"I am so, so sorry." Amber shivered under the gaze of the clearly miffed woman, a large chunk of ice she'd conjured nursing the painful-looking welt above her right eye that stretched up across her brow and disappearing into her hairline, a part of her brain was quick to remind her that she'd been the cause of the injury and that the being across from her was not a woman, at least... not anymore.
"This is the third time I've met someone here, and they either attacked me or pulled their weapon on me." Serana began staring back at the guilty and somewhat terrified young woman across from her with a flat look. "Am I missing something, or is this just how the people here say hello?"
Amber glanced towards Mikael who looked back at her expectantly, she wouldn't be getting any help from him, not that she could blame him. "It's just, you look just like that woman and when I saw you I just... I, I'm sorry."
"Stop."
Ambers' mouth clicked shut, sat as she was in front of the two she felt like a little kid that had been dragged before their headmaster after a fight or prank gone wrong, to explain their actions, something the woman across from her had taken notice of if her tired sigh was anything to go by. "Sit up please, I know I'm not the easiest to talk to at times, but this is just ridiculous." Amber winced and slowly raised her head to meet the woman eye. "Better" Serana replied
Leaning forward onto the desk the vampire looked the young woman dead in the eye, her face the definition of calm. "I want you to know, I'm not mad at you." Serana explained, setting her ice aside she began rubbing her temples, nursing the headache brought on by this conversation.
"Mikael filled me in on the details about what happened to you." Her eyes shifted to Mikael and narrowed into a glare. "Although he neglected to mention that I happened to bear some resemblance to one of your attackers, well-done brother, truly your finest work."
Mikael sighed pinching the bridge of his nose, it was his blunder, he'd admit that freely, however, seeing as at the time he'd been somewhat focused on tending to a possibly mortally wounded woman and trying to discern the inner machinations of a Daedric prince, he felt he could be forgiven for failing to recognize the subtle resemblance between Serana and the ashen haired woman who'd been leading the ambush.
Amber herself glanced off to the side, yes there was some resemblance between the two, their eyes and hair being the most prominent features but now that she had the time to look at Serana more closely, there were also a number of differences between the two, her eyes, for instance, were a shade or two darker than her attackers and her jawline was a little more defined.
Had she not jumped to conclusions as she had they probably could have avoided this whole mess in its entirety. "Still, what I did was out of line." Amber argued, biting her lip she looked up at the other woman sorrowfully. "I could have killed you."
"Ehh, you wouldn't have been the first to try, nor fail for that matter" Serana shrugged dismissively, besides Magic and Silver, there wasn't a great many things out there that could actually do her some real harm. Her transformation into the creature she was now, had not only granted her a great deal of power but also rooted out the majority of weaknesses she'd have normally suffered from a human body, for example, the majority of what she might have once considered vital organs didn't even function, to the point where breathing was done more out of a habit than necessity.
Poking her with a pointy bit of steel or sending her flying with a miniature typhoon, something that would likely be fatal to a normal person was little more than an inconvenience to her. Although that wasn't to say she was unkillable, had Amber thrown some fire or lightning at her instead of just wind, that might have left her in a rather precarious state.
She'd already had one too many lightning bolts dropped on her head as it is, and she wasn't in the mood to go through all that again.
"But I-" Amber tried to argue.
"Didn't do anything wrong." Serana assured her, offering what she hoped was a comforting smile to the young woman. "You thought your life was in danger, so I'm not going to blame you for trying to protect yourself from what you perceived as a threat." In an effort to move past this point of conversation Serana held out her hand across the desk towards the younger woman "Let's try this again shall we, my name is Serana Volkihar it's a pleasure."
Amber stared at the hand offered so freely to her in spite of her recent actions, after a few moments she reached out taking the vampires hand "Amber Autumn, and the same to you."
Serana leaned back into her chair with an easy smile. "Well now that's out of the way, I imagine you have a few questions?" She could already imagine what the first would be.
"How are you here?"
'Nailed it' Serana mused "As you can imagine, having Mikael here disappearing off the face of Nirn for no apparent reason raised a few concerns among the populous, myself and a few other close friends more so than other." Amber nodded along with the vampire words, had her own identity as a Maiden been free for all to know like the maidens of the past, she doubted her sudden disappearance would go unnoticed...still.
