Chapter 1604: Coincidence

After finishing his discussion with Sylmira, Adrius, and Lysander, Erend knew he could not keep his fellow Dragonborn in the dark any longer about this situation.

He immediately contacted Eccar, Aesa, and Sylven through telepathy and told them they needed to meet again.

All three agreed without hesitation. Although they should be resting after their previous trials, Erend suspected that they could not truly relax while their purpose remained unfinished.

They had gathered to uncover the truth behind their legacies and the trials that awaited them, and until they understood what lay ahead next, their minds would never find lasting peace, just like him.

Their responses carried a hint of eagerness that Erend could sense even through their telepathic connection. The ability to communicate through their minds also allowed faint traces of emotion to pass along with their words, making it clear that his friends were just as eager to continue as he was.

Erend returned to the cave that had once served as Krono’s home and waited for the others to arrive.

As he stood alone in the quiet cave he felt a familiar presence reaching out to him. Veyrun, the System Administrator, was attempting to contact him again.

Erend had no reason to ignore the call, so he closed his eyes and allowed his consciousness to descend into his subconscious.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself standing in the familiar white space covered by an endless grid of black lines.

Veyrun stood before him in his usual humanoid form made entirely of white light, his figure glowing softly against the empty surroundings.

Erend had grown accustomed to these meetings and didn’t see any reason to waste time on pleasantries.

"What is it?" he asked.

"The world you just visited holds the final Dragonborn legacy we have been searching for," Veyrun explained with his mechanical voice. "There are no other worlds left for you to investigate for now based on the data I have gathered. Once you uncover the legacy hidden there, your search will be complete, for now."

Erend’s eyes widened slightly as he absorbed the words.

He never expected the discovery to happen this way, and the coincidence left him struggling to understand how everything had fallen into place.

He had traveled to that world because he wanted to help another Dragonborn who had intended to invade his own. His goal had been to prevent a war and finally to find a way to save Erebus’s people from the curse that was slowly destroying their homeland.

But the very world he had entered for that purpose turned out to be the third and final world they needed to visit to uncover the remaining Dragonborn legacy.

He could not help wondering how fate had brought these events together. What had begun as an attempt to stop an invasion had unexpectedly led him to the final piece of the legacy.

Erend had no idea if it was just an extraordinary coincidence or if something had guided it.

He was just silent for several seconds as his thoughts churned inside his head. The information raised questions he couldn’t easily answer, and the more he considered it the more he felt that something about the situation didn’t quite add up.

Eventually, he drew a slow breath and swallowed his lingering doubts, forcing his mind to settle before looking at Veyrun again.

"Do you think someone arranged all of this?" he asked.

Veyrun paused briefly before answering. "Based on my calculations, it appears to be a coincidence. However, what looks like chaos often originates from some form of order. The problem is that the underlying pattern is difficult to discern this time."

Erend frowned slightly as he considered the explanation. He couldn’t entirely dismiss the possibility that something had brought these events together, but without evidence speculating would only waste his time.

Whatever the truth was, he needed more information before he could draw any meaningful conclusions.

Right now, rather than dwell on possibilities he couldn’t verify, he decided to focus on what he could investigate.

"Then tell me about that world and what happened there," he said.

"I would like to provide you with all the available data," Veyrun replied, "but processing everything at once would overload your mind. It would be an unpleasant experience, to say the least. Instead, I’ll share the details that seem most likely to be important to your current situation."

Erend nodded in agreement, accepting the explanation without complaint.

Veyrun proceeded to explain that the world was called Scadri and that the land Erend visited was only one enormous city within it.

Beyond the city’s boundaries, much of the world was in a dire apocalyptic state, its once-inhabited lands reduced to barren wastelands and desolate ruins. The devastation stretched on the vast territories, leaving little sign of the civilization that once thrived there.

The catastrophe began with a great battle a hundred years ago. The enemy that attacked Scadri eventually perished, but before its destruction it left behind a curse that spread across the city of the people who had killed her.

That curse endured long after the battle ended, turning the aftermath of the conflict into a lasting disaster that continued to plague the world even a century later.

Erend listened carefully, his expression growing more serious as the explanation unfolded.

The existence of an entire city trapped in such a condition was troubling enough, but the fact that the curse survived its creator made the situation even more complicated.

He understood now that defeating the enemy wasn’t going to be the end of the threat. What he needed to do now was whether the damage could still be undone.

"Do you know how to dispel the curse?" he asked.

"Unfortunately, I have no data on that matter," Veyrun answered.

Erend let out a quiet breath, accepting that he wouldn’t find an easy solution here.

If even Veyrun lacked the necessary information, then he and the others would have to uncover the truth through their own investigation.

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