The Song of My Thu'um

Darkness pressing on all sides, enveloping every perception in an eerie silence... The abyss seems infinite, a place where time does not exist or nothing even exists but an endless void...

But wait... There is something in the far distance, a dot. No... a speck of light. A phenomenon that never even existed for a decade... a century? Or perhaps a millennium... Who knows when time doesn't even exist in this plane of nothingness? Maybe this phenomenon is what they refer to the saying, "When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you."? Imagine what horrors it could bring.

Or could it be... this is what we say about a light existing at the end of every tunnel? Perhaps the abyss is not as endless as we thought it would be, as the speck of light is gradually becoming larger and larger like approaching the end of a tunnel...

Ah... alas... After drifting in the void for so long... A blinding bright light engulfed everything replacing the void in its place along with the silence being flooded by a deafening ringing sound...

...

"Aaah!!! (screaming)." The boy woke abruptly, his chest heaving as he shifted to a semi-upright position. "(sigh) That same dream again..." he said in his youthful voice with a hint of worry.

He was a skinny and frail-looking boy, shorter than average for his age. His eyes were as blue as the sky, and his short blonde hair was a bit messy from sleep.

A few seconds later, muffled footsteps could be heard outside, it was gradually becoming louder and heavier as they approached the boy's room.

"Boy! What happened!?" A deep voice of an old man shouted from outside, followed by a resounding BANG! as he kicked the door with all his might, disconnecting it from its hinges. A tall, white-haired muscular old man entered the room. His long blonde hair, now white with age, flowed down his shoulders. Countless scars etched his old arms and face, proof of a lifetime of battles. His eyes, deep blue like the ocean, scanned the room with worry and caution. A braided beard intertwined into a single strand.

"AH! (startled) Why in oblivion would you break my door, Father!" The upset boy yelled at his father.

"Well, you screamed like a little girl early in the morning. So I thought maybe someone stole your sweet roll (chuckles)." the father replied.

"HA-HA" - the boy laughed sarcastically - "Very funny father, why don't you get out of my damned room!"

"Zein..." The father looked at his son with a hint of hurt in his eyes, he then shrugged it off rolled his eyes, and chuckled "Then don't go crying when you get your sweet roll stolen." he said as he left the room.

"Oh yeah!? Then why don't you stop telling me the same story every time you get drunk!" the boy yelled, - "Oh look at me, I used to be an adventurer like you. Then I took an arrow in the knee." said hilariously mimicking his father's voice but the old man was already gone to hear it.

"Every single time old man.." he grunted, - "I should call our steward to fix our door later..."

Zein, as his father calls him. His eyes—bright blue like the sky. Unlike his father, it has a darker shade of blue. Maybe Zein got it from his mother? But who knows? The poor boy never even met her, and his secretive father never even described her to him, not even once.

They are of the Nordic race, known to be indigenous to the cold, mountainous province of Skyrim. Perhaps this adaptation has likely given them a great natural resistance to cold, even to frost magics. Nords are pale-skinned and typically fair-haired, with hair colors ranging from red and grey to blonde, and their eyes are mostly blue, green, or grey. However, these color features, known from long ago, may be different from today's current generation.

"Rayya! You there?" Zein called for the steward with a loud voice ensuring that he was heard.

Immediately, a dark-skinned old lady with long dark brown hair streaked with strands of white due to her age dashed to the broken door as quickly as she heard the boy. "Yes, young lord?" she said softly, bowing slightly as she faced Zein.

She was dressed in a dignified stewardess's dress, a clear sign of her position in the manor. Despite her age, her eyes were sharp and black, and her muscular tone suggests she has been maintaining it regularly. Scars covered her arms that looked like it was from battles, probably a reminder of her past whatever it was.

"Uhm... Hi, could you please call a carpenter to fix my door? Father did it again," he requested, then murmured to himself, "I don't even remember how many times it has been. (facepalm)."

"I can fix it, young lord. Please give me a moment to prepare the materials," Rayya answered.

"You can fix doors now?" the boy asked with curiosity.

"Yes, young lord. Considering how many times your door has been either repaired or replaced, I learned from the carpenter to save wages (grinning)" the old lady proudly replied, her chin raised.

"Well, alright then. As long as it gets fixed, thanks..." he said, with a hint of admiration in his voice. Rayya responded to Zein by bowing her head slightly before leaving immediately.

The steward of Zein's family homestead, Rayya, is of the Redguard race, the dark-skinned people of Hammerfell; a neighboring region in the south-east of Skyrim, their skin tone can range from light brown to black, while their hair texture ranges from thick and wavy to tightly curled and wiry. They are tall but are slightly shorter than the Nords.

