Cearbhail:

it's shorter than the last chapter... but... this is the final act. And... in honor of my grandmother, who passed away last night, or this morning, at 04:58ish, i will name this chapter after the first piano song I learned how to play from her. Moonlight Sonata, first movement.

=^^= Enjoy...

[Jurard]

I hated these moments. The moments where we sit and wait. Even looking up at the giant illusionary globe, I could see the Shield dropping around us. And all that energy suspended up at the Shield was quickly being pushed right back down on top of us. That energy was supposed to go back into the suspended world chakras, but since the Aedra already reactivated them manually, forcing more magicka to flow around us… it made it harder for the returning magicka to flow into the already activated world chakras. The two opposing streams of magicka would rip our world apart, as far as we would know. And… I could feel the ground shaking under my boots. We had a world chakra right under our feet. I could feel the magicka flowing back to the ground, into the chakra. The shaking was only getting worse, and I knew it was only the beginning. If we didn't stop this… the whole world would split apart.

That's when I felt something change, like a warmth in the air. The twins were zooming their map onto the ancient pyramid. I could see that the top of the pyramid was opening up, a giant ray of light spreading out towards the dissipating Shield. As soon as the ray of light made contact, another Shield began to spread across the world. The twins zoomed out, activating the magicka ley lines flow feature. The world was nothing but a large flowing set of rivers of magicka with large pools of collected energy, possibly the large orbs we were dealing with two days ago, I think. Well, I could see that ray of light flashing down like lightning into the magicka orbs. And… one by one, the orbs started losing their energy, their flow being corrected slowly. I watched as one fell down right on top of us.

I quickly jumped out of my chair, sprinting straight to the door. I pushed the door open to see a flash of lightning crash right into the middle of the town. The flash of lightning blinded me but that wasn't the end of it. I watched as magicka started flowing out of the world chakra like a cyclone, flying up into the sky to follow the beam of lightning back to the source… back to the pyramid. So… that's how it works. The beam of lightning was a bridge to suck the magicka through. Pretty much a giant Drain Life spell, a very strong Drain Life spell, using lightning magicka to split the built up magicka apart. Interesting, Mannimarco. Very interesting you'd create this.

The trembling in the ground started to lessen until it was nothing at all. It took a few seconds but I could tell it was coming back to normal. And… to see the sky for what it was… the beautiful blue with white clouds… which didn't exist in Blacklight because of ash clouds but… hey… it's a lovely gray… maybe.

"Holy crap… we did it!" I screamed as I turned back around and walked inside. "We actually did it!"

I ran up to the twins, who were happily relaxing in their seats. "Everything seems nominal." Rascia exhaled lightly, sighing as she leaned back in her seat. "I could really go for a parfait right about now."

"You know I'm lactose intolerant." Huniir replied, still typing away on his keyboard. "Everything is cooling down. Shield Systems offline, World Silence Shield 0% operational. Looks like the Black Soul Gem Capacitor is shutting down too."

"Yeah, it's turning off." We heard Lilly say from her projection screen. She showed the image of the inside of the temple. "See? The machine's already shut down. It did its job. It stabilized everything."

Well…

That's a start. Where do we go from here? "So.." I gestured to everyone in the room. "What's next?"

…

[Vatu]

I had to check. I just couldn't stand it if Lilly was wrong. I brought my hand up to where I could see it, willing my magicka to fill my palm. There was a light spark as lightning crackled around my fingers. Good… it was still here. So… that machine did only take my blood-rage. So… I guess it was time then.

I took a deep breath, turning to face everyone. "Everyone… be on guard. If I go out of it… I want you to kill me. Understand?" I looked to Uncle J'skar, making sure he understood me.

Nisha, still clinging to my hand, squeezed it tighter. "You'll be fine, Vatu. I know you will be."

Junna placed her hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, trust yourself." Wow, she really knows nothing about me after all.

I sighed as I took a deep breath, trying my best to figure out how to do this. "Imagine your inner lion. Imagine you becoming that inner lion!" Uncle J'skar said from behind me. So… I visualized my inner lion. And as the world around me started to grow darker, I could hear him growling, approaching me.

"You seek far and long to find me." A growl said from within me. "Now, let your roar resonate with mine. Awaken, Son of the Sen'che! Son of Alkosh!" A face of a mighty golden lion appeared in front of me, stretching his mouth open as he roared right into me. I opened my eyes, and I could feel it. My fur was standing on end… my vision was heightened. I felt better than ever, stronger than ever, faster than any living thing on this planet. I felt like a brand new Khajiit.

I looked down at my extended claws, happy that I could retract them this time. I looked around the room, happy to see everyone just looking at me with wide smiles. This was it… I finally did it. I finally mastered my Sengar. I took a deep breath and let the power within me dwell down.

As my power began to fade, Nisha was happily hugging me. "Good job, Vatu! I knew you could do it!"

