~Cronos Station

Miranda, with a datapad in hand and contacting Kai Leng, was forming the plan to gain the Dovahkiin's trust even though he had been attacked by Cerberus. But there was a plus point that was brought to her attention: they would most likely not know that they were part of Cerberus.

The whole plan was for Kai Leng to pose as a member of some Omega organization that was looking to hunt the boy down. That's where Miranda would come in to 'help' and gain his trust.

And if the DragonBorn for X or Y reason knew about Cerberus, she would convince him that this group were rebels doing things their way.

With the plan ready, she finally reached the area where the ships were taking off, to finally go to the Citadel. It would take her very little time because there was only one relay of distance between the Horsehead Nebula and the Snake Nebula.

Soon after, when she took the wheel, she received a call from Kai Leng, warning her that she had the target in her sights, but there was a problem: there was a possibility that someone might be ahead of them.

Incredulous, Miranda asked Kai Leng why he thought so.

"He's trying to save a Quarian from a mercenary," Leng replied as he stared into the distance, "Should I intervene?"

~Citadel - Market Alley

I had gotten overconfident, I thought it was such a simple enemy just by showing its weapon, but a Biotic Turian? Damn...

Gripping my Bound Sword tightly, I lunged at the assassin, deflecting the shots to my side. Unfortunately it was as easy as waving the hand for a biotic wave to send me backwards.

I embedded the sword into the ground, and breaking through the concrete, I swept the ground throwing several Telekinesis powered fragments at it, but being stopped by a dome of biotics.

"Wuld Nah Kest!"

Holding my sword up, in 1 second it was face to face against him. Giving my all, my sword stopped at the dome, flashing blue sparks from the impact.

The mercenary remained serene, reinforcing the dome with biotics. "You do a lot to protect that suit-rat"

I smiled, wanting to appear calm myself but only scared to death "You call her a rat in a suit but you wanted to sleep with her before? Bruh"

It only took 1 insult to break his calm, and made him opt for a more direct attack.

"Yol Toor Shul!"

A strong breath of fire came out of my mouth at the same time that a fist imbued with biotics impacted my chest. I could hear the cracking of my thorax.

He bore the brunt of the intensity of the fire that melted a part of his face and inside his clothes his flesh fused with his armor.

I crashed into the stairs, suffering from blurred vision as I tried to get up and tried to go to Tali, falling to my knees right in front of her.

As I wanted to carry Tali, I felt the heat of an Omni-Blade piercing my shoulder and tearing all the way up.

~"Not that The Omni-Blade was out of style this year?"~

A foot on my back forced me to fall face first into Tali's abdomen.

"Rumors about you spread fast and I knew it as soon as I was hired. Three million credits on your head."

"Y-you want to discover… the secrets of my ma-magic?" I spluttered blood, trying to stay conscious even with every wound inflicted.

He laughed at my pitiful condition, trying to separate my shoulder wound with his foot "I want to know how you do it. You exhaled fire, didn't you? That took me by surprise."

The assassin ran his hand over his face, pulling out the melted flesh without showing discomfort or pain. That wanted to make me vomit even if I could only see it out of the corner of my eye.

Suddenly, the reddish flash illuminated the alley, followed by a large explosion that came from behind me.

As I looked to my right, Commander Shepard was channeling fireballs, and although it took her time to do so, she was throwing them with unparalleled ferocity towards the Turian, causing it to hit some crates.

"Quick Heal!". Rising to my feet while wielding a Bound Sword, I lunged towards the assassin, who in the blink of an eye and imbued with biotics, was in front of me with a punch at the ready.

~"A Charge?!"~

The first swing of the sword cut off his fist, immediately followed by the other arm also preparing to strike.

With no other options, the assassin put all his weight on my shoulder, looking for the strongest tackle.

With the sword in my chest, I aimed at him, embedding the entire blade and slashing first upwards, then downwards diagonally.

Staggered due to the loss of blood, wanting to fall, but that would mean my defeat even though I had already won. With tears in my eyes, I was as grateful as I could be to have come out alive, to have protected Tali, confirming once again the obvious: "It's not a game, anything can happen".

