A/n: some of you must have watched EpicNate's video on the Eye of Magnus and while he got some stuff right, more than 50% of what he assumed is not even solid from the Kamal Invasion to the purpose of the Eye. I will put down my theory which is not 100% right either but it will at least complement the story until the Official purpose of the eye is revealed by ESO or TES6… hopefully.
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"Nice place you got here." Nurina said as she walked by to Jon.
"Thanks." Jon smiled and nodded at her.
It was a starry night in Winterhold and the winds were fair. The upper section of the tower was mostly a library but after Jon's house was burnt, he transformed the unused portion of that Library into a large apartment.
More to it, as the upper section of the tower, it was surrounded by the roof of the middle section and it was vast enough to fit a small herb garden and some benches. Jon would stand at the railing of the roof gazing down at the entire Winterhold.
"It is better here." He said.
"You feel like you own the world." Nurina nodded.
"I feel like I do."
"You shouldn't." She refuted.
"…" Jon remained silent to see what was Nurina's purpose in saying those words. He looked at her as she gazed up at the sky.
"Many years ago when I met you in the Chaos, I never dreamt that you would actually be my student let alone my child… let alone one of the youngest Arch Wizards in History." She said.
Jon frowned.
"I am not…"
"You met the qualifications." She cut his words, "Yesterday's spell was an Army-scale spell. People of such caliber are treated as Superpowers of their own in the Magic Community."
"I thought you quit the Magic Community." Jon said.
"I did, you are part of it like it or not and the moment you were declared my student Five years ago, it caused a stir. Two years ago when you battled the Thalmor and slew ten Arch Wizard in a Demi-CHIM state, you caused an even greater stir. With the prophecy around you, the others became even more curious. When news of the scale of your magic reaches far, you will be in a more curious spotlight. Jon, you are underestimating your own power."
"Seriously?" Jon gave a long tired sigh, "I don't want to deal with anyone any time soon."
"Sooner or later, you will. Right now, to the purpose I am here for. Alfe told me to test you." Nurina said.
"Alfe? Alright. What does the Arch Wizard ritual look like this time?" He asked.
"No rituals." Nurina shook her shoulders, "There isn't a ritual for everything, you know."
"Seriously? No dancing naked around the fire? No long walks on the beach? No slaying a few goats and summoning up a Daedra to beat him up."
"Why are you so disappointed?"
"You know that I love rituals, Nurina. Everything gets so mysterious and nonsensical when you involve the word Ritual. No one will even question it."
"I see. So that's how it is done. Sadly, there is no definitive way to understand whether one is an Arch Wizard or not. You always possessed the raw power but all you needed was control and now that you have crossed the milestone, you have to impress me so… so that I graduate you."
Jon blinked a few times and looked at her.
"Graduate me?" Jon asked, "What's the point? I will always be your student."
"It is important to me." Nurina showed a rare resolve as she was firmly making her stance in the matter.
"At least let me postpone it." Jon pleaded.
"No can do, young man." Nurina refused.
It was clear that she was happy judging by the wide smile on her face. Jon's graduations meant that there is nothing more she can teach him and he is independent from her now. Of course as a Master and Student, their bond is eternal but this was a milestone they had to cross.
"So all I need to do is to impress you?" Jon asked.
She nodded.
He pointed at the Tower of Music which he designed and built to be a machine that can harness the Tonal Energy and use it in bizarre ways. Nurina shook her head implying that's is not what she was looking for.
"Okay, any suggestions?" Jon helplessly asked.
Nurina thought for a while before offering Jon a hand. He obediently took her hand and the two disappeared in a poof.
Where they appeared was the Hall of the Elements in the College of Winterhold. Despite being late at night, the place was filled with Masters and Scholars. Jon waited for his senses to adjust after the Teleportation but someone approached them right off.
"Glad you two joined us." The speaker was Laaneth, the Daedralogist who is friends with Nurina.
"Yes yes, we have arrived. You can all go home now, we will solve the mystery." Nurina said as she shooed away the other mages who wanted to greet her.
Jon greeted Laaneth then shifted his attention to the object in the center of the hall. He smiled as he took a few steps towards it.
The Eye of Magnus.
"Fascinating, isn't it?" Nurina asked.
"Indeed."
Both Jon and Nurina stood forward facing the Eye of Magnus closely as there was nothing threatening about the large orb that spun around itself mid-air. Its appearance was a marvel.
"Nurina, nice of you to join us."
