Erend soared through the sky, the cool wind rushing past his face as he approached the vortex that now reduced to a mere five meters in diameter. The swirling mass of black and red seemed weaker but no less ominous.
Occasional black lightning shot out and arcing toward him like serpents. He tensed and ready to defend himself, but the bolts were already diminished in strength so it bounced harmlessly off his Dragon Scales, leaving not even a scorch marks.
As he hovered near the vortex Erend stared at the swirling darkness. His eyes narrowed in thought.
"What now?" he wondered. "Should I just go in?"
The idea of diving headfirst into the unknown was reckless even for him. But hesitation wouldn't help. They had precious little time and he knew every second they waited the threat of the Great Calamity grew.
"If I go in, I might face something powerful again," he thought. "But maybe... maybe I'll get another glimpse, avision of its weakness."
The memory of his previous encounter when the vortex had shown him the heart of the Great Calamity as a mass of flesh and dark energy came to mind. He had no choice. Whatever information he could gather, he needed it now.
Finally, his decision weree made. He took a deep breath and tilted his wings, propelling himself forward.
The vortex loomed closer and the air around it felt heavier, filled with an corrupted energy that made his skin prickle. When he finally touched the surface, it rippled like liquid.
For a moment, nothing happened. Just the sound of his wings beating against the wind. Then, his vision blurred as his mind was yanked into a flood of images.
He saw tendrils of Magic, dark and pulsating, stretching from the vortex behind the clouds like veins in a diseased body. They spread out then descending from the sky and planting themselves into the earth in several locations.
The radius was vast though it wasn't blanketing the entire world, it stretched over a large expanse from where he hovered, connecting distant points like the roots of a giant tree.
Each place where the tendrils dug into the ground had a similar pattern. Nature withered, the earth turned black, and the once-green fields became barren wastelands. Rivers dried up and trees stood leafless and brittle, their bark cracking under the unnatural pressure.
The life force of the land was being drained, and the vortex was the source.
Erend clenched his fists, anger flaring in his chest. The vision faded and the swirling darkness of the vortex came back into focus.
He understood now: the tendrils were feeding the vortex and drawing power from each point and channeling it back into this dark portal. If they were going to stop the Great Calamity for good, they needed to sever these connections. And fast.
He don't know how long it might be doing it. Maybe this Great Calamity had done it since their battle with the two harbinger of doom. Maybe this is the way it will consume the world.
He pulled back fast, retreating from the vortex's edge. His heart pounded as the weight of the task settled over him. "If I can't destroy those points, then we're only delaying the inevitable. This bastard is absorbing the world to make itsel stronger. Damnit!"
With a determined look, he flapped his wings harder and flew back toward the palace. They had a new mission, find and sever every tendril before it was too late.
When he flew back toward the palace he felt a sudden sharp disturbance ripple through the atmosphere. His instincts screamed a warning. He glanced back just in time to see something emerging from the vortex, a shadowy apparition twisting and contorting as it shot out like a spear of darkness.
The creature, its form shifting and unstable, had glowing red eyes and elongated, claw-like limbs. It moved with a speed that matched his own and Erend's eyes widened as it closed in.
He banked hard to the side, narrowly avoiding the razor-sharp claws that sliced through the air where he had just been.
The apparition hissed, its form writhing as it circled back for another attack. Erend flared his wings and stopping himself mid-air, then drew his Starsteel sword that he had not used in the previous fight againts the two woman harbingers of doom.
The metallic edge gleamed under the dim light of the evening sky. The two faced off for a moment, hovering above the battlefield, before the creature lunged again.
Erend was ready. With a roar, he swung his sword and their clash rang out. A sharp metallic sound was heard in the sky as his blade met the apparition's claws. Sparks flew as they pushed against each other, the creature's eyes glowing with a malevolent intensity.
But Erend's strength that bolstered by his Dragonborn power was too much. He shoved the creature back, flapping his wings to gain some distance. With a quick, decisive motion, he surged forward, bringing his sword down in an fast.
The blade slashed through the apparition's torso, and black ichor sprayed into the air as it howled in pain.
Not wanting to give it a chance to recover, Erend twisted mid-air and spun then delivering another powerful strike.
This time, the blade cleaved straight through the creature's neck. It shrieked, its form dissolving into shadowy wisps before evaporating completely, leaving only a faint trace of darkness behind.
Erend hovered, breathing heavily as he scanned the area. The vortex still swirled ominously in the distance, but the immediate threat was gone. It definitely send something to stop him but its not strong enough. Maybe because it already exhausted a lot of its Magic energy to reinforce the harbingers of doom.
He exhaled, relieved that he had sensed it in time. With one last glance at the dying remnants of the creature, he turned back and flew swiftly toward the palace.
Erend arrived at the palace balcony again and immediately call for a meeting to all of who was available to answer.