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73.36% Dragonborn Saga / Chapter 550: A Lifetime Ago

Chapter 550: A Lifetime Ago

Big thanks for the new patrons:-

@qwerty1

@Mr.nobody

Season 7 "Game Start" finale is on Chapter 553… and it is just epic.

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"So, where to go?" Nurina asked.

"Apocrypha!" Jon replied with delight.

"I know we're going to Apocrypha but where would we go to reach Apocrypha, you dolt."

"Oh… nowhere to be exact. Just let's sit and open the book together. It will envelope the reader with some Hentai tentacles and send his mind to the Realm of Apocrypha."

"So it's a trip only for one?" Nurina seemed unamused.

Jon's eyes gazed sideways.

"Kin…da?"

"You don't know?"

"Can't you just make an Astral Mind connection and link with me?" Jon asked, "You're the head of Mysticism Department for crying out loud."

"Alright alright! Let me check how that one used to work."

Nurina went up and started rummaging through her books and scrolls in the corner of her room. Nurina is messy by nature and the way she organizes her personal things is scary. No one knew how she used to run an orphanage as a hobby but it seemed that she could get organized if she wanted to.

She came back with a book and a staff then recited an incantation and cast a spell towards Jon.

The two had their consciousness blackened out for a second before returning back again.

"Oh… that's… interesting!"

Jon looked towards his hands to see them much smaller, darker, and he was holding a staff he was familiar with. Just beside him was… well… him. Jon checked himself by touching his chest to feel it rather soft. On the other hand, the other Jon was checking his own muscles as if shocked by the terrifying physical power he felt.

""Hey!""

They finally understood what happened and Nurina hurriedly cast the spell back to reverse what just happened. The two returned to the way they were and realized what went wrong.

"Why is there such a spell to begin with?" Jon asked.

"Beats me… actually, I think I need to do some gymnastics from now on."

"Good… I learned nothing important by the way."

The two decided not to bring up the matter ever again and would kill anyone who may know about it just in case.

The spell worked by the second try and Jon could feel Nurina in his mind. It was a higher form of telepathy that is very obscure but can connect people together even across worlds.

"We are ready now." She said, "Just remember, do not get lost in Apocrypha or I'll be lost with you as well. We need all the Knowledge regarding the Divine Script and the Varliance to translate the knowledge on the Eye of Magnus."

Jon nodded and let out a sigh, in front of him were three Black Books all under seals. During his expedition to Solstheim a few years ago, he managed to acquire four of the six Black Books of Hermaeus Mora, Daedric Prince of Forbidden Knowledge. He managed to read the easiest one in the past and learned the iconic Bardic Knowledge spell from it but that book was less evil compared to those three. Even now, he wasn't sure he could conquer those three books in one go.

That's why Nurina was here.

"Alright, here goes nothing…"

Grabbing the first book randomly, Jon read the title as he opened the first page.

"Filament and Filigree. I stared at my reflection in the metal, wondering if my face had hardened to match my inner mood. I had been working the piece for days, and the forge's swelter was taking its toll. I always came to the metal shop when the dark swam over me, and today was no exception. In the midst of…"

Nurina watched Jon as he read, the words written were neither poetic nor a masterpiece of literature but rather generic and normal yet every word he read put her and his mind to a strange state. Their consciousness started fading and Nurina could see strange tentacles growing from the book wrapping themselves around Jon… and everything went dark.

***

*Oblivion, Apocrypha Realm, Filament and Filigree, Chapter 1*

Jon's eyes moved around as everything around him just felt uncomfortable.

"Tentacles again? For fuck's sake!" He sighed as he was sure how exactly the book takes people in.

He looked around and felt uneasy in this place. Filament and Filigree is a one of kind between the Black Book collections. It was unusually dark, the thick smell of the Apocryphal ink sea, the rotten smell of old books, the suffocating scent of a dusty library.

A quagmire of ink and paper, an island in Apocrypha or rather… a book.

"Nurina." Jon called.

