2 Prologue 2

''Farewell, my first and most beloved son. You are no longer needed by me, nor by the world."

Alduin may have been proud and rebellious, but he was no fool. He understood perfectly well that resistance was futile, and his father's final words had touched a nerve. He was being discarded like an unwanted item. He would have preferred a true death to what Akatosh had in store for him. Even death by the blade of the Dragonborn no longer seemed so humiliating. Otherwise, he would not have to exist in the void of Aetherius until the end of time, filled with the primal energy that was released after the conflict between Anu and Padomay, known to mortals as mana or magic. And he would not have to share his solitude with the remains of those Et'Ada who left the mortal world after its creation, forming the three giant clusters that mortals called the Guardians.

"You're making a mistake, Father, by banishing one of the pillars of Nirn's existence" growled Alduin, looking into Akatosh's eyes as the banishment ritual neared its end.

"Ahsul, Dii kiir fen alok, ahrk faal Lein fen qiilaan wah mii! (One day, My children will return, and the World will bow before us!)"

When the final actions of the ritual were complete, Alduin disappeared in a bright flash, after which Akatosh sighed wearily.

"It all went much worse than we expected. Auri-El, don't you think you were too cruel to your own son?" Azura addressed Akatosh.

"And yet, how interesting. A being born of the highest Aedra was close to becoming the strongest Daedric Prince without losing its divine nature. Quite interesting indeed. This phenomenon is worth my attention" came the voice of Hermaeus Mora in the hall.

"Because of your degenerate son, Akatosh, we've all become significantly weaker! And don't look at me like I'm an idiot, Molag Bal, Mehrunes. The very idea of creating Alduin was your mistake, Akatosh!" Malacath snarled angrily.

"No, brother, you punished him wrong" the Prince of Madness spoke up. "Banishment is a bore. I had a vision recently, during one of the banquets at Sanguine's. Imagine a world filled with colorful talking ponies who believe in the Magic of Friendship! It's perfect for our eldest nephew, given his character."

"Given his character, Sheogorath, I already pity those ponies" Sanguine sighed. "Although, the spectacle would be unforgettable... Especially if we turned Alduin into a unicorn with wings, like that little blue spiteful pony."

"Enough! Alduin has been judged and punished! We should return to our plans!" Stendarr's voice rang out.

As the hall emptied, one figure remained hidden in the shadows of the columns.

It was Mephala, her eyes, previously covered in a milky white film, now turned into two bottomless black abysses.

"How will you behave, Firstborn of Akatosh? Your thread has not yet been cut and has not become monotonous. Time will tell if Auri-El was right in banishing you to Aetherius" she whispered.

Alone in Aetherius, Alduin began to ponder a way to return to the mortal world. The only loophole in the mortal realm's shell that he could use to return was Magnus's plan, but that path was closed. The first of the dragons had to wait for the perfect opportunity when Magnus let his guard down. His burning desire to return to the mortal world and prove to all the Et'Ada, especially his father, that he was much stronger than they thought, kept him from losing his mind.

During the breaks between his millennia-long slumber, Alduin feasted on the remains of the Et'Ada floating in the abyss of Aetherius or practiced perfecting his Thu'um, following in the footsteps of Paarthurnax.

Unbeknownst to Alduin, his exile had set off a chain of events that had led to the world's unrecognizable transformation. Weakened gods were unable to resist the threat that had been brewing for eons. He had no knowledge of the prophecy that had been fulfilled, mistakenly interpreted as the Dragonborn's prophecy.

The gods, in an attempt to save the world from destruction, had sacrificed themselves to preserve what had been created through deceit and trickery.

The mighty Alduin was unaware of the events happening beyond the boundaries that separated Eterius from the rest of the world. Although his physical body had long since dissipated, unable to withstand the ocean of magic, his soul remained intact.

Fueled by the thought of his inevitable return, he continued to feast on the remains of the Et'Ada, increasing his power, pausing only for meditation and rest.

During one of his periods of slumber, Alduin felt his soul being pulled in a direction that he could not discern.

As he woke up from his slumber, Alduin immediately concealed his aura, fearing that his father had uncovered his plan and was now attempting to banish him to the Aurbis, the realm of absolute void. This would mean death even for a being such as Alduin, but he could not resist the pull of the unknown force dragging him somewhere. Despite his efforts to break free, Alduin rapidly weakened, while the unknown force did not loosen its grip. Realizing that he was being pulled into the world of mortals, he decided to conserve his strength and allowed himself to be drawn out of Eterius, planning to deal with the situation on site.

But those moments of confusion were enough for those who could sense his aura to take notice. Dozens of hills across the world simultaneously lit up with a strange mixture of golden and blue light. Even after the ancient dragon concealed his aura, the hills continued to shine for some time, drawing the attention of supernatural beings all over the world.

When the force finally released him, Alduin opened his eyes and quickly shut them again, as they were struck by blinding light. After a moment, he opened them again and saw a young human woman dressed in a white robe. The woman smiled at him, and Alduin bared his teeth in response, but instead of a menacing roar that struck fear into the hearts of mortals and immortals alike, a sound like that of mortal children's cries escaped his throat.

"Indeed, he has your eyes" a male voice sounded, and a human man appeared in Alduin's field of vision.

"Akatosh? You've changed a lot. Wait, this worm isn't Akatosh! I don't sense any power of the Aedra or Daedra in this woman or this man!" Alduin started to rage, but once again, only childish crying emerged from his throat.

"What will you call him?" the man asked the woman.

"I will call him Tatsumi" the woman said, gently stroking Alduin's head.

Hearing this, Alduin began to frantically think.

A terrible and revolting idea began to form in his head, an idea that he could not, did not want to believe. But seeing how the woman looked at him, he finally realized. He looked at his wings and saw shriveled human hands that could not even hold a pitiful worm. His hands, his reflection in the woman's eyes, everything reminded him of a human body.

He had become a human.

Not just any human, but one of these filthy insects, one of them. Still not believing what had happened, Alduin fell asleep, hoping that it was only a twisted vision that had visited him during his meditation.