Dragonborn Saga 522 Chaos 3 : Into the Abyss

- Big thanks to our new Patron @Kyle Hitchens

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"How Ancient are you?"

"Mannimarco and the Aldmeri Dominion? These words weren't uttered together for a very long time."

"You and I are from two different Eras"

The words were still ringing in Jon's mind and casting a thousand echoes. To meet a person from the future? That was very unimaginable!

"How does the…"

"Stop!"

As he was about to ask her about something, she signaled for him to stop talking.

"What?"

"Don't ask."

"How did you…"

"Anyone would ask about the future if they met someone from there, Dumbass. Let's make it a rule and avoid speaking of our timelines. You understand the Butterfly effect, right? If you know of the future, you would certainly take action based on your knowledge at some point in time and my timeline would be altered. A Dragon Break may occur." She said.

"Heh! Knowing the future and messing it is what got my ass here in the first place. I don't want to know anymore." Jon bailed out right away.

He can, of course, remember what his actions based on the game's knowledge caused. His Labours are a result of him mindlessly corrupting Azura's Star without thinking of the consequences.

Either way, Jon and the Elf girl started to strategize. Still, they were not trusting one another by the slightest. She didn't reveal her face and he didn't get [Greed] off him. It was for the better as they agreed to keep it this way, exchanging information between two timelines can have catastrophic effects indeed.

Jon also made sure that Nefertiti would keep an eye on the Elf girl. Nefertiti was hiding under [Greed] so she is completely undetectable. She also has a strong perception and a weak presence which makes her ideal in case the Elf girl tries to backstab him.

"So, let's be frank about our Goals. I want to get out of this place." Jon said.

"I share your feelings but I intend to go deeper." The Elf girl said.

"Deeper? You serious?"

"I am serious. My quest lies in the Heart of Chaos."

Jon looked at her showing a troubled reaction.

"And the deeper you go, the harder it is to go out. I don't think I am even going that direction." Jon back down.

"On the contrary. The Heart of Chaos is a place where Time and Space are very stable."

"Bitch! How can a place called the Heart of Chaos be a place of stable Time and Space? If I know better, this place should rip us apart with shit like those Time Storms." Jon concluded.

"Not really but it should be as deadly yet the danger is only a shell protecting what's behind. The Heart of Chaos is impossible to find unless we find the Central Sea. I know the names sound stupid but that place is important. It serves as a Sealing Ground employed by a Higher Power to contain something very evil."

"And we're just going there."

"That evil is my goal. It possesses so much power that it would give the Daedric Princes combined a run for their money. After all, it is the very same being Sithis was made into its image… or that's how the story goes."

Jon was confused. Actually, that girl had too much information about things he never knew existed and all that information was very dangerous and very unholy.

"So there is an Evil imprisoned in Chaos. And you need to draw power from it to do something that is clearly not good. And that evil has the way out of this mess."

"Yes."

"You crazy? Why would I let you possess such evil and unstudied power? I am down for Necromancy and Dark Magic as long as there are ethics but if you speak of True Evil like True Fucking Evil Shit, why would that he even a thing you want?"

Jon's question seemed natural. Evil is evil, Jon would make pacts with Daedra as long as the terms are not too much but Pure Evil is just wrong.

On the other hand, the Elf Girl nodded in understanding.

"You are an upright person, I'll give you that despite your shady looks but while I also believe in Pure Evil, I think the term Evil is misunderstood by the general public and even you.

Negative and Positive exist in everything with many grey borders between them. Evil and Good are just values, Evil is what is Different, what is Changing, what is Chaotic. That's why most people see Sithis as Evil while the being itself has no values like ours, it seeks only simple Change.

We need Change. I don't know how things are going in your Time but we need Change, Revolution, Heroes. When things are Darker, Positivity and Stasis are not good, I came here for Change."

Her words seemed to be thought into and Jon had a very strange feeling about her. She is right but more to that, she is very similar to him. He could feel it but he couldn't point it out.

"But if you believe in the Pure Negative Evil, why do you seek it?" Jon asked.

"Because it is sealed. If I can obtain power from it, the exchange won't be that bad unlike some Dumbass who directly made a deal with Sithis himself."

"True." Jon nodded but his head was in shambles.

"Can I ask you something?" Jon then spoke.

"As long as it is not related to the future." The girl replied.

"It is not. I was just wondering how can someone make a proper deal with Sithis considering that you are a member of his cult." Jon said.

"Interesting question. First of all, you must know that Sithis has a funny way of valuing things. Actually, if that thing has too much impact on the future, it would be cheap but if you were trying to save something by stopping the Change, the price would be hefty."

Her answer was music to Jon's ears. He held his head from the realization.

"So that it… that's why… oh my God!"

It is very clear now.

Sithis seeks Change. Pure Change that doesn't understand Good from Evil. To people who stand on both sides of Good and Evil, Sithis is the scourge that flips the tables making him equally shunned by the two.

Yet here where it kicks Jon in the head.

He used Sithis to stop Mannimarco. Mannimarco was seeking to "Change" Hammerfell from a Land of the Living to the Land of the Dead. On the other hand, Jon was seeking to "Keep" Hammerfell as it is. Once Jon made Sithis interfere, the price he had to pay was more expensive since what he sought was "Stasis" opposite to the Will of Sithis.

However, there is a major exploit here. Sithis can flip realities and change fates like nothing if offered the right sacrifice.

"So a sacrifice to Sithis can do a lot." Jon concluded.

"Well, it depends. You may sacrifice a whole town… just as a figure of speech… and that sacrifice may get you nowhere just because there is a future that would be absolutely tricky to change. Someone with stronger Fate, for example."

"Yeah, kinda figured that part out. But it keeps me thinking. Sithis offers change but the change doesn't just go between two directions. There is always an infinite number of possibilities."

"As I told you, Sithis has his funny sway. You don't expect anything but Change. Well, my only comfort to you is that if you are changing something from the absolute worst, it should go better." She said.

Jon thought for a while.

"Like… for example. If a Monarch of a broken Nation was killed in the name of Sithis… his nation's fate may shift for the better." He mumbled.

