The wind was howling, and the skies were painted in a dark shade that was starting to spread over the entirety of Solstheim. With each moment that passed, a growing restlessness was beginning to dwell within Arcos, and he knew that Alduin could feel it as well.

Something was changing.

Without warning, the workers suddenly turned quiet, and they halted amidst their motions as if they had been momentarily frozen in place. Until suddenly, the large stone formation started to emit a faint, glowing light. One that was sickeningly green in color, and it grew stronger without restraint. Arcos was forced to shield his eyes in an effort to protect himself from the blinding light, causing Alduin to wrap her left wing in front of him to shield him further.

And through this light, multiple shapes began to appear.

Pained outcries soon filled the air, for as soon as the light faded away again, Arcos opened his eyes to see that a horrid, black mass had started to surround the stone formation, spreading slightly along the ground. And any workers that were unfortunate enough to come into contact with it were quick to succumb to its poisonous effect, lifelessly falling to the ground. And still the rest of them were entranced, not even attempting to move away from it.

However, more prominently, daedra had appeared from the black mass, almost as if they used it as a gateway from another world. Floating creatures, their faces composed of tentacles, began to emerge from the black mass, their bodies clad in a strange, black and cloth-like texture. Before long, they started to attack anything in sight, spewing a substance equal to acid in a cone towards their prey. And it had the same effect as the black mass that had all but consumed some of the workers that stood close to it.

Narrowing his eyes, Arcos did not hesitate for a moment before he pulled out his sword.

"Fus Ro Dah!", targeting one of the daedra that was intending to attack another innocent worker, it staggered the otherworldly creature for long enough before he swung his sword in a vicious strike, cleaving a clean cut directly through the creature. It squealed in a pained way, imploding directly afterwards.

Arcos gripped his blade a little more tightly, a weird sensation coursing through his arm. It felt as though he had only cut through its clothing, but there was nothing underneath…

Yet, he snapped out of his thoughts the moment it suddenly reappeared, but to his shock, it had multiplied, split into three identical copies of itself. Staggering back slightly as he tried to focus upon them all, a sudden wave of freezing cold air suddenly engulfed them.

"Fo Krah Diin!", this time, all three of them cried out in a haunting manner before they merged back together, sinking lifelessly to the ground. And there was nothing else left of the creature but its ragged clothing, one that smelled of acid and decay.

Heaving a small sigh in relief, Alduin had moved up close to him, continuing to cast her Thu´um against the many Daedra that had appeared. Through her might, the creatures could not last, fading quicker than they could duplicate themselves.

Until suddenly, the black mass began to pull itself together, forming a single, huge shape that appeared through an implosion of tentacles. It possessed a pale skin, and with each step that it took, tentacles were seeping through the ground, accompanying it wherever it went.

"A lurker…", Arcos glanced at Alduin for confirmation as she muttered this.

"A what…?", the ground was beginning to shake, and a glance back at the lurker revealed that it was rushing towards him, the ground only trembling stronger the closer he got. Narrowing her eyes, Alduin once again gathered her strength.

"Fus Ro Dah!", the brute shockwave engulfed the lurker entirely, and yet, even though it struggled enormously to stay on the ground, it merely staggered backwards before it regained its balance.

"Hi Mal…!", cursing the foul creature for its persistence, Alduin´s eyes widened the moment Arcos suddenly lunged forward with his blade as well. Slashing it along its legs twice, the lurker stumbled backwards once again before he gave it the rest. By summoning a ghostly blade into his other hand, he crossed both of his blades once before he struck at its legs one last time, leaving a mark in the shape of an X before the lurker finally fell backwards onto the ground.

It faded in a mass of tentacles, and just as he made sure that it was gone, his summoned blade faded away again as well. Unbeknownst to him, Alduin slightly tilted her head as she had felt his inner annoyance and frustration at the lurker when it had survived the power of her Thu´um. But she was certain that these feelings had not been his own, but rather…

… before long, a fond smile etched itself upon her maw.

Seemingly confused himself at his sudden outbreak, Arcos snapped out of it once the stone formation suddenly ceased to glow in the green light. And along with it, the black mass began to finally fade away as well, leaving not a single trace of its foul presence behind.

And suddenly, all the workers started to snap out of their trance.

