Reviews time!

Guest - So far there simply wasn't a moment good enough to insert Ted's description from his own point of view. Originally it was in this chapter, but I decided to cut it into two and it landed in the second half, so it will be in next chapter.

Koal - Why, thank you! I appreciate it. Good to know I'm doing something right.

Now, here comes the third chapter. As I said, it was longer, but I decided to cut it right here and give the second part tomorrow. Please, deal with this forceful and a bit unoriginal exposition in the middle, I just didn't want for Ted to either doubt in everything that surrounds him or stumble blindly, not knowing at all what to do.


Few things are as wonderful as looking at something beautiful, which you expected to never see again. Our hero would certainly appreciate it even more, if it didn't happen to be the sun, blinding her eyes after few months of imprisonment.

"Here's where you get off. Head down to the dock and they will show you to the Census and Excise Office." Said the Redguard soldier to her right. The prisoner, still a bit drowsy, did as he said... as soon as she stopped staring at a massive flea standing across the cove. It was even bigger than a two-storey building at the other end of small dock.

...Where in the world they had taken me?

"Ah, you've finally arrived..." Her attention focused on another soldier, this time an Imperial, who walked up to her once she left the ship. He seemed a bit abashed. The reason for that quickly became obvious. "Though... I'm afraid that there were some complications. Some of our records were recently lost and as such you'll be required to fill in some paperwork. Name, jobs, that sort of thing."

"Um, I'm called Azirra and..."

"No, no. The one you need to talk to is Socucius Ergalla. Just go through that door. I'm sure you will fit right in." Guard stood there for a second and chuckled, confusing her. What is so funny? "I couldn't keep a straight face... Go, don't keep them waiting."

Azirra shrugged and entered the office. Right across the room stood the most sacred object in the world of bureaucracy - the desk. There was so much paperwork on it she barely noticed an older Breton behind it. He was furiously searching for something, however in all likelihood it would be easier to cut a slice out of some Oblivion plane and bring it to Tamriel than to find one specific document in this pile.

"I'm sorry... Are you Mister Ergalla?" she asked.

The official, who up to this point hadn't noticed her arrival, yelped and dropped a stack of papers. For a second she thought he was going to explode, but the look of fury immediately changed into delight.

"Finally!" The man bent down and picked up a single page from the ground. "There it is! What a relief, Duke Dren would have my head if I were to lose it... Oh, I'm sorry, did you say something?" he added, finally noticing the Khajiit.

"Are you Socucius Ergalla? A guard told me I needed to fill some documents."

"Fill some... Ah, I remember now. Sorry to bother you, but it's a necessary formality, we need to store data of anyone arriving to Vvardenfell. Yours unfortunately was somehow lost, but I recall them mentioning your release."

Azirra flinched.

"Vvardenfell? As in, Morrowind? Wait, release?"

"Yes. Now, normally I wouldn't mind answering an avalanche of questions, but as you can see I'm very busy today. Captain Gravius also needs to speak with you and he will explain the details. Now, let's fill those documents." Breton grabbed a blank form, but hesitated while in the middle of giving it her. "You can read and write, yes?"

"Of course." Azirra spat, taking the form. The nerve of some people, asking me that just because of my race... She scanned the sheet.

Name... Azirra, race... Khajiit, birthsign... Apprentice, but why would they need her birthsign? Questions about education and job history were more complicated and then came criminal history. Khajiit cringed. It wasn't her fault, it honestly wasn't, but...

"Er, mister Ergalla? I'm going to need one more page..."


Ted was dreaming. He was sure of it. Everything was blurry and, while he remembered falling asleep, he didn't recalled waking up, he just... stood there. So it was a dream. Then again, just a few moments ago he was convinced everything was a hallucination, so nothing was certain anymore. Perhaps he was a dream as well?

There's also this feeling of tranquility. You know what I'm talking about, right? That moment of perfect stillness, when no worry disrupts your peace. That alone usually happens in dreams and definitely not when you are a dragon for some reason. The setting was strange. He was suspended in midair above what appeared to be the island of Vvardenfell. It seemes familiar... Ah, yes. That's how Meridia spoke to the Dragonborn in Skyrim. Battle with Umaril took place in the "heaven" as well, just like the vision of Pelinal.

"Welcome, Kiir. I must say, I am surprised to see you here."