"Yeah, that's an example." She replied mindlessly then looked at him mischievously, "Hehehe! Please, don't tell me you are a desperate lord who is going to offer himself to Sithis?"

"Me? Never. I am a lord alright but I'm doing better than most. You may have read my name in some History book in your time. Or maybe… I have a dynasty in my name." Jon said not being one bit humble.

"Not even interested in human history."

Jon stopped fooling around and began thinking of what the Elf girl told him about Sithis. This is indeed some great ideas for him. Change is important and dangerous, making the influence of Sithis, if employed right, able to turn any tide. Maybe that scenario in Jon's head was the same as this.

"Either way, I think that we managed to stabilize the Time Bubble. No storms for the time being but we need to expand it." The girl said.

"Expand it?" Jon asked.

"Yes. Find more Time Bubbles, connect them together, create a space stable enough to go through the next step." She said.

"What might that be?"

"Summon the Gates of Chaos."

***

*Sometime later*

"FUCK!"

"What?"

"Gates of Chaos! Sea of Chaos! Heart of Chaos! Shit of Chaos! I am getting more tired of the dull narrative." Jon complained.

"Keep digging!" The Elf girl replied.

"Fuck off! Why should I work for free?"

"You dig, I build. That's the deal."

"BITCH!"

"Can't hear you."

"God! I hate this bitch."

So let's sum what happened so far. The merry band of Dumbass and Bitch had to work together for the sake of expanding the Time Bubble. To do so, they started using their Elder Scrolls in order to find other Time Bubbles and expand the space.

After an unknown time, the Elf girl revealed how to summon the Gates of Chaos.

Simply, they needed to build it by their hands.

How?

Well, this place isn't just desert, it is either Desert or Stone. The desert's sand is rough and pale while the stone was very black and incredibly sturdy. Jon recognized this stone as Obsidian.

Obsidian is extremely rare and valued. Even though it is hard to carve even with Magic, it was seen as one of the most powerful cleaners of negative energies. It is also very valued by the Dunmer.

Now according to the Elf girl, they had to dig inside the lands of the Time Bubble to find Obsidian. While very rare, it must be gathered at all costs in order to move forward.

After exhausting the Time Bubble they were in from all Obsidian, they moved to another Time Bubbles and started extracting it. Jon was digging while the girl was arranging the Obsidian they got.

Once Jon saw a Gate made of Obsidian, he started acting like a brat.

"No! You can't just build a Nether Portal in this place. It looks exactly like the End."

"I have no clue what this Dumbass is ranting about."

"Wait! Have I ever told you about them Ender Dragons?" Jon asked.

"Shut up."

Jokes aside, Jon was watching carefully while the girl arranged a large Obsidian Gate and made the stone firm together. He wasn't sure how much time passed but as soon as they ended, the final preparation began.

"You have done a good job for a human, Dumbass." She said.

"I know Elves who can sneeze and do a better job than you but with what's available, you've done a good job as well, Bitch."

"This is getting interesting, isn't it? We are in the final phase of the journey."

"I don't care! I just want to get the fuck out of here, find a nice cool Altmeri beach and smoke Dunmeri weed for all the shit I have been through. I'll do it for at least a year."

"I am speechless… you truly know how to party."

"Hahaha! Parties usually last for a few days in Winterhold. A year would be a record but I am sure of myself."

"Winterhold, huh? Heard about it being some cultural hub in Skyrim."

"Right. It was a great city before the Collapse, it will return to glory again."

"What Collapse?" The girl tilted her head.

"The Collapse." Jon said as if it's the most obvious of things.

"Like a disaster?"

"Duh! Big time. Never read about it."

"Disaster events tend to get buried in history. Wars and Kingdoms do not… so maybe your so-called dynasty has become so famous or something."

"True." Jon nodded.

"Well, chat time is over. Let's begin the ritual."

"Should I bring some Flint & Steel?"

"No idea what that's for."

With the Gate fully made, the Elf girl took out some paper and started revising a ritual from it.

As a cleansing stone, the Obsidian Gate will be powered by the Law of Time through an Elder Scroll to eliminate all traces of chaos and make a Time Focus Point which by its part will attract a greater amount of Chaos to equalize it. That greater amount of Chaos will destroy the Time Bubble but at the same time will act as a gateway to the Heart of Chaos, the deepest point in Creation.

"Ready."

"Born ready! Wait a second! Now ready."

"What's that?"

"That… is how I found the Time Bubble, his name was Zain."

Jon took out Zain's body from his shadow with the assistance of Nefertiti.

"Is that a body cursed by Sithis?"

"Yes, and an excellent navigator in the Chaos. Not a great conversation partner though."

Zain was still in his battle uniform clenching his spear even after death. In the Time Bubble, he's a dead man but once they return to chaos, he will be a good ally.

"You should have shown that to me first."

The girl focused her attention on Zain's body and nodded.

"Perfect. It will help but we need to bind it once we reach the other side." She said.

"Alright. As long as it doesn't bite us in the butt."

"Worry not."

Confidant, the Elf girl started the ritual using her Elder Scroll. The energy arc was created and the Time Bubble started to go unstable.

Time Storms, Earth tremors, shattered realities and echoes of their voices coming from the past. Even the light was breaking.

"We can't stay longer, this place will rip us apart." Jon said.

"Here we go." The Elf girl pointed at the Obsidian Gate of Chaos as it started and a very thin veil of chaos covered the gate giving a purple hue.

"I told you it's a Nether Portal!"

"Call it whatever you want!"

She pulled Jon who by his part carried Zain's body and they all went through the Portal.

***

"Can you see anything?"

"Give me a moment!"

It was too dark to see. Even with the magic they harnessed from the Elder Scrolls, it was still impossible to see.

"This is truly tricky." Jon thought to himself.

The Shadow World is the other side of reality. A reality of a different frequency affected by the shadows of the real world. Still, the living shouldn't exist in this reality.

"The Nether Portal… I mean the Gate of Chaos led us to a Shadow Dimension." Jon said.

"What's that?" The Elf girl asked.

"An obscure reality of animate and inanimate shadows leeching to a real world." Jon summed up.

"So you're saying… we are in some sort of a world… but we are Shadows?" The Elf girl freaked out.

