Morning came slowly, pale light filtering through the frozen formations of Aesa's cave while the cold air remained still and heavy.

The faint glow of ice reflected across the walls, casting a dim blue hue over the chamber.

Aesa stood near the center, her arms loosely crossed as she waited. Her breath formed a soft mist that lingered briefly before fading. She was waiting for them to come.

The silence stretched for a moment before space distorted in two separate points. The air bent and twisted, then released as Erend and Eccar stepped through their portals. The residual energy disperses quickly behind them.

Erend did not linger to waste time. He stepped forward with his expression calm but focused and began explaining what he had learned from Veyrun the night before.

He spoke steadily, laying out the situation without hesitation and saying that the Creation was not something they could simply reach and forcefully change. It was part of a system, something that had been studied, maintained, and protected by the people of that world for a long time.

There was a way to alter it, whether by purifying it or rewriting its purpose.

If they wanted to change it they would need the cooperation of those who understood it best. There was no way around that.

Eccar listened in silence at first, his gaze narrowing slightly as the implications settled in.

He let out a sigh before speaking. "That's going to be difficult. We're not exactly the kind of people they'd welcome. We entered their world without permission, broke through their defenses, and reached places we shouldn't have. To them, we're not allies but a problem."

Aesa shifted slightly, irritation flickering across her expression as she looked away for a brief moment.

"It's annoying," she said bluntly, her voice carrying clear displeasure. "Talking, convincing, explaining things… I don't like it." She paused, sighing softly before adding, "But there's no better option. If that's what it takes, then we do it."

Erend gave a small nod, already expecting resistance but not their refusal.

"If we force it, we'll only create hostility," he said. "And once that happens we won't even get close to the Creation peacefully. We need them to listen before anything else."

The cave fell into a heavier silence this time as the reality settled across all three of them. This was not a battle they could solve with strength alone. It required patience, control, and a kind of approach none of them preferred.

"Okay. Then we should make them listen somehow," Eccar said with a sigh. "However that works."

Aesa gave a small, reluctant nod. "Let's just not drag it out longer than necessary."

Erend's gaze shifted slightly as another thought surfaced, something more practical.

"We're not doing this blindly," he said. "We have Sylven. He understands that world better than we do. If anyone can help us approach this without turning it into a fight immediately, it's him. We will talk to him first."

Eccar nodded without hesitation. "That's the best move."

Aesa gave a slight shrug. "Then let's go."

The decision settled quickly. There was nothing else to consider.

Without wasting time, each of them raised a hand as space began to distort once more.

Three separate portals formed, each leading to a different point within that world. They had already learned enough to avoid entering together.

Appearing in one location as a group would draw attention immediately and that was the last thing they needed.

Erend stepped forward and entered his portal first.

The transition passed in an instant.

He emerged into a dense forest in the southern part of the world, the air warmer than the frozen cave he had left behind.

Sunlight filtered unevenly through the thick canopy above, scattering shadows across the ground in broken patterns. For a moment everything seemed normal and quiet.

Then the stillness broke. A rough and unnatural low growl echoed from somewhere ahead.

Erend's eyes narrowed slightly as he turned. His senses sharpened as movement spread between the trees.

Shapes shifted through the undergrowth. They were coming directly toward him.

They were animals of the forest. But something was wrong with them.

The first creature stepped into view, resembling a wolf at a glance, but its body was uneven and distorted. Patches of fur were missing exposing discolored skin beneath it, while unnatural growths protruded along its sides. Its eyes burned with a sharp and aggressive intensity that went beyond natural instinct.

More of them followed behind it.

They were different species of animals, but all carried the same signs of mutation, distortion, and unnatural hostility.

Erend frowned slightly as he studied them.

"Why do they have mutations and such forced aggression… " he murmured under his breath.

The creatures lunged at once with reckless and driven movements.

Erend immediately moved to meet them.

His body surged forward with controlled speed. His hand striking the first beast. The impact crushed it instantly, its body slamming into the ground without resistance.

He turned immediately into the next attack as a faint arc of lightning flickered along his arm and landed another clean strike, dropping the second creature before it could react, its momentum cut short in an instant.

The rest followed in rapid succession.

But none of them slowed him down. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Within moments, the forest fell silent again. The brief chaos ended as quickly as it had begun.

The bodies lay scattered across the ground, motionless, the unnatural aggression gone along with them.

Erend straightened slowly. His eyes swept across the area as faint traces of lingering energy faded into the air.

His expression hardened slightly as the situation settled in his mind.

"This isn't normal," he said quietly. Something in this world had already begun to change. He was certain that it had something to do with the Creation.

Or worse, maybe it was the Void Architect?

But Erend immediately pushed that possibility aside. The Void Architect most likely still didnt know that he had found his missing Creation because he still hasn't confirmed it to him.

Erend moved again. His steps were involuntarily faster.

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