After the meeting finally concluded, the world moved immediately into preparation without wasting another moment.

The next several days passed under constant pressure and growing urgency across all five kingdoms. Messages traveled endlessly between cities while military movements, Magical coordination, supply distribution, and emergency planning consumed nearly every major stronghold still standing.

But despite all their efforts, the condition of the world itself continued worsening.

The corruption never stopped spreading. Anomalies continued appearing unpredictably across forests, rivers, mountains, and even inside populated regions.

Entire roads disappeared overnight while some villages suddenly found themselves swallowed by distorted storms or spatial fractures without warning.

Every kingdom continued suffering attacks almost daily.

Because of that, the massive city walls surrounding the capital cities eventually became overcrowded with refugees fleeing from destroyed villages and unstable territories.

Endless lines of frightened civilians gathered outside fortified gates carrying whatever little remained of their lives while soldiers struggled to maintain order among the growing panic.

Resources became increasingly strained. Food supplies tightened. Medical facilities overflowed. And many experienced knights and mages were already exhausted after weeks of continuous defensive operations.

Even so, the kingdoms still forced themselves to continue preparing for the Sky Anchor expeditions.

Because they all understood that if the fragments were not gathered quickly enough, the world itself might collapse before resources even mattered anymore.

Eventually, after days of preparation and coordination between the Archmages and kings, specialized expedition groups were finally assembled.

Each group consisted of ten elite members carefully balanced between knights and mages. The knights would protect the expedition forces directly while the mages specialized in containment, detection, and stabilization Magic related to the Sky Anchor fragments.

Five separate expedition groups were formed in total for the five smaller fragment sites scattered across the world.

The situation surrounding the other three major fragments was different.

Erend, Eccar, and Aesa had already personally visited those locations before during their earlier journeys in this world. Because of that, the three Dragonborn could create direct portals leading toward those regions later.

But the remaining five major sites had never been reached before.

There were no coordinates stable enough for direct teleportation. No pathways secured, no reliable information regarding the conditions there.

Which meant the expeditions would need to travel directly across the unstable lands themselves.

Everyone understood exactly how dangerous that would be.

The morning the expeditions officially gathered, the enormous front yard of Leonora's royal palace had already become crowded with soldiers, supply wagons, Magical equipment, and support personnel moving constantly beneath the gray morning sky.

The atmosphere there felt tense and heavy.

The five expedition groups stood assembled in organized formations near the center of the yard while dozens of royal knights guarded the surrounding perimeter.

Each group carried different equipment depending on their assigned route. Some possessed heavy anti-corruption armor reinforced by Magical inscriptions while others carried portable barrier devices, stabilization crystals, and sealed containers prepared specifically for transporting Sky Anchor fragments safely.

Despite all their preparation, nervousness still remained visible on nearly every face.

Some knights tightened their grip around their weapons repeatedly while several younger mages quietly reviewed floating Magical formulas beside them again and again to calm themselves.

None of them were ignorant enough to believe this would be an ordinary mission. Many of them had already witnessed firsthand what happened beyond the safer regions protected by the kingdoms. They knew anomalies could erase entire groups within seconds.

They knew corrupted creatures capable of slaughtering veteran soldiers now roamed freely across parts of the world. And worst of all, nobody truly understood what awaited them near the Sky Anchor fragments themselves.

Then movement appeared near the palace entrance.

The surrounding soldiers immediately straightened themselves as King Garrie of Leonora stepped forward into the yard accompanied by Archmage Velrion and several high-ranking royal commanders behind him.

The king's expression looked far more serious than usual while the pressure of responsibility remained visible clearly within his tired eyes.

He slowly walked toward the assembled expedition groups while silence gradually spread throughout the entire yard. Even the nervous murmurs among the knights and mages disappeared completely once the ruler of Leonora finally stopped in front of them.

King Garrie slowly looked across the five assembled expedition groups before finally beginning to speak.

His sharp eyes moved from one knight and mage to another while his voice echoed clearly throughout the enormous palace yard with the natural authority of someone who had ruled through years of war and disaster.

"From this point onward," he said steadily, "the survival of our kingdoms and this entire world may depend on all of you."

The words immediately caused the atmosphere among the assembled groups to stiffen further.

Several knights unconsciously straightened their posture while some younger mages visibly tightened their grip around the staffs and Magical tools they carried. Even though they already understood the importance of this mission before arriving here, hearing the king himself confirm the weight of their responsibility made the reality feel far more overwhelming.

King Garrie continued speaking without lowering his gaze.

"You will travel toward the five scattered Sky Anchor fragments," he said. "Once you locate them, your task is to contain the fragments safely and return them here to Leonora. Only then will the Archmages possess the opportunity to rewrite the Sky Anchor and stop the disaster consuming our world."

Silence filled the yard afterward.

The groups still looked nervous despite hearing the explanation. Fear remained visible across many faces because none of them could fully predict what dangers waited across the corrupted lands outside the kingdoms.

But beneath that fear, another feeling gradually became clearer as well.

Determination.

Because every single person standing there understood why this mission mattered. They were not merely risking their lives for orders, glory, or rewards. They were doing this to protect their homes, families, and the people waiting behind the city walls.

King Garrie seemed to recognize that fear clearly.

"I know this mission is dangerous," he said after several moments. "And I know many of you are afraid. But this world needs all of you now."

The king then paused briefly before continuing.

"And you will not face this alone. The Dragonborn themselves have agreed to aid these expeditions whenever necessary. If the situation becomes critical, they will come."

That statement immediately caused movement throughout the assembled groups.

The existence of the Dragonborn had already spread throughout the kingdoms during the last several days. Stories regarding the four ancient beings who fought corruption and traveled between worlds had circulated rapidly among soldiers and civilians alike.

At first, many considered those stories exaggerated rumors born from desperation.

But hearing King Garrie himself confirm it directly changed everything.

Relief slowly appeared across several faces afterward.

Not complete relief because everyone still understood the dangers awaiting them, but enough to ease part of the suffocating tension lingering over the yard.

Eventually, King Garrie stepped slightly aside before giving a nod toward Velrion.

The Archmage of Leonora moved forward calmly while layers of glowing Magical symbols rotated faintly around his body.

"You will not need to physically return here by crossing the corrupted lands again," Velrion explained steadily while looking toward the assembled mages. "I have already placed linked spatial spells upon all expedition members. When your mission is completed, the assigned mages within each group will be able to directly open a stabilized return portal leading back into Leonora."

That explanation eased the tension further. Traveling across the unstable world one time already felt dangerous enough. The thought of needing to carry Sky Anchor fragments back manually through those same corrupted regions had terrified many of them silently. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Velrion then lifted one hand slightly while countless faint Magical formulas appeared briefly in the air around him.

"Make your final preparations," he said calmly. "Review your equipment, reinforce your containment seals, and ensure your assigned formations are fully understood."

His gaze sharpened afterward.

"Because once you leave these walls, there is no guarantee the world outside will resemble the maps you were given anymore."

After that, the groups were dismissed to do their preparation.

—