From behind, someone stood ahead and spoke casually to Nurina. It didn't take a split of a second for the back of Jon's hand to land on the face of that speaker. The Altmer had his face squished against Jon's hand as if he was hit by a battering ram before landing a couple of meters away on his ass.
"What did you just call her, shit face?"
Jon turned to Ancano with nothing but disdain towards his very existence.
The chattering in the room instantly quietened as everyone caught sight of what just happened. Jon Dare is a rare sight in the College nowadays but every time he farts, the bards across Winterhold sing about him.
Meanwhile, Ancano was the Thalmor advisor which was forced on the College by the regulations of the Magic Community. The Thalmor are a great force in the World of Magic and they at least have an eye or two in every institution nowadays.
"Jon… Jon Dare!"
Ancano realized what hit him. Only one mage has a hand that can hit like the stomp of a mammoth and it is unquestionably Jon Dare. Actually, he knew it may have been a Firemane since there are a number of them attending the College now but he never would have guessed this reaction.
"It is Thane Jon Dare, shit face." Jon joined his hands together in a display of complete tyranny.
Nurina turned around with interest at the sight and not stopping Jon at all. Ancano was a source of nuisance to many mages, Nurina included, but if she did something similar to what Jon did, her cousin would nag her to Oblivion. Jon on the other hand is a force of nature, what would the Archmage do? Cut his salary?
"What is all this ruckus about?"
And here he arrives, the Archmage.
"Uncle!" Jon smiled and waved his bloody hand for Savos Aren who was surprised as Jon never called him such a word before.
He saw the blood on Jon's hand and Ancano struggling on the ground with a bloody nose and a messed up face.
"Thane Jon… you…" The old Dunmer held his head from the sudden headache that assaulted him.
"Oh, Jon. Look what have you done, your uncle has more grey hair than before now." Nurina shamelessly joined the act.
"It is because of you!" Archmage Savos finally snapped and shouted at Nurina who made an innocent sad face from injustice.
"Archmage… Archmage Savos… this member of your College has assaulted me openly. This is an act of aggression towards an Ambassador from…" Ancano went up staggering and started complaining to the Archmage who rolled with his eyes away.
"What a bitch! At least have the decency and punch back at me. Well… keep wagging your tail, shit face." Jon added more fuel to the flames.
Seeing Ancano being humiliated caused an episode of delightfulness around the College Scholars. A handful of people would talk back to Ancano not fearing his tantrums but only a Dare can put him in such a situation.
"Master Ancano, you are bleeding in my Hall. Please, let me accompany you to a Healer." In such a situation; the manager of the College grounds, Mirabelle Ervine, interferes to solve the problem before the Archmage's hair turns all white.
Ancano didn't accept the hand she extended and turned away leaving the hall.
"This isn't over. It will be reported…" He said but a voice interrupted him.
"Hey, shit face." Jon spoke and pointed at Nurina, "How to address her?"
Jon's wide grin coolly faced the twisted anger that is on the bloody face of Ancano. The elf wanted to say something that gets him back any face but suddenly, Jon's Aura was already as if it was about to slice his throat.
This was in the Thalmor report. Jon Dare's irregular Battle Spirit.
What is this feeling? How could he feel as if his heart was about to explode?
Jon Dare's Aura is indeed self-empowering and causes his opponents to act irrationally but this… this is not irrationality. This is pure fear and helplessness.
What is this behind him?
That's something that is not to be called an Aura anymore.
Basic, Advanced, Manifested. These are the known stages of Battle Spirit… but that. Ancano could swear on the name of every Aedra that he could see a terrifying figure standing in the Aura surrounding Jon.
How can it be?
How is this a thing?
Why are the people around him not reacting to it? This powerful Aura should affect them as well, right?
A Beast? A Monster? A… a Dragon?
Why is there a Dragon in Jon Dare's Aura?
The rumors about the Dragon's return are all true but what's in front of him can't be explained.
"Shit face!" Jon's voice woke Ancano from his frozen state, "What would you call her next time?"
The question was provocative indeed but the answer was if it got imprinted on Ancano's brain before Jon would even force him to say it.
"Mistress… Mistress Nurina, excuse my rudeness." Ancano said with a slight bow before he immediately retreats from the Hall of the Elements leaving everyone dumbfounded.
That included Jon.
"Mistress?" Nurina frowned, "How distasteful!"
