Erend, Eccar, Aesa, and Sylven immediately spread their Dragonborn wings and accelerated upward through the night sky.

Dragon Scales appeared across their bodies moments later. Crimson-black scales covered Erend’s arms and neck while different variations of scales emerged across the other three Dragonborn.

None of them truly believed those defenses would be enough to protect them against a being capable of consuming worlds like this, but having some protection was better than having none at all. At the very least, it gave them something to rely on besides courage.

The four Dragonborn shot through the sky at tremendous speed while maintaining a tight formation. Their minds remained connected through their Dragonborn bond, allowing thoughts, warnings, and reactions to flow instantly between them. If something unexpected happened, they would not need words. They could coordinate immediately.

No one spoke.

There was no need.

Each of them already understood what the others were feeling-tension, anxiety, anticipation.

The closer they approached the enormous shadow beyond the stars, the heavier the pressure became.

It no longer felt like facing a powerful enemy. It felt like approaching a cosmic disaster given consciousness. Strange energy flowed through the darkness above them and every instinct they possessed screamed that they should turn around and flee.

But none of them did, of course. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Erend clenched his jaw. He had to make this work. He could not appear too frightened. He also could not appear overly confident. Both would be mistakes.

He needed to appear exactly as Veyrun had described. Cautious, determined. He needs to be dangerous enough to deserve attention. Confident enough to challenge her.

Only then would Nyssara take the bait.

Suddenly the immense shadow above them moved. The movement sent a chill through all four Dragonborn.

An indescribable sensation washed over them.

It felt as if countless eyes had opened simultaneously and all of them were staring directly at the Dragonborn.

Then something began forming in front of them.

Fragments of darkness gathered together. Tiny stars that looked dead and lifeless appeared from nowhere and converged toward a single point. The fragments rotated around each other before slowly taking shape.

A woman emerged.

She stood roughly twice the height of a normal human. Her body appeared to have been sculpted from fragments of dying stars fused together into flesh. Pale white skin contrasted sharply against the darkness surrounding her. Behind her stretched the outline of an enormous serpentine shadow so vast that it disappeared into the darkness of space itself.

The four Dragonborn immediately understood that this was not Nyssara’s true body. This was merely an avatar, a vessel. A convenient form she used to interact with lesser beings without revealing her true existence.

The woman possessed mature features and unnaturally beautiful proportions. Her yellow eyes resembled those of a serpent. Amusement filled her gaze as she examined the Dragonborn standing before her.

"I did not expect you to approach me first," Nyssara said. Her voice sounded melodious and pleasant. "Dragonborn, hmm... And four of you as well. How strange. Most believed your kind had already perished. Yet here you are. Four Dragonborn living within the same era."

None of them responded. Silence remained their best defense.

Only Erend would speak. The fewer emotions they revealed, the better.

"What are you doing here?" Erend asked. His voice remained calm and firm. "You are not welcome in this world."

Nyssara tilted her head slightly.

"I do not require your welcome," she replied. "I can do whatever I wish."

"No."

The single word caused her eyes to narrow slightly.

Erend stared directly into her yellow eyes. "We protect this world. Anyone who threatens it must face us. Just like the Void Architect, we will stop you."

Nyssara laughed softly. The sound carried through the darkness.

"You fought only a fragment of what he once was," she said. "You were fortunate. But this is entirely different. You are standing before something far beyond him."

Erend forced himself not to hesitate.

"No matter who you are, we won’t allow it." Then he made his move. "How about a contest?"

The amusement in Nyssara’s eyes deepened.

"A contest?"

"If you’re truly as powerful as you claim, then fight us." Erend kept his expression steady. "If you win, we will no longer interfere with your claim over this world. But if you lose, you leave and never return."

For a moment silence followed. Then Nyssara smiled.

It was the smile of someone listening to a child challenge a hurricane.

"And why," she asked, "would I agree to that?"

Her yellow eyes glowed faintly. "I could destroy all of you right now."

"Yes."

The immediate answer caught her attention.

"We are weaker than you," Erend admitted. "But we’re ordinary beings while you are a cosmic entity. If you stood at our level, we believe we could defeat you."

The smile on Nyssara’s face froze. Only slightly. But the change was there. She actually thought about his words.

Crushing them as she was now would be effortless and meaningless, a certainty. Yet proving superiority against insects carried little prestige.

And among beings of her status, there existed an unspoken pride.

If other cosmic entities learned that Nyssara had resorted to overwhelming her full existence against a handful of world-bound Dragonborn instead of accepting their challenge, the story would spread endlessly.

Not because she was weak. But because it would make her appear petty. The thought irritated her far more than she expected.

Nyssara remained silent for several moments while her serpent-like eyes studied the four Dragonborn standing before her. She considered the proposal carefully, not because she feared the outcome, but because she found the situation amusing.

A faint smile gradually appeared on her face.

"I agree," Nyssara said at last. The answer immediately echoed through the darkness around them. "Of course I agree. This is hardly something that matters. You truly believe you possess a chance against me? Even if I lower myself to the level of mortals, the result will remain unchanged."

The confidence in her voice was absolute.

To Nyssara, the outcome had already been decided before the contest had even begun.

Erend, Eccar, Aesa, and Sylven felt a surge of relief inside their hearts.

The bait had worked.

Yet none of them allowed even the slightest hint of satisfaction to appear on their faces. They maintained the same firm expressions and continued staring at her as though this were merely the first step of a difficult negotiation.

Nyssara’s yellow eyes gleamed with amusement. "I look forward to watching your hope disappear."

Erend met her gaze without flinching. "Then it is settled. Now we decide the place for our contest."

Nyssara tilted her head slightly and the smile on her face deepened. "Very well, little Dragonborn."

—