'Andrew's Legacy: A tale of Joshua Andrew' by Bill Henry

The story of one called challenger, and Console Patron Unit, and Father starts where one might seem to start their life, in a home far from terror and consternation. His time upon the dregs of history was so mapped because of one simple incident. "I will challenge that dragon, and beat him once and for all" he exclaimed once. And Alduin the World Eater heard his claim. It was then-

Chapter 03-Future

"Finally some fresh air" Or at least as fresh as you could have in Apocrypha.

"Yes Nepgear, we are out in the open" I answered her exclamation. And looked around. That tower was closer now, and close enough to see an opening. So we have to climb it after all. It was a pretty big tower, for something to have been dedicated to my 'book'.

Looking at the path to the tower though, it seems as it was fraught with dangers.

"There's our monsters" I said pointing at our path.

"It's a pretty narrow path, quite a change from mazes and labyrinths" Uni pointed out.

"And that's a good thing" Nepgear stated.

We looked at the open book back to Chapter II with disgust, and I realized we were on a Podium, from which there was naught but open sea. The first part must have been on the other side, I mused.

"Kind of makes you wonder how big this Plane of Oblivion really is" I said. The others looked at the sea like me, and grunted with acknowledgement.

"Now there is no railing" I said, and those platforms are all flat, easy to fall in the water. Our path doesn't rise or lower, it is completely flat "So don't fall in, this water does something to your bodies. I won't elaborate, but I will tell you that these are temporary-" I pointed at our bodies "So if we were to 'die' here, we'd go back to Lowee. But there's no telling what that would do since we're all attached to the book at the same time" I let that sink in.

"Umm, Joshua" Rom got my attention.

"That's the first time you said my name" I replied.

"There's someone down below!" she pointed.

"What!" I searched and found someone indeed. I jumped the podium, heedless of my own instructions.

I ran, pummeling Seekers and Lurkers as I go, faster than I ever thought possible. The person in question was firing arrows at a Lurker, that looked like it was stronger than the others. But inevitably the Lurker was gaining the advantage. That person felt familiar to me...

I glanced behind me, the candidates were almost caught up with me, didn't they listen!

I used my staff to electrocute the Lurker, who switched targets to me before it got hit by bullets. Uni was trying to tip it! I waited for the opportune moment before using my lightning again. It fell in the water, and a tentacle dragged it to the bottom, presumably. The person in question immediately started to attack me. And try to get away. They were fast, whoever this is. I chanced HDD to catch up, and hit the person into the tower.

She transformed, for it was obviously a girl, well developed I see. She wore a jumpsuit reminiscent of the Twins HDD and brandished a crossbow, instead of a regular bow, she must have had (she was a hooded, cloaked figure in non HDD so). Her hair reminded me of cotton candy, it was half pink (like Ram's HDD hair) and half blue (more to my shade of HDD blue than Rom's), with a single pink bang going across her face. She reminded me of Lowee's CPUs, in all but her breast size (to be fair, I haven't seen Blanc in HDD yet), which was more to the average than to the flatter side (I'm by no means an expert). Her eyes had the power Irises, a trait all CPUs in HDD share, but it was her face...her face...

"Aurora!" I exclaimed, just as the candidates caught up.

She lowered the crossbow in shock, her mouth wide open.

"You were not supposed to know that yet!" Her voice showed emotion.

"You know her?" Nepgear exclaimed as I descended to the ground.

"I saw her once" I said "When I saw the future"

"This was all wrong, I was supposed to escape!" her face was in complete despair.

"She's a CPU" Uni said.

"She's my daughter" I said.

"WHAT!?" their exclamations of shock were so loud, I had to cover my ears.

"Her face shown anger, and rage at me before masking it, tears coming down her face. She descended. Her crossbow disappeared.

"I-I can't be mad at you y-yet" she said as she walked toward me. We both remained in HDD.

"You were our helper weren't you?" I asked. She nodded. I let my staff disappear, as she came closer. She regarded me for a moment, then wiped her tears and knelt down to be face to face with the twins.

"In all these years, you haven't changed. I've missed you both" She hugged them tight "Aunt Rom, Aunt Ram...I love you both" The shock of them all got deeper. The twins returned her hug.

"Wait" Ram said "We're your Aunts?"

She nodded in affirmation.

"That means-" Nepgear couldn't finish it. There was no lie, no mistaking it. Aurora looked too much like the twins, and from what I thought Nepgear and Uni were suspecting was Blanc (considering they have seen her HDD). They were probably comparing us for confirmation, and noticed the same light blue hair color, the similar features in the face and complexion, and all that other stuff. I sighed.

They know about Blanc and I in the future. Their faces showed it, red with embarrassment and refusing to look at me.

"Yes it does Miss Nepgear" Aurora confirmed it solemnly "It's good to see you as well, you change very little yourself"

"Miss Uni!" Aurora looked at her, with adoration "your sister sends her regards, though I wasn't supposed to give them to you"

She gave them both a hug. They returned it awkwardly, but I don't think Aurora noticed.

She finally took a good look at me.

"You" she said, not unkindly "You have a long road ahead of you" She looked around, trying not to look at me. What exactly did I do to her in the future? She looked up, as if pondering things.

"Mom is atop of this tower. You must save her from Herma Mora, though I probably didn't have to tell you that" she huffed "I can, and will accompany you until you reach Chapter four, but not after that point. I will see you soon after you kill the beast, though" She refused to look at me, staring at the ceiling of the tower.

