Chapter 1599: Conditions

Erebus looked at Erend with an expression that was difficult to read. His face always had the same coldness, with a permanent scowl and an air of grim determination that made it almost impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Even the slightest change in his emotions was difficult to recognize. Erend suspected that anyone else would struggle just as much to understand the man standing before him.

Eventually, Erebus released a long sigh. This time, he finally relented. "Very well," he said.

Although his expression didn’t change, something inside him had softened. He knew Erend was another Dragonborn, and he could sense his strength. That gave him a reason to reconsider finding another solution.

Erend’s presence had stirred a faint hope that he thought he had already lost.

"Good." Erend nodded after hearing his answer. "My name is Erend."

"Erebus," the other Dragonborn replied.

The introduction seemed almost insignificant after everything they had discussed, but Erebus understood that cooperation required at least some willingness to open up to another person.

He was not accustomed to trusting strangers. But if Erend was serious about helping his people, then Erebus needed to give him a chance.

"For now, let me see everything for myself," Erend said. "I want to understand what your people are going through before we decide what to do next."

He turned and led Erend deeper into the settlement.

As they walked through the city, Erend began to notice the condition of its inhabitants.

The people he passed looked gaunt and pale, their bodies so thin that their clothes hung loosely from their bodies. Some of the older residents struggled to walk upright, their backs hunched beneath a big weight.

Their faces showed the exhaustion of people who had spent too long struggling to survive, even those who still had enough strength appeared to lack the energy to do much more than fulfill their daily needs.

The children troubled Erend the most. They were small for their apparent ages, with pale faces and thin limbs that made them look fragile.

Some of them played together in the narrow streets, chasing one another around the black buildings or gathering in small groups, but there was little genuine joy in their movements.

Their laughter sounded faint, their smiles didn’t last long. Even when they seemed happy, Erend could sense a heavy sadness hanging over them, as though the darkness surrounding their world had seeped into their hearts, smothered the happiness that children should have known.

Several people stopped what they were doing to look at Erend as he passed. His appearance clearly marked him as a stranger, and their eyes followed him with a mixture of curiosity and caution.

However, none of them raised an alarm or approached him with hostility. They recognized Erebus and seemed to understand that anyone walking beside their Dragonborn had no reason to be treated as an immediate threat.

Erend’s expression tightened as he took in their condition.

He swallowed hard, struggling to hide his reaction as the full weight of their suffering settled over him.

He had seen poverty and hardship in other places, but the condition of these people was difficult to ignore.

Their bodies showed the effects of prolonged hunger, their faces revealed a weariness that no amount of rest could easily erase.

Erebus noticed the change in Erend’s expression and glanced at him from the corner of his eye. "You’re looking at them the same way everyone else does," he said.

Erend turned toward him but remained silent.

"I see that expression every day," Erebus continued. "Some people pity them. Others are disgusted by what this place has become. A few cannot bear to look at them for long. But none of those reactions change anything."

Erend lowered his gaze for a moment. He wanted to respond, but no words came to mind that could offer any real comfort.

Telling Erebus that he understood would have been meaningless when he had only just arrived and had yet to witness the worst of the situation. Instead, he continued walking beside him.

After leading Erend through several streets, Erebus turned toward another section of the city.

The buildings grew more crowded as they approached a heavily barricaded area, where thick barriers blocked the entrances and several guards armed with sword stood watch.

The guards immediately noticed Erend and followed him with wary eyes, their hands resting close to their weapons. Unlike the other residents, they made no effort to hide their suspicion of the stranger.

Erebus approached them without slowing down and gave a brief nod.

The guards returned the gesture and stepped aside, allowing the two to pass. They continued watching Erend as he entered, but they didn’t question.

Beyond the barricade, Erend found more of the same black buildings that filled the rest of the settlement. At first glance the area seemed no different from the streets they had just left, but the people living there revealed the reason for its separation.

Their conditions were far worse.

They suffered from strange growths and pustules that covered their pale faces and exposed skin, displayed unmistakable signs of physical mutation, with parts of their bodies changing into something else.

Some of them had swollen limbs or distorted features, while others struggled to move because their bodies no longer functioned as they should.

Their conditions varied from one person to another, and the sight made it difficult for Erend to determine where illness ended and transformation began.

There were children among them as well.

They sat quietly beside their families, their small bodies weakened by whatever afflicted them.

They watched Erend with hollow eyes, seemingly too exhausted or frightened to react to the arrival of a stranger.

They made the scene even more painful to witness. These were not simply people suffering from a terrible disease in some distant corner of the world. They were families who had been forced to watch their loved ones deteriorate while waiting for a cure that never came.

Erend slowed his steps. His eyes moved from one person to another, taking in every visible sign of their suffering.

The dark Magic he sensed throughout the land seemed especially oppressive here, though he could not yet determine whether it caused their conditions or merely accompanied them.

Whatever the explanation, the people in this section of the city clearly required more care than the rest of the population.

Erebus said nothing as Erend looked around. He did not attempt to explain every condition or describe the suffering behind each face. He just allowed Erend to absorb what he saw.

For a while, Erend continued through the barricaded area in silence. The more he saw, the more he understood the crisis.

The curse was slowly destroying the lives of the people in this world, and even those who had not yet transformed were living under the constant threat.

Eventually, Erebus led him farther into the restricted section, toward another set of barriers guarded by several soldiers.

"This is where we keep those who have already undergone the mutation into monsters," Erebus explained.

Erend’s steps slowed as he looked toward the entrance. He had already seen enough to understand how terrible the curse was, but he knew that what awaited him beyond this final barrier would be worse.

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