Illusiveone
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1: Dragonborn Conqueror, A Gift From The Mad God
🕑 Added 2024-12-11 15:52:17 +0000 UTCI've made some big changes to the early chapters in this rewrite. I didn’t like the beginning of the old version, and I hit a wall, unable to continue. This version feels much better, with Harald settling down in the Riverlands for some time before the plot begins, unlike the older version where he was already in conflict as soon as he reached Westeros. I'd love to hear your thoughts after reading. I'll be posting more today.
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“Fus... Roh... Dah!”
The shout erupted from Harald Stormcrown's throat like a force of nature, shaking the very foundations of Sovngarde. The words echoed across the ethereal landscape, reverberating through the heavens and rattling the ancient stones beneath his feet. The force surged forward, slamming into Alduin with the power of a cataclysm.
The colossal dragon, the World-Eater, staggered back, his once-majestic wings flailing in a desperate attempt to maintain his balance. The ground quaked in response, but Harald stood firm, his gaze locked onto the monstrous form that had haunted his every waking moment for the past three years.
In an instant, three more shouts pierced the air, each a battle cry from the ancient heroes who had once stood against Alduin in ages past. Hakon’s voice boomed with the might of "Joor... Zah... Frul!" The words stripped Alduin of his ability to soar, his wings faltering as their power waned.
Gormlaith’s fierce shout, "Krii... Lun... Aus!" followed, striking true and sapping the World-Eater's strength. The dragon's roars of defiance grew weaker, more desperate.
Then came Felldir's ancient words: "Fo... Krah... Din!" A blizzard of ice erupted from his lips, encasing Alduin in a tomb of frost. The once-invincible dragon became a towering statue of ice, his scales coated in a thick layer of hoarfrost.
“Do it now!” Gormlaith’s voice cut through the chaos like a blade, sharp and urgent.
Harald's heart pounded in his chest, a rhythm matching the fury of the battle. His eyes remained fixed on Alduin, whose immense form struggled under the relentless assault. The ebony battleaxe in Harald’s hands gleamed darkly, its blackened blade wickedly sharp and etched with Daedric runes that pulsed with a malevolent red light, as if thirsting for the blood of the dragon before him.
Harald tightened his grip. This was it—this was the moment his relentless two-year pursuit had led to. Every battle, every sacrifice, every hardship had been for this singular purpose. The Dragonborn, the one destined to rid the world of this ancient evil, would not falter now.
With a mighty leap, Harald closed the distance between himself and the wounded dragon. Alduin’s eyes, burning with a mix of hatred and desperation, locked onto Harald. But it was too late.
Harald's battle cry shook the heavens as he brought the battleaxe down with all the strength and fury he could muster. The blade plunged deep into Alduin’s black hide, tearing through scales and muscle, sinking into the very heart of the beast. Dark, ichor-like blood spurted from the wound, staining the ground beneath them.
But Harald wasn’t finished. The fire in his soul flared, and with a deep breath, he roared, "Yol... Toor... Shul!" Flames erupted from his mouth, a searing inferno that engulfed Alduin from within. The dragon roared in agony, his immense form convulsing as the fire consumed him. His scales, once impenetrable, began to crack and peel away, revealing the raw, molten flesh beneath. The World-Eater’s roars turned to desperate, choking gasps as his very soul unraveled. The force that had threatened to devour all creation was being torn apart.
Alduin thrashed wildly, his once-fearsome body crumbling as if made of ash. Beneath the scales, a black, tar-like skeleton emerged—the last remnants of his physical form. Harald watched, unflinching, as the dark essence drained away, leaving behind only a skeletal shadow of the terror that had once been.
With one final, thunderous spasm, Alduin’s form disintegrated, bursting apart into wisps of dark smoke that were quickly swallowed by the ether. Not even his bones remained—the World-Eater was utterly obliterated, erased from existence.
The skies above Sovngarde cleared, the oppressive mist that had loomed over the realm lifting as the ancient dragon’s soul was finally extinguished.
It was over. Harald Stormcrown, the Last Dragonborn, had fulfilled his destiny.