"Believe it or not, I know a guy who can do the same thing all day long." Jon said remembering his exclusive stalker, the self-proclaimed Shadow.

This is a far fetch but it is happening. According to Shadow's explanation, if a being can't exist in a certain world in any form other than the form of a Shadow then it means they are in a Higher and Stabler Dimension.

Earth is the highest Dimension Jon ever known. Mundus is Lesser than Earth but Higher than Aetherius, Oblivion, Clockwork City and such sub-worlds. Magic doesn't exist on Earth but it exists on Mundus while immortals can't live on Mundus but can do so in Aetherius and Oblivion.

One can grade it into Mortal, Magic and Immortal Worlds judging by the functionality.

Now, if Jon is in a Higher Dimension and can only Manifest as a Shadow then he may be on Earth or a World of the same grade.

Without effort, Jon's eyes transformed into that of a cat with the skin around his eyes turning black.

"I can see." He said.

"How?" The Elf girl asked.

"A special trait…" Jon wanted to brag but as soon as he took a good look at his surroundings, he almost went speechless.

"What?"

"Nevermind that now… you said your portal would take us to the Heart of Chaos or whatever. Sure it is not the Butthole?" Jon said.

"Hey!" The Elf girl shouted at him.

"Okay okay, it is just we are in this large cave and there are a shit ton of tunnels. Don't really know what goes where!" Jon explained.

They were indeed in a large cave system, or in the shadows of it. Either way, there was no sort of lightning on reality's side to at least get a hint of sight on the shadows' side.

"I am not sure. This part is where we start looking." She said.

"Alright." Jon said and turned to Zain. Surprisingly, the supposedly dead Zain was standing up and awake.

"How on Earth is this guy awake?" He asked.

"You mean the body you had? It shouldn't be." The Elf girl said.

"He's standing on his own but pretty much silent." Jon said.

"This doesn't make any sense, if he is awake then we must be in the Chaos, but the place we are in has shadows which means it has Time." She concluded.

"Time and Chaos coexisting?" Jon questioned.

"Only the Heart of Chaos can achieve that. Get me closer to him." She replied.

Jon guided her right next to Zain and she used her Elder Scroll to connect with Zain as if he was a zombie. With that, she could control him and see through his eyes.

"I can see now."

"Good. Now what?" Jon asked.

"It would be nice if things were less mysterious but this cave looks huge. We don't have full access to our full magic potential and your physical ability is useless as a shadow." She said.

"I have an idea then." Jon said, "Let Zain roam on his own, he is a being of Chaos now so he will be drawn more to it." Jon said.

"Dumbass… you are actually getting smarter by the minute. Sticking around me surely benefited you a lot."

"You Bitch need some good old ass smacking but let's hold that for later."

"Alright alright. Zain, lead the way."

The two weren't in the mood to argue more and so they let Zain move around. Truth be told, the Shadow Dimension is very still and quiet to the point where it made them feel like sleeping. No wonder Nefertiti loves to nap in such places. Either way, they walked across tunnels and through an endless scale of caves. At some point, Jon managed to see some water stream that had salty water which made him conclude that this gigantic cave system is somewhere under a large sea.

The thought of being under a sea is very unsettling but it was impossible to go back anywhere, truth be told, even the portal they came through has disappeared making Jon regrettably understand it was no Nether Portal.

After an unknowable time, the group finally arrived at a place that looked distinctive from the other tunnels. It was where the cave floor ended and a large waterway took place.

"Is that a boat?"

On the edge of the waterway, the Elf girl spotted a boat tied to a wooden pole. The rope was rotten and the boat was barely together.

"What in the blazes is this place?" Jon asked.

"Why ask me? But still, your friend Zain seems to be willing to go further." She replied.

"Hmmm… quite curious! The craftsmanship ship of this boat is like nothing I know." Jon said as he got closer to the boat.

"I think the real mystery is it's existence under the sea in a waterway and even tied by someone." The girl said.

"The craftsmanship may reveal an answer but as I don't know of it, let's assume it is otherworldly." Jon said as he got on the boat carefully, "And thanks to being shadows, we don't weigh anything so we won't even damage the rotten boat… or even move it. Perfect."

This was a strange situation. The boat was quite large indeed and despite the damage, it looked barely good enough for one last sail yet. Jon tried to swim in the water but for some reason, these waters seemed to be preventing him from moving as if the shadows are not welcome or no one can cross without the boat.

The party of two started looking around for any clue that might help and at some point, the Elf girl noticed something under the water.

"Are those… coins?"

Jon tried to look as well and indeed there were coins under the water. They didn't seem like a treasure but rather looked like gold and silver coins. Their origins were also a mystery and didn't match each other as Jon couldn't recognize their design if there is anything left from exposure to the elements.

"Coins and a Boat? Romantic." Jon said.

"Romantic?" The Elf girl was taken aback.

"Don't you see? A strange mystery. What do coins and boats have in common?" Jon asked.

"Nothing. Boats float, coins sink." She said.

"Or maybe… it is payment for the boat." Jon said with a mysterious air.

"Dumbass! My patience is running short. What do you mean by payment? Who the fuck would pay a boat?" She asked.

"Hmmm… interesting question. I do have coins on me so let's see…" Jon said and retrieved a coin from the Cube.

He didn't really care and tossed the coin in the water.

As the coin originated from his Shadow Dimension, there was no way it could cross dimensions on its own but as soon as it came in contact with the water, it was taken away immediately by the other side of reality.

"Interesting!" Jon mumbled.

"What's going on? Look, the boat!" The Elf girl noticed the change and further, something happening on the boat.

It was clear that at the edge of the boat, the place got unnaturally lit all of a sudden, it was lit with something faint. It was at first a lantern hanging on an oar and the oar was held by someone… or something.

As the faint light slowly grew, the identity of the one holding the oar was still a mystery as it was that of a humanoid covered in an old tattered cloak and a hood rotten as the boat itself. There was no face to be seen or breath to be heard.

This thing has less presence than that of a dead body and unseen even by the eyes of the likes of Jon and Nefertiti.

Truth be told, even Jon was scared let alone the Elf girl who was getting pale under her large robe and hood.

"Bitch… your relative by any chance?"

"No."

