As the trio made their ascent towards Niyleen’s house, the beating in her chest just wouldn’t subside. Was it still adrenaline from the battle? Perhaps it was nerves overcoming her just like they did in the abandoned house a few days ago? When they made it to her doorstep, Niyleen knew exactly what was wrong with her; however she didn’t know how she was going to go about counteracting it.

 

Turning to face her comrades she said, “Um… regarding my space… it may not be in the best of ways right now. Last time I was home, I was… going through some things.”

“Dammit Redguard,” Carciel said playfully, but firmly. “No one gives a shit about how you house looks. You promised me a warm bed, that’s all I need. Right Nord?”

 

“Y-yeah…”

Niyleen sighed and the three of them headed inside. Halfway up the entranceway Niyleen turned to face the two of them once more. “Seriously, this is a big deal to me. I know it’s just a house, and I know it’s just a bit of a mess, but letting you two in… well it’s like I’m opening myself up to you both. And while I owe both of you, and you two are both worthy of my respect, the last couple of people I truly let into my life… I truly regret it.”

“If only my sister could hear you,” Carciel sighed. “Look Flame-Child. My sister was THE last person you let fully in, whether you remember it all or not. And whether you want to admit it or not, when you told her everything about you, when you opened yourself up, you were at the happiest you had ever been thus far in your life. Don’t piss on her memory by saying that… please.”

 

“I-I didn’t mean…”

“I may still be mad at you Niyle, but if being here can make us closer than there is nowhere I’d rather be. As a friend [and potential lover] I don’t want to be left out in the dark. If something’s bothering you, you can tell me. If you’re afraid, I want to be able to comfort you. If you’re in pain, I want to be able to help you. Niyle,” Lucari said with a faint smile on her face. “I lov… I care about you a lot. And I don’t want you to hesitate about telling me what you’re feeling inside.”

Holding back her emotions, Niyleen turned away from them. “Dammit you guys.” She wiped her eyes. “Fine fine fine… a promise is a promise anyway.” At the top of the entranceway, Niyleen said, “Well… this is my house.”

 

“Whoa…”

 

“By the Divines…”

“Oh crap… don’t… don’t mind the food that’s kinda everywhere. I was on an eating binge the last time I was home. Gods… I don’t know how much of it’s bad, but I could use my savings to get more if need be.”

“This is your house? How could a frugal tight ass like you, no offense, even afford Vlindrel Hall?”

“Y-yeah. Well…” Niyleen looked around to make sure no one else was in her house and then lowered her voice. “I may or may not have stolen about 13,000 gold from the Silverbloods, the deed and keys to the house, placed the money in an exact spot where the Jarl’s steward could find it when he called me up on how I just arbitrarily owned this place, and I’ve been lying low ever since.”

“This is what a life of crime can get you… No Lucari, don’t give into temptation!”

“B-but yeah, sorry for the mess. I’ll get around to straightening up later.”

“For now, let’s get you both settled in…!” Niyleen winced, but it seemed to go unnoticed. (It’s definitely that acting up again. Why now…) “Follow me you two!”

“This will be where you’re going to be sleeping Carciel. Please don’t mind the spider webs or the lack of much else. I’ve been meaning to upgrade my guest room for a while now, but haven’t gotten around to it.”

“You insecure broad, I could kiss you… if I swung that way.”

Carciel went into her room but not before stopping next to Niyleen and whispering, “The air around you is warm. Make sure that you don’t burn the place down with the two of yours lovemaking.”

 

“C-Carciel!” Niyleen blushed.

 

The Breton laughed saying, “Night you two,” before finally heading in.

“What were you two talking about?”

 

“N-nothing.”

 

“Sure didn’t sound like nothing. Are you positive you’re not hiding secrets from me again?”

(Other than that I’m the Raging Inferno of the Reach that you’re chasing after?) “No Lucari,” she smiled. “I’m not hiding anything from you. Now let me show you to where you’ll be sleeping.”

“This is it, the Master bedroom,” Niyleen said after they had crossed the room.

