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Hey, Destana again. The dreams are continuing. Is the mundanity is enough to call them nightmares? Probably not. Last time a bunch of mystery fluid and 'life' waters got spilled on a bunch of children. I informed Runa and Damien. They weren't sure how to take it. Both knowing no bad had come from the waters so far, Runa shrugged it off and Damien just said he'd monitor. Also, the raid on the Dawnguard went well. Their members are gone or on the run. So here I am, wondering why my half brother, known as the Ebony Warrior, wants to die so badly. "Did you wait long?" I asked. He shook his head silently. I could tell he was sizing me up. Probably wondering why my entire torso is exposed. Or maybe he did his research. "Buddy, I gotta tell you, this seems pointless." "I want to reach Sovngarde. That is the point. I thought I told you I didn't want to talk. Just fight," he said. "Well, I'll talk then. You listen," I responded, "I did go talk to Jura, and I found out, you're my half brother. For a long time I didn't really have anybody. As I was wandering the world I had to make my own family. I know how it can be to feel alone. Family means something. If you kill me, there'll be a lot of people who miss me. And if I kill you, I'll feel like I should've pushed harder." "They never said you were so sentimental," EW replied. "Sentimental my ass. I've been to Sovngarde. It might be fun for a week, banging and drinking and fighting, but that gets old pretty quick." He turned to me, "You make a valid point." "Besides, have you ever been to Roscrea? Elswyer? Akavir? Oblivion?" He folded his arms, "I haven't. Not all of them anyway." "There are still more challenges to face, my friend. EW. What's your real name anyway?" "Gods," he sat down on a rock, "I haven't used my real name in twenty years." I raised an eyebrow, "Well since you're my brother, I can safely rule out the possibility that your name is Rehman Ebonarm and you're the avatar or reincarnation of a Yokudan god." "Heh," he scoffed, "Is that what they're saying about me?" I stood in front of him, nearly the same height with him sitting, "Yeah, I mean why are you so tall?" "I'm... just tall. I'm an outlier. Nothing magic about it," he replied, then he laughed, "Why the hell not, though. Just call me Rehman. Maybe my legend can grow as large as yours." "So we're... not going to fight then?" I asked. "Well," he stood, "I have a couple requests. First: do you now how to get back to Sovngarde? The reason I want to get there is personal." I tilted my head, "I might be able to figure something out. No promises. Tsun shouted me back to Nirn when I was done there. I might be able to figure out how to do that. Failing that option, I have some of the greatest mages on Nirn as friends. May I ask why?" He sighed, "Godsdamnit. They told me you were persuasive. In my youth, my best friend, a warrior named Estrid... we fought a thousand battles together. In the years after the great war, I fought with Hammerfell." "Should've called you for our war with the Thalmor, I guess," I said. "For me it was less ideological. I was drawn in by friends. I was only a boy at the time, but I learned fast. I was a natural at battle. Later we fought as mercenaries in High Rock against the seldom Akaviri incursions. Estrid was originally of Morthal, and she died in battle like a good Nord. I resolved to do everything I could to ensure I got into Sovngarde, thus, I did everything there was to do as a warrior." "Speaking of which, don't only Nords make it to Sovngarde the normal way?" I asked. "I'm half Nord. Jura told me about my mother, but I've never searched for her," he replied "Okay, well I should be able to make the Sovngarde thing happen," I said, "You mentioned a second request." The EW drew his ebony sword, "I still want to fight you." "Not to the death, though?" I asked. Who was I kidding. I was grinning already, pulling out my melee weapons. "We're both professionals. Don't pull your punches," he said, "Show me you are the hero they say you are." I licked my lips, "FUS!" "FUS!" He shouted back, our voices cancelling each other out. He quickly summoned a Xivelai Lord and I drew my bow. I charged an arrow once and fired, but EW slapped it away with his shield. In the intervening time, his summon had summoned another combatant (a zombie) and was throwing fireballs at me. I dodged the first. The EW lunged for me but I evaded him, charging forward and slicing through the zombie with ease. I sprinted over to the Xivelai, dodging another fireball and diced him up with a well-placed combo. While I was busy, the EW had drawn his bow and took a shot at me, sticking me once. "WULD!" I shouted, closing the distance. He drew his ebony sword and shield and we clashed. Every slash of a dagger was met with a sword, a shield, a well-timed dodge. I grinned, "You live up to your reputation!" He went on the offensive and was met with parry, parry, dodge, parry. He slashed downward and I trapped his sword under my boot. Then he chuckled, "FUS-RO-DAH!" I flew backward, sliding across the snow. He charged at me, using a hands-free summon of a ghost casting ice shards before he got to me. I rolled out of his reach, charged past him and immediately bisected the ghost. When he got to me again, we started our quick-as-lightning standoff again. Weapons clashed at blinding speed. An onlooker would likely have trouble following the intricate movements between us. I finally... finally found an opening. I left myself open, he did another downward thrust, I clipped his wrist with my off-hand dagger, changed direction and slashed both weapons across his stomach. He spun around, getting me across the chest with his sword. Of course, my skin is hard. Harder than Ebony, I guess. I backed up so he couldn't get another blow. He used this opportunity to do another quick summon spell - Dark Seducer. Unfortunately, she was right in front of me and I slashed through her in seconds. "FUS-RO-DAH!" EW shouted, blowing me back again. Only got a few tricks huh? I have a lot of tricks. "WULD!" I closed the distance again. "YES! FIGHT ON!" The EW yelled. I turned to him and shouted, "FUS-RO-DAH!" He lifted off the ground and followed up with, "TIID-KLO-UL!" His body sailed off at a