The silence said enough. No matter how much they wanted answers about the system, the strange powers inside this Dungeon World, and the origin of Erend's strength, it was clear now that those truths were locked away behind forces far beyond their reach.
Maybe they really were just pawns in a larger game, a game played by beings they couldn't see, touch, and definitely couldn't question.
The thought left both Erend and Eccar simmering in a blend of anger and unease. Not just because of what they didn't know but because of what that ignorance meant.
They had enemies to fight, Dragonborn to unite, a war looming just beyond the horizon and now, the knowledge that something else had been pulling strings all along. Some powerful force had built this strange world—the Dungeons, the monsters, and the rules—and allowed them to grow stronger inside it. But for what purpose?
Erend finally shook his head, breaking the tense silence. He looked at Eccar who was just as still as him and frowned, clearly lost in the same train of thought.
"Don't think about them for now," Erend said quietly. "Whoever made all this doesn't matter right now. We've got our own problems to handle and our mission hasn't changed."
Eccar nodded slowly, though his jaw remained tight. "I get it. I just..." He exhaled. "It wasn't me who got the system. It's not me they chose."
Erend went quiet again. He couldn't deny that. He was the one bound to this strange power. The one tied directly to the system and its mysterious creators. Whatever this place truly was, it was more connected to him than to Eccar. He just worried about him.
Then Setekh-Ra, who was still seated nearby, spoke again.
"You don't need to worry," he said calmly. "The being who created the system and this world isn't evil. They are powerful and not exactly kind… but not cruel either. Their knowledge is far ahead of ours so we can't understand their thoughts."
He smiled at them, though Erend found little comfort in it. Even now after everything it was hard to believe in the benevolence of a force he'd never truly spoken to.
Once, early in his journey, the voice behind the system had guided him directly. Now, it was nothing but cold prompts and glowing blue text.
Setekh-Ra seemed to read his hesitation. "I know you don't trust what I'm saying. And that's fair. But know this, despite how unclear the orders may seem, they are meant to lead to something better. Not destruction."
Erend didn't answer at first. He only nodded. "We'll see."
Then he stood up. "We'll return later," he said simply.
Setekh-Ra nodded with a calm expression.
Eccar rose beside him. Erend opened a swirling portal. Without another word, both of them stepped through.
Setekh-Ra remained seated on the wet sand. His smile lingered only for a second more before fading into something heavier.
He looked at the place where the portal had vanished then lowered his gaze, silently.
Erend and Eccar stepped back into Eccar's room in the Qomore palace. The light from the portal faded behind them, and for a moment everything was quiet.
"I need to go back home right now," he said. "Take care of Arty while I'm gone."
Eccar nodded. "Yeah. Don't worry about us."
Without another word, Erend opened another portal that led back to his own world.
He stepped through, and then he was gone.
Erend appeared in his room a moment later. The familiar scent of this world's city air greeted him. He walked out and went down the stairs barefoot, his steps light as he headed toward the kitchen.
A cold drink was the only thing on his mind, just something to settle himself after that intense fight with the Boss, Setekh-Ra.
He poured water into a glass and took a slow sip. The silence of the house made him glance toward the living room. His mother's bedroom light was off so she was already asleep.
Erend exhaled in relief. That was good. That meant she hadn't stayed up worrying about Arty.
She must've trusted that Erend and the others could take care of her, that her daughter was safe even in another world while she was in training in something that would've terrified any other parent.
But their mother had always been stronger than she looked. She trusts him and his sister that they can take care of themselves.
Erend smiled faintly, feeling the weight in his chest lighten just a little. Then he returned to his room and lay on his bed then just staring at the ceiling in silence for a while.
Everything felt heavier now in his mind. He was thinking about it all over again.
The system, the Dungeon World, and of course, the hidden being that created it all. He had no answers and that was the part that wore him down the most right now. Not the fighting, or the wounds, or the danger.
It was the constant unknown.
He let out a long and deep sigh. The kind of breath that came from carrying too much for too long.
Then he decided that there was no point overthinking it tonight. The day had drained him enough.
So he closed his eyes and let the silence take him.
The next morning, Erend arrived at the military base.
As he stepped out of the car and into the front area, his eyes were immediately drawn to the west yard where dozens of soldiers stood in stiff formation. They look young, most of them younger than him. It must be time for the new candidate test already. General Lennard really didn't waste any time.
He watched them for a second, noting the nerves beneath their straight postures and the way their eyes locked forward like they were trying not to blink too fast.
Then Erend turned and entered the building, heading to the private room prepared for him, Billy, and Adrien.
They were the supervisors now and these young soldiers were their next duty.