It wasn't much later when a person materialized beside him wearing a long dress and looking around the place with interest.

"For the place where all the knowledge is hoarded, it is a bit shabby." She said

"Don't let the landlord hear you saying that." Jon laughed it off.

Now that Nurina joined him in Apocrypha through the mystic link, things started to liven up a bit.

"Look, that book is a lost interpretation of Vivec's 37th Sermon!" Nurina grabbed a book and started going through it.

"Ignore it!"

"Look, a recipe book for Khajiiti Lasagna!"

"Stop it!"

"My! My! Isn't this text written in Akaviri?"

"Only Laaneth can read that."

"I'm not sure what it says but there is a drawing of a monkey beating up a monster with tentacles."

"Just drop it, please."

No matter what, Nurina was a scholar and an obsessed one at that. If she finds out a world that is basically built by books, she may never leave, not even in a hundred years. That is why Jon seemed to be more resistant to the influence of a Daedric Realm than her.

But still that was Nurina, an overpowered existence that can't be even influenced this easily. She was only letting herself rummage through the collection in this place but even if she read the whole realm, she won't be trapped by it.

The reason is simple.

*fwaa* *fwaa* *fwaa*

Chaos!

Jon and Nurina are the only two capable of using that attribute without suffering its side-effect. Chaos can rampage through anything and everything, the aftermath is mostly horrible but that is something no one can avoid. Jon used the Chaos to break one of the towering pillars of books and threw it in the sea of poisonous ink making a bridge.

"You rude son of a bitch! Haven't read that yet."

"Anything that the Demon of Knowledge hoarded isn't of value if it is just lying around. Herma Mora is known to be… possessive." Jon said.

"Demon of Knowledge? How very Nord! When did you become religious?" Nurina was unamused.

"Me?"

Jon felt disheartened. If there is a list of heathens in this world, it is him on its top.

"Let's just cheese through this place and get out of here." Jon said as he broke another pillar of books to widen the bridge.

< A Daedric Entity is curiously watching you! >

"Yeah, expected that one to happen."

Hermaeus Mora was indeed watching. He can tell mortals apart as the Daedric Prince of not only Knowledge but also Fate… not in a good way in either of the spheres. It was understandable when Mortals try to hide things from him but it was also understandable when he tries to forcefully know what is it. Jon was using Chaos to cause rampage on Apocrypha, breaking the Chapters apart and traveling through them. Hermaeus Mora could tell that the power Jon used is not a thing of this world and it is basically the opposite of Existence.

Existence is based on variable information but Chaos is simply something that doesn't make sense. An Apocrypha one way or the other. The Spheres of Hermaeus Mora are actually very tricky, he may be the Lord of Knowledge but the way he acts is to gather Knowledge and lock it in his realm driving all those who come to it insane. He is not really the Lord of Knowledge but rather the Lord of Ignorance. Chaos can't be processed by him thus to him it is something of both interest and fear.

Chaos is the defiance to all worldly so as a part of the world. Hermaeus Mora is a part of the world so when he sees the Chaos, he sees something that he can't be curious about even though he doesn't know.

Jon and Nurina finally managed to conquer the book of Filament and Filigree and reached its end. There, the Knowledge which Hermaeus Mora uses as a lure to bait the mortals in Black Books was waiting for them in the form of a large book with Divine Script and Knowledge Power flowing around it.

Three choices met them; the [Secret of Strength], the [Secret of Protection] and the [Secret of Arcana].

Each one of those represented both power and knowledge, Jon lusted for each of them equally but he can only pick one.

"I'll take the Secret of Arcana." Jon said as he selected the page he needed.

Power moved from the page to his mind and imprinted itself firmly.

< You have gained [Secret of the Arcana] >

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[Secret of the Arcana] <Power>

- You are well versed in the lost secrets of Magic. You can draw Magicka from the power and use it directly with enough mental capacity for a short period of time.

———————————

"Sweet!"

Jon smiled as he read the message and started to immerse himself in what kind of power this can be.

