Author's note: I said it would be up around Wednesday, and here it is.

This arc is complete, so next chapter will be up on Friday, and it will be an ordinary one-shot! Yay. That one is drafted as well, so no worries, it''ll be up on time.

Still experimenting with the journal style, and I think I like it. I might be doing a few more mini stories (not story arcs, like this one) in the same style, though I'll probably keep with my other one.

Does anyone ever look up *in real life* as a shadow passes over and go "Oh shoot, I have to equip my weapon now"?
I do it all the time and... yeah. It's annoying. THEY'RE JUST BIRDS, YOU IDIOT.

Reviews would especially be appreciated for this chapter. It's my first time trying something like this, and I'd also like to hear some character opinions. I quite like Khilheru, and would love to hear your thoughts on him.

This chapter has been updated a little, in order to fix some confusion regarding the POV. Thank you, Burnt Sierra, for pointing that out!

Disclaimer: Not mine

Entry in the burned notebook.

Káno and I have been talking quite a bit, since he's finally recovering. He's been to the most amazing of places, and has seen some absolutely terrifying apparitions. The Dwarven Centurions, according to him, are nearly the size of mammoths, and hit like a Giant's club. He's killed over six of them.

We've also been keeping close tabs on his friend, whose name is actually spelled as "Marcurio," according to Káno. Káno is very fond of him, and has been making sure that Carron is doing the best he can. Of course, this annoys Carron to no end, and he constantly snaps with Káno about doing his job. They kind of remind me of birds, when they only have one piece of food between them. But I can tell that Carron likes him. Carron finds it hard to genuinely dislike anything that he has tried to heal, especially somebody who pays him.

Nevertheless, I still have to work, so I don't get to talk to Káno as much as I'd like. It's finally spring, and we have more work than ever to do. Not much grows in these times, so when it does, we have to work as hard as possible to make sure it stays alive. Much like that, we also have to take care of our own, and the people in this town have been on the lookout for bandit attacks. They've been increasing in frequency over the past month or so, though since my friend came, there hasn't been a single one. I'm not sure whether it's because he's the Dragonborn, and they know he's here, or if it's just pure coincidence. I've been looking into some of the herbs he recommends for healing. Since he's a warrior, I was astonished to learn that he knows how to create potions, and especially efficient ones at that. (Of course, this gave Carron yet another excuse to gripe, but that's what he does, so I've been ignoring it.) My friend also, apparently, knows how to enchant. I've been learning several beneficial skills from him, and they've actually been helping with the farm. Enchantments for sharpening, for enhanced stamina, for heat resistance (that one helps more in the summer), and, well a LOT more. I hope Káno stays for a while. He has so many stories to tell.

-Khilheru

Entry in the notebook of the Dragonborn.

Marcurio still hasn't awoken. I'm slightly worried about his condition, but Khilheru assures me that Carron is doing his best. I can't write too much, as it still pains my arm to use it. When I heal, I'll recount the details of this past week, I suppose.

I need to remember to make plans on how to train for those damn ruins.

-Káno

Found in the burned notebook. Entry occurs the same night (presumably) as the ones following.

Something happened to Carron, and though we aren't sure what, we can take a fair guess. Káno is sitting next to me, trying (and failing) to read over my shoulder. He's as worried as I am, though perhaps not as shocked.

Today, Carron went out to gather herbs for his patients. There were a couple of people who needed herbs for fever, as well as Marcurio, and some herbs needed for Káno's arm. I offered to go with him, but he declined, citing that I had work to do, and his patient to take care of. He left mid-morning, and told us that he would be back in the afternoon. We weren't too worried when he was gone for longer than expected, since he has a tendency to get distracted and wander, but when darkness fell and he still wasn't back, we began to worry. I wanted to go and look for him, but my father and the rest of the villagers refused. They said that there might be bandits in the woods, or perhaps Carron had fallen asleep or something. I didn't agree with anything they said, and so, being a complete idiot, I decided to go look for him. Since I had known that there were probably bandits, I decided to raid my stash of minor weaponry for something to defend myself with. Unfortunately, I had left my potion ingredients (since I was learning from Káno) in his room, so I had to stop by before I left. I dropped by, grabbed my stuff while he was asleep, and left. Of course, I didn't know that he was awake at the time.

