I Received System to Become Dragonborn-Chapter 1280: Ominous Portal

However, the portal looked wrong. It did not resemble the usual swirling circle of compressed space like they used to open before.

This one tore itself open like a wound. Its edges were jagged, uneven, and bending inward and outward as if reality had been ripped apart by force instead of gently folded.

There were dark strands of distorted light twitched along its surface and something inside it pulsed like a heartbeat hidden behind layers of shadow.

A dense, heavy, and dark aura that looks ominous spilled from it. The Magic carried a strange frequency that was unfamiliar even to them.

It did not roar or flare violently but it pressed against their senses that made their instincts recoil.

Erend, Eccar, and Aesa grimaced almost at the same time and stepped back several paces. Their bodies reacted before their thoughts did and immediately Power gathered unconsciously beneath their skin. They stood ready as if an enemy might lunge out of the tear at any second.

"What is this…" Eccar asked with uncertainty in his voice. He knew it was a portal. He felt the coordinates anchoring it. Yet the way it looked made his certainty waver.

"Maybe… it's because I opened it following the Void Architect's direction," Erend said, but with doubt lingered in his tone.

"Are you sure?" Aesa asked.

"Not really. It could also be because the world we're heading to is unstable… or filled with destruction and corruption," Erend admitted. Then he steadied himself. "But no matter what, we still have to enter. Are you both ready?"

He looked at Eccar and Aesa in turn. They stared into the warped darkness, imagining unseen landscapes, hidden threats, possibilities they could not predict.

Then a long sigh escaped them almost simultaneously. They understood that hesitation changed nothing.

"Alright," Eccar said.

Aesa simply nodded.

Erend nod.

Without speaking further, the three Dragonborn activated their scales. Dark, iridescent armor flowed across their bodies, layering over skin and bone with fluid precision.

Power surged around them. They would not step into a portal that radiated danger without proper protection.

Erend moved first. He leapt forward and disappeared into the tear.

Eccar and Aesa followed immediately.

The transition struck them like a hit. The lurching sensation twisted violently, far harsher than any portal they had traveled through before.

Pressure crushed inward from every direction. Their heads felt as if they were splitting apart, their bones vibrating painfully and almost cracking under invisible strain. Space did not slide around them smoothly but convulsed.

Then it ended abruptly. Their feet touched solid ground.

Their vision stabilized in fragments before sharpening fully. They looked around with their senses wide open. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The world appeared… normal.

Mountains stretched across the horizon. Rolling hills and dense forests covered the land between scattered villages. Farther in the distance, they saw the faint outline of a city rising above the terrain. The sky looked clear. The air felt breathable, neither toxic nor heavy.

Nothing immediately showed danger.

They exchanged glances.

"This looks okay," Eccar said cautiously.

Erend and Aesa activated their Dragon Eyes. Their pupils sharpened vertically as their vision extended far beyond ordinary limits.

They scanned the terrain carefully. They spotted wild beasts roaming deep within the forests but those creatures stayed distant from human settlements and did not radiate overwhelming power.

They sensed no catastrophic distortion, corrupted land, or unstable spaces.

"Maybe it really was because it came from the Void Architect's direction," Eccar said quietly. "That's why the portal looked like that."

"Hmm… maybe," Erend replied.

After another careful sweep, he deactivated his Dragon scales. The dark armor receded, dissolving back into his skin.

Eccar and Aesa followed suit, their bodies returning to normal appearances.

Then they layered illusion Magic over themselves. Subtle waves of energy wrapped around their forms and reshaping their clothing. To anyone native to this world, they would look like travelers from the same world, nothing more.

They stood there for a few seconds longer, looking at the peaceful landscape that stretched before them.

Maybe whatever had made that portal so ominous was not visible on the surface. That possibility unsettled them more than if they saw the sky burning.

They moved through the forest in measured silence and with their senses stretched everywhere.

The trees grew tall and thick, their trunks broader than those in Erend's world. Soon, they encountered the first beast.

A tiger stepped from the undergrowth, but it stood nearly twice the size of a normal one. Its claws curved longer than swords, its fangs protruded even when its jaws were closed, and faint lines of shimmering energy traced along its striped body.

Not far away after that, a pack of wolves watched them, their frames bulkier, their fur sharp and bristling like hardened needles.

Then a giant hawk circled above, with wingspan that unnaturally wide and glowing eyes.

They quickly realized the air carried steady Magic energy. It flowed naturally through this world, saturating land and life here. That energy had shaped these creatures into stronger versions of their ordinary counterparts.

The beasts attacked without hesitation. But the three Dragonborn killed them easily. None of the encounters slowed them down.

They continued until the forest thinned and a dirt road appeared ahead. The ground bore deep tracks of carriage wheels and fresh imprints of horseshoes.

"What should we do first?" Aesa asked.

"First we need to find a civilization. From there we can start looking for information," Erend replied.

They followed the road. Before long, the rumble of wheels approached from behind. A wooden carriage drawn by two sturdy horses slowed as it neared them.

The driver, a middle-aged man with a worn hat and cautious eyes, studied them briefly.

"You three heading toward Brenton City?" he asked.

Erend answered calmly, "Yes. We're travelers. Is it far?"

"Half a day by foot. Shorter if you ride. The road's been safe enough lately." He paused. "You can hop in if you like. No troublemakers, right?"

Eccar smiled lightly. "No, sir. We're just travelers."

The driver chuckled. "Then climb aboard. No sense walking all that way."

They exchanged brief glances before stepping into the carriage, accepting the ride as it rolled toward civilization.

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