snail's pace and I closed the distance. I slashed him, again and again as he hovered in the air. By the time he hit the ground, I could tell he was nearly on death's door. As time righted itself, the low rumble I'd been hearing became clear: Rehman was laughing. He was on his back, bleeding, hacked up and exposed. "What the hell do you call that, Dragonborn?" He kept laughing. "I dunno," I smiled, "I just thought of it. You're fast as hell in that armor with a much larger set of weapons." "We all have our strengths." "Satisfied?" I asked, offering my hand. "Not until you take me to Sovngarde," he got up on his own, "No offense, but I weigh like 400 pounds with this armor on." "400? Geez," I said. I sheathed my weapons. "Yeah, I'm about 300. Plate mail weighs 50 lbs, ebony is about twice as heavy as steel." "Anyway, give me a few minutes," I said, pulling out one of my rarer journals labeled, 'Dovazul for Beginners by Queen Destana.' "Tsun shouted me back to Nirn when I was done in Sovngarde. I've winged it before when I summoned the spirit of Skjor from Hircine's Hunting Grounds." I flipped for a few minutes. "Okay, I think I can go about it like this," I said finally. I would shout 'move mortal Sovngarde.' Dragons don't have their own word for Sovngarde. "Hold on to me," I said. He did, then I shouted, "BO - JOOR - SOVNGARDE!" Hmm... nothing. "Well guess they can't all be winners," I said, "But I do have an alternate idea." "OD - AH - VIING!" I shouted. Within moments the dragon appeared in the sky. "Dragon buddy!" I yelled as he landed. "What can I do for you....? ...Human buddy..." Odahviing asked, growling to make sure I knew he was annoyed. The Ebony Warrior stood stoically next to me. "How you been?" I asked. Odahviing sighed, "Just tell me what you want, Dovahkiin. I was enjoying a nice cow." "Well what I'm going to ask will take you away from your cow," I said, "Might take a while. I need you take me to Skuldafn again. Or wait, honestly, I could fly myself. Could you give me directions?" Odavviing sounded completely done with this, but amicable to talking for a few minutes rather than being my dragon mount for a couple hours. "Well, it's in the Velothi Mountains," he started, and gave me precise directions. I smiled, "Thanks." And Odavviing flew off. "See you at the next Greyscales/Greybeards meeting!" I yelled as he soared away. I could hear him groan from the ground. "What's at Skuldafn? And how am I getting there?" The EW asked. "Of course I have a plan," I smirked at him, "You may have noticed I'm very good at telekinesis. Well my TK skills got much better when I learned how to fly. It involves learning to concentrate on TK for long periods of time without thinking about it, autonomically. I can tether you to me while I fly." His face behind the helm was of course, inscrutable, but I imagine he was casually impressed. "Ready?" I grabbed his shoulder, "I hope you're not afraid of heights." "I fear nothing," he said stoically. Then we blasted off into the night sky. We travelled for a couple hours, (it actually took me most the night to find it) eventually finding it amongst the peaks. I looked over the scene below. "Hmm... well the draugr came back," I groaned, "Up for some violence?" "Always," he said, "What's at the end of this?" "There's a portal to Sovngarde. Alduin was using it to go there and wreak havoc on the hero's souls. Of course, I killed him, so that mess is cleared up," I explained, then I reconsidered where to set us down, "Wait, I could literally put us at the end. After the dungeon." "Well, they are shooting at us," he said. "There it is," I pointed, "The altar. Looks like the Dragon Priest is back. Guess I need to crush his phylactery this time." I dropped him down first and he started going to town on the draugr. I dropped down next and pincered the draugr until they were no more. "One last one," I said as I blasted him with a charged bowshot. Then I turned to Rehman, "I'm going to sneak up on the dragon priest." He shrugged, "There're some draugr left on the other side. I'll dispose of them. Call me when the portal is ready." I got the drop on him. He phased in and out of invisibility a few times, but I iced him the same as I did the first time. I took his staff and jammed it in the hole to reactivate the portal. "Anyway," I shouted, "You done over there? Portal's open!" The EW appeared within a couple minutes. "Time to trip the rift," I said. We were sucked into the portal, appearing in the fields of Sovngarde. "Nice. Just as good," I said. We followed the path for a while until we came to the spine bridge. I may have had an ulterior motive for making the trip here. "Tsun!" I shouted. The Aedra looked up from his vigil, like he'd been thinking about something. And to my surprise, the stone-faced man's eyes lit up, "If it isn't the queen of Skyrim." "Oh, have you been watching me?" "My vigil gets boring at times," he said. "Well I'll be sure to bathe outside sometimes, then," I snickered. He laughed loudly, "Who is your friend?" "This is my brother, who claims the name Rehman," I said. They stood across from each other, Tsun only slightly taller than the EW. "I know. Really, any chance to keep you here a few minutes longer is a win. I was watching you guys fight. I know why you're here." I raised an eyebrow, "I get how you could see us, but how could you hear us talking?" "I've become very good at reading lips over the millennia I've been stationed here," Tsun said. "So if I stood toe-to-toe with you a couple years ago, and now I'm quite a bit stronger, and he performed well against me, can he just pass on through?" Tsun shook his head, "Never has a soul passed through here without facing me in battle." "I will fight," the EW said. "Of course, I know fighting's your favorite. But I wanted to discuss a theory I've been hearing around Nirn with Tsun here. He's been in these halls longer than anyone." "What's that, Dragonborn?" He asked. "Well, it's that I'm the Last Shezarrine," I replied. "That's quite a claim," Tsun said. "I've been reading books on the subject for years now, and I'm just not sure how to prove it. I mean, when did Tiber Septim know he was Talos? When did any of those guys know? Say, Shor's throne... what was it you guys said when I was here a couple years ago?" "Shor's