Chapter 1508: Inside A Storm

A few hours later into their journey, the sky suddenly darkened. The wind grew stronger, sweeping across the floating islands with enough force to shake the clouds apart, distant flashes of lightning illuminated the horizon.

But the lightning carried an unusual darkness with it, as though something corrupted had gathered within the storm.

The four Dragonborn did not slow their flight. They continued forward at full speed, cutting through the violent winds that blew directly against them as if the storm itself were trying to push them away from their destination.

"What’s happening?" Eccar asked through their telepathic connection.

There was no need to shout while flying at such speed. Their minds remained connected, allowing their voices to reach one another instantly.

"The storm," Sylven replied.

"Yeah, I know it’s a storm. But this feels... different." Eccar narrowed his eyes as he examined the dark sky around them.

"Remember what I told you when we were still on that island filled with monsters? When I spoke with the ancient tree?" Sylven’s expression became more serious.

Erend and Aesa immediately began searching through their recent memories. It had not been long ago, so the answer surfaced almost instantly.

"The storm anomaly," Erend said.

"Yes. This isn’t an ordinary storm," Sylven explained. "The trees described it as a storm that carried corrupted Magic. It doesn’t just produce rain, wind, and lightning. It can also give rise to monsters that don’t naturally exist in this world, along with other unexplained anomalies."

The four Dragonborn became more alert. However, none of them felt afraid.

The storm might have been an overwhelming threat to the inhabitants of Elyndor, but to four Dragonborn who had survived battles against beings capable of threatening entire worlds, it did not feel particularly dangerous.

"Do you think we could find more clues from it?" Eccar asked.

"What do you mean?" Erend replied.

"The storm appeared after, or perhaps during, the battle between the Dragon and whatever it fought. Maybe there are still traces of that battle within it. We might be able to perceive something."

Aesa considered the idea and said, "That makes sense."

"I think so too," Sylven said.

Erend nodded. "Okay. Let’s stay inside the storm for a while."

The four Dragonborn changed their course slightly and flew deeper into the storm.

The darkness thickened around them. Since they were already traveling through dangerous territories that sane travelers of this world avoided, the danger increased dramatically once they entered the storm itself.

For normal inhabitants of Elyndor, entering this region would have been suicidal.

Lightning began striking with increasing frequency. Each flash illuminated enormous clouds rolling endlessly across the sky. They twisted and collided with one another like living creatures struggling beneath the darkness.

But beneath all of it, the four Dragonborn continued moving without slowing down.

Their expressions showed curiosity rather than fear.

They searched the storm carefully, watching the clouds, the lightning, and the strange currents of Magic surrounding them. For several minutes, however, they found nothing significant.

Then something changed. A strange distortion appeared in one corner of the sky.

Sylven immediately noticed it. "Look there," he said while pointing.

Erend, Eccar, and Aesa turned toward the direction he indicated. A black rift had opened in the middle of the storm.

It was enormous, resembling a wound torn through the darkness. But it wasn’t just a break in the clouds. The edges of the rift twisted unnaturally, like the reality had been ripped apart.

The instant Erend and Eccar sensed the energy leaking from it, their expressions changed. They knew that presence.

"This is..." Erend muttered.

"The Chaos Realm?" Eccar finished.

They exchanged confused glances.

Aesa and Sylven immediately noticed their reaction.

"Why would that open here?" Aesa asked.

Erend frowned as he searched through his memories before remembering something he had learned previously.

"When two forces with overwhelming power clash, the Magic released from their battle can become corrupted. If enough of that corrupted energy accumulates, it can eventually create a rift connected to the Chaos Realm."

The explanation sank into the others.

Sylven’s eyes narrowed as he looked at the rift and spoke, "So that’s what happened. The ancient battle left behind enormous amounts of corrupted Magic. That corruption eventually produced anomalies like the Shattered Expanse... and now this rift. That actually makes sense."

Erend looked toward him. "Do you think we can learn anything from it?"

Sylven hesitated before answering, "I don’t know. If the energy has become too corrupted, the chances may be low. But it’s not impossible."

Eccar immediately grinned. "Then we have to try."

Before anyone could respond, the rift suddenly expanded. Its black edges stretched outward as the surrounding storm violently twisted toward it.

Something moved from inside it, a long limb emerged first. It was thin and unnaturally elongated, covered in dark, wet skin that glistened beneath the lightning. Long claws extended from its fingers as it dragged itself through the opening.

Then another limb followed. The creature pulled itself forward as though something on the other side had thrown it into the world.

More shapes began moving behind it.

The rift had become a doorway and a lot of things were coming through.

One creature emerged, followed by another and another until ten monstrous figures emerged from the darkness at once. Each stood nearly six meters tall, towering over the four Dragonborn.

Their bodies were covered in smooth, gray, slimy skin that reflected every flash of lightning across the storm. The light sliding across their wet bodies made them look even more unnatural. Their elongated limbs ended in enormous claws, their distorted heads twisted toward the Dragonborn as they released low, guttural sounds.

The creatures barely had time to react when the four Dragonborn immediately moved toward them.

Erend accelerated forward and struck the first monster with a huge force to crush its upper body. Eccar followed by grabbing another creature and hurling it through the air before finishing it with a single blow. Aesa moved between the monsters like a blur, tearing through their defenses with precise strikes, Sylven overwhelmed another creature with sheer physical strength.

Within moments, all ten monsters lay dead beneath the storm.

The four Dragonborn then turned toward the rift. Its black interior continued twisting violently and didn’t reveal anything of what existed beyond it.

Erend narrowed his eyes. "We need to check that out."

Eccar grinned. "I was hoping you’d say that."

Without hesitation, the four Dragonborn flew directly toward the enormous rift.

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