He fell to his knees, exhaustion and a wave of overwhelming emotion crashing over him. Memories surged through his mind—memories of those he had lost along the way. Kharjo, loyal to the end; Lydia, who had sworn to carry his burdens and did so unto death; Mjoll, the Lioness, whose fierce heart had been stilled too soon. Their faces flashed before him, and for a moment, the joy of victory was eclipsed by the weight of their absence.
"I did it," he whispered, his voice barely audible. The image of that fateful battle atop the Throat of the World replayed in his mind—Alduin's savage onslaught, his friends falling one by one. Their deaths had driven him forward, fueled his relentless pursuit. And now, at last, he had avenged them.
As Harald knelt there, Hakon, Felldir, and Gormlaith approached, their expressions solemn yet proud.
"Harald Stormcrown," Hakon began, his voice deep and resonant, "you have done what few could even dream of. The doom of Alduin is encompassed at last. Sovngarde is cleansed of his evil snare, and the world is free from his shadow."
Gormlaith nodded, her fierce eyes softened with respect. "Your deeds will be sung in Shor's hall for all eternity. You have honored your fallen comrades and proven yourself a true hero of Tamriel."
Felldir placed a hand on Harald's shoulder, a gesture of camaraderie and reassurance. "When your time comes, we will await you here, Dragonborn. You have earned your place among us, but that time is not now."
Harald looked up at them, gratitude and sorrow mingling in his heart. Their words were comforting, but he knew his path had not yet ended. As he stood, he saw Tsun approaching, the god's immense form casting a long shadow across the battlefield.
Tsun was a giant of a god, towering above Harald. His skin was a deep bronze, gleaming with the strength of the mountains. His eyes were like burning coals, ancient and wise, and his voice, when he spoke, was as deep and resonant as the mountains themselves.
"That was a mighty deed!" Tsun's voice echoed across the expanse. "The doom of Alduin encompassed at last, and Sovngarde is cleansed of his evil snare. They will sing of this battle in Shor's hall forever. You have done well since your arrival from your old world."
Harald’s brow furrowed in shock. "You... you know?"
Tsun’s stern expression softened slightly, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. "Yes. I have watched you ever since your soul arrived in Mundus."
Harald’s shock was palpable. "How…?"
"It was Akatosh’s doing," Tsun explained, his voice steady. "It seems he was correct in doing so. Whatever world or realm you came from before matters not now. Tamriel is your home."
Harald took a deep breath, a flood of memories washing over him. "I held that secret for a long time... I’m glad I could talk to someone about it." He recalled waking up as a child in Cyrodiil, the shock of finding himself in a world he once thought was mere fiction. The journey from that bewildering beginning to this moment had been long and arduous.
"When you are ready to rejoin the living," Tsun continued, his voice firm yet understanding, "just bid me so, and I will send you back."
Harald sighed deeply, his heart heavy. "I have nothing to go back to. All the friends I have made... they’re dead."
"The land of the dead is not meant for mortals to linger, Dragonborn," Tsun said, his tone firm but not unkind.
Harald looked up at the towering god, resignation in his eyes. He gave a slow nod. "Send me back."
Tsun stepped back, his voice rising in a powerful chant. "Return now to Nirn, with this rich boon from Shor, my lord: a Shout to bring a hero from Sovngarde in your hour of need. Nahl... Daal... Vus!"
As Tsun’s words filled the air, Harald’s vision began to blur, the world around him dissolving into a brilliant golden light. The light consumed everything, and for a moment, he felt weightless, as if falling through an endless void.
Suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind, familiar yet laced with madness. "Take this as a boon for helping me before... a place you can start over… well, start over again!" The voice cackled with maniacal laughter.
Harald’s eyes widened in realization. "Wait, what?" he thought, but before he could react, the golden light intensified, blinding him completely.
The sensation of falling became more intense, and as his vision slowly cleared, Harald looked down to see the ground rushing up to meet him at an alarming speed. Panic surged through him, but he forced himself to focus.
"Feim," he shouted, the words flowing instinctively from his lips.
