Chapter 1479: Home

There were still several things they had discussed before finally departing from Leonora. The decision to separate had not come lightly or had it been made simply because Krono suggested it.

After spending three entire days contemplating their circumstances, all four Dragonborn eventually reached the same conclusion. They were still too weak.

Despite possessing power that allowed them to stand against Cosmic Beings, they remained powerless when confronted by the Black Rage lurking within their own souls.

They lacked the wisdom, knowledge, and understanding necessary to take the next step as Dragonborns.

More importantly, all of them somehow understood something almost instinctively. They could not find the answers they sought while remaining together.

Whatever awaited them on this journey was deeply personal. Their paths would eventually converge once again in the future, but before that happened, they first had to walk alone and discover who they truly were beyond the titles of Dragonborn and protectors of the world.

The moment that realization surfaced within their hearts, none of them questioned it.

And so, they parted ways.

Each portal led toward a different destination chosen by its respective Dragonborn. Erend returned to his homeworld because there were people he needed to see before beginning his journey.

Eccar traveled to the ancient cave that had once served as Krono’s home before the Time Dragon’s death.

Aesa returned to the frozen cave where she had spent countless years in solitude.

Meanwhile, Sylven decided to return to his own home and gather his thoughts before deciding where his path would take him next.

None of them knew what awaited them after this.

For now, they only knew that their journeys had already begun.

—

Erend emerged from his portal and found himself standing inside his own bedroom back in his homeworld.

For several seconds, he simply stood there in silence.

The room felt strangely nostalgic. In reality, he had only been away for a relatively short period of time in other worlds. But to Erend himself, it felt as though he had been gone for years.

He had fought Cosmic Beings, traveled across different worlds, and witnessed truths about the cosmos that ordinary people could never imagine.

And now, he had returned to the place where everything had started.

A small smile appeared on his face as he slowly walked toward the window.

Outside, the world remained exactly as he remembered it. Cars moved peacefully along the streets, people busily went about their daily lives without knowing that countless battles had been fought to preserve this ordinary peace, children laughed as they walked to school while workers hurried toward their destinations.

Nothing had changed and somehow, Erend found comfort in that fact.

This world was still worth protecting.

After taking one last look outside, Erend quietly left his room.

The moment he stepped into the living room, he was immediately greeted by a familiar surprised voice.

"Erend?!"

Arty, his younger sister, stood frozen near the front door while wearing her school uniform. Her eyes widened in shock before she immediately ran toward him.

Without hesitation, she began looking him up and down as though trying to determine whether he was truly standing before her.

Then her expression slowly changed into a frown.

"You’ve changed," she said seriously.

Erend blinked in slight surprise.

"You feel different now."

Because she had already awakened her Magic power and possessed an unusually high sensitivity toward Magic and spiritual energy, she could immediately sense that something about Erend had fundamentally changed.

The aura surrounding him felt heavier and older somehow. It was difficult to describe with words, but she instinctively knew that her brother had experienced things far beyond her imagination during his journey.

Erend had expected this reaction. After everything he had gone through, it would have been stranger if she hadn’t noticed.

He simply smiled warmly at her without immediately answering. Even after everything that had happened across countless worlds, returning home and being welcomed by his little sister somehow made him feel lighter than he had in a very long time.

"Yeah... I’ve been, uhh... experiencing a lot lately," Erend said with an awkward sigh.

Arty quietly looked at him for a few moments. There was pity and sadness hidden behind her eyes as she stared at her older brother.

Even though Erend never told her everything that happened during his journeys, she understood enough to know that he had been fighting enemies and witnessing things far beyond what she could ever imagine. The dangers surrounding him were no longer something as simple as monsters or rogue mages like she knew. He was now fighting beings capable of threatening entire worlds and realities.

Sometimes, she hated how powerless she felt.

There were moments when she wished she could become strong enough to stand beside him and help carry even a fraction of the burden resting on his shoulders. But over time, Arty realized that those thoughts would only become another responsibility for Erend to worry about. The last thing she wanted was to become someone he needed to protect emotionally as well.

She had already made peace with what she could and could not do.

If she couldn’t fight alongside him, then she would simply protect the things he treasured most whenever he was away.

She would stay with their mother and make sure that home remained a place Erend could always return to.

Arty immediately pushed those complicated thoughts aside and smiled brightly once again.

"Mom already prepared breakfast. Come on!" she said cheerfully.

Erend smiled and nodded before following her toward the dining room.

The moment he arrived, he saw his mother standing beside the table with her usual warm smile. Without hesitation, she immediately walked toward him and pulled him into a gentle embrace.

"My son finally came home," she said softly.

Erend silently returned the embrace and slowly closed his eyes. The warmth of his mother’s hug instantly made the exhaustion he had been carrying feel lighter. No matter how many worlds he had visited or how powerful he had become, nothing could ever replace the comfort of returning home.

For a moment, he simply allowed himself to enjoy being her son once again instead of a Dragonborn carrying the fate of worlds on his shoulders.

Eventually, they sat down together at the dining table.

Erend immediately began eating the breakfast his mother had prepared. The familiar taste made him unconsciously close his eyes in satisfaction.

There truly wasn’t anything in existence that could compare to his mother’s cooking.

Not the luxurious meals prepared inside royal palaces nor the exotic cuisines from distant worlds could ever surpass the simple warmth of food made by someone who loved him unconditionally.

After breakfast, Arty left for school while waving enthusiastically at both of them.

For the first time in quite a while, Erend found himself with nothing urgent demanding his attention.

And so, he decided to simply stay home for now.

Perhaps before embarking on the most important journey of his life, spending a little more time with his family and friends was exactly what he needed.

—