You’re insane. I may not ever give up control.

 

(I’ll just have to believe in you now won’t I? I think I know you more than you know. As long as you don’t hurt them, I don’t mind giving up control for a while.)

 

“Niyleen?” Carciel said inching a bit closer to the Halfing. She touched her arm gently. “Are you alright?”

 

A dark aura gathered around Niyleen and she let out a long-drawn breath. “Vorohah stin vothni fus…” Nega opened her eyes and smiled. Every time she was in control the world looked so vibrant, so full of life and every time it became harder for her to let go. “I would have never believed it would have happened so easily.”

“Big Sis?”

 

Nega turned to Nyleine and frowned. “Nahgahdinok… I’m not your sister. Dii faan los Nega, I am Nega, Niyleen’s BETTER half. I am also Mehrunes Dagon’s Champion. Drem yol lok.” Immediately Nyleine and Carciel jumped back from Nega and set into defensive stance. All they got from Nega was a chuckle. “Stiildus hinmaar. If I was going to attack you, you would both be dead right now. Niyleen asked me to explain things to you two. Now stop acting like two hefhah and let me begin explaining.”
“How can we trust you,” Carciel said bitterly.

 

Nyleine nodded. “Yeah, how do we know this isn’t some trick?”

“Naal rah,” Nega rolled her eyes. (Get them off my case!)
Okay! Okay! Momentarily the dark aura dissipated and Niyleen came to the surface; however her eyes were a clear sign that she wasn’t fully in control. “Look, don’t give Nega a hard time. That’s what I’m for. She’s the only one that knows what we need to know, so don’t piss her off. Please?” She gave them a wink then was gone.

 

“You get it now? Stop being so defensive and let me talk.”

 

The duo shared a look, and when Carciel relaxed her stance so did Nyleine. “Okay then Nega, what happened to you?”

Nega took a deep breath and began. “I became the strongest mortal ever known. I was blessed by so many Daedric Princes, was the Leader of the Dark Brotherhood, the Thieves Guild. I was at the forefront of every battle for the Imperials, and became a renowned hero throughout the land on both sides. I killed the First Dragonborn and became the Last Dragonborn when I killed Sorerica in combat and absorbed her soul. And after it all… I was forsaken by Men and Mer throughout Skyrim, lost all my contacts with both factions, and was abandoned by all the Daedric Princes except for one.” Nega turned from them and spread her arms out. “Lord Dagon took me in and made me, ME, his Champion. It was when I finally accepted him wholly that this whole mess began.

“With me as his Champion and his alone, Dagon’s influenced grew and grew and everywhere I went, I left destruction and change in my wake. It was glorious. You heard the rumors of the Hall of the Vigilant being burned down by vampires? In my cycle, I burnt it down well after the Vampire menace was extinguished. I went from place to place destroying Aedra and rival Daedric Prince’s shines, temples, followers, statues, everything. By the time I was going to be through Dagon, NOT Talos is the deity that Skyrim would have been primarily associated with. But Jyggalag…

“Fucking Jyaggalag came down and personally fought me one on one. No tricks, no Order, just me versus him… I won, but it was far from easy and it didn’t come without a price. I beat him because he simply couldn’t stay on Nirn long enough to defeat me. By all accounts I lost that battle, but won the war of attrition. When it was over, I was too weak to move and was easy pickings for the Champions of Molag Bal and Hermaeus Mora.”

“Um,” Nyliene interjected. “I thought you said you destroyed your enemy Daedric Prince’s belongings. How did either of them have a Champion in Skyrim?”

 

Nega rolled her eyes. “It’s not like Skyrim is the only province on Nirn. Hi briinah… why do neither of you use your heads.” She sat down and looked around the lair. Everything seemed so light, so vibrant, full and alive in the dimly lit lair. It almost overwhelmed her and made her eyes almost weep. (Vir dreh joor kuz daar fah bolaav? It’s so beautiful…)

We’re not ALL locked in someone else’s body, forced to see things out of their eyes.

 

Nega caught herself about to grin. “A-anyway,” she said continuing where she left off. “Seeing as Molag Bal and Hermaeus Mora couldn’t come to terms over who would take claim to me, the other Daedric Princes intervened and threw their names into the fray. However, no consensus could be made, that is until Sheogorath, of all people, decided that they all should just send their Champions at me and if it didn’t work out the way they wanted, they would reset everything making sure I remembered none of it. However, what they didn’t realize was that Lord Dagon had never abandoned me, and so I’m basically stuck making sure none of the mes that inherit this body end up being defeated by another Champion.”

 

Wait… so that means you beat Ruby that one time.