His body turned incorporeal, the world around him shimmering. The impact he had feared never came; instead, he drifted safely to the ground, landing softly on his feet.
As the last echoes of the Shout faded, Harald looked around, his heart pounding in his chest. This was not the Sovngarde he had just left, nor was it the familiar landscape of Skyrim. The air was different, the land unfamiliar.
Where had Sheogorath sent him?
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Wherever Sheogorath had sent him, it definitely wasn’t Tamriel. Harald knew this much as soon as he looked up at the evening sky and saw a single moon, stark and solitary, instead of the twin orbs of Masser and Secunda. For a fleeting moment, he wondered if he had somehow returned to Earth. The thought sent a shiver down his spine. Even he would rather return to Tamriel than face the miserable life he had led back on Earth once more.
But the moon—its surface scarred with strange, unfamiliar patterns—dispelled that notion quickly. This place was something else entirely, a new world.
Harald’s instincts urged him to move, to find shelter or signs of life before the twilight deepened into full darkness. Spying a river winding through the landscape, he set off toward it. The water shimmered under the fading light, a silver ribbon cutting through the darkening terrain. He decided to follow it north, its steady flow offering some semblance of direction in this strange land.
As night descended, the world grew colder, the wind biting against his exposed face. Harald muttered a spell, and a pale, ethereal orb of magelight appeared, hovering just ahead of him. Its glow illuminated the path, casting shifting shadows among the trees and rocky outcrops. He kept his stride steady, his mind wandering despite the weariness pulling at his limbs.
The Daedric Prince’s words echoed in his mind: "A place you can start over… well, start over again!" Was this new world meant to offer him peace after the storm that had been his life in Tamriel? Was this his reward?
For a moment, the thought appealed to him. A patch of land by the river, a quiet farm to call his own. No wars, no dragons, no destinies binding him to some grand purpose. A life of solitude, free from the burdens of his past. He could be nobody. Just Harald, the farmer.
But as soon as the thought took root, another part of him recoiled in disgust. His dragon soul, the essence of his very being, roared in defiance.
You are Dovahkiin. You are meant for more.
Harald clenched his fists, forcing the thoughts down. He always fought this nature to dominate—it had gotten worse when his Dragonborn nature had been revealed and his strength increased with every dragon he killed and every soul he absorbed.
The landscape began to change as he moved further north. The river led him into a denser forest, the air thick with the scent of pine and damp earth. Trees loomed taller here, their darkened branches interwoven to create a canopy that only the faintest moonlight could penetrate. His magelight bobbed along, casting long, flickering shadows across the trunks. The path grew uneven, and Harald had to step carefully over gnarled roots and slick stones.
After what felt like hours, the forest began to thin, the trees giving way to rocky outcroppings and open hills. He crested a gentle rise, and there, in the distance, he saw it—a ruin perched on a hilltop. It was unmistakable against the night sky, its crumbled walls and broken towers stark and lonely. The jagged remains jutted into the sky like the bones of a long-dead beast, broken and weathered by time. Moss clung to its crumbling walls, and the faint glow of his magelight revealed shattered stones scattered across the ground.
He walked towards it his body aching with every step. The battle with Alduin had pushed him to his limits, and the grueling gauntlet through Skuldafn to reach Sovngarde had nearly broken him. He knew he couldn’t go much further tonight. The castle ruins would have to do.
He approached cautiously, his hand resting on the hilt of his battleaxe out of habit more than fear. The silence was unnerving, but there was no immediate sense of danger. Inside the ruins, he found a sheltered corner where part of the wall still stood intact. He sank to the ground, his body protesting every movement. The stone beneath him felt almost welcoming compared to the weariness threatening to overwhelm him.
As Harald leaned back, his head resting against the jagged wall, memories began to flood his mind. His friends—those he had left behind in Tamriel—their faces swam before him. The dead and the living. The ache in his chest grew, sharp and persistent.
When he had first arrived in Tamriel from Earth, there had been relief. No ties, no responsibilities—he had no one he cared for on Earth. But now? Now he felt the weight of the absence of the friends and family he had made in Tamriel.
