Chapter 555: Resting
Erend and Eccar stood in silence. The bodies of Svetlana and Mirasalava lying motionless in front of them. The tension in the air still felt suffocating as they scanned the area, expecting something to emerge from the shadows or descend from the sky.
But nothing stirred. The battlefield had fallen eerily quiet as if the world itself held its breath after the intense battle they just did.
Then, a foul stench suddenly filled the air. Erend's eyes narrowed as he watched the corpses of Svetlana and Mirasalava begin to decompose at an unnatural speed. Their flesh shriveled and darkened and collapsing inward as if something was sucking the life out of them.
The rotting smell spread quickly, permeating the entire area and even forcing both Dragonborn to cover their noses. The two of them grimacing at the rancid odor.
"Seems like the power that held their bodis together are gone now," Eccar muttered, his eyes filled with suspicion. "Their bodies are decaying too fast."
Erend nodded. "We can't leave them like this. If there's any dark magic tied to their remains, we need to cleanse it."
Thet don't want to take another chance. So without another word Erend extended his hand, flames flickering to life as he unleashed a stream of fire onto Mirasalava's corpse. The flames roared and engulfing her body until it was nothing but ash, scattered by the wind.
Eccar moved to Svetlana's remains, his hands glowing with a earthy energy. He knelt down, his fingers pressing into the ground. The earth beneath Svetlana's body rumbled and split open, forming a pit that quickly swallowed her remains. The soil then closed in, sealing her in a grave of stone and dirt. With a final gesture, Eccar let the earth devour her, leaving no trace behind.
As the last wisps of flame and shifting earth settled, the air grew still once more. Erend and Eccar exchanged a wary look. But for now, the battlefield was quiet and the stench of decay began to fade.
Erend exhaled and let his flames dying down. "Let's move. We can't linger here. The vortex is shrinking for a reason and whatever is coming we need to be ready."
Eccar nodded. "You're right."
Together, they turned their attention back to the sky, where the vortex continued to swirl in its smaller, more concentrated form. Even though the vortex has become smaller the black lightning inside it intensified and a deep rumble keep echoing through the sky.
After that, Erend and Eccar launched into the air, their wings spreading wide as they flew toward the protective dome that encased the palace grounds. As they neared it, they noticed a figure floating in the sky and immediately know that it was King Gulben, surrounded by a silver aura of light that shimmered with strong Magic.
The sight made them exchange questioning glances but as they drew closer, the thin tendrils of black and red Magic swirling around the king became visible.
"What is that?" Erend muttered, squinting as the faint and chaotic wisps caught his eye.
Eccar's expression darkened, recognition settling in. "Its Chaos Magic," he said. "I can feel it... It's faint now because the battle's over, but it's there."
Erend's eyes widened slightly and he clenched his fists. "So, our fight stirred up Chaos Magic. All the energy we unleashed could have opened another rift to that cursed realm."
Eccar nodded. "We're lucky the king sensed it and acted before it became worse. Otherwise, we'd be dealing with another disaster right now."
Erend imagined the chaos if the Great Calamity were to merge with another breach from the Chaos Realm their fight would be even more dangerous. He suppressed a shudder, they already had their hands full with one threat. Adding another would push them harder and it will not be good.
As they passed through the dome's barrier, they could hear the cheers and shouts of victory from the Elven warriors below. Erend's eyes scanned the crowd and relief washed over him when he spotted Captain Adrien and Billy among them, their faces beaming with pride and exhaustion.
"Good to see them safe," Erend thought as they continued flying toward the palace.
They entered the throne room through the wide window where they had held many strategy meetings before. As their feet touched the ground, both warriors deactivate their Dragon power and sank to the floor because right now their bodies were heavy with fatigue.
They needed a moment to catch their breath because the weight of their recent battle still pressing on them.
A few minutes later, King Gulben reappeared. He gliding back into the throne room. He only gave Erend and Eccar a brief nod of acknowledgment before moving toward the center of the room.
Erend watched with curious eyes as the king opened a portal. The air around it shimmered with Magic and the king's spirit, once floating in the silver light, merged back into his physical form.
As the portal closed, King Gulben let out a sigh of relief and his shoulders relaxing. He walked to his throne and collapsed into the chair, his face visibly paler than before. The strain of the Magic he wielded had clearly taken its toll.
The three of them sat there in silence with exhaustion weighing heavily on their shoulders. No one spoke, they didn't have the energy for it. The room was filled only with the sound of their breaths and their eyes staring blankly at the floor.
Suddenly, a knock echoed through the chamber, followed by Aurdis's worried voice. "Why is the door locked?"
King Gulben blinked, as if snapping out of a daze.
"Oh, right... the door," he mumbled to himself. Slowly, he pushed himself up from the throne and walked over to unlock it.
As the door swung open, Aurdis rushed inside, her eyes scanning the room before locking onto the king.
"Are you alright, father?" she asked, concern etched on her face.
King Gulben managed a tired smile. "I'm fine. Just... a bit drained."
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Aurdis then hurried over to Erend and Eccar, her eyes full of worry as she knelt beside him. "Are you two okay?"
Erend gave a small, reassuring nod. "I'm fine... just a little tired, that's all."
Aurdis breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders relaxing as she saw that, despite everything, he was still in one piece. "Good. Just rest now."
She glanced at Eccar who nodded in silent acknowledgment and then stood up, giving them space. At least for now, they were safe, and the immediate danger seemed to have lessened.
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