I Received System to Become Dragonborn-Chapter 984: Some Explaining

Erend began to speak with a steady voice but carrying the weight of something far greater than a simple request for help.

He explained everything from the beginning. The real reason why he had dared, once again, to experiment with fusing humans from his world with Magic power.

He told them about the disaster he had foreseen, a calamity whose origin and scale was unlike anything they had faced before. It all comes from the Time Dragon.

At the mention of that name, both Adrius and Lysander froze.

Their eyes widened in unison. Their expressions shifted from curiosity to shock.

Erend had expected this. The Time Dragon itself was not something you spoke of casually even though right now their relationship could be considered as friends.

But he pressed on.

There was far more to this. Erend revealed his suspicion that a hidden entity was at work and manipulating events on a cosmic scale.

This being, whatever it was, could even influence a Dragonborn, bending such a being’s will to its own purpose to destroy a world.

He knew this because he had glimpsed the memories of the ancient god he and Eccar had once faced in this world, which they must go to another dimension to defeat.

Adrius and Lysander immediately understood what god Erend referred to. They remembered preparing for the worst when that being began to stir only for the threat to vanish when Erend and Eccar stopped it.

They had thought the awakening of that ancient god was the height of danger and a crisis unlike any other they had faced because of the Magic they felt.

But now they realized it had only been the shadow of something far greater. Something worse was happening behind the scenes.

Lysander, for his part, felt a twinge of disbelief. An entity capable of manipulating a Dragonborn to bring destruction on a world scale? In his mind, it almost feels like the impossible thing to happen.

But Adrius’s face held no trace of doubt and if his master believed Erend, then the young apprentice began, reluctantly, to believe as well.

"That’s why I’ve started arming people in my world with Magic," Erend continued. "At least some of them. I hope that would be enough to defend the world if I’m not there."

The room fell silent. Adrius stared at Erend. A lot of thoughts in his head that were unreadable, while Lysander sat frozen not knowing what to say.

Erend didn’t press them further because he knew they needed time to let it sink in.

Finally, Adrius exhaled slowly.

"If that’s true... it means our kingdom also needs to be ready," Adrius said.

Erend nodded once. "Yes. As ready as you can be."

Adrius leaned back in his chair, sipping his tea and biting into a cookie while his gaze drifted toward the window.

Erend broke the silence again. "If you can... I’d like you to lend me some basic Magic manuals. Anything suited for training those just awakening to Magic. It would help."

Adrius nodded thoughtfully. "We have a manual for those at the very first stage of awakening. But your people have no knowledge of Magic at all... so I’ll need to make a few adjustments. Give me two days."

"That’s good enough," Erend said, then rising from his seat. "Thank you. I’ll see you soon."

With that, he opened his portal, the swirling light casting shifting shadows over the shelves, and stepped through.

When the portal snapped shut, silence reclaimed the room.

Adrius and Lysander sat there. Still trying to gather their thoughts after hearing the kind of news that made even the most hardened warriors and Mages feel small.

After Erend disappeared, for a long moment neither of them spoke. The faint ticking of the brass clock on the wall was the only sound.

Lysander leaned forward with elbows on his knees, staring at the floor as if the answers might be carved into the stone.

His knuckles were white from the grip of his clasped hands.

"Master..." he finally said. "If what he said is true and this entity truly exists, then it means a Dragonborn itself could be nothing more than a pawn?"

Adrius’s eyes were still fixed on the darkened sky beyond the window, where the faint glimmer of distant stars broke through the night clouds.

"I suppose," he replied quietly. "And that is what terrifies me most."

Lysander swallowed hard. "Then what chance do we have?"

Adrius didn’t answer immediately.

He reached for his tea but it had gone cold. Setting the cup down, he finally turned to his apprentice.

"Our chances, Lysander," He paused, the weight of his thoughts dragging each word. "They will depend on how well we prepare before the storm comes. And if Erend’s fears are correct, then the storm is already forming. I guess that is the only thing we can do for now."

Lysander shifted uncomfortably. The thought of training and arming an entire kingdom against an enemy they couldn’t even fathom was overwhelming.

"Do you think... his method will work? Giving Magic to people who were never meant to wield it?"

Adrius’s gaze darkened. "It’s dangerous. But sometimes... the most dangerous choices are the only ones we have left."

Silence settled again, but this time it felt heavier as though the room itself understood the gravity of their discussion.

Adrius rose from his chair and walked to one of the tall bookshelves. His fingers trailing across rows of worn spines until he stopped at a section bound in deep crimson leather.

"These," he said, pulling out a thick tome, "are the foundation. Old, simple, and safe, relatively speaking. But if we are to adjust them for a world that was never touched by Magic, we will need to strip away anything that could burn them alive by accident."

Lysander looked at the book with both curiosity and unease. "Do you think two days will be enough?"

"It will have to be." Adrius closed the book firmly. "The world doesn’t wait for us to be ready and besides, we also still need to be ready as well."

Outside, a faint rumble of distant thunder rolled across the horizon, though there were no storm clouds in sight.

Adrius’s eyes narrowed at the sound. Whether it was the weather or something else, neither of them could tell.

"We start doing this book tonight," Adrius said at last, moving toward his worktable. "There’s no telling how much time we have."

Lysander nodded, pushing aside his doubts.

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