Simon hurried up the mountain.
Night travel in the snow made him uneasy, and Simon felt a heavy heart. He was walking on a dimly lit path, not knowing if its end held the dawn or eternal night.
Jonas, where was he? Simon's intuition warned him that the Greybeards' proclamation was not without reason. The Dragonborn had arrived, but where was the Dragonborn? And was Jonas the Dragonborn?
Simon absolutely did not want Jonas to be the Dragonborn.
He could be a peddler, he could be a royal descendant, but he absolutely could not be the Dragonborn.
What was the Dragonborn? The Dragonborn was a great hero, the Dragonborn was the strongest being in the mortal world, the Dragonborn was a manifestation of a god on Earth.
Anyone could live like a person.
Only the Dragonborn could not.
The Dragonborn needed to fulfill his destiny.
In the game, players could ignore everything. The quest panel was filled with quests, big and small, main and side. Players could choose not to do the main quest, because as long as they didn't, the quest progress wouldn't advance.
But reality was not a game.
Many things couldn't be ignored and treated as if they never happened just by procrastinating.
They say, when the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up.
So, the Dragonborn was that tall one, the only tall one. If he didn't go, the world would end. If he went, his fate would be uncertain.
Simon really didn't want...
The monastery of High Hrothgar stood on a gentle terrace on the south slope. Thick, square, and angular stones were stacked, with a tall tower facing it, dividing the steps into two paths, each leading to two tall, dark brass doors.
The monastery's grandeur was as imposing as a fortress preparing for battle, dominating the frosty snow below and reaching the vast sky above.
In front of the tower, some boxes and cloth bags were piled up, containing food, potions, offerings of flowers, and other supplies from pilgrims.
Simon ascended the left-side steps, one by one, to the door and knocked.
Some sounds came from behind the door, and after a moment, the door opened, revealing Jonas's excited face.
"Sir! You're so slow! I've been waiting for you for a long time. Oh, the Greybeards said I'm the Dragonborn! I'm a Nord hero! Hehe, even though I'm a Breton..."
Simon's face under his hood grew a little sorrowful, his original hope shattered by the boy himself.
Jonas was still chattering, overjoyed. In the world behind the door, it was cold. Although there were braziers and candles, this meager warmth still couldn't cover the entire deep, tall hall. In the dim light, four old men moved slowly on a high platform.
They were like some ancient specters—though not literally, that was the feeling Simon got, a sense of being out of place with the present world, a remoteness a thousand miles above mortals. They wore dusty robes and hoods. As they walked, slow and steady, they were like silent glaciers, each step imbued with an ancient aura. When they stopped, they seemed like drifting clouds pushed by a long wind, the surrounding things still vastly different from them. They seemed to be standing, but also seemed to be ascending to the clouds.
The Troll rubbed the boy's head, "That's good. Since you are the Dragonborn, you must pay attention to your mission."
Prophecies about the Dragonborn had long circulated throughout Tamriel. A great scholar and theologian named Emerelieni Madeline wrote 'The Book of the Dragonborn'. At the end of this text, Emerelieni appended a passage known as 'The Dragonborn's Prophecy'. This prophecy was ancient, and no one knew its origin, but it stated that the last Dragonborn would emerge to save the world.
"When tyranny engulfs the eight corners of the world;
"When time is remade, and the Yellow Tower shifts;
"When the three seats fall, and the Red Tower trembles;
"When the Dragonborn is uncrowned, and the White Tower collapses;
"When blood flows like rivers, and the Snow Tower shatters;
"When the World-Eater awakens, the Wheel of Time shall turn to the last Dragonborn."
Jonas, do you know that you are the last Dragonborn!
Simon closed his eyes. Now was not the time for the Dragonborn to emerge. The previous parts of the prophecy were already in the past, but it hadn't yet reached "blood flows like rivers, and the Snow Tower shatters," and the World-Eater had not yet awakened... That's right, this history was changed by me—Simon suddenly had this realization. It was he who brought Jonas to High Hrothgar, thus the Greybeards recognized his true Dragonborn nature.
But how did the Greybeards see that Jonas was the Dragonborn?
The Troll led the boy by the hand into the grand hall of the monastery. The four Greybeards were now pacing on the high platform at the back of the hall, their eyes fixed on Jonas.
"Masters, the shouts earlier were yours. Now this child says that the Masters have identified him as the Dragonborn. What is your proof?"
The four Greybeards slowly descended the side steps. One of them began to explain, "Because of his talent, this child has displayed the talent of the Dragonborn." This Master's voice was hoarse yet rich, reassuring. He was Arngeir, the only one of the four Greybeards who could speak. The other three, their Dragon Shout too powerful, would shatter anyone they spoke to, so they remained silent.
"What kind of talent?"
"The Dragon Shout! The power of the Dragon Shout resonated through the monastery, and this child, merely by sitting for a while, comprehended the power of the Shout."
Simon was astonished, looking down at Jonas.
In the game, the protagonist needed to find Dragon Walls to learn Dragon Shouts, receive the transmission of Words of Power, and then consume Dragon Souls to gain knowledge related to Dragon Language, only then could he utter a Dragon Shout. But Jonas was even more incredible than that!
Mortals who learned the Dragon Shout would meditate on Dragon Language for decades, aligning their body and mind with it to gain even a little understanding.
The Dragonborn learned the Dragon Shout just by seeing it once and killing a dragon.
But Jonas could actually grasp the essence of the Dragon Shout by following the faint magical energy fluctuations echoing around him.
This situation had only occurred once in the game: when the protagonist traveled back in time through the elder scrolls to the battle against Alduin, the three Nord heroes used the Dragon Break, and the protagonist instantly understood it upon hearing it.
"Did he successfully use a Dragon Shout?"
"Yes, Master Borri noticed the boy's difference and imparted his understanding of the Dragon Language to him. And so, he was able to unleash a startling Dragon Shout." The Greybeards nodded repeatedly, and Simon couldn't help but sigh.
Destiny truly was full of coincidences.
The Troll looked at the smug boy beside him, sighing softly in his heart.
Child, the road ahead will be difficult. I will help you, but I cannot accompany you. After all, the path is your own. I would rather you die in battle on the field of dragons and men than become a useless person.
Simon bowed to the Masters, "I have long heard that the Way of the Voice, founded by Master Jurgen Windcaller, is extraordinary. I wish to meditate in the monastery with this child to comprehend the essence of the sky, and to balance the divide between heaven and man with the Dragon Shout."
Arngeir nodded slightly, "We do not refuse anyone who yearns for the Way of the Voice, but you must understand how difficult this path is."
"The road is hard, but it must be walked."
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