Jon looked forward and wanted to greet the person on the boat but he was greeted first.

"We seek passage… to the Heart of Chaos." The Elf girl spoke.

The man on the boat didn't respond by words but rather lowered his oar to shed light on the boat's blanks, a sign of him for them to ride. The two looked at each other and came to an understanding. They are finally received wherever they are.

Slowly and carefully, Jon went in and sat first then she followed as she sat beside him and tried to hide from the man on the boat behind Jon. Zain sat behind them and the man on the boat barely moved the oar in the water making the boat finally move.

Silence followed as the area past the waterway was dark, not even the eyes of Nefertiti or Zain could see through it. Jon and the Elf girl sat quietly until she finally mustered up the urge to talk.

"What is going on?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"How did you know… there is no mention to this part in the ritual." She said.

"As you said, we may be the only ones who reached this far." Jon replied.

"I mean how did you know about the boat and the coins?"

"Yes… that… I don't know. A story I heard in the past but I don't quite remember." Jon said.

Actually, it was the opposite. He didn't want to speak too much in the presence of the man on the boat but he could remember a legend from his past life. The Ferryman of the Dead.

It was a tale from the Greek Mythology about a Ferryman named Charon, the ferryman of Hades who carries souls of the newly deceased across the rivers Styx and Acheron that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead. A coin to pay Charon for passage as a payment or maybe a bribe but at the end of the day, that was just a myth from a world Jon has far since parted.

Can it be that he is on Earth?

No… this isn't even possible.

But why such a coincidence? He was indeed fond of the myths and legends thus he thought of this particular myth once he saw a boat and coins but for the myth to be something witnessable. Jon had to make sure what this was all about.

After some time, there was finally light at the end of the tunnel. The waterway they were in opened to a wider area and soon, the two travelers no longer needed special methods to see. Where they are now is like a very wide river that was still running in a cave and from the looks of it, their tunnel was nothing but a part of a larger network that all connects to this major river. Numerous numbers of tunnels were open to this river and some of them had boat wreckage on them.

"Look… down there."

The Elf girl called and pointed under the water to see a strange ghastly being passing in the water.

"Those are some big ass sperms." Jon could only compare them to one thing in his mind but thankfully, they were not.

The Ferryman didn't seem interested in Jon's comments and the Elf girl's curiosity and would row from time to time. After a long ride, the ferryman stopped the ferry at the right bank of the river and spoke for the second time.

This was a sign of them to get out. The voice of the ferryman itself was enough for them to run for a thousand miles just to unhear it.

As their souls were done shivering, Jon and the girl finally moved once again this time at the river's bank while seeing the ferry move away.

In this strange place, there was a large pathway leading somewhere away from the river and it seemed wide and empty surrounded by strange rock spurs. It was a clear indication not to stray away from this road. The two were happy to be guided and simply walked the path talking only when necessary. There was a lot of attention and anticipation until they came across something quite out of the ordinary.

The voice came at them out of nowhere making the two look around like the chickens that lost their heads. Unlike the voice of the ferryman, this voice was calm and good but the thing with it was that it came from every direction.

As the two looked at every possible direction, the only place left for them was to look up and lo and behold…

"Dumbass… that's clearly your relative."

"Yeah, the similarities are… striking."

There were those pair of eyes looking at them from the ceiling of the cave. Despite the darkness that covered the cave, those eyes shone brightly yet they were not the eyes of a being Jon would know, not even from the legends of his past life.

"What's up?" Jon raised his hand to greet whatever being that was.

The creature on the ceiling spoke for quite some time compared to what Jon expected but there was completely no point in understanding what was said.

"You are quite the talkative fellow." Jon said.

The creature on the ceiling started moving from the dark spot as if it was walking on the ceiling of the cave then walked on the wall until it reached the edge of light and walked out.

Jon and the Elf girl were utterly speechless from what they saw.

First of all, they are in the Shadow Dimension which makes them see everything with a gloomy vision but that creature was just making it worse. It was large walking on four, it had wings on its back and two majestic horns on its head, its head was similar to a Bison, its neck was slender, its chest was strong like a Lion, its waise was agile like a Cat, its legs were long and had long claws, its tail was long and feathered.

All of its body was covered in majestic feathers and fluff but its eyes were just that of a human. That's why the two were less threatened when they saw the eyes first.

Either way, it looked like a strange crossbreed between a Dragon, a Bird and a Feline.

"You call yourselves a Beast?" The Elf girl questioned.

"And what are you… really?" She asked.

"Are you an Ender Dragon?" Jon asked.

"Excuse my rudeness then."

"You said you are the Guardian. Do you guard the Heart of Chaos?" The Elf girl jumped straight to the point.

The frank answer of the Beast startled both Jon and the Elf girl.

"You are quite open about the Heart's location? Aren't you the guardian?" Jon asked.

It was difficult to imagine such a Beast being a Herald of Prayers let alone Peace but why is it acting friendly?

"And if you are not to stop us from reaching the Heart? What is your purpose for talking to us now?" The Elf girl asked.

"So you like a guardian to what goes in there. Not to keep evil for going out?" Jon asked.

"And if that's the case… let's not waste each other's time then." Jon said.

Jon and the Elf girl were still on guard but they were out of options. Whatever that parting gift is, it must be the protection from the influence of the Heart of Chaos.

Once they approached the Beast, it held up its right foreleg and one of its claws approached the Elf girl first, it slowly touched her forehead and a glimpse of light occurred.

She seemed bitter as she heard the words of the Beast but her turn was over and the Beast directed its claw towards Jon.

The Beast almost uttered a name Jon had discarded a long time ago, Jon hurriedly held the beast's claw.

"How do you know that name?" Jon asked.

"Expecting me? Why?" Jon was not understanding how this happened.

The Beast looked at Jon with interest.

Light shone from the claw of the Beast, Jon could see that the source of this light was a Ring but he couldn't take more time to look at it as his consciousness almost turned hazy for a second before he regained sight again.

"What? Wait! Where is it?"

As if waking from a bad dream, Jon kept looking around but he no longer saw the Beast.

"It is gone." The Elf girl said as she held Jon, "Are you alright?"

Jon took a moment to calm himself and finally came to realize that there is no presence of the Beast anymore.