I heard some slow clapping and I looked over to see Lilly walking towards me, smirking with tear-filled eyes. "Congrats, Vats. You earned it." She turned her attention back to Crassi, who was still holding the crystal ball. "Well, everyone. This is it. The Shield is gone… and I can go home. Don't worry, I won't stay long. If the Dwemer do attack… I'll be the first to know, trust me. If they do show up, I'll bring help. I'll bring a whole army made up of some of the strongest people I've ever met. Until then… well… just try to rebuild what you have. Become stronger, become united. Become coordinated. You know what you need to do. So… better get started. Goodbye." She bowed to the crystal ball.

She turned to me and everyone else. She nodded once. "I guess our game is suspended until I come back." She waved her hand behind her, portal magic opening up behind her. "Well…" She looked up at the open ceiling. "I don't see anything yet. Think I'll go check up on my parents. I bet they miss me by now. It's been a whole second or two since I left. Man… that will scare the crap out of Mom, seeing me as an adult. It will be nice though. Haven't seen her in five years." She nodded to me one last time, then looking at the crystal ball. "Erandur… remember what I told you. Take care of your friends."

With that, she walked into the portal. It closed right behind her. I almost expected to see it open right back up with her marching out with her army but… it didn't. I suddenly felt pretty lost, like I didn't know what to do next.

I looked around, shrugging. "Anyone hungry for Fat Burger?"

Nisha was the first to perk up. "Can I get extra fries?"

I nodded. "Of course." I scuffed up her mane, giving her a noogie. I turned to look at Junna. Now that I knew I didn't have to reserve myself anymore… I think I was ready to give this a chance. "So…you joining us?"

Her tail flicked happily. "You know it!"

…

[Erandur]

Man… today was one heck of a day. Everything we went through two days ago… how we faced Nrillia and pretty much killed her. That wasn't easy. I didn't think we'd make it. I didn't even know if we were even successful until I woke up the next morning. I wasn't the first one to wake up, believe it or not. I was the last one. Davilia was lying next to me, wrapping me up on her arms. So mumbled quietly in her sleep, which told me everything I needed to know about her condition. Primrose was the one walking around checking up on everyone, making sure they were all resting ok.

"Continue resting…" She told me. "Nrillia is dead; we can relax for the day. We had a game in a few hours, so I'll wake everyone up when that comes about." And… I relaxed. I think I earned it. I think we all earned it. There were still some loose ends that needed patched up, loose ends that still haunt us two days later. No one was saying anything but… Councilor Fiirnar was still missing. He was taken by Nrillia and no one knew what she did with him. And now that she was dead, all her copies nothing but rot… there was no one to tell him where he was sent to. To be honest, I'm not sure anyone cared.

We had High Councilor Requen, his third-in-command, builder of the Masser Moon Base, as well as the head analyst for the world mapping devices. The man was brilliant. I wanted to pick his brain one day and see if I can learn some of the stuff he knows about Mysticism. I knew that even if Fiirnar did not return to take command of the Aldmeri Dominion, it would be safe in the hands of Requen. He seemed like an intelligent honorable man.

And now… with the Dominion in the hands of Councilor Requen, we had a full peace treaty with the Dominion now. They were going to help us reinstate our Empire as well as our Mages Guild. It would take a month or so, but we could get ourselves ready. And… well… I hope we have plenty of time to get ready for this new war. I don't think we could take them on right now.

At least we had a friend in the time-traveler seer, Lilly Gray-Mane. And, even though she was leaving us right now, at least she was coming back. She even offered me a last bit of advice before departing. Take care of my friends. I remember a lot of stuff she told me. But, I think she was referencing to the part of where she told me that I was a real leader, that I always knew what to do… that I always took care of my friends. She was probably trying to reassure me that I had it in me to lead my world to victory against whatever enemy we may face next. I sure hope she was right. Somehow… I think I need all the help I can get. All the help we can get.

"So…" Davilia called from right beside me. "It's really over."

I shook my head, trying my best to not laugh at the despair in my own mind. "No… unfortunately… it's just begun." I hated to bring us back to reality, but that's the only reason we even have a treaty. The Aedra quit their war to help prepare us for a new one. The Dominion signed a treaty because they couldn't face this enemy alone. And now… we're only having this peace because there was a bigger threat out there… somewhere… on its way to come find us. I wonder how long it would take.

"Erandur…" Davilia called softly.

I looked over at her. She looked so lovely. I still couldn't believe we ended up together. With how things were throughout this whole mess… just one giant war after another, I didn't think we'd have time to get closer. We fell in love regardless though. And now… after six months of being this close… I couldn't see myself with anyone else.

"Eran!" Davilia called a little louder, obviously trying to get my attention.

"Yeah?" When I looked her in the eye, I saw a little concern, something I was pretty used to seeing ever since she heard that prophecy about her dying.

"I'm pregnant…" She said hesitantly.

Huh…that's interesting.

…

…

Wait…

…

WHAT?

But… that means… that means… I'm-I…

…

[Davilia]

I must admit. He took it better than I thought he would. Seeing his eyes roll into the back of his head and seeing him pass out onto the floor was a better outcome than I had expected. I expected him to goof out on me and run out of the room to get some air. Seeing how we're sitting in the Masser Moon Base, observing the world on the biggest interactive world map ever designed… that would not be a good idea. If he forgot that we can't leave the building without, I don't know… dying in the vacuum of space… I would be pretty upset.

