The old man who stood before them was known as Yohn, a name that carried little weight in the recorded histories of the world, yet held quiet significance among those who truly understood Magic at its deepest level.

He had lived as a wandering Mage for most of his life, choosing isolation over recognition. Though he had once studied within the renowned Leonora Magic Academy and graduated among its finest, he had long abandoned any interest in titles or status.

Knowledge had always been his only pursuit, and not just any knowledge but the kind that required obsession, patience, and a willingness to step into places others feared.

His focus had never wavered from Magical beasts, not just usual Magical beasts found in the wild. But creatures that existed between myth and reality. Beings that many scholars only theorized about but never truly encountered.

Yohn had sought them out relentlessly, traveling across regions others considered lost or forbidden, and over time he had witnessed and survived encounters with creatures believed to be extinct or nothing more than legends.

He did not simply observe them. He documented them through a unique system he had built himself. He called it a Beasts Index formed from contracted spirits that recorded everything he commanded with perfect clarity, preserving knowledge that would otherwise be lost to time.

It was through that journey that he had eventually crossed paths with Sylven, and unlike others, Yohn had recognized what Sylven truly was.

He was not just a Magical being but something far beyond that, something divine in nature.

Instead of fear, that realization had only deepened his curiosity, and from that moment onward an unlikely friendship had formed between the two.

Now, that same man stepped forward slowly toward them. His eyes wide with unmistakable fascination. His mouth slightly parted as if words had failed him entirely.

His gaze moved from Erend to Eccar and then to Aesa, lingering on each of them with a sharp intensity that carried overwhelming curiosity.

There was a glimmer in his eyes that almost made it feel as though he was studying them piece by piece, trying to understand things beyond what was visible.

The attention was direct enough that even they, who had faced far worse, found it slightly uncomfortable.

Sylven let out a small breath as he noticed their reactions.

"Forgive him," he said casually. "He doesn’t mean to be rude. He just really likes Magical beasts... and well, we are quite something, aren’t we?"

Eccar let out a faint sigh and crossed his arms slightly.

"We’re not exactly beasts," he said, his tone carrying a mild correction. "But we’re not anything else either."

Aesa remained silent, her cold blue eyes fixed on Yohn without any change in expression. Her presence was still cold and unreadable.

Erend, on the other hand, sighed softly and met Yohn’s gaze with calm understanding.

He had grown used to that look long ago, the mixture of awe and curiosity that came whenever others recognized what he was.

"Can you help us?" he asked simply and straight to the point.

Yohn blinked as if snapping back from his thoughts, then swallowed before raising a hand.

A faint pulse of Magic gathered and one of his contracted spirits appeared beside him. Its form shifts gently like a translucent figure bound by purpose.

"Record this," Yohn said quickly, his voice regaining its composure. "Three other Dragonborn have visited me today."

The spirit gave a subtle nod. Its presence flickering briefly as it accepted the command and silently confirming that the record had already been made.

Yohn cleared his throat and straightened slightly.

"Ah... yes. Please, sit," he said, gesturing toward a nearby table. "You must be tired. I’ll prepare something."

They did not refuse. The four Dragonborn moved toward the table and took their seats, the atmosphere became more controlled as Yohn turned and moved away.

A few minutes passed before he returned, a tray floating beside him carried by unseen force. Four cups of tea rested upon it with steam rising gently into the air.

He wiped his hands once as if finishing a task, and with a subtle motion the cups lifted from the tray and drifted smoothly through the air before lowering themselves in front of Erend, Eccar, Aesa, and Sylven with precise control.

Yohn returned to his seat at the head of the table, the master chair positioned slightly higher than the others.

Its worn surface was shaped by years of solitary study and quiet contemplation.

He lowered himself into it with a measured motion, then leaned back slightly as his gaze moved across the four Dragonborn now seated around him. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

For a moment, Yohn simply looked at them. Then his expression broke into a wide smile that carried an almost childlike excitement despite the weight of the situation, and his age.

His eyes gleamed with open fascination. It was clear that the nervousness that had existed earlier had now been replaced entirely by anticipation.

"Well," he said, his voice lighter and almost eager. "It’s not every day that four Dragonborn sit in my home at once." His gaze shifted between them again, slower this time, as if committing the moment to memory. "So tell me... what could possibly bring all of you here together like this?"

Sylven did not waste time.

"Something big is happening," he said, his tone serious. "And if we don’t act quickly, it’s going to turn into a disaster for this entire world."

Yohn’s smile faded slightly, though not completely. It softened into a more thoughtful smile as he leaned forward, resting one arm against the table.

"I thought as much. There’s been something off in the air recently." His eyes narrowed. "I couldn’t quite define it, but I knew it wasn’t natural." He looked directly at Sylven. "What is it?"

Sylven held his gaze for a moment before answering.

"It is the Sky Anchor."

The name settled into the room. Yohn’s expression changed again, this time more noticeably. The curiosity turned into focus, with the mind of a scholar already turning over possibilities.

"The Sky Anchor..." he repeated slowly. "Why would it become hostile?"

Sylven did not answer immediately. Instead, he turned his head toward Erend, his expression indicating that this explanation was not his to give.

Erend understood.

He straightened slightly in his seat, his gaze meeting Yohn’s directly.

"The Sky Anchor isn’t originally from this world," he said calmly.

Yohn’s eyes sharpened instantly.

"It’s a creation," Erend continued. "Not of this world’s Magic, but of something beyond it. Something external. A malevolent cosmic entity. We don’t fully understand its purpose yet but we know one thing for certain. It wasn’t made for anything good."

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