Utterly confused with how they had gotten to this place, many dropped the pickaxe with which they had previously been working and started to flee in a panic. Feeling a tinge of guilt, Arcos could only wonder how it must have felt to wake up in a place that was entirely unfamiliar, with no memories of how they had gotten here, or what they were doing… the sheer helplessness was tearing at him.

Yet, a pressing thought urged into his mind.

If that stone was pouring forth countless of these Daedra, then what about the one within the Dunmer settlement…? And thus, he didn't need to say a single word as Alduin already lowered her neck for him to climb on, understanding him without words.

And together, they set out as she roared towards the sky.


"Argh…!", the unnatural sounds of the floating Seekers mixed with those of the desperate guards, who were trying to hold their ground against the invading servants of the daedric prince of fate.

"Stick together, don´t let them win any more ground!", the last remaining captain of the guard stood at the front, trying to block an incoming spray of acid with his shield. He smirked at the floating Daedra as it impacted upon his shield, leaving him unharmed. Yet, it quickly subsided once he realized that the substance was burning through it, forcing him to drop the shield with a frown.

"Damn abominations…!", knocking the hilt of his sword against its tentacles, the Seeker groaned with a haunting sound before he followed suit with a quick thrust of his blade, piercing it right through the creature. It cried out once more before it faded away, but in its place, only two more appeared.

The battle raged upon the streets, and yet, a certain black dovah along with her bonded were already at the source of all this. Having reached the stone from the sky, they fought their way through the servants of Hermaeus Mora, all until the last lurker fell against their combined power as well.

However, the stone still did not cease to radiate its foul influence, and the black mass around it still persisted.

Until suddenly, multiple roars echoed through the sky. Before Arcos could react, two dragons had appeared from the distance, and they did not hesitate in the slightest before they both focused upon Alduin.

"Yol Toor Shul!", the flames washed over her form, and his eyes widened in horror as he almost dropped his blade. However, with a single beat of her wings, she broke through the flames and shot into the sky herself, releasing an ear piercing roar of her own that all but overpowered the ones from her aggressors.

Attempting to help her, Arcos focused upon the right moment to use Dragonrend, but just as one of the opposing dovah came close to him, oblivious to his intentions, a sudden shockwave knocked him onto the ground.

Gasping slightly at the sudden force that had knocked him down, his vision blurred slightly before he shook his head, struggling to find his balance-

-but a hand suddenly stretched out to him, offering him support.

With a gasp, Arcos all but jumped back before he pointed his blade at the figure in front of him, which reluctantly pulled its hand back again.

"Careful now… you should not overdo it.", narrowing his eyes, Arcos only grasped the hilt of his blade more tightly.

"Miraak…!"

The former dragon priest did not move a single bit, instead, he merely regarded Arcos for a long moment. Until his gaze wandered ever so slightly towards the destruction that Herma Mora´s servants had caused, and his monotone mask did not betray a single emotion.

"Hermaeus Mora is laughing at us, you know… he is a moody master.", neither of the two moved, and Arcos never ceased to point his blade at the former dragon priest. And it was then that Miraak looked back at him, not sparing another glance at their surroundings.

"Do you not realize that this is exactly what he wants? For us to fight each other to the death, until only one of us remains and the stronger one prevails?", with slow but deliberate steps, Miraak calmly approached Arcos, holding no weapon in his hands even as Arcos grasped his blade more tightly.

From a distance, Alduin had felt Miraak´s presence, but despite how much fear and desperation overcame her, despite how much her inner soul tried to break through towards her beloved mate, the two opposing dovah blocked her way with every last shred of strength that they could muster.

However, Miraak halted a small distance away from Arcos, not moving another inch.

"We are nothing but pawns in his game. Regardless who of us should win, the other would ultimately share the same fate, and become his new servant. Regardless how much we may try, it does not matter how we put it, for in the end, Hermaeus Mora will win. That is how he has foreseen it.", with each word that he spoke, Arcos´s grip upon his blade faded ever so slightly, and his eyes widened with pure and utter disbelief.

Until suddenly, Miraak reached out his hand once more.

"Lend me your strength... together, we can defy Hermaeus Mora! Then, we will finally be masters of our own fate again."

