Hello again! This is it... what we've all been waiting for... In this chapter, Sithis' warnings shall be revealed. To find out... read on, dear reader, read on.

And now, we return to our feature presentation...

Ka-Durash crouched at the edge of the ship's figurehead, reveling in the spray of the ocean in his face, the wind in his fur. He stared forward, a small grin on his face. They were making a good pace towards Thamriel, and the water sped past him at an amazing rate. He took in all he could: the glistening water, the bright, blue sky, the mountains in the distance. The Akavir would be at the Anvil port soon, and he knew that this could very well be his last day alive. A broad smile spread across his face; he couldn't wait for the chance to prove himself in combat. He had a slight build, and was smaller than an average Ka-Po Tun, and had been called a runt for his entire life by his peers. Well, now he'd show them. He'd show them all! Ka-Durash bared his teeth in a sinister grin. He could see the buildings now. Soon, very soon, glory would be his!

Amori trudged slowly down the cellar stairs, hands in his pockets, his eyes downcast. It had been nearly a week since Padfoot had fed; she would need more blood. He sighed; at least she was eating and drinking again. He wondered if Rhiihaaj had gotten his letter: he'd written to him a few days ago. Amori had found out that Rhiihaaj's business was the hunting of slavers and bandits, and had asked if Rhiihaaj could collect a few bottles of blood for Padfoot. Rhiihaaj hadn't replied. Delchkahn came out of his thoughts as he reached the cellar floor, and he slowly walked forward. "Padfoot?" he called out softly. "Padfoot? Are you there?" He rounded the edge of a cupboard, and saw Padfoot lying in her bed, covers pulled over her body.

"I thought I told you to get out," she said coldly. Amori smirked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yes, but that was a week ago, Padfoot." Padfoot pulled the covers up around her head, and Amori's smile vanished. He walked over to the bed, and sat on the edge, hands in his lap. "Padfoot… I know this must be hard for you to accept. You didn't become a vampire by choice like I did, yet I get cured and you don't. Is that fair? No, it isn't. Is it fair that the Dark Brotherhood slaughtered practically your entire town to use as a sacrifice to Sithis? No, it isn't. I'm going to tell you something, Padfoot. The world isn't fair. It's not fair that Ocheeva died because of my mistake. It's not fair that I was put where I was in the Deadric war. It's not fair that I had to watch so many of my friends die at Dagon's hand. It's not fair that even after all I did for Thamriel, I am feared for my time in the Brotherhood." Amori sighed, and Padfoot turned over, pulling the covers off her head. Her red eyes glistened in the gloom, sparkling in the dim light. "I'm sorry that I can't open the Hollow for you, Padfoot. Like I said before, I wouldn't open the Hollow for anybody, even… even myself. Maybe I'm too weak, or maybe I'm strong enough not to. I hope you understand." Amori got up, and jogged back up the cellar stairs, leaving Padfoot to think about what he had said.

Henantier sighed as he woke up, folding his arms behind his head, leaning against the bed's headrest. He was smiling broadly, his tall, angular face serene and peaceful. He looked to his side. Kud-ei slept peacefully beside him, her skin glistening in the morning sun, her naked back facing to the sky. Henantier smiled wider, and crawled out of bed, walking towards the bathroom. He filled the ceramic tub with water, and crawled into it, shivering as the cold water washed over his body, bringing the tall elf fully to his senses. Henantier placed his hands together and exhaled sharply through his nose, infusing the breath with magicka. Steam rushed from his nostrils, quickly heating the water, and soon, Henantier was lying in an artificial hot-spring. He leaned back against the wall of the tub, closing his eyes with a sigh. Suddenly, the door opened. Henantier's eyes snapped open, and he saw Kud-ei walking into the room, a smile on her face. Kud-ei closed the door behind her and crawled into the tub, sliding gracefully into the hot water, draping her tail over the edge of the tub. Kud-ei slid her body over Henantier's, laying against his chest in the warm water, and Henantier wrapped his arms around her, hugging her softly. "Morning, love" Henantier whispered into her ear, and Kud-ei smiled.