A steward is an individual who offers their services in protecting and maintaining a homestead which includes managing its properties, servants, resources, and more.

After taking a good stretch, Zein stood up from his bed and dressed up for his apparel, a blue shirt, neat black trousers, and a pair of brown sandals. "Ah. Just what I need." the boy said with a grin as if he was planning for something.

Leaving his room he took a pause just by his broken door. He looked back and then started to drown in his random thoughts as he looked at his bed. "Hmm... is my bed usually this small? My room is a mess... I should fix it once I get back, and by that time Rayya should finish fixing my door..." - his eyes shifted to the surroundings as he scanned the room with a hint of annoyance. - "My bed has always been at the center of my room stuck to the central window as long as I can remember, should I move it? Maybe not, it'll be a pain to remove the nightstands on its side... (eyes wide open) Oh, my hidden chest" Feeling nostalgic he approached his so-called hidden chest under his bed.

"Oh, what am even I doing? This isn't the time for lollygagging. (facepalm)." he realized then went to his doorway, outside was an indoor balcony hallway, and in front was the way towards the stairs going below. Looking to the left, the hallway extends leading to a room at the end of it. "Father's room... I only got in once or twice I think, I wonder what's he hiding in there."

Up here on the second floor, a metal chandelier was attached to the center of the ceiling, hanging level with this floor. Directly below it was a long dining table, and at the far end of the table stood a fireplace.

Zein proceeded to go downstairs. At the base of the stairs, there was a doorway a few steps in front, and from there, a pleasant aroma filled the air. "Mmm, beef... I wonder if it's beef stew," he thought, recognizing the smell coming from the kitchen behind the doorway.

Adjacent to the left side of the doorway was a fireplace, and in front of it stood the dining table, already set with plates and other dining utensils. On the other side of the table were two doors beside each other, that seemed to lead to separate rooms. "The left side should be Rayya's room and the other is the common room for the rest of the servants." he thought.

Next to them, a staircase led up to another indoor balcony, above which was a large double door. "Ahh... Behind that door is my favorite part of this big old manor, the roof deck. I just wish it was directly connected to my room."

Below the stairs where he came from, was another double door with the walls beside it filled with well-decorated plaques holding elegant shields and weapons such as swords carved with ancient Nordic symbols, they looked shiny as if well maintained daily. "The famous trophy room, I already entered the room a few times, and it was boring, it only had old and rusty weapons on elegant pedestals that were not worth looking at, what a waste, shouldn't a trophy be like a troll or a giant's head or something like that. Or maybe if Father explained those so-called artifacts then I wouldn't be disappointed like this," he grunted.

Proceeding to the opposite side of the fireplace was another hall leading to a great double door at the end. A pair of mannequins, each wearing full Nordic armor, stood on either side, facing each other. This was likely the main door of the manor, where the entry hall is. Along the sides of the hall were about five weapon casings on each side. "Each of these casings used to have weapons in them. Why did I just notice this now?" Zein thought.

He opened the door, and outside, was a well-maintained garden. It was so elegant, with various flowers and plants in every pot, forming a circle around an iron statue of a man with its back facing the manor at the center of the garden.

At a distance, tall stone walls stretched to the sides of the manor, likely enveloping it completely. Towers rose from both the left and right sides, and at the center was a great iron double gate. Below the left tower, a building could be seen that looked like a barracks, as it came with a shooting range and training ground extending toward the center of the left side walls. Below the right tower was another building, a stable where horses were taken care of.

As he approached the iron gate, the statue appeared larger and larger, spanning about 7 meters tall, it was taller than the walls; which is only at 6 meters. Its details became clearer: a male warrior wearing a helmet with downward-facing horns, his head slightly tilted as if gazing downward where. He wore studded armor on his upper and lower body.

"Whoever sculpted this statue is a genius," Zein thought with admiration, "I can even tell all the exact apparel he's wearing from its amazing details. Even his beard!"

The statue also wore iron gloves, with both hands gripping a greatsword that pressed against a dragon, while his right foot stepped on it. The dragon appears to be struggling in pain with its back pressed on the ground and its neck meeting the tip of the warrior's sword. "All dragons have tough scales depending on how powerful it is, and it's identifiable based on their colors. And this one on the statue should have a very dark color and an abnormal number of spikes in its body. What makes this dragon identifiable from others is its unique horn shape, its base starts with the letter V, and then it curves at both ends with the shape of C-ish on the right and an inverted one on the left. At least that's what it said in the books I've read so far. Well... No one has really seen a dragon for almost a century now, so who knows what is real or not." the boy stated as he was looking at the dragon, knowing it was an infamous one at that. "I mean, what am I even saying... I never even left this (quotation fingers) palace." he shrugged then proceeded to look at the dragon.

