The fragmented memory surfaced without warning into Erend’s mind at that moment. The moment it appeared Erend found himself looking through another pair of eyes.

The surrounding darkness vanished and an ancient scene unfolded before him. It lasted only an instant yet the sheer weight behind it felt greater than entire worlds.

He saw the Void Architect. Not the weakened being currently hiding somewhere beyond reality. Not the diminished enemy who had spent centuries struggling against the System. This was the Void Architect from a distant age when his power had still been nearly intact.

His shape appeared vaguely human, but only at first glance.

The proportions were wrong. His body stood far larger than any human should have been. His movement carried an unnatural sense of scale as if reality bent around him.

Armor made of metal covered his body from head to toe. But even calling it normal metal felt inaccurate. The metal shimmered with its own internal light. The light was a faint blue radiance that flowed beneath the surface like rivers trapped inside steel.

Long hair fell across his shoulders and drifted despite the absence of wind. His face remained mostly obscured by the fragmentary nature of the memory, but Erend managed to catch a glimpse of his eyes.

Blue. His eyes were brilliant blue, and within those eyes sat square pupils.

The sight alone sent a violent shock through Erend’s consciousness.

Pain exploded inside his head. The memory shattered.

Erend immediately staggered backward through the mental landscape while clutching his head. A sharp pain spread throughout his mind. The connection between himself and the Creation trembled dangerously as his consciousness instinctively retreated from the overwhelming image.

A heavy breath escaped him. "I can’t look at him for very long," Erend said while trying to steady himself. Even speaking felt difficult.

Maintaining the connection already strained him badly. Whatever remnants existed within that memory carried enough power to affect him despite being incomplete.

"I’m sorry," the Creation said softly.

"It’s not your fault," Erend said.

Erend lowered his hand and forced himself to focus again. His head still throbbed painfully, but he ignored it.

No matter what happened, he needed more information.

The entity approaching this world was potentially connected to the Void Architect. If Erend failed to learn everything he could now, they might not get another opportunity.

If he could not prepare for what was coming, then the outcome could be disastrous.

Only he could do this. Only he possessed enough connection to both the System and the Sky Anchor to gather these memories.

"Give me more," Erend said. His jaw tightened. His consciousness braced itself for another surge of pain. "If there are any memories left, I need to see them."

The Creation remained silent for several moments. Then she spoke. "The other entity..." Her voice sounded hesitant. "I think I still have one more memory about it."

Erend immediately focused on her. "Then show me."

"I don’t know why," the Creation continued, sounding confused. "But now it feels like I can think much better than before. Did you do something to me?"

The pale landscape around them shifted gently.

Erend glanced around the mental world surrounding them.

The consciousness itself seemed more stable than during their previous encounters.

"We’ve been gathering your fragments," he explained. "The kingdoms are trying to reunite them. Once enough pieces are restored, your purpose will be rewritten."

The moment those words left his mouth, the entire mental landscape reacted. The pale space undulated violently. Ripples spread across the endless expanse.

The Creation’s fear immediately surged through the connection.

"That’s bad," she said. Her worried voice echoed throughout the surrounding consciousness. "If that happens, the Void Architect will have an easier time obtaining me."

Erend sighed and said, "It is a necessary risk."

The Creation fell silent.

Erend continued before she could retreat again. "Right now you’re exactly what he wants. You’re part of the foundation he built. If we do nothing, he’ll continue chasing you forever. But after the rewriting process is completed, you’ll become something different. You won’t be a tool for him anymore. You won’t be something he can use for his own purposes."

The pale light flickered uncertainly around them.

The Creation did not answer immediately. Instead, a long silence settled between them.

Erend could feel her thoughts moving beneath the surface. He could feel her confusion, fear, and doubt.

More than anything, he felt her uncertainty.

She wanted to believe him. Yet she clearly wasn’t sure whether changing herself was truly safer than remaining as she was.

Erend could feel the uncertainty lingering inside the Creation long after their conversation should have ended. It drifted through the connection between them like a cold mist.

For a while, neither of them spoke. The pale landscape surrounding them continued shifting gently.

The silence felt heavy, yet Erend knew this was not something he could solve through force. The Creation was not an enemy that needed to be defeated. She was frightened and confused. More importantly, she was being asked to place her future into the hands of people she barely knew.

Eventually Erend released a slow breath and looked toward the hidden presence behind the countless mental barriers.

"You don’t have to decide because you understand everything," he said quietly. "Honestly, none of us understand everything. We don’t know exactly what the future will look like after the rewriting is completed. We don’t know every consequence. But we do know one thing. We know what the Void Architect wants."

The pale light around them flickered.

"He wants you back. He has spent all this time searching for you. He has attacked kingdoms, sacrificed lives, and nearly destroyed the entire world because he wants to reclaim you. Whatever purpose he originally created for you, it isn’t something good."

The Creation trembled slightly.

Erend continued speaking, his voice steady despite the exhaustion weighing upon him. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

"You asked whether rewriting yourself creates risks. It does. I won’t lie to you about that. There are risks. But doing nothing is also a risk. If we stop now, then the Void Architect will continue hunting you. If he succeeds, you’ll become part of whatever terrible plan he has been preparing all this time."

Then Erend stepped forward.

"So trust me. Trust us. Trust the people risking their lives to protect you. Trust the kingdoms that have already sacrificed so much. We’re not doing this because we want power over you. We’re doing it because we don’t want him to use you anymore."

The Creation did not answer immediately.

The pale world around them grew still. The drifting lights slowed. Even the distant fragments of memory seemed to pause.

Then slowly, the fear flowing through the connection began to lessen.

When she finally spoke, her voice sounded small but far steadier than before.

"I still don’t understand everything."

"I know," Erend said.

"I’m still afraid."

"I know that too."

"But... I think I understand one thing. You could have abandoned me and ignored me. You could have treated me like a weapon or a tool. But you didn’t."

The pale light surrounding them brightened faintly. Then at last she said the words Erend had been hoping to hear.

"I will trust you, Dragonborn."

Relief washed through him immediately, though it lasted only a moment before something heavier settled in its place. The weight of responsibility.

Because now the Creation had placed her faith in him.

If the rewriting succeeded, then she would be freed from the fate the Void Architect intended for her. She would become something new. Something that could no longer be used as a weapon of destruction.

But if they failed...

Erend slowly lowered his gaze.

If they failed, then he would have personally guided her into the hands of the Void Architect after reattaching her.

The thought twisted painfully inside his chest.

She had already admitted how much she feared him. She had admitted how much she hated the feeling of being connected to the Void Architect’s purpose. Yet she had still chosen to trust Erend despite that fear.

Now he carried that trust, and suddenly the burden felt far larger than the fate of kingdoms. Because if he failed it would not only mean the fall of worlds. It would also mean betraying the faith of someone who had finally decided to believe in him.

—