high seat stands empty; his mien is too bright for mortal eyes." "Can other people sit in his throne?" "No. That much is certain," Tsun replied. "So if I put my big dark ass in that throne and don't get violently disintegrated or whatever, I'm either Shor in mortal form, which is the Nordic aspect of Lorkhan, or I'm some kind of avatar. Or maybe I'm like Alduin is to Akatosh. Food for thought. You boys have your spar, I'm gonna go sit down and have a drink. We walked a long way," I said, casually walking toward the hall. The EW and Tsun looked at each other, then look at me as I slowly walked away. "Do you want to watch this, or?" The EW asked. "I was ordered to keep watch by Shor himself," Tsun said, "Short bout. I'm certain you'll do fine." "Dragonborn!" A few of the men called to me as I entered the hall. "Been a couple years!" I walked over toward Shor's throne and found Olaf One-Eye, Ysgramor and a couple people I didn't recognize. Jurgen Windcaller approached from the other side of the platform. "You die for real this time?" Olaf asked. "Of course not. I don't plan to ever die," I chuckled, "But hey, Ysgramor, I did that thing you asked. A good man is Harbinger and the Companions are no longer cursed by Lycanthropy, unless they want to be, of course. Also, nice haircut. Gotta keep it fresh." "Of course. Kodlak told me. I thank you. Please, eat and drink. Enjoy some reveling." "Oh, I intend to," I smirked. Olaf smiled back, "What did you have in mind?" "I imagine some of these men would enjoy my company," I said, "But also, I do wonder, why are there so few people here? Over ages there should be more, right? Even if Alduin did devour a lot of them." "Many warriors move on," Jurgen explained, "When we tire of this place, there's the option to move on to the Dreamsleeve like any other mortal, and be reincarnated." While we'd been talking, I'd grabbed a tankard of mead and had been moving towards Shor's throne. I must admit, my heart was pumping a little fast. Without warning, and to everyone's surprise, I just sat down. "What the...!" Ysgramor shouted. The hall grew silent, and all eyes were on me. "What?" I said loudly, "I just flew in from Skyrim and my arms are tired, or whatever." Olaf and Ysgramor blinked at each other, then they laughed. I drained my stein, then I said, "So I guess my theory is right, or there's nothing special about this chair." People went back to their reveling, taking little notice of me. The EW approached. "So we're in the Hall of Heroes. Go find your lady-friend," I said. He didn't need to be told twice. I decided I would sit there at least for the amount of time it took me to eat a solid meal and get a little tipsy. It didn't take much to beckon me from the throne. Seeing a couple of the men and a woman enjoying each other's company by the throne, I decided I would find a couple men to satisfy other hungers. I got up, downing another stein. I'd had enough of the dudes fawning over my ability to put my ass on a chair. So I put my ass in the air. It was easy to find takers, because, I mean, when you're dead you don't really have many inhibitions anymore, I guess. I swept the food off the table in front of me and just let them fuck me. Then another pair down by the pit. Finally I went and found my old buddy Tsun, seeking to scratch an itch. Honestly, he'd hit me deeper than any other man than I'd been with (except maybe Sanguine). Without words as I approached him, he stripped off his loincloth. I exclaimed, "Did you get bigger?!" "I doubt it. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, perhaps," the stoic statuesque god smiled, "Is it strange that now I know you're my old commanding officer - or perhaps some embodiment of him somehow, I'm even more interested?" "Strange? No, not really. A lot of people are attracted to me for my power, I think," I replied. He slid gently but firmly inside me. And gods, it was fucking huge, just like I remembered. He managed to hit back with only about half his length. "Oh... my gods... would you look at that... sky... fuck... do you ever get... tired of... Talos fucking fuck!" "Beautiful as the first day I walked into Sovngarde," he said. That went on for a while. Don't think I was up for a whole week of this at this point in my life. When I finally decided I would find Rehman, he was watching two women spar. He sighed as he watched the women trade blows, "I met with everyone in the halls. She's not here." "I guess, they move on to the Dreamsleeve from here and are reincarnated. Only the truly stubborn stay here forever," I explained. He shook his head, "Damn. I waited too long. If I'd just went and died like a real warrior, I'd have ended up here and I could see her again." I put my hand on his shoulder, "Sorry." "No, don't be sorry. If you'd killed me, I would've ended up here on my own for no reason. Now I can go back to Nirn. I owe you, Dragonborn," Rehman replied. "You can call me Destana, you know. Also, I'll take you back, but you should relax here for a few hours. I think I'm going to rest and go another round with Tsun," I smiled wide. "Oh, you fought him too? It was definitely a thrilling combat," the EW said. "Uhh... yeah. Quite the struggle," I smirked. After eating and drinking enough to burst several times over, and getting my brains fucked out half a dozen times, I decided it was about time to head home. "Did you enjoy the local culture at all?" I asked. He shrugged, "I did find a strong woman. One of the older ones. To be honest, it started with us speaking of Estrid. She was kind to me, showed me attention. It's been a while. I followed your lead, though not to the same level as you, and enjoyed myself. But she'll be moving on soon as well. I think it's time to go back to Nirn." I nodded, putting his hand on my shoulder again. Then I cast Teleport: Imperial City, putting us directly in the Imperial Palace. Jura was there, sitting on the throne, signing papers again. Feels like all he ever does anymore. "You know you could have a little fun with it. Being Emperor isn't all work you know," I said. He smiled, not looking up yet, "Girl, I've been on enough benders for ten lifetimes." When he looked up he said, "Look who it is. Finally decided to come see your dad, huh?" The EW sighed, "This one is very persuasive, and I