I Received System to Become Dragonborn-Chapter 974: Next Day

The next day, Erend woke to the soft light of morning spilling through his bedroom window.

At first, everything felt normal. It was quiet, even peaceful. But that illusion didn’t last long.

A message from Eccar had arrived before sunrise. He told the news in short, to the point manner and heavy with unspoken weight.

He needed to ask him for the details twice.

It didn’t matter how vague the message was, Erend knew that tone. Something was wrong. Something big.

By the time he sat down for breakfast, the worry had already rooted itself deep in his chest.

His mother placed a plate of toast and fruit in front of him, along with a steaming cup of tea. She sat across the table, watching him with the gentle sharpness only a mother could master.

"You’re unusually quiet this morning," she said after a few minutes. "Did something happen?"

Erend looked up from his untouched plate. He forced a small smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

"It’s nothing you need to worry about, Mom."

She raised an eyebrow. "You only say that when it’s something worth worrying about, Erend."

He chuckled softly, appreciating her persistence, even if it made him feel worse.

"Really," he said. "Just some things I need to handle at the facility. Some adjustments with the project."

He can’t just tell his mother that a world ending event is possibly going on right now.

She studied him for another few seconds, then sighed—just a little—and gave a resigned nod.

"Alright," she said quietly with an understanding smile. "I won’t push."

She smiled, though it was small and slightly sad. "I can only say that you must come back in one piece, okay?"

Erend nodded, standing and leaning over to kiss the top of her head.

"Yes, mom."

—

The drive out to the facility in the countryside was long and quiet. Erend stared out the window as fields of green and rolling hills passed by. His mind was far from the scenery.

Eccar and Krono had already left. They were on their way to visit the other Dragonborn who were scattered across the veils of worlds. The thought alone filled Erend with unease.

Would two of them be enough? He had no idea what the condition of that other world was or if the Dragonborn wanted to accept them.

He knew how powerful they were and he trusted them. But still...

He looked down at his hands that curled in his steering wheel. Hands that had fought through gods, machines, and madness. And yet now, he wasn’t going with them. He had a different task.

This world had to be ready.

The Magic Assimilation Project was still in its early stages, but it was the best shot they had to ensure their realm wouldn’t be left defenseless when the unknown finally arrived. It was not exactly smooth but it’s still easy to handle.

Erend had already decided to pour his attention into it. He couldn’t leave now.

He thought of Arty’s clones, designed to act in her stead at the school. They weren’t just puppets. They were mirrors of her thoughts made through her memories, and guided by spells so intricate even the best Elven minds had struggled to perfect them.

But they had succeeded until now.

That alone was incredible. Until recently, Erend had believed only he could create such clones with his Dragonborn power. Now the Elves had managed to replicate the process through pure Magic science.

Erend leaned back in the seat and exhaled slowly.

"I guess I just need to trust them," he murmured. "Eccar and Krono can handle it... I have to believe that."

The car rumbled onward, weaving through narrow roads, past checkpoints and wards hidden in the wilderness.

Finally, it arrived at the gates of the high-security facility nestled deep in the countryside.

It looks like an unassuming fortress that keeps huge experiments on the bleeding edge of reality.

Erend stepped out of the car, the scent of pine and ozone sharp in the air.

As the guards nodded and cleared him through, he squared his shoulders. He needs to review the data on Marcus Vollen this morning with the others.

Erend entered the facility and passed through the familiar white corridors lined with smooth metallic walls and soft blue lighting.

He reached the office he shared with Adrien and Billy, and as soon as he stepped in, something felt different. There was a new desk neatly set in the corner.

Erend frowned. Someone new? He hadn’t heard of anyone being assigned here. But then, his brow eased slightly as the most likely answer surfaced. He had a guess.

Shrugging off the tension, Erend sat down at his own desk and tapped the screen of the slim tablet console.

It lit up instantly, projecting the information like the charts, written reports, and tagged timestamps. The data package was already loaded just as he requested.

He skimmed through the recent activity logs on Marcus Vollen but found nothing. Again.

Just like the last observation periods, Marcus’s behavior remained completely mundane. After leaving the clinic years ago, he returned to his regular schedule. No anomalies or bursts of power. No strange responses to stress. Even his emotional graph was average.

Erend leaned his elbows on the table and rested his chin on steepled fingers. The latest interview logs from Marcus’s parents were equally bland.

But Erend didn’t buy it fully.

Maybe the anomaly wouldn’t awaken unless exposed to Magic. Like now where he was in the heart of the project. Maybe that was the whole point. The anomaly had been lying dormant for years.

Erend realized with a chill that whoever planted it knew this project was going to happen.

That the Magic Assimilation Project would eventually exist. That Marcus would end up here.

Planned years in advance.

Erend’s mind circled back to the mysterious old man who had spoken to Marcus during his clinic stay that no one could identify. As if he had never existed at all.

And yet... Marcus remembered him.

Erend was still turning those thoughts over when the door opened.

Adrien and Billy entered first with someone else following behind them.

Jessica Lennard.

Major Lennard. Clad in her usual neat uniform. She gave a curt nod to Erend.

"Morning," she said, her voice smooth but with that underlying edge of command. "From today onward, I’ll be working here. I’ve been assigned to share this office with the three of you."

Erend glanced toward the new desk. So his guess had been right.

He nodded. "Alright. No problem."

Jessica gave a thin smile, then moved to the empty table and began syncing her own console.

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