Jonas sat at the desk in his dorm room, placing The elemental power on the table, then tilted his head to press his ear against the book cover, listening intently.
The book showed no magical energy reaction, which had always been a puzzling problem for Jonas. He was certain that this item held a hidden, powerful force, otherwise it wouldn't require repeated activation. But the strangest thing was that after being completely deciphered, it became silent.
Jonas recalled every detail: the book faintly glowing under the impact of the elements, the feeling of his mind and body soaring, as if he had transformed into an elf, with countless elements clamoring in his ear like restless singers. Perhaps that was the so-called 'manifestation of nature's thoughts.'
The old man in the library said to listen with his ears, so the boy obediently listened with his ears, his auricle pressed tightly against the book cover, like aerial roots dropping from a tree canopy to the earth. He felt the cool, smooth book cover against his skin, a faint, strange smell of dye subtly wafting, tickling the fine hairs in his nostrils. He watched the orange-yellow light in the room diffuse into a rough halo on the stone brick wall, like sunlight woven into a dream-like gauze blanket by a loom—he fell asleep, drooling from the corner of his mouth, running down the book cover.
At this moment, in the adjacent dorm room, Brelina, a tired-looking Dark Elf girl, had failed her sixth attempt at sensing. She had exhausted all her strength trying to gain inspiration from The elemental power bestowed by her mentor, Faralda. For this, she had traveled across the entire Skyrim, repeating Jonas's journey, only to be stuck at the final step.
"That old geezer must be lying. How do you 'listen' to this book?!" Brelina paced around the table in frustration. She had lived for over forty years and had never encountered such a helpless situation. In her understanding, books were meant to be read, whether by reciting aloud or silently savoring. The entire process was an exchange of thoughts between a person and the author, experiencing a world through another's eyes—that was reading. Now, to be told that a book was to be listened to, it was simply ridiculous.
She panted, deciding to continue following the old man's advice. She checked the soundproofing function of the dorm's built-in magic circle, making sure she wouldn't disturb anyone, then cast a Phantasmal Sound spell to record sound. Everything ready, Brelina took a deep breath, then exhaled, "Hmm, alright, let's begin..."
"Northland ghosts drift,
"Wandering by the coast,
"..."
"Beneath the Greybeards,
"Morning light dim,
"..."
"Nature's magic flows,
"Nature's thoughts unfold,
"Cataclysm happens like a great change,
"All efforts culminate in failure.
"I shall only use a blade..."
She read it once, then played back the sound signal stored in the Phantasmal Sound construct.
An inhale, an exhale. Brelina felt quite embarrassed just hearing her own deep breaths, and even more so listening to herself recite those familiar lines with such expressive intonation, she was almost dying of embarrassment.
She played it a few more times, deciding to increase the intensity.
The booming words, like clashing weapons, resonated powerfully. The ping-pong sound was like a battle, whistling back and forth. Brelina felt an extreme agitation of magical energy; fire, frost, and lightning all trembled with each sound.
The Dark Elf felt her voice distorting, transforming into the roar of another ancient man—"You foolish, weak mage! Surrender quickly, you useless waste... Die now, and curse My name!"
Curse My name!
What is it?
What is it called?
Your esteemed name?
Brelina was drenched in sweat, which quickly soaked her clothes. She felt like an earthworm in a swamp, covered in damp clay, trapped in a cocoon like a ceramic pot. The distant magical energy raged and roared, and she needed a chisel to break free!
Who exactly are You?
"Curse My name—Gauldur!"
Boom!
Brelina's vision suddenly cleared. She trembled and collapsed to the ground, her face a mix of surprise and distortion. Magical energy washed over her body, her brain expanding and contracting like a floating jellyfish. She saw an endless stream of colorful light surging from all directions. She felt ethereal, floating out of the dorm, leaving Winterhold, high in the sky... She saw a giant banyan tree, and hanging from its dense canopy was a naked boy—Jonas!
...
Simon returned to the guest room, only to see a Khajiit in a stealth suit lying in the corner.
Serana was sleeping comfortably. The numbered undead from the Eleven-Tone Bronze Umbrella had caught the thief. The tuning magic had subtly lifted a thin layer of the wooden floor, transforming into countless iron chains that tightly bound the Khajiit.
Simon cast a Candlelight spell, bringing a faint glow into the room. He strode over and lifted the small thief, feeling a blood-related palpitation from his skin.
The Troll removed his hood, his gaze sternly fixed on the Khajiit.
"You are My child, little cat!"
The Eleven-Tone Bronze Umbrella was still playing music, but a sound of flowing water suddenly interjected into the melody. Under the magical energy fluctuations, the iron chains binding the Khajiit trembled and fell off like an electrified swarm of snakes, returning to the wooden floor, fitting perfectly.
The small thief, who had sneaked into the room, was about to argue for herself but was defeated by Simon's gaze, slowly lowering her head.
She was wearing the legendary Nightingale light armor, equipment prepared by the Lady of Shadows Nocturnal for her favored ones, woven from bird skin and silk. The addition of Void Salts made this type of armor tough yet light, with wondrous enchanting effects that could greatly enhance a stealth user's abilities.
Simon used a tuning spell to create a small, square soundproof area to ensure Serana's sleep wouldn't be disturbed, then began to interrogate the thief.
"Name."
The Khajiit remained silent, waiting for her special ability to cool down. She was confident that as long as she endured for a while, she could escape, breaking through the shackles and barriers, just as she had done when she entered.
"It seems you're quite defiant. Then I'll give you a chance. Come on, show your bloodline!" Simon punched the Khajiit's forehead. The intense pain and dizziness drove her mad. Her body suddenly swelled, the Khajiit's face stretching into the ferocious visage of a Troll, her brownish-yellow fur bristling like spikes. Her originally slender body was filled with solid muscles, and the Nightingale light armor flowed like water, transforming into a half-armor, protecting essential joints and vital points, revealing a body of boiling power.
"Roar!" The Khajiit Troll let out a roar that echoed through the mountains, her wild bloodline surging like a thousand rivers, powerful as the deep sea's crashing waves.
Simon cast off his robe, revealing skin like gold and iron, with countless runes dazzling and captivating like patterns on a statue. He didn't look like a living animal, but rather like iron and stone, his gaze tyrannical yet suppressed, like boiling magma.
"My descendant, let me see your spirit. If you are not worthy of bearing this power, I will reclaim it!"
Within a small space, the battle between two anomalies was on the verge of erupting. They sensed each other's aura. On a spiritual level, behind each of them, a pure white Troll was raising its arms and howling wildly. As apex predators, they were always solitary; when two met, there was bound to be conflict!
The Khajiit Troll surged forward to attack. This was not a Troll's hunting habit; it was a tiger's method. Simon cursed, "Do weak claws dare to break an iron wall?" He punched his blood descendant, sending her flying to crash silently against the force field wall of the isolation zone.
When she stood up, her gaze was filled with terror.
"Keep going, keep going! Be ready to drown your enemies in flesh and blood! Even if there are a thousand armies before you, you must charge!"
The female Khajiit roared in her heart, "I'm a stealth user, why do I need to charge?!" But she didn't have time to speak. A huge fist slammed into her lower back. She heard thunder explode in her abdomen, and her spine shattered.
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