Wiping away the last of my tears, I turned to watch as Garrus and Wrex helped Tali to her feet while Jane made her way to me.

With a step forward, I almost lost consciousness, but the commander was able to catch me before I fell. "I've got you, you'll be okay now."

It felt like a warm embrace even though I was only hanging from my shoulders. Luckily I could articulate words "Sorry... it was necessary to save her for the sake of the mission".

"This mission is all you care about? Look at yourself. Wherever you came from, you have people waiting for you...don't let them down" The commander's voice was firm but conveyed an amazing calmness, it was the voice of a leader who wanted the best for her own.

Guiding my magic through my wounds, I rejoined with Jane's help, removing traces of blood on my clothes and leaving scars where once there were wounds.

I didn't know what to say or do, it was all done so far, and even then I couldn't look the commander in the eye. Not that it was difficult, it was just embarrassment or lack of habit.

I let the commander's forearms free as I was already firmly standing "Commander... you managed to use one of my spells. You are amazing."

"I did what you told me only..."

30 minutes earlier~

"You the moment you open the scroll, you won't be able to read it unless you concentrate on said spell. And once that is done, the scroll will self-destruct."

The commander looked the scroll up and down, careful not to open it by accident.

"This scroll contains 4 fireballs, which explode on contact"

"Commander, is it optimal to believe in magic in a situation like this? Time is running out." Garrus was suspicious of me, and he had no shortage of reasons to do so.

Referring to me, the commander replied to Garrus "He has reached the limits of my credibility with proof. Any help will be necessary."

Back to the present~

"How's your magic going, has it recovered?" asked the commander, as she gave the signals for Garrus along with Wrex and Tali to gather.

I shook my head, explaining to her that as long as I use it in this 'Null Magic' state the regeneration will be lower than usual. "In short... 0% magic."

"Any spells that drained you of everything?"

"Future Vision. If you were wondering how I knew about quarian before you did. The bad thing is that it drains my magic to absolute 0, and if there isn't enough, my brain and eyes are affected. Magic comes with a lot of mental training."

"But I don't see it affecting you right now... Or do you..."

With an all nonchalant to avoid more attention on me, I laughed at my current situation "If I stop concentrating I will cry blood, hear blood and smell blood. You know what I mean?"

Before she could say a word, the quarian in Wrex's arms began to wail from her wounds and the fever that was building.

This was serious, Tali had put up a good fight but a shotgun blast nearly shattered her shoulder. All the germs from outside were seeping inside her suit.

~"It's amazing she's still alive."~

"We need to get her to Dr. Michell. Her temperature is through the roof."

Shepard gave the signal to withdraw from the scene, now them setting course for Dr. Michell.

20 minutes later~

The ride was very short, but the stay lasted much longer, making Dr. Michel give her all to treat Tali since she was not used to treat Quarians.

She went from Omni-Tool to reports, then to books, also asking Garrus for advice since he was her Dextro like Tali. It all lasted about 20 arduous minutes where everyone contributed as they could.

And so, with Tali lying on the last bed in the room, we waited in one of the farthest beds for her to wake up. Now it was my turn.

I was sitting on top of the bed, rocking myself back and forth while Dr. Michel performed the necessary tests on me.

"Excuse me, is it necessary to remove my clothes? Or is it my jacket and stuff?"

"I'm surprised you haven't thrown it away yet looking at the state they're in" Shepard replied, applying medigel herself.

She was right, there was a large hole in my jacket and my polo shirt was torn, the only thing that was saved were my pants.

"My magic doesn't repair fabric... I still can't- I don't know if I can. Nor will I try" I took off my trench coat and polo shirt, leaving it folded as best I could at the edge of the bed. I planned to sew it on later.

After a few seconds of silence, Dr. Michel finally spoke, "This is impressive. You should be dead by now."

But what she said was amusing to me "Thank you? I guess...". Laughing to myself, trying to understand her I looked at the wounds on my upper body.

The doctor apologized for how she said it, going back over her words and explaining in detail to everyone present.

