Chapter 1513: Purpose

Erend slowly turned his head, scanning every corner of the enormous hall. His Dragon eyes searched through the darkness between the pillars, the ancient walls, the shadows surrounding the throne.

But he still couldn’t see anyone.

The voice returned a moment later, cheerful as before.

"I’m glad. After all this time, another fellow Dragonborn has finally come to visit me. Even if it is after my death. Heheh."

A deep laugh echoed through the chamber.

Erend stopped searching. If the voice could not be seen, there was little point in continuing to look for its source.

"Can’t you show yourself to me?" Erend asked.

The voice sighed. "I wish I could. But perhaps not now. After sleeping for so long, I’ve lost my ability to manifest myself in the physical world. If you want to see my face, you’ll have to wait."

Erend considered the answer for a moment before deciding not to waste any more time.

The voice had already called him a fellow Dragonborn. That alone made its identity obvious.

"Are you the Dragonborn who appeared in this world long ago and fought the entity that threatened it?"

"Ah, yes. That would be me." The voice sounded almost amused. "I am the Obsidian Dragon."

"Obsidian Dragon?" Erend muttered.

The name sounded like the name of a stone, but Erend had no intention of underestimating him. Whoever this Dragonborn was, he had apparently fought an entity that was powerful enough to threaten an entire world.

"Can you explain what happened?" Erend asked.

The Obsidian Dragon became quieter for a moment before answering.

"Well, it was the same kind of situation you are probably already familiar with. An evil creature came from the cosmos and threatened this world, so I fought it. I killed it. But I was killed afterward as well. That cosmic being was very strong, you know."

"Oh, yeah. I know."

Erend’s expression became slightly more serious.

He remembered his own battle against Nyssara. He remembered how overwhelming a true cosmic being could be even when it was four against one, and how easily such an existence could push even a Dragonborn to the brink of death.

"So how did you know I was here?" the Obsidian Dragon asked.

"My friends and I came here because we learned that a Dragonborn legacy existed in this place." Erend paused before continuing. "We have... uh, a problem with the Black Rage."

Silence come next. The Obsidian Dragon did not immediately respond. Erend waited patiently.

After several seconds, the voice finally returned.

"Ah... the Black Rage." His cheerful tone had disappeared now. "Hmm. I understand. You’re looking for me because you hoped I might know how to solve it, right?"

"Yes." Erend’s answer came immediately.

The Obsidian Dragon sighed. "Then I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. I don’t know how to control it either."

Erend’s heart sank. The disappointment struck him with surprising force. After everything they had gone through to reach this place, after following rumors across Elyndor and finally finding this ancient Dragonborn legacy, the answer had turned out to be another dead end.

For several moments, Erend said nothing.

Then the Obsidian Dragon spoke again. "But I can still give you something."

Erend immediately looked up.

"Your friends are currently meeting some of my other selves. They’re discussing the same subject as well. The Black Rage."

Erend’s eyes narrowed.

"I can’t help you control it. But I have a clue that may prove useful."

Erend’s disappointment remained heavy inside him, but curiosity quickly pushed it aside.

"What is it?" Erend asked.

The Obsidian Dragon’s voice became more serious.

"I’ve learned some of the true history of us, the Dragonborn. Why we exist and what our original purpose was. "I bet a young Dragon like you doesn’t know about this."

Erend’s eyes widened and he remained silent for a moment. "Really?" he finally asked.

"Yes." The Obsidian Dragon paused for a while. "But prepare yourself. What I’m about to tell you probably won’t sound pleasant."

Erend’s chest grew heavier. Until now, he had always believed that the Dragonborn existed for a simple reason: they were warriors and protectors who appeared when the world needed them. That belief had carried him through countless battles.

But if their true purpose was something else, something darker or more complicated, then everything he believed about his own existence might have been wrong.

But Erend knew that he couldn’t turn away. If he wanted the truth, he had to be willing to hear it, no matter how unpleasant it was.

He took a slow breath, and said, "Tell me."

The Obsidian Dragon remained silent for several moments, as though gathering his thoughts before revealing something that had remained hidden for countless ages.

"Alright." We were created... Actually, we were created without any purpose."

Hearing that, Erend froze in place. He blinked several times as he tried to process the words, wondering whether he had heard the Obsidian Dragon correctly.

He had expected the truth about the Dragonborn to be something dark or bleak. Perhaps their existence had been tied to some terrible purpose or ancient conflict. But this was somehow even more unexpected.

"No... purpose?" Erend asked.

"Yeah. Based on what I know, our creator made us without giving us any specific purpose. That’s why we could spread across distant parts of the cosmos, never meet one another, live our own lives, or even fight each other. All of that happened because our creator never gave us a single purpose to follow," the Obsidian Dragon explained.

Erend remained silent for a moment before a faint smile appeared on his face. "Huh. That’s actually better than what I was expecting."

"You think so? Wouldn’t that make you confused?"

"No. It makes me grateful to our creator. We were created with the freedom to choose our own purpose. Like you. You chose to save this world even though it eventually cost you your life."

The Obsidian Dragon laughed warmly. "That actually sounds pretty good."

Erend smiled before asking, "What else?"

"Well... we actually have rankings."

Erend’s expression immediately changed. "What?"

He frowned. That was certainly something he had not expected.

—