"Morning." Kud-ei closed her eyes, thinking back to their time out of the guild: in other words, their honeymoon. They had been wed a couple weeks ago, moving their status from fiancées to newlyweds. The two lay that way in the water for a long while, and eventually, they began to actually bathe. After they finished their bath, they each grabbed a towel, dried themselves off, and pulled on a robe. The couple walked back into their room, and pulled on some clothes. Henantier wore a green and blue shirt with a pair of green huntsman's pants, while Kud-ei wore a blue velvet dress. Clasping hands, the two walked out of their room and into the rest of the guild.

Rhiihaaj and Sehiiri walked lightly through the streets of Anvil, Rhiihaaj in an altered suit of Brotherhood armor, and Sehiiri wearing a soft red dress. The two made their way to the Anvil Mages Guild, and as they reached the doors, Rhiihaaj rapped his knuckles sharply on the wood. They heard footsteps from inside the building, and Henantier opened the door. As he saw who it was, Henantier smiled broadly, laughing. "Rhiihaaj! Sehiiri! It's so good to see you!" Henantier pulled first Rhiihaaj, then Sehiiri into a hug, all of them smiling and laughing.

"It's good to see you too, Henantier," said Rhiihaaj, his heavily accented voice happy. Henantier smiled first at him, then at Sehiiri, and as he did, noticed the bulge in Sehiiri's belly. His eyes widened, and he smiled broadly.

"By the Nine!" he exclaimed, excited. "Rhiihaaj, Sehiri, why didn't you tell me you were expecting?" Sehiiri rolled her eyes, smiling.

"Obviously," she said, "we didn't need to." Henantier smiled, and Rhiihaaj cleared his throat.

"Um, Henantier?" he asked, laughing slightly.

"Yes? What is it?"

"Can we come in now?"

Ka-Mala jogged happily down the stairs, smiling broadly as she put a small scratch in the calendar as she passed. That was two months and a week without wine: she was clean! Suddenly, Henantier bolted towards her, smiling like a maniac. Ka-Mala froze, her body ramrod stiff, as Henantier stopped in front of her, his face about an inch from hers. "Uh, hi, Henantier," she said nervously, a bead of sweat rolling down her brow. "Ever heard of personal space?" Henantier laughed, his voice echoing through the building.

"Ka-Mala! It's Rhiihaaj and Sehiiri! They're back!" Henantier sidestepped Ka-Mala, and bolted up the stairs, not stopping when he called back happily "They're expecting!" Ka-Mala was confused for a second, but then she realized what he meant. Ka-Mala ran excitedly down the stairs, smiling. Suddenly, Henantier bolted past her, shouting "Wrong way!" as he passed. Ka-Mala laughed, and walked to the Guild's main room, opening the door casually as she reached it. As she walked in, she saw a large number of mages working and eating at the numerous tables around the guild, the sounds of many conversations filling the air. She made her way around the tables, slightly nervous and attracting a few stares (including a particularly nasty one from Carahil), looking for where her friends were. After a brief search, she saw Rhiihaaj and Sehiiri sitting at a round table, talking to Henantier and Kud-ei. Ka-Mala made her way towards her friends, easing herself onto one of the curved benches around the table.

"Ka-Mala! It's so good to see you!" exclaimed Rhiihaaj, wrapping Ka-Mala in a bear hug. Ka-Mala stiffened, eyes wide.

"Heh… you t-too, Rhiihaaj," she stuttered, inwardly cursing herself. She still hadn't conquered her nerves. Rhiihaaj laughed, withdrawing from the hug. Ka-Mala sighed, relaxing, unconsciously beginning to wring her tail in her hands.

"Still nervous as ever, I see," Rhiihaaj said, chuckling to himself. Suddenly, they heard a loud yell. They turned in surprise, and saw Delchkahn Amori sailing through the air, flying over the tables. People ducked in surprise and some jumped out of the way as he passed over them, while the others in the room laughed at the spectacle. Carahil just scowled. Amori sailed over three tables before landing gracefully on a bench at the table at which his friends sat, rattling the piece of furniture loudly. Delchkahn stood to face the room, and bowed three times, drawing applause and laughter from the room. Carahil scowled at him, and Amori scowled back, biting his thumb at her insultingly. Soul-Swimmer made her way through the crowd, rubbing her temples, smiling. She climbed onto the bench on which her lover stood, pulling him roughly to the seat.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet my friend Broken-Legs," she said sarcastically, wrapping her arms around Delchkahn's chest. The entire group had a good laugh, and started up a conversation. They reminisced on what they had all been doing lately. Rhiihaaj and Sehiiri told of their new career hunting slavers and criminals, and told of how they were expecting a child. The group talked for a long time, catching up on their lives, sharing their experiences.