"My turn. I'll pick [Secret of Strength]." All of a sudden, Nurina butted in and chose something completely unsuitable for her.

"Wait… what? Nurina." Jon tilted his head in confusion.

Why would Nurina… pick strength?

"What?" She eyed him up and down, "Having muscles isn't something bad."

She picked the power anyway even though she could pick the same thing as Jon which will insanely buff her magic.

———————————

[Secret of Strength] <Power>

- You don't tire no matter how demanding the Physical actions you do for a period of time depending on your original endurance.

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"That's worthless." Jon said.

"To you with your… crazy strength." She said as she looked away.

A while before they entered Apocrypha, Nurina had gone through a first-hand experience on how strong the human demi-giant she raised. To her, it was traumatizing.

Nurina was physically strong as she used to be a Battlemage but Jon is simply a freak. The way his muscles look when flexed is akin to some demonic being possessing them with how every muscle looks like it has muscles of its own. Of course Jon doesn't look over-buffed at all since his Body Forging techniques pressed all that together into his fearsome body.

"Alright, that's enough looking at my body. Sheesh woman, I can recommend you to the gymnasium."

"Not interested." She said as she walked away.

Jon smiled and followed her towards the exit portal.

"Seriously, it's a Dare gymnasium, best in the world."

***

Filament and Filigree was the first book to conquer, the team of mother and son went out and directly picked another Black Book, The Sallow Regent.

"Act I, Scene 1…

(Enter Filemina, with broken sceptre)

Filemina--

Woe betide my fate-wrecked heart

Which gives no tender shine to he

Who gave his favors up to gods

And brought his blood-struck mind to me…"

Another Black Book and another chance to cheese through a Daedric Realm in the most infuriating of ways. Hermaeus Mora's Daedra are the Seekers and the Lurkers.

Seekers are grotesque tentacled daedra that are usually guarding tomes of forbidden knowledge in Apocrypha. Seekers have the power to banish prey with sound attacks. They are rarely seen outside the Apocrypha. They have the ability to drain their prey's energy, vitality and Magicka. The Seeker can also drain knowledge from unfortunate mortals who cross its path. While they appear bestial and imposing, they are not unintelligent. Mortals who are lucky enough to pass by a Seeker without invoking its ire may witness them reading one of the many tomes Apocrypha has to offer.

Lurkers, on the other hand, are large daedric creatures that come from the murky waters of Apocrypha. They appear as tall, amphibious humanoids with gaping mouths and needle-like teeth. They have what appears to be armor or thick scales lining their lower arms and legs. As their name may suggest, they lurk beneath the roiling pools of creatia in their master's realm and may surface if they detect trespassers. Lurkers use their long legs to stamp down on trespassers and can attack from afar by spewing tentacles from their mouths. Additionally, they can spit acid from their mouths. Their flesh has regenerative properties, allowing them to heal when they are attacked. Lurkers are resistant to poison.

Unlike how things went in the game, the Seekers and Lurkers were hoarding towards Jon and Nurina from every direction. The two were not going to face the horde alone as they started endlessly summoning Undead from the Soul Cairn and pushed forward with violence until they finished the book.

The powers they were offered in the end were [Seeker of Might], [Seeker of Sorcery] and [Seeker of Shadow].

"I choose Seeker of Sorcery." (Jon)

"I choose Seeker of Might." (Nurina)

"Woman, you're truly going for it, ain't you."

"Shaddap!"

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[Seeker of Sorcery] <Passive Power>

- Magic costs 10% less Magicka and Enchanting is 10% more effective.

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[Seeker of Might] <Passive Power>

- Physical activities are 10% more effective.

———————————

"Fine, I'll admit that this is not a bad one… it is actually… physical… hmmm… sex counts, right?"

*Whack* *Whack* *Whack*

"Ouch! Stop… stop it!"

Nurina chased Jon towards the portal beating him up with her staff flexing her newfound power on him.

***

The last book was [The Winds of Change].