had no choice in the matter." "Persuasive?" He asked. Then I proceeded to tell him the whole story. "Two Redguards in Sovngarde? Hoonding's spongy backside," he chuckled as he cursed. Then he said, "Well, what did you have in mind for fun, anyway?" "I'm pretty funned out, actually," I said. Probably be walking with a limp for a while, "I did have a proposition for you, though. How often do people make attempts on your life?" "Not as often as you'd think, but it happens," Jura replied. "Well, you don't have Calleius as a bodyguard anymore either," I added. "What are you suggesting?" The EW asked. "Maybe this could be your temporary gig, until we go to war again with... I dunno, whoever. I'm sure it'll happen eventually. There's not a lot of foes and bullshit to conquer in these peaceful times." "That sounds like an idea for now. Although..." Jura started, "High Rock's pretty dangerous. I've actually been meaning to send someone to the Western Reach to put Mynisera's mind at ease." "I've got a rapport with the Forsworn of the Eastern Reach," I commented. "These dudes are far far more zealous and brutal than their Eastern cousins." "I might be able to find you someone," I replied. I turned to the EW, "For now, how about it?" He shrugged, "Alright. But if you do go on any adventures that you think are dangerous, call on me. For now, I'll languish here." "And maybe you should think about searching out some of your other sons and daughters," I said to Jura. He looked at me flatly, "You're probably right." "Hey um, mom..." I turned to Runa, holding a BIG baby. "Think I figured out what the life waters do to kids," she said. "Kintyra grew a lot," I grimaced, then turned to Jura, "Hey, how long ago did I ask you about this guy?" "It was like, 5 weeks?" He replied. The EW commented, "We fought like two days ago, right? Dunno how long you reveled. No day/night cycle in Sovngarde." "Well time is weird in Sovngarde. Sorry if you missed any appointments or whatever," I explained, "But that baby grew to a year old in a few weeks."

It's me, Destana. It's been a few months since Runa had her baby. Sun's Dawn (Second Month), 4E 217. Not seen much of her in that time. But that's to be expected. After our victory with the Thalmor, we all deserve a bit of an adventuring break. I'm going to fill you in on what's been going on. Over the past year or so I've been concentrating on bounding the bandits, rogue vampires, pirates (in the sea of ghosts) and the friggin Dawnguard, who've taken to just killing everyone, not just vampires. Thankfully, my master of shadows, Nazir, has been using his contacts within the now large Dark Brotherhood network to help out. I heard Runa took a sort of 'soft' retirement from being the Listener. Actual contracts have really gone down except in Alik'r and so the Night Mother doesn't speak often. A lot of the new members went back to their old jobs and now just function as sleeper agents. I also took some of this time to do more dungeons, learn more shouts and get just a little bit stronger. Oh, and get some more random stuff for the Dragonborn Museum. With the Tear of Auriel, we have a limited capacity to give humans and beastfolk extended youth and life (and sometimes, enhanced beauty) up to 150 years. Elves can benefit from it up to 250 years. So if it seems like some people are just frozen in time and youth 11.5 years after I came to Skyrim (factor in the 5 years we lost with the Dragon Break), this is why. The other countries have been getting fair shares of the life waters, but the mages at Winterhold can only produce so much. Damien oversees the operation. He got a promotion to the official Master Wizard (not just a measure of capability) after Tolfdir passed in the fall. The New Archmage: Mirabelle Ervine. We give everyone the same line when they get the water - there is a small chance of unforeseen consequences because of the corrupted end. So far we haven't seen anything strange. The people it worked on worked well - Uthgerd, for example, looks like she's about 25 again and beautiful. A large number of older people refused it, or it just didn't work on them. Chalk it up to unforeseen consequences. Ulfric, as always, does most of the day-to-day ruling. I sense even though he's firmly against drinking the life waters, he sees his own mortality rearing its head. I heard him talking to Fenrir a while back. "It's time you took a more active rule in governing Skyrim. Scale back on the adventuring. At the next moot, I'll be passing on the title of Jarl of Eastmarch to you officially. You'll be acting in the role until then," Ulfric said. We'd never really talked about succession, but I guess Fenrir is Ulfric's only natural-born child. I could tell Fenrir was equal parts excited and dreading having to give up adventuring. Whereas Valiana and Fenrir'd been helping out with patrolling the north sea for pirates with the airship, when Ulfric handed Fenrir more responsibility, he took less of an active role in the exercise. Valiana started to patrol on her own. One day, she left the airship in Windhelm and told Fen she needed to travel a little while. We've had no word from her since then. From my travels to distribute the life waters, I gather there's a peace in Cyrodiil. Jura seems to be using all the best facets of Emperors past to be the 'best damn emperor ever.' Runa, Calleius and Rigmor settled into a throuple, like Serana, Ulfric and I. Calleius had been made a full general. Brutus Brutalis went back to the Legion for a short while to train up a new general, but he wanted to retire after all the torture and war. I actually saw Tusselle in Skyrim, In one of her leave periods she came as far north as Whiterun. She'd heard there were a lot of unconquered dungeons in Skyrim (unlike Cyrodiil). I visited Summerset briefly, and from the look of it, everything seems to be alright. Sialius and his men find a pocket of Thalmor holdovers from time to time (as do we, and Cyrodiil, and Elswyer, honestly) but they put it down. Sialius seems true to his word - not oppressing the High Elves. I visited Galahad, Roheisa and Queen Mynisera in High Rock. Though the kingdoms of High Rock are always looking to find a foothold against each other, Mynisera's renewed youth and Galahad's eternal vigil seemed to keep a lasting