"Wait; someone's missing," said Rhiihaaj, furrowing his brow in concern. "Where's Padfoot?" Amori looked down, and leaned his elbows on his table, running his fingers in between his head-spines.

"The cellar," he said grimly. "I took her on her first feeding run a few nights back, but she had allowed herself to deteriorate so far that she had to drain her victim completely. She asked how I was cured, and I told her about one of my… darker residences, the Deepscorn Hollow, an underground mansion designed as a base of operations for murderers and vampires who have given in to their darker urges. She asked if I could reopen the Hollow, and I told her no, that I had sealed it for a reason." Amori sighed, rubbing his head. "She hasn't really spoken to me since." Amori looked up at Rhiihaaj, his face calm, but his eyes desperate. Rhiihaaj knew how hard this must be for Amori: the young Argonian was a good person, and wanted to help his friend, but knew that the price for doing so was far too great. "Did you bring it?" asked Amori, his voice tired. Rhiihaaj smiled, reached into his pack, and tossed Amori two wine bottles, a grin on his face.

"Blood of slavers and bandits; no one the world really needed," he said, grinning. Amori caught the bottles deftly, using only his mechanical left hand. Rhiihaaj marveled at the device; Ka-Mala had truly outdone herself.

"One question: why do you need it so much?" asked Sehiiri, obviously confused. "I thought you weren't a vampire anymore; why do you want blood?" Amori smiled, holding the bottle of blood as though it were a fine, aged, wine.

"I'm not a vampire, but Padfoot is. I was thinking that if I could get her at least a temporary supply of blood, it would help her come to terms with her vampirism. Excuse me." Amori got up from the table, walking over to the cellar door. He opened the door, jogging down into the large room, a bottle in each hand. He reached the floor, allowing his vision to adjust to the dim light. Amori walked forward casually until he saw Padfoot. She was sitting in a wooden chair, looking at herself in the mirror, slowly brushing her hair. She sighed, and set the brush down on the desk hard, slightly cracking the wood.

"Hello, Amori," she said, sounding defeated. "What is it now?" Amori smiled, and pulled his right arm back.

"Catch," he said, and tossed the bottle at Padfoot. Padfoot's hand shot back, snatching the bottle out of the air without turning around. Amori pulled two wine glasses out of the cabinet, setting them on the round table, pulling an extra chair up for himself. Padfoot stared at the unlabeled bottle in confusion, running her hands over its smooth surface.

"You came down here to bring me wine?" she said skeptically, raising one eyebrow. Amori smiled, walked over to her, and took the bottle from her hands, popping the cork off and smelling the contents.

"Not wine," he said, smiling, "blood." Padfoot's eyes widened in horror.

"You mean… you killed somebody?" she asked, horrified, her voice trembling. Amori chuckled, and poured some of the bottle's contents into each glass.

"I didn't kill anybody; Rhiihaaj did. And besides, they were slavers and bandits; they didn't really deserve to live anyways." Padfoot's shoulders sank, not sure if she was relieved or disturbed. Amori raised his glass to his lips, and took a long sip of the blood, licking the remainder off his lips with his long, pointed tongue. Padfoot stared at him in amazement. He looked back at her, smiling. "What? Old habits die hard." Amori sighed, and got up from his chair, walking over to where Padfoot sat. He drained the rest of his cup, and placed Padfoot's on the desk next to her, corking the bottle to preserve its contents. "Look, Padfoot, I want to help you. I really do. Right now, this is the best way for me to do so. This blood won't be as sweet as if it were fresh, but it will sate your thirst and allow you to go back into the sun. Just try it out, okay?" Padfoot didn't look at him. Amori sighed, and started back up the stairs. For a moment, he stopped. "By the way, Rhiihaaj and Sehiiri are here. They're worried about you." Amori finished his thought as he continued up the steps. "We all are."