"That still doesn't explain how you're here." Amber went on "Mikael was brought to Remnant by Hermanus Mora, so how did..." Amber trailed off her face growing slightly pale, after what happened to Ruby she doubted Mora had any hand in bringing Serana here but considering what Mikael had told her about Nirns more frowned upon pantheons, that still left around sixteen other options for the immortal sitting across from her.
Amber hastily glanced around the corners of the room, searching for any signs that something might be watching them "You didn't go to one of the others... did you." Having to possibly fight off one demon was already enough for her lifetime thank you very much.
Serena frowned her brow knitting into a thin line. "Never" She was neither naive nor stupid enough to request the aid of the other Daedric princes, Nocturnal being the only exception given the Night mistress's ties to Mikael and her two other companions, nevertheless even if she had assurance they'd hold up their end of the bargain and transfer herself and her companions here safely, she wouldn't unleash their evil upon another world, especially one that lacked the protection of the divine.
"The Psijic monks-"
"Who?" Amber asked.
"A group of pompous Altmer mages, who claim to be the absolute authority over the practice of Magic upon Nirn." Mikael began his face shifting into a scowl "And who despite possessing the ability to predict and combat catastrophic events caused by the abuse of the mystic arts, instead choose to ignore said events in favor of maintaining their seclusion and secrecy to the outside world." Serana rolled her eyes, her brothers distaste for the monks rearing its head once more, although, given the events regarding the Eye of Magnus back at the College, she couldn't say they weren't unfounded.
"Well, that's Mikael's version at least" The immortal being shrugged.
"I stand by what I said." Mikael added, earning an exaggerated roll of the eyes from Serana.
"Any who." The vampire cut in, moving the conversation back on topic "Long story short, the mages at the college in Winterhold said they'd figured out a way to reach Mikael, however, they said it would require that we used the Elder Scrolls." She still didn't understand how they'd come to that conclusion, and given the circumstances, she hadn't possessed the forethought to ask at the time.
"Ummm?" Amber glanced between the Nightingale and Vampire; she had a feeling she was missing something important here. "Can we go back a minute, you said you used the "Elder Scrolls" and "We" as in there were more of you involved."
"Yes." Serana replied a small smile forming across her lips "And given your lack of confusion, I imagine Mikael filled you in on what they were, at least vaguely." Serana received a nod back from the Fall Maiden, good, that meant she could skip past some of the peskier details.
"We recovered some of the scrolls Mikael had hidden away before making our way back to the college, we found out the Psijic's were the ones behind the ritual meant to open a gate to your world, so that myself and a few close friends of ours, could find this idiot and bring her home." Serana gestured to Mikael before leaning forward onto the desk, resting her chin on her fist. "Unfortunately, something seems to have gone awry after we stepped through, I woke up somewhere in Anima ruffly a week ago with one of the scrolls and-"
"The what!? Was where!?" Amber shrieked jumping up from her chair, eyes wide in alarm.
"My thoughts exactly." A swift elbow to the side courtesy of his sister, silence any further complaints.
"Yes, the Scroll was pulled through with us whether it was just the one or all of them is a little up in the air right now." However, she was inclined to believe the latter, and judging by the panicked look on Ambers face she seemed to have come to the same conclusion. "Before you start freaking out." Serana cut in" The scroll I had with me is safe and hidden away for the time being." They might need them when the time came to return home, however that seemed like a long way off now than what she'd initially hoped. "As for the others, my comrades know the dangers they pose, they'll keep them safe until we can all find each other again."
Amber sighed, on one hand, there were two of three reality-bending artefacts out there in the world for the taking, on the other, said artefacts were in the hands of a group of Mikael's most trusted allies who likely knew all too well about the Elder Scrolls, much to her relief. After all, if they were anything like the man she'd come to know, then they wouldn't have to worry about the world ending any time soon, never the less the situation was anything but desirable.
"So, we just wait for them to make their way here?" Amber inquired, if she were being honest that sounded like they were leaving too much up to chance, there had to be another way. "What about Ozpin, if we go to him and explain the situation, he could have James and the other headmasters keep an eye out for your friends." The reach of Ozpins brotherhood went far beyond Vale, with the headmasters of each Academy answering to him directly, if they told him about Mikael's comrades not only would it speed up the process, but if Serana's theory was true, get those scrolls out of harm's way.
