Chapter 1598: The Dark Home

Erebus nodded, his expression still heavy with the weight of his responsibilities.

"Very well. I will put the invasion on hold for now. But I cannot promise to abandon the plan until I understand whether there is another way to save my people," he said.

Erend nodded. He had expected as much. Erebus might have agreed to postpone his plan, but that did not mean he would abandon it entirely.

He needed to see the truth for himself and determine if Erend’s offer could truly lead to a solution.

Erebus raised one hand and gathered his Magic. Dark energy spiraled through the air then turned into a circle. The space within it grew darker, the portal revealed a glimpse of the world on the other side.

Even from where he stood, Erend could sense the unfamiliar energy radiating from the opening.

Before entering, Erend turned toward Adrien and Billy. "I’ll be back soon."

Adrien nodded. "Don’t worry about us. Just find out what’s going on over there."

Billy gave Erend a reassuring smile.

Adrien nor Billy didn’t show any concern for his safety, even though he was about to travel to a foreign world with someone who had declared his intention to invade their world. They knew Erend’s strength.

Erend stepped through the portal alongside Erebus. Dark energy swallowed them both.

Adrien and Billy exchanged a look before rising into the sky. As they flew back toward the military base, they were thinking about their encounter. They had not expected their investigation to lead them to another Dragonborn, much less one who intended to invade this world because his own world was seemingly falling apart.

What had started as a possible threat from an unknown intruder had turned into a far more complicated situation.

In the end, they decided to leave the matter in Erend’s hands. There was little else they could do.

—

The moment Erend emerged from the portal, he felt the difference. An oppressive energy pressed against his body from every direction, the air felt heavy in his lungs.

It was not just the absence of sunlight or the unfamiliar atmosphere of another world. Something unnatural filled the land itself.

Dark Magic lingered in the air, clung to everything around him, creating a suffocating sensation.

Erend slowly surveyed his surroundings. He saw settlement stretched across a desolate landscape beneath a sky filled with churning darkness.

Buildings made from a strange black material rose from the ground in irregular shapes, their surfaces resembling polished obsidian. The black buildings seemed to absorb what little light reached them, leaving the streets and surrounding land shrouded in deep shadows.

Erend lifted his gaze toward the sky. Thick clouds rolled overhead, twisting slowly around one another as though a vast storm perpetually circled the world.

Far above them hung a dim orange ball that he could barely recognize as a sun. Its surface looked blotched and distant, its weak light did not offer any warmth.

For a moment, Erend remained silent as he absorbed the sight. He had visited many strange places throughout his journeys, including worlds that obeyed laws different from those of his own. But there was something deeply unsettling about this land. Its darkness did not feel natural, and the Magic that filled the air had a disturbing quality.

He finally understood why Erebus had spoken about his homeland with such desperation. This was no ordinary world suffering from a temporary disaster. Something had corrupted the land itself.

"Welcome to my homeland," Erebus said beside him. His voice carried the weariness of a man who had watched his world deteriorate for far too long. "This is the land that was cursed. My people have lived under these conditions for longer than I care to remember, and things continue to get worse."

Erend turned toward him. "What exactly has been happening here?"

"Monsters appear without warning. We never know where they will appear or when they will strike. There is no pattern we can follow. And the monsters are not our only problem. Our own people can change into them as well. It happens without any clear warning. Someone can live a normal life one day and become a monster the next.

"We have tried to find a cause and a way to prevent it, but nothing has worked. We cannot predict who will change, and we cannot save someone once the transformation begins. Every time it happens, we lose another person we might otherwise have protected.

"Our resources have been running out. The land no longer provides enough food to sustain our population, and we cannot rely on what little we manage to grow. Eventually, we had no choice but to hunt the monsters that appeared across our territory and use their flesh as food. Some have even resorted to eating their own kind."

The words settled heavily between them.

Erend stared at Erebus for a moment, struggling to imagine how desperate someone would have to become before considering such an act.

Now Erend understood why Erebus had considered invading another world.

"I see why you were willing to go that far," he said. "But if this is the result of a curse, then we need to understand how it works and why it continues to affect your land. If we can find the source, we might be able to change things without forcing your people to abandon their home."

Erebus turned toward him, his expression caught between skepticism and a faint, reluctant hope. "You make it sound simple."

"I’m not saying it will be easy," Erend replied. "I’m saying we shouldn’t give up before we’ve found out what we’re dealing with. You said you couldn’t solve this alone. Now you don’t have to."

For the first time since entering the cursed land, Erend felt that the purpose of their journey had become clear.

Before they could discuss the possibility of bringing Erebus’s people to another world, they needed to discover whether this curse could be broken.

If they succeeded, they might save an entire civilization without forcing it to become someone else’s burden or turning its desperation into another war.

For that, Erend needs to call his friends.

—