"Your organs are punctured but healthy, your skin has suffered all kinds of lessons. Many internal bruises, repaired broken bones. The list is long, Commander."

Handing a Datapad to Shepard, the doctor began the analysis on my body "There is an experimental surgery to remove scars if you are interested" she said, readying her stethoscope "How did you get so many scars?"

A good question, one I was no longer willing to evade anymore, after all, here were the people I wanted to be heard by.

Pointing out the most noticeable ones, I started with 3 spots that seemed to line up on my arms "Ebony arrows that broke my shield."

Following the one on my stomach, a large, diagonal one "Dadedric Mandoble. My Stone Flesh spell was too weak... Come to think of it, I should have used Dragon Flesh."

The Doctor's reaction said it all, she had absolutely no idea what I was talking about. Still, I continued to the last big scar.

I pointed to my collarbone, highlighting a curve that extended to my hip "Dragon Bite. The rest is already swords, axes, animal bites, blows and magic."

Of all of us, the one who had the most confidence in me was the commander, but the others were still hesitant.

"That shout of yours, was it done with magic?" asked Garrus, watching as a Keeper repaired the hole from earlier.

I shook my head, revealing the nature of my power "I am what I would be... The DragonBorn, a person with a mortal body but a dragon soul."

~"Okey, if The Elder Scrolls is still a classic so far, I'll be easily discovered.~

Wrex seemed to have an easier time picking up on what I was saying "So one of your parents is a Dragon?"

"Aammm No, both of them are human. I received the gift right when... I was born?"

"You doubt your words, why?". The commander had noticed this. She kept an Omni-Tool activated, and by her expression, she had hit the nail on the head. "This is hard to say but... you come from a video game."

At that point the face of every person I presented was filled with doubt.

"A game? Are you serious? Is it even real?"

"You're lying, this is bordering on the absurd."

"What if it's real?"

"It's not."

"You're crazy."

~"There was no other way for this to end."~

"Yes, commander. The Elder Scrolls V - Skyrim. The DragonBorn born with the mission to take down Alduin, the Devourer of Worlds."

"Something was telling me. I see you as being haunted by a certain aura, someone who faced the impossible and came out victorious."

I sighed in relief and terror, now having to explain how it could be a real video game, or the simple fact that I didn't look like something out of a game because of the way I spoke and very basic knowledge of technology.

"I... thank you. Now if I owe you a lot of explaining." I laughed nervously, trying not to meet anyone's eyes. "And this time I won't run away."

Everyone was attentive to what I was going to say, as if whatever came out of my mouth was proof enough to trust me.

"I didn't want this, at least partly. To be a guy who behind a screen imagines adventures that can never happen, until did happen."

"That means you didn't come from..."

"From a game,only partly, I look like a Nordic? No, but before that I was from a very basic universe. No advanced technology, no magic, just day to day life, I think that's why Circe said my universe is the lesser one"

"Circe?" With a quick search on his Omni-Tool, Shepard found out who she was "Greek goddess of magic, this..."

"Sorry, I'm seriously trying to make sense of this."

As if wiping the sweat from his brow, Garrus spoke "It's okay, it's just that this is taking a 360 turn in our life. Go on."

"Okay... I don't quite remember what happened, but I took on the role of the DragonBorn, and with that a great burden placed on me. I felt burdened every day, at every step... Every time I entered the cities I could see the people, the eyes of children and men lit on fire for believing that I could save them, they believed that I was a true warrior. I always woke up with the fear of letting them down."

I stopped talking for a moment, sorting through my thoughts and memories to encompass as much of my story as possible.

"Obviously there were more realistic people who didn't mention it but it was palpable their null faith of them in me."

"But you did it, you're here because you finally stopped this Alduin. Despite your age, you did it."

Words of encouragement came from Shepard, something that gladdened my heart.

"I showed them I could. Falling down to get back up, that's how I became strong, that's how I became indomitable. I made a light grow that is already indelible with each day, and so where others gave twice as much I gave three times as much, I wanted to become the hero for whoever needed it."

I felt motivated at that moment, everything I achieved had not been in vain, people were living because of my intervention, and it was my task also to make that happen here.

