Chapter 10: Executed With Honor

The sun is about to set in 2 hours. Back at the war room, a Dunmer and 2 old Nords were having their meeting...

"Back at the flashback, after I was done with the teleportation circle, I went back to the manor, to check on the laboratory, hoping to find clues about the Lady. But to my surprise everything was burnt to ashes, I saw no traces of lifeforms inside or anyone who could've destroyed the laboratory, but after using the mage's sense I could see that there was some residue of some magic circles that possibly acted on a specific condition, similar to that pendant... So I thought it was probably automatic the time that the Lady was in trouble. It would automatically explode, destroying everything in the laboratory. So yeah, if I didn't get out before it activated, I would've been toasted." Brelyna recalled.

"Thought you were a powerful mage that could do anything?" Loydja said, raising her eyebrows, surely it was to mock her friend.

"Sure, but that doesn't mean the explosion won't get me before I can activate a protection spell. Also, I was only an expert-level mage back then, I recently just ascended to master-level and hoping I'm close to unlocking a stage beyond it." Brelyna replied.

"Well, moving on, I scanned the laboratory until I noticed that the magic table that I discovered a while ago was completely intact, I went near it and I was glad that the journal was still safely intact."

"But when I was about to grab it, the carvings suddenly emitted a light, then the book started to float as it was split into pieces of its pages, then it flew outside the laboratory, I tried to chase it outside but the time I got out, the papers were already at the sky as it scattered everywhere around Nirn, I was hoping that I could find it with my mage's sense as it was enchanted with Magicka, but it was impossible as if it was designed not to be detected by a mere mage sense."

"I went back to the magic table since I noticed the journal left something at the table before it flew, a pendant on top of a piece of paper. The pendant was resonating in a bright orange color, that eventually mixed with red by the time I took it from the table, that's when it shows that color." - she points at an orange-red hue-colored pendant on Randjolf's chest.

"The piece of paper had a symbol similar to the journal's cover on its back, so I assumed it was part of it. And it says:

Find all pages... Be discreet...

This stone shall be possessed by Zein's Guardian,

The stones must not fall into the wrong hands."

"By stones, does it mean..." Randjolf inquired, holding the pendant from his chest.

"Yes... The pendants both you and Zein possess. It's not an ordinary pendant or stone, it contains something than just a mere Magicka in it. Something I don't know yet." Brelyna affirmed. Randjolf got lost for a moment not realizing he was staring at the pendant for so long that Brelyna would notice, she snapped him out of it and continued her story.

"Now, assuming that the Lady was attacked, she thought most of us were wiped out, including you Randjolf as I was the only one she knew who was alive."

"After taking the items, the carvings on the table suddenly glowed and eventually burned the table to ashes like the rest of the laboratory furniture and equipment, so I decided there were no longer left to see in here."

"I went outside the laboratory and I saw you and your men as you went back to gather all the remaining corpses and limbs to burn them. That's when I gave you the pendant which finally convinced you that I wasn't behind that incident. And so, after burning all the remains together, I left you to investigate further as I went to the College of Winterhold."

"There, I spent my time at the library researching the 'stones' or the symbols, but there was nothing, its existence was a mystery to me and I just accepted it which made me admire the Lady even more. After that, I decided to start my search for the missing pages but I realized didn't have any resources, so I decided to work as an instructor for the College."

"You could've just contacted me or Randfjolf if you needed money," Loydja suggested.

"The Lady said that I should be discreet," Brelyna replied.

"What happened to the money you made from our past adventures?" Randjolf asked, he raised his eyebrow, referring to their adventures together with their Lord Ysmir.

"Other from rations, and other necessities... Errr... You see, I spent all my fortune donating it to the College. Remember the stories from those old College people? The Great Collapse from the year 122? Noticed why no one even considered rebuilding it. It was because they had no funds, and because of the Civil War, prevented them from heed help from other College Branches. Also, for some reason even after the Civil War the College from another region never replied to the Skyrim Branch's messages." she answered, shrugging her shoulders.

"Eh? Why would you do that?" Loydja asked, scratching her head.

"Because of her love of magic... Also, that was the first place she and Lord Ysmir met. She probably decided to make it her home, knowing she couldn't fit with us Nords. To avoid getting discriminated." Randjolf explained as he crossed his arms.

"What!? We would never-" Loydja said as she glanced at Brelyna then back to Randjolf, but was stopped mid-sentence.

"I wasn't talking about us... I'm talking about what happened after the Civil War when Lord Ysmir questioned himself for even taking a side, but he had no choice, had he not intervened and taken aside, then there would've been more bloodshed. Then your sister wouldn't be alive." He said, gazing at Loydja and reminding her of the past. "We must embrace the fact that most Nords are racist to other races here in Skyrim," he added as he crossed his arms.