“It’s… amazing….”

“I don’t use it much, because I’m usually not in a lot, or I end up crashing in the living room floor due to exhaustion. But yeah, this is my bed. I promise it’s a lot better than those stone slabs at the Silverblood inn.”

“Over there are some of my wardrobes. They mainly contain clothes too fine for one such as myself, but there may be an outfit or two in there you might like to try out, if you’re okay with readjusting the size a bit of course.”

“And this is my personal workbench/treasury/command station. Whenever I wasn’t actively thieving, I would come here to reallocate funds, update guard, caravan, and merchant routes, and make note of any areas noted for having suspicious activity. Since I haven’t been in recently, it’s definitely outdated, but give it a look through if you want.”

“And that’s about it,” Niyleen said with a sigh of relief. “You may sleep here by yourself, because regardless of what you may have said earlier in reference to me, I know you’re still a bit peeved at me for leaving you alone today.” Niyleen cautiously chose her next words carefully. “…So I want you to be able to relax in complete comfort, a-at least for the night anyways. And if you want, we try and force ourselves to act normal towards each other in the morning.”

“Thank you Niyle. As much as I would like to hug you right now, you’re right. Thank you for the space tonight.” She paused. “W-where will you sleep?”

 

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about me too much. Like I said, I’ve made due with the floor plenty of times.”

 

Lucari nodded and let out an affirmative sound. “Well then, night.”

“May the dawn keep you,” Niyleen replied. Seeing the look on Lucari’s face, she followed up with, “It’s a saying my mother always said to me when I was younger. It always helped me sleep well, l-like she was making a deal with the Divines to carry me throughout the night and into the dawn.” Feeling her face flush Niyleen quickly said, “A-anyways, night,” before exiting the room in a hurry closing the door behind her.

 

Looking around her living room/kitchen area she sighed. (Mother would kill me for letting anyone see my house in such a state.)

Walking around her house, Niyleen could feel her temperature rising and just like Carciel said, if she couldn’t contain it she’d definitely burn her house down. (A poor way to squander a 13,000 gold investment.) So she began searching for anything that might calm the flames inside her.

Normally she’d keep a concoction of Dragon’s Tongue, Snowberries and Fly Amanita she picked up from a Khajiit caravan on hand, but try as she might she couldn’t find it or any of its ingredients anywhere in her house. (Just my luck. I’d have enough wine to help me survive Frostfall, but I don’t have a single ingredient that helps me resist fire… logical move Niyleen…)

Continuing through her house she came upon a room that filled her with glee when she saw it. “Oh old friend, how I’ve forgotten about you. Truly, only you could comfort me in times like this.”

The room was an add-on that she actually paid for because going to the public baths was not only a hassle, but always an awkward experience. Through they might not admit it or hound her about it, the guards know for a fact that she’s a thief, former or otherwise, and every time she visited the public baths she felt their eyes lingering just a bit too long for her tastes. It got to the point where she actually saved two thousand gold to get a private bath installed, but it was definitely worth it.

Stripping off her clothes, Niyleen entered the bath and the cool water was refreshing and calming to the touch. (Haaaa… I’ve needed one of these.)

Easing her way into the water, she couldn’t help but smile at the thought of Lucari bursting into the bath and seeing her like this. (If it were any other day, she’d definitely pounce on me, and I’d have to succumb to her whims…) The aching in her chest and the warmness of her told her a different story altogether. She was the one that would be doing the pouncing at this point in time. Everything just felt so sensitive. She could hear Carciel softly purring away and Lucari tossing in the bed trying to maintain a comfortable position. (I’ve heard the stories of the heightened senses of vampires, werewolves, and the like… so this is how it feels.)

Deciding to get completely comfortable herself, Niyleen slowly rested her back onto the cold bath wall and let out a sigh. “This is life…” Immediately she could feel her body temperature stabilize, but it wasn’t just that. Her nerves about the battle, her situations with Carciel and Lucari, her issues with the Forsworn, the Silverbloods, her father, and this damned power she had bottled inside her… all of it seemed to melt away and helped her to just simply relax.