Ted immediately turned around and blinked a few times at the sight of another Dovah, also standing among the clouds. He saw that dragon somewhere before, he was sure of it, even though he looked much different from those in Skyrim, not to mention bigger. Proportions were completely off - his neck, snout and limbs were longer, giving him an appearance similar to Peryite. Also, he was gold.

"Who are you?"

The other dragon only smiled.

"I am your father."

"...That joke is so old it grew a beard."

This sentence seemed to surprise bigger drake.

"Joke? I do not jest. You are my son, even if I didn't create you personally. Both your soul and body were made with my aura."

Were made? This is getting creepy. It is even more creepy, because it all might be real.

"Alright, timeout. Who are you?"

The dragon unfurled his wings and stood on his legs. Now Ted felt even smaller, as if he already wasn't in comparison to his companion.

"Anyone else asking me that question would see what I do with those who dare to ridicule me. However, since you have come into existence only recently, I know your ignorance is sincere. I am Akatosh, father of all Dovahhe and god of time."

Ted surprisingly wasn't impressed. Perhaps it was caused by this overwhelming sensation of calm. Perhaps he had ran out of fucks to give. Possibly both.

Of course, the Avatar of Akatosh, the divine father of dragons. That's why he looked familiar. There is a god in my dream. Nothing strange here, moving along.

"Now, my son, I know you must be confused, but we must hurry. My connection to your dreaming self, which is already an unexpected achievement, will not allow us for a long talk. I have only enough time to tell you the most important things."

"Wait, what do you mean "unexpected"?"

Akatosh scowled.

"Do not interrupt me like that, youngling. I will not tolerate it. As for your question, it's unexpected since dragons scarcely truly sleep. When my children rest, they rarely let themselves to completely lose their consciousness in order to avoid any treachery. Because of this, I could not communicate with them by dreams, even if it didn't take so much power."

This caused an obvious question.

"Then why did you bother to contact me?"

"...When Jyggalag stole a part of my essence during creation of Mundus, I knew one day it would be used in some way. I started to think his change made him forget about it, since he never acted on it, but finally Sheogorath made his move. He did the exact same thing I would do if I could, given the condition of dov - used it to create new dragon. You."

Ted, despite all of this info dump, found one thing strange.

"I thought daedra had no power of creating life?" Good to know his geek priorities were still in order.

"They don't. It baffles me how he achieved that. Young one, know this: Mad Star's actions are unpredictable. I do not know what he has planned for you or if he even planned anything, but you must be careful. Do not accept anything at face value, my son. Be wary of all who try to approach you. Including you, there are only five still living dragons. One is lost in time, the second imprisoned in Oblivion, the third trapped underground, and the fourth separated himself from the rest of the world on the Monahven in order to await the return of the first one. Only you remain truly free. Do not risk your freedom or life for insignificant causes. Too many of my children already died that way."

It was a good thing Ted's bullshitmeter was already broken.

"Why do you care? You said it yourself, you didn't make me."

"I care for all my children, created by me or not. You may exist because of Sheogorath, but it doesn't change the fact your very essence was made with my own." The Avatar of Akatosh looked to the sky."We do not have much time. Listen well. I had not asked you of your name, because I know you don't have one. Your qalos, your... presence is weak. It will stay that way until you give your Thu'um direction. The Knowledge of Dovahzul is natural to all dovahhe, but without a name you can't unlock it's full potential. Choose your name wisely, for it will affect your entire life. Words and names are important, remember that."

The clouds around them started getting denser, enveloping both dragons. Ted could barely see the outline of God of Time.

"Our meeting is over... I spent all of my strength. The rest is up to you, my son. I wish you good luck."

"Wait! What am I supposed to do now?"

Akatosh chuckled. His avatar already disappeared in the mist.

"That is entirely up to you now. Though, if I may say so, when you wake up, I advise you to dodge."


It is a painful wake up call, being hit with a hammer in the face.

"RAAAAAARRRRGHH!"

Somewhere in the depths of Oblivion, a certain daedric prince threw a bottle of brandy at the floor.

"Why didn't you DODGE?!"


Ted jumped backwards. It felt as if his brain tried to escape from his skull in every possible way, but it would be even worse if it wasn't for his scales. Perhaps it would only end with a bruise.

That is, a bruise for him and brutal death for whoever was responsible.

As it turns out, it would be a bit hard to achieve. Can't kill what is already dead.