"But so far you haven't explained how you got here. Your story can easily be seen on Extranet."

"The game puts a lot of limitations on you, I created my own story since I knew more or less what would happen. Every day was a surprise."

~"Just like here."~

I looked over to where Tali was resting, wishing she would wake up to check her condition, to see her better, to hear her voice. Like 50% of those who played Mass Effect, Tali was the best.

"I came here because I wanted to, I was helped by Phinis and Toldfir. Conjuration magic, Alteration, and an artifact powerful enough to keep the portal stable: The Staff of Magnus."

A revelation that struck the Commander far more than the future coming of the Reapers. She wondered to herself "Is this real?" "I was just a product of a game?"

It was my mistake, I opened my mouth too wide and I didn't even have the words to break my fall.

"Wait a minute!"

The rumbling of what seemed like many glass windows exploded in our hates, stunning us for a few seconds before we realized where we were.

The vast, dark void, adorned by stars in the distance was where the 4 of us now resided, feeling the weight of the universe on our shoulders.

"You could have made up a better lie! But noooo...!"

"What could I say?! You have been very ambiguous with your explanations: 'Young Universe' 'Able to reach the stars just by thinking about it'. Explain yourself at once!"

"I said enough, another thing is that you want it all given away!"

I had engaged in a discussion with Circe about why and how I revealed the truth, a truth that was not entirely clear to me as she only gave me crumbs with which I brought nothing to light.

"What I want is an explanation! I could have peppered you with questions but I enjoyed the moment because my life was going to change forever!"

I looked at the expressions of the others, who by inertia had put on their helmets as they realized they were in space.

As if floating, Shepard approached me with her hands in the air for me to stop arguing. She was surprisingly very calm in this situation.

"I don't quite understand what's going on, but arguing like this won't accomplish anything." Now addressing the voice in the environment, the commander came forward, wanting to resolve this in a good way.

Circe as much as she was angry, that anger was going straight to me, or others, if she introduced herself in a calm manner

"Greek goddess of magic, sorcery; Circe. A pleasure commander"

"We want to understand this situation, what are we? Perhaps the invention of a group of people?"

Circe thought for a while, a few seconds until she finally spoke.

"You exist before everything and everyone at the same time. Have you ever looked at the stars?"

Garrus was trying his best to remain calm, keeping still as best he could in the face of the vastness of space "When you travel through space it's very common to do so, what does that have to do with us?"

"Every star is a door, every door leads to an undiscovered world that already exists."

"But Skyrim is a game, it's also another universe? And ours the same?"

"Do you feel that your life was already designed? No, you live your lives, the games were just versions of those ideas."

A lot of it made sense to everyone now, but since it involves the universe I come from it still doesn't.

"And 'The younger universe' I come from?"

"You are the end, the infinite imagination of your universe can open the stars and reveal the idea, or universe, that it is granting. Make it a game, a book, a movie, a Fanfic, but it is a reality."

It was clear, before my universe existed, everything else was already a reality in plain sight in the stars.

"This is reality, it can be as different or as much the same as you remember it. You can go on the next mission and Wrex dies, or leave the Citadel and Saren has already achieved his goal. It's up to you what happens. Destiny is not written or programmed. And the fact that you are here is proof of it."

There was nothing to say, nothing to clarify for now. There was no identity crisis to know our origin, only a clear answer "Destiny is not written…"

Finally Dr. Michel finished, looking up, "Okay, it's done- what happened? It's as if they had seen a ghost".

We didn't notice but our expressions were of pure amazement, having witnessed either the wonder of life, or our most tragic end.

After all, out of inertia, wanting to start over, I extended my hand to the commander.

She did not hesitate, and as if it was the first time we had met, we introduced ourselves. "I am Commander Shepard, Alliance Marine. It's a pleasure"

With a small smile I also introduced myself "My name is Mijael; The last DragonBorn, Archmage, Harbinger, Listener, Guild Master, Thane of Almost every city in Skyrim, Hero of Skyrim… a few more titles and… High King of Skyrim. The pleasure is mine, Commander."