章 2: Chapter 2
It had been a normal day. As normal as it could get for the Sorcerers at Kamar-Taj that practiced magic. Sometimes, the unpredictable could happen to the practitioners of that craft, but the Masters were always there to help them.
Things were going the same as any other day until the unexpected happened. The magical veil that protected Earth from the Dimensional beings that sought to invade their planet was suddenly broken through. Something or someone, pummeled through it as if it was made out of paper.
Panic erupted within the ranks of the Master. The veil was paramount for the protection of Earth. There were beings out there, looking at their planet like a predator stalking a tasty morsel. The Ancient One, leader of the Sorcerers, was very much aware of that. She had met and even faced some of those beings. The only reason she survived the encounters with them wasn't due to her long life and the knowledge and skill she had gained over it. No, it was due to the blessing of the Vishanti after completing and winning the trials for the Sorcerer Supreme. The artifact, the Eye of Agamotto, also played a big role in her survival.
With the veil broken, their first and most important order of business was to repair and make sure nothing else invades their planet before that. The Ancient One did most of the work. Her position as the Sorcerer Supreme demanded her so. She even employed the use of her artifact, as much as she wished to avoid that. Using the Eye was not only hard, as it was more than a simple artifact, but prolonged use left her in a weakened state.
It took them some time to repair the veil, but with the Ancient One leading the way and employing her artifact, they managed to fix the damage before any Dimensional being could invade Earth. She was exhausted from having to channel so much energy through her body, but their job wasn't done yet. The Ancient One gathered the Masters and the more proficient Sorcerers before opening portals to the location the being that came to Earth was, in a forest near Oxfordshire, England.
They arrived to the sight of a man dressed in clothing that wouldn't look out of place a few centuries ago. He had high cheekbones and a pointed nose with grey eyes and shoulder-length, white-silver hair. Besides the oddly colored features, he looked normal on the outside. However, the Ancient One felt it. If the amount of magical energy coursing through his body wasn't a dead giveaway to his strength, the dominating and overbearing aura she could sense from him confirmed his power.
The man looked like a human, but there were many alien beings that resembled humans. The many Gods that the people of Earth worshiped were such beings. They had incredible powers, she had to admit that. Some of the had gained them during their long lives and earned the privilege of being called Gods, but most of them were called so due to the faith of the people. There was a reason why Earth was so sought after by Dimensional beings, after all.
The man in front of her could pass for one of the Gods, but the moment he spoke, the Ancient One thought otherwise. His words sounded similar to French, but she didn't understand them. Obviously, he didn't possess the All-Tongue the Gods were known for, confirming he was an alien being. That didn't make her feel better, especially with how relaxed he seemed despite the amount of Sorcerers staring him down.
The Ancient One then cast a spell, giving everyone in the vicinity All-Tongue. He did not attack them on sight, so she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. He seemed intrigued by her spell and surprised that she didn't know of him. His introduction after was… flamboyant.
The way he showed off proved he was proud of his body, and he had good reason for that, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of gawking. Unlike, a few of her fellow Sorcerers. Some of whom even dropped their guards, relaxing from his actions. The Ancient One didn't say anything, but they would be going through some vigorous training after handling this.
"I would've liked a bigger reaction to my statement," Weyster said, dropping his arms down. "I'm kind of a big deal, you know?" He looked disappointed from the lack of reaction from hearing his titles.
"No, I don't," She deadpanned. "Out of all your… titles, only the Arch-Mage made some sense." At least it was the only one she could understand. The Last Dragonborn meant he was maybe a Dragon? Possible, considering how much magic was coursing through his body. Harbinger of the Companions meant absolutely nothing to her. King of Skyrim and High Rock as well, as she had never heard of those locations. Emperor of Tamriel made even less sense. Why was he a King and an Emperor at the same time?
"That can't be," Weyster said, unable to believe her response.
"That does not matter, however. What matters are your intentions, Weyster. Why have you come to this place?" The Ancient One asked him the important question.
"What do you mean why have I come here? The Firebird Aedra of this planet claimed my soul and brought me here. And a good thing she did, the Daedric Princess would've torn my soul apart in their tug of war," Weyster replied.
"Firebird? Aedra? Daedric Princess? I'm unfamiliar with those terms," She said, trying to think of any mention of such beings. Noting that Weyster had apparently been dead, and this Firebird had claimed his soul. The only being that she could think of that could be this Firebird was… the Phoenix. The Cosmic being also had the power to pierce the magical veil as if it wasn't there to begin with.
"You're… not lying," Weyster said, looking perplexed. Before he could say anything else, she raised her hand over to the amulet hanging around her neck. She touched the Eye and employed its power, seeing his eyes widen in surprise.
'Did he… recognize what's inside the Eye?' The question was on her mind, but she needed to see how their interactions could go. She had recovered slightly, but it was enough to use the Eye for a bit.