peace in Illiac Bay. Roheisa'd been traveling a lot. She'd found a taste for adventure to far-off lands. I told her she could visit Skyrim anytime, but she said it'd be a while before she could get away from her duties again. She'd also taken leave in Frostfall, meeting up with Tusselle for dungeon runs in Skyrim. The lights slowly snuffed themselves out that night as I stayed up chronicling the last year's events. Let me clarify - vampires don't need to sleep. But we do get tired. And we have enough of our human nature to instinctually start dozing off when dead tired. I'd been using my Night Eye to finish up in bed when I fell into a deep sleep. "Ah! Gods! What the fuck!" I jerked awake, the journal flying off my bare chest. "Another one of those dreams?" Serana asked, "Did you fall asleep writing in your journal again?" I sighed, smiling, "Yes to both." I've been having these recurring dreams. I mean, they're not so bad really. They're unbelievably mundane. Serana and I are living in a world that has almost no danger, with lots of gadgets to do our bidding. Everything is white and gray. The paved roads are pristine. Crime is existent, but still, managed. People have jobs and go to school. The wilderness is pretty much completely conquered and docile. ... Life there is utterly boring and I hate it. I crave danger! Action! I CRAVE CHALLENGES! Then the dreams often end abruptly. Usually I get this prickly feeling, with something scaring me, or jumping at me. I think I'd call it... a scare-jump. And the next time I dream, the events of the scarejump haven't actually happened and life continues as normal. Perhaps it is my confused brain creating drama. "Hey, I'm not complaining. I only get to sleep next to you once every three nights. But I get to spend most nights in the dream world with you," Serana smirked. "It's not really a dream world," I said. "How do you mean?" I started to slide my boots on, "Damien monitored me a couple nights ago. He said he thought it might be 'more than meets the eye." "Ugh," Serana rolled her eyes, "He's really leaning into his new job, eh?" "Administrator of Life Well? Interdimensional Investigator? Official Master Wizard of the College? "All of the above?" Serana asked. Yeah, I guess. I'm headed to the college to see him. Wanna come with?" I asked, finishing putting on my clothes. "Sure," Serana replied. While she put hers on, I looked at my hair in the mirror. Getting kinda long. Not sure what to do with it, I crammed it into a ponytail. I teleported us to Winterhold and we walked up to the Archmage's quarters. "Morning mom," Damien turned from his work, "...step mom." Serana smirked, "I guess I am." As I approached the workshop area, I found Mirabelle and Carahil, "Archmage Mirabelle. Master Wizard Carahil, Damien. What'd you figure out?" "I have a theory," another voice said. I turned. "Solaire! It's been ages!" I shouted. He gave me a hug. "You know this strange trash-can knight?" Carahil asked. "He's a warrior of Sunlight, knight of Gwyn from Lordran," I replied, "Is that the...world's name?" "Oh, you're still keen on speaking to me, eh?" Solaire asked, "I believe the world is called 'The Lands Between,' though it's fractured, broken, time-displaced... and there are at least seven kingdoms I've been to, one of which is called Lordran. Dranglaic, Boletaria, Yharnam, Lothric, which is the same kingdom as Lordran, but thousands of years in the future but also existing side by side. And the even more future version of the Ringed City." "Well, that's confusing. I can see why you're traveling to other worlds, when yours seems to be collapsing in on itself," I said. Then I turned to the group, "What you guys got for me?" "My theory is that it's another world," Solaire said. "From everything you gave me," Damien stroked his chin, "I agree. Seems like when you dream, you're visiting another world. But it's our world." "Huh?" "What I mean is, it's like Solaire's world(s), where there are multiple versions of the same world, slightly different. Like a parallel universe. It just so happens that thing that makes the other world different is that it's about 600 years in the future." I blinked, "That... makes a lot of sense. When I'm this separate 'me,' I seem to know a lot about their world, like I've lived in it. When I wake up, I forget almost all the nuances. It's more... big picture stuff. Like, I know there's a lot of technology. I lived through an industrial revolution. I know computers... are a thing... but I couldn't tell you what they are right now. I learned to drive a car at some point. But if you asked me to do it here, I barely even know what the thing is." Serana smiled, "It's good to know that alt-Destana chose to live out her immortal life with alt-Serana." I smiled. Then I folded my arms, "So is this a cause for concern? Seems like The Worlds Between is imploding. Should we be worried?" Carahil shrugged, "This is uncharted territory. Traveling to parallel worlds is as difficult and dangerous as chronomancy, though we can repurpose a lot of the same knowledge, without the danger of time paradoxes. Infact!" She paused when everybody jumped at her Eureka moment. "This might actually be good. The drawback to chronomancy is it's prevented by Akatosh because of the inherent danger. Dimensional travel has no such prevention. Even our trashcan knight here can travel to different worlds where the boundaries are weak, using the magic soapstones from his world. But his world has little to no infrastructure. Here on Nirn we benefit from having a large body of mages who can study it. We may be able to develop a way to control where we go and... see what's out there," Carahil was beaming. "So do you need anything from me?" I asked. "I think I need to monitor you while you sleep," Carahil replied. She looked at the others. Mirabelle broke in, playing the Archmage role, "Just make sure you guys play it safe. Like you said, uncharted territory." Before he left for the night, Solaire told me to seek him out for a little side adventure. "I brought a friend back with me from Lordran," he said. I'll let you know right now, this part isn't interesting. Serana went home. Carahil monitored me while I slept (in one of the Archnages's beds). I had another dream. She took her data and told me she'd