Cearbhail:

I've been stuck on this chapter for a while, but it's finally up. I was stuck on how I wanted this whole thing to go down. I mean... there were like six different ways I could play this whole arc, and how it would work best. I think this is the best route. I hope you enjoy the next three chapters. I'll try to get them down soon-ish. I got caught up rewriting the Khajiit War Mage, and unfortunately, I'm only halfway done with that. So, I'll still be spending most of my time on that fanfiction, but at least it's almost done. this... this has only just begun.

Enjoy ^^ ...

[Vicky Silver]

Dear Diary,

Today is the 13th. It's my birthday, and it's my 13th birthday. That means… I'll be getting my Power today. Today is the day I become my own witch, and not rely on what my mom allows me to borrow from her. From here on out… I'm all I have. Whatever I use in my spell casting… is going to come back to me. I have to pay the bill for now on. To be honest, I'm scared. What if I'm not strong like Mom is? I know… we're blessed by the breath of dragons, and so… I'll be getting a new familiar today. My ugly duckling will become a mighty dragon. And I will inherit my mother's legacy, and start down a new path. A path I will forge.

I've been having them… the dreams. The future. I kind of know what's going to happen, have known for a while. But, it's always murky, somewhat hazy. And it repeats again and again… each time a little different, a little more convoluted. I see me doing the same day over and over again. At first I didn't notice that I was repeating the same dream again and again, but… I think after the fifth or whatnot, I started to recall some of the details of the previous dreams. I started learning how to alter them, to change the future of the dream. Little things like… going back to the town earlier, stopping Mom… stopping the ceremony. Stopping the man in the shadows. Stopping Brian from unlocking his magick, stopping Malik and his sister from dying to a maniacal shadow bent on killing me.

Each dream ends the same… no matter how I change it, I always end up in the eye of the storm, the dark clouds of Power surrounding me, consuming me. The Dragons circling overhead, calling out to me to take their magick, to become a dragon priestess like my mother before me. To become the Mother Goose. And right as my Power hits me… there's a sharp pain in my back, and it all fades to white. I hear my mother screaming, falling to her knees, dragons falling from the skies, crying in misery as I crumble to my knees, a long metallic sword smothered with my blood protruding in front of my eyes.

I'm scared. I've dreamed this several times already, and I know… I just know… it's not just a dream, is it?

Vicky Silver, Dragonic Magick Apprentice.

…

I ran as fast as I could, using all the magick I could borrow from mother to push myself through the woods. I kept my right palm out, blasting the tree branches in front of me. With each tree branch I neared, I forced it to give way to me, to clear me a straight path back to the village. I had to get there as soon as I could. I couldn't live this dream again!

"Vicky, what's the rush?" Brian screamed from behind me, trying his best to keep up with me.

He didn't know it, but he was using his own Power to keep up with me. He was a witch, even if he did not acknowledge it. He wouldn't be able to sprint after me if he didn't have some amount of Power. It was impressive though, he was keeping up with me without having the extensive training I was forced to have.

I refused to answer him. Visions of seeing him curling on the ground, clutching his bleeding stomach creeped into my mind. Seeing that stupid John standing over him, and doing the impossible, keeping me from putting him on his ass. He seemed to be able to shut my Power down… keep me from doing to him what I pleased. And as I tried to bring him down, he only laughed and sprinted for me. I tried to run away, but that's when I usually wake up. Right after feeling something sharp run through me.

It was just a dream… it had to be. There was no way John could overcome my magick. Especially if I was still taking what I needed from Mom.

I continued to push myself through the brush, dodging whatever trees were in my way, jumping/gliding over any small creeks. Brain was right behind me, doing whatever he could to follow me. It was nice to see his Assassin training was actually paying off. He might need it before the day is done.

As I broke the tree line, opening up to the massive field filled with dying flowers, I could see the growing storm approaching the town. That was Mother, wasn't it? She was preparing the ceremony. I hope I was ready. She told me when I turned 13… I was going to save the world. Mother was planning on something grand, and needed me when I was at my strongest, the moment I turned 13. My full Power could only be realized during this time, and this ceremony is meant only for people like me. People born of dragon bonds.

"Whoa…" Brian said from behind me, coming to a stop as he gazed upon the massive black cloud starting to drift over to Bricksville. "No wonder you want to get back in a hurry." He started picking up the pace, trying to catch up with me. I never stopped sprinting for a second, and I was already halfway across the flower fields.