"During the reign of Elgryr I took notice of the various patterns in the thoughts and behaviors of a troubled populace, and undertook a humble plan to comprehend and, in the end, affect them. Being of ordered mind, I began my taxonomy in the lower classes, which divide evenly into those who…"

Another book, another chapter in the Chronicles of Jon and Nurina cheesing through Daedric realms.

This one took them quite a while but thanks to the time difference between dimensions, it was rather nice Hermaeus Mora to give this such a good advantage.

Just like the other two books, there were three choices but this time, Nurina herself was confused about what to choose.

———————————

[Champion's Insight] <Passive Power>

- You are an inspiring leader that empowers his followers. In the fray of battle, your area attacks can avoid your allies.

———————————

[Lover's Insight] <Passive Power>

- You are a charismatic lover. Get better prices and easily approach others.

———————————

[Scholar's Insight] <Passive Power>

- You are a peerless scholar. Get more insights through reading.

———————————

"Lover Insight… no, must not think, must not choose it." Nurina was going mad over the knowledge she always wanted.

"It is agonizing indeed. I mean… I would love to see myself doing better than what I already can do but I am here for the [Scholar's Insight]." Jon simply went with that choice.

"Tsk! Damnation! Can't resist anymore." Nurina stomped the ground in anger, "The [Lover's Insight] is mine."

"Heh! I knew this would happen."

Nurina finally satisfied her own greed to be a sociable charismatic character and Jon had to stick to the plan of harvesting all Knowledge related powers.

It seemed that he would be doing all the work on the [Eye of Magnus] himself.

But that wasn't really true. In actuality, Nurina didn't need the Knowledge and Sorcery powers as much as Jon needed them. Casting spells through the Magicka of the World, making magic cost-effective and being able to research better? Nurina is 200 years old, this is all child play to her.

On a different note, once she and Jon returned to her quarters while the sun was rising, she turned to Jon asking about more Black Books.

"I still have one but I used it a long time ago. You can use it later but it doesn't have anything interesting to be honest." He replied.

"Hmph! I could have gained some more Knowledge too but I think we have already attached enough attention from the Daedra today. We will be in trouble if Hermaeus Mora targets us." She said.

"Soon." Jon nonchalantly replied.

"Hm?"

"He will be targeting us sooner than you think." Jon implied.

"Why?" She asked.

"Dragonborn." Jon pointed at himself.

"Ah… I see."

Jon spoke based on future knowledge but it was easy to imagine that Hermaeus Mora would be interested in a Dragonborn indeed.

"So… why don't we hit him before he hits us first." All of a damn sudden, Nurina spoke up as if she found something interesting.

Jon looked at her as if she was some kind of a fool.

"You serious?"

"Yes. I guess you know something, right? You know how we can screw him before he screws us." She asked.

Jon pondered for a while and nodded.

"There is a place very close here in Winterhold where we can screw him real good." Jon said and looked carefully at Nurina.

———————————

• Name: Nurina Aren

• Titles: High Priestess of Sithis, Nemesis of Daedra

———————————

Nemesis of Daedra, that's what Nurina is. A very terrifying fate she has here as her hatred towards some Daedra transcends scenes.

"I can also show you how to become better at using the Chaos other than using it to break stuff." She said.

"Hmmm… alright." Jon nodded and called his staff.

With a wave, Nurina's large fur coat flew from her bed to her shoulders and she looked at Jon in a funny way.

"Trust me, you'll need it."

Nurina listened and fastened her coat while Jon was casting [Teleport] to a nearby place outside the college in the north. The two of them appeared on a large floating icicle in the Sea of Ghosts.

"That's the place?" Nurina asked.

"Yep." Jon said as he walked ahead and hopped from one icicle to the other.

Nurina sighed and cast a powerful spell freezing the portion of the sea around her, there were no waves so it was safe to walk on.

"Where to?" She asked.

"There, see that boat?" Jon pointed ahead to a boat stuck on an iceberg with some signs of Human activity around it.