"I thought that skeletons were supposed to be the weakest!" stated Ted while dodging a second swipe. With how small this room was, he didn't have much options in ways of defending himself, not to mention his lack of experience. "Ah, screw it!" shouted dragon, bending his neck.

Head-butting once more saved the day, scattering the enemy into hundreds of pieces. "Huh. So they can dish out some punishment, but can't take it. Right, not Skyrim, gotta remember that. I need to think."

Ted walked over to the open door leading deeper into the tomb, definitely opened by a skeleton. He had no desire to explore (first, this time it actually would mean taking a huge risk, and second, this dungeon wasn't exactly dragon friendly), but he couldn't leave it open while he got lost in thoughts. He ended up using the biggest thing in the hall to block the passage - himself. With the door secured by at least few hundred kilograms of a lizard, Ted finally sighed in relief and started to wonder about his situation.

Alright. I'm back in a so called "starting point". I can either continue telling myself it's all a dream of sort, or give in and accept I ended up in a game. Which is bullshit. It's not some second-rate fanfic. He hesitated. Oh god, any god at all, even daedric princes... If you hear me, don't let it be a fanfic! With how things were going, I'm sure I would be lynched! That, or I would suddenly end up shipped with someone for no reason whatsoever, which would be even worse. He shook his head. Bah! It doesn't matter. I guess for now I'll have to assume it is real, just in case it is, so I won't die because of overconfidence. It will take much more than a fictional god giving me a half-assed explanation and a small cut to convince me. That reminds me...

Ted lifted his wing and examined the place of his injury, but all he found was a bit of dried blood and a small scratch underneath. The same applied to the other cut on his flank and bruises from his struggle with the door.

Quick healing? Don't mind if I do. I guess many dragons would drop dead without it, it's not like they can bind up their wounds. That aside, I wonder how the folks back home will react.

For a moment Ted entertained the idea of people making a big search for him. Pff, yeah. It's not like there was someone who would be terribly sad at his disappearance. It takes a special kind of social desperation to make a friend with the likes of Jerry.

Well, at least if that's real I finally got rid of the asshole once and for all. Good luck crossing the interdimensional barrier, Jerry!


"Oh gods, deadra! Hide your children! Guards, guards!"

"Hey, wait! God dammit, I heard some assholes don't trust black people, but this is ridiculous!"


Now, let's see... If I'm really here, then most likely that dream was a real vision too. That talk actually explained some things, which normal dreams don't do. So, I have a dragon god of time on my side, simply because he thinks I'm his son... But as an aedra, all he can really do is twiddle his little claws and hope for the best for me, so he's pretty much useless. Also, by some miracle, Sheogorath broke the laws of this universe and created someone new. Out of nowhere, understanding hit Ted like a dodgeball in a echoing gymnasium. Sheogorath didn't create someone new - Ted had already existed before. He made a dragon body, but couldn't make soul, so instead he took mine and did... whatever a god does to make soul draconic and voila!

...That's it, Sheo, you are no longer the best prince. Azura, rejoice!

That clears up how and who. I would ask why, but that's pointless when it comes to Sheogorath. All that's left is where and when... I have no idea about either, except it's a southwestern Vvardenfell and probably not fourth era... Otherwise I would be breathing smoke and swimming in lava.

With those important questions more or less answered, Ted was left with the biggest one.

What the hell am I supposed to do now?


A/N:

As always, let's begin with the setting.

The tomb in which our protagonist found refuge is called Samarys Ancestral Tomb. Since there is no one by that name in the game, it is very likely no one uses it anymore. It contains up to five undead, some ingredients, scrolls, potion and a really good ring. It is exactly north-west of Seyda Neen, a few steps away from the sea. It is of no importance besides that.

Now, I know Divine/Daedra vision is nothing new, but why change it if it works so well, especially in this situation? Akatosh is the only character with the sole exception of Sheogorath who could give him good advice not asking for anything in return. It simply had to be done, simple as that.

Yes, Azirra is a bit underwhelming at the moment, maybe even boring. That's kinda the point, from zero to hero and all that. I would like to point out she's not going to join Thieves Guild, in fact she prefers to avoid risk, which will bite her in the ass multiple times, if you consider what kind of mission she has ahead of her. How do you understand it, it's up to you.

Next time - Ted learns how to fly without endangering himself every three seconds, eats his first meal in Morrowind and meets the future Nerevarine... for a moment. Expect the fourth chapter tomorrow.