4E 201, 7 Evening Star

Ako woke on his second morning at High Hrothgar to the same thunderclaps that woke him on his first. His night had been filled with nebulous yet disconcerting dreams – the previous day had both high and low points, and despite some answers, his list of questions had only grown.

As an academic, the Khajiit would've loved to fit Shouts into his existing frame of reference and explain it as magic. Unrelenting Force, as the Greybeards had dubbed the shout he had used, would then be an Alteration spell. Yet the Arch-Mage knew instinctively that it wasn't a magic spell as he understood it.

For one, both his magicka and that of the surroundings were unaffected when he Shouted. Secondly, some part of his mind knew it wasn't magic and refused to even consider the possibility of explaining it in terms of magic. But whether this certainty arose out of arrogance and pride or from knowledge, he did not know.

Since the Greybeards did not care about the Thu'um beyond using it for worship, Ako was likely to remain ignorant until he figured it out himself or had a chance to talk to Paarthurnax.

He was also no closer to answers about the compulsion he apparently placed on Irileth, Jarl Balgruuf's housecarl. Ako suspected that it had something to do with his dragon soul, given when it happened (immediately after he absorbed Mirmulnir's soul) and how it left no trace that he could detect using magicka.

But he had to admit that his ignorance about that was at least partly due to not asking about it. The Khajiit could admit to himself that he was afraid of the answer. If he was responsible for it, then what?

As a student of magic, he was fascinated by the potential did it enforce the controller's desire? What did the controllees experience and think whilst under? How flexible was the control? But he was also horrified by the implications. Almost undetectable mind control would be a tremendous boon to any invading force, especially if the vict controllees were unaware of their actions while controlled.

If he caused it, could he somehow produce a counter? Or even just release the victims (which is what they were, even if he didn't want to acknowledge it)? A more cynical part of the Arch-Mage also wondered how to replicate it, providing many situations where it would be ideal to use – dealing with the Thalmor, dealing with the Winterhold Nords when they got uppity over the millennia-old college-

He cut off that spiralling thought. There was no point in worrying about things that were beyond his control when there were other areas he could affect immediately. He listened to the thunderclaps as the Greybeards meditated and formulated a plan for the day. First, breakfast.

Ako met Arngeir and the other Greybeards in High Hrothgar's courtyard an hour after sunrise, carrying his usual assortment of notebooks and stationery. He noticed Lydia standing at the doors, looking towards them curiously. He didn't recall seeing her the day before, so this would be her first time seeing a full Shout. Assuming she was allowed outside, that is.

Arngeir began, "Now that you have shown you can use the full shout, let us hone your focus and precision with it. The others will provide a target. Strike it with the Shout, and sharpen your focus so that only the target is struck. If we are all satisfied with your progress by midday, Master Borri will teach you a new shout."

The Khajiit nodded, finding it sensible. "Thank you. Two quick questions. First, I have many questions regarding the Thu'um I wish to ask, though I'm sure that you don't have many of the answers. Could we possibly have a further discussion during lunch regarding these questions? Then-"

The Greybeard interjected, "We do not have a meal at midday, but I will answer as I can then."

"Kogaan. Second question, is Lydia allowed to observe today's proceedings?" he asked, tilting his head towards the doors where his housecarl was standing.

Arngeir was clearly surprised at the question, but considered it for a few moments before answering. "Yes, she's welcome, though I must warn you to not shout in her direction at all. On a normal day, the courtyard is dangerous to anyone not deeply trained in the Voice."

The Arch-Mage was surprised by the spike of anger from his dov-side, given that he thought the Nord's comment made perfect sense. Tamping it down, curious about why his dragon soul was angry, he thanked Arngeir and turned to his teachers for the day. "Shall we?"

As they walked to the same slab of rock that they used the day before, Ako called Lydia over and explained the plan for the day, as well as cautioning her to not walk in front of them. While he wouldn't deliberately Shout in her direction, there was a definite chance that a Shout could bubble up like it did the day before, bursting out beyond his control.