Amori walked down the streets of Bravil casually, hands in his pockets, sword hanging loosely at his belt. He was taking a walk with Rhiihaaj, catching up with the Khajiit who he had met as an enemy, but who had become a dear friend. The sun shone brightly, and puffy white clouds sailed through the perfect, blue sky. People talked and laughed, living their lives happily and without care. The two made their way to the fighter's guild; they had decided that it was a good day to train. They passed through the guild lobby, leaving a few coins on the secretary's desk. The Orcish girl thanked them emphatically, waving as they passed through the back door. Amori stood 15 yards from the archery targets, un-slinging Frostbite from his back as Rhiihaaj drew his scimitars and took his place at the wooden mannequin. Amori carefully drew back a glass-tipped arrow, listening as the bowstring tightened, and released the arrow. The arrow sped forward, whistling through the air, before burying itself in the dead-center of the target, red hay flying back from the target as the arrow pierced it and continued out the other side. Amori whistled, and ran to collect his arrow.

"Heh, looks like I'm a better shot than I thought," he said, staring at the arrow. Rhiihaaj laughed, beginning to brutally attack the wooden mannequin, chips of wood flying through the air.

"No, Frostbite's just a magic weapon that hasn't been used in a while." Rhiihaaj grunted as he slammed his scimitar into the training mannequin's shoulder, cutting all the way into its chest. "You know how we enchant things; we use the energy of souls. That bow must have gotten bored while you only had one hand." Amori chuckled, drawing another arrow from his quiver.

"I guess you're right Rhiihaaj," he said, taking careful aim. Rhiihaaj chuckled and was about to strike the mannequin when a green-flighted arrow buried itself in the mannequin's chest. Rhiihaaj laughed.

"I guess you're a pretty good shot as well!" Suddenly, they heard a scream from the docks, and the sound of the city guards mobilizing. They ran out to the front of the guild, passing a number of fighter's guild members on their way out the front, all of them in full arms. The two friends burst out the door, and Delchkahn's eyes widened: the buildings nearest the docks raged with fire, and strange soldiers burst in and out of the houses. People screamed in terror as they ran, some of them being mowed down by arrows as they fled. Slowly, Amori began to see the enemy soldiers: a row of tiger-men led the assault, their black-striped orange bodies clad in leather armor, wielding scimitars and daggers as they charged on all fours, fangs glistening in the light. Staff-wielding monkey-folk followed them, and behind them were hulking monsters of ice and snow. However, it was the troops interspersed among the force that made Delchkahn's blood run cold: golden-scaled snake men clad in black armor cut their way through the Bravil guard, expertly wielding a katana in each hand, their swords slipping between the cracks in the guard's armor with ease. Horrifyingly, the warriors would occasionally bury their long, curved fangs in the necks of their victims, draining them of a few pints of blood before striking them down and continuing on their rampage. Amori knew what they were all too well: Tsaesci, the golden-scaled akavir. Amori's blood ran cold: this was a second Akavir invasion, greater than even its predecessor in the first era. In this army, all four of the Akavir nations were present: the demonic Kamal, the Tang-Mo, the fierce Ka'Po-Tun, and Kazaka's folk, the Tsaesci. This is what Sithis had warned him about, this is who "they" were. Delchkahn Amori drew his Frostfire from its sheath and charged into the battle, barely hearing Rhiihaaj's cry for him to wait or the screams of the dying and the wounded. All Amori heard was the pounding of his heart. All he saw was the enemy. And he knew what would happen if he failed: everyone he cared about, everyone he loved, would die. Amori charged into battle, steely eyes grim with what was to come. This is what Sithis had prepared him for, this is what he had been trained to do. The Second Invasion of Thamriel had begun.

Ok, so the Four Nations of Akavir are invading! If you know about the backstory, the current Cyrodiilian empire that presides over all Thamriel was formed after the first invasion of Akavir, when Reman was able to repel the Akaviri forces (then entirely Tsaesci) and establish his own dynasty. So, now the Akavir are back, led by Kazaka, and now, they have more than just Tsaesci... they have everyone! What will happen next? Only time may tell...

The winds of time blow on, shifting the sands of reality into ever-changing patterns.

-Baeowulf