I froze up and stared at the cell for multiple minutes. "How?"

"This..." Ivema began to speak. "This is impossible. There is no way he could have broke out of here without help."

I wanted to kick myself. I wish I had noticed earlier. "It's Tyite! Grush is no doubt working with him! I knew I should've killed that bastard! I knew-"

"Tanen, calm down," Ivema calmed my rage. "We can find him, but not by complaining about what could have happened. Let's split up and check around the dungeon. He couldn't have gone far. Ogmuls would've seen him."

Ivema was right. He would have never made it out alive if he went up the stairs to get out. I walked along the cobblestone floor and swung my head side to side, searching for any sides of Grush. He was bleeding the last time I saw him. If he were to escape, there would be blood stains on the ground.

"Tanen..." I heard a voice speaking inside my head. There was no sight of anyone around me.

"Tanen Theersar..." The voice was getting louder. I shook my head, trying to escape whatever was speaking to me.

"Tanen!" The voice was letting out ear piercing screams now.

"Stop talking to me, dammit!" I shouted.

"I must speak to you, Tanen. The kingdom of Nirn will be vanished without you."

"Who the hell are you? What do you want?" I was beginning to worry. Could it be the Daedra playing with my mind?

"Tanen, who are you talking to?" Ivema approached me as she realized I was talking to thin air. "Are you okay?" Her blood-red eyes gave me a worrisome look.

"No...no, I'm not. Something is wrong," I replied.

"What is it? I heard you talking to the wall."

"There's this voice...It's inside my head. It said something about how only I could save Nirn. I don't know what to do. Is it a trap of the Daedra? Is it a real person? Am I just imagining things?"

"There's been so much mystery in these past two days. It's amazing what can happen in a matter of time. Considering what we've been through, it probably isn't your imagination. It is extremely possible that it's the Daedra. Just be careful, Tanen. Trust your gut. It's gotten you this far, hasn't it?" She put a hand on my face.

It was the first gesture of love I had received in years. "Yes," I said softly. "It has." I leaned in and kissed Ivema. She looked down at the ground and shook her head.

"I..." She began. "I'm sorry, Tanen. I just can't do this. Everyone I have ever loved has died. My mother, father, my sister. They were all killed in a bandit raid and I wasn't there to save them. I can still feel the guilt to this day. I can't risk losing you."

I frowned. "Ivema, just because your family died doesn't mean I will, too. Plus, you'll be there to save me, right? Superstition shouldn't hold back love."

She smiled. "You're right. Plus, you're the only one I'd go back into an Ancient Nordic tomb with. As long as we are there for each other, neither of us will die."

I smiled at her. Through all the awful things that had happened in the past few days, all of it faded away at this moment.

But I had spoke too soon.

An intense light nearly blinded my eyes. I fainted and began to gently fall asleep. When I awoke, I saw an old man's face. He appeared to be a Breton. His bushy grey beard took up half of his face. His grayish-blue eyes stared into my own.

I was leaning against a large brick pillar while sitting on the wooden floor.

"I'm glad you've awoken, Tanen," The man spoke. "My name is Ernein Sinas, and I have an extremely important mission for you." Ernein fixed his posture and stood taller. "But first, you and I are going to have a history lesson."

"Can I ask you some questions first?" I asked, still half asleep.

"Feel free. We have enough time, I suppose."

"Where am I? How did I get here?"

"You're in New High Hrothgar. I summoned you here. We have much to talk about."

"New High Hrothgar, huh? What happened to the regular High Hrothgar?"

"It was burnt down a very long time ago, during the war between the Thalmor and the Empire. It happened right after the civil war between the Stormcloaks and Imperials. If they did not form an alliance, it is likely the Thalmor would not have been defeated."

"I see. The Thalmor burnt it down?"

"Yes, some psycho High Elf named Elenwen. She used to have an embassy here in Skyrim, up near Solitude. Anyways, are you ready to learn the real reason on why you are here?"

"If you promise to let me out of here after we speak. I'm sure my friends are worried about where I am."

"Of course, Tanen. I am your ally." Ernein grabbed a book from the wooden table behind him and flipped through the pages. "I assume you've heard of the Dragonborn."

"I have indeed. Speaking of that, I had just spotted dragons outside Windhelm. They were fighting each other. Why have the dragons returned?"

"That is exactly why I have you here, right now. How well informed are you on your family history?"

"Not well at all. I was raised as an orphan. Why?"

"I have been studying the Dragonborn's history for years, knowing it would become essential information eventually. After researching about the Dragonborn, I stumbled upon you. You have it in your blood."

"What are you saying, Ernein?"

"I'm saying that you are Dragonborn also. It appears that one of your ancestors was the Dragonborn we've heard so much about. And you could not have shown up at a better time. Alduin has returned."

It took a moment for me to process all of this. I was Dragonborn? An Argonian? What would I have to go through to save Tamriel?

"Alduin?" I gulped. "The world-eater?"

"That is exactly who I am talking about. But this time an even greater threat is upon us."

"Mehrunes Dagon?"

"How did you know this already?"

"I met one of his Dremora, Tyite. He explained to me what Mehrunes Dagon is going to do, but said nothing about the dragons. Are Alduin and Dagon teaming up?"

Ernein began to nod. "I'm afraid so, Tanen. But not all hope is lost. We know you can save us from at least one of those threats."