He also asked her to watch what they were doing and to speak up if she had thoughts or ideas to improve his training. They walked past a metal gate between two pillars, ending at the cracked slab looking north, about a hundred yards away from the main doors.

Wulfgar indicated where they would summon the targets and directed Ako to stand in such a way that his shouts would be directed out over the edge of the mountain. After taking a deep breath and a few moments to compose himself, the Khajiit nodded at the Greybeards.

Einarth stepped forward and Shouted, surprising Ako with how soft it was compared to the thunderclaps he heard in the morning, never mind his own Shout the day before.

"Fiik… Lo Sah!"

A shimmering figure materialised on the slab, quickly growing more distinctive until it resembled a ghostly version of the Greybeard. Ako thought on Fusa ro wah dah, instinctively planting one foot forward and putting all his weight on that foot, rear foot angled to take the brunt of a push. The Arch-Mage felt a big push up from his middle, shoving through his throat and out his mouth as he Shouted.

"FUS RO DAH!"

The ghostly copy of Einarth went flying, along with all the snow and pebbles in its vicinity. It stumbled and shattered like glass before disappearing, while the pebbles went flying down the mountain. Ako felt a touch guilty before remembering just how massive Snow Tower truly was. Any travellers miles below would be entirely too far away for the pebbles to affect them.

Despite preparing for it, his head was still pushed back, his feet skidding furrows through the snow as his fur boots lost traction. Regaining his balance after a second, now about 3 yards back from where he started, he coughed and hacked as his throat felt as raw as it ever did after a Shout. This time, he could feel as the Shout went past his throat, all but scraping its way through. It somewhat explained why his throat hurt, but it rankled his dov soul something fierce. Al-du-in and Mir-mul-nir certainly didn't seem to need any recovery between Shouts.

Looking over at Lydia, the Khajiit asked, "How long did it take before I Shouted after the target appeared?" He winced at the rumble that was present in his voice, coughing in a probably vain hope to get rid of it.

The housecarl looked surprised to be addressed, but answered, "Uh, about eight seconds? I wasn't paying that close attention; I apologise my Thane."

Ako waved off the apology. "Nonsense, that is more than enough information." He descended into grumbling to himself. "That is far too long for proper Thu'um. Though it did feel much quicker than previous efforts." He found himself smirking at the low rumble still present in his voice, despite his mutterings not really being audible. 'That's a benefit, sounds like the whole world is grumbling with me.'

Turning back to the Greybeard, he asked, "Tolaas nau vira siiv…" He spent a few moments wracking his mind for the Dovahzul, before huffing in defeat and continuing in Cyrodilic, "...more speed?"

Einarth was clearly amused. "Drem, goraan gein. Fah kos zok nel, hi fen kostiir!" he whispered in answer.

Once the Khajiit translated the answer, he smiled sheepishly and accepted the chide. "Geh, mindovin. Kogaan." He made a quick note in a notebook about the translation and nodded at his teachers.

This time Borri stepped forward. "Ontzos. Fiik… Lo Sah!"

As the sun started to descend from its highest point, Ako and Lydia sat on the stairs having a light lunch. The Arch-Mage had one hand massaging his throat, golden healing magic spilling from his claws. He was quite annoyed by the lack of efficacy the healing magic showed, his throat very much still feeling raw and sanded down after the morning's practice. The three Greybeards had taken turns summoning a target, providing corrections as needed afterwards.

He was pleased that he'd managed to bring the time required before the shout down to around a second, but his dovah sil was still annoyed that it wasn't instantaneous. It would take much practice before it would be truly effective in combat.

He was also content with the improvement in precision that he attained. Initially, his Thu'um spread out in a wide cone, resulting in a wave of power about ten yards across at a distance of fifteen yards from him. He'd been quite stumped on how to measure improvements in the precision, given that the wave was barely visible in the harsh winter sun. He only knew the starting precision because of the snow that it dislodged from the underlying rock.