"I suppose, but the abridged version of our conversation that I gave him, doesn't leave much in terms of wiggle room." Then again she could always try to play it off as her airing on the side of caution, given her encounter with the Branwen tribe and the Elder Scroll in her possession, there was a chance they might buy it. Serana tilted her head up towards Mikael. "Still, it's defiantly an option we haven't explored yet." She said.
"And a dangerous one at that." Not only to Ozpins brotherhood but to them as well. He didn't like it, but the headmaster and his followers discovering the existence of the Hermaeus, wasn't just a possibility anymore, Nocturnal herself had confirmed the inevitability. Hermaeus would try to abduct Miss Rose again, and when he did, he doubted that bastard would be as subtle as the last time.
Still, even if they did reveal the truth, he wasn't naive enough to believe the old man would appreciate being kept out of the loop as he had been, or there wouldn't be any suspicion towards their claims.
The trust between them was fickle enough as it is and revealing he had ties to a demon, and that said demon had attempted to abduct one of his students and enslave her, would only end badly for both sides. "We've kept a lid on what happened that night for some time now." Mikael began "I doubt Ozpin would be appreciative of that, from an outsiders perspective it may look like we were trying to conceal Hermaeus's actions, he may even order Glynda and the other teachers to apprehend the two of us." Mikael looked to Serana, who seemed to share in his worry.
"The three of us." Amber was quick to amend "I'm just as involved in all this as the two of you are."
"The difference being you're the Fall Maiden, you're an asset to them. "Serana replied, and as such, she was far too valuable from them to just write off or imprison, less they turn her against them." While we, on the other hand, are just two strangers to your land with ties to Daedric lords, and with little in ways of evidence other than our words as reassurance we aren't secretly plotting against them, despite me quite literally being a monster in their eyes, and my brother having gone behind your headmasters back on more than one occasion."
Mikael sighed "It won't matter what our true intentions may be, what will, is what they look to be." His attempts to safeguard the students from Hermaeus could easily be perceived as him attempting to aid the dread lord, and then him coming along and admitting that same demon was the very reason he arrived here would do little to help his case, if anything it would land him and Serana in irons all the quicker.
Leaning back in her chair Amber bit her lip, racking her brain for a reason, even the smallest she could think of that might make them reconsider, having Ozpin and the brotherhood on their side could only benefit them in the long run, not only in resources but in allies as well. But every scenario she could think of ran into the same roadblock, there was no real way they could prove they were actually on the same side.
Sure, they had Ruby's testimony to back up their word, but that could just as easily be dismissed as them coercing the girl into speaking out for them. The same could be said for herself if she tried to defend them, Ozpin and Glynda could just as easily brush it off as her friendship with Mikael clouding her judgment, unless... Amber glanced down at her hands a familiar yellow-orange glow shimmering over her palms.
She'd never tried it that way before, but if she was able to view someone else's memories then it was just as possible her power could be used in reverse as well. " I... might have a way around that." Mikael and Serana looked to Amber, the Fall Maiden raised her left hand showing off the aura encasing her palm.
The Nightingale stared at her raised hand for a few moments before his eyes widened in realization "Your Semblance." That... that could work.
"Her what now?" Serana asked, looked between the two, with a sigh, she pinched the bridge of her nose, why don't we pretend I don't know what that is, and one of you fill me in?" The vampire leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms over her chest, looking up at the Maiden and Dragonborn expectantly.
"Right, well, in a way, it's similar to your magic, but if you only had access to one random spell for the rest of your life." Amber explained, she watched Serana grimace before slowly nodding along with her words, a thoughtful expression passing over her features. "For instance, someone could have a semblance that lets them levitate objects, others could turn themselves invisible and so on and so forth, my own allows me to read someone's memories like an open book."
Well, that explained how Raven had been able to literally slash a portal to Qrow into existence. "Interesting." Serana mused, her amber eyes flicking up to the Fall Maiden. "And you think you can use this Semblance of yours to convince Ozpin and that brotherhood of his, not to turn on us if we brought all this to his attention?"
"Most likely." Amber replied, Qrow and Glynda had already gone through it once before so at the very least they'd be more likely to believe what they had to say.
Serana furrowed her brow at the Fall maiden, was she asking them to put their faith in her when she herself didn't even know if it could work. "Most likely? Can you or can't you? I'd rather not rest our well-being on might's and maybes." She groused.
