Chapter 1497: Darker Area

The four Dragonborn slowed to a stop in the air as they approached the frontier territory. Their wings were still spread wide while they hovered above the endless forest. Their eyes fixed on the land ahead.

The sky had already grown noticeably dimmer now as though the sunlight refused to shine upon the cursed region.

They were still nearly five kilometers away from the true boundary separating the civilized lands from the corrupted territory, but the atmosphere had already changed so much that for them to feel it clearly.

With their Dragonborn eyesight, the distance meant very little, so everything along the edge of the frontier appeared as clearly as if it stood only a few meters away.

The animals roaming near the border resembled the creatures they had encountered throughout sky islands during their journey. There were winged deer grazing beneath dying trees, huge birds perched on branches, and a lot more of smaller animals moving through the undergrowth.

But none of them looked healthy. Thick black roots coiled around their bodies, wrapping around legs, necks, wings, and horns. Veins of darkness spread beneath their skin, their eyes glowed with an ominous light filled with unmistakable madness.

They still behaved almost normally. Still feeding, wandering, or resting beneath the trees, but the corruption surrounding them made it obvious that something fundamental had changed in them.

"If we get closer, they’ll probably become aggressive," Erend muttered.

The others silently agreed. They still had not seen the monsters Caelion had mentioned. Whether these corrupted animals could already be considered monsters, none of them knew.

"Let’s get going," Erend said.

No one suggested making a plan because there was no need for it.

None of their instincts warned them of immediate danger. After a lot of battles across multiple worlds and enemies, the four Dragonborn had developed a supernatural sense for judging threats.

They could often tell whether an enemy possessed enough strength to endanger them long before the first attack was launched. For now this place didn’t.

With several powerful beats of their wings, the four Dragonborn crossed the invisible boundary and entered the corrupted territory.

The change was immediate. The air became heavier, carrying an oppressive pressure that settled against their bodies and lungs.

The ambient Magic surrounding the forest felt polluted as if something poisonous had seeped into the world’s natural flow and corrupted it over countless centuries.

Even the light seemed different. The already dim sunlight weakened further beneath the dark canopy until the entire forest appeared trapped in perpetual twilight.

As they flew overhead, the corrupted animals immediately noticed them.

Dozens of mad eyes turned upward. For several tense seconds, they just stood motionless. Then almost simultaneously the animals fled.

Instead of attacking, every creature scattered deeper into the forest with obvious panic. Winged beasts launched themselves into the air while others disappeared into the dense undergrowth as quickly as possible.

"They’re running..." Eccar observed.

"They know about our strength," Aesa replied.

The weaker creatures had instinctively recognized something far more dangerous than themselves. So they decided to run away.

A few moments later, the four landed on the forest floor. Their wings dissolved into streams of Magic that disappeared behind their backs.

Sylven immediately frowned.

As the Plant Dragonborn, his connection with nature surpassed everyone else’s. The moment his boots touched the ground, countless sensations flooded his senses.

He slowly crouched beside a blackened vine and rested his fingers against it.

"This forest is alive, and dead at the same time," he murmured.

The others looked toward him.

"But something is terribly wrong." Sylven continued, and closed his eyes. "I can still feel the life inside these plants. They’re not dead. But they’re suffering. It’s like... another force has invaded every tree, root, and every blade of grass. The plants are still trying to grow, but something keeps twisting them into these unnatural forms."

His expression darkened. He withdrew his hand.

Erend’s expression became serious. He said, "It’s not natural corruption. "So something is actively affecting this place."

Sylven nodded. "I’m certain of it."

Without another word, they continued deeper into the forest. The farther they traveled, the darker everything became.

The vibrant greens that once covered the area behind them had completely vanished. Leaves had turned gray and black, the trunks of trees resembled burned pillars reaching toward the gloomy sky. Twisted roots crawled across the ground, and strange black mist drifted lazily between the trees.

The air felt wrong. Breathing remained effortless for the Dragonborn, but every inhale carried an unfamiliar substance mixed with the oxygen.

It was dense, corrupted Magic that ordinary beings would never be able to tolerate for long.

"No wonder humans avoid this place," Erend said quietly. "They wouldn’t survive."

Minutes passed without incident. No monsters appeared.

"Where are the monsters, though?" Eccar finally asked while scanning the forest with his enhanced eyesight. He could see for kilometers in every direction, but nothing larger than the fleeing corrupted wildlife entered his vision.

"Maybe they’re afraid of us and ran away," Aesa said in her usual cold tone.

Eccar laughed.

"Oh? Listen to you. Someone’s getting confident."

"I’m not being confident," Aesa replied, giving him a flat stare. "I’m stating what appears to be a fact."

Eccar chuckled and raised both hands. "Fair enough."

Honestly, it wasn’t an unreasonable conclusion.

The corrupted animals had fled the moment they sensed the Dragonborn. It was entirely possible that the monsters possessed similar survival instincts.

"But we need to kill them if we’re going to complete this mission." Sylven said and looked toward the others. "Let’s suppress our presence. If they sense how strong we are, they’ll never come near us."

"I agree," Erend said.

The others nodded.

One by one, the four Dragonborn concealed the overwhelming aura naturally radiating from their bodies. Their immense Magic compressed inward until almost nothing leaked into the surrounding forest. Within moments, they no longer felt like overwhelmingly powerful beings.

Instead, they resembled ordinary travelers wandering through the corrupted wilderness.

They resumed walking.

Then only a few minutes passed before Sylven’s suggestion proved correct.

From somewhere deep within the silent forest, low growls echoed through the darkness. Then branches snapped and heavy footsteps shook the ground.

Something had finally decided to hunt them.

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