"How did you get here?" Nepgear asked.

"In this time?" Aurora asked.

"Yes"

"He is the only one that understands this, but somehow old Mora's realm is malleable in time, at least. A friend of mine, he, well let me borrow the Mad Magic-I mean his Mother's time machine. I was able to set it to the time I was given that you would be here, but I read 'Andrew's Legacy' without turning on the machine itself. Apparently the 'book' knew where to take me, and brought me to this chapter. From there I was able to fly to the outer portion of 'Chapter II' and arrange the meeting between Neloth and my dad. Neloth is awesome by the way, hard to get used to, but he always had time for me, when I would bother him with a question. I had went previously into II from the open enclosure to make the meeting possible and to deposit some items Dad had asked me to give to his earlier self" She looked at me briefly then, before continuing "I cannot enter the books in between, else I would be stuck in this time, instead of my own. Old Mora is like that"

"You've had a lot of dealings with Neloth?" I asked her.

She sighed. "Don't tell me you're jealous-ah" she stopped herself and became more composed before she continued "Yes, Neloth taught me a lot. I can do magic no one else in Gameindustri is capable of. He made me a member of his house, although I think that's a political move. Tells all the other House to back off, if they tried the same thing. House Telvanni isn't to be trifled with"

"What did I do to you?" I asked, almost in despair.

"you did nothing yet. But you will, not like you can help it can you?" she shook herself, and I'm reminded of me...Nostalgia.

"We're wasting time" Aurora said "We've got to get to Mom, or you all do anyway"

She went into the tower, and started up the stairs. We followed. It turns out that we didn't have to do much. True to her word, she was capable of Magic, that not even I was capable of. Her magic attacks were reminiscent of Neloth's I observed, and that made me wonder what exactly happened, for Neloth (a complete Narcissist) to train her to this level. He usually did things to suit himself, so...

"How did you get him to train you?" I asked her.

"You recognize him then. He did say you would, when you saw me" she was currently vaporizing a Seeker "He saw something in me. He knew I was your daughter. Told me that was the most selfless thing he's ever done. It was brutal, don't get me wrong, but in the end I impressed him. He taught me more than any other apprentice he's ever had. He left me Tel Mithryn, when he died"

"What did he die of?" I asked.

"He was murdered by evil most foul" Aurora said with gritted teeth. There were pods everywhere, in this tower, and many books besides. Aurora sifted through them with speed I have never seen, like she knew what to take. She gave me a few Conjuration skill books, including one I've never seen before: Conjure Champion's Armor. Some of the others include: Flame Thrall, Conjure Seeker, Conjure Sword, and Conjure Bow (she insisted on the bow). She had also found some destruction, and Alteration spells, a healing spell and some kind of skill book I've never seen before, but that she knew of. Finally we got to the top.

"This is it" She said, as we followed in the room "That book will take you to Mom"

"You can't just fly up there?" Nepgear asked.

"No I won't. I shouldn't have been seen by you, but Old Mora had other plans. Those daedra were meant for me, not you. He wants you all up there" Aurora looked at me.

"Umm, may I ask you a question?" Uni asked. I wanted to face palm, but I didn't.

"What is it?" Aurora replied.

"What are you called when you're in HDD" Uni pointed at her HDD form.

"Mom calls me White Daughter, but he thought that was stupid" she glared at me then "Everyone else calls me Cotton Candy. Thanks to you" she pointed at me. Everyone laughed, and even Aurora managed a small smile, her face reddening slightly.

She started down the stairs, ending her HDD, which cloaked her human form. That brown cloak somehow was familiar to me...wait.

"Wait!" I said. She inclined her head.

"I-I want to get a hug too" I can't believe I said that. If she wasn't my daughter, I would have kissed my man card goodbye.

She continued walking "You can wait a year, Dad. See you then"

I was saddened by her...dislike (?) for me. But at least she acknowledged me as her dad. I remember the future that I saw:

"Daddy" a little girl laughed as she ran towards us, her hair was a light brown color, like mine. "Aurora! Your father is sick! Didn't I tell you that" Blanc came over to try to take Aurora away.

She jumped up and gave me the biggest hug...

That would have to do for now, and as I turned to look at my comrades-

"A year?!" Nepgear looked incredulous.

"You don't wait at all do you?" Uni was torn between being sickened and being happy-a unique look to be sure...Wait I don't wait a year?! I shook myself.

"Pervert" Uni said. Rom and Ram just look puzzled.

"Alright" I said, a bit embarrassed "The final battle is just upstairs, so to speak, so here" I opened my inventory, and took out the black book.

"That's-"

"The 'book' called 'Andrew's Legacy'" I held it out to Nepgear. She took it "When I say so, that is, when I have Blanc and I have handed her over to you. Use it, and be sure to hold onto each other tight"

"What about you? There's no way we're leaving you to Hermaeus Mora by yourself. Especially now that you can't die! For Aurora's sake"

"There is another way to leave!" I said "Remember what my daughter said about me knowing these things. There is a copy of 'Andrew's Legacy' here in Apocrypha. It acts as an anchor, so the book can transport between Mundus and Oblivion, like a gate"

They nodded, ready.

"You're not lying are you?" Ram asked.

"Yeah, we're Aunts now!" Rom said "You have to come back"

"For her sake" Ram finished.

"She wouldn't have been here if I didn't hmm?" I told them.

I stepped forward, and touched the book.

Andrew's Legacy: A tale of Joshua Andrew' by Bill Henry- Chapter 4Tower Summit.