I Received System to Become Dragonborn

As if hearing Esther's voice and recognizing the threat to its existence, the creature's severed body suddenly convulsed.

The twitching intensified, becoming more violent and unnatural.

The black tendrils that had been slithering from its neck stump now shot outward with terrifying speed, stretching farther and writhing like eels through the air, searching for its missing head.

Everyone who saw it froze for a heartbeat, the tension cracking in their heart.

"Esther! Annette! Do it now!" Selene snapped, her tone sharp and urgent.

Esther didn't respond with words just a tight nod. Her eyes were glowing with brilliant white light as she turned to Annette, who stood steady beside her.

Annette nodded back solemnly, and then both of them moved.

Esther raised her arms and began to chant something. Her voice ringing through the temple in a strange cadence.

There were symbols appearing on the floor beneath the creature that started to glow faintly, then brighter, pulsing in sync with her voice.

The air became heavy, charged with Magic energy.

Annette moved closer and lowered to one knee, placing her hand flat against the stone floor. A radiant symbol—her god's mark—shone across her palm, and from that symbol flowed golden and warm light, reinforcing Esther's spell.

A circle of light enveloped the creature's thrashing form. Its tendrils shrieked and recoiled, writhing violently as if scorched by the presence of holy power.

The Magic deepened. Wind howled out from nowhere. Loose stones rattled and dust flew, sucked into the growing sphere of force building around the creature.

Esther's voice rose to a shout as she reached the end of the incantation.

"Exilatum Nex Vortem!"

With a blinding flash, the creature was ripped from reality. Its body folding in on itself like paper being crumpled. The tendrils shriveling and vanishing into the air as if yanked by invisible hooks.

Then came a thunderous booming shockwave. It wasa not a sound but of power.

The sealing sigils blazed one final time and went still.

Silence fell. The air was calm again.

Esther staggered slightly, her breath catching in her chest. But she didn't collapse.

Annette caught her gently. Her divine support having absorbed much of the toll from doing the sealing spell. Esther was pale, but she nodded with relief.

"It's done," she whispered.

The others slowly lowered their weapons. The tension didn't vanish, it simply transformed into grim exhaustion.

Then they ran toward the back of the chamber where Hund and Thorne still lay, bloody and breathing hard.

Their wounds were already showing signs of mending from Kaela's potion, but they looked ragged. Especially Thorne, whose chest bore deep red gashes.

"I'll heal them," Annette said, stepping forward, but Jan held up a hand, stopping her.

"Not yet. Save your power," he said, watching her closely. "If there's another one of those things waiting for us ahead, we're going to need everything you've got."

Hund coughed, managing a pained grin.

"He's right," he said through a grimace. "This… this is nothing a potion can't patch up."

Annette frowned, clearly frustrated, but nodded.

"Alright. But if either of you so much as coughs blood again, I'm doing it."

Thorne gave a weak chuckle. "Duly noted."

The group formed a protective ring around the wounded as they waited a few more minutes, standing guard while Hund and Thorne recovered enough to move again.

Jan kept watching the shadows, his bow still in hand. Mark cleaned his blade in silence, eyes scanning every inch of the chamber. Selene whispered to Esther quietly, keeping her balanced.

And then, with quiet resolve, they gathered what strength they could, helped Hund and Thorne to their feet, and began to move forward again deeper into the temple.

---

On the other side of the temple, deep within the chamber where the ritual pulsed with unnatural energy, three cultists stood in a ring of black stone. They were now surrounded by flickering candles and swirling runes of blood.

A low hum echoed through the walls. It was the kind of vibration that didn't come from sound but from Magic.

"They sealed it," the youngest cultist muttered, eyes still closed in trance. His voice carried both surprise and admiration. "A sealing spell… Hah. They're quite good."

The man with silver tattoos running across his bald scalp opened one eye. "Yeah. They realized they couldn't kill it, so they sealed it instead. Smart."

The eldest of the three said nothing at first. His eyes were fixed on the black stone. The ritual was close.

Then he exhaled slowly, rubbing the bridge of his nose with two fingers.

"It doesn't matter," he said. "They're getting closer. But they won't stop it. The King will arrive soon."

The youngest licked his lips, excited. "We should welcome them."

The silver-tattooed man grinned wide. "Let them come and see the moment of his return. Their fear will taste like honey."

The eldest raised his hand slowly. "Then we agree. No more ambushes distractions now. Let them walk right into the heart of the storm."

The other two nodded, smiling with anticipation.

The ritual chamber darkened. A pulse of black light passed through the walls. The King was stirring.

---

Outside the temple, in the part of the forest that still stood tall. This part of the woods was untouched by the battle before.

Erend crouched on a thick tree branch, eyes focused on the looming temple in the distance. Beside him, Eccar leaned against the trunk with his arms folded, both of them silent for a moment as they caught their breath.

They had flown far from the crater where Orzhal-Kur had died but still in the same area. The forest was quieter now. The kind of stillness that came before something awful.

Erend narrowed his eyes. "The energy coming from was the same like that thing we killed. It feels more weird."

"Not just weird energy. Its also full of golems."

Erend nodded. "We'll have to deal with them before they become a nuisance later."

Eccar cracked his neck and stretched out his arms. "Alright."

The two of them leapt down from the tree. As they dropped, their backs erupted in a flare of light and scale. Dragon wings unfurling in a majestic sweep.

In an instant, they launched into the sky, wings cutting through the forest canopy, scattering leaves behind them.

They soared together, heading straight toward the ring of golems surrounding the temple.

---