Small flashes of the battle almost two years ago started to fill my mind. With how many knights that died here, all of whom were someone's son, father, brother… it was a massacre. But it couldn't be avoided. They were here to kill whole families, kill my friends. I couldn't allow that. They dug their graves the moment they came here to fight us. They chose their path, I just led them to it. It didn't make it easier for me to forget.

I saw another flash of the dream I saw last night… the past two nights. Brian on his back, reaching up to his stomach, trying his best to staunch the bleeding. It made me come to a full stop. I looked back at Brian as he sprinted to catch up with me. He was my friend… one of the first friends I've ever had. We had an unspoken connection too… unspoken feelings. I never liked talking to him about them before… mostly because I knew this day was eventually going to come along. And today was the day. Even so… even if I knew how today might play out, he had to know the truth. He deserved to know the truth.

I came to a stop as I reached the town's gates. I could feel Mother not too far away. She would be here shortly. Brian was right behind me, trying to catch his breath as he finally caught up to me at the town's gates.

"Brian…" I looked back at Brian. He was trying his best to smile through his gritted teeth. He was exhausted trying to keep up with me, but he was hiding it behind his usual smile. I would miss him. Even if my dreams are just dreams… my mission comes first. Once I claim my Power, I become a beacon for Mother. She will train me in the ways of the Dragon Sorceress, and when I'm ready, my mom and I will change this world. I don't know how yet, but Mother assures me I'll be ready. And that means… today is my last day here in Bricksville. This is the last time I'll get to see Brian, or Master Ishtar. Or even Mother Red.

"Yeah?" Brian said through labored breaths.

"…." I tried to talk, to tell him what was going to happen. Make him understand that… I'm leaving. This was goodbye. He'd probably never see me again. But… what could I say? How could I say it? Would he pressure me into staying? Would everyone try to pressure me into staying? I was going to save the world! Mom told me so! So… why was this so hard for me? Brian would be safe because… I'd be saving him. I'd be saving everyone! I don't know what from though. Mom wouldn't tell me.

Brian's pretty much always able to tell when I'm worried about something. It could be the hurricane of energy gathering around me as I tried to catch my thoughts, or it could be the scowl on my face, or even my levitating hair. I'm not sure what was tipping him off that I was angry or scared… or whatever, but he figured it out just the same.

"What's wrong?" He tried his best to smile. "You know, don't you? About the party? That's why you were in such a rush, right?"

Party? What party? Wait… was he talking about a birthday party? My birthday party? Oh my gods, that made a lot of sense. I've been so preoccupied with the slight dream memories to past two days to actually notice what anyone else was doing. I just wandering into random scenarios that looked weird, but then I'd see a vision of one of my dreams, and I'd totally forget whatever it was I was doing. It was a very long two days for me.

"I had no idea there was a party." I found myself shaking my head. Come on, Vicky! You're better than this! Get your head back to the present. I couldn't let Brian distract me either. He had a right to know what was going to happen today.

"Brian, I need to tell you something…"

"Welcome back!" Morrigan shouted as she walked up to us, smiling widely. It made me jump as I turned to look back at her.

"Oh, hi, Morrigan." I managed to squeak out. I can't help it… Morrigan kind of freaks me out. And there's this whole… aura about her. I can't scan her energy, like she's a phantom or something like that. A ghoul, a soulless being that does not exist in our physical realm.

Brian waved to her, his smile melting into a goofier one. "Morrigan, hi! How are you?"

Brian always becomes a weaker boy whenever he's around her. I can tell he has a crush on her… even though he's supposed to have one on me. It might be because I keep pushing him away that he's starting to spend time around the new girl, but… I still don't like it. It wasn't right either. Morrigan was 16. She's two years older than Brian; I'm much closer to his age than her. And yet, he still likes hanging around her. I guess it's because they're both training to be assassins. I wish I had time to begin on that. I wish I wasn't leaving today.

Oh…

Right.

I can't be with Brian anyway. I can't even let myself like him. He likes Morrigan, and I think she likes him. I couldn't interfere with that. I won't be here by the end of the day anyway. I'll be leaving with Mother before the sun begins to set. I wish they hadn't set up a party for me. This was not a day to celebrate.

Morrigan smiled at Brian. "Hi, Brian. Can I talk to you for a second?" She nodded at him to follow her.

Brian, being the goofy idiot he is, nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah!" He looked down at me, at my upturned scowl. He offered me a flash of his teeth before nodding. "I'll be right back, Vicky! I just need to see what Morrigan needs." He raced after her. Morrigan was already rounding a corner, heading into a dark alleyway. No doubt she was leading him back there to make out with him.