 

(Tsk. You can remember that, but you can’t remember what the Second told you. Brahnu fucking hefhah!) Nega sucked her teeth and looked at Nyleine and Carciel. “In a month’s time you’re going to fight Teresa, Lucari, and whatever minions they happen to employ to take you down.” She said changing the topic immediately from her to their current predicament. “I don’t care what you do, but if you end up being useless or hold Niyleen back—”

“You don’t have to worry about us,” Carciel said just as nastily back at her. “You’re the true ‘Raging Inferno of the Reach’ right? Then if you truly give a damn about our situation, you should lend your strength to Niyleen.”

“Ha! She doesn’t need it. Nor would she take it.”

 

“That’s right! My sister doesn’t need any second-rate parlor—”

Carciel raised her hand to silence her. “Do you have any hints on what we should do then? We were able to defeat a Champion today, but I don’t think it’ll be that easy next time.”

Are you going to actually give them sound advice?

(This is my life we’re talking about too you idiot! Zu'u los ni osos valdrekaan sivaas!) Nega pondered for a moment. “I guess… Eolriann, er, I mean Eolri’s ‘sister’?”

“Carciel.”

 

“Right… You should probably meet up with her again and ask for advice. Also, you may want to begin drinking from this day forth. Eolrianna was almost always drunk, but her mind was ever so much clearer when she was and it enabled her to draw forth powers that she didn’t even imagine she’d be able to.” Carciel looked perplexed at this, but Nega ignored her. “As for the sister… That necklace of yours…”

 

“Yeah what about it?” Nyleine said rather defensively.

“Go out to Orphan Rock, kill the Hagravens there and once you’ve absorbed their souls into the amulet, destroy it.”

“W-what!? Why would I do that? Don’t you know what this is? What it contains?” She gripped the amulet tightly. “You want me to believe you and gimp myself just because my sister said not to give you a hard time? Give me a good reason why I should do this!”

“The same reason Carciel should listen to me. If you both do what I say, you’ll end up getting rid of two more Champions. This is way better than having them show up while we’re taking on Molag Bal’s forces. Now then,” Nega said as she stretched lightly. “I think it’s time for me to depart. You both should rest for the rest of the day, but tomorrow you should both set off on what I’ve tasked you with. We don’t have a moment to waste.”

As soon as she said her last words, the aura dissipated once more and Niyleen fell to her knees. “Haa… haa… why does she have to be so… difficult?”

“Sis!” Nyleine said wrapping her up in a tight hug. “I’m so glad that Nega is gone. Can you believe what she said? She wants me—”

Niyleen raised a hand to silence her. “Listen, I know you don’t like it, but it’s best if we just do what she says. In matters of survival, Nega has never failed me yet.”

“But…” Nyleine took a deep breath. “F-fine! If Big Sis says we should do it, I’m going to follow along this time. But if she’s wrong…”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Niyleen said lightheartedly. “If she’s lying I’ll just make her pay for it, no problem.”

Carciel and Nyleine still didn’t buy it, but they were going to have to live with it. Considering it was already late, the three of them talked for a few minutes before they each ended up falling asleep. Not too long after she heard the other two sleeping peacefully, Niyleen opened her eyes and stated aimlessly at the lair’s ceiling.

Can’t sleep?

(Not a wink.) She admitted. (I’m… too anxious. Too worried that something may happen to them when they leave. Too afraid that I may change my mind in the morning and try to get them to stay even though your advice is probably going to be the only thing that keeps us alive or gives us a chance in the upcoming battle.)

…Why do you trust me so?

(I’m afraid… Like, this is the fourth time this has happened, and only you truly remain. I… I don’t want to end up like the Third.)

 

I see…

Niyleen sat up and looked at her sister, then at Carciel. Both of them were sleeping soundly and it just made the Halfling more nervous. She took deep breaths to try and calm her racing heart, but the more she did the more anxiety was gripping hold of her. (What if I fail? What if Lucari kills me? What if I do succeed but they die? What if—)

Get up. Dreh ni wahl zey zuvir dimaar einzuk! Get up and leave, before you have any second thoughts, before the look in their eyes as you wave them off detracts you from wanting to go, before your anxiety breaks you down any further, just go.
Niyleen wanted to say something, anything, but looking at her sister she knew that if she had to see Nyleine—hear Nyleine—not wanting to leave her side, she would cave in. She felt broken. The situation with Lucari and the knowledge that her existence may be coming to an end was draining her dry. It was now or never. Niyleen got up, kissed both women on the cheek making sure not to wake them, and without looking back departed from the lair.