The area beneath the temple was clearly an ancient Nord ruin. To be honest, Miraak's followers were truly lazy; the ruins were so dilapidated, yet they hadn't bothered to repair them. Worst of all, they left a massive number of Draugr behind. It was a mystery how the cultists avoided being attacked by them. The ruins were also filled with traps: countless pressure plates on the floor, hidden arrows and fire oil everywhere, and falling logs and rolling stones were common occurrences. Although Jonas wasn't injured, he certainly felt overwhelmed and frustrated.
Upon reaching a small hall deep within the ruins, he saw a dragon skeleton pinned to the wall as soon as he entered, its ancient and wild aura washing over him. To his left was a Word Wall. Jonas couldn't understand what was written on it, but he could sense a Word of Power hidden within.
After gently touching the Word Wall, the Word of Power surged out from a segment of Dragon language and rushed into Jonas's body.
In the next moment, Jonas saw a golden Dragon. It gave the boy a sneer and roared: 'Mul! (Strength)'
Jonas snapped back to his senses. He knew the name of the new Word of Power; it was a Legacy originating from his Soul.
It stimulated the potential of the Dragonborn, harnessed the inner draconic nature, and truly allowed him to release the energy of the Dragon Souls he had absorbed. This was [Dragon Shout: Dragon Soul Awakening]!
Jonas craved this power immensely. If he could learn all three words of this Dragon Shout, he would be qualified to go head-to-head with Alduin!
The boy attempted to use the first word of Dragon Soul Awakening.
"Mul!"
His mental energy boiled, erupting from The Rift of his Soul. A shield enveloped him, and the sixteen Dragon Souls he had devoured roamed and roared upon his illusory armor. Now, he possessed the strength of sixteen Dragons! It was even stronger than the buff from Divine Descent.
Words of Power required comprehension and Cultivation, much like kung fu; one had to spend time honing them. Jonas's use of Divine Descent could only make Alduin dizzy, but if Simon were to use it, the black Dragon's head would be knocked off with a single punch! However, Dragon Soul Awakening was like turning a valve or opening a floodgate; it had no inherent effect of its own. It all depended on how many Dragon Souls the Dragonborn had absorbed—the more Dragon Souls taken, the stronger the effect.
At this moment, Jonas's heart beat like a drum. Unable to suppress his surging emotions, he punched the Word Wall. With a thunderous boom, he felt as if he had plunged his hand into a cloud; there was a slight sense of pressure, but in reality, his arm had already pierced through the stone. As he tried to lift his arm, the Word Wall tore in half like a soft pastry under his strength.
This kind of power!
The boy laughed wildly, the sound waking the Draugr in several nearby vertical coffins. They threw open the lids and brandished axes and hammers, intending to teach Jonas a lesson. Before they could utter their usual threats, the boy pounced like lightning, tearing apart their tree-trunk-tough muscles and bones with his bare hands. He twisted their necks three hundred and sixty degrees in one go. With six successive cracks, the Draugr's heads were all forcibly relocated.
"Eh?" Jonas discovered that the coffin beneath the dragon skeleton was actually a secret door leading deeper into the ruins. He had originally thought the Word Wall was the Treasure Trove Hermaeus mentioned, but now it seemed he had yet to receive the final gift.
Punching through the door lock, Jonas slammed his body against it. The solid iron plate was dented into a human shape before shattering with a metallic clang after the violent deformation.
Arriving at the bottom of the temple, Jonas used the Candlelight Spell to illuminate his surroundings. At the end was a bud-shaped secret chamber. That kind of openwork wall appeared once more, enclosing a wide area with complex, cryptic architectural forms. The door and window frames were shaped like olives. A dim yellow mist swirled here; it seemed as if one could take in the entire area at a glance, but in reality, one could only notice a small part directly in front. Looking up and around even slightly could easily cause one to fall into a dazed state of confusion.
Inside the hall was a totem pillar statue, which was actually a book stand. On a slanted platform near the floor sat a Black Book.
Jonas knew that this was Hermaeus's secret treasure.
Read, a voice seemed to say. Read.
The knowledge here was waiting for a reading, waiting for the understanding of wisdom and thought, just as a river waits for the sea or a high mountain waits for the clouds. Everything unnatural was, in fact, natural; the blending of information could bring boundless harmony—one only needed to read.
Jonas walked softly to the Black Book and stroked its delicate cover. The beautiful and exquisite patterns felt very cool. The boy quite liked its texture; it was an experience similar to stroking a girl's palm—warm and soft.
Slowly opening it, he saw the pages were dark yellow, covered in twisted characters. As Jonas focused his full attention, these characters gradually distorted and transformed into the familiar Imperial language.
"The starless sky, the Waking Dreams."
"Author: Bilius Felquis."
"Those eyes, once dazzled by the meteors of the highest revelation, will forever see the slight insights triggered by this celestial inquiry. Just as a mind sharpened by true reflection leaves only vulgar fantasies behind, attempting to impose commands upon those consents ignored by the gods, first..."
Jonas watched, entranced. Dark green light runes bit by bit wrapped around him, turning into oily tentacles that constricted his neck. Amidst a violent sensation of suffocation, Jonas experienced Soul Emergence.
In the next moment, he arrived in the vast space of Apocrypha.
Hermaeus Mora was already there waiting for him.
"Mortal, though Miraak is dead, the dozens of Dragons he left behind still remain. I need you to tame them, or kill them, my servant. This is a fair trade. I shall bestow upon you Miraak's miracle. The power I once gave to him shall be inherited by you today."
Mora's thousands of eyes blinked, and a long scroll fell from the sky, unfurling before Jonas. Atop the complex, flowing characters floated a segment of Dragon language; an extremely powerful Word of Power was staring at the boy.
Mora laughed deeply. The voice sounded like a mass of tentacles stirring years of old phlegm in his throat, making Jonas feel a surge of nausea. "Dragons are always smug about their Shouts. Words are sharper than swords, hum hum hum, quite true. But they will never know that I created a Word of Power stronger than all of theirs: Bend Will!"
Jonas offered a dry compliment: "You're quite something."
Mora let out a series of cryptic mumbles. "If not for... that person's... you wouldn't escape either..."
"What are you saying?"
"No, nothing, Mortal. Go and accept my gift, then obediently deal with those Dragons rampaging over Apocrypha for me. That is all. But remember, the master's gaze is always at the servant's back. Do not be like that fool Miraak and attempt to break free from my shackles!"
Jonas didn't talk back. Having experienced Rebirth so many times, he had long since learned to be sensible. Since he was a tool anyway, what did it matter if he worked for one more god?
Would a tool with integrity not be a tool?
Jonas touched the scroll.
The massive Word of Power struck his Soul directly.
The boy saw him again—Miraak. He stood before Jonas, and the two of them communicated silently, unnoticed even by Mora.
"Do you have any last words?"
Miraak smiled. "Kid, do you know what this Shout requires?"
"What does it require?"
"Every time you perform this Dragon Shout, you will lose a portion of your Soul. Or, you can use the Soul of a Dragon to bear the loss in your stead."
"Really? Then I just won't use it."
"Hahaha, impossible!" Miraak laughed heartily. "This is power that can enslave gods. How could you possibly not use it!"
"What?!"
"Yes, even Mora, the creator, does not know what the result will be when a Mortal touches the most profound depths of the mind. That tentacled freak thought I only wanted to escape Apocrypha, little knowing that I intended to devour him! Remember this Shout; the essence of the world lies within it. Use your own CHIM to replace the thoughts of others. Even a Daedric Prince cannot escape!"
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