His eyelids grew heavy as exhaustion claimed him. The flickering magelight dimmed and winked out, leaving only the quiet murmur of the wind and the distant sound of the river. Harald’s breathing slowed, his mind drifting into the realm of dreams, where faces and voices from another life would keep him company through the night.
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Harald stood once more on the Throat of the World, the icy winds biting at his skin as snow swirled around him in a blinding storm. Before him loomed Alduin, the World-Eater, his immense black scales shimmering like obsidian in the dim light. The air was filled with the deafening roars of the ancient dragon.
By his side, Lydia fought fiercely, her sword a blur of silver as she struck at Alduin’s massive form. Kharjo, his fur matted with blood, wielded his twin axes. But no matter how valiantly they fought, it wasn’t enough. Harald tried to shout, to call upon the power of the Voice, but no words would come. He swung his axe, but it felt like striking against an immovable wall.
Alduin’s laughter echoed through the chaos, a deep, malevolent rumble that shook the very ground. With a swift movement, the dragon’s tail lashed out, sending Kharjo flying into a jagged rock. The Khajiit’s body crumpled, lifeless, his axes falling to the ground with a hollow clatter.
“No!” Harald screamed, his voice breaking as he turned toward Lydia. She stood firm, her blade raised in defiance, but Alduin’s jaws descended upon her, swallowing her whole in a flash of fire and darkness.
“No! No!” Harald’s cries echoed as the scene dissolved into ash, the storm consuming him. He was left alone, his axe slipping from his hands as Alduin’s laughter faded into the void.
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Harald woke with a start, his breath coming in ragged gasps. He sat upright, his heart hammering in his chest as his eyes darted around the ruins. The cold, crumbling walls of the old castle loomed around him, and the faint sound of the river outside reminded him where he was.
Right. Another world.
He groaned and rubbed his temples, trying to banish the lingering images of the nightmare. It was a cruel reminder of the price he had paid during his time in Tamriel. He reached into his satchel, fumbling for a moment before pulling out a small vial. Uncorking it, he drank deeply, the warm, tingling sensation of the potion spreading through his body and easing his aches.
For a moment, he closed his eyes, steadying his breath. He had faced Alduin too early, barely a year into discovering his destiny as Dragonborn. He had been unprepared, and it had cost him dearly. The years that followed had been a relentless pursuit of power—a journey fraught with bloodshed and sacrifice. He had fought and defeated many enemies—Harkon, Miraak—and when he finally felt ready to challenge the World-Eater again, he did, and he won.
With a sigh, Harald pushed himself to his feet, his body protesting every movement. He wandered through the ruins, exploring what little remained. The castle held no treasures, no secrets, only the ghosts of its former grandeur.
Eventually, Harald found himself seated on a fallen pillar, his mind drifting once again to thoughts of peace. A quiet life. A patch of land to call his own. No more dragons. No more gods. No more war. Didn’t he deserve that? After all he had endured, wasn’t he entitled to a life without conflict?
Yet his soul screamed in defiance. It rejected the notion of stillness, of obscurity. Harald clenched his jaw, suppressing the fiery roar within him. He had lived as a hero, a warrior, for too long. Perhaps now he could finally rest.
Leaving the ruins behind, Harald descended the hill. The sun was rising, casting golden light across the landscape. As he walked, the terrain shifted once more, leading him to a clearing near the river. There, nestled between the trees and the water, was a perfect expanse of land. It was flat and fertile, with enough space for a homestead.
Harald stopped and surveyed the area. Yes. This would do. He could see it already—a sturdy house, a garden, perhaps a small field for crops. He was no stranger to building and maintaining a home. He had done it before in Tamriel, and he could do it again here.
Was this land owned by anyone?
Did this world have any civilization, any humans?
Or perhaps another race he had seen in Tamriel?
Was this a fictional world he had known back on Earth?
He pushed the thought aside for now, committing the location to memory as he set off again, determined to find signs of life.
As he walked, his mind remained set on his goal. A life of peace. A place to call his own. He had earned that much. Here, in this new world, he would find his peace.
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Next chapter will have a time skip.