“Maybe I could just sleep… here…” Her eyelids got heavy, her mind cloudy and her words became reality as she indeed slowly drifted off to sleep.

“Ugh… h-huh?” Niyleen said trying to make sense of where she was. “Darkness…”

Clumsily, she got to her knees and looked around, and all she saw was that, darkness. No trace of her house, her friends, or any part of Nirn; just an abyss.

“Am I dead?” Though she thought the words escaped her lips, Niyleen wasn’t sure that she had indeed spoken them.

 

“You’re not dead… just barely breathing,” said a voice from right behind her.

“AH!” Niyleen stumbled away from where she was and gripped for something, anything, in the darkness to reach out in grab. Her heartbeat was racing and for some reason it was hard to put on the tough air she liked to portray while in this space.

Looking up at the figure in the dark, the obvious question crossed her lips, “W-who are you?”

 

A quick glance into the figure’s eyes gave her the answer she sought, but the being spoke anyway. “Who am I? I’m the daughter of the Redguard Bandit Warlord Nanika and the Nord Necromancer Narndir the Elfkiller; I’m the true Raging Inferno of the Reach; I’m the darkness cast into the shadows because you are too weak to claim the power that your former lover generously awoke within you. I am Niyleen Flame-Child—but fir simplicity’s sake call me Nega Niyleen—and it’s a pleasure to once again meet my other half.”

(Once again?) “We’ve never—”

 

“You don’t remember? How about if I say this: ‘And your father said it was a gift when he raped then all but killed you so he could reanimate your corpse and have his way with you. Have you not realized that the Divines have given you a big Fuck You since the day you’ve been born?’”

 

A light bulb went off in her head and suddenly it was five years ago and Niyleen was undertaking the Ascension ritual all over again. She could feel the pain of her skin cracking, of the flames engulfing her body, of time seeming to completely stand still, and then the blinding light.

 

Before she had just thought she was having a monologue with herself, but in retrospect she—or at least this side of her at that time—had complete faith in Eolri. That fact alone should have alerted her to the presence of another side of herself, a cold, sadistic, bloodthirsty side that would be brazen enough to say, ‘Foolish girl, another one you trusted has you crying for death. First your father, now this?’

And this… this Nega Niyleen was the embodiment of all of her doubt from back then; and the embodiment of when she gave in completely to her Ascension… Her other side stretched and said joyfully, “It’s so great to get out once in a while. I felt like wild animal suddenly thrust into a cage. I wanted to be free, I wanted a release. And so I waited… and waited…”

Niyleen gathered herself and stood to her feet. “So you think that now is that time? Now is the time for you to take over and for me to be cast into the darkness?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? I’m the stronger one, the smarter one. The real question is, which sick and twisted Aedra or Daedra thought that a weak bitchy persona like you should be in control of this body? Clearly it wasn’t Julianos, because it just isn’t logical.”

“I don’t know if whether you said is true or not, but if I’m in control, that’s because the world isn’t ready for us… for you to be released in it.”

 

“Those are just the empty words of those that have everything handed to them. So because I’m too strong, because I have too much power, I can’t be released into the world? And yet the Daedric Princes are allowed to just take a dump on Nirn at every turn?”

 

“I never said it was perfect.”

 

“And I never said you were right.”

Nega Niyleen got into a fighting stance and instinctively Niyleen did so as well. “I will end you Niy. I will force my will into you, and without fail I WILL be unleashed. And when I am released, I’ll do you the favor of ridding you of that nuisance called Pure-Shot. I can’t imagine how good it will feel when I have her neck between my hands and then,” *snap* She snapped her fingers.

Niyleen’s chest throbbed and she knew that she spoke the truth. “I... I’ll never let that happen!”

 

“Then stop me.”

It was over in a single instant. Niyleen rushed in and was caught on the chin by a vicious roundhouse kick.

