I Received System to Become Dragonborn-Chapter 937: The Time

The hour stretched thin with silence. The three of them absorbed in the grind of reviewing candidates. Pages turned, pens scratched over notes, and now and then, a low grunt broke the stillness.

Then, almost in perfect sync, three heavy sighs filled the room. They all leaned back slightly. The weight of decision-making dragging at their shoulders. They were not used to this kind of stuff at all.

Billy rubbed his temples and groaned, "Man, some of these kids are better than me in every way. Combat scores, academic crap... I’m starting to feel like I’m the rookie."

Erend snorted. "Then I must be ancient," he said, not looking up. "These kids will probably underestimate me too."

They shared a quiet laugh. The kind of laugh that born out of fatigue and the absurd truth of it. Because in reality, even if these new recruits thought them outdated, none of them could match what the three had been through. What they carried and what still pulsed in their blood.

Billy grinned faintly. "Well, even if we get underestimated, we’ve still got one hell of a cheat code."

Adrien raised an eyebrow. "You mean our Magic."

Billy nodded. "Yes, captain. This also not just usual Magic. It’s the leak effect from a Dragonborn. Just standing near Erend for too long turned us into walking Magic user suddenly. These kids with no Magic power is nothing."

Erend scoffed. "You make it looks like I’m just a walking radiation hazard."

The mood lightened but only for a while. Adrien’s smile faded. He leaned forward with his fingers steepled and his brows furrowed.

Something had been gnawing at him beneath the jokes and banter.

"Hey," Adrien began, "I’ve been thinking about all this since the beginning. The experiment, the threat, and I’m sure that this will bring the changes that will happen in the world. You... know more than we do. Right?" He looked straight at Erend. "If this thing is coming is there a way we can be more prepared?"

Erend met Adrien’s gaze and held it for few seconds. The room went still again.

"I don’t know too much actually, captain," Erend said. "Nott yet for now. But... me, Eccar, and one other Dragonborn are planning to reach out to the other Dragonborns. We will try to get them on board. If what we suspect is true, we’re going to need them all."

Adrien’s eyes narrowed slightly. Billy just blinked.

"Wait," Billy said. "Other Dragonborns? Like, more than you and Eccar?"

Erend didn’t answer directly, he just nodded his head once. But the look on his face said enough.

Adrien and Billy exchanged a long glance. That was above their paygrade. Worlds beyond them, literally. So they wouldn’t bother to ask too much.

"Right," Billy muttered, rubbing his face. "Yeah. You handle that Dragonborn buseiness. We’ll be here and reading for the next folder when you’re gone."

Then the silence resumed. Paper rustled again and time passed.

Eventually, the afternoon sun slanted across the windows. Erend glanced at the clock, closed the last folder for now and stood.

"I’ll go home now and pick Arty up," Erend said.

"Tell her hi from me," Billy said, waving a hand without looking up.

"Don’t let her outgrow you in Magic. That girl is brilliant, I can tell," Adrien added with a small smile.

Erend just nod his head and left the room.

---

By the time he got Arty, the sun was lower and streaking the sky in gold color. Their ride home was quite like before. Arty talked a bit about her day, nothing important.

As they stepped into the house and straight to his room, Erend felt it subtle pull in his mind. Aurdis was reaching for her with telepathy.

Before he could blink, a soft golden portal shimmered open in the air right in front of him, and then Aurdis stepped in her sleek elegant attire.

She smiled briefly, placed a soft kiss on his lips, and pressed a parchment scroll into his hand.

"This is the clone spell," she said. "It’s stable and will lasts very long. Powerful enough for basic projection and decoys. Use it wisely."

"You’re leaving already?" Erend asked, brow slightly furrowed.

"Yeah. I got too much work to do. I barely carved time for this," she said apologetically. "We’re sorting through a mountain of things from Laston’s research. It’s... a lot."

"I understand," Erend said.

"Take care of her, alright?" Aurdis added.

"I will. You don’t need to reemind me too much. I’m his brother you know."

With that, she gave him a final smile and vanished back through the portal. The scroll now sat firmly in his hand, the spell humming faintly with Magic.

Erend looked at it for a moment, then exhaled. Arty’s training was one step closer.

After dinner, as the plates were cleared and the quiet lull of evening settled over the house, Erend turned to his mother with a more serious expression.

"Mom," he said, "there’s something important I need to talk to you about."

She glanced up from her tea and smiled gently, as if already expecting it.

"Arty told me," she said before he could continue. "About the training and the ... teacher from the other world." She set the cup down. "I agree with it. This is for her safety. I know I can’t protect her from everything out there in a world like this and the kinds of dangers you’ve already faced."

Erend nodded slowly.

"You don’t need to worry so much anymore, Mom. You’ve done more than enough raising us and giving us what we needed." He looked away briefly, then back at her. "Now it’s our turn to protect you. You’ve earned your peace."

His mother smiled. A quiet kind of smile, full of love and a little sorrow.

Arty leaned in and hugged her tightly, resting her head against her mother’s shoulder.

"Don’t worry, Mom," Arty said with a grin. "I’m going to get super strong. You’ll see."

Erend stood back with his hands in his pockets, awkwardly watching them.

He smiled too, but didn’t join the hug. That wasn’t really his thing. He just watched them with a warmth in his chest and stayed quiet.

---

A few days later, while Erend sat on the edge of his bed reading a few notes he made for Arty’s spell control, a familiar presence brushed his thoughts.

Then Eccar’s voice rang clearly through telepathy.

"One of the teachers agreed."

"Who?" Erend asked.

"She’s the Archmage of Qomore. Sylmira. She said yes. But... Adrius isn’t available. He said he is too busy with his own kingdom’s issues."

Erend nodded to himself. "One is more than enough. I’ll send Arty soon. Be ready to receive her."

"Always ready," Eccar replied before the link faded.

Erend glanced out the window where Arty was reading on the porch, sunlight in her hair. He reached for the scroll on his desk—the clone spell—and exhaled.

It was time.

---

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