"I… I am fine. Are you alright? Do you feel any different?" Jon asked.

"I don't feel any different." She said and looked around, "We are a long way from home. I am sorry."

"What for?"

"Dragging you all the way with me. I feel that I…"

"Don't get soft on me, Bitchy. I am fine. If it wasn't for you, I still would have been looking for a way out of that Time Bubble." Jon said and calmed down for a bit, "That Beast… this place… we shouldn't stay for long, it is not meant for us. Let's see that thing you are after and get the hell out of here."

To them, they have already ventured deep enough into the most undesired of all places. Jon doesn't want to meet any creepy characters like the Ferryman and the Beast anymore. If the Heart of Chaos is the way back to Mundus then he will do his best in the coming part.

The two traveled further ahead each to their thoughts. That Beast knew too much from his name of his past life to the fate he has. Such a thing was a little bit disturbing. He was even called the Seeker of Peace or something, how can Jon Dare be called such a thing?

On the other hand, the girl was thinking about something. The more she thought of it, the more she was filled with rage. This continued until the two followed by Zain arrived at the bridge across the large lake.

The scenery was breathtaking as the cave expanded even further to fit a gigantic lake where many rivers would meet. At the center of the lake was an island and all the water around it was swirling as if being drained. This particular scene made the lake very dangerous to sail on. The bridge across the lake was leading to that central island which happened to have a large building on its center.

"The Monastery."

"Looks like so."

The Elf girl mindlessly rushed towards the Monastery. Jon felt like wanting to slow her down but in the end, he followed her alongside Zain. They reached the large building after running across the rocky bridge and soon found themselves in front of a large immovable gate.

"So this is it." Jon said as he touched the gate of the monastery, "Whatever evil thing lies beyond this, make sure to get what we need and get going."

"You don't need to tell me that." The Elf girl replied.

"Alright, let's not cause another Oblivion Crisis while doing this, here I go."

Jon used all his power to push the door which responded to him. On the other hand, the girl lagged in her place to what Jon just said.

"Oblivion… Crisis?"

That was not right. Completely different from what she assumed. How does a person from a past era like him know of a modern history?

She wanted to ask but the door was already open. Jon walked in and she followed intending to talk yet all the thoughts in her head went away with a boof once she saw the interior. Comparing the outside to the inside was almost impossible as the Monastery felt like nothing from what the outside shows.

It was not some trick with Time and Space but rather the place itself was deep, and extremely deep at that. The Monastery was but the peak of a titanic building that has sunk in the lake yet the waters refused to enter it. The further the Monastery went down, the wider it got and the more terrifying it felt. Still, the only way they saw is down.

"So the so-called Monastery is nothing but the peak of this sunken building and we entered through the island which is actually the roof. Interesting." Jon said.

"This is all Incredible. In my whole life, I've never seen such a thing." The Elf girl said.

"Me too… but the building was never finished." Jon said while pointing around." This Monastery was supposed to be the Crown of the building but some of its walls weren't even built fully yet, this explains the lack of texture and decorations from the outside."

"Such a building in a place like this?" She asked.

"My best guess… it wasn't built here."

"You're telling me someone moved all this tower-like thing from its place and threw it in a cave."

It was quite the absurd claim but Jon was positive. The building they are on at the moment is as tall as the White-Gold Tower in Cyrodiil. For such a thing to be put in a cave is simply a far fetch but Jon knew a thing or two about Architecture and could tell that this building was built with greatness to be witnessed by the whole world, not to be hidden in a cave. The fact that the water was warded from the building by an invisible wall meant that it didn't belong here in the first place.

To go down the building, they had to travel in circles around its perimeter as the building was designed in a spiral shape where it grows wider the further down one goes to the base. Most of the tower was old but Jon felt multiple ghastly presences all around the place that seemed to belong to Ghost-like beings. As Shades, Jon and the Elf girl were not recognized as a threat by these things and passed effortlessly down to the innermost area of the tower.

"May I ask you something." At that point, the Elf girl spoke to Jon.

"What's wrong?"

"Can you tell me which era you're from." Her question was straight forward.

"Weren't you the one who told me not to speak of our timelines?" Jon asked.

"Yes, but… I just like to make sure."

"Fourth Era, year two h…"

"Stop it!" She raised her hand to stop him from saying more.

"What…"

"Just… Shit!"

Seeing her upset all of a sudden unsettled Jon. He wanted to ask but before he said anything, the land started to shake.

"Whoa! Hold on tight!"

Jon rushed and covered the girl to protect her but as soon as the shaking settled down, they looked around and saw an end to their path where a large gate opened.

The two of them are not just random adventurers, they are the most reckless and adventurous souls of their respective timelines. Their vast experience prepared them for nearly anything… except that.

Overwhelmed!

That was the first of all the negative emotions they felt.

Fear!

It kicked in right after, it made them almost lose their heads but at the same time, froze them in place.

Weak!

They completely realized that what's after that point is a whole new animal they aren't even equipped for.

Actually, they were equipped by the Mark of the Beast yet the two of them, who faced Daedra and senseless evil before, were not just imagining the kind of situation they are in.

The Heart of Chaos is nothing but the Focus Point of all Evil. It is not a mistake of creation but rather the ultimate evil ever created.

Life is a series of trials and that thing is just the complete package, it looked into Jon and the Elf girl reading their thoughts, memories and emotions in one single second or maybe less, suddenly, all that emotions were turned against them.

Imagine the source of your Strength being the source of your Weakness.

Jon saw things in one moment that made some of the red hairs on his head start to lose color. The Dread in his eyes was nothing he ever imagined to experience. In his head, he became a prisoner locked in mazes and in labyrinths chased by his worst fears and experiencing the most terrible moments of his life.

The Elf girl was in the same situation as Jon, she saw herself in a sea of blood and fire with all the ones she lost present around her. They were being rained by stones from the sky and those who died and turned to burning shreds would come to chase her and drag her to see their faces.

Despair!

Not even Jon would admit before but there was no escape from that emotion. He was utterly broken for a moment.

The thing that spoke right to their souls was a terribly powerful being. Jon has gone through the Realm of the Daedric Prince Vaermina and dealt with those terrible shifting dreams but this… he has no power against the owner of that voice.