"When I've used it on people in the past our minds are connected, showing them one of my own memory or a memory from someone else who shares that connection, should be just as easy as it is for me to view one of their own." Amber explained. She'd poked around in other people's heads enough times to know what she was doing, so it shouldn't be too hard to let someone else take a peek into her own.
"With your permission of course." Amber added recalling Mikael's thinly veiled warning back in that cave all those months ago.
Serana, while all too familiar with the concept of her power, still looked more than a little skeptical of Ambers abilities, a mind was a delicate, complicated thing, one slip up and the damage done could be irreparable, something she'd learned the hard way back in her youth. Turning her attention towards Mikael who'd been quiet for the majority of their conversation, she asked. "And you'd be fine with the idea of her poking around in our minds, to test this theory." Mikael looked between his sister and a now somewhat nervous Amber before giving his answer.
"She hasn't given me a reason to doubt her, yet." He assured her, though his sister still looked somewhat skeptical of the Fall Maidens abilities. "And in any case even if it fails there are still other options we have yet to explore." Options far safer but more restricting and time-consuming than the route Amber suggested, but options, nonetheless. Crossing his arms over his chest he flicked his head towards the window across the room, more importantly, Beacon tower off in the distance. "But with things going as they are the headmasters and his followers finding out is inevitable, Mora will try again... Nocturnal has confirmed it."
"You spoke to her?" Amber asked eyes wide in alarm "When?"
"Earlier this morning, it's the reason I called you both here on such short notice." The Nightingale replied. "Mora's return is an inevitability at this point, and when he does try again it would be best we face what's coming with a unified front, rather than let ourselves be divided by suspicion and doubt " And with the Vytal festival fast approaching, not only would their ability to move undetected become more limited, but the chance of more innocents being drawn in the line of fire grew by the day.
"Well shit." Serana muttered a hint of annoyance in her tone, directed at the unseen Daedric lord, after all this time now was the time that damn Daedra decided to pitch in and help them out. "How long do we have?" She asked, not only did they have to worry about the scrolls being picked up by some idiot but now the clock might literally be ticking down to an invasion, lovely.
"I don't know, though she has made her stance on Mora's actions known, and as such, I have been tasked with watching over miss Rose until the threat has passed."
"Well, that's something at least." Serana tsked, they had Nocturnal's blessing in a sense, so at least she wouldn't try and interfere or worse deal with Ruby herself.
"We have to warn Ruby and her team." Amber pulled her scroll from her back pocket she started flicking through the student records for the girl's contact information. Mikael reached out covering the screen just as she flicked over an image of the red-clad girl. "What are you doing!?" Amber demanded her frantic eyes staring up at him in a mix of shock and confusion.
"Stopping you from causing a panic." Mikael pulled the scroll from her hands and collapsed it back into its compact form.
"But you said-" Mikael was quick to cut her off before she could argue.
"I know what I said." Stepping back Mikael pulled the scroll away from Ambers grasping hand, frustration flashing in his eyes. "But such a conversation is better-done face to face" Miss Rose would be attending combat class later that afternoon, once classes had concluded he'd pull her aside and explain the situation, he doubted it would be received all that well, but the knowledge she was safe inside Beacon may help soften the blow. "We don't want to cause an uproar."
Mikael watched Amber glance between himself and her scroll, conflicted, a part of her knew she should get in contact with not only Ruby but maybe even Ozpin and warn them of the coming threat, while the other, that trusted Mikael made her hesitate, a tense moment of silence passing between the two before Amber let out a long breath through her nose.
"Fine." She relented.
"Thank you." Mikael held the scroll back out towards her. "This morning Serana and I planted some barrier runes around Beacon, his minions won't be able to her touch so long as she is on academy grounds, I assure you, Ruby is safe for the time being." He watched the franticness in the Fall maidens eyes fade, if only slightly, reaching up Amber took her scroll back, glancing down at the device, temptation flashed in her eyes before slowly lowering her arm and pocketing the scroll.
"You said his minions." She asked. "What about him?"
Serana shook her head in response "Nothing we could do on our own, would keep him away indefinitely." Serana admitted, much to the Fall Maidens dismay "The barrier will keep his cronies at bay but well, if he wants to come through he'll be coming through, though we'll have some warning before he can manifest completely." The barrier would restrict his ability to manifest, meaning if he wanted to come through he'd have to do it in full or not at all, and something on that level bought them time to react.
