The countless timelines created by the Dragon Break, to Septimus Signus, were like a pile of blurry black-and-white film, seemingly without connection or logic, but when a large number of negatives were stacked and viewed, the outlines of some things would be exceptionally clear.
The Dragon Cocoon was, of course, a clear object, including the nine Psijic monks and A-Ran, though six of them were gradually fading.
Simon was also a clear object.
Jonas, numidium, Alduin.
Septimus Signus gazed at the Brass Tower, and his wrath once again sublimated, escalating his hatred for the current world into a fundamental loathing for the elder scrolls universe, a hatred for the One God Above All Gods, denying its dream, denying the cycle of the universe, killing all wills, living beings, Holy Spirits, and primal spirits, ultimately shattering the One God Above All Gods' dream completely. He could no longer simply be called a Tower; it should be said that he was a real law of the present world, a first-level higher existence.
This cosmic era, perhaps, was the last one. Septimus Signus felt a pang of sorrow; it was truly a terrifying future.
But how exactly would the end of the universe arrive?
Could that otherworldly visitor named Simon resist Zero-Sum and ascend to become a Tower?
The path of CHIM is the path of the ultimate self, but the individual's influence on the whole is real; the two are not separate. Before achieving the Un-Flower, before true transcendence, all personal actions will leave a trail.
The achievement of CHIM requires the individual to become a Tower, a pillar of the world, otherwise, it will result in Zero-Sum. Zero-Sum is the result of a paradox: the CHIM-achiever's influence on the world is powerful, capable of altering the world's course, yet the result of CHIM is to disappear from this world, to have never existed, but the trail truly exists—a contradiction.
Zero-Sum is a cleansing launched by the future into the past, a logical cleansing, not originating from the subjective will of some existence: it is not the One God Above All Gods who wants to kill the CHIM-achiever, but the CHIM-achiever's self-destruction.
To become a Tower is to support the trail of the future.
And a Tower is composed of two parts: the body of the Tower and the Stone.
The body of the Tower is not necessarily a tower, and the Stone is not necessarily a physical entity.
The Brass Tower's form is a robot, and its Stone is the energy core—the heart of lorkhan, the Heart of Wuulfharth.
For a CHIM-achiever, the body of the Tower is their divinity, while the Stone is "love"—it is love that connects god and man, a deep, desire-transcending emotion, a profound crystallization of philosophy, loving the world, loving humanity. Although one is a transient in the world, one must not let one's existence harm the world. Love oneself, love humanity, love the world, spreading divinity and integrating it into the very foundation of the world.
Septimus Signus recorded many instances of CHIM here, accumulated over many cosmic eras. Each reincarnation expanded the dream of the One God Above All Gods, making it more detailed and exquisite.
Septimus Signus meticulously browsed the Dragon Break "photos." Could Simon find his Stone?
...The Psijic monks were still arguing, while the Archmage briefly broke free from the Shadow King's illusion. "We must, we must hurry! Send that child over! To the future!"
"Why? We are so close to success, do we lack even a little patience?"
The Archmage looked at the distraught monk, and his own anxiety, like burning fire, actually calmed down slightly. "There's a problem, we have a problem. A certain timeline's White Mountain didn't die; he's influencing us!"
A-Ran was greatly startled. "Impossible! How could he have followed us back in time so many times?!"
The Archmage grinned slightly. "Why not? And how do you know we really went back in time?"
"Our injuries..."
"A skilled illusionist can even turn the past into an illusion. That person... no, no, no, let's take our time, yes, take our time, be careful," the Archmage reached his hands under his hood, frantically scratching his cheeks, his movements frantic, yet his voice remained slow and gentle. "Only one step away from success... Archmage A-Ran, I might not make it... Let's deal with the next opponent. Dragon souls should still be enough... Archmage A-Ran, I entrust the eye of magnus to your control..."
A-Ran, with a composed expression, snatched the Staff of Magnus from the Archmage's hand, standing ready for battle.
The Archmage continued to babble, and his speech began to slur. "We will win, we will win. That boy is different, the fated savior... That child should be White Mountain's Stone. Only he can defeat that person, only he can cut down numidium..."
A-Ran murmured, "So that's how it is."
"Kill me, take the Crystal Law..." The Archmage removed his hood, revealing a bloody, skeletal face. His left eye was gouged out, aqueous humor, tears, and blood profusely flowing. No one cared about this gruesome sight, as they had been through much worse; A-Ran was merely saddened, while the other two monks were like they were under a paralysis spell, rigid and silent.
The Crystal Tower, the Archmage was the body of the Tower, and the Stone was the combined wisdom of all High Elves. Now, all would be inherited by A-Ran.
The Dark Elf mage softly said, "Don't worry, I will definitely fulfill my mission."
The Archmage revealed a relieved smile. This comrade was extremely reliable. Now, entrusting the burden to him was perfectly fitting.
Don't—
The Archmage vaguely heard someone shouting, but he was now deeply delirious, having largely lost the ability to think, with only some almost instinctive action logic. He gouged out his glabella bone, a hidden treasure symbolizing wisdom, and now handed it to A-Ran.
The Dark Elf's hands were dark purple.
But at this moment, A-Ran's hands were surprisingly pale white.
The pallid palm gripped the rhomboid skull, and the next moment, the world inverted.
The Archmage watched A-Ran transform into a familiar person—Simon!
The Shadow King smiled at him. "You finally handed it over. You're quite capable."
The real A-Ran lay at the Archmage's feet, his mechanical spider lower body gone, only a mangled torso, still staring with wide eyes, constantly saying "Don't!"
A skilled illusionist can twist the past into an illusion.
The Archmage trembled. He stared fixedly with his single eye at the man before him. Having obtained the Stone, he was rapidly growing stronger, integrating shadow magic and dawn magic. He would be the God of Magic!
"You will not succeed. As soon as the Dragon Break ends, your existence will be annihilated." The Archmage gritted his teeth, his gentle voice gradually becoming frenzied, his facial bones undergoing a drastic change, a broad and long snout protruding little by little, sharp teeth emerging from his gums, blood flowing from the blood vessels at the back of his head, covering his entire face, followed by the rapid formation of muscles and scales.
Simon was dumbfounded. "Akatosh?"
A majestic judgment descended. "Watch! Your doomsday!"
...Jonas was about to rush to Morrowind when the world before him suddenly plunged into darkness.
When light reappeared, he found himself standing on a black metal floor covered with a plush carpet. Before him was a translucent glass porthole, through which he could see the deep expanse of space outside. In the distance, numidium was battling a black dragon.
From a great distance, they appeared to be about the size of an apple in one's hand, but in reality, they were planet-sized entities.
Jonas caught the end of the battle. They looked evenly matched, but numidium tore off the black dragon's wings in just a few moves. Alduin let out a silent wail, and Jonas's Dragon Soul resonated with him, hearing it clearly.
In a corner of their battlefield, there was a shattered sphere—that was Nirn.
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