He was awake now, not because that he could but because he was allowed to. Jon looked at the elf girl and saw her shaking on the ground traumatized from fear.

"Hang in there. Hey! Listen to my voice. Listen to me!" Jon held her closer as she kept fighting him in terror.

She was in a panic attack and consumed by every meaning of the word. It took her some time to calm down but when she was about to think straight, she went into a phase of crying and calling names.

Such scars from her past were never meant to heal, they drove her to the Depth of the Abyss after all.

It was then later when she was powered again by anger. She felt destroyed but she had nothing more to lose either way thus she let go of Jon and charged to the direction where that mental attack came from.

"Stop! Be careful!"

The voice was creeping Jon out the more it spoke but he endured every primal instinct pushing him backward and chased after the girl followed by Zain.

When they arrived at the center of the tower, Jon found himself behind the Elf girl who was standing in the center of a vast room. He looked around the empty room seeing nothing but vastness and emptiness but once he followed her eyes, Jon found her looking up at the ceiling. He looked up as well and there where he saw it.

It is not a heart, it is not a monster or anything Cthulhu-like.

It was just a man.

A man wrapped in black binds and sitting on a throne.

The Throne was reversed up the ceiling and the man's arms were fixed on the armrests by binds and chains. These binds covered everything of the man except for his left piss-like yellow eye.

The man spoke with disappointment but was angered with the sight of Zain, a strange force blasted towards Zain out of nowhere sending him out of the tower towards the lake.

There was no stopping it as Zain's body was already swallowed by the lake.

"NO!"

Jon shouted as he was powerless to do anything. He wanted to honor Zain by returning his body to Isha and give him a proper burial yet this was the end of it. The anger almost made Jon spit out blood as he turned at the man.

"YOU!"

The man spoke in a lazy slow voice giving the nastiest dreads to Jon and the Elf girl but at the same time, Jon could recognize what he meant by the Tower of Babel.

It's a legendary construction made by an ancient King of Babylon in order to reach Heaven. The tower doesn't exist on the face of Earth anymore but to come across such a thing here.

"Where is this place? What are you?" Jon asked with obvious hostility towards the man.

"God?" Jon's face twisted from the sick joke, "Look at yourself, reversed and chained like the freak you are…"

Jon's words weren't done before an overwhelming pain struck him from all over his body.

It was unbearable! Jon howled from the agony like a broken beast. His mind was almost shattered but in the depth of his suffering, he suddenly collapsed silent then started laughing.

"P… Pa… Pathetic!"

Lying on the ground, Jon cursed the Chained Man while enduring a greater pain than before.

"Stop hurting him!" The Elf girl tried to shield Jon with the powers of her Elder Scroll but it was useless.

With Jon howling from the pain and his eyes tearing blood, he was no longer able to resist this damage.

In the end, the suffering stopped and Jon could breathe again but he was in the sorriest state he had ever been in.

*huff* *huff* *huff*

Jon breathed as hard as he could and struggled to be pushed up. He raised his head to the man and smiled with his white teeth covered in blood.

"Heh… hehehe… I see. Suffering, pain… you're so lame. For a bad guy… you're too bad." Jon spoke as he was supported up by the Elf girl.

"You want insolence? Just wait until I put my hands on you and spit in that eye of yours…"

Enraged, the Chained Man was at the end of his patience as he blasted Jon away the same way he blasted Zain's body. Only difference is that Jon crashed into a wall and fell unmoving.

"No! Don't hurt him." Amidst the hostility between Jon and the Chained Man, the Elf girl was crying from the terror and the pain.

Seeing that the only companion she traveled with is on the brink of demise, she felt sorry for dragging him down the Abyss with her. Once again, she is the only one surviving as the disaster takes everyone around her.

"Please, don't hurt him. If you are a God, find it in your heart to be merciful." She fell on her knees and prayed to the Chained Man.

She realized the difference of power between her and that self-proclaimed God. She is in no way compared to him.

"Please, just send him to his time… only him… I… I will serve…"

"DON'T!"

As the girl was ready to kneel and worship, Jon's voice came from the deepest of his will raising one arm up as he turned to her.

"No…"

Realizing that Jon is still hell-bent on defying the Chained Man, the girl was begging for Jon to stop.

"No… he's just… he's not in his right mind. Spare him!" The Elf girl tried to divert the attention from Jon but the latter wasn't really helpful regarding that.

"No! My head… it was never this clear." Jon pushed himself up with his only intact arm and rested his back to the wall he crashed into.

"Shut up…" Jon was annoyed by the man yet he turned to the girl, "Little Bitch… that guy, he's the Heart of Chaos."

The girl felt a terrifying shiver in her body as the man's eyes glared right at her. Truthfully, she expected that the man would be in possession of the Heart or under its influence but for the Heart itself to be a Man.

"…" Being exposed to the spite of such a being was devastating but Jon's voice kept her together.

"He's weak. He's nothing. Just like Sithis, he is as empty as void, he can be true but he is also False." Jon said glaring with hate at the man.

The man was raging and squirming in his bind but no matter what, he couldn't do anything to Jon other than mess with his mind. The word False seemed to be very effective against him too.

"Fuck you! That hurts." Jon was resisting the pain and even canceling it as he started to realize the power of the man more and more.

Seeing that the two reached a deadlock, the Elf girl was recovering from her trauma slowly. Jon is still badly injured but seeing how the two went on against each other, she was certain that this is the power of Telepathy.

The man was a very powerful Telepathic Psychic. As a genius, she started piecing the parts together on her own until she made a theory.

"You are not the Heart itself… you are like its Spirit. A Manifestation of a sort… if the Heart is like Padomay, you are just like Sithis." She said.

"Imitations?" She asked.

"Come on!" Jon cut him, "More facts, less bullshit. We didn't fish ourselves out of that goddamn Chaos to hear you ranting like a fucking teenager. We are all adults here for fuck's sake."

Jon was furious with the man.

"Don't pressure yourself." The girl shouted at Jon.

"Anything that man says is a lie. His Existence is based on Twisting the Truth. He is sealed for all we care about and we don't want him to influence us." Jon warned her.