Lydia came up with the solution as he muttered this: just add more snow. He gratefully accepted her assistance and she duly prepared balls of snow to place at intervals closer to the target. By the end of the morning, he managed to focus his Thu'um into a cone that was three yards across at fifteen yards. She also pointed out that a wider cone would be useful if he had to deal with a group of enemies, and he had to concede the point.

The time required was, as Einarth had said, purely a matter of practice. As he practised, it solidified his understanding of the Thu'um and he could call on the understanding quicker, akin to the muscle memory in the primers for his most complicated spells.

The precision, on the other hand, was related to how he wanted to push the world. Did he want to push all the world? A specific part? Or perhaps a group of parts close together? He knew his understanding was lacking still in this regard, or perhaps his focus wasn't precise enough yet. Likely both; after all, he couldn't focus on something that he didn't know of.

Arngeir joined them as the Arch-Mage was jotting down the last of the morning's notes in a notebook and stowed it.

"Dragonborn. Had a good morning?"

Ako looked up and promptly pulled out another notebook. "Ah, Arngeir, thank you for coming. A productive morning indeed! And as any productive exercise should, it left me with a few questions," the Khajiit responded with an audible smile.

"Ask your questions. I cannot guarantee that I will have an answer, but I will try."

"Kogaan. Firs-" He broke off into a small coughing fit, again massaging his throat with healing magic. "Apologies. Let's actually start there. Why does it hurt my throat to shout? Every time I use the Thu'um, it feels as if I'd swallowed daggers like a Yokudan performer, just with none of their skill." Lydia couldn't help a small giggle at that, making Ako grin slightly.

Arngeir didn't hesitate to answer. "To use the Thu'um is to use the power of the gods. It is not meant for mortals and exacts a price from a mortal body. The other Greybeards only whisper since their voices have become too powerful to speak – as you are now, a normal speaking tone would injure you at least, if not worse. They cannot contain the power of the gods in their bodies, and if any of us were to shout like you did this morning, I dare say we would have torn our bodies apart."

The Arch-Mage looked thoughtful for a few seconds before slowly nodding in acceptance. "That still feels wrong, though it's a more plausible theory than any other I've come up with. I suppose that makes sense – the dovah sil has the instincts of an immortal, and hence the limitations of this mortal body would annoy it."

After a pensive silence, Ako went on. "A more esoteric question. Why do Shouts have consistent effects between users? Is it inherent to the language?"

The Greybeard was visibly confused by the question. "I'm sorry, I don't understand. What do you mean?"

The Arch-Mage lightly paced as he explained. "Why are Shouts the words they are? You, the Greybeards, know the Shout and its words, and presumably the effects? The others weren't surprised at how my Thu'um manifested, so presumably the effects are what you expect from that Shout.

"So if you were to give a Dragonborn with no previous conception, no idea how the Shout looks in action, the same Shout, would they also have the same effect? Because the understanding of the words in Unrelenting Force don't seem to have a good link with the effect, at least not until the third word is added, but the effect remains the same."

Ako caught himself and sat down with a sheepish tone. "Sorry for rambling, but I find it extremely helpful to talk through my thoughts out loud."

Arngeir was clearly taken aback and took a good minute to think before he answered. "An esoteric question indeed, and one I cannot answer."

The Khajiit was disappointed but shrugged and continued with a smile. "So be it, just means something I must figure out myself! Related to that, why Dovahzul? Can other languages be used as well? If it is related to the age of the language, would Ehlnofex be a valid language?"

The Greybeard was more comfortable with this question, at least until Ako mentioned Ehlnofex. Shaking off his discomfort, the Nord answered, "Dragons have always been able to Shout. Language is intrinsic to their very being. To fight is to debate, there is no difference to a dragon. It comes as naturally as breathing to them. As to Ehlnofex, I do not know and do not want to know."

