Erend saw only darkness and hatred. His mind contained only a single instinct: to protect the people he loved. And to protect them meant destroying everything that threatened them. At this moment that threat was Nyssara. Anything standing between him and that target became nothing more than an obstacle that had to be erased.

Somewhere deep within the endless darkness, a voice continued buzzing at the edge of his mind. It sounded distant and indistinct, almost as though it came from another world. Yet despite the muffled sound, Erend could still sense the emotions carried within it. Concern, fear, sadness. They were reaching toward him with desperate determination.

"Who are they? Why are they reaching for me from beyond this darkness? What is the point... when there is still an enemy that must be destroyed?"

None of it mattered. Nothing mattered. He only needed to keep fighting. He only needed to kill this being!

—

ROOOAAARRR!!

Erend’s roar shook the sky.

The earth restraints fractured under the overwhelming force of his body. Layers of ice shattered into glittering fragments while the thorn-covered vines blackened and burned beneath the violent currents of black lightning exploding from his scales.

Eccar, Aesa, and Sylven gritted their teeth as they struggled to hold him.

Then, without another word, the three Dragonborn returned to their Dragon forms.

Their bodies transformed almost instantly as scales spread across their skin and enormous wings unfurled behind them.

The surge of Dragon power flowing through their bodies greatly amplified their strength, allowing them to reinforce the restraints surrounding Erend.

Even then, Erend’s gaze never changes. His dark eyes remained locked upon Nyssara’s weakened body lying motionless on the shattered ground.

She was wounded and helpless. She had to die now.

"Stop it, Erend!" Eccar shouted once more, pouring every ounce of his will into the telepathic connection. "Get yourself together! Remember us! Remember that you have to reject this rage!"

Among the three of them, no one shared a deeper bond with Erend than Eccar.

They had traveled together for years, surviving countless battles that should have claimed their lives. Together they had faced corrupted Dragon, forgotten gods, corrupted monsters, and enemies powerful enough to destroy the entire world. Time and time again, they had stood beside one another when death seemed inevitable.

Eccar knew Erend’s family. Erend knew what happened to his wife. Long after destiny had bound them together as Dragonborn, they had already become brothers in everything except blood.

Because of that, Aesa and Sylven chose to remain silent. Neither of them believed their voices could reach Erend as deeply as Eccar’s could.

Instead, they focused entirely on reinforcing the restraints. Aesa continuously poured ice Magic into the chains of ice wrapped around Erend’s body while Sylven summoned wave after wave of massive vines that coiled around his limbs and wings.

At the same time, neither of them took their eyes off Nyssara.

Although she appeared defeated, they refused to believe a cosmic being would surrender so easily. If she moved even slightly, they would be ready to react immediately.

Meanwhile, Erend refused to stop.

His battered body trembled beneath the restraints as black lightning burst endlessly from every wound. Each violent struggle shattered more stone, melted more ice, and burned away countless vines before new restraints immediately replaced them.

His broken left arm hung uselessly at his side, but he continued forcing himself forward without hesitation.

His every movement was driven by raw instinct alone. His remaining claw clawed desperately toward Nyssara while his jaws snapped repeatedly, as if nothing else in existence deserved his attention.

Watching him only filled Eccar with greater sorrow.

Erend’s Dragon body was covered in deep wounds. Blood continuously flowed from shattered scales before instantly evaporating beneath the black lightning surrounding him. Cracks spread across parts of his body where the overwhelming power of the Black Rage had begun tearing him apart from within.

"How much longer can you keep going like this?" Eccar wondered.

He wanted to save Erend. He wanted his brother to wake up.

But no matter how desperately he searched his mind, he could not think of a way to reach him.

From a distance, Nyssara quietly watched everything that happened.

Her body was still filled with pain from every wound Erend had inflicted. Her thoughts remained clouded by dizziness, and every attempt to move sent waves of pain throughout her weakened vessel.

Even so, she immediately understood what was happening. The Dragonborn were struggling. The Lightning Dragon, the strongest among them, had completely lost control of his power.

A faint glimmer of hope appeared within Nyssara’s mind. Perhaps... She could still escape in this situation.

Carefully, without attracting their attention, she gathered the small amount of strength that remained within her body. Rather than preparing another attack, she reached inward. She attempted to reconnect with her true body.

If she could reestablish even the weakest connection, she might be able to separate her soul from this ruined avatar and return to safety before this vessel completely collapsed.

It would not be easy and it would take time. Far more time than she wished. But it was the only option she had left right now.

As long as the Dragonborn remained occupied with Erend, they would have no opportunity to stop her. Perhaps they would remain trapped like this for several more minutes.

Or perhaps... They would fail to save him altogether.

If that Lightning Dragon’s uncontrollable rage consumed him completely and turned him against the others, they might end up killing one another instead.

That outcome would be even better for her.

So Nyssara kept reaching inside to her core. but after violating the oath that she herself had made she felt it hard.

She was also still feeling the humiliation after all this. If she knew that it would come to this Nyssara wont be bothered playing this stupid game.

It was all because of the Void Architect. He didn’t tell her everything about these Dragonborns and how strong they were. And now he made her turn into this. She would not forgive him.

—