"Okay, then what about the Scrolls?" It was a dangerous question, Amber knew as much as soon as it popped into her mind, yet she asked it anyway, she needed to be sure about what cards would be on the table if worst comes to worst.
"That's... That's not an option." Mikael replied, her heart was in the right place, but he had a feeling she didn't quite yet grasp the full gravity of what she was suggesting. "If we use the scroll in our possession, we risk not only our lives, but the lives of everyone on this world, one slip up, one misstep and we risk plunging it into the void."
Amber swallowed "But there's just as equal a chance it could work, that we could use them to stop him."
"And would you be willing to pay the price, for that victory." Serana cut in. "What your suggesting is plausible, we could use the scroll's power to stop him here and now, but that power can be wild and untamed, not to mention the backlash the user could face if something goes wrong." Serana explained, the fact Mikael had been able to walk away unscathed after reading the scrolls in the past, was a miracle in itself, without the time wound at the Throat of The World or the ritual they'd performed in the Ancestral Glade, who knows what might have happened. "If you try and read a scroll without going through the proper preparations beforehand, the Scroll could end up taking a part of you as payment for whatever you learned or used it to accomplish, your sight, your voice, your mind... your life." Serana rattled off one example after another, watching as the young woman's face grew pale.
"The risk is too great." Mikael reaffirmed.
Amber looked at him "T-then what do we do?" She was a huntress, she'd stared into the jaws of death hundreds of times throughout her life, and yet, this all seemed so beyond her, beyond anyone, by all definition Hermaeus Mora was a god, a dark one maybe but a God no less, saying they could fight and even have a chance at pushing him back… seemed like an impossibility.
"Don't lose hope." Serana tried to reassure her, for someone who'd never faced down the threat of the Daedra it must have been terrifying, to feel so insignificant, that they were helpless against them, it had been the same upon Nirn once upon a time. Yet the mortal races had proven they could stand against them, that they could hold their ground, that they could persevere and push back the darkness. "The Daedra are strong, yes, but even they can be defeated." Bal's failed Plane Meld and Dagon's Oblivion Crisis were evidence of that.
"Right..." Amber slowly nodded, she envied their resolve in the face of such a threat, however, given the history of their homeland she couldn't say it wasn't unfounded. "Your people have overcome worse in the past." And so could they. While Remnant people may be lacking in regard to Magical prowess, they more than made up for it with their advancements in technology. And as Atlas rise to power throughout history had shown, the army with the most technological might was often guaranteed victory.
'Often... but not always.' A small voice whispered in the back of her mind.
"But unlike them, we have time to prepare and secure allies, and you may be our best hope of accomplishing the latter." Mikael added, his gaze shifting back over to Serana. "Keeping Ozpin and his followers in the dark is no longer an option, so getting them on our side should be a priority, one worth the risk, don't you think?"
Leaning back in her chair Serana mulled over her brother's words, she'd admit he had a point about getting the old man on their side, if the headmaster reach stretched as far as Amber made it out to be, having ties with the man could only aid them in the long run. And while they probably wouldn't take too well to them keeping secrets about Mora as the three of them had, given their own past the headmaster may be reasonable enough to let them make their case before coming to a decision and if that... Semblance, Amber had mentioned held up to her word, well, things would probably go a bit more smoothly on that front.
After a few moments, the vampire sighed. "Fine" Pushing her reservations on the matter aside, Serana rose out of her seat and moved around to the front of the desk. "So, how does that Semblance of yours work exactly?" She wouldn't mind a little more insight into the girl's capabilities before they got started.
"R-right.. well." Amber Took a quick moment to collect herself before continuing. "All you have to do is take my hand, close your eyes and try to relax, I can handle the rest." Holding her hands out towards the two, her aura spread out across her skin, stretching up from her wrist to the tips of her fingers.
"That's it?" Serana asked, that sounded... a lot simpler than she was expecting it to be.
"That's it" Amber nodded back, offering a small reassuring smile. "Though I'll warn you, it's gonna feel a little... invasive at first, but that should be normal. However, be sure to tell me if you start to feel weird or anything like a bad migraine coming on and I'll cut it off." Amber instructed the two.
A slender eyebrow rose in response to the fall Maidens warning. "Define weird."