In the first instance, The Ancient One attacked him, using the power of the Eye to stop time around them. She couldn't use it for long, due to already having done so earlier, but it was enough for her to bound his arms and legs with ropes conjured from Eldritch energy. The Ancient One reached him just before time returned to normal and placed one of the conjured disks right next to his neck.
"Time Magic?" Weyster asked, not looking disturbed at his predicament. "I spent my last century trying to learn that branch, but I'm nowhere even close to what you just did. If those dammed monks of Psijic Order hadn't destroyed their library, I might've been able to replicate your feat."
The Ancient One gathered so much information from his words. Weyster was at least a few centuries old, despite not looking like it. Then again, she didn't look her age as well. He also knew Time Magic, which was a very big surprise to her. Even studying the Time Stone inside the Eye, she hadn't made much progress with that type of magic.
"You are an unknown variable that could do untold amount damage on Earth. It would be for the best if you get eliminated before you get the chance." The Ancient One was being overly aggressive in this instance, but this would let her gather more information about him.
Weyster chuckled at her statement. "And you are going to be the one that does the deed?" He laughed even as she pushed the conjured disk against his neck. The Ancient One struggled even with the amount of energy coursing through her, only able to draw blood but failing to decapitate him.
"Lady, I'm a Breton. My entire race is naturally resistant to magic, but I'm also the Dragonborn," Weyster grinned at her. Apparently he wasn't a Dragon, but a Breton, a race she hadn't heard off before. And this Dragonborn he called himself also seemed to mean more than what she believed.
"And even bound… my strongest weapon still remains my Voice," Weyster continued, and she had a bad feeling about what's to follow.
"Tiid Klo Ul!" Weyster's voice boomed, and the Ancient One watched in pure astonishment as time froze. She was immune to whatever he did and resisted it thanks to the artifact around her neck, but everything else just stopped moving entirely.
"You actually resisted it?" Weyster sounded surprised. However, that didn't slow him down even for a second. Magic coursed through his body, and he broke his bindings easily. In her astonishment, she failed to react as his hand reached out, grasping her neck. The Ancient One was done for, and she knew that, but at least she could glimpse at what else he was capable off.
Electricity started coursing through his hand, causing her body to convulse in pain, just as beings started forming around him. Flame ones that had a womanly figure, ice ones that looked like monsters, and floating rocks that had lightning dancing around them. His grip tightened, snapping her neck, just as the conjured beings started attacking her fellow Sorcerers with their respective elements.
In the next instance, the Ancient One pulled him in the Mirror Dimension from the start. The other Sorcerers would be of little assistance in this fight. They were nothing more than a distraction.
"Oh?" Weyster looked around the Mirror Dimension and the unique way it represented the world. "Are you some Daedric Prince? You don't look like it, but you might be a newly ascended one, judging by this plane you pulled me to." He mused out loud.
"No, this is the Mirror Dimension. The location us Sorcerers trap beings that could threaten Earth," She explained, waiting to see his reaction.
"Interesting," Weyster replied, pulsing his magic, showing off how much he had. If she already hadn't confirmed that he wasn't a God, she would've assumed him one from this display. The so called mortals just can't sustain so much energy in their bodies. Unless they were blessed like her from powerful beings like the Vishanti.
"And I suppose you plan to trap me here," Weyster said with a laugh.
"Indeed," She replied and quickly left, giving him no chance to gather more information from her.
The Sorcerers looked at her, asking questions on what had happened. She stayed quiet, silently watching if anything would happen. Just as she believed they were safe, a crack in space formed in front of them.
"This was much easier to break out compared to Apocrypha," Weyster said as he cracked his neck. "The tentacle asshole wasn't very happy that I raided his domain and managed to escape. That's what he gets for hoarding knowledge and even trying to control me."
"Seems like we are going to have to do this the hard way," He continued as he started summoning his conjured beings. Her fellow Sorcerers started preparing their own spells, but what happened next was something they hadn't expected.
"Strun Bah Qo!" Weyster's voice boomed through the air as the sky darkened, menacing clouds forming above them.
"Wha-" Her fellow Sorcerer got no further as lightning descended upon them, striking them down with heaven's wrath. His monsters attack them while he fired destructive spells of lightning, fire, and ice. Some of them escaped, opening portals and jumping through them. Those who stayed perished, and the Ancient One fought to her last breath, gathering as much information about him.
Instance after instance, she tried the aggressive approach, however, that seemed to be futile in her current state. The Ancient One was exhausted after having to repair the veil and couldn't use the Eye to its full capabilities as she had used it earlier. Maybe she could sacrifice her life, using the full power of the Time Stone, but there was no one to take on the duties of the Sorcerer Supreme if she did so. The next one still hadn't even began practicing their craft yet.