I only rolled my eyes. I could see Master Ishtar and his sister running up to meet me. Mother Red was right behind them, doing whatever she could to prepared a welcome basket for someone. She looked pretty distressed over something. I wonder what it was.

I bowed to the respective masters of Bricksville's Assassin's Den as they walked up to me. "Master and Mistress Ishtar."

Seeing Malik nod his head to me was odd. I wasn't used to these formalities. He broke into a sly grin as he said, "Happy birthday, Vicky. I hear this is an important day?"

I nodded. "Yes…"

I felt another throb, another vision from last night's dream. Malik was kneeling on the ground, his head rolling across the floor. Standing right beside him was a dark-robed man carrying a handhold sickle. The vision faded away rather quickly, leaving me with a slight headache.

"You ok?" Laila, Malik's younger sister, bent down, placing her hand on my shoulder. "You look like you saw a ghost. Are you ok?"

I nodded as best I could. "Just a bad dream last night. Need some sleep."

Malik nodded. "If you're not feeling well, we should take you to your room. We were going to have a nice big party, but if you're sick… we shouldn't push you too hard."

I shook my head. "No, no… it's ok. I need to be up. I need to receive my Power while I'm awake. The last Little to receive her Power while she was sleeping ended up destroying her house." Of course, the last person to do that was Red's mother. At least, that's what Red told me.

Red looked down at me, nodding. "Oh yeah, I told you about that." She looked over to Malik, nodding to him. "It's true. And besides, Mother Goose will be here shortly. I'm sure Vicky wants to see her."

Want to see her? Not really. I know she wants to use me, my Power to do something to save the world. I know Mom's a bit… controlling too. I know she has dealings with the Templars, and she hates the Assassins. She hates that I'm here, that I've elected to spend my time with Malik Ishtar and his company. And I know… starting today I'll probably be training to become a Templar witch. I might one day end up fighting Brian. I wonder… does it really have to be this way? I'm my own person. It's not like Mother can just control me my whole life.

"Hey, where's Brian?" Laila asked, looking around. "Wasn't he with you?"

I pointed to the alleyway. "He's with Morrigan. Making out with her or something." I couldn't stop myself from saying it out loud, some scorn thrown in. My energy pulsed for a second, throwing my hair up and shattering some of the dirt path underneath me.

Master Ishtar only nodded his head. "Well, we should leave him be then. He'll join us later for the party." He looked down at me. "Are you ready for your party? We were going to keep it secret, but with your mother coming any second… we might as well get the festivities up and running."

I shrugged. "Sure. Let's get this over with." I don't want to do this. I don't want to leave. I don't want to become my mother's apprentice. Even if it means saving the world… I just want to stay here!

I glanced over to the alleyway. I can't believe Brian would just ditch me like that… and for Morrigan! I hope he's having a good time, because I'm going to kill him when he comes out of there.

…

[Brian Simmons]

"I've been waiting to do this for a long time!" Morrigan said as she shoved me to the ground.

I didn't have time to fuss as she dropped down on top of me, pinning both of my arms to my sides, straddling herself onto my waist. My heart was skipping beats as Morrigan settled herself down on top of me, giving me a sinfully sweet smile. Her long black hair dangled down past her neck, drawing my attention to the pentacle necklace she wore. It was unlike any other pentacle I've seen worn in this village. Each coven had their own signature pentacle, and Morrigan's was upside down, three blood red stones forming a straight line. The pentacle itself was inverted, which I thought was weird. I've always wanted to ask her about it, but now wasn't the time.

Morrigan was still busy pinning me to the ground, laughing as she straddled herself on top of me. "What's the matter, Brian? Afraid of what I might do to you?" She whispered as she leaned in closer to me.

I almost couldn't find my voice. I felt something fuzzy overcome me, something making me tired. I felt something in my wrist… something poking me. When I looked to my wrist, I could see a needle in Morrigan's hand… pointed right into my wrist. I had blood leaking from my wrist.

I could feel the world around me shifting. "Scared, Brian?" Her voice sounded fainter, muffled by… something. I felt heavier. "You should be." Her voice crawled out.

I knew exactly what was going on. And that's when I started fighting back. I tried to scream out, but my voice was already silenced by whatever it was she stabbed me with. I tried to push her off, but she had me by the hips, keeping my core pinned to the ground.

"Don't worry, Brian. I won't hurt you. I'm just here to draw you away from the others. I have a friend… he wants to see you." She looked over her shoulder, leaning away to let me see who was approaching. I could see the shadows morphing around a spot in the alleyway. And out of the shadows walked a cloaked figure, dressed in robes much like my own, only… black and redder. Actually, a lot like Morrigan's. Oh… no.

