presence beneath.

"When I connected to this sealed god earlier," Thar'Zul-Vekar began, "I sensed something like a resonance. It was a pathway of power. And through that pathway, I could feel Zerathul's main energy as well."

Erend stiffened. "You connected to the Gravebringer's power?"

"Not directly," Thar'Zul-Vekar answered quickly. "But this god—before it was sealed—once fought entities that carried energy similar to Zerathul's corruption. That memory still lingers. And when I touched that remnant through his memory, it allowed me to understand the structure of Zerathul's power.*

Lysander blinked. "You mean… you can counter it?"

Thar'Zul-Vekar inhaled slowly. "Not all of it. But I can create a barrier or a severance, a disruption."

Both of their hands lifted now, and the roots rose in response.

"Zerathul's greatest threat right now isn't just his undead or his overwhelming strength. It's the Time Dragon abilities he stole. That power lets him interfere from afar, manipulate events, and distort what should happen because he can see it. If we don't stop it, he could sabotage us before we ever reach him."

They met Erend's eyes.

"But if I anchor a seal to this world's root network which is something connected to this world's foundation, I can suppress all external temporal interference. At least within this realm."

Adrius swallowed. "What exactly do you mean?"

"Meaning Zerathul won't be able to reach and see into this world with time manipulation," Thar'Zul-Vekar said. "He won't be able to see, rewind, accelerate, delay, or distort anything. His influence will be blocked. His power will be muted."

Aesa's voice softened. "You can do that?"

Thar'Zul-Vekar nodded weakly. "I can't take away his Time Dragon power. But I can stop him from using it here. I can force him to fight without it. And that alone changes everything."

Eccar let out a long breath. "That's enormous."

Thar'Zul-Vekar's expression darkened. "There is a price. The seal requires immense Magic energy. It will strain me, and it will strain this world. I may not be able to fight afterward. But if it gives all of you a chance to face him without impossible odds…" They steadied themselves. "…then the cost is worth it."

Erend stepped forward and placed a hand on their shoulder.

"We'll handle the fighting," he said. "You handle the seal."

A tired, small smile formed on Thar'Zul-Vekar's face. "Then we might just have a chance."

The air shifted. The roots vibrated.

And for the first time since Aesa told her story, a spark of possibility of revenge returned to her eyes.

Erend felt the temperature around Aesa drop again, the faint frost curling back across the stone floor.

Her eyes that moments ago looked tired and hollow, now gleamed with a dangerous coldness. The way her fingers tightened and the way her breath grew sharper, he recognized what happened.

Based on everything she had told them, Erend knew Aesa carried an ocean of buried hatred that was so deep it could only harden into a single, consuming desire.

A desire for revenge.

That is understandable, Erend thought. If his world had suffered the same fate, he wouldn't be standing any differently.

"We should start soon," Erend said.

Thar'Zul-Vekar exhaled, their body flickering with motes of light.

"I'll need an energy source. Something powerful enough to anchor the seal. I can't find it here. I have to return to my world and retrieve what remains of my ancient heartroot."

Without waiting for questions, their roots coiled beneath their feet and twisted into a swirling rift of green and blue luminescence. The ancient forest god stepped into the portal, their silhouette dissolving into shimmering fragments before the gateway sealed behind them.

Silence settled again, but this time it carried purpose, not just despair.

Adrius took a breath. "Lysander and I will start preparations for the expedition to the Dungeon World. We need time to assemble supplies and reinforce our equipment."

He glanced at the sealed storm god. His aura had stabilized, the pulses that were once so violent now dormant and calm. "And since this god isn't an immediate danger, we can leave him for now."

Erend nodded. "Good. Do what you need to do."

Adrius and Lysander exchanged brief, determined looks before heading toward the exit tunnel, already discussing plans under their breath.

When they were gone, Erend turned to Eccar.

"We need to go to the Elf Palace," Erend said.

Eccar straightened, expression sharpening. "Right. Aurdis and her father will want to know immediately."

—