Chapter 575: Foreboding
Despite the brief nature of the disturbance, Saeldir's instincts said to him that this was more than a mere Magical flicker.
He had learned to trust his hunches, honed over centuries of studying and manipulating the delicate weave of Magical currents. He could sense that something was amiss, something far deeper than what the surface showed.
Moreover, its just few weeks ago that those decisive battle happened.
Without wasting a moment, he grabbed a small, silver-bound journal from his desk and quickly noted down the details of the ripple.
His handwriting was swift but meticulous, recording the unusual vortex he had seen, its strange energy and the exact place of the palace it had appeared.
With a final glance at the crystal mirror, Saeldir straightened, tucked the journal under his arm, and made his way to the throne room.
Inside the throne room, King Gulben sat upon his seat looking at the tome he had used to open the secret dimension, his posture straight yet bearing an unmistakable weariness.
The toll of containing the corrupted Magic during the battle was still evident in his pale complexion, and though he was a strong ruler, the king's exhaustion was unmistakable.
Saeldir approached and bowed respectfully.
"Your Majesty," he said. "I apologize for disturbing you at this hour, but I have saw something that maybe important."
King Gulben studied him for a moment, his eyes sharp but shadowed. He gestured for Saeldir to come closer, nodding with a faint sigh.
"I will hear it. What have you saw?"
Saeldir stepped forward, his expression serious as he opened the journal and pointed to the hastily scrawled notes.
"Earlier, while I was inspecting the Magical fields surrounding the palace, I saw something that looks like a ripple, a distortion in the protective barrier. It was brief, barely lasting a moment, but it formed into what seemed to be a small vortex."
King Gulben's brow furrowed as he listened, his attention growing after hearing his words.
"A vortex? Was it of our Magic, or did it feel foreign?"
"I'm still not sure, but my hunch said that it was foreign, my lord," Saeldir replied. "It felt… chaotic, and entirely unlike the natural disturbances we sometimes experience. It vanished as quickly as it appeared, but I fear it may have been a warning to something more substantial."
The king's fingers tightened slightly on the arm of his throne, and he look at Saeldir with a piercing gaze. "You think it could be a gateway, then?"
"Perhaps," Saeldir admitted. "Or, at the very least, a weak point, a fracture that might be exploited by forces from outside our realm. We've seen firsthand the reach of the Great Calamity and the Chaos Realm; it would not be unreasonable to suspect lingering forces or even new threats."
King Gulben took a deep, steadying breath, the lines on his face etched deeper as he absorbed Saeldir's words.
"I see. This palace and this land barely begun to recover from the last assault. Are we really not able to have the luxury of time?" King Gulben said, frustated.
"No, my lord," Saeldir agreed, his expression darkening. "I believe we must prepare. Quietly, so as not to alarm the people, but thoroughly. There may be something more to that will come here."
"Yes, your majesty. I will immediately proceed."
After that, Saeldir strode back out of the room, leaving king Gulben sighing heavily in his chair.
---
Eccar lay on the soft, intricately woven bedspread in his room, the faint scents of fresh flowers from the palace gardens drifting through the open window.
He had just finished a modest meal, the remnants of which now rested on a nearby tray.
Alone, the silence enveloped him, and his thoughts began to wander to the memories of the battle that had recently threatened their existence.
The fight against the mad Dragonborn had been intense. It was chaotic, and filled with a power that resonated deeply within him.
Eccar had felt the raw energy coursing through the air, the almost palpable tension that accompanied every strike and counter.
He couldn't shake the fear that had begun to creep into his mind: if such a formidable enemy could be so consumed by madness and power, what was to stop him from following the same dark path?
The thought clung to him like a shadow, making him disturbed.
He pondered their kind, the Dragonborn, and how isolated he felt. Beside Erend whom he considered a brother in arms, he had encountered only their enemy — the one who sought to devour them.
Where were the others of their kind? Were they watching from the shadows, or had they vanished entirely, consumed by the chaos that seemed to follow their lineage?
Eccar winced as the memory of being dragged by the Great Calamity surfaced, the pain still vivid in his mind. He had thought it was the end; he had thought he would fail.
The feeling of helplessness was suffocating, a cruel reminder of how precarious their existence truly was. But then, Erend had intervened.
He somehow able to counter the dark force with a strength Eccar could barely comprehend. It had shocked the Great Calamity then turning the tide in that desperate moment.
What had happened then? How had Erend managed to stand against such overwhelming darkness? Eccar felt a knot of confusion tighten in his chest.
He knew that there was something special about Erend. And that same hidden power allowed him to resist the grip of the Calamity. He was sure that Erend himself have no idea what it his power. Which make him dangerous even for himself.
He then turned his gaze to the window, staring out at the starlit sky, where the moon hung low and bright.
He begin to feel a foreboding feeling settled in his stomach, an instinctive feeling that something else was approaching.
Eccar leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he looked into the night.
He felt a stirring in his spirit, a sense that the tranquility they had begun to embrace was but a fleeting illusion.
Something was coming, something that could alter the fragile peace they had fought so hard to reclaim.
---
THIS CHAPTER UPLOAD FIRST AT NOVELBIN.COM