Forgotten Resurface.

—

[One week away from Winterhold.]

Looking behind at the growing distant settlement, William couldn't believe that Skyrim in reality is very different from the game. It is already the fourth settlement that he needed to stop to hire another carriage so that he can continue the journey. 

Not only that, but the snowy terrain also presents a challenge. Sometimes, he needs to get down from the carriage to help the coachman clean the streets.

So, because of that, the journey that was supposed to be half a month at the earliest becomes one full month, exactly like the first coachman that he hired. And thinking thus far, he couldn't help but feel gloomy because if all of Skyrim is like this, the journey itself will take much longer than the adventuring that he will do later.

Therefore, he needs to find a way to travel much faster. With hope, maybe to have a personal monster mount that can fly or navigate the snowy terrain with ease later. Or, have the knowledge on how to teleport between places.

Thinking about teleporting, William remembers one crucial piece of information that he gathered from his father's sorcerer friend. That is, Magicka Mages don't have an easy time casting teleportation magic since the Second Conjunction of the Sphere, and only high-level Arch-Mages can do that with ease.

Which begs the question, how in the damnable Oblivion is he able to explore Skyrim in its entirety? Sighing in lamentation, because there's not much that William can do, he decides to focus on his immediate goal—that is, gaining knowledge to wield the arcane arts.

—

While William is deep in his musings, his instincts suddenly blur into a warning alarm. Goosebumps cover his body, and his head snaps to the front of the carriage. Seeing the coachman slowing down the carriage, he bolts to the front seat.

"Hi there, Nordlings! Long time no see!"

"Huh? Albino elves? That is new. Is he Bosmer or Altmer? Anyway, let's—"

Pulling the coachman into the carriage, William takes the front seat and whips the horse to bolt out of this place.

"Hey! What are you doing?!"

Ignoring the protest of the middle-aged man, William guides the carriage to avoid trampling the albino elves, hoping that they will not be pursued to the ends of the earth.

"Huh?"

Getting past the bewildered elves, William calculates in his mind that if he wants the two of them to survive, he must not antagonize them further.

"Catch them! Don't let them escape!"

The reason is that it is still one week away from Winterhold, and a two-day ride into the next settlement, and their horse cannot outlast them in terms of marathon chasing.

"Why are there so many?"

If he kills the person sent as bait to attract the traveler, knowing their kind is in decline, William just needs to say goodbye to his short life.

"W-wait. I-is that a Chaurus?"

Because it will only further fuel their already burning revenge against the Nordling/Human who made them what they are now in the first place.

"W-why are they so big? A-and why are they on that monster's back?"

Discarding any sense of justice or compassion, which, in turn, makes the pursuit even more deadly for William.

"Y-young man. C-can you go faster?"

So, because of that, killing the Falmer, no, Snow Elves bait, will only further decrease the percentage of his survival. Moreover, after fifty years of returning to their origin, William is sure that the news of Snow Elves' return has already reached the higher-ups of Skyrim.

"T-they are closing in."

And, one or two slips up like this will not agitate them because, over those long years of becoming intelligent, he is sure that they have learned from their mistakes. Prompting the elder of their races to be more cautious and not easily antagonize the whole Nordlings as a whole.

"H-huh? They retreated?"

This makes their bandit operation to be recalled and suspended until they find an easier target. Creating the illusion for the smarter ones to realize that, the person they are trying to mug has information and already has some experience.

"Huuf… What a relief. I thought I was going to die."

That can cause a serious chain of events, if the person is to die by their hand, that could lead to the family or someone backing that person investigating. Then later, creates a catalyst for another Snow Elves massacre, as they find the right excuse to redo that dreadful event.

"Thank you, young man. If not for you, I would be done for."

Shaking his head, William replied, "No need, sir. This is also for my survival."

Passing the reins back to the coachman, William yawned and continued, "Here. You can resume riding. Huaam, this one-hour chase is making me sleepy."

"Hahahah, of course. I totally forgot, I am the one that owns this carriage."

Patting the coachman's shoulder, William then goes back to the passenger seat and says, "Just wake me up if there is another incident like this, sir."

"Of course, of course, young man."

Crouching to enter the carriage, William lies down on the long bench, trying to sleep. Not wanting to think about the consequences brought by the Snow Elves' reappearance, he can only let out a long breath of lamentation, "Sigh. What a drag."

—

After trekking the mountainous snowy terrain of the Winterhold region, facing attacks from various monsters and wildlife, and encountering a road blocked by the blizzard, he finally made it. He finally made it to reach the heart of the capital of Winterhold region, the northeasternmost portion of Skyrim.

This bleak, snow-blown hold, seemingly abandoned by the world and epitomizing the frozen wasteland, is a place where William will spend his years changing his fate. A fate to survive the apocalypse brought about by the World Eater or the Aen Elle Spectres alike.

Even though the place itself raises questions and uncertainties, given the current state of the barren region, this is the place where the majority of his power will come from. Such as the college where he will study his arcane art or, if he is lucky, Saarthal, a place that holds the ancient magical artifact, the Eye of Magnus.

So, looking at the distant destroyed castle gate, William picks up his pace, trekking up the mountain while pulling up the rope that is attached to the sled where he places his sea chest. 

He is trekking the road on foot, with the reason being that Winterhold city is located in a relatively high topography, causing carriage services from nearby villages and cities to come here only once a month as per the Jarl's instructions.

Passing the dilapidated massive stone gate, William sees many destroyed buildings that tell the beholder of the grim history brought about by the natural disaster. And this ghostly sight stretches to the end of the horizon, making him realize how much spectacular scenery he missed when this place was in its glory.

Great towers destroyed, grand shops in ruins, houses reduced to rubble, are all that William sees in the hour since he started entering the city. After an hour of constant walking in this ghost city, he finally sees wooden palisades in the distance.

Thinking for a moment, he decides to trek back and find one of the destroyed structures. After finding a good and inconspicuous space that is suitable for hiding something, William then walks toward that structure. After a brief scout, he begins to dig in the snow-covered spot.

Opening his sea chest, he then takes one of the four baby-sized chests and places it in that spot. Covering the spot with nearby stones and snow, he then starts looking for three more places with the same inconspicuous feeling. Following the same procedure, he finally finishes hiding his money, ensuring that he doesn't immediately get mugged.

Having finished doing that, he then starts to erase his tracks from that location and finally begins walking toward the wooden palisades in the distance. Getting closer to his destination, the true city of Winterhold, William is able to see the open wooden gate with two guards protecting it.

"Halt! On what business is the Witcher coming to our city? There are no monsters in this area that need to be slain. All of them were resolved by the mages of the colleges."

Raising his eyebrows in confusion, he finally lets out an 'ooh' sound after following the gazes of the guard. Rubbing the pommel of his katana, William starts to explain to the clueless guard, "Not every adventurer bringing two swords is a Witcher, sir guard."

"Hmm? Really?"

Nodding his head, William confirms with a little bit of information, "Yes. Back in my homeland, Land Across the Sea Ghost, the Witchers there place their swords on their backs, unlike me who places it on the waist."

Seeing the guard still skeptical, William continues, "And their eyes usually look like a cat's."

"Ahh! You are right! I totally forgot about that!"

Just smiling, William then asks, "So can I go in, sir?"

Holding his hand up, the guard shook his head, "Not yet. I need to confirm your identity first, knowing where you come from."

Having a twisted knot in his stomach, William couldn't help but ask, "Oh, why is that the case, sir?"

Taking a notebook from his pocket, the guard then answers, "It's okay, you don't need to worry. It's just a precaution done by our Jarl because of the two embassies that just arrived here."

—