Chapter 1477: Same Thing

Krono looked at Erend with his golden eyes. Within the depths of Erend’s subconscious, those eyes seemed to still shine brilliantly with the ancient light of Time power. They carried a firmness that Erend saw from the Time Dragon before, and somehow, simply looking into them made him realize that whatever Krono was about to say would not be something easy to accomplish.

Erend silently prepared himself for the answer. At this point, whatever path lay before them, he had no choice but to hear it through to the end.

"You must walk your paths separately and discover them on your own," Krono said solemnly. "I cannot tell you what you will encounter or what decisions you must make along the way. Moreover, I am merely a remnant of my soul. My true body has long since perished and my power has diminished to only a tiny fraction of what it once was.

"Based on my own experience, your journeys will be long and difficult. What makes them particularly challenging is that no one can guide you toward them. You must find your own clues and determine your own direction."

Erend let out a quiet sigh. Finding their own clues and purpose sounded incredibly vague. He could already imagine how difficult such a task would be. The cosmos itself was immeasurable in size, and Krono was essentially asking them to find something without even knowing what it truly looked like.

Still, judging by Krono’s expression, Erend knew there was little point in asking him for more details. Even the Time Dragon himself seemed unable to perceive everything now that he existed merely as a fragmented soul.

Erend sighed once more, this time much longer than before.

"Is there anything else you can tell me?" he asked hopefully.

Krono remained silent for several moments as though carefully considering his answer.

"Perhaps there is one thing," he finally said. "Because fragments of my soul reside within all of you, perhaps you can make use of that connection. Synchronize my Time power with your own soul. If it is successful, it may allow you to glimpse your own future."

Erend immediately raised an eyebrow.

"See our future?" he repeated.

Krono slowly nodded. "Perhaps. However, I cannot guarantee that it will work. My soul is incomplete, and none of you have properly mastered my power yet."

Despite the uncertainty, hope immediately returned to Erend’s heart. Perhaps this was exactly the clue they needed.

Neither he, Eccar, nor Aesa had truly learned how to wield the Time Dragon’s power, but at the very least, this gave them a place to begin. For now, that was enough.

"Thank you," Erend said sincerely.

Krono smiled bitterly before lowering his gaze slightly. "I’m sorry that I cannot help more."

"No," Erend replied while shaking his head. "You’ve helped more than enough. I think this is exactly what we needed."

He smiled faintly before continuing. "I’ll come back when I have the time."

Krono nodded gently.

"Good luck," he said softly. "I don’t believe this journey will be easy. But if it is all of you four, then I believe you will eventually find whatever it is you are searching for."

With that, Erend slowly withdrew his consciousness from the depths of his subconscious and returned to the waking world.

His eyes slowly opened as the familiar warmth of the Sky Anchor’s underground chamber greeted him once again.

The first thing he saw were the worried expressions of Eccar, Aesa, and Sylven staring directly at him. Even the Sky Anchor seemed curious about the outcome of his conversation.

"Well?" Eccar immediately asked. "What did he say?"

Erend let out a small sigh before sitting up properly.

"It looks like we have a lot more work ahead of us," he said with a bitter smile.

Over the next several minutes, Erend explained everything Krono had told him. He spoke about the journey in separate ways, discovering their own purpose, traveling across different realms and dimensions, and synchronizing Krono’s power to potentially glimpse their own futures.

The atmosphere inside the chamber gradually became solemn as everyone quietly listened. By the time Erend finished speaking, silence had completely filled the room.

Eccar leaned against the wall and crossed his arms while contemplating Krono’s words. He had always preferred straightforward solutions, but this was anything but simple.

Aesa lowered her gaze while quietly thinking about the journey awaiting her.

Meanwhile, Sylven appeared particularly thoughtful. Although he had only recently learned about Krono and the Black Rage, he had already experienced firsthand how devastating confronting one’s own subconscious could be.

Eventually, all three of them arrived at the same conclusion that they need to go to do this journey.

Eccar and Aesa exchanged glances. Neither of them spoke immediately. Although Krono’s answer was vague and offered no concrete solution, it was still the first real lead they had received regarding the Black Rage.

More importantly, they wanted to hear those words directly from the Time Dragon’s soul within themselves.

Without wasting any more time, both of them sat down cross-legged before the Sky Anchor’s monolith and slowly closed their eyes. Since they had already learned how to safely enter their subconscious without confronting the Black Rage directly, neither of them hesitated for long.

Erend and Sylven quietly remained where they were and waited.

The underground chamber became silent once again as Eccar and Aesa began descending into their subconscious. Unlike before, there was no overwhelming sorrow or dark mist leaking from their bodies. Their expressions remained calm as they focused solely on finding Krono’s fragmented soul.

Several minutes passed.

Sylven looked between the two Dragonborn curiously while Erend silently waited for their return. Although Erend already knew what Krono would likely tell them, part of him hoped that perhaps the ancient Time Dragon might reveal something different to the other two.

Eventually, Eccar was the first to open his eyes. Aesa followed only moments later.

Both of them wore solemn expressions.

"Well?" Erend immediately asked.

Eccar let out a helpless chuckle before rubbing his forehead. "He told me the exact same thing."

"We must go on our own separate journey," Aesa added calmly. "There are no shortcuts."

"He also said that we have to discover our own purpose and find the power, wisdom, and knowledge necessary to overcome the Black Rage," Eccar continued.

The room fell silent afterward.

It seemed Krono’s answer had been consistent for all of them. This was something they would have to discover by themselves.

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