get back to me. I woke up to a conversation. "I figured I'd find you here," a woman said. I rolled over to find Brisienna and Damien, him pouring over Carahil's data. She smiled pleasantly, okay with being ignored. "Hey, how've you and Sinidar been doing?" Damien asked. "Oh, fine, I guess. You?" "The Life Waters keep me busy," he shrugged, "And this job is mostly paperwork." Brisienna smiled softly again, "I wanted to ask a favor." Damien smiled back, amicably. There didn't seem to be any bad blood between them. They were just both wrapped up in their own passions. "What can I do for you?" He asked. "Durak and I, and a few others, are going to raid the Dawnguard's fortress. Finally put an end to them wantonly killing anything that moves," she explained, "Could you watch Sinidar for a while?" Damien smiled weakly, maybe unsure about her safety, "Of course." "I have a suggestion," I said, sitting up. "Oh, didn't know you were here," Bris bowed to me, "Nice to see you." I walked over, "The Dawnguard are strong. You and your boys should take Serana, maybe a couple of her guys too." Bris thought for a second and said, "Okay." Looking between them, I spied uncertainty on Damien still. "And take Damien. He's powerful. And stir crazy," I smiled at him, "He's been cooped up here for weeks." They looked at each other, then back at me. "I'll take care of Sinidar," I added and sat down in the Archmage's chair. They smiled. After Bris went on and on about when he takes naps, what he likes to eat, how he loves his little toy lute, she pulled him in front of her from where he'd been hiding, behind her flowing kimono. Little two-and-a-half-year-old, hair as red as the Alik'r Desert. Redder. A cardinal. I smiled. He could walk, and could basic conversation. This was a fun age for Damien and Fenrir. "Who is this?" I said playfully. I realized I hadn't seen him in many months and he'd grown - fast! "Sinidar," the tiny voice said sheepishly. "Well hello, Sini. I'm your grandma. I'm your dad's mom," I said, smiling. Courageous little guy, he rounded the desk and nearly tripped down the stairs. Damien flicked his wrist and the boy floated through the air. He peered over to me as if to say, 'Can we trust you with him?' Then he noticed I also had my hand raised. "I got him," I said. Damien let him go and Sini floated over to me, sitting in my lap. He giggled, "That's fun! I can fly!" "We can fly more later if you want," I smirked. Then I looked over to the pair, "I can summon Serana." I did so and she appeared, in a bath towel. "Shor's bones!" She yelled, and Sini startled in my lap. Then he started to cry. "Oh gods," Serana shook her head, rushing over, "I'm sorry." I gently cradled his shoulder as Serana smiled and made friends. "Who is this handsome little guy?" She asked. "This is Sinidar. First time meeting, yeah?" I asked. Then I turned to the kid and said, "This is my wife, Serana." Sini tilted his head and looked at his mom, "Can two girls get married?" Brisienna chuckled, "Well, not in my day. But yes." "A little warning would be nice," Serana murmured as she was introducing herself. "Hey, you gave me the option. Also, here's what I got - Bris and her friends want to topple the Dawnguard and I figured you'd want to go with. I'm going to get to know my grandson." Serana's face softened a little, "Definitely. But didn't you have a meeting with Jura this afternoon?" I pursed my lips, opened my journal, then said, "I should really consider a secretary, y'know?" Serana laughed. "It's alright. I'll just teleport to the Imperial City. Sini here can meet his new baby cousins!" I smiled, "Wanna fly, little man?" Sinidar clapped, "Yeah!" Serana looked at the pair, "Let's meet up in Riften in a few hours." I picked up Sinidar and charged my spell, than we were in the Imperial City plaza in a few seconds. We turned to look up at the big Akatosh statue. "Wow," he said. "Wow's right. Never been here before?" I asked. He shook his head as I let him down. He looked around, marveling at the tall towers, the old architecture, and that big dragon statue. "Wanna hear something cool?" I asked. "Yeah!" "I've fought dragons bigger than that," I smiled. "Wow!" "And giants, and everything else," somebody said. I turned to find Runa and Jura, casually walking across the plaza. "What, you guys are so tough you don't even need bodyguards?" I smirked. "Pretty much," Jura said, "Same to you though. Skyrim's a bit more dangerous than Cyrodiil." "Not for me, of course," I hugged my dad, then turned to Sinidar, "This is your great grandpa, Jura, Emperor of Cyrodiil. This is your aunt, Runa. And this is... (which kid is it?)" "This is Kintyra, actually. Rigmor and I both have milk, so we just rotate. Not much different than a wet nurse," Runa replied. "Is this Sini?" Jura knelt down to get eye-to-eye with the kid. "Nice to meet you, sir," Sini said. "You call me grandpap," Jura smiled. Probably the biggest smile I'd ever seen on the man. "Look at that red hair! I love it!" Runa smiled, "And look at his little lute." "He's like, a quarter daedra, that's probably where it's from," I said. "How's your lute skills, little man?" Jura smiled. Sini, as if trained for this, took out his lute and started to strum it melodically. It wasn't anything like a complex song. More like a single chord over and over in rhythm. Still, impressive. "Sorry to butt in on your meeting," Runa said, "I was really just out for a walk with the girl and saw you both. What's going on anyway?" "Strategy meeting. Updates on Summerset. You know, standard stuff," Jura said, "But first..." I rolled my eyes, "I got your life waters for the Generals and Counts. Please, make sure none of those jackasses on the Council in Exile get their hands on this. And please distribute some to the people." "C'mon, let's go inside," Runa said, "No reason to stand out here." We all filed in the Imperial Palace to find Rigmor breastfeeding the boy and Calleius sitting in the audience chamber, reading over maps and things. "Hey, you never told me his name," I replied, "I remember you were having trouble picking one." "Oddvar," Runa replied. I nodded, "I like it. Is he an oddball or something?" Rigmor chuckled, "Dragonborn, you're always so coarse. But yeah, he's a little odd boy. It's an old family name." "They