Jon and Nurina reached the iceberg as they found an entrance to some sort of an ice cave in the middle of the sea. Nurina was over-impressed and smiled vividly as she checked the bright ice frozen interior of the cave. It was a really new experience to be in such a magical place that felt as if it is a world on its own.

Jon walked ahead of her as they entered an interior resembling a large chamber made of this ice but there were ramps leading down to what seemed to like a laboratory with a large Dwarven construction on the shape of a shut tight vault and a man rummaging through a pile of books.

Jon saw him and smiled, he has been keeping an eye on this man for a long while now. A very powerful mage who kept to himself for the past years only hiding in this cave and going out through portals on a few occasions such as food and clothing. Jon traced his Teleportation once which led to Cyrodiil and back.

If a mage can easily jump between Cyrodiil and Winterhold, this is surely the sign of an Arch Wizard and a great one at that.

But this one is not just any Arch Wizard.

"Erm! Ehem." Jon cleared his throat as he tried not to startle the man.

"... don't spread… no no no no… yes yes yes… not like this… indeed… indeed… but… how?"

The man didn't even turn to Jon no matter how much the latter clears his throat. Jon was thinking of switching right away to the Thu'um but something stopped him.

"Sep… Septimus?" Nurina asked with a look of wild confusion and utter shock.

Jon read the mood and remembered that this man who is not paying any attention to him, Septimus Signus, was a former member of the College and surely someone who came across Nurina before.

They surely knew each other at least but… why is Nurina… having that look?

Jon would avoid Nurina when she glares, this is not the time he would want to be the one receiving those glares.

On the other hand, Septimus reacted to Nurina's call. His head turned around the moment he heard his name on three shakes. First, he was confused by the name he heard before he remembered it was his. Second, he tried to recognize the voice calling for him. Third, his instincts made him completely look at the caller with his face showing a hint of recognition.

Of course, she was familiar to him, very familiar.

"Nurina, girl. Here you are. I couldn't find you anywhere. The place is a mess, a measly mess. Go fetch me that book, the gold red book, the one with the dragon book."

The way Septimus spoke as he was kneeling in front of his book, the hint of extreme familiarity to Nurina was strange.

Nurina didn't reply but rather sped forward towards him and held the old man from the collar of his robes with a furious face. Jon didn't know what is what but Nurina is really not okay at this rate.

She pushed Septimus up and pinned him to a wall making the man groan but he still kept mumbling.

"You… fool… you old… fool."

Jon ran and held her away from him before she would do something they both regret.

"Nurina, get yourself together."

Jon managed to place her a safe distance from the man whose face was carried a similar surprise to Jon but his mouth kept mumbling.

Nurina looked at Septimus with an angry face but she later held her forehead and was almost on the verge of tears. To think that this ice queen was this emotional regarding some man she never mentioned before.

"How… how many years… you dumb son of a bitch?" Her anger was suffocating her as she spoke.

"The blocks were built on each other… the tower reached its perfectness and there was no more top… heaven if heaven were reached… or breached… the heaven… tower… but the heart." Septimus kept mumbling, making the look on both Jon and Nurina turn even stranger.

The man was even worse than his condition during the game. Just what could it be? Jon brought Nurina here based on his game knowledge to do something about a certain important quest but he didn't expect the Drama channel to be sponsoring this place.

"Nurina, what on Nirn?" He asked, pointing at Septimus who slid back to the ground looking into his books.

Nurina looked with extreme sadness at the man she never expected to see.

"He… he is Septimus… one of the world's top scholars of the Arcane Arts… a lifetime ago… he was my husband."

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next chapter

Chapter 551: Septimus the Fool

A lifetime ago, Nurina was married. Of course, that was long after her encounter with Jon in the realms of Chaos. Her husband was the Imperial Sorcerer, Septimus Signus.

