"Get out of the way, boy, that man is just using you."
"I will protect him. What I have lost, I must grasp."
Serana debated with the boy for a while, still unable to convince him, so she decided to force her way through.
As a Vampire and Necromancer, her strength was enough for her to stand alone in the perilous Tamriel. Three thousand years had passed in a hurry, and she was still that beautiful young lady.
Her hands jointly condensed the spell construct of an Ice Storm, superimposing and interlocking the two to achieve a spell overload state, then she chose an angle and pushed it towards the boy.
"Winter, Gale, Ice!" The boy inhaled and roared, and through his ethereal soul body, a burst of pale blue fluctuation could be seen within his chest. The dead magic energy of the Soul Cairn suddenly became active, and a stream of frost collided with the Ice Storm, canceling each other out. The turbulent cold wind, carrying ice shards, spread out with a whoosh, draping a layer of pearly white veil over the desolate stone desert.
Serana's spell had deliberately avoided the Nord Man who had fallen into an abnormal state, and the boy's Shout just happened to disperse the spell. Looking at the result, there was quite a bit of tacit understanding.
Since Serana had made her move, she showed no mercy. After testing the boy's strength, she recognized the ancient art of the Shout and immediately felt uncertain, but she still resolutely attacked. First, she summoned a Troll warrior under her contract to charge at the boy, while she continuously fired ice spikes from the side.
She just wanted to sneak up to the ailing Nord Man, abduct him, and then deal with the rest.
The boy's expression was very earnest, but his actions were extremely ruthless. Serana didn't even see how he did it; he pounced on the Troll warrior and sent him back to Oblivion.
"So strong!"
Before Serana could think much, the boy made another flying pounce, shattering three ice spikes in mid-air, arriving in front of Serana, and throwing a punch.
The Vampire did not doubt whether this gem-lustrous fist could break her skull. She instinctively blinked, and the punch stopped before her brow.
The boy softly said, "I swear I will never harm you."
He withdrew his fist, stepped back a few paces, and stood upright in front of the sluggish Nord Man.
A boy, standing in front of an adult. The small him gazed at the surrounding scenery, as if waiting for something, neither anxious nor worried, just appreciating the view. The large him was as indifferent as a reef by the sea. Cold winds blew all around, and the dry shrubs on the stone desert made a low rustling sound. He remained silent, no different from the tombstones.
Serana had a strong sense of déjà vu—she seemed to have seen this child somewhere.
"Hey, kid, what's your name?"
"My name is Simon." The boy seemed to become a bit more lively, and that awkward stiffness receded a lot.
"You recognize me?"
"Of course, you are Serana."
"Wait, are you… Baishan?"
"What Baishan?"
Serana now understood. The boy was the part of that person's soul that had been separated. She thought that the hateful fellow finally had a handle on her, and she couldn't help but smile.
According to their agreement, she released three lightning spells into the air, and the sound of thunder echoed far away. Although lightning strikes were common in the Soul Cairn, three consecutive ones were rare, and the effects of magic and natural lightning were also different; they would dissipate into raw magic energy after extending a certain distance. Therefore, it could be determined that they were shot from the ground to the sky, and any Troll paying attention would definitely notice them.
Serana and the boy, Simon, started chatting.
"Where are you from?"
"I am… I can't say."
"What about your parents?"
"They are all dead."
"Are they in the Soul Cairn? Are you here to find them?"
"No, I'm here to find my mother's memories."
"What memories?"
"She lost her memories after she was twenty-one. Revelation, a priestess of Mara, instructed me to find the crimson key and come to the dwelling of the dead. I can find what she lost here."
"What if you can't find it?"
"Impossible, no… I definitely can!" The boy became anxious, "No, I must find my mother's memories."
Serana saw the boy so flustered for the first time and suddenly felt very amused. Like teasing a child, she put on a stern face and threatened, "That's not for sure. The Soul Cairn is so big; finding a memory there would be like looking for a needle in a haystack!"
Hearing these words, the boy calmed down instead. He smiled brightly again, "As long as it's here… there's no problem! I will persist in fulfilling my mother's wish! Until the moment my soul dissipates."
Serana was deeply shaken. She felt that the light in the boy's eyes was so unapproachable that she couldn't help but lower her voice, simply because she dared not disturb such brilliant light.
"Is it worth it?"
The boy shook his head, "How would I know that? Would you question if doing the right thing is worth it?"
Serana shouted in her heart, this man is amazing!
Recalling that hateful fellow, she never imagined he was once such a youth.
"Don't go astray in the future, okay?" The young lady affectionately reached out to stroke the boy's head, but he dodged her.
"I think we are equal strangers. Don't touch my head." The boy was very serious, with the uprightness of a well-behaved child.
"This is an adult's reward for a child. How old are you?"
"I've been in this world for three years, but my age is as vast as dozens of universes."
Serana was amused, "Children talk nonsense."
"I rarely lie, because there are few things left that are worth lying about."
The two chatted happily. After a long wait, Serana didn't see Baishan arrive, suspecting he hadn't seen the signal, so she sent it again.
She sent a signal every so often. After three times, Baishan still hadn't come, and she suddenly became a little worried.
She didn't doubt Baishan's character; after all, his soul was so noble. She was just worried that something bad had happened to him.
Serana knew that her strength was no match for Baishan. If even he encountered danger, then her going would be a futile effort. The only course of action now was to find her mother and combine their strengths to rescue Baishan.
"Boy, I'm leaving now. Your future self seems to have run into a bit of trouble. I'm going to find my mother to save him."
"You be careful. If you encounter an opponent, you can lure them over, and I'll help you deal with them."
"Thanks, you cute little fellow."
"Goodbye, stranger. It was nice talking to you."
Serana bid farewell to the boy Simon and walked towards the Graveyard. Passing through the wide main gate of the city wall, she entered the outer layer of the Graveyard. Here, she encountered some interesting souls. A fellow wandering around, calling himself Saint Jiubu, directed her to the Graveyard Hall. The grand, deep palace stood beneath the giant eye in the sky, like a god's throne.
The entrance to the portico was blocked by a magic barrier, and a familiar figure paced inside—it was Valerica.
"Mother!"
"You… Serana? Lord, impossible! How did you get here? Where is Harkon?"
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