look a lot alike," I commented. Pale, blond, and beautiful just like their mother. I set down Sinidar to run around and play, like kids do, while I talked with Jura about updates. "Hey, Runa," Rigmor smiled deviously, beckoning her over. When the Emperor and I were done, Rigmor and Runa approached us, eyeing me. "What can I do for you girls?" I asked. "Go on, ask her," Rigmor said to Runa. "It's too much trouble. She's already got Sinidar," Runa replied. Rigmor sighed and turned to me, "It's been ages since the two of us had a date night." "Doesn't Calleius ever take the babies?" I asked. "Well, yeah. But he's not very good at it. And he's got an entire Legion to command now. Actually pretty busy," Runa replied. "Servants?" I asked. "We were thinking you could take them. Be the good grandma," Rigmor said, "I mean, who would they be safer with? Then neither of us have to worry the slightest bit." "I know you're gaslighting me Riggs," I smirked at her, "But, I'll do it." I pointed at Kintyra in Runa's arms, and Oddvar in Rigmor's, then Sinidar, who'd taken to playing a running game with Jura, and they all floated into the air, hovering around me. Multi-telekinesis, gotta love it. "Aww... is it time to go?" Sinidar asked. "Yeah. I have one more person to visit today. Sun's getting low," I replied, "We can come back and visit tomorrow." Sini sighed, "Okay." "Grab onto my leg," I said, and then I cast Teleport: Riften. I appeared in the busy market square. Dozens of people barely batted an eye at me appearing out of nowhere or with two floating babies. I threw Kintyra's sling over my body and kept Oddvar in my TK grasp. "Come along Sini," I said. A man bumped into me as I crossed the square. "Watch it!" I said. "Never done an honest day's work in your life for all that coin you're carrying, eh lass?" I turned and a big smile covered my face. "Talos bones," I laughed out loud, "Brynjolf! You recruiting again?" He laughed out loud, "Didn't recognize you. Been an era since I seen ya. Somebody's been getting busy I see?" He looked at the babies. I laughed, "Believe it or not, these are my grandchildren." "I simply do not believe it," Brynjolf said, "In reference to your earlier question, no, I don't need to recruit anymore. People from all across Tamriel come to us. I was just making a comment." "I seem to remember you using a similar line on me when I walked into Riften the first time, green as this tree here," I said, "But it was more like, 'you don't have any money, lass, wanna make some?" Brynjolf chuckled, "True lass. I'm out here just scoping out all the new blood. So many people've moved to Riften lately. Thinking we might get some newcomers." "Somebody help! Do something!" A voice shouted. "Care to investigate?" I asked, offering my hand. "Oh, I know who it is. Damned unguilded thieves trying to muscle in on our territory. That or the dang teenagers," Brynjolf said, then he raised an eyebrow, "On second thought, you stay here. Got your hands full." Sinidar was sneaking food from Marise's stall. "Boy's a natural," Brynjolf chuckled, then ran off. I TK'ed Sinidar again and he floated up next to me. "What did he mean by teens? Is he that old now? Is he going to start saying 'get off my lawn?" "Aww man," he said. I put down a few septims for Marise Aravel and poured Sini some milk with honey in it. About this time, several things were going on in the square at the same time. Constance Michel was taking her orphans out for a nice little walk through the town. The new kids looked happy, as far as orphans can be, and healthy. She even had a little baby in her arms. Brynjolf had given up the chase of the thief, but the guards were taking up the search. And, indeed, there were several teenagers clogging up the walkways. A couple of the boys were yelling at the guards for using excessive force. But really, I saw no reason to step in. I walked on. And finally... a voice called out to me amongst the crowd. I saw him, but continued on. But he approached me in front of the orphanage. "The time has come," he said, his voice echoing out of his ebony helm. "Who are you?" I asked, making sure the three kids were behind me and safe. He stepped up, and I found he was about a foot taller than me. Like, Tsun height. Of course, I started getting bad ideas. He continued as if he'd rehearsed this, "I have done all that can be done. There is nothing left. No quests to be undertaken. No villains to be slain. No challenges to face. Except for you. You are my last challenge. Only you can send me to Sovngarde with honor. Make your preparations. When you are ready, come find me at my last vigil." He handed me a page, a well-drawn map with a big red X on it. And as suddenly as he'd appeared, he vanished into the crowds. About that time I felt a hand in my backpack. Letting my reflexes take hold of me, I whipped around and decked the guy, sending him on his back. One of the teens who'd been arguing with the guards yelled out, "Down with the power!" The crowd started to panic, and I caught the glint of something. Fire! I threw my hand forward, reflecting it with Shalidor's Mirror. I looked back at the babies. Safe. But an overall panic erupted. The fireball I sent back rebounded into the crowd, singing quite a few clothes and hairs. A full-on riot broke out. Taking stock of the babies again, I figured this was a good time to get to safety. I ran, making sure to keep my TK active while I scrambled up toward the temple. Two unknown figures appeared on both sides of me as if they'd been waiting and I instinctively took a deep breath. But one of the men appeared with an orphan, knife to her throat. I swallowed my shout. "Don't do anything rash," I said. "FUS - RO - DAH!" A voice shouted, not my own. It was a man's voice. The men were blown off their feet at the Ebony Warrior's wake and I used the opportunity. "TIID - KLO - UL!" I shouted, slowing time. I snaked between the cultists and grabbed the child, appearing back where I was. "Get to safety!" I told the kid. The Ebony Warrior casually appeared at my side again, holding the collar of the man who'd thrown the first fireball. He was wearing some kind of bone mask - not unlike a dragon priest, but different. "Can't have my greatest challenge being taken down by scum who'd use the children to get