The question and answer evoked a curious response from Ako's dovah sil. There was initial confusion and disdain for asking about other languages – of course it would be Dovahzul, how else? But Ehlnofex brought caution. It seemed that Ehlnofex had power of its own (which most scholars would be able to guess, given its origins), though he felt sure it wasn't related to that of Thu'um. The answer brought another mood swing. Of course, 'Tinvaak los grah!' How could it be anything else?

Getting rid of the confusing thoughts and making notes in his notebook, the Arch-Mage turned to Arngeir. "Thank you for the discussion, I appreciate it. I would like to spend the afternoon meditating on the knowledge I gained this morning, unless you have any objections?"

Arngeir shook his head and headed back into High Hrothgar, leaving Ako and the quiet Lydia on the steps. Looking over at her, the Khajiit spoke. "Thank you for the help this morning, it helped a lot. I don't think this afternoon will be anywhere near as exciting. I saw a few bookcases this morning. I believe that it should prove to be more interesting than watching me think."

The housecarl replied stoically, "Thank you, my Thane. May I get a chair and read outside?"

"Sure, if the Greybeards don't object. Same story as this morning, don't be in front of me. If you need to get my attention – only if it's really necessary – throw a snowball or two at me rather than physically shaking me," he said with a smile, while Lydia looked scandalised at the thought.

As he started to walk back to the exposed rock slab where he'd done all his experimentation, another thought struck him and he turned to yell at Lydia. "If you want to write or draw, find quills, ink, and charcoal in the front compartment of my bag. You can get a notebook from the bag as well, if you can open the book, it's empty."

The Nord nodded in acceptance and headed inside. Ako continued to his meditation spot, thoughts beginning to whirl on some of the unanswered questions he still had.

Where did the power for Thu'um come from? It wasn't magicka, that much Ako knew. He'd already considered and discarded many options and seemed no closer to an answer. However, a wild theory presented itself. Maybe it was a gift from his dov-side, or it was just a random realisation provided by his subconscious, or perhaps even it was because he was sitting on Snow Tower itself.

The Dragonborn prophecy spoke of four of the Eight Towers. The Towers were an inscrutable but ever-present part of the metaphysics of Mundus – some scholars argued it went deeper than Mundus and were inscribed on the Aurbis itself. But that was very quickly heading into territory he knew little of and was almost always reserved for madmen – some knowledge could not be known to mortals and exacted a heavy price.

Still, even his very limited knowledge seemed to agree with the possible hypothesis: as dov were children of Akatosh, He who called Convention and (possibly) created Ada-Mantia, He still held some authority over the Towers, who in turn held authority over reality. Might his children not borrow some of that authority? And it has been fairly well established that Kyne was responsible for granting the Thu'um to Man. Perhaps She allowed some of Her authority to be borrowed by Man?

Regardless of the precise mechanism, if one assumed that he as Dovahkiin had some authority over reality, if the Thu'um was how his authority interacted with reality… then that did explain much of the apparent ex nihilo power that it was. And it also gave some insight into how the words, his understanding thereof, and the effects on reality came together.

He had to understand Force deeply and innately before he could tell reality to accept it, deeply and innately understand the concept of Push before he could Push the world. He understood Fus Ro Dah in that form. And while he was certain there were other understandings that were also valid, beyond just pushing the world, he wanted to see what other words he understood.

Sah, for example. It meant "illusion", among other concepts, and at least one understanding of it existed in Thu'um, as demonstrated by the Greybeards in the morning. Ako was an accomplished illusionist, and he understood the concept as applied through magicka. What prevented him from applying that understanding to Thu'um?

Focusing on an image of Leyawiin as he remembered it, clutching to that figment of memory, an illusion he kept for himself, he softly exhaled, intent on Speaking to reality.