"I- You're right..." Loydja agreed, lowering her gaze then she shifted her glance at Brelyna, locking eyes with her, "Please proceed..." she said to her.

Brelyna nodded in response as she gladly complied, "Don't worry, those don't bother me much. Anyways, I'll be proceeding..."

"Me donating to the College's funds for rebuilding also gave me benefits, my relation with them grew closer making them trust me. Also as a previous student of the College, I was quickly accepted in when I told them about me considering teaching. Until eventually I became the new Archmage of Winterhold in just one year since the Windstad Incident."

"Now that I had money, and resources to commit to my search, I was confident that I would find one in a few weeks... But unfortunately, it took me 4 years to finally find one missing piece."

"Can't you just use that clairvoyance spell?" Loydja asked.

"That's what everyone would do to find something, but unfortunately, it was not possible. The Lady designed it to be untraceable by magic even with my level. I also mentioned earlier that mage sense didn't work remember? - Brelyna explained and Loydja nodded in response. - "Also never at least once did I discover a way to track it easily, so it was a pain." She added.

"I explored dungeons, signs, clues for it. Eventually, I found one... And you won't believe it, it was on top of my table." - She landed a palm on her face as she reminiscence the trouble she had. - "I looked around and asked around if someone had come to my office, but there was none, my mage sense also said the same, there were no traces."

"That was when I came to a hypothesis that the journal pieces don't want to be found if it doesn't want to, as if it was also designed that way.

"I can't believe you wasted 4 years for that," Loydja expressed, biting her lips.

"It was 2 years ago, by the way," Brelyna mentioned.

"I thought you said it took you 4 years to find one?" Randjolf noticed, raising his eyebrow while Loydja agreed with him as she nodded.

"Oh, I did say that, let me be clear again. It took me 2 years to find the page, the other 2 years..." She answered but eventually paused, she again landed another palm on her face as if remembering something that caused her a "pain in the ass".

"Well?" Randjolf asked, being impatient as he crossed his arms.

"The journal piece was written in dovahzul... And I had no way to decipher it, I never had the time to learn from Lord Ysmir." — "Damn now I'm regretting it, how could I reject his proposal to me to learn Dragon Tongue." she thought to herself.

"Also, there were no longer dragons here in Skyrim, or if there were, I don't even know where to find one," she added.

"Did you look at the Word Walls? If I remember correctly dragons like to rest there." Loydja suggested,

"Yes, I went to check all Word Walls that I can remember, but there was no luck. And so I went to the conclusion in believing that ever since Alduin lost, all the dragons fled to another continent, or probably flew to another planet. But I don't really know to be honest." Brelyna answered.

"Even if you meet a dragon, I doubt they'll be even considering speaking to you: an insect to their eyes." the old man commented.

"How about the Greybeards?" the old woman asked going over the old man's comment.

"The Greybeards were not of help either, they no longer entertain any visitors, ever since the disappearance of the dragons, but I'm not entirely sure why," the archmage replied.

For a moment, Loydja thought of another suggestion, and suggested: "How about the blades?"

"I wasn't sure that was a good idea at first, but when I went to check on their base, they were no longer there, empty. I tried to find Delphine despite being a bad idea, but no luck either."

"Welp, I don't have any more ideas. So please proceed." Loydja shrugged as she finally gave up.

"I ran out of ideas either, so back then I just locked myself up at the college library, then did my research. It took me 2 years to succeed and here we are conversing about it.

"Finally the main dish," Randjolf said, stretching his arms and cracking his fists.

"But where is the page?" Loydja inquired.

"I left it at my office for safekeeping," the Dunmer replied as she proceeded to cite the message written behind that page.

"The journal piece says:

Custodian of my child,

Assess his merit and bestow upon him the twin stones. Embrace this as prophecy, as if decreed by your Lord.

At eight years, commenced his training in the essentials of survival. By the thirteenth year, he must guard himself and the stones. Upon the fifteenth cycle, when the powers may safely merge, they will become aware. His existence is essential." 

"Why does it feel like my great-grandfather wrote that letter." Loydja expressed, rubbing her head. 

"Did you sacrifice your muscles over your intellect woman - Has your brain deteriorated because of that secluded training?" Randjolf chuckled, he smirked as he mocked the old woman.

Veins started to pop out from her temple as she glanced at the old man ready to burst at any time, "Shut up you ugly old fool! Of course, I understand what it meant, but I'll let Brelyna explain it for us." She said in excuse as she shifted her gaze to the Dunmer.