As she fell, all she could see was herself failing yet again. She had failed her mother, her comrades, and ultimately herself. Maybe it was the influence of her words, but for an instance even she thought that Julianos would never let her be the dominant persona with such a beast trapped with her. It wasn’t… logical…

A smug look appeared on Nega Niyleen’s face. “Down goes Niyleen. DOWN GOES NIYLEEN!” She laughed and continued to hold her pose. “It wasn’t even close.”

“This is the gap in our strength. No… it’s even greater than you could ever imagine. And yet… why is it you…”

(Shit… I-I can’t think straight… How did I end up on the ground? Is this even the ground?)

“WHY ARE YOU IN CONTROL!”

 

Nega Niyleen’s voice surrounded Niyleen from all sided and she began to feel suffocated by her presence. (Something isn’t right… this feeling is… familiar…) The air around them intensified and it suddenly felt like Niyleen was on fire. She couldn’t think, couldn’t see straight, but was taken over by an immense feeling of strength that was not her own. (I know this feeling… it’s just like then…)

 

The ecstasy… the shock… the awe… suddenly she was back in Karthwasten... suddenly she felt like a god again.

But coming back to reality, Niyleen soon realized that this was not power for her to control. In fact it wasn’t her power at all.

 

“I HAVE THE POWER! I HAVE ASCENDED! And yet… YET!” Wave after wave of heat emitted from Nega Niyleen’s body until what she was keeping inside finally was finally released. “And yet it is you that gets to bask in the sunlight… why?”

 

A quick glance at her other self was all she needed to confirm her suspicions… (She’s an actual monster!)

As if Nega Niyleen could read Niyleen’s thoughts, she said, “Yes. That’s exactly what I am. A monster that was awakened by your lover and is constantly clawing to get out.” She gave her an evil smile. “And continue to claw I will. I’ve already kept you here long enough better half. May the dawn take you.”

 

Everything began to blur and the last thing Niyleen could see was Nega Niyleen standing over triumphantly, her menacing laughter echoing through the darkness.

Niyleen awoke with a shriek. Her chest felt tight and was pounding harder than she could ever remember, and though not literally, her skin was on fire. She could barely breathe. Between shrieks she meekly cried out for help.

“I’m here Niyleen. I’m right here.”

 

(No… not Lucari…) She couldn’t be found out now, she was just opening up to Lucari and she wasn’t ready to let Lucari know that she was the one that she was looking for.

Lucari saw the pained look on Niyleen’s face and couldn’t help but be sad herself. “W-what happened? You were doing fine. Were you infected? Were you—”

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!” Niyleen’s piercing scream resonated throughout the room and she could feel herself coming undone by something foreign that was oppressing her. Frantically she tried to remove the foreign objects [her clothes] from off of her skin but to no avail.

“I-I-I t-thought you wouldn’t want t-to be naked when you awoke s-so I… I’ll… I’ll fix this!” Lucari reached towards Niyleen and while reaching for her clothes brushed her hand on the Halfling’s skin. “Oww!” She yelled drawing her hand back. “Y-you’re so hot… literally. What’s going on?”

As quickly as she could, Lucari disrobed Niyleen, and though this would normally this would be a sight she would relish in, seeing Niyleen so weak and defenseless was borderline driving her mad. “I don’t know what to do,” she cried. “I want to help you but I don’t even know the first thing about you. Please Niyleen, tell me what to do. Tell me how to help you!”

Be it due to Niyleen’s former cries or Lucari’s current ones, Carciel burst into the room seemingly to get a handle on things.

“I see that you two have been hitting the bed hard?” Carciel joked, though it wasn’t even funny to her. Seeing the distraught look on Lucari’s face, she knew the situation without asking, but decided to handle the situation delicately. “What happened, Nord?”

 

“C-Carciel… Niyleen… she… she…!”

 

“Calm down and tell me everything.”

