I Received System to Become Dragonborn

Chapter 558: Across The Land Near Them

The throne room was soon filled with the leaders of the various teams defending the Palace. The tension in the air was clear as commanders, mages, and advisors assembled with faces that etched with fatigue but also determination.

Adrien and Billy who were freshly returned from the front lines where they had fought alongside the Elven warriors were among the first to arrive. They nodded at Erend, a silent greeting of shared understanding berween friends. They don't need to be to sentimental right now even though it feels like ages since they have seen him.

Aurdis wasn't present. After meeting Erend she was stationed with Saeldir to guard the orb that maintained the protective dome. Only Aerchon stood as the representative from their eam, his expression as unreadable as ever. He watched Erend with a calculated gaze though now a lot warmer than before, his arms crossed over his chest.

As the others filled in, Erend took a moment to exchange brief words with Billy and Adrien. They spoke of the difficulties on the battlefield and Adrien commented on how hard Erend's task must be. Billy nodded in agreement.

"Must've been a hell of a fight up there, huh?" Adrien said, his tone half-concerned, half-in admiration for his long brother in arms.

Erend shrugged with a practiced smile on his face.

"Just doing my job, Captain." He laughed it off, but deep down, the weight of what he had seen and what lay ahead is actually pressed on him.

He masked it well, his eyes showed confidence and his demeanor was calm. Yet inside, the burden felt heavier than before.

Eccar now leaning casually against one of the ornate pillars. He gave Erend a playful smirk.

"Having all the fun up there without me, huh?" he teased. Despite the light-hearted tone, there was a flicker of irritation in his eyes. He was clearly annoyed at being left out of the action and the fact that Erend charge there by himself. But he quickly brushed it off, knowing this wasn't the time for petty quarrels.

Erend met his gaze, a slight grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Figured you'd like a break for once," he replied. But when Eccar asked, more seriously this time, the mood in the room shifted.

"So, what did you find?"

Erend's expression immediately became serious as he scanned the faces of everyone present.

"What I saw up there is worse than I thought," he began. "The Great Calamity, turned out, is spreading tendrils of its dark and corrupted Magic, reaching far across the land.

"They're planting themselves in the ground and draining the life from the land. Every place where those tendrils connect becomes a wasteland. Rivers drying up, fields turning barren, trees dying."

Murmurs rippled through the room as the leaders exchanged concerned glances. Aerchon's eyes narrowed, his brows furrowing as he processed the information. Billy and Adrien shared a tense look, while Eccar's playful expression had vanished, replaced by a look of tense seriousness.

Erend continued, his voice steady but urgent.

"The vortex is feeding off this energy, using it to grow stronger. If we don't sever these connections it'll just keep absorbing the life force of the world and empowering the Great Calamity."

He clenched his fists, the memory of the dying landscapes still fresh in his mind.

"We need to find every one of those points and destroy them, or we can't not anything to what's coming."

Silence fell over the room as the gravity of the situation settled in. The leaders looked to one another, their faces grim.

Aerchon suddenly breaking the silence as he spoke with a voice that carried the coldness of the only thing they should do quickly. There's no time to just thinking about it.

"Then we must act swiftly. Every minute wasted is another step toward our destruction," said Aerchon.

King Gulben nodded to his son's words.

"I agree. We'll need to coordinate our forces. Spread out and find every tendril before it's too late. I'll need your help." His gaze swept across the room. "All of you."

A collective determination filled the air as they exchanged nods, preparing to obey the king's words.

King Gulben's gaze then was fixed on Erend again. He said, "Tell us more, Erend. What are the areas you saw in your vision? We need specifics."

Erend hesitated, closing his eyes for a moment as he tried to piece together the brief, fragmented images that had flashed before him. He frowned, concentrating, and then began to speak.

"I saw several places... there was a valley surrounded by twisted trees, their branches bare and gray. The ground was cracked and a river nearby had dried into a bed of blackened stones.

"Another area was a dense forest, but its trees were wilting, their leaves shriveled and falling like ash now. And I saw mountains with high peaks covered in snow that had turned gray, melting into a sludge. The air felt suffocating, almost as if the Magic was choking the life out of everything there."

He paused, trying to recall the final image.

"There was a meadow, once green but now covered in patches of dark soil. Flowers that should have been vibrant were drooping and the grass had turned yellow. These locations... they all seemed connected."

As he finished, the Elves in the room exchanged glances, their expressions shifting to one of shock and recognition. One of the advisors, a tall Elf with silver hair, stepped forward, eyes wide.

"These areas you describe... they are all near us. Not right on our borders but close enough, they are within reach. It would take only a few hours at the maximum speed of our Unicorns to get there."

The room fell into a silence again. The proximity of these locations to their realm was unnervingly close.

Aerchon, who had been standing quietly, broke the silence. "Why would the Great Calamity plant these tendrils so close to us if it has the power to consume the entire world?" His brow furrowed as he considered the implications. "Could it be... that it is weakening?"

There was a murmur among the Elves as they processed this possibility.

"If it were truly as powerful as the legends claim, why focus on areas so close to our stronghold?" Aerchon added.

"It's possible. The Great Calamity could be weakened after empowering its four Harbingers of Doom. If it used a significant amount of its power to create them and heal their wounds it might need to replenish its power and that's why it's absorbing energy from the land," Eccar said with thoughtful tone.

The advisors and warriors exchanged nods, considering Eccar's reasoning. His explanation made sense and if true, it meant they had a small window of opportunity.

King Gulben's expression grew serious. He said, "If that's the case, then we need to act quickly. We cannot allow the Great Calamity to take more of our resources and regain its strength."

Everybody in the room nodded, their eyes hardening with determination. Find more to read at mvl

"We'll move fast. We need to locate and destroy these tendrils before it's too late. If we strike now, we might have a chance," king Gulben added.

The room was filled with renewed urgency. Plans were being made and the leaders knew that every second counted.

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