Chương 549: The Eye of Magnus
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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