I Received System to Become Dragonborn-Chapter 1216: Ally

The gravity of Khepra-Ankh’s last words lingered in the air and pressed down on Erend’s chest until his breathing slowed and his mind turned inward.

"So this is why the system kept warning me..."

Then he felt that the faint, ever-present awareness of his power moved inside him. It was not reacting with urgency, but with grim confirmation.

"It wasn’t warning me about Zerathul alone. It was warning me about what stands above him."

Erend sighed slowly and lifted his eyes to Eccar and Aesa.

"There’s something I haven’t told you before," he said.

Eccar and Aesa both turned to him immediately.

"The Void Architect... isn’t just some distant evil," Erend continued. "It’s the natural enemy of the system power that I have. And Zerathul, the Grave Bringer we’re fighting right now, he’s not alone."

Eccar stiffened. "What do you mean?"

Erend’s jaw tightened. "Zerathul was one of the Void Architect’s heralds. A helper. Something like an executor meant to carry its influence into the worlds." His eyes darkened. "But Zerathul didn’t stay loyal. He took that power for himself. That’s how he became what he is now."

The silence that followed was sharp.

Aesa’s grip on her mug tightened until her knuckles paled. "You’re saying that we’re not just fighting some corrupted necromancer god, but part of something bigger."

"No," Erend said quietly. "We’re fighting a stolen fragment of something far worse."

Eccar sighed with disbelief clear on his face. "And you’re telling us this now?"

Erend nodded. "Because there’s more."

Both of them looked at him again.

"From what I’ve learned," Erend said, "the Void Architect created three major creations. One became something like a god. One became a monster." His gaze drifted briefly toward the shattered city outside. "And the third... is missing."

Aesa felt a chill crawl up her spine. "Missing...?"

Erend nodded slowly. "I don’t know what it is yet. But the gate that spawns monsters... it might be one of those creations. Or a fragment of one."

Eccar let out a slow breath. "This is the first time you’ve ever told us any of this."

"Yes," Erend admitted. "And I’m sorry for that."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Shock and confusion hung heavy between them.

Throughout it all, Khepra-Ankh remained silent.

He sat back in his chair, lifting the mug to his lips, calmly sipping the cold vaporous juice as if the revelation unfolding before him was something he had already accepted long ago.

His eyes moved between them, observant, and unreadable.

Aesa finally broke the silence.

"I don’t want to carry everything at once," she said, her voice firm despite the tension in her chest. "Void Architects, missing creations, gods... that’s too much. Right now, Zerathul is what matters. He’s the one destroying worlds."

She looked at Erend. "Let’s focus on what we can deal with first."

Erend studied her for a moment, then nodded. "You’re right."

He turned toward Khepra-Ankh fully.

"Zerathul is called the Grave Bringer," Erend said. "He would bring necromancy into our world and turn it into death zones. He’s the enemy we’re facing now." His eyes sharpened. "Can you help us deal with him?"

Khepra-Ankh did not answer immediately.

He set the mug down slowly and leaned back, his gaze lifting toward the ceiling as his thoughts racing.

The calm expression he carried changed into something more contemplative.

"I am bound to this place," he said at last. "This Dungeon World. Even if I wished to act... I do not know if I can bring my full power beyond it."

His eyes returned to Erend. His fingers rested against the cold surface of the mug.

"I will tell you about my power. My power was not meant to destroy and twist souls and bodies like necromancy does," he said slowly. "It was meant to command the boundary between life and death. Necromancy violates that boundary. It forces the dead to obey and anchors souls where they should not remain."

Erend felt his focus sharpen.

"I do not raise the dead," Khepra-Ankh continued. "I severe them. I return what has been bound incorrectly. If Zerathul’s power is necromancy taken from the Void Architect, then my authority directly opposes it. I’m a Psychopomp Dragon."

"Psychopomp Dragon..." Eccar straightened slightly. "So you can undo what he does."

"Yes," Khepra-Ankh said. "At least temporarily. I can disrupt his control, unravel summoned legions, and silence necromantic fields." His eyes narrowed. "Against him directly, I could weaken his grasp enough for you to strike. If I can bring my power outside."

Aesa felt a spark of relief rise in her chest. For the first time since the name Void Architect was spoken, something resembling hope emerged.

"That could change everything," she said quietly.

Erend nodded. "It gives us an opening."

Khepra-Ankh lifted a hand, stopping the momentum before it could fully bloom.

"But," he said calmly, "this only matters if my power can leave this place."

The optimism hesitated in their heart.

"I am bound here," Khepra-Ankh reminded them. "This Dungeon World is my anchor. I do not know whether my authority can manifest outside it, or for how long."

Erend did not hesitate. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

"I’ll ask," he said.

He closed his eyes and steadied his breath. His awareness turned inward, sinking past sensation and thought, until it reached that vast, ever-present presence that governed his system power.

"Veyrun, if this is allowed I need to know now."

The response came immediately.

[Permission granted. External authority may be manifested.]

Erend’s eyes opened slightly. Then the next message came.

[Time restriction applied.]

He frowned.

[The maximum duration I can give you is 30 seconds.]

The room felt suddenly heavier around Erend.

Erend lifted his head and looked at Khepra-Ankh.

"It’s possible," he said. "But only for thirty seconds."

Eccar sucked in a breath and smacked his lips. "Tsk. Thirty seconds?"

Aesa’s eyes widened, hope and tension colliding. "That’s barely any time."

Khepra-Ankh did not react with surprise. Instead, he smiled faintly.

"Thirty seconds of the correct power," he said, "is sometimes enough to decide the fate of a war."

His gaze locked onto Erend’s.

"If that window opens," Khepra-Ankh continued, "you must already be in position. There will be no second chance."

Erend nodded slowly, the weight of responsibility settling fully onto his shoulders.

"Okay. Then we’ll make those thirty seconds count."

—