I sighed as I tapped the illusionary comms system. I called up Hans Battle-Born. "Sir… Erandur fainted. Can we beam back down to nirn now?"

"No." Hans replied over the comms system. "Why'd he faint? Afraid of enclosed spaces?"

"No, sir. I told him I was pregnant." I wonder how Hans would react.

Loud thunderous laughter over the comms, I guess. "I don't blame him." Hans replied. "I remember when I found out I was going to be a dad."

"Anyway…" I looked down at the twitching Erandur. "What should I do?"

"Draw a dick on his face, that's what most men do when another man is sleeping." Hans replied. "Or, you could patiently wait for him to wake, and slowly let him come to the realization that he's a daddy while he repeats the same dialogue tree over and over again." He sounded like he knew what he was talking about. "Either way… good luck. And don't beam him down here until he's mentally stable."

I nodded. Erandur and I had a lot of things to talk about all right. I looked down at my stomach, surprised that I didn't tell him earlier. I mean, three days ago was supposed to be my … well… and it never happened, so I did a scan of my body. My scanning magicka confirmed what I thought… there was something growing inside me. A tiny Dunmer. With elves, we tend to adopt the race of the mother parent. So… my children would be Dunmer. I love that about us. It's the same with humans that mate with other humans.

"I can't wait to meet you…" I whispered to my belly. And now… I feel a little hopeful to our future. And more reason to fear that prophecy. I'm not the only one at risk now. I looked down at the twitching unconscious Erandur. "What are we going to do now?"

As I looked out the window, I could see our whole world. It looked so beautiful from up here. I would do anything to protect it. Primrose and the others… they were back in Alinor, helping clean up the mess. Only Erandur and I were up here, helping to coordinate our new strategy for our war with the Dwemer. The Houses of Morrowind had ancient texts about their war against the Dwemer, as well as when they fought about the humans alongside the Dwemer. We might have a bit of a better understanding of how they fight if we can study the strategies of the past.

I looked over to the map, walking over to it with little trouble. Analysts typed away smoothly as they searched the planet for any activity. Just in case something weird happened. Walking up to the map, I studied it for a second. I tapped on the map, bringing up three different screens: Nexa in Lilmoth, Primrose in Alinor, and Vatu west of Rimmen. I watched as Queen Nexauvia sat in her throne. She looked sad, like somehow she knew this was the rest of her life. I watched as Vatu happily chatted up the Khajiit girl sitting next to him, both of them laughing at a joke he just finished. They looked happy.

And that made me happy. For as long as I've known Vatu… he struggled to let himself open up. And ever since he started turning into the Sengar he is now… he decided to close himself off from the rest of us. I saw him try to flirt with Primrose, and though it was cute to watch them go back and forth, it was nice to see him smile for once.

I looked over at Primrose to see her hanging out with Pra'ja and Clemens at the local Fat Burger. They were chatting about their plan to help rebuild the fallen college. I wished I could be with them right now but… I'm stuck up here with Erandur until Hans can come back up and our new replacements: Huniir and Rascia Runesetter. Until then, we have to stay here. Another day on this moon. Still…

I walked away from the world map and over to the large glass window that showed me Nirn. I looked out over the horizon, looking at the beautiful gray land with craters. The moon sure was pretty. This is something no one else will ever get to see. That sure makes it something special for me. Imagine… I'm standing on top of the moon, looking out at the surface, at Nirn. I could see Tamriel from here…

Turning back to Erandur, I could see that he was still out cold. Huh… I wonder… is there a permanent marker nearby? I think I'm ready to draw that dick now. Should I? Why not? In nine months, he'll be the reason why I'll be in immense pain. He can suffer a week with a dick on his face.

And the first thing I'm going to do when I get out of here is meet up with Primrose and tell her that Vatu is emotionally stable again. I'd love to see him and her finish what they started. And then… one day, Primrose, Vatu, Erandur, and me can all meet up and have some wine… talk about the old days when we tried to die every day by fighting impossible odds. It'll be great. Especially if Erandur can never get that dick off his face. Oh! There's a marker! Ha! And it's pink! Best way to end my day, ever!

But… should I draw on his face? I am his girlfriend, after all. Huh… that's exactly why I should be the one to draw a dick on his face! It's perfect! He would get slightly upset at Vatu or Primrose if they did it, but if I did it… it was an act of endearing love. And he couldn't get mad at that. So, I picked up the pink permanent marker and drew a dick on his face, right on his right cheek. There… it was done. No going back now. The marker even says 'Alteration Proof'. Well, that's that then.

I lied down next to him, wrapping his arm around me. I closed my eyes, letting myself just be embraced by him. Soon… we'd be a family. An actual family. We… we just had to make it through the next nine months. I'm sure we can do it. We can do anything. We're battlemages.

Cearbhail:

It figures this ends the same day she passes away. It was a long week for the family, but I find solace in writing, not much in anything else. Rest in piece, and for the rest of you, I will see you in Changing Fates. I will start it up once I complete Chronicles of Ruby and Veselle.