"Alduin... World Eater, Twilight God, First Dragon, God of Time, or whatever they call you back in the days. I'm just glad the Hero ended you. Otherwise, I won't be here looking at this statue." - Zein said then his eyes shifted toward the warrior's face. - "I thank you, Ysmir Dragon of the North." with his clenched right fist held to his chest, he bowed to show respect, then left to approach the gate.

Standing at the center of the gate a man was standing more than about 6 feet high, an average adult Nord height, but for Zein being a boy the man looked like a mountain, He was wearing the same full armor as the mannequin back at the manor, with his greatsword hoisted on his back. He was the gatekeeper of the Manor

The gatekeeper noticed Zein, "Young Lord, your Father does not allow you to go outside the manor's walls. Please go back." he said with his voice muffled by the helmet.

"Come on, please? (puppy eyes)" Zein begged while trying his best to look as cute as possible.

But it was ineffective, as the man has a strong sense of duty. "Please understand that I am only doing my duty as the housecarl of your father". 

"All alright then I'll just go meet Paarthunax, (points in the right-side direction)," he said as he gave up trying to persuade the gatekeeper.

He looked at Zein with squinted eyes, "Alright, just don't make them angry."

Looking back at the manor, more details could now be seen. A smaller building was connected to the main building, which was the entry hall. The main building had two visible windows on the second story.

On the left side was "Father's Room... I'm thinking of sneaking inside one day, maybe uncover some of his secrets," he thought, laughing creepily to himself. Then he glanced at the right window, thinking, "And of course, my room, where my beloved bed resides."

The back wing couldn't be seen as the main building was taller. On the left wing, a building with a roof deck could be seen; this was where Rayya and the other servants had their bedrooms. The right-wing was the trophy room, similar to the left wing but with a roof. Both the left and right wings had a tower attached to its back. A tower that is erected higher than the walls or the main building, standing about 10 meters.

Looking at the left tower, he thought, "The alchemy tower. Father never even allowed me to enter, let alone take a peek in it." He sighed, then glanced at the right tower. "Then there's the enchantment tower," he thought.

"I've been living in this damned manor for so long, and I never even explored everything in it. Let alone let me leave this prison," he muttered, unaware that his thoughts had slipped out of his mouth.

"You're still young, my lord. I'm sure your father will let you explore once you come of age," the housecarl said with a chuckle after hearing the young lord's thoughts.

"Oh, hehe..." he responded awkwardly then left.

Breaking free from his thoughts, he entered the building he had pointed out earlier—the stables. Inside, three pens lined each side, each housing a horse. Across from the entrance stood a single pen where a colt rested. The colt had a coat of greyish hue with golden accents that is highlighted in strands of its mane and tail. It was young and frail like Zein, with uniquely light blue eyes that mirrored Zein's own.

"Paarthunax!" the boy happily called out to the horse. Noticing the familiar voice, the horse approached him, neighing in recognition.

The boy entered the pen and played with the horse for a while. Remembering his plans for the day, he eventually said his goodbyes to the horse.

Instead of going back to the main door, he approached the corner of Paarthunax's pen and cleared the hay stacked there, - "Come on... Where is it... Ah, there you go." - revealing a hole in the wall of the stables.

The boy went through the hole and found himself facing a wall. In front of him was the entrance to the right tower. He cautiously entered, glancing around every corner with every beat of his uneasy heart, worried that a guard might be waiting for him. Fortunately, there was no one there at the time. "Phew..." exhaled as he now felt at ease.

He went inside the tower entrance, where spiraling stairs led both upwards and downwards. He unhesitatingly descended the stairs until he reached a dead end. It was nothing but an empty, small box room that looked to be 3x3 meters wide.

He started hugging the bricks on the walls, feeling them with his small hands - "Zein, remember... it has to be in here" he thought to himself, - until eventually a brick could be felt to be pushing through the wall. - "Got it!" - The sound of contraptions could be heard from the other side of the wall.

A secret doorway suddenly opened...

Looking inside it was dark, but still, he proceeded to walk forward without even thinking about taking a light source with him, scanning the room with both hands. "Damn it, I forgot to get a torch, but it's alright now. I think I'm almost there," he muttered to himself as he continued to search blindly through the dark. He kept moving until he could no longer hear anything but his thoughts and heartbeat.

A few moments later, he could hear an eerie voice. "When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you..." - he instinctively stopped walking after hearing that voice and confusedly asked, "Huh... What?" Then suddenly a small dot appeared in the far distance and immediately engulfed Zein's vision with a blinding light and a deafening ringing sound. ZzrrRrrngggg...

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[1st of Sun's Height, 4E, 309, Middas]