"I get it." She said and turned to the man, "I only came here to draw power from the Heart. I'm not interested in your schemes."

"…" The girl was distressed by the answer.

"Lies." Jon said.

"If it was not a lie, then it wasn't the whole truth."

The man didn't reply which caused the Elf girl to look at Jon wondering how he figured that out.

"What? I am married."

There was surely more to the truth but she didn't focus on Jon.

"Tell us how to draw power from the Heart!" She asked the man.

"Because… your power will also grow, right? The more people connected to the Heart, the more influence you have." She said.

"Why is that a problem?" She asked.

The girl seemed distressed about that answer, she indeed drew power from Sithis before but it was never enough, she needed more power to obliterate her enemies.

"Then what is it you desire?" She finally asked the right question.

It was an offer better than any, if she swears fealty to the Chained Man, she will have him as her backer. If it is like that then she shall engulf her enemies from the face of Nirn.

"That's not a fair exchange." Jon interrupted, "You can't be her Lord with just some promises of power. She's immature and hasty, given her aptitude, she can achieve her goals by her own hands. She is in no way in need of any power from that Heart of yours."

"No… my enemies… they are strong." The Elf girl said with a weak look in her eyes.

"Don't tell yourself that. I wasn't even a Master Mage when I extorted a Daedric Prince once. Believe me, Mortals like us may have been created weak but that's only because of how much potential we have. If I can muster my power in this place, I would have beaten that motherfucker black and blue." Jon said as he was still resting against the wall.

"Just get down here and I'll show you."

The Chained Man tried to assault Jon's head again and again but Jon's mind has already been through the furthest depths of Chaos. He experienced madness and to his mind, all thoughts can be lucid and controllable.

It left them at a point where they could neither go anywhere with the Chained Man. He was as narrow-minded as Jon yet because of the ridiculous amount of seals on him, he was in no way getting to do more than what he already can.

"Where does this leave us now?" The Elf girl asked.

"I am sorry but the power of the Heart is too much for you. If you agree to the terms of that jerk, your fate will be sealed in my opinion. I won't be stopping you though if it is your choice." Jon said.

The girl was having a tough time especially after the mind attack but Jon was right, she may have lost a lot but she still can live her life free from the servitude to a Dreadlord who fancies himself a God.

"What should we do then? How can we return?" She asked.

Jon didn't plan that much ahead but he didn't need to. There is someone that might help them.

"Let's get out of here. I think the Beast can help us." Jon said as he helped himself up.

"Go fuck yourself!" Jon said as he started retreating and the Elf girl supported him.

On the other hand, the Chained Man was not taking this very well.

The rage of the Chained Man made fighting him ten times harder but still, they were almost out of the place… that, when a diabolical thought came to that man.

He wouldn't let them leave like that. He needs to teach them a lesson even if it costs him a finger. And that's what he did, he sacrificed a finger by squeezing himself in the binds as much as he could.

*Snap*

With that snap, he managed to free the finger that was broken and hurriedly uses the nail of his thumb to injure that finger letting down a drop of blood. It was all that he needed.

The binds around the broken finger soon reacted and put it back where it was but the black drop of blood was already out, it only needed one thing and it already had two.

Targets.

Outside the binds, the full power of the Chained Man was unleashed directly towards Jon. Even if he was in his best condition, there was no evading that one.

In an instant, Jon's instincts were screaming for him but he wasn't that fast. The drop of blood found the weakness in [Greed]'s protection and struck right in.

All the colors faded in Jon's eyes and he no longer could control anything.

As the creepy laugh echoed around, the Elf girl found Jon falling on the ground. Just as she touched [Greed], it completely collapsed like liquid and a horrifying scene appeared. Jon's body was completely engulfed by that single drop of blood.

She tried to do anything, her Elder Scroll magic wasn't as fast as the spread of that blood, the Chaos was infecting Jon at a terrifying speed.

"No no no no no."

She used all the output of her ability to stop the spreading but she couldn't have known that the Chaos would retaliate against her. As the black blood expanded, it started an attempt to devour [Greed] which resisted relentlessly but through it, that drop of blood was able to come in contact with the Elf girl.

"Shit."

The situation turned messier than anyone could have imagined and before she even felt it, her vision was on the ground right next to Jon. The faintest memory she had was a voice.

A voice that came from outside.

***

"He's here! Hurry!"

Three figures sped down around the mighty Tower of Babel, they were the weirdest Company ever seen, but in Jon's book, these are some of the most mysterious three individuals he ever met.

An et'Ada, an Ehlonfey and an Otherworldly Stalker.

"This is Grand! I have never seen anything of the sort! This is beyond sense… and I have no sense. Ah! I should have brought my cheese ideas note, some pretty good ideas I can copy from this place to add to Dementia." A fancy white haired man said as he agily walked in big strides.

"This is not the time, Mad King." A ninjlike man shrouded in a unique slender black armor replied to him then turned to the third, "You understand what you must do, Blondie. Grab him and get the hell out."

"I understand, Shadow."

Myr, Sheogorath and Shadow. How the three ended up together was a mystery of its own but that all started when Jon was in Elsweyr. Sheogorath came to Jon at that time before they came across Zain and happened to be asking about Shadow. Shadow agreed to speak with Sheogorath and it took them quite a long time to converse. Once Jon was taken by Sithis, Myr infiltrated into Dementia which was the nearest Realm of Oblivion to the Void which alerted Sheogorath and Shadow. This led to the three going after Jon's traces on a journey of their own.

"Hey, you never told us what's at the base of this tower." Sheogorath asked.

"Certainly not cheese, don't look forward to meeting him." Shadow replied.

"Him?" Myr asked.

"A very unpleasant bastard. Don't tempt Fate and fight him, he will win. He always does." Shadow said.

It was not long until the three arrived at the sight of the collapsing Elf girl as the Blood of Chaos spread to her.

"Shit! We're late." Shadow made a scary face as he saw Jon's situation.

He looked right up right to the eyes of the Man laughing on his Reversed Throne.

"Armilus you son of a bitch!"

Shadow and the Chained Man seemed to be quite familiar. Armilus was the name of that man, actually, one of many names but this was quite his least favorite.

