I Received System to Become Dragonborn

Chapter 1461: Stories

They had finally found the book. Erend wasn’t certain whether it would truly help him, but at least it was a beginning. The two of them sat at one of the nearest reading desks. Velrion naturally took responsibility for reading the ancient text while Erend quietly listened.

Velrion turned several worn pages before beginning.

"This story is about a swordsman who created his own sword technique. He spent most of his life developing it and only began practicing it after he had already grown old. By then, his mind was no longer as strong as it had once been."

Erend listened carefully. His thoughts immediately formed a connection. A strong mind seemed to be the foundation of true self-control.

"You can probably guess how this ended," Velrion said as he glanced toward Erend.

Erend simply nodded with a solemn expression.

Velrion continued reading. Several minutes later, he closed the page and summarized the ending.

"The swordsman eventually lost his sanity. His obsession with perfecting the technique overwhelmed his rational mind until he became nothing more than a madman. He slaughtered dozens of monsters... and eventually killed an innocent person."

Erend winced.

That could have been him.

He had nearly done the same to Eccar, Aesa, and Sylven. Eccar had suffered the worst injuries because of it.

"What finally stopped him?" Erend asked. "Did they kill him?"

Velrion shook his head.

"No. Several of the strongest people of that generation managed to restrain him instead. While he was restrained, someone told him that he had killed an innocent person. They reminded him that the strength he had sought to protect others had instead taken an innocent life. Those words finally pulled him out of his berserk state."

"But it was already too late," Erend said quietly.

"Yes," Velrion replied. "It was."

"What happened afterward?"

"He took his own life. His sword technique was sealed because everyone considered it too dangerous."

Erend fell silent as he reflected on the story.

Meanwhile, Velrion flipped through more pages, searching for another account that might relate to Erend’s situation.

As images of the worst possible outcomes began filling his mind, Erend slowly shook his head. It was far too easy to sink back into fear. If he allowed those thoughts to grow, they could easily become another path toward the Black Rage.

He needed to control his own mind first.

Velrion eventually found another story.

"This one is about a mage with extraordinary ambition. He wanted to control a spirit powerful enough to rival the greatest mages and swordsmen."

He continued reading.

"In the end, he murdered a powerful cultivator who served as a general in one of Drakenmere’s elite armies. He successfully extracted the general’s spirit, but the spirit remained consumed by hatred and vengeance."

"The mage couldn’t control it?"

Velrion nodded.

"No. Eventually, the spirit overpowered him instead. Their souls fused together and transformed into something terrifying that possessed both the strength of a master swordsman and the abilities of a Spirit Summoner."

He slowly turned another page.

"The creature possessed only one instinct. Kill. Destroy. It devastated large regions of Drakenmere before it was finally destroyed."

Story after story followed.

Some ended in tragedy. Others ended with sacrifice. None offered an easy solution.

After hearing so many accounts, Erend finally reached a single conclusion. Everything ultimately depended on self-control. But almost immediately, another thought followed.

He remembered what the Black Rage had felt like. The desire to destroy had been overwhelming. It had drowned every rational thought until destruction itself felt natural... even intoxicating.

Simply telling himself to stop would never be enough. No. It wasn’t that easy.

Velrion eventually reached the same conclusion. He closed the book and looked at Erend, who was still staring quietly ahead.

"Do you know what you need to do now?" Velrion asked.

Erend nodded slowly.

"I have to gain better control over myself whenever I enter that state." He sighed. "But it’s incredibly difficult. You have no idea what it feels like."

"I’ll help you," Velrion said. Determination shone clearly in his eyes.

Erend looked at him.

"How?"

"I can think of several methods. The first is meditation to strengthen your mind. The second is developing a specialized potion that may help stabilize your emotions. The third..." He paused briefly. "The third is the most difficult. We find a spirit capable of reaching your consciousness and pulling you out of the Black Rage if you can no longer do it yourself."

Erend remained silent for a long moment as he considered every suggestion.

Finally, he nodded. "Alright. I’ll try all of them. I don’t think I’m in any position to be selective anymore."

Velrion smiled and nodded back. He felt that he had finally found a meaningful way to repay even a small part of the debt he owed the Dragonborn.

—

Without wasting any more time, the two of them immediately left the library and headed toward Velrion’s tower.

As soon as they entered the Archmage’s private chamber, Erend noticed that the room remained as cluttered as ever. Ancient books lay stacked across several desks, loose scrolls covered the floor, and half-finished Magical diagrams still glowed faintly on nearby tables. Various crystals, herbs, and strange devices occupied nearly every available space.

It had only been a few days since the battle against the Void Architect, and it was obvious that Velrion had never found the time to clean any of it.

"Sorry about the mess," Velrion said with an awkward smile. "You know..."

Erend shook his head. "Don’t worry about it."

Velrion chuckled softly before walking toward one of the shelves.

"It may look chaotic, but I still know where almost everything is. I know exactly where to find what we need."

He moved confidently around the chamber, opening cabinets and pulling out various ingredients one after another. Dried herbs wrapped in paper, small glass vials containing shimmering liquids, several powdered minerals sealed inside tiny containers, and a handful of carefully preserved roots quickly accumulated on the worktable.

After inspecting each item, he placed them neatly into a leather pouch hanging from his belt.

When he finished, Velrion walked toward another cabinet positioned near the back of the chamber. From inside, he carefully removed a diamond-shaped crystal about the size of his palm. The crystal was perfectly transparent, and faint streams of pale blue Magic slowly flowed beneath its smooth surface.

He examined it briefly before nodding with satisfaction. "This should do."

Velrion slipped the crystal into his robe before turning toward Erend.

"Now, we need to go somewhere much more private."

—