"Like I said, something similar to a migraine, or a really bad headache anything that could be attributed to fatigue or strain." Creating a mental link between two individuals wasn't an easy task and maintaining one for a prolonged period of time could be strenuous on both ends, there'd been a few instances in the past where she'd been forced to sever a link prematurely after the person on the other end came close to passing out.
Serana let out a small breath through her nose, sparing a glance towards Mikael, her amber eyes locked with his sky-blue, an unspoken conversation passing between the two before finally nodding to one another "Alright then." Turning their gaze back towards Amber they reached out, taking the fall maidens hands into their own, the aura enveloping Ambers hands spread out across their own stretching up past their wrists halfway of their forearm.
"Just stick to my more recent years, some of my early ones aren't exactly what you'd call pleasant." Serana advised, she'd rather not have the poor girl traumatizing herself, because she accidentally peaked at one of her darker days.
Amber hummed in response, half-listening to Serana's warning with her main focus on solidifying a strong link between the three of them. There was a little more interference than she was expecting, the closest thing she could compare it to was the overlapping static you tended to pick up between two radio stations. After a few moments of sifting through all the noise, Amber was greeted by the calmness of the void.
Mikael shuddered, a foreign presence worming itself into the back of his mind, his first instinct was to resist, to push the foreign presence out of his head before it could accomplish its goal. Though Mikael was quick to push that thought aside, he had to remind himself this was not an invading entity attempting to force its way into his innermost thought, but the young woman in front of him solidifying the link between them.
Seemingly sensing his resistance, he felt Amber attempts at delving deeper cease, after a few moments he felt her prod against his mental walls once more, this time the action was far less forceful almost as if she was asking for entry. Taking a breath Mikael granted her request dropping his mental guard for a moment and allowing the presence to roam deeper into his mind. He felt Ambers grip tightened ever so slightly and the world around him began to fade out of focus.
"Sorry... there's just a little more to work with on your sister's side than I'm used to." Amber's face twitched in discomfort.
If a person's memories were like the leaves growing across a vine, then Serena's mind was like a great Oak in spring, its leaves numbered in the thousands. Stood before this colossal construct of the mind, Amber reached out and plucked a single golden leaf from its branches, cradling it gently in her hands, the leaf shimmered in the light, from what she could tell at first glance the memory heled within was fairly recent, from around a month or two ago at least.
Amber slowly closed her hands around the leaf, the blank space around her beginning to shift and change.
/
"...Okay, you can open your eyes now."
Following the maidens instructions, the two slowly opened their eyes and found themselves sitting in a set of oak chairs in front of an all too familiar fireplace. Mikael blinked in alarm, glancing around himself he slowly rose from his chair Serana mimicking his action, her amber eyes scanned the surrounding room, a set of bookcases lined the stone walls across from them, accompanied by the occasional weapon rack that in itself were occupied by a handful of swords, maces, and staffs.
A small rug embroidered with a series of intricate overlapping patterns made a path across the smooth stone floor to the wooden desk sat at the very back of the room, behind which were two additional bookshelves separated by a small safe, the banner of the thieves guild occupying the wall above it. Mikael recognized the room immediately, after all, he'd damn near built the thing himself.
Ambers form shimmered into existence in front of the desk, the Fall Maiden glanced around the room studying the mental construct carefully, before looking to Mikael and Serana "Does this look familiar to either of you?" She inquired; it wouldn't be the first time a work of fiction had been mistaken for reality.
"Verry..." Serana trailed off, her amber eyes examining even the most minute detail of the room around her. Like the majority of her kind, she'd meddled with the minds of countless individuals over the millennia, hypnotizing the source of her next meal, altering memories, tricking the most tight-lipped individuals to unveil their darkest secrets and desires, she'd just about done it all, but for all her years she could safely say she'd never experienced something as vivid as this.
Pulling himself back to reality, Mikael's gaze turned back towards the Fall Maiden "What of our bodies?" He inquired.
"Still in the office" The Fall Maiden replied, "Our minds might occupy this space, but our physical bodies are back in Beacon." Mikael nodded along with Amber words, he couldn't help but note that her power shared some similarities with Hermaeus's Black books, however, while they served as gateways to the Daedra's world, Ambers seemed to act as a bridge between their minds.
Wincing slightly Amber pinched the bridge of her nose, doing her best to ignore the dull ache behind her eyes. An action that did not go unnoticed by the rooms other two occupants "You doing okay?" Serana asked.
