A-Ran gasped, struggling to maintain his shield as he stood before a Psijic monk. His luxurious Archmage robes were completely shredded and stained, revealing his dark purple body.
Saarthal had vanished. The battle between the mages had altered the terrain, leaving a massive crater in its place. The members of the Black Worm Society had been completely wiped out by the frantic magical onslaught, but the college's teachers and students remained unharmed under A-Ran's full protection.
Jonas was being held hostage by a Psijic monk.
The Troll floated in the air and asked softly, "Why do you set yourselves against me?"
A-Ran squinted. "Because this is justice."
"Mage A-Ran, I respect you, but you should know I have held back repeatedly. Now, have your High Elf friends cancel the time-stop, and hand over Jonas and the eye of magnus."
"This is the thirty-second time," the soft-spoken Psijic monk suddenly said. "And the elimination of the thirty-second possibility."
Simon frowned. "What do you mean?"
"A Dragon Break occurring in the future is spreading toward the present. It is like a flower, with countless petals released from the center. The you standing before us now is not the you of the future, but a you from a certain timeline transforming from the past to the present." The Psijic monk wiped the blood flowing from his ear; he couldn't actually hear what he was saying clearly, so his voice was very low and muddled. "Our Dragon Chrysalis is a reef blocking the future Dragon Break."
Simon pondered. He was clearly being forcibly fixed in this time period, yet according to this High Elf, he was just one of countless possibilities? Were there versions of himself in other timelines causing a Dragon Break?
"...As long as we use the power of the Crystal Tower to block the you who is performing the Dragon Break, we will succeed."
"Ridiculous. The Crystal Tower collapsed long ago. How long can you fix time on your own?" Simon laughed in spite of himself. Who didn't know that the grand Crystal-Like-Law was destroyed by the Demon Race during an Oblivion Crisis in the Second Era?
"And who said we are the Psijic Order from the Fourth Era?" The monk chuckled.
"What do you mean by that?"
"The Crystal Tower lives forever in our hearts. We are ghosts of the First Era, brought here by the power of the Dragon Break, solely to prevent you from devouring the world."
The occurrence of the Dragon Break caused the Crystal Tower to leap from the past to the present. However, the Crystal Tower was reshaped to block the Dragon Break—the result of the event was meant to block the cause of the event. It sounded incredible, but that was the peculiarity of a Dragon Break.
If the Dragon Break Simon triggered in the future was a ripple on the water's surface, then the Psijic Order were the silt pushed to the surface by that ripple. They couldn't go directly to the time of Simon's birth to intercept him; they could only move toward past timelines as the ripple expanded. Yet they couldn't truly wait until the ripple reached Simon's birth date, because the timeline would grow exponentially with the expansion of the Dragon Break. By then, Simon's birth would have countless forms and would be impossible to suppress.
Simon: "Why would I devour the world? I am not Alduin. Besides, why go to such great lengths for a mere Dragon Break?"
"It is different. Of the Towers in this world, aside from the Green-Sap wandering in Black Marsh, the rest are either deactivated due to broken stones or have completely collapsed. The world has entered its most critical moment. When the Dragonborn kills the Black Dragon and returns the World-Eater to his place, a new Reincarnation will begin."
"Sounds good."
"But you are different. You carry a power that will cause the world to perish completely. Reincarnation will end with you."
Simon guessed the Psijic monk was referring to the Pure Land, but the Pure Land does not manifest on the tracks of fate. How did the other party see it?
"Even so, how do you plan to stop me?"
"We will..." The Archmage brandished the strange staff in his hand. This was the Staff of Magnus, paired with the eye of magnus. It had once been buried beneath the lost city of Labyrinthian and was later excavated by the Psijic Order.
Before his words could finish, the eye of magnus bloomed violently. A massive blue beam shot from its core, striking heavily against the frozen Simon. The Troll dissipated within the surging torrent.
"...Kill you."
Several Psijic monks breathed a sigh of relief and looked at their Archmage, who said softly, "Let us begin. The next timeline is waiting for us."
"But the Dragonborn is becoming more and more unstable!"
"After his memory is completely tampered with, let him go. He is the most crucial link."
A-Ran asked hesitantly, "Is it really necessary to place such a burden on a child?"
"A child? No, he is the Reincarnation of the Dragon-Snake, the destined savior. If anyone can fulfill the divine will and stop this outsider from devouring the world, it can only be this boy."
The Archmage chuckled. "Let's continue. We should try not to use the power of Magnus if we can help it. A few more times, and the Dragon Chrysalis colloid will be exhausted."
"Didn't we kill over eight hundred dragons before we came? Logically, it should have been more than enough," one monk questioned in confusion.
"It is far from enough. As long as the Dragon Break is not resolved, past timelines will continue to emerge incessantly."
A-Ran sighed. "Can you send the college's teachers and students back while you're at it?"
"Very well. That way you can free up your hands to help deal with the World-Eater. But you must understand, they will suffer the torment that time faults bring to their Souls."
"Survive first, then worry about the rest."
"True."
The Psijic monks chanted in unison. In the next moment, a bright, clear light shone everywhere. The shattered earth was restored, everyone's injuries were healed, and Jonas and the people of Winterhold vanished together, while the members of the Black Worm Society were resurrected.
Time froze at three seconds after the Imperial mage was knocked back by the leader of the Black Worm Society. Then, a crisp ringing of bells sounded, and a white-robed figure carrying a copper umbrella flew into the breach in Saarthal. "It's you lot who want to hurt my family's kid? Where have you hidden Jonas? Hand him over!"
"Let us begin. The thirty-third time."
...Jonas felt the world spinning, and everything went black. He fell unconscious. A gentle baritone voice spoke in his mind in elegant Elvish: "When the Towers return, fate is reversed. Find the Walking Brass, shut It down, and end the Dragon Break."
When his consciousness cleared again, Jonas heard the rumbling of wheels rolling over cobblestones.
His hands were bound. The boy opened his eyes and found himself sitting on a wagon. Opposite him was a blonde man in blue leather armor, who nodded at him. "Hey, you. You're finally awake."
"Where am I?"
"On the way to Helgen in the Holy Land to be beheaded." The blonde Nord man laughed with nonchalance.
It seemed to be early morning. The forest road was covered in thin mist, flanked by tall pines and cypresses. Through the gaps in the trees, the towering mountains of Skyrim were faintly visible.
The driver was an Imperial soldier. There were four prisoners in total on the wagon. To Jonas's right was a brown-haired Nord draped in a black bear-skin cloak, his mouth bound tight with cloth. Across from them, besides the Nord in blue armor, was a tall, thin Breton man in hempen prisoner clothes, who was muttering to himself, "Divines, Ysmir, Dibella, preserve me."
Seeing Jonas staring at the man in the cloak, the Nord said in a low voice, "Watch yourself, citizen. You're in the presence of the great High King Ulfric, Your Highness!"
The Breton sneered. "Stubborn fool. Anyone with eyes can see now that Baron Dilo of Winterhold is the one chosen by fate. If anyone can resolve the chaos brought by you Stormcloaks, it's Baron Dilo!"
The Imperial soldier driving the wagon turned his head and barked, "You lot in back, shut up! Stay quiet!"
Ulfric let out a few muffled chuckles and leaned back against the seat, gazing at the sky.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"