“I… I woke up and t-tried on some clothes like Niyleen said I could. When I finally found an outfit that I liked, I looked for Niyleen through the house and when I happened upon her s-she was passed out in the bath. So… so I got her from the bath and took brought her here. But she was shaking all the while. I-I don’t know why. S-so I thought to clothe her, because I… I didn’t think she’d like to sleep nude if she could help it. Then she started screaming, and then…”

“I think I understand,” Carciel said frowning. “I also think I know what ails her. However, the only way I can cure her is to use magic from the Old Gods,” she lied. “These magicks require the utmost concentration and if you want me to help her it would be best if you left the room so I could get on with it.”

Lucari slumped her shoulders. “I… I understand.” She hung her head and slowly went to exit the room. When she got to the door, she stopped and said, “Tell Niyle… no I don’t deserve to call her that. Tell Niyleen that I’m sorry I couldn’t help her.”

“Yeah…”

 

Lucari shut the door behind her and left Carciel and Niyleen alone.

 

“Shit girl, by the Divines what did you do?”

“Haa… haa… is she gone?” Niyleen asked weakly.

 

“She is.”

 

“Good… Maybe we can keep being friends for a little while longer now…”

“Stop talking like that!” Carciel said unable to control herself. “Don’t you remember what Lucari said?’ If you’re in pain, I want to be able to help you.’ That counts for the both of us you dummy. I may not feel for you the way that she does, but I’ve come to consider you as a comrade. Maybe even a friend. So stop shouldering everything yourself you idiot. Even if Lucari knew who you really were, she’d still be worried sick about you.”

“Eolri… always said… she had cute sister that she loved to dote on,” Niyleen said dreamily. She couldn’t focus, be it her vision or her mind, nor could she feel. Her senses were shot from the fire raging in her chest that was begging to escape. Niyleen was numb, body and soul, but her words were warm. “I’m glad I was finally able to see this side of you…”

 

Carciel could feel her face heat up. “S-shut up idiot. Anyway, do I need to move you anywhere? You know, so that you won’t mess up your house?”

 

Niyleen shook her head slightly and patted her sheets softly. “Fireproof.”

“Of course…” Carciel said while sighing. “This isn’t fair! Why do I have to carry your secret? Why do I have to lie for you? Why can’t you tell Lucari that you’re the Raging Inferno—”

 

“Can you… haa… ha… do something for me?” Carciel nodded. “Could you… tell her that she’s wrong? She’s… haa… more than worthy… as are you…”

 

“Damn you Flame-Child…” Carciel said as she held back her emotions. “I’ll definitely get you back for this.”

“I’ll be waiting…” Niyleen finally stopped fighting it and allowed herself to be consumed by the flames. She knew that she should be screaming, she knew that it hurt more than she could imagine, but she just couldn’t feel anything.

(This is… her doing…) Niyleen looked over towards Carciel as the flames covered almost all of her body, and said as strongly as she could, albeit it was still weak, “I’m sorry… for everything…”

 

Something within Carciel finally broke a she heard those words and she couldn’t help but weep silently, whilst making sure she took in every moment of this, for both their sakes.

 

Meanwhile

 

Lucari knelt outside of the door doing all that she could currently do for Niyleen, pray. “Stendarr, Arkay, Kynareth, Mara, Zenithar, Dibella, Julianos, Akatosh, Talos… I know that you all don’t care about the single life of one your children when weighed against what is best for the Realm, but please… If it isn’t against your will, please aid Niyleen. See that she gets—”

 

“This isn’t fair!” She heard Carciel shout from the inside.

 

(What’s going on?) She thought as she continued to pray.

 

“Why do I have to lie for you? Why can’t you tell Lucari that you’re the Raging Inferno—”

 

Lucari kept her eyes shut and raised her head towards the sky. (I must have heard wrong… she can’t be the Raging Inferno. She must be a relative or something… she can’t even use magic right?)

 

A memory suddenly flashed before Lucari’s eyes.

 

“Yeah, something about how that woman set Sanuarach Mine ablaze and killed some of the Silver-Blood’s men,” the Orc began looking at her even closer. “Yeah, no doubt. You’re exactly the type of woman he described.”

“Right… Niyleen?”