The cloaked figure reached up for his hood, pulling it down. "Remember me?" A sleek-faced teenager asked as he approached me. It wasn't his face I found familiar… it was his voice. The cold distance voice of Jonathan Blacke. And when he spoke, I could see the similarities in his face. He used to be pudgier, and shorter. He also used to have short hair fitting a baker's son. His hair was much longer, greasier too. And I could barely see his frame from behind his robes, but I could tell he fit them well. I could see just how big he had become in the short two years I haven't seen him.

"Jon?" I asked as he approached me.

He shook his head. "That name means nothing to me. I'm Shadow now." He nodded to Morrigan. "Let him up, but don't let him run."

She nodded, throwing herself off me. "Sorry, Brian. If only we had a few more minutes… I could have made it worth our while." She winked to me as she backed away to the alleyway's exit. With a snap of her fingers, a black portal opened up behind her, blocking the exit. Oh great… I'm stuck here.

I looked from Morrigan over to Jon. I started to pick myself up, carefully watching him to see if he would try to attack me before I could even stand. He only watched me as I stood up. When I was up, he nodded to me. "Long time, Brian."

I nodded back. "Yeah… you too. So, is this a social visit, revenge… something else?"

He shrugged. "A little of everything. Catching up, getting revenge… serving a greater purpose. Killing every witch in this world. You know… all of that."

I pointed back at Morrigan. "You know she's a witch, right?"

Morrigan smirked at hearing that. "I'm a warlock, dummy." She motioned to her inverted pentacle. "Big difference."

I had no idea what that difference was though. I tried to stay away from all that stuff. I only wanted to become stronger. To honor my father.

I looked over to Jon. He used to be a bully; pushing me around for having a witch for a mother. He insulted me on a daily basis, and did whatever he could to remind me of my mother's heritage. Of what I was birthed from. The fact that my father was a knight meant nothing to Jon. He still thought I was trash, and quickly reminded me of it every time he could. After my mother was killed, I quickly found myself living in the streets, stealing to survive. I stole bread from Jon's father's bakery, and that's when Jon started pushing me around more. I told him I'd pay his father back once I was able to earn some coin, but Jon didn't want me to pay for the bread. He just wanted to kill me.

Master Ishtar managed to save me, scaring away Jon. And from then on, I've been with the Assassins, learning from Master Ishtar on how to be a fighter, a warrior my father would be proud of. And after months of training, I managed to face Jon in combat. He still beat me, but Vicky did something to him. She wouldn't tell me what though. The only time I've seen Jon since then was when I was running away from some knights that were chasing me. He tried to stop me, but I used my Assassin training to put him on the ground. I haven't seen him since then.

It was odd to see him after all this time. He definitely seemed older. I could even see a slight mustache starting to grow in. "Man, you're different."

"Shut up." Jon said, lunging at me. I saw a flash of movement from his left hand. I could see the slight design of a hidden blade under his robe's sleeves. It was enough for me to jump back as his blade tore through the front of my robes.

I quickly reached for whatever weapons I had… and I forgot, I'm not allowed to carry anything more than my hidden dagger around. I sighed as I readied my left arm. I only had one shot at this.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked Jon as I snapped my foot out, kicking Jon away from me.

"Why?" Jon laughed, spinning past my leg, snatching it in his right hand. I didn't have time as he slammed his left hand into my thigh, sliding it straight down towards my knee. The pain was blinding, my vision exploding into nothing by blurry pain, my everything screaming at me.

I tried to scream for help, for anything, but my voice was silent again. I screamed in silent agony as Jon charged up to me, thrusting his left hand to my mouth. He clamped my mouth shut, and I knew his knife was just seconds away from plunging in me. My right leg was gone; there was no running.

"I'm doing this to save the world. Killing you is just for fun. And revenge. Oh, and I'm killing your girlfriend next. That Vicky bitch. She can't save you this time. And no one can save her." Before I could challenge him, conjure what meager magick I have, Jon released the dagger's trigger. I felt a bitter sting in my throat.

Just before the knife penetrated my spine, I snapped my left hand out, catching him in the ribs. I snapped my dagger out. Hopefully I kill him… or at least slow him down.

Cearbhail:

So, five months. Sorry it took me this long, but... Khajiit War Mage. Need I say more? I do? Ok... well... I really was stuck on how I wanted this to happen. Still a little unsure. It might bounce back and forth, but for the most part, I've decided on Route 3... of like 9. Maybe some 7 might show up later on. Have fun.