Silence reigned for a long while, the sounds of the fighting dovah almost entirely inaudible to Arcos as he stared at the hand that was being offered to him…

… and with a narrowing of his eyes, he uttered a single word.

"Never."

With a regretful gasp, Miraak slowly lowered his hand until it rested upon his side again, his emotionless mask staring back at Arcos. And despite that, he could feel how his expression was changing.

"... I would have truly wished that you had joined me out of your own free will…", witnessing the incoming danger, Arcos tried to brace himself as Miraak´s hands curled into fists.

"Gol Hah Dov!", an orange Thu´um surged towards him, washing through him without giving him the chance to dodge. It effortlessly passed through him, leaving not a single trace of an injury… and yet, with a gasp, Arcos kneeled on the ground as a sudden, inexplicable pain coursed through his entire being. He directed all of his thoughts in defeating the Dragonborn in front of him, but the more he tried to do so, the stronger and more unbearable the pain became.

And beneath his mask, a smirk was growing upon Miraak's lips.

But as quickly as it appeared, it turned into a frown.

"What…?!", with gritting teeth, Arcos thrust the tip of his blade against the ground, using it to shakily get up from the ground as he forced his body to move with an almost tormented scream. And yet, he still resisted the effects of the shout.

"H-how…!", taking a few steps back the moment Arcos glared at Miraak with a piercing gaze, he couldn't believe his own eyes.

For just the fewest of moments, he could have sworn that Arcos´s eyes shone in a golden hue.

In the skies, Alduin roared one last time as she forcefully grabbed the neck of one of the two dragons with her claw before she threw him against the other, causing the both of them to crash upon the ground and directly against the stone formation. Their bodies were entirely covered with blood, bruises and burn marks, all while Alduin remained as graceful and untouched as ever.

Until suddenly, for just a brief moment, she could see the world through the eyes of a certain someone. And what she saw caused her to shift her crimson gaze towards Miraak, and she roared with menacing power as she was now finally able to intervene.

A terrible shout echoed from her maw, and before long, the color of the sky began to change once again, almost creating a hole through the darkened sky. And alongside with that, meteors began to fall from the heavens.

Mercilessly crashing upon the ground, they wiped out whatever remnant of Hermaeus Mora´s servants remained, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake. Witnessing his impending doom as the black dragoness descended from the sky, the orange glow of the sky bathing her entire form in a glimmering light, she looked like a divine being that was sent from the heavens, longing for retribution.

Thus, Miraak merely glanced at his fallen dragons.

"Ziil Los Dii Du!", Arcos watched with anger and horror as he all but devoured the souls of the two fallen dovah, tearing their essence from their flesh before he absorbed them.

"Yol Toor Shul!", along with the meteors, Alduin focused all of her might into her fiery Thu´um as she released it upon Miraak´s tiny form-

-but the moment her flames came into contact with him, he disappeared in a single flash of light.

Alduin´s flames devoured everything they touched, the searing heat devastating the ground where Miraak had stood a mere moment ago while multiple meteors crashed into the exact same spot.

For in the end, nothing but a small crater remained.

Arcos seemingly stared into space for a long moment, all until Alduin landed directly in front of him, causing him to snap out of his trance. The destruction, all the previous pain…

… and without a word, she lowered her head and nudged him against her stomach, encouraging him to simply go limp in her embrace as she wrapped her wings around him to shield him from the outside world. Yet… she could not help but reminisce about the moment when she could see through his own eyes. Her fears had all but consumed her when she felt the overwhelming amount of pain from him, but still… she felt as though, within that single moment…

… she had still protected him.


The Brutal Legend: After meeting Miraak for the first time, after that point, whenever you kill a dragon on Solstheim, there is a 20 percent chance for Miraak to appear and to steal the dragon soul before you can absorb it. He will even mock you, saying that it only strengthened him further. I took it from there, as it shows that he can at least briefly appear on Solstheim (whether or not it is a copy or truly himself). Though, either way, I'm already bending the canon anyway, so there is always that.

zerkil: Perhaps not a piece of Akatosh´s soul, but… well. I feel as though I have given a hint.

Translations:

Hi Mal…! / You little…!

Gol Hah Dov / Earth, Mind, Dragon (Bend Will shout)

Siil Los Dii Du! / Your soul is mine to devour!