I Received System to Become Dragonborn-Chapter 986: Deep In The Forest

The rain came down in sheets now like a steady roar on the canopy above. But the massive leaves and the ancient trees shielded them, letting only a fine drizzle filter through to dampen their hair and shoulders.

They had been walking for two days in this endless forest. Their boots sinking into moss and soft soil, yet no sign of civilization had crossed their path. Unless the wandering predators and strange beasts counted.

Civilization or not, they had left a trail of corpses behind them. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Most were monsters foolish enough to hunt them. Others were animals brought down for food, their meat roasted over small smokeless fires.

Neither of them felt the chill or the fatigue that would have crippled any human traveler. Even in this form they were Dragonborn that have strength, stamina, and resilience woven into their very being far higher than any other being.

Eccar kicked at a tangle of roots ahead, breaking the silence. "So... what now? I haven’t seen anyone we could even ask for directions."

Krono sat cross-legged on a low root, steam curling from the cup in his hands.

"We just need to keep looking." His tone was unhurried, the warmth of his drink seeming to seep into his voice.

Eccar eyed the identical cup in his own hands, the liquid inside somehow still the same pleasant warm temperature it had been from the first sip.

He knew exactly what Krono was and what kind of power he wielded. If the Time Dragon said they only needed to keep searching it meant he had already glimpsed the moment they would find someone.

He leaned back against a trunk, letting that thought settle him.

"You know," he began, curiosity creeping into his voice, "I’ve been wondering about your power. How far can you actually see into the future?"

Krono looked up from his cup, golden eyes calm.

"Not as far as you think. Certainly more than any mortal—or even most immortals—but never the whole picture. And it comes without cost so it was much easier for me. Sometimes, visions come without my asking for them. As if... someone handed them to me."

Eccar’s brow furrowed. "You think someone is actually giving you those visions?"

Krono gave a slow shrug.

For a while, Eccar was silent, counting the seconds in his head. Then he spoke again. "You know... there was a place Erend and I went once. It was another dimension, tied to his power. We met beings there. Strong beings from other worlds or different civilizations. One of them said something I can’t forget. That maybe there’s a power above all of us that we can’t touch or even think about. An entity that gave Erend his power."

Krono’s gaze locked on him.

"You know Erend’s Dragonborn power isn’t his own, right? That it was given to him?" Eccar pressed.

Krono nodded once. He and Erend had never spoken of it, but the acknowledgment in his eyes made it clear that he knew. It must be because of his power.

"I’m curious," Krono said after a pause, "about this entity you speak of. Something above all, untouchable. What else do you know?"

Eccar leaned forward slightly.

"This entity... It’s been guiding him. Giving him instructions and sending him to places where his presence changes the outcome. Where he stops disasters."

Krono went quiet, his thoughts unreadable. Then, finally, he spoke. "If it’s something we can’t reach, then thinking about it gains us nothing. And if it’s helping Erend prevent disaster... then it’s an ally, even if we never meet it. At least for now."

Eccar gave a small, wry smile. "Yeah. I guess that’s true."

The rain above drummed on, steady and unending, as they sat in the shelter of the ancient trees. The two Dragonborn in the heart of a forest that seemed to go on forever.

For another minute, they sat in companionable silence, savoring the warm liquid that, truth be told, was of Krono’s making.

The faint steam curled between them, the quiet rhythm of rain above their only soundtrack.

Then, both stilled at the same moment. Their senses that were sharper than any mortal sense stretched outward, skimming through the forest’s damp air, weaving between trunks and vines. They caught presences instantly.

Eccar tilted his head slightly. "Not a danger," he murmured.

Krono nodded, his expression holding that calm knowing weight Eccar recognized too well. This was it, the moment from his vision. The one where they would meet someone.

Through their attuned perception, they tracked the newcomers. Three of them, moving with purpose and skill.

The cadence of their steps and the silent coordination of their approach spoke volumes. These were no wandering beasts. They were sentient and intelligent.

Likely they lived in this forest and in a world like this that almost certainly meant Elves.

"We should look as unthreatening as possible," Eccar said quietly.

"I agree," Krono replied, a faint smile tugging at his mouth. "Though with that scar across your face, I doubt you’ll ever look unthreatening."

Eccar’s lip twitched. "Can’t be helped."

Krono gave a low chuckle, setting his cup aside. "We need to act weak. Don’t resist when they bind us and let them take us as prisoners. It’s the easiest way in."

"Understood," Eccar said simply.

They waited, still and patient, as the distant movement drew nearer.

The three approached with subtle shifts, their paths weaving high in the canopy, deliberately keeping above ground.

That wariness meant they had already detected their presence.

A minute later, one figure broke from the branches above, descending with the precision of a hawk.

She landed in a fluid crouch. Her bow already drawn, an arrow aimed squarely at them.

She was tall. Her long hair was in the deep shade of polished walnut and was tied back to keep her sharp features unobscured. She has fierce and bright green eyes, locked on them with unwavering focus. Her face was sculpted in the way of Elves. Elegant but sharp and in this case, set into a mask of alert hostility.

Krono and Eccar stayed exactly where they were, their hands open. Just as planned.

---