"Sah…" A few metres in front of him, exactly where he intended, a ghostly, greyscale replica of Leyawiin's great bridge appeared. At least, as it appeared after it had been rebuilt after the war. It did not match the image in his imagination, which was bright and colourful, but it was produced by Thu'um.

With a grin of delight, the Arch-Mage set about exploring as much of his newfound understanding as possible, carefully documenting his discoveries as he went along. He'd not had this much fun in years!

Lydia looked through the bookshelves she found near the conference room. As her Thane had said, there were a number of books to peruse, though not comparable to even a court mage's library. She finally selected 'The Book of the Dragonborn', thinking that she should strive to learn more about her Thane and his power. She returned to the courtyard, a chair already waiting at the doors after she received a shrug from the Greybeard (Borri, she thought his name was) when she asked if she could take it outside.

While she, like all Nords, knew some of the tales, she had never looked into the myths more deeply. She could read and write at a basic level, which was a requirement for any higher rank in the guards – but it was always out of necessity. Now, however, it seemed like it would be a necessity to read more and learn to enjoy it if her Thane's expectations were anything to go by. What would she write? A journal perhaps? Or would she need to start writing like he did, quick strokes of the quill in his ever-present notebook at arbitrary times?

For the moment, until she found a time to ask and confirm what he expected of her, she'd read this book. She made her way outside and set the chair next to the iron gate, about thirty yards away from her Thane. She curiously observed him for a while as the Khajiit seemed to randomly hop up and start pacing, only to sit back down again and quickly scratch something in his notebook.

As she read, she could hear snippets of speech coming from him, though curiously snippets seemed to be in different languages. Unable to resist, she stood up and walked a bit closer. She could hear him clearer now, mostly muttering to himself in a language she initially thought was Tamrielic, but she didn't understand it fully. It sounded similar to how Bretons from High Rock sounded, so perhaps that was it?

Moving back to her chair, she was surprised to hear the language change again, this time to the Khajiiti language. What did her Thane call it again? Taagra? Something like that. Why would he speak out loud to himself in all these different languages? Regardless of why he did it, she was still impressed with how many languages he claimed to speak.

Nearly everyone in Skyrim spoke Nordic, and most people in the cities (she included) picked up Tamrielic since it was the trade language. Foreign traders like the Khajiit caravans rarely spoke Nordic, preferring Tamrielic and their own language, but some did pick it up if their trade routes stayed in Skyrim or Bruma. But speaking that many languages was nearly unheard of.

She returned her attention to the book in her hands. It was written roughly three centuries previous and served as a collection of knowledge on the Dragonborn. Much of it was theological in nature, talking about Akatosh's blessing to the emperors of Tamriel, including Tiber Septim or Talos. This book would almost certainly be declared banned by the Thalmor, though the Greybeards would never listen to the damned Elves.

Her Thane drew her attention again as a soft thrum rippled through the air, a ghostly manifestation of something appearing in front of the Khajiit. A bridge of sorts? Why would he do that? She heard almost hurried steps coming closer and turned to see one of the Greybeards (Wulfgar or Einarth) coming closer, mouth gaping in surprise as they stared at her Thane. Did that mean her Thane used a shout to create the bridge?

Her Thane appeared very pleased with himself based on how he was pacing, his tail lashing from side to side in what she knew was excitement. As he abruptly sat back down to write in his notebook, she abandoned her own book in favour of paying close attention to what the Khajiit was doing. She heard another Greybeard walk up, and a quick look revealed it to be Arngeir, equally as surprised as his colleague.

After a period of silence, occasionally interrupted by scratches of the quill on paper, her Thane stood up and took a stance that she recognised from that morning. Sure enough, her Thane Shouted, though it was a single barked word rather than the roar that he displayed in the morning. A rush of ice erupted from the Khajiit's mouth, rapidly piling up in front of him. She idly noted how it was the first fresh snow for the day, despite their altitude and the time of year. The day had been uncharacteristically mild.