I left town after grabbing anything I thought I would need, and I headed out towards the forest where Carron normally gathers his herbs. It was pretty dark outside, and only the stars lit my way. The forest outside of our town is fairly thicketed, and densely populated by shrubs, bushes, and other forestation. I'm not sure what type of animals live in the woods, but judging by the lack of attacks, there aren't many. My trek out of town was fairly short, and I reached the woods within about ten minutes. I wasn't sure what I was looking for, though, so before I entered I merely stood there, looking around. The woods were incredibly dark, especially when compared to the rest of the world. So naturally, I decided to enter them. I did have a light, but it didn't cast far enough for me to see very far in front of me.

I stumbled along for a bit, getting caught on every shrub imaginable, until I finally came to a clearing. There, the moon shone, and illuminated the small patch of… not grass. As I stepped closer, I recall a moment of complete horror. Large footprints decorated the ground, and the broken trees littered the forest surrounding the clearing. Stumps rose, jagged and dark in the light, although some seemed to have been reduced to splinters of wood. And among the wood, I could faintly make out wet splotches, as if something-or someone, had met with a grisly end. The next few minutes I cannot distinctly remember, except for a rush of sensations. The first was of disgust and terror, at the sight of what must have been blood. The second was absolute shock. As I stared at the clearing, a large shadow passed overhead. I must have frozen for a solid minute, until it came around again. Only then did I possess enough courage to look up. A large, winged shape, flying close to the ground was circling overhead. I might have screamed, if it hadn't been for the hand that clamped over my mouth. I'm fairly sure I shrieked, I can't remember, but a shadowy figure pulled me back into the underbrush. My attacker spun me around, and to my surprise, there was Káno. He shushed me, and led me back to the village.

And that's where we are now. I explained what I had seen to my father, and he has gathered most of the adults in the town to speak about it. Although I should be there, he sent me to look after Káno, who almost collapsed as soon as we reached town. I'm not sure what everyone plans to do. We'll have to evacuate if this really is a dragon- after all, nobody has survived one of their attacks.

(Káno claims that he has, but he's in no shape to fight. He still won't tell me what he was doing in the woods so late at night, though…)

-Khilheru

One of the Dragonborn's entries. Most notably, it is also one of the last.

Stupid, idiotic people. Khilheru still hasn't figured out why I was in the woods. Damn fool can't recognise when a person is awake or not.

-Káno

Scrawled inside the burned notebook. The handwriting is hurried and cramped. All are done on the same page, though there is no date.

Made some food. Not very hungry, though. Káno ate and then retreated to his room. I'm not sure what he's doing. Probably checking in on Marcurio.

Nope nope nope, I was wrong. I walked in, and found him fitting on his helmet, and buckling on a sword. I cried something to the effect of "What do you think you're doing?!"

He told me that he was going to fight the dragon. Lead it away from the village, so we don't have to leave. I asked about his friend, in a last ditch attempt to see if he would stay. He looked at me, then placed his hands on Marcurio, and after a few seconds, the man on the bed vanished.

He left directly afterwards.

I'm here alone now, and I don't know what to do… I can't help him. Maybe I can find shelter in the nearby mountains, in case there are more? I need to warn the rest of them first.

They won't listen to me. They think there isn't really a dragon, either. But I know there is. I trust Káno. And I saw the monster with my own eyes. I won't flee, though. Not if my father and the rest of them can come.

Instead, I shall arm myself, and wait.

I hope that Káno comes back safe.

Something is happening outside! I can hear crashes, and the ground rumbles. I need to get everyone to the mountains if it-

Here the line cuts off, and the rest of the undamaged pages are blank, except for one note, in a different handwriting.

So that's what happened. I didn't think I'd ever find that journal you were always scribbling in, amongst all the ashes. You fireproofed it, didn't you, you self-sacrificing, paranoid, oddly forward thinking idiot. I shouldn't have shown you those spells. How was I to know that you'd actually apply them?

I read the entry before this. I'm so sorry. I only wished to bury this, but my eyes found my name, and I couldn't help it. Don't worry, though. I didn't read any entries before the one above.

After all, I know that they were never intended for me.

And I hope that wherever you are, the atrocity of this world will cease to haunt you. Dead or alive, may you find peace in the fact that I am safe, in a sense.

This journal shall be buried as far beneath the Earth as I can find, and the same shall happen to my own, lest they fall into hands of those who would wish to harm me.

Best of luck, my friend.

-Káno