Weyster was also frighteningly powerful. He was a physical powerhouse and could empower himself further with his magic. The spells he could implore caused devastating damage, and he could summon conjured beings to assist him. However, his voice that literally warped reality was his most dangerous weapon, just as he told her in the first instance.
If the Ancient One was in a better condition, if she could use the Eye to its full capabilities, she was confident she could do something to him. However, as things stood, fighting him didn't seem plausible. For the next instances, she tried talking it out with him and found out that was the way to go.
"King of Skyrim and High Rock? I've never heard of those locations. And how come you are both a King and an Emperor?" She asked.
"Ah, that's fun story," Weyster chucked and grinned. "Since I'm the Dragonborn and the one to settle the Civil War in Skyrim, they appointed me as their King despite me not being a Nord. I got a pretty wife out of it, so I was fine with that."
"Until I realized how boring it was to be a King," Weyster said with a sigh. "Just sitting all day, listening to people's problems as they bicker between each other. Ugh, was that annoying. Unless I'm studying magic, I prefer adventuring, so I told Elisif to handle it as she saw fit and just left Skyrim."
"When I returned to High Rock, my fellow Bretons deemed me fit to be their King. Me being the Dragonborn player a part in it, but the fact that I was the Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold was what won it for them. The King of High Rock is always given the most magically gifted Breton. Now, I was still just a few decades old at that time and hadn't really earned the title of Arch-Mage, but the College appointed me so after I dealt with some nasty business for them," Weyster shrugged his shoulders.
"I didn't mind it too much since I got another pretty wife. However, I already knew how boring it was to be King, and I booked it out of there as soon as possible, appointing Surline to handle everything in my stead," Weyster chuckled at that.
"I then ran to Morrowind, the Dunmer there didn't care about me being Dragonborn, but I didn't get to spend that much time there since the Altmer figured it was a good time to start their assault and restart the war. Now, I already had some disputes with them, so I joined war. One thing led to another, and I was suddenly hailed as a war hero and appointed as the Emperor of Tamriel due to being a Dragonborn."
"I got many pretty wives out of that, so I took it with stride. But the first chance I got, I ran away, appointing Serana to handle everything in my stead. She enjoyed playing the politics games and crushing anyone that spoke against me. Now, I could've given up on my positions as a King, but…" Weyster grinned.
"I'm greedy," He admitted without any hesitation. "What's mine is mine, and no one else can have it. Plus, every century, I got a new pretty wife. No way I'm giving that up."
"How old are you exactly?" The Ancient One asked in interest.
"A bit over five centuries. Us Bretons already live longer than the other human races due to our Mer ancestry, but there are perks to absorbing so many Dragon souls." Weyster answered easily.
'He is as old as me.' She thought and asked. "You've absorbed Dragon souls?" The Ancient One didn't like the sound of that. It sounded like Dark Magic to her.
"That's what the Dragonborn does," Weyster replied with a perplexed expression, not understanding how she didn't know that. "We kill Dragons and absorb their souls, empowering ourselves."
"I see." She didn't, but maybe it wasn't Black Magic. "You said that… a Firebird brought you here? Do you know why?"
"I do," Weyster said, cupping his chin.
"And will you tell us why?" She asked.
"Depends if you would help me or not," He answered.
"As long as it doesn't threaten the people of this world, we might be able to assist you," The Ancient One quickly replied. Weyster was obviously dangerous, the previous instances proved it so. However, he didn't seem to be aggressive unless provoked.
"Hmm," He massaged his chin. "Well, this should be the Aedra's planet, so I don't think she would want the people harmed."
From what the Ancient One had gathered, Aedra were like good Gods that had planets, while the Daedra were like evil Gods that had planes. And for some reason, Weyster was under the impression that Earth was the Phoenix's planet. However, she couldn't understand why one of the most powerful Cosmic entities has brought him here.
"I have to find her host and help her," Weyster informed her, and she shook as all color drained from her face.
There was a tome in the library of Kamar-Taj, given by the Vishanti to the Sorcerer Supreme. The book detailed a lot of the Cosmic entities. The Phoenix Force was at the top of the list, and there was detailed description of its hosts through the Universe. Any of them had the potential to become world destroying beings, but they wouldn't necessary use their powers for destructions. However, should one of them get corrupted and become a Dark Phoenix, that was a whole different story.
"Do you know who the host is or its location?" The Ancient One asked, trying to act calm, but the urgency in her voice betrayed her.
"I wouldn't ask for assistance if I did," Weyster replied, his eyes flickering over to the Eye around her neck. 'That thing feels even more powerful than the Eye of Magnus. If she could fully utilize its power, I don't think I can beat her, hmm. But I really want it… Maybe I can convince her to give it to me.'
"As long as you are not a threat to the people of Earth, I believe we can work together," The Ancient One said. At least this way she could keep an eye on him. He might be a great ally or a dangerous enemy. The first was her preferred choice after witnessing his capabilities.
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