She'd occasionally seen and fought against wizards using frost spells, and this looked like the same type of spell, just scaled up tenfold. She wondered if it had more pronounced or different effects, or if it was just a larger version of the frost spell, which she could mostly ignore thanks to being a Nord. Again, her Thane was pleased, making observations in his notebook (though this one's cover was different to the previous one).

A watchful silence passed, her Thane apparently ignorant of the growing audience. The two remaining Greybeards joined them before her Thane got up and prepared to Shout again. She was curious what the Khajiit would do this time. She wasn't disappointed, a torrent of fire streaming out, flash melting all the snow in a cone spreading out from the plume.

Behind her, she could hear one of the Greybeards gasp in shock. Her own awe was interrupted by a forceful shove from behind and ringing ears. Once she'd gathered her bearings, she looked back at the Greybeards, vaguely aware of something warm running down from her ears. What was it? As she went to ask the question, something caught in her throat forcing her to cough. Blood spattered across her hand. Why would that happen?

She looked back at the Greybeards, seeing Arngeir talking. He was looking down at her with concern, but why was he whispering? She couldn't make out what he was saying. She coughed again, more blood spilling out and staining the snow. Something was wrong about this. Borri bent down (When did he get so tall? Could the Voice make one grow?), a face full of grief filling her view.

Before she could ponder these mysteries further, a jolt of energy shot through her body. She took a deep breath, lungs expanding from an uncomfortably small volume, while sound suddenly returned to her world, a fresh breeze dancing through the snowdrifts. She could see flecks of pale golden light spill around her hands as it felt like a haze of mist was lifted from her thoughts.

Quickly turning around and looking at her Thane showed him lowering a hand that still glowed brightly with the same pale gold light, though he wasn't looking their way.

Turning back to the Greybeards, shock starting to fade from her system and replaced by panic, she asked, "W-What was that?!" Cursing the stutter, she forced herself to cough, pleasantly surprised to see no blood and feel no pain.

Arngeir replied in a sorrowful voice. "That, Miss Lydia, was the power of an unrestrained Voice. Do you need any assistance?"

Lydia heard a rapid panting coming from somewhere before belatedly realising that it was her own hyperventilating. Forcing herself to calm down, she breathed mostly normally, albeit with her heart still racing.

"I'm… I'm fine, my Thane healed me." She'd seen this happen with other guards after a near death experience – it would take a while before the shock set in.

The housecarl looked over at Borri, who mouthed something she couldn't recognise and bowed deeply. He offered his hand as he straightened. Accepting the assistance, Lydia was relieved to feel no lingering damage to her body. Borri indicated something she couldn't decipher. She shot a quizzical look at Arngeir who explained.

"Borri would like to apologise, he lost control in his amazement at the Dragonborn's achievement. He offers to provide hot water if you want to wash the blood away."

Arngeir's words made her aware of the drying blood running from her ears – presumably burst eardrums. That would explain why she couldn't hear much when she was injured.

Lydia headed inside, accompanied by the remorseful Borri. After receiving a bucket of warm water, she was left alone. As she was getting rid of the dried blood on her face, the delayed shock hit her. She lifted a hand to see it shaking. Forcing herself to try and hold it still, it worked momentarily before her legs felt weak and she fell into a chair.

How could she stand with the Dragonborn if a Shout could damage her like that? Never mind that an actual dragon was likely to be even stronger! And to heal her so quickly. Did he expect it? Was he disappointed in her that he wouldn't even look at her?

How strong was he as a mage to fully heal her with just one spell? What use was she on this journey? It's not like she'd contributed anything to it except the wolves on their first day. And even then, it was deliberate on his part to evaluate her!

After recovering some energy, even if her mind was still in turmoil, she made her way back outside. She noticed the Greybeards still standing around her chair, while her Thane was again (still?) scribbling away in his notebook. She made sure to stay near the stairs, far away from potential shouts.

