After the agreement had been established, the four Dragonborn finally felt a small sense of relief settle inside them.

It was not relief because they had won. It was relief because they had survived the first and perhaps most tricky part of their plan in their mind.

The agreement existed and Nyssara had accepted. Yet all four of them understood the truth that the truly difficult part had only just begun.

They still had to fight a cosmic entity. Even if Nyssara lowered herself to their level and restricted her power according to the agreement, she remained a being that had consumed worlds throughout countless ages.

Her experience alone likely surpassed entire civilizations. The power she retained would almost certainly be beyond anything they had ever encountered.

But there was hope now. Before this agreement, victory had been impossible. Now it merely seemed hard, and that difference mattered.

"I can’t believe we just tricked a cosmic being into fighting at our level," Eccar said through their telepathic connection.

"Or maybe we’re the ones being tricked," Aesa immediately replied.

"Hm... that is certainly possible," Sylven added.

None of them argued because the possibility existed.

Nyssara might have accepted because she knew something they did not. She might have already foreseen the outcome.

Or perhaps she simply found the entire situation entertaining.

Outwardly, however, none of the Dragonborn revealed a single emotion. Their expressions remained calm and composed while they continued facing Nyssara.

The cosmic being observed them for a moment before speaking. "There is one matter that must be addressed."

Erend narrowed his eyes slightly. "The location?"

Nyssara nodded. "Your world cannot serve as the battlefield." Her yellow eyes drifted briefly toward the planet below and continued, "The clash would destroy it. Even restricted power carries unimaginable consequences for your world."

That statement immediately silenced the Dragonborn. They could not deny that even at reduced strength, a battle between four Dragonborn and an entity like Nyssara would likely devastate entire continents.

"I possess a suitable location," Nyssara continued. "A dead world. A place already ruined long ago. Nothing remains there worth protecting."

Erend opened his mouth to respond, intending to discuss possible alternatives.

Nyssara interrupted him immediately. "You have already received your terms, little Dragonborn. Now I choose the battlefield."

For a brief moment Erend considered objecting. Then he dismissed the thought. Pushing too hard now would be foolish.

The agreement had been secured. There was no reason to risk damaging it over something that ultimately changed little.

He slowly nodded. "Fine."

Nyssara’s smile deepened. "Excellent."

The darkness surrounding her shifted slightly.

"We can depart immediately."

"Wait."

Nyssara looked at him.

Erend pointed toward the world below. "I need to speak with the people of this world first."

For several seconds Nyssara simply studied him. Then she nodded. "Very well."

Without wasting another moment, Erend opened a portal beside himself. Crimson and blue energy swirled together as the gateway formed.

He stepped through. Moments later he emerged near King Garrie.

The king visibly startled when Erend suddenly appeared.

"Erend? What-"

"There isn’t much time," Erend said immediately.

King Garrie straightened.

"The situation has changed. Eccar, Aesa, Sylven, and I need to leave for a while. There is a greater threat beyond everything that has happened today, and we need to deal with it ourselves."

The king’s expression became serious. "A greater threat?"

Erend nodded.

King Garrie fell silent.

He tried to imagine what kind of danger could force four Dragonborn to leave immediately after everything that had already happened. Something even greater than all of that?

Eventually he stopped trying. Whatever it was, it clearly existed far beyond his understanding.

After several moments he nodded. "I understand. We’ll handle everything here while you’re gone."

A faint smile appeared on Erend’s face.

"I knew you would."

Without further explanation, he opened another portal. The gateway closed behind him moments later.

High above the world, Erend reappeared beside Eccar, Aesa, and Sylven.

Nyssara had waited exactly as promised.The cosmic predator lifted one hand and black sparks immediately appeared beside her. Space cracked apart as a massive rift opened within the darkness.

Beyond the opening lay an unfamiliar world. Nyssara looked toward the four Dragonborn. A smile spread across her face.

"Shall we?"

She stepped into the rift.

The four Dragonborn exchanged one final glance then they followed her into the darkness.

The rift closed behind them. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

The transition lasted only an instant.

One moment Erend, Eccar, Aesa, and Sylven flew through the darkness beyond their world. The next moment they emerged from the rift and arrived somewhere completely different.

A cold sensation immediately washed over them. It was not a normal cold. This was the cold of death itself.

The sky above them stretched endlessly in shades of dark gray and black. No sun existed. No moon illuminated the horizon. Thick clouds drifted like rotting wounds spread throughout the atmosphere.

Occasional flashes of sickly green lightning flickered within the clouds, briefly revealing the ruined landscape below before darkness reclaimed everything once more.

The four Dragonborn slowly looked around. The world was dead.

Every trace of natural life had vanished long ago. The ground consisted of cracked black stone that extended toward distant horizons. Mountains stood in the distance like broken teeth protruding from a corpse. Vast forests of petrified trees covered entire regions. Their trunks had become gray stone while their branches twisted upward like skeletal hands reaching toward a sky.

No birds sang, no insects moved, no wind carried the scent of life. Only silence dominated the world.

But despite that silence, there were still movements.

Far below, countless figures wandered across the wasteland.

Erend narrowed his eyes. He could see that they were undead.

Thousands of them. Perhaps millions.

Skeletons marched endlessly across ruined plains without purpose. Decaying corpses stumbled. Massive skeletal beasts roamed distant valleys while ghostly apparitions floated above forgotten battlefields. Entire armies of the dead continued fighting wars that had been forgotten ages ago.

Some creatures no longer even resembled the beings they had once been. Death energy had twisted them into grotesque monsters that wandered the ruins without reason.

An immense sea of pale green death energy covered the world like a second atmosphere.

Every mountain, city, ruin, and undead creature. Everything had become saturated by it.

Aesa slowly frowned. "This world..."

Sylven stared toward the distant horizon where countless undead silhouettes moved beneath flashes of green lightning. "It has been dead for a very long time."

Ahead of them, Nyssara stood calmly within the air and observed the ruined world with faint amusement.

"Welcome," she said, "to one of my older meals."

—