"Sheogorath, contain him. Whatever it is and no matter what he says, don't try to push against him, only defend." Shadow said.

"Ohoho! That's quite the troublesome fellow." Sheogorath stepped forward and blocked Jon and the Elf girl from the mind of Armilus by himself, "Just make sure to save my nephew, it would be incredibly dull without him."

"Look at this… you look so much like my Old Nanny after I tied her to a toilet with a Cheesemonger Skeever trapped in it. She was as annoyed as you are… half as energetic though. Sheogorath, by the way. Charmed!"

While Sheogorath had to deal with Armilus, Shadow stood above Jon and the Elf girl. For the first time ever, he showed his true form.

He was a man with golden eyes and long back hair wearing a black slender armor lined with golden embroidery. It seemed like a combat robe but there were traces of high tech gadgets on his belt.

"Jon, Jon… dammit. That's too much Chaos." Shadow said as he started performing a hand seal and muttering some words. In an instant, Seven Colored stones came out of nowhere and encircled Jon and the girl, one of the stones black in color stood forward between the others and started absorbing the drop of blood that spread all over Jon's body.

"Sure I can't do this guy a favor and shove my first down his throat, make a mush of his organs and an omelet of his brains?" Sheogorath asked Shadow.

"As much as I would give an arm to see it happens, there is no defeating this guy. Well, at least not now." Shadow replied and turned to Myr, "Blondie, once the time is right, take them both and flee back to your world."

"Alright, but… What about her?" Myr pointed at the elf girl.

"She's not one of your merry band?" Shadow asked.

"No."

"Well… holy shit!" Shadow was about to suggest something but he saw Jon's body twitching.

"What?" Myr asked.

"This guy… he was conscious the whole time." Shadow said.

From what it seemed, Jon has never passed out even under the influence of the Blood drop. He was alright on his face with his senses blocked but his Willpower kept a part of him using his arms to push his body up from the ground as if he was protecting something beneath him.

Shadow suspected something and muttered a word then a mysterious dark being came out of his shadow and carried Jon up.

"Nefertiti."

Myr saw Nefertiti lying unconscious under Jon. It seemed Jon used the last bit of his power and consciousness to prevent the spreading of the Blood of Chaos towards her.

"WOAH!"

At the same particular moment, Jon jumped up from the arms of the dark being Shadow summoned and punched it away. His state was not right and his mind was in shambles.

"Jon calm down. Calm down! Here! Take your cat." Shadow stopped Jon's rampage before it started and handed the unconscious Nefertiti to him.

Seeing her was enough to make Jon forget about the noise raging in his head and hold her closer right away.

"You can hear me, right?" Shadow asked Jon.

Looking forward, Jon saw an unfamiliar face but recognized the voice and the presence.

"Sha… Shadow? Myr? Sheogorath?" Jon was struggling to stand straight but he soon could see and hear the ones around him.

"Nephew! Fancy seeing you… and you might want to put on some clothes. Putting your uncle in a shameful situation here." Sheogorath said smiling to the other, "Family assets."

Jon looked around himself looking for [Greed] to cover himself.

"Here it is, Jon." Myr was going to hold up [Greed] for Jon yet the latter shouted.

"No! Don't touch it."

Yet it was too late.

There was a faint trace from the Blood of Chaos on [Greed] causing it to dysfunction. Once another living organism made contact with [Greed], that faint trace of the Blood of Chaos jumped on Myr.

"No!"

Shadow himself panicked and directed the black stone that was done with the Elf girl towards mere but that faint trace itself was enough to try and invade Myr. Jon wanted to hurry to Myr but Shadow stopped him.

"That's not a big deal, don't worry. Damnit!" Shadow tried to calm Jon but it seemed the situation was not calming.

"What?" Jon asked.

"He is not a mortal and he is not an immortal either. His body is already unstable." Shadow said, "Don't worry, I got him. Take care of the girl."

The messy situation was not getting any easier. Armilus, the Manifestation of Chaos, was raging in his telepathic clash against Sheogorath who wasn't striking back. Shadow was taking care of Myr hastily and Jon was covering himself with [Greed] as he woke the Elf girl up.

"What… where?" She opened her eyes in an alarmed state but she could see Jon holding her from doing anything reckless.

"Hey, Bitchy. Had a nice nap?"

"What?"

"We got reinforcements…"

"A little help here, this guy is getting violent. Not the face, I said not the face!" Sheogorath was trying to fend off against Armilus but it seemed the situation was getting ugly.

"… We're in trouble again." Jon continued his explanations and turned to Shadow, "How's Myr?"

"Fine, you need to get moving now." Shadow replied, "Myr, you take Jon. Sheogorath and I will take care of the girl."

"Sheogorath?" It was then when the Elf girl reacted as if the name of a Daedric Prince kicked her back to life.

She looked towards the fancy white-haired gentleman who was holding his cane up against Armilus and she was not terrified of anything more than him at the moment.

Meanwhile, Jon checked on Myr.

"You're alright?"

"Yes… yes… don't look."

Myr tried to hide his face but Jon held his hand. There, Jon could see a black mark on Myr's face right under his left eye.

"…"

"Don't tell Isha, okay?" Myr smiled and tried to brush it off but Jon was furious.

He turned around looking at Armilus and the look in his eyes was of pure abhorrence. He wanted to curse or say something but the words that came out were ones of those that identify Jon as a Dare.

"One day, it will be your turn, and I'll be there to take a piss on your corpse." Jon said as Myr started dragging him back towards an escape portal.

On the other hand, Shadow guided the Elf girl back to another portal corresponding to her timeline. Yet she stopped and turned to Jon.

"Dumbass!" She called.

Jon turned to her.

"I was wrong." She said and held her hood putting it down.

Jon finally saw her face and every fiber of his being shivered. If he can't recognize this face even if it was a little younger, then he just should be damned into Oblivion for all his life.

"I told you before that I am the one from the future but it appears I am wrong." She said, "I'll look for you and you look for me, I need answers. My name is Nurina."

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• Added a Pic for the Tower of Babel.

• "Armilus" & "The Beast" are characters from a Future Novel: "Beast of the Apocalypse", first two chapters on ******* FREE.

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Chapter end