Chapter 1501: Another One

Sylven’s consciousness slipped into the ancient tree’s subconscious the moment his Magic connected with its enormous trunk.

Just as he had expected, this tree was far older than the one he had spoken to earlier. Its life stretched back across countless centuries, and its roots had witnessed far more of this world’s history.

Sylven hoped that an older witness would finally reveal the answers they had been searching for.

The memories began to flow. He focused on what he wanted to see now.

At first, he saw a world completely different from the corrupted forest surrounding him now.

The land was vibrant and full of life. Sunlight bathed the forests in warm golden light and rivers of crystal-clear water wound between flourishing vegetation.

The floating islands float peacefully across the blue sky, suspended exactly as they were today.

"So the islands have always floated..." Sylven thought.

Every world he had visited possessed its own unique laws. Unlike the other worlds he had explored, Elyndor had apparently never possessed continents resting upon an ordinary ground. This skybound world had existed in this form since ancient times.

The memories continued.

The young tree slowly grew larger. Decades became centuries as its trunk thickened and its branches stretched higher toward the heavens.

Then something appeared upon the distant horizon. A tiny black silhouette slowly approached through the sky. It grew larger, and closer.

Until Sylven finally recognized its shape. It was a Dragon.

Their enormous body eclipsed the sky, their pitch-black scales somehow almost didn’t reflect any light despite being in the sky and sun shining above it. Large wings spread across behind them, storms gathered around every beat of those wings.

Sylven’s eyes widened. "We found it..."

After everything they had searched, they had finally discovered undeniable proof that another Dragon had once existed here.

That meant the legacy they sought truly remained somewhere within Elyndor.

But excitement quickly gave way to worry.

According to Caelion, this Dragon could be the Sky Tyrant, the greatest catastrophe in the world’s history.

If that history was accurate, then whatever legacy remained behind might be just as dangerous, or hard to find. But even so, they had no choice but to continue.

The memories flowed on. The peaceful skies transformed into a battlefield.

Fire engulfed the heavens, and entire floating island burned before breaking apart and plunging into the endless abyss below.

The black Dragon soared above the destruction... But they were not alone.

They were fighting something.

The ancient tree couldn’t clearly perceive the Dragon’s opponent. The creature remained hidden beyond its limited perspective, concealed by storms, blazing fire, and the overwhelming Magic erupting across the battlefield.

All Sylven could see was the Dragon unleashing terrifying power while another equally overwhelming force answered it. Each collision shook the world, the sky fractured, and countless islands collapsed.

The earth under the tree blackened.

The forest around the young tree twisted little by little until the once-living landscape slowly transformed into the corrupted territory surrounding him now.

"So this place wasn’t destroyed by the Dragon alone. The battle created this."

Although incomplete, the memory was invaluable.

The tree had only witnessed events from one location, so its perspective remained limited. But it confirmed something important. The Sky Tyrant had not simply descended and destroyed the world. They had fought against another powerful existence.

Eventually, the memories began repeating themselves.

Sylven realized he had learned everything this ancient witness could offer. He withdrew his hand from the blackened bark.

"Thank you."

He lowered his head respectfully before turning away from the colossal tree.

The sounds of battle immediately returned.

Explosions echoed through the forest. Flashes of crimson, brown and gold, and blue Magic illuminated the darkness.

Erend, Eccar, and Aesa were still fighting with dozens of monsters that continued pouring from every direction. But the three Dragonborn didn’t show any signs of being overwhelmed. They moved effortlessly through the battlefield, killing every creature that approached them.

Seeing they weren’t in any danger, Sylven calmly walked toward the battle instead of rushing.

Several monsters noticed him and charged immediately.

Within only a few more minutes, the battle came to an end. Hundreds of monster corpses littered the ground in front of the enormous tree, leaving behind a wide clearing where nothing remained alive except the ancient giant standing motionless behind them.

Sylven didn’t waste time and explained his finding, "I saw the Dragon."

His words immediately captured everyone’s attention. Erend, Eccar, and Aesa turned toward him almost simultaneously.

Erend’s eyes widened. Eccar broke into a broad grin.

"That’s great," Eccar said. "Looks like we won’t have to stay in this world for very long."

"I don’t know about that," Sylven replied.

Eccar’s smile slowly disappeared.

"What happened?" Erend asked.

"I saw the Dragon," Sylven explained. "But I never saw where it went afterward. We still have to find its final destination."

The others listened quietly.

"And there was something else," Sylven continued. "The Dragon wasn’t destroying the world alone. It was fighting another existence. The battle between them created this corrupted land."

The three Dragonborn exchanged thoughtful glances.

"We don’t actually know that the Dragon was the Sky Tyrant," Aesa finally said. "From what you described, it could have been fighting to protect this world. Just like us. But even if its intentions were good, the battle itself may have created this catastrophe."

She looked toward the endless corrupted forest surrounding them.

Erend nodded slowly. "That makes sense. We still don’t have enough information. We need Caelion’s research."

Sylven nodded in agreement. "The ancient tree could only show me what it witnessed. It couldn’t tell me who the Dragon fought or what happened afterward."

"Then our next objective hasn’t changed," Erend concluded. "We finish clearing this forest as promised, return to Skyhold Bastion, and wait for whatever information Caelion manages to uncover."

Their course had already been decided. Without another word, the four Dragonborn resumed moving through the corrupted wilderness.

Every monster they encountered met the same fate. One after another, nests were destroyed, wandering beasts were hunted down, and corrupted creatures fell beneath their overwhelming power.

By the time they finally left the ancient tree behind, the monster population throughout the surrounding region had already begun shrinking rapidly, leaving the once-chaotic forest noticeably quieter than before.

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