"Actually, I was going to force him to say it." Jon replied, rubbing his chin, "Then again, imagining you in a black leather suit is a bit… no, nothing."
Nurina closed her eyes and turned away but Jon felt rather consumed in a few ideas as he carefully watched his inner Aura while distancing himself from the group.
After the argument was over, a conference about the Eye of Magnus began.
***
The conference ended but Jon didn't participate in it with a single word. He was still lost in his thoughts thinking about various things while feeling something strange. It was almost dawn and everyone started leaving the hall for Nurina and Jon. Jon was sitting on a step on the side of the hall as Nurina approached him.
"Not going home tonight." Nurina asked Jon, bringing him back to Nirn.
"Hm? No, I want to give Alina some time. You go ahead and join Faralda." Jon replied.
"She is in Solitude."
"Oh, sorry! Totally forgot." Jon apologized as he stood up stretching his stiff back.
"What's on your mind all of a sudden?" Nurina asked.
"Hmmm… not sure, to be honest. Just something is… strange." Jon said as he didn't know how to put it.
"Alright, let's put your mind to use instead of letting it rot over useless stuff." Nurina said and pointed to the eye, "What do you think?"
Jon looked at the floating orb and cracked his neck as he approached it. He knocked on it twice and nodded.
"Ripe!"
"Are you testing a watermelon?" Nurina refuted.
"Heh! Well… I don't care about the eye either way. How much does the College know?" Jon asked.
"All we know is that some texts described something called the [Eye of Magnus] but they were too obscure. We think there are other texts about it but they were stolen."
"Tsk! Typical College of Winterhold." Jon said.
"Alright, smartass. Tell me what you know?" Nurina put her hand on her sides smiling.
"Yes, my dear mother." Jon cleared his throat, "This orb… thing… is but of course the very eye which belonged to the Architecture of Mundus, Magnus."
Jon said as he introduced the orb making some light effect shine on it.
Nurina sighed from the impudence of her dork student who didn't add anything new.
"I am going to bed." She turned around and walked away.
"Wait! Didn't you hear what I just said." Jon said as he put a sly smile, "This is the literal Eye of the literal Magnus, the deity of Magic. There are no metaphors in the naming."
Nurina's feet froze on the ground and she had the most shocked of faces. Turning around, she asked Jon carefully.
"Say that again!"
"Dear mother, this very…"
"Short version!"
"Eye, Magnus, literal, bragging!"
"Are you saying this stone is a literal part of an et'Ada?" Nurina asked for the third time.
"Yep, the Heart of Lorkhan was also a literal part of Lorkhan and it became a stone." Jon nodded.
This was big.
Many artifacts can be attributed to an et'Ada but when it is a literal part of an Ada, it means that a world-shaking event will happen with its appearance.
But after the shock, naturally comes the denial.
"Impossible!" Nurina scoffed him.
"Suit yourself." Jon shrugged his shoulders.
His response just now proved her wrong, after the denial comes the questioning.
"Prove it."
"Hold my cat." Jon especially held Nefertiti out of his shadow for this situation and put on a pair of reading glasses as he brought out a book from the Cube.
"Where to begin… hmmm… there!" Jon found the passage he needed, "I found this Ancient Text in Elsweyr when I was doing some… archaeology."
"You stole it?"
"From the Thalmor, okay? You can't call that a crime, even the Mane let me copy it."
"Yeah, yeah! As honorable as ever, son. What does it say?"
"Here it goes… Magrus. The Sun Deity. Commonly known as the Cat's Eye or the Third Eye of Azurah, He serves as a daily reminder of her wrath. It is written that when Magrus fled from Boethra and Lorkhaj, he could only see out of one eye and fell into the Moonshadow. There Azurah judged him as too full of fear to rule a sphere, and she tore out his other eye. Magrus left to the heavens blinded, but Azurah made of his eye a stone to reflect the Varliance Gate. This is the Aether Prism, which opens at Dawn and closes at Dusk."
"Hmmm… show me that!" Nurina exchanged Nefertiti for the book and started reading from it on her own.
Jon took Nefertiti and started playing with her as she acted lazily and tried to catch his hand before he tickles her. Meanwhile, Nurina skimmed through the book and realized what's important.
"So, an actual Eye of an et'Ada transformed by the Daedra Azura into an artifact that has the power to affect something called the Varliance. I know this word." Nurina muttered.
"What is it?" Jon asked.
"It appeared in a few texts before but it was rather a mystery to many yet it is described here as the Aether Prism. I can translate that into one thing." Nurina explained.