"I'm fine." Amber replied, shifting her eyes towards the double door, they narrowed in frustration. "It's just taking a little longer to get things moving."
Serena's gaze softened. "Don't push yourself on our behalf." Even if Amber had made the offer, she wasn't about to let her overdo it on the first go. "If this is all you can manage right now, you can stop, at least now we know we won't have to worry about only having our word to back up our claims." Serana offered the younger woman a reassuring smile. "We can work out the kinks as we shore up our defenses." The barrier might ensure the academy as a temporary safe haven, but they couldn't exactly bar Ruby from settling foot beyond its walls.
"We might not have that long." Amber argued, she was a Huntress damn it, a protector of Mankind. They'd said it themselves, Mora was coming, so if through her actions they could secure an alliance against the coming storm, the risk was well worth the reward.
The rumbling of gears greeted their ears, pulling the trio's attention back towards the double doors, footsteps and muffled voices echoing down the hallway on the other side.
"I see why you asked me to come along... remarkable, truly remarkable." The first spoke up.
"You always called yourself, what was it now?...the guy that gets things done, figured I'd put that to the test." The second, an all too familiar voice to the trio replied. The double doors opened inwards, Serana watched her younger self steep through her amber orbs darting around the room questioningly before zeroing in on the oak desk beside them and making a b-line for it. While her companion, Enthir a Bosmer mage clad in an open blue college robe, with pale grey lining along the collar revealing the pale cream tunic with matching pants and boots he wore underneath.
"I hope that I've lived up to my reputation" Enthir replied, studying the room around him with a curious eye. "Though after what happened to old Arniel, I doubt there's anyone else you know who can disable a Dwemer puzzle lock." He smirked.
"No one who wouldn't charge me" Serana stepped around the oak desk beside the unseen trio, and immediately pulled the first draw free and dumped its contents out onto the desk before moving on to the next. "Give me a hand here, there must be something that can tell us where Mikael might have gone." she said pushing the elder towards the Bosmer Mage while she dug through the papers.
Mikael turned his gaze towards Serana, the vampire glanced off to the side innocently "Tell me you at least, put everything back once you were done." Mikael sighed eyeing the mess his sister was making of his study.
"We did." Serana replied.
Mikael hummed in response, the Nightingale watched Enthir scooped up one of the ledgers Serana had pulled from the draws and began flipping through the pages, he made a mental note to have a word with the Bosmer mage the next time he set foot in Winterhold, not only about what he'd learned about the contents the ledger but how he'd managed to break through that puzzle lock. He'd paid a lot for that damn thing and having learned it had been broken by the Bosmer mage so easily... well, let's just say he felt a little cheated.
"And your certain he left something behind." Enthir mused, closing the ledger he set it down on the desk in front of Serana. "It's not all that uncommon for him to disappear every now and then, perhaps it's just part of a contract from the guild, and it's just "need to know" as they say."
"I already talked to the guild, Sapphire said that the last they'd heard from him he'd just finished up a job in Highrock, even if he got stuck at the border, he should have been back over a week ago." Serana snapped back, shoving the pile of papers she'd just worked through aside, slapping her hands down on the desk she stared down into the woodwork. "Something must have happened."
Enthir sighed. "Serana." He reached across the desk, resting a hand on the Vampires shoulder "I'll help you search this place top to bottom if that's your wish, but if we don't hear from him soon, we may have to accept the possibility that he's-"
"N-no!" Serana pulled back from the Bosmer, slit amber eyes glaring back at him. "No...He's alive, I know it." Even if what Enthir was suggesting was true, she wouldn't-
The memory halted, the world around them blurred, cracks spreading across its surface before shattering like glass.
/
Mikael and Serana eyes snapped open, their awakening accompanied by a low groan from the woman in front of them, the duo had little time to react as Amber's eyes glassed over, the Fall Maiden toppling forward like a falling domino. Mikael was the first to overcome his shock surging forward arms outstretched to catch her, dropping to one knee as she fell the Nightingale pulled her back into his chest cradling her limp form in his arms.
"Amber, Amber!" He shook her lightly, his eyes wide in panic.
Serana knelt down beside him, her ears twitched picking up the sound of a steady heartbeat pounding away in the young woman chest "It's okay." Serana assured him. "I think she just passed out, Amber, Amber can you hear us." Serana called out to her, earning a soft groan from the young woman.