As a man and wife, the two had a good life ll long ago and they moved around from Cyrodiil to High Rock to Skyrim back to Cyrodiil again. They were two sorcerers of the High Society of Mages, a World Expert on the Elder Scrolls and the last ever Third-in-Line Disciple of Divayth Fyr. It was a time for Nurina when she was looking to change her life and also get back on the Daedric Princes, Septimus also helped in her quest by researching the Elder Scroll she had and they bonded really well.

One of Nurina's goals was to have a child of her own, to have a true blood family once again but her body couldn't produce such a thing as life. The Chaos in her blood was a curse only she could handle. Long before all that, in order to handle the Chaos that would have killed her for sure if it stayed in her body, Nurina figured out a method to mutate her bloodline properties into that of a Chaotic nature giving her full access to the potential of such power… but the most cringe-worthy rule was applied to her, Power always has a Price.

Unable to make Children, immune to Undeath Spells, impossible to mind control, extremely harmful blood fluid; Nurina became a supernatural being that shouldn't exist in such a world, even the Daedra frowned upon her existence.

Only Sithis was the one obscure enough to bless her obscurity.

Imagine it, the only befitting deity you can have is no one but good old Sithis. It wasn't as if Nurina liked the Daedra or the Aedra either.

Either way, her life was bound to be abnormal and no matter how strong or genius her husband was, he was just a human.

Nurina remembers that night well, she remembers when she found out she cannot bear children and apologized to him but he was too consumed in his work to the point of obsession, he was no longer the person she once knew. Abandoning each other was for the best as Nurina thought back then. When she returned back and asked about him years later, he seemed to have vanished from the face of Nirn.

And after more than fifty years, here he is again. Old, crazed, delusional and over 100 years old yet still looked as if he was 70.

The answer is clear, Daedra.

"Which Daedric Prince is behind this?" The only one she could ask is Jon who clearly was aware of Septimus' situation.

Jon refused to verbally answer and telepathically transmitted the answer to her mind.

{Hermaeus Mora.}

Jon's answer made all the sense in the world. Hermaeus Mora is a Daedric Prince that snares the souls and corrupts the minds like most Daedra but the minds he aims for are the priceless ones, the minds with potential to think, discover and research. The minds that hold the knowledge he seeks and envies.

Nurina wasn't pleased to hear that. She was infatuated and almost on the verge of going on a rampage of her own. It is true that She and Septimus are long since separated but what ruined this marriage was also the Daedra. It was as if they had no one to torment except her.

Nurina looked at Septimus and then looked away. The man is obsessed to madness and those whose minds are ensnared by Hermaeus Mora are far gone. She also harbors no feeling towards her ex-husband other than pity and guilt, she can't admit it but she can't run from it. Jon could tell what Nurina was feeling and almost wanted to bang his head against something hard for ruining her mode this much but that wouldn't fix anything. Instead, he stepped forward towards Septimus and sat on one knee beside the man.

"What's up, old man? Heard you are the one to speak to about if I want to find… an Elder Scroll." Jon said as he tried to shift Nurina's attention.

And he was successful, she tilted her head slowly and narrowed her eyes. Septimus was also triggered by the last two magic words. In his rummaging madness, he looked at Jon with almost a fraction of lasting sanity and widened eyes before his madness kicked in again and spoke in the most strange of words.

"The Empire. They absconded with them. Or so they think. The ones they saw. The ones they thought they saw. I know of one. Forgotten. Sequestered. But I cannot go to it, not poor Septimus, for I... I have arisen beyond its grasp."

Septimus looked as if he was trying to convey something but that pissed off Nurina even more.

"What is this old fool talking about? Septimus, what are you doing in this godforsaken icebox?" Nurina lashed out at Septimus.

"Oh, Nurina! Sweet Nurina! Innocent Nurina! Always impatient… this ice entombs the Heart. The bane of Kagrenac and Dagoth Ur. To harness it is to know. The fundaments. The Dwemer lockbox hides it from me. The Elder Scroll gives insight deeper than the deep ones, though. To bring about the opening." Septimus replied.

"Oblivion! What are you saying, old man?" Nurina was about to rage but Jon patted her shoulder.