to you," his voice droned, then he stepped forward and slashed the one on the left in two. In the intervening time I'd drawn my bow and sank an arrow between the other's eyes. "Look out!" A voice called from behind me. It was Constance who'd been shielding her orphans. I turned, but far too slowly, an arrow lodged itself in my back. No, my pack. The contents of a pack with MUCH too much gear swimming in the bottomless space in here began spilling out like a fountain. Atleast a dozen potion bottles shattered and got all over myself, Constance, and the kids (still floating around me). Thank you, Back-Shield. I stood there, coated from head to toe in various magical liquids. I surveyed the scene. The riot was under control, people now realizing it was these strange cultists making an attempt on my life that started this mess. I then surveyed myself for poisons. But I remembered I don't carry poison. So my kids, myself and Constance would have amazing Health Regeneration, Blacksmith Skills, Sneaking, Magicka Fortification, One-handed skills, and about a dozen others for the next few minutes. It does work even if you don't drink it. Then I looked in my pile of stuff again for my most important carry-on. The thing I was heading to Mistveil Keep to hand to Maven Black-Brier. A bottle of life waters. It was also shattered. I imagine the most terrified look washed over my face. Infact, I could feel the spots where the stuff hit me. It burned like acid. I'm a vampire. This stuff does not work on me. But I'd be okay. Just a little burn. I regenerate fast. Constance was looking pretty good. Obviously, it takes a little bit of time to work, but she was young looking already, so it probably wouldn't do a lot at the moment. Just make it so she stayed like this about 20-50 more years before aging. Happy accident for her. Then I looked at the kids. All three of my grandkids had been soaked with the stuff, and the baby in the sling Constance was carrying. I pursed my lips. We had intentionally never tested it on children. Nobody knew the side effects. "Is everybody okay?" Constance said, but I was already grabbing the baby from her. "What are you doing?" "Washing them off," I said, floating down to the canal. I hopped into the water and floated back up to her, handing her her soggy baby. "Sorry about the kid," I said, "Just so you know, your kid might have some weird side effects from all this stuff. Please, let me know if something bad happens." She blinked, "Don't you recognize this little lady?" I shrugged, "Should I?" "I mean, she's only about a year old. A newborn when you brought her to me," Constance replied. "Oh, that's chest baby?!" I asked. "Her name is Fortuna. You know, because you got her from a chest," Constance smiled. The Ebony Warrior turned to leave, then said, "I've seen these goons before. From Solstheim. They were after you." "Wait," I said. He stopped, but didn't turn to look. "We don't have to fight. There's a whole world out there for you to fight. Besides, I'm not the strongest fish in the pond. What about the boss of these guys? What about the Nerevarine? Emperor Jura's even stronger than me," I explained. He chuckled, "Not by much. And no, he refuses to fight me." "Well I don't blame him. I don't know you. You could be a powerful ally," I folded my arms. "Enough talk. If you want to talk, talk to Jura," he said, and then he disappeared again. I walked up to Mistveil Keep, finding Maven standing off to the side, keeping court. "Ah the good Queen. So glad you could join me today," Maven smirked. I waved, "Hey Maven. Nice to see you. I do have bad news though. Only one of the containers will be yours today. Also, I'm going to be needing a new backpack." "How, unfortunate," Maven said shrewdly. "Who were you going to give doses to anyway?" I asked. "Oh, to be honest, I was most likely going to use them to get leverage," she replied. "Yeah, I know you. I seriously doubted you were going to use it on yourself. If you suddenly started looking youthful it'd be really jarring," I said. She raised an eyebrow, "What, you don't think I look good?" "I mean, for your age..." Maven narrowed her eyes, "Well maybe I will have a little taste then. With the mind of a matron with the body of a vixen, people will be falling all over themselves just to be close to me." I smirked, "No arguments from me. Do what you want with it." With that I checked all the kids were around and queued up Teleport: Imperial City. I'd have to take a peek at the expanded orphanage next time. We got back to the palace and I put the kids in their cribs. Rigmor and Runa wouldn't be back for a few hours, but I figured I'd talk to Jura. He was there, sitting on the throne, signing decrees. He stood as I entered, "Hey. Back so soon?" "Well, I was attacked by cultists. Need to figure out what's going on in Solstheim. Splashed with life waters, including the children. Time will only tell what effects it has. By the way, have you ever heard of the Ebony Warrior?" I asked. He turned to me in recognition, "Why do you ask?" I smirked, "Well, he found me in Riften and challenged me to a fight, saying I was the strongest gal around." "Well, you probably are," Jura replied. "No, what about the Nerevarine? What about the Champion of Cyrodiil? Viranir was also stronger than me, I'm just wily and good at winning fights. And there's you." "It's all relative. You're very versatile. So much so that no matter the situation you usually have something you can pull out of your ass and win," he responded, "Except for sheer numbers." After a pause, he said, "Besides, he challenged me years ago. I refused to fight him." "Why's that?" I asked. "It's pointless," he said, "Just a man seeking challenges. There are mythical beasts in Akavir. If he wants a challenge, he could go there. Or Oblivion." "You're not usually one to turn down a challenge," I folded my arms, "What aren't you telling me?" "Well, you know how I traveled around most my life and planted my seed everywhere?" "It's how I was born," I smirked, "Probably why I am the way I am." "Well, he's one of your - many - half-siblings." I stared at him for a few seconds, then I smirked, "Well, probably good you told me now. You know how I am." "Yeah, that's why I told you," Jura cracked a smile, then he laughed loudly.