"Go on."
"[Aether] is basically the power of Aetherius which the Magic itself originates from and the Sun and Stars are rifts too. [Prism] is the purest and thickest form of energy almost in a solid-state. Aether Prism can be called Origin Magicka."
Jon narrowed his eyes and contemplated.
"The Magicka of an et'Ada. So the eye hosts the Raw power of an Original Spirit."
"Yes… or at least that's the closest thing to the truth. But Magnus is not just any et'Ada, it is the one who fashioned the whole mortal world. The text says that the Aether Prism in the Eye opens the Gate of Dusk and Dawn which means this Eye of Magnus may be able to control the Sun or rather, control the Magicka flow going in and out from the sun… FUCK!" Nurina had a cluster-chain of realizations.
"Hey, language!" Jon said as he covered Nefertiti's ears.
"You fool! You beautiful fool!" Nurina was delighted all at once, "This device… the Eye… *gulp* it can give more Magicka straight from the Source or… it can Reverse the Flow back to the source. It can take away all the Magicka from Mundus…"
"Take away… but the Magicka is everything in this world." Jon tilted his head, "Shadow told me that lower-grade Worlds need energies like Magicka, Mana and Qi to simply keep the fabric of reality together. If the energy is taken away, it means either the reality is becoming more stable or the world is…"
"Dissolving!"
"Fuck!"
"Shit!"
Nurina and Jon looked at each other in solemness.
"You knew this from the start?" She asked.
"I knew the Eye of Magnus if fucking bad news, not the Magic off-switch." Jon replied.
"What should we do with it?" Nurina started to walk around back and forth.
"Nothing." Jon said
"Nothing?"
"It is not our position to act. Fate is on Alina's side and I left this for her… we can play ball with the eye for all I care about but never use it." Jon said.
"But… Alina…"
"I trust my wife. She can get emotional but she is wise. Wiser than both of us." Jon didn't give Nurina more room to speak.
"Fine, but there is one more thing that is annoying me." Nurina spoke.
"And it is?"
"Look at the eye's surface. These symbols are really annoying the Chaos out of me." She said.
"Chaos jokes now? Alright. Well, I think I figured out the origin of the script." Jon said.
"Hmmm… enlighten me." Nurina urged him to speak.
"This whole thing is called Valriance. It is a strange word but I think it is composed of Valra and Radiance." He said.
"Valra means Star in Elven. Star Radiance? Isn't this similar to this long dead technique used by the Ayleid to enchant?" She tried to remember.
"Correct." Jon clapped his hands, "But this script in the Eye is much more advanced. It is the ultimate script ever written, I know because I use the most simplified version of it in my enchantments."
"You mean your crazy Binary Enchanting?" She asked.
Jon nodded mischievously.
"My Binary Script consists of zeros and ones. It is hard to learn but direct to apply once you know the math. This Script on the Eye of Magnus is more like… it directly applies the fundamentals of my Binary Enchanting in an Enchanting Code that has no limitations."
Jon inhaled and exhaled before continuing.
"This is a Divine Script, the writing of the et'Ada or how I love to call it… the Coding Language of the World."
Jon's realization was right and made Nurina think and think again. An Enchanting Method that transcends Jon's Binary Script in Ability and is more convenient in Difficulty. On two different notes; if this method was used with Magicka, it will make insanely strong Enchantments; but if it was used with Origin Magicka (Aether Prism), it can actually reshape the World itself.
This was just too absurd… and very exciting.
"But how do we figure out the Divine Script, it is too complex." Nurina asked.
"Oh! I happen to have seen this Script before." Jon said.
Nurina's face hardened as she held Jon by his arms and unintentionally dug her nails into him.
"Where?" She asked.
Jon put on a nasty smile.
"Well… I have a Dragon Cult I am pursuing right now but I guess I can spare my dear mother some time." Jon said as he held a [Black Book] that had traces of Divine Script on it, "I haven't had an otherworldly trip with you since the Chaos, how about a trip to Apocrypha?"
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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] >
———————————
[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.
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[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.
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"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.
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[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.
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[Lover's Insight] <Passive Power>
- You are a charismatic lover. Get better prices and easily approach others.
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[Scholar's Insight] <Passive Power>
- You are a peerless scholar. Get more insights through reading.
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"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.
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• Name: Nurina Aren
• Titles: High Priestess of Sithis, Nemesis of Daedra
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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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