"He's saying he needs an Elder Scroll to open this Dwemer Construct." Jon pointed at the large Dwemer Lockbox lying in the ice chamber, "He believes that inside is the Heart of Lorkhan."

"That's impossible!" Nurina retorted.

"Impossible? If so, how can Septimus hear its whispers? Its calls! Aetherius knows, Nirn knows, you know, I know that the [Heart of You and I] seeks to be Free. Heart of Freedom. Beyond their Magic, beyond their enchantment, there is the Heart… Waiting… Calling…"

Nurina looked at Jon who shook his head denying the existence of the Heart of Lorkhan in the Dwemer Lockbox.

Septimus was right about something, the Heart of Lorkhan was trapped since the Dawn itself. It was never freed, not even once… that until almost 207 years ago, exactly the same age as Nurina.

Back then when the Nerevarine walked Tamriel, he went inside the Red Mountain to defeat Dagoth Ur or as the Nords call him, the Demon of Ur. Dagoth Ur was a Powerful Entity that was once a Chimer who served Indoril Nerevar, after the demise of Nerevarine and the apotheosis of the Tribunal, Dagoth was cast away along with his house until they resurfaced two centuries ago to steal the power of the Tribunal and claim the Heart of Lorkhan and its powers. The Nerevarine's role was to stop that and in order to do so, he had to set the Heart of Lorkhan free.

The Heart was trapped in the Red Mountain by Auriel who fastened it to an arrow and shot it in the sea. It was then discovered by the Dwarves who put a sealing enchantment on it so it doesn't escape. After the seal was broken, the Heart simply faded from the perceptible and touchable existence but make no mistake, it is the Heart of the World as one was made to satisfy the other.

There is simply no one able enough to control the Heart and the only trace the Heart left exists in the Heart Stones which are specific ores that radiate with its Padomaic Energy. Also, Jon Dare is the only person in the world able to Harness this energy through the Tools of Kagrenac which only he possesses.

Back to the folly of Septimus. Nurina was in the mood to argue with a madman despite her usual chill attitude and tried to convince him that there is no Heart of Lorkhan in the lockbox. On the other hand, Jon left them and went to examine the lockbox on his own.

From the first glance, there was one word on Jon's mind and that was…

"Absurd!"

Not even the [Skeleton Key] would open this. To use the [Skeleton Key], one must know exactly what he is Locking or Unlocking. If Jon faced a material barrier he can't go through, he would use the [Skeleton Key] to break the bonds of the structure itself and cause it to disintegrate while paying a large amount of Magicka in the process… but that can't happen here.

The Dwemer Lockbox is not only covered by an unyielding piece of metal but there was an Aetherium Mechanism, a Magical Barrier, a Mind Barrier, a Time Barrier and even a Runic Randomization Array which even Jon can't fathom. Of course, these are the things Jon could recognize and there were all sorts of Spatial Barriers after that. Wulfur may fall in love and forget the world if he sees this.

If Jon gets the chance to study this Lockbox, he will be able to completely reform the Magical structure inside the tower and create more fascinating stuff.

"Alright, there is no more to see here." Jon said and turned away to face Nurina.

"I said, there is no Heart of Lorkhan here!" Nurina kept shouting.

"No! Foolish Nurina, it was hidden away. Not by the Dwarves, you see. They were already gone. Someone else. Unseen. Unknown. Found the heart, and with a flair of the ironical, used Dwarven trickery to lock it away. The scroll will give the deep vision needed to open it. For not even the strongest machinations of the Dwemer can hold off the all-sight given by an Elder Scroll." Septimus replied calmly.

"I am not giving you my Elder Scroll, you dumb fool."

Jon sighed from the tiring conversation and decided to intervene.

"Okay, there is one thing for certain here. This lockbox is tightly locked and won't open unless we use an Elder Scroll and a Dwemer passcode." He said.

"Not happening." Nurina refused.

