The growing unease inside Erend's chest refused to disappear. He stood motionless within the strange mental landscape of the Sky Anchor while staring into the endless expanse surrounding him.

Just as before, the place resembled a boundless sea of darkness with a little bit of pale light stretching farther than his eyes could follow. Countless fragments of memories, emotions, and ancient impressions drifted through the distance like stars floating across a silent universe.

And somewhere within all of it, the Creation was present. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

He could feel her. That was what disturbed him most.

She was not gone. She was not sleeping. She was not weakened beyond communication. She was just deliberately remaining silent.

"Answer me," Erend said again. "Please."

His voice echoed across the endless white expanse before fading into nothingness.

No response came.

Erend frowned deeper.

He pushed his consciousness farther into the fragment. The effort immediately strained him.

Even entering the Sky Anchor repeatedly was not something he could do endlessly, especially after everything his body had endured during the invasion. Yet he ignored the growing fatigue and continued searching.

"You've spoken to me before," he called out. "What's happening now?"

Still nothing.

The silence felt wrong. It even felt almost hostile. But, not toward him exactly, but toward something else.

Erend closed his eyes and focused harder.

Instead of speaking again, he extended his awareness throughout the fragment. He allowed his consciousness to spread through the mental landscape while searching for the familiar presence hidden somewhere within it.

Minutes passed. The effort became increasingly exhausting. Sweat slowly formed across his forehead despite his physical body remaining outside the mental realm. The pressure against his mind grew heavier the deeper he reached.

But eventually he found something. A faint thread, a distant presence. It was tiny and weak and afraid.

Erend's eyes immediately opened. "There you are."

He followed the feeling.

The thread pulled him deeper into the endless sea of light. Vast distances seemed to collapse as his consciousness moved forward. The surrounding landscape gradually changed. The pale light grew dimmer. The drifting fragments became slower.

Then finally he found her. A small presence hidden behind layers upon layers of protective barriers.

Not physical barriers but mental ones. Instinctive ones. It was as though she had unconsciously withdrawn into herself.

Relief immediately crossed Erend's face. "You are here."

For several seconds, nothing happened. Then at last he heard a voice.

A feminine voice that sounded soft and fragile. And filled with unease.

"Dragonborn..."

The simple response felt almost shocking after so much silence.

Erend immediately stepped closer.

"What happened?" he asked. "Why weren't you answering me?"

The presence remained quiet. He could feel hesitation coming from her.

He could also feel her confusion, fear, and something else.

Eventually she spoke again. "I don't know."

The answer caught him off guard.

"What do you mean?" Erend asked.

The Creation seemed to struggle to find the words. The silence stretched for several moments before she finally answered.

"I feel something."

Erend's expression hardened immediately. "What kind of something?"

Again she hesitated. Then her voice became even quieter. "Danger."

A chill ran through him.

The Creation continued. "It feels wrong."

The surrounding mental landscape trembled faintly.

"I don't know where it is. I don't know what it is. But I can feel it getting closer," said the Creation.

Erend remained silent.

The Creation was not an ordinary being. She was a fundamental existence connected directly to the Void Architect himself. Her senses extended far beyond those of ordinary mortals.

If she felt danger then that danger was likely real.

"Is it closer?" Erend asked carefully.

"Yes." Her voice shook slightly. "Ever since the Void Architect withdrew his power, the feeling has been growing stronger. It feels like something is searching."

The pale light around them dimmed further.

Erend immediately thought about Veyrun's warning. The cosmic entity. His instincts suddenly screamed at him.

The pieces were starting to connect.

"So you know what is searching?" Erend asked.

"I don't know." The Creation sounded frustrated. Genuine fear entered her voice. "I can't see it clearly."

"But it feels familiar."

Erend froze. "Familiar?"

The Creation remained silent for several moments. Then she answered. "It feels connected."

The words immediately made his heart sink.

"Connected to what?"

The pale world around them trembled again.

And when she finally answered, her voice sounded smaller than before. "Connected to him."

The moment those words left her mouth, Erend knew exactly who she meant.

The entity really was connected to the Void Architect. A cold sensation spread through his chest. Whatever Veyrun detected was almost certainly true. Something had found this world and it was getting closer.

Erend remained silent for several moments while processing her answer.

The uneasiness inside him only deepened. The Creation herself believed the presence was connected to the Void Architect, that was certain. So it must be here to do his bidding.

He stepped closer toward the fragile presence hidden behind the countless mental barriers.

"What do you know about it?" Erend asked. "Anything at all. Even if it's incomplete."

The Creation did not answer immediately. The darkness surrounding them trembled faintly. Fragments of pale light drifted through the vast mental landscape while distant memories floated past.

Finally she spoke. "I don't remember clearly."

Erend frowned. "What do you mean?"

"My memories are fragmented." A wave of sadness passed through her voice. "When I divided myself... many things were lost. Many things became incomplete."

Erend already knew that much. The Creation had shattered herself into multiple fragments specifically to escape the Void Architect. It made sense that the process had damaged portions of her memories.

But he needed something. Anything.

"Please try to remember," Erend said softly.

The Creation fell silent again. Then slowly, pieces of emotion began drifting into Erend's mind. Feelings, impressions, and ancient fragments.

Suddenly Erend saw flashes of an endless cosmic ocean, then a colossal serpentine shape moving between stars.

He also saw countless golden eyes opening within the darkness. Worlds reflected across shimmering scales.

Then the vision vanished.

Erend's eyes widened. "A serpent?"

"I think so," the Creation whispered. The mental landscape shook slightly. "I remember fear."

Another fragmented image appeared. A massive coil surrounding an entire planet, then a feminine laugh echoing across dimensions. He then saw stars disappearing inside an endless mouth.

Then that image shattered as well.

"I remember her watching."

The word immediately caught Erend's attention. "Her?"

"Maybe." The Creation sounded uncertain. "I don't know if it was truly female. I only remember that voice."

A chill traveled through Erend. The description sounded disturbingly similar to a cosmic being. Not merely a powerful monster but something far older and far greater.

"What else?" Erend asked.

The Creation struggled. The barriers around her presence trembled. Then another fragment surfaced.

This time Erend saw the Void Architect. His true form.

—