It was a big pill to swallow. I was the only one that could save the world from Alduin. If I died, everyone would die. "I apologize for freezing up often. This is just a lot for me to process."

"No need to apologize, Tanen. I have a task for you."

"What is it?"

"Directly south of here, there used to be a small village. It went by the name of Falkreath. Right outside of its ruins, there is an old cave. Inside it, there is a wall filled with words written in the language of dragons. To make sure you are truly Dragonborn, when you read that wall you will feel as if you've absorbed some sort of power. After you feel the power, shout the word, and you will feel your Thu'um working."

"What is this cave called? What does Thu'um mean?"

"The cave is known as Bulgraf's Grove. Thu'um means to shout in the dragon tongue."

"And how will you know if I do absorb this power?"

Ernein laughed. "I am a descendant of the Grey-Beards. Why do you think I reside here? I will hear your Thu'um even from up here."

"Thank you for all this information, Ernein." He bowed to me. "Can you send me to Windhlem? I need to retrieve a few things before I embark on this journey to Bulgraf's Grove."

"Very well, Tanen." Ernein opened a portal into the Palace of Kings and I appeared in front of Ivema.

She ran towards me and gave me a giant hug. "I was worried about you! You disappeared right in front of my eyes! What happened?"

"Prepare for a surprise," I began. "I was summoned by a descendant of one of the Greybeards, Ernein Sinas. I woke up in New High Hrothgar. He explained to me that I could potentially be Dragonborn...He claimed that Alduin is back, this time teaming up with Mehrunes Dagon. They are on a mission to consume Nirn as we know it. He wants me to travel to the ruins of Falkreath and roam inside a cave around the area. Inside the cave is what he described as a word wall with words written in the tongue of a dragon. He told me that if I absorb some sort of power from it, it will prove that I'm Dragonborn. I need to go soon. Who knows when Dagon and Alduin will attack?"

Ivema stared at me in shock. I could see her body shaking from chills. "This-" She studdered. "This is amazing. I would have never expected a new Dragonborn to appear in Skyrim. But the news about Alduin...That is terrible. You are the only one capable of saving us, Tanen."

"Yeah, I realized. You're doing a great job easing the pressure."

Ivema laughed. "I'm sorry. You should go get to that cave now."

"Are you coming with me?" I wondered.

"Ogmuls needs me here. He thinks the Daedra are planning an attack on the city again. He wants me to defend the city in case it happens."

I nodded. It would be the first time I was alone in a very long time.

It was sundown when I approached the ruins. I could smell a campfire nearby. I turned around and spotted smoke above the trees to the southwest.

I decided to leave it alone. I wanted to stay out of trouble and get this out of the way.

Old houses were crushed and razed. The only thing that remained of Falkreath was a small graveyard. One of the gravestones had a recognizable name on it.

"Clavina Bondum," it read. Clavina had the same last name as Grush, but how were they related?

I thought about it for a few minutes. By the time I had snapped out of it, someone else joined me at the cemetery.

It was Grush.

"Who was she?" I asked.

"Not going to arrest me? You just want to know who that woman was?" Grush replied.

"Whatever. How the hell did you escape?"

"Why does it matter? Are you even going to bother putting me back in jail?"

"Of course I am! But seriously, how?"

"I know people." Tyite appeared next to Grush once again. "I wouldn't arrest me while a Dremora is defending me." Grush made his devilish grin for the millionth time.

"Mr. Tanen!" Tyite exclaimed. "We meet so often these days! I've been observing your actions. Busy trying to save the world, are you?"

Tyite was a damn psycho. He was beginning to piss me off. He could literally be watching everything I'm doing.

"Hello, Tyite," I tried to remain calm.

"You know," Tyite began. "I could kill you right now and end the world at this very moment! But I'm sure Mehrunes Dagon and Alduin have already negotiated that they want to be the ones that have your head. Pity!"

"That makes two of us." I gritted my teeth.

"Ha! You are a funny Argonian! A mortal will never kill me! I'm going to go back to where I came from now, bye!" A portal to Oblivion spawned over the tall grass. Both Grush and Tyite entered it.

Where was Grush going? It was official. He either was a Daedra or already agreed to work with them. I shook my head. I kept trying to remember what Ivema said about having no regrets but that thought slipped my mind so easily. Grush could also be a potential threat to the end of the world.

I shook my head again. I had almost forgotten the real reason of why I came to Falkreath. In front of me was a sign on the road giving directions to nearby locations. It said that Bulgraf's Grove was directly east of where I was standing.

As I spotted the cave, a bush moved near it.

"Who's there?" I called out.

I heard the leaves shuffling around again.

"Don't play games with me!" I tried to sound intimidating. "If you're harmless, I won't hurt you. No one needs to die tonight."

I heard footsteps marching rapidly behind me. I turned around to see a bandit charging me. I pulled out my sword and moved out of the way.

"Now, now," The bandit said. "I don't want to kill you. I just want your stuff."

I shoved the sword into the bandit's bare chest. I was not going to risk dying from this point forward. He coughed up blood as I looted his body.

It was a pretty ugly sight. He was trying to say something as I took his gold and Elven sword. No words came out of his mouth. Only a pile of blood.

Before I walked into the cave, I looked back at his body. I closed my eyes. "No regrets," I whispered to myself. "No regrets."

I hope this chapter provided a lot of insight about what is going on. Everything should be cleared up now. If not, PM me. Leave a review too!