The Dunmer sighed, but watching her old companions argue like children, she unintentionally summoned a grin. "The piece of paper isn't a journal, it's a cryptic letter made by the Lady, which means the book that I found back then wasn't a journal, because of this discovery, I am again lost in the Lady's mysteriousness."

"Anyways the letter is addressed to the guardian of the child." - she looks at Randjolf. - "You should follow this piece of paper's instruction and consider it as a prophecy and you should follow it like it was an order from Lord Ysmir."

"At the age of 8, you should start training him... Teaching him everything about how to survive this world, teach him how to defend himself. Doesn't matter, teach him magic, swordsmanship, leadership, or maybe how to backstab people to survive. It's up to you as the guardian."

"Until the age of 13, you have to make sure that he is ready, evaluate him if he's worthy. If he fails then he will not survive, and considering that it was like Lord Ysmir's order, then it means as you put him so shame. If he passes, then entrust him your pendant."

"Finally at the age of 15, he should be completely assimilated to the pendant's power. At that time, they will become aware. And by 'they' it meant..." - she paused for a moment as her expression became cold. - "The Psijic Order will be able to sense him, and they will come for him." She said with a cold tone that matched her cold expression, while the two Nords did the same, stunned by what they had just heard.

When Randjolf came to, he stood up and hammered his fist at the table. "What does the Psijic Order have with him!?" he shouted as he shook his head in disbelief, terrified for the possible fate of his son.

"Th- The Order that almost killed us... 10 years before Zein's birth..." Loydja said, her voice shaking and her hands trembling. "I thought, Lord Ysmir sacrificed himself to eradicate the Psijic Order... Isn't that also the reason he ascended to godhood?" she added as she glanced at Brelyna.

"That... I'm sorry my lips are sealed." Brelyna muttered as she lowered her head, unable to look at her companions.

"What do you mean your lips are sealed!?" Randjolf asked her, his voice raised.

"I was cursed by the Order, I can't say anything about Lord Ysmir, or else they'll be able to track me," she explained as this angered the old Nord. He flipped the long table launching it to the wall opposite of him. 

"Does that mean you work for them now!? Or maybe you might be a spy, showing up after 5 long years. After all Lord Ysmir had done to you!?" Randjolf yelled at the Dunmer as he clenched his teeth and fist, veins popping all over his head and muscles, his eyes slightly going bloodshot from the anger.

"Calm down Randjolf!" Loydja said, raising her voice as stood up in the background, but she was unheard.

"I am not a spy, nor do I work for the Order," Brelyna claimed, her expression was calm as she was staring at Randjolf's eyes.

"Maybe you distracted us, so your Order could take Zein. Is that why you convinced me to not react to the pendant's warning!?... I trusted you Brelyna." Randjolf shouted, still influenced by his anger. His pendant glowed in bright orange and suddenly a sword rack appeared behind him, he took one short sword with his right hand as he proceeded to approach Brelyna who was calmly sitting in front of him, not taking any action.

 "Old man! That's enough!" Loydja warned Randjolf as she went in between him and the woman behind her, shielding her. She glared at him, demanding him to stop, but the old man was too lost in a single emotion, his senseless anger.

He grabbed the human shield blocking him and threw her at the side. "Ooof!" she groaned, as she was thrown at the wall, her head first causing her to lose consciousness. Now there were only the sitting Dunmer and the old man who were facing each other.

"You were always like this, ever since the day you failed to keep your promise with Lord Ysmir the second time... - sigh - Very well, if killing me would ease your mind. Then so be it. I will not fight back." She said as she locked her eyes with Randjolf, showing no emotions as if prepared to die at his friend's hands.

"Good... That will only make it easier for me. May Sovngarde call this an execution, not killing a defenseless woman." He smirked, as he was about to swing his sword, but he paused and threw his sword away. Brelyna was confused but she didn't speak a word.

"If I were to execute you, then I shall do it with honor... Goodbye, Brelyna Maryon." Randjolf grinned.

The world began to play in a slow-motion perspective...

As he started to shout words from a familiar language, - he inhaled as he cited: "Fus..." Then at the same time, some kind of power formed within him as his chest started to glow in white as if it revealed his heart and ribs from the inside. Then he slightly exhaled from the diaphragm and cited: "Ro..." The light from his chest moved to his throat. And finally, he shouted "DAH!, the light moved to his mouth as it exerted a powerful shockwave upon releasing it while aimed at the Dunmer.

Instead of feeling fear of death, she beamed a smile at his friend, "So, you finally mastered the true meaning of Unrelenting Force. I'm so glad I would be killed by an ancient power such as the Thu'um." she thought as she slowly closed her eyes accepting her fate.

The world played back to the normal perspective...

"FUS... RO... DAH!!!"

...