"I am with you but what's inside is the knowledge we need. Someone sealed it inside from Hermaeus Mora and he wants it back, that's why he sent this guy here to figure it out." Jon added.

"Oh! You know of my Lord? You know of my quest? But you can't. He doesn't send, he doesn't call, he doesn't message, he doesn't…" Septimus rambled.

"Nope, he's pretty good with FaceTime." Jon shut Septimus up, "All we need is to take this Lexicon and that Attunement Device to Blackreach."

"How knowledgeable! Indeed! Indeed!" Septimus nodded.

"Black Reach? Isn't that a project you still haven't started?" Nurina asked.

"Yes, it is about time actually." Jon made himself at home and picked up the Attunement Device and the empty Lexicon from Septimus' workplace.

"And where is Blackreach?" Nurina asked.

Jon turned to Septimus and repeated the question while winking to Nurina who rolled up her eyes as Septimus started singing.

"Under deep. Below the dark. The hidden keep. Tower Mzark. Alftand. The point of puncture, of first entry, of the tapping. Delve to its limits, and Blackreach lies just beyond. But not all can enter there. Only Septimus knows the hidden key to loose the lock to jump beneath the deathly rock."

"I love this one."

***

Jon and Nurina exited the cave after she failed to take Septimus away from his obsession. She asked Jon if he would be alright and he told her the truth. When the time comes… if the time comes and she wants to protect Septimus, she will have to be accurate with her timing.

After a long day, Nurina decided to brood a little over the sea. Jon took his excuse and returned to his home, the Dare Tower. He read a report on the things that the construction team managed to recover from his burnt house and thankfully the basement was intact. It would be understandable since he put a lot of time protecting this place from inside rather than from outside but it paid off well.

There were other reports sent by Jullanar one of them is about the situation in the College of Winterhold. It seems that Alina and the other Masters have been into a deep debate regarding the discovery of the Eye of Magnus and as the discoverer, Alina made sure that the discovery would be attributed to her name and Master Tolfdir. She also insisted on calling it the [Eye of Magnar] rather than "Magnus" which is the Nordic interpretation for the same deity. The Elves were unhappy but Alina was doing it on purpose.

However, that was not all.

"Master!"

A silhouette appeared from a secret corner as it knelt in front of Jon. There is no one who calls Jon by that title except for Jax and Beth but there were also those guys.

Dare Mercenary Corps - Team Zero. The ones known in the underworld as the Black Pigeons.

"Report."

"The Unit is ready to move, Master. Also, Master Jonrad and Master Tyr are joining the expedition." The agent spoke.

"Father is holding a grudge, of course." Jon nodded, "Anything else?"

"… There was a report that arrived from Whiterun just an hour ago. We intercepted an Imperial Secret letter." The agent said.

"And?"

"We are not fully sure but the letter is commanding the Legion to search for a certain Object. According to what we know, it is an Imperial National Treasure that was stolen while transported."

"A National Treasure?" Jon tilted his head.

"Yes. The secret command also made it very important to not let any Thalmor agent find the item in question and temporarily pause their movements in Whiterun hold. From what we heard going around between the Legion upper brass, they can tolerate anyone, even a Stormcloak, to find this item but not an Elf."

Jon furrowed his brows.

He never heard of anything like that before.

A Lost Treasure, no Elf can have it, the Legion is making an uproar. It must be a matter of great pride to the Empire, what the hell is General Tullius thinking to be sloppy with a National Treasure.

But if that's the case, then a new item to the collection is something Jon can't resist. His greed is boundless after all.

"Alright, look into that but for now, let's focus on our party, shall we?" Jon said and the agent retreated.

No one was around now. Jon smiled and turned to a bookshelf. He moved two books and with the third, a click was heard and a part of the wall moved.

"Heh! Classic."

Beyond the hidden door was a stairway leading down beyond the service stairs all the way to the middle section of the tower where there was a concealed room. There, Jon could see Jonrad and The waiting for him.

The three nodded to each other.

"Gentlemen, we have located the Dragon Cult.

———————————

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