Thar'Zul-Vekar still looked broken. Even with the truth revealed, with their vengeance extinguished and their pain shown in front of those who understood it, something in the god's eyes didn't come back.
That spark they once carried as a guardian of life and balance Erend and Eccar saw in that memory had dimmed. They stood there with a kind of sorrow that would never truly leave them.
Some things, once shattered, could never be made whole again.
Erend and Eccar didn't say anything at first. They just watched the god, understanding in a way what great loss could do to someone.
This was the kind of pain that didn't go away with words or even truth and left scars on the soul.
How could you come back from something like that? To be betrayed by someone you trusted with your entire being. To lose your world because of them. And then, to discover they had never meant to betray you at all, that they had been used by something even worse.
That kind of realization didn't bring peace. It just changed the shape of your grief.
Eventually, it was Erend who broke the silence.
"I think… it's time for us to go."
Eccar nodded beside him. "We've seen what we needed and done what we could."
Thar'Zul-Vekar turned to them slowly. "Yes. You should leave this place," they said. Their voice was calmer now, but still heavy. "I will reopen the gate for you."
They raised one hand and with a flick of their fingers the air shimmered. The fabric of space pulled apart, revealing the glowing edge of a portal.
"I will return the soul of the human that was sacrificed," Thar'Zul-Vekar continued. "They didn't deserve that fate… and now that I've seen clearly, I can't allow their life to be stolen in my name."
Erend gave a slow nod. "Thank you."
The god's shoulders slumped slightly, but then they looked to Krono. Their expression softened, the edges of their face becoming less rigid and more gentle.
"If… one day I am lost again," they said, "I hope someone will show me the truth, like you did."
Krono stepped forward and placed his palm over his heart.
"If you ever need to understand something or want to see clearly again just call my name. Krono. I will come and help you find what you seek."
For the first time, Thar'Zul-Vekar smiled.
And it was strange, because until that moment Erend and Eccar had never realized how much this god could radiate peace. How their presence that was corrupted and twisted by grief when they fight them had once probably brought comfort and balance to entire worlds.
Now, even that fractured smile was enough to remind them. This was a god of life of the forests.
Now they will going going into hiding again, retreating to their dimension to recover, or rest, or mourn again.
Erend and Eccar stepped through the portal with Krono close behind. Light swallowed them for a moment and then the air changed.
They were back in the temple.
Cool winds passed through the broken halls. Birds already come back and were calling outside.
The world here was calm again. Still scarred from what had happened but no longer on the brink of devastation.
The god had kept their word.
Erend stood silently in the chamber and looking at everything around him. He glanced toward the space the portal had been. It had closed now with no trace of its presence remained.
"I still want to know something actually," he murmured.
Eccar looked at him. "What?"
"If there are more gods out there like Thar'Zul-Vekar, the same forgotten ones who still sleeping or hiding or just waiting for any chance to come out."
Eccar took a breath, then slowly nodded. "There probably are. But I think we'll have some quiet before any of them move again."
Erend turned toward him. "You sure?"
"No," Eccar said. "But I hope so."
They stood there together in the heart of the temple, beneath a sky that no longer burned.
They had survived one problem by stoping one forgotted god. For now, they had peace for a little while.
The silence inside the temple held for a while longer after that. Then Erend turned toward Krono, his expression still worn.
"So… what now?" he asked.
Krono crossed his arms slowly, gaze shifting to the ceiling where fractured beams of light filtered through.
"There is one world we must visit next. A place where I believe another Dragonborn lives. He has eluded my vision for centuries."
Eccar tilted his head. "You mean even you can't find them?"
Krono's lips pressed into a thin line. "Not easily. The older Dragonborns are skilled in concealment. Whether it's Magic or instinct they know how to hide from everything including my time power. I'll need effort and focus to locate them precisely. But I believe they're still alive."
Erend exchanged a look with Eccar. That flicker of purpose returned, but only a little.
"Then we'll go," he said. "But not yet."
Krono turned back to them, his expression frowning.
"We need to rest first," Eccar added. "I know time's not on our side but we're no good if we burn out. We're not just tired we're also feeling sad after that battle."
Erend nodded. "We just fought a broken god and saw their past then learned about enemies beyond comprehension. So yeah, we need to rest."
Krono watched them for a long moment, then slowly nodded.
"You're right," he said softly. "You've earned it."
Erend let out a breath.
They both wandered toward one of the broken walls of the temple, where stone had crumbled outward into the forest.
What remained of the trees was charred and cracked in their battlefield befeore where green had turned to ash.
Then, from deep within the temple, a green light shimmered.
They turned. A slow pulse of powerful Magic filled the air, humming through the stone and into their bones.
"It's Thar'Zul-Vekar," Erend said softly.
The god was keeping their word.
Through the halls a surge of light rippled and rose. Thar'Zul-Vekar was already beginning the revival of those who had been sacrificed to bring them back.
The chamber pulsed with the power of restoration.