Shadows were stretching ever longer in the courtyard, the sun gazing from low on the horizon behind High Hrothgar. A dark cloud was threatening to roll in from the eastern side of the peak, bringing with it the snow and cold that had held off earlier in the day.

The housecarl noticed her Thane stand up, presumably ready to Shout again. She wondered what he would do this time. Another new Shout, or try an old one again? He was facing away from her, but she couldn't help but instinctively move behind the yard wall.

With the low sun lighting up the underside of the dark cloud, she was reminded of a thunderstorm on the plains on a summer evening. Therefore, it was fitting that a bright bolt of lightning flashed from the Dragonborn's mouth, fizzling into nothing after two dozen yards. A sharp crack accompanied the short word, akin to a whip.

She could hear her Thane muttering again, a deep rumble audible as he picked up his notebooks and headed to the Greybeards. Lydia noticed his hood was down – a first in the few days she'd known him. She walked closer as the Khajiit started to talk with the Greybeards, the rumble slowly fading as he continued.

The Nord remembered her Thane saying something about his eyes scaring others and couldn't help her curiosity – she had to see for herself. She met his eyes and -

she can't breathe. she is small. her lungs don't work, her ribs are compressed. she is an ant.

she scurries about beneath the gaze of her Better. They deserve her awe and praise. They demand and deserve her obedience. she will listen. she sees the bright gold and deepest blue circling a dark valley. she will Serve.

her Greater calls. she obeys. the Valley is deep and dark, and she must stare deep, fall in deep and deeper and deep-

…

gone. her Better is gone. she is aimless, rudderless, flailing on a deep blue ocean between the bright golden sunbeams. what can she do?

…

She feels something holding her up. It is hard and cold. Where is she?

Ako was very pleased with his progress that afternoon. He had a plausible theory on how the Thu'um worked, which on its own would've kept him happy for a week. But that also allowed him to explore other words and apply some of his spell knowledge to the use of Thu'um.

Admittedly, his efforts were fairly limited, and nowhere near the pure power that he could bring to bear with Unrelenting Force. But that was to be expected given that he'd not done any deep examinations of the concepts yet, or had a helping hand from Mir-mul-nir.

He was confident that it was only a matter of time before he had a better understanding of the concepts and could use the shouts at the power they were meant to be. Gathering up his various notebooks, he headed over to the stunned Greybeards.

His dov-side was purring in pleasure at proving them wrong, proving his superiority, and while he tried to stay grounded, the Khajiit had to admit that he felt rather smug himself.

Arngeir spoke as the Arch-Mage got close. "Remarkable… Your progress with the Thu'um is truly astonishing. How did you manage those shouts, if I may ask?"

Ako shrugged lightly. "As you've explained, the Thu'um requires that the speaker knows the words intimately. I know the words, and the concepts don't change if the method used to create or demonstrate the concept does. Thus, I could apply my knowledge from spells to the Thu'um. Thu'um sahlo, nuz mul gon."

The Greybeards looked at each other, Wulfgar and Borri giving slight nods before Arngeir stepped forward.

"Dragonborn. There is little more we can teach you. We offer a final trial to you-"

They were interrupted by a choked gasp from behind the Greybeards. Concerned, Ako stepped closer only to see Lydia hyperventilating, short, quick gasps of air as she stared at the Khajiit.

"Lydia…?" The housecarl was staring at him with disturbing intensity, her eyes appearing black, pinned wide with pupils swallowing nearly all traces of the teal irises.

Ako instinctively reached up to his face to check if something was wrong before realising that his hood was down and his face visible. Swallowing a curse, he looked up at the sky and firmly wrenched the hood back in place, drawing the string tight to prevent it from opening again.

Having taken his eyes off his housecarl, the Khajiit only heard a thud coming from her. Looking back, he found the Nord lying flat on the ground, face down as if she'd fainted.

He immediately crouched down next to her and moved her into a recovery position, running a scanning spell at the same time. The spell revealed nothing except some recent signs of recovering from being healed. Why did she not say anything about recovering from injury when they met? Especially if the injury was as severe as the traces implied.