Amber shifted slightly in Mikael's arms, her eyes blinking open. "Wha..." She groaned, glancing up at the two in confusion.
"Here" Stepping back Serana pulled over a nearby chair, Mikael shifted his arm under Ambers' knees, lifting her off the floor the Nightingale quickly moved her into the waiting chair.
Amber leaned back in the chair rubbing a hand across her brow, her head pounding like the beat of a drum. "What...happened?" She asked, everything was going so well, the memory had been playing out in front of them, then the throbbing behind her eyes suddenly shot up tenfold and everything just started to go black. "I overdid it... damn it all" Amber cursed under her breath, if she'd just been able to hold on a little longer they'd have the means to prove Mikael's innocence to the Brotherhood.
"None of that now." Mikael gripped her hand softly, Serana's memory might have only been viewable for a few minutes, but it had still been viewable to him, this was a success no matter how they looked at it. "As Serana said, this is more than enough, we can work out the rest as we move forward." Amber mulled over Mikael's words for a few moments before slowly nodding, it was a start, a slow one but a start, nonetheless.
"Are you going to be alright?" Serana asked, a healing spell already alight in her hands, she watched Ambers aura flicker around her body for a few moments before fading altogether.
"I just need a minute." Amber glanced up at the clock above the desk and grimaced, she had just under twenty minutes before lessons started, if she left now and hurried she'd make it across campus in time for her class. The vampire and Dragonborn followed her gaze and immediately understood her sudden shift in demeanor.
"I can contact Glynda if you'd like?" Mikael offered.
"I met her on the way up here." Amber replied, pushing herself up out of the chair and back on her feet, the sharp throbbing behind her eyes had subsided, leaving a dull yet noticeable ache in its wake. "She'll know somethings up if I pull a sick day out of nowhere." She offered what she hoped was a reassuring smiled to the two of them. "Besides, the walk across campus should help clear my head."
"Which side?." Serana inquired.
"West" Amber replied eyeing the vampire curiously.
"I have a class with some of the first years with Peach over that way, I'll walk you there." Serana said.
Amber was quick to wave off the vampire's concern "I appreciate the offer but that's not necessary." She was just a little light-headed it would pass by the time she made it back down to the courtyard, though judging by the firm look on the immortal's face, that didn't seem to be enough.
"You were passed out on the floor from exhaustion just a minute ago, I think I'll be the one to decide what's necessary." Serana rebutted, watching the young woman glance off to the side in embarrassment. Don't get her wrong she was grateful for what Amber had done for them, especially since doing so had cost her in the end. So, she wasn't about to let her wander off on her own after what just happened, no one liked to look weak but there were times when you had to swallow your pride and accept a helping hand.
Shaking her head Serana turned on her heels marching off towards the door "Come on" She called out, gesturing for the Fall Maiden to follow. "We stand around talking about it any longer and we'll both be late." Amber glanced towards the clock once more, seeing no point in arguing she followed the Vampire out into the hallway, she glanced back over her shoulder giving a small nod back to the Nightingale just as the door clicked shut behind them.
Sitting back down behind the desk, Mikael glanced up towards the clock he had around four hours before his afternoon combat classes rolled around, and he intended to put that time to good use. Reaching into his satchel Mikael drew out the journal he'd recovered from Apocrypha. His lady had warned him of miss Roses growing curiosity towards her abilities, and while the reasons behind the task she'd set for him may differ from his own, their objectives remained the same.
Turning back to the latter chapter regarding the village incident, he skipped ahead a few pages towards when the flash of light first occurred, this and the scant few pages of notes and theories that followed were likely his best chance at understanding the power in greater detail, the author had already determined that this power was linked to their emotional state in some regards, although he imagined it went deeper than that.
What exactly fueled this power?
What was the extent of its use?
Did the type or magnitude of the creatures of Grimm they faced factor into the potency of the light they released.
And in the face of the devastation described in the author's entry, why was it only seeing the boy in harm's way that invoked such a reaction.
With danger edging closer from all sides, it seems our band of misfits and monsters are faced with a damning choice, to pull back the veil and reveal the dark secrets of their world to the eyes of our noble Huntsmen or allow fates ever-changing tides to take hold and cast them into the abyss.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter of Shadows Rising, as always favorite, follow or leave a review if you're up to it, any constructive criticism you have towards my work is always welcome.