He heard a slight groan and noticed she was starting to wake up. She opened her eyes and almost immediately started to panic, breaths coming quick and sharp. This made the Arch-Mage frown, though he was pleased to note that her eyes were back to normal, albeit looking around wildly.

"Lydia… calm down," he said comfortingly.

Her eyes snapped to him. "My Thane? Where… where are we?" she asked, breathing slightly deeper but still faster than he would've liked.

"At High Hrothgar?" he answered, surprised by the question, and even more so that it seemed to spark a realisation in her eyes. "What happened?" he asked, gently but firmly.

The Nord swallowed a few times before she answered. "I… I don't know. I was walking over and I saw you without your hood… Then I wake up on the ground." Her breathing sped up again and Ako frowned deeper as he heard how fast her heart was beating.

"Can you walk?" he asked, and helped her up when she nodded hesitantly. "Let's head inside and I'll make tea before we talk further. Do you want a calm spell?" he asked as they walked to the doors, making sure to stick close in case she needed further support.

Adrenaline was still rushing through her, but she was starting to calm down just a bit. The Arch-Mage wasn't too surprised when she shook her head, refusing the calm spell, but he had to make the offer. He could cast it anyway, but without overpowering it, it was liable to have little or no effect if the subject was unwilling. And pushing through would cause more trouble than it was worth for their partnership.

He wasn't at all pleased that this had happened, and his dov-side was curiously in agreement. Perhaps that was another effect of the extended meditation session this afternoon, less disagreements between him and his dov-side. Though it remained to be seen if that would be a benefit or a drawback.

Regardless, he had to focus on the present: his housecarl had fainted and was still in a panicked state.

AN: Massive thanks to AshesToDusts for betaing and allowing me to bounce some ideas of him, go appreciate his stories. Apologies for that delay. It's been a while, got sick for a bit, and then just took a long time to get back up to speed with work and getting a little bit of free time to write. But got my mojo back as spring starts to arrive here in the southern hemisphere, sunlight does me well. Good news is that chapter 11 is done and off to Ashes for improvement and polish, I'll publish it probably next weekend. Chapter 12 (the result of the old chapter 10 undergoing mitosis yet again) is mostly done, and that should be the end of Arc 1 (if one considers the prologue through chapter 4 the Arc 0/prologue arc). The story is planned to the end, 3 more arcs and an epilogue, but given I have no control whatsoever regarding what the characters do, I can't say how many chapters will be in each arc. The characters have a story to tell, and I just do my part in conveying it to this audience.

Talking about some of the more prominent details in this chapter, I am not fully certain that I'm correct on all the lore. The Elder Scrolls lore is vast and difficult to grasp. However, unless it is egregiously wrong and someone can convince me of that, the details revealed here will likely be canon for the story going forward. Admittedly, Ako doesn't know everything, nor do the Greybeards, so I've left myself room to retcon if needed. Some topics I have a better idea of than Ako does, some areas our knowledge is equal. Feel free to post questions and/or discuss it, I will answer as I can. Over on Sufficient Velocity, I'll likely respond in more detail and you can talk with the handful of other people who read the story if you wish. :D

Translations for those who are curious:

Kogaan – Thank you.
Fusa ro wah dah – To balance force to push (Lit. to force balance to push)
Aak nau vira siiv – Guidance (Lit. guide) on how to find
Drem, goraan gein. – Patience (peace), young one.
Fah kos zok nel, hi fen kostir! – To be fastest (Lit. most fast), you must practice!
Geh, mindovin. Kogaan. – Yes, teacher. Thank you.
Ontzos – Again/once more
Tinvaak los grah! – To speak is to battle! (Lit. Speech is battle) Implication of the inverse as well.
Thu'um sahlo, nuz mul gon. – (My) Voice (is) weak, but (a) strong/good start/beginning.