Since the thousand-year Dragon Break event known as the Warp in the West, his divine name has been lost to the dust of history, and the position of the Ninth Divine has been occupied by the Northern Dragon, Tiber Septim. Now, the only places to remember this primordial God of War, besides the temples in Hammerfell, are the Sky Temples of Skyrim.
The so-called Dragon Break, Dragon Break, 'Dragon' refers to the Time Dragon God Aka, also known as Auriel in the Elven Pantheon, or Akatosh in the Imperial Pantheon, or Alduin in the Nordic Pantheon. The relationship between these four is complex; while they share a common core, their natures are distinct.
Here, 'Dragon' refers to the linear flow of time established by the gods at the Adamantine Tower at the dawn of creation. A Dragon Break, or 'time breaking,' means time no longer flows linearly, returning to a fragmented, disordered state of barbaric chaos. The sequence of all things' evolution is twisted, and the result of an event might occur before its cause.
When a Dragon Break occurs, it's as if countless timelines and possibilities coexist. Such an experience is so bizarre and fantastical that outsiders can barely imagine what truly transpired, and even those within who experienced it struggle to comprehend their own existence and memories.
When a Dragon Break ends and timelines merge, the outcome is extremely chaotic. Different people will have different impressions of the events that occurred. Many things might not have happened but are perceived by some as having happened, while some things might have happened but are forgotten by everyone.
A kind of "Mandela Effect" might help understand the insane situation after a Dragon Break.
After the news of the famous South African President Mandela's death was released in 2013, people around the world found their memories of Mandela to be confused, with different recollections regarding both the time and cause of his death. Many strangers recalled seeing a commemorative film about Mandela, with the film's title and content largely consistent, yet this film was never released, or even filmed.
A more down-to-earth example might be the familiar phrase to modern Chinese people, "Fifty-six ethnic groups, fifty-six flowers," but the original line of this song was "Fifty-six constellations, fifty-six flowers."
All in all, a Dragon Break is a very mysterious phenomenon, extremely difficult for mortals to comprehend.
In the history of the elder scrolls, there are quite a few famous Dragon Break events.
For instance, the "Time Wound" created when the Ancient Nord hero used the power of the elder scrolls to banish the World-Eater Alduin into the future still remains at the Throat of the World on High Hrothgar.
Another famous one is the "War of the First Council" in 1E 668, where the Chimer, who had not yet become Dark Elves, and the Dwemer, the Deep Elves, erupted into a great war. The Dwemer activated the Brass God numidium, and each activation of this great creation would cause a Dragon Break. This directly led to contradictory accounts of the Battle of Red Mountain among various races in later generations, including whether the Nords participated, and whether Jurgen Windcaller and Wulfharth joined, among others.
Among the many Dragon Breaks, large and small, the most famous and far-reaching was the thousand-year Dragon Break known as the "Warp in the West" or the "Middle Dawn." According to the Imperial Elder Council, this Dragon Break lasted for one thousand and eight years, yet many people do not accept this claim, simply because a Dragon Break is an event of shattered time itself, so how could there be a clear trajectory?
The event began when a faction within the Alessian Order called the "Marukh's Selectives" danced atop the White-Gold Tower and invoked the divine power of the "Staff of Towers" to try and separate Auriel and Akatosh into two independent entities. This was akin to taking a knife to the Dragon God, and as expected, it directly shattered him, though he himself was unharmed, the timeline fractured.
The White-Gold Tower, The Core of the Empire, the central region of Tamriel, is situated on an island in a lake in Cyrodiil. It was built by the Ayleids who migrated to the continent of Tamriel, heavily referencing the structure of the Adamantine Tower. This Tower of Time, Nirn's first building, had the Ayleids place the Ruby Throne, symbolizing supreme power, in the center of the White-Gold Tower, representing their defiance against the Elven kingdom far away on the continent of Aldmeris.
This tower successfully replicated the arcane energy of the Adamantine Tower, the very power Magnus and the other Aedra used when creating Nirn, which granted the White-Gold Tower the ability to manipulate reality. To contain this power, the Ayleids crafted a powerful gem, said to be congealed blood from the heart of lorkhan bound to an arrow, possessing spatial power.
By gathering the authority of time, space, and creation, the White-Gold Tower is equivalent to a miniature World-Wheel, containing the power of the cosmos. Whoever rules the White-Gold Tower is the master of the world.
The Staff of Towers, also known as the Staff of Chaos in the first game, corresponds to the prophecy in the Book of the Dragonborn: "When tyranny fills the eight corners of the world." After the Marukh's Selectives danced, this staff split into eight pieces, scattering like stars across the land. This scepter holds incredible importance; it is said that if it ever leaves Nirn, it would lead to the destruction of the world.
All in all, the thousand-year Dragon Break is a terrifying epic story, causing a huge discontinuity in the world, leading to the annihilation of a vast amount of history and the extinction of numerous legacies.
Simon had only a partial understanding of the story of Tiber Ebony Arm, but he could very clearly say that this powerful figure, regarded as a God of War by the Redguards, was definitely not a simple Dragonborn. The power of his current incarnation was clearly the ancient Redguard art—Sword-Singing.
the elder scrolls speak of three great wonders—the Psijic Order's secret arts, the Nords' Dragon Shout, and the Redguards' nuclear sword art.
The Redguards originally lived on the continent of Yokuda, west of Tamriel. The Orichalc Tower was located there. Later, the original stone of the Orichalc Tower was shattered by the spirit-swords of the Sword-Singers, the continent sank, and the Redguards migrated to what is now Hammerfell.
The longswords used by the Sword-Singers were actually slightly curved sabers, resembling a pudao. They were a group of ascetic monks dedicated to the way of the sword, few in number but with profound influence.
The most outstanding among the Sword-Singers were called Ansei, or Sword-Saints. It is said they could condense their pure spiritual power and manifest a soul-sword unique to themselves. This was actually another method of mental power operation, distinct from the Thu'um, called "Shehai."
When Simon saw Ebony Arm's reddish-black skin, he immediately realized that this incarnation of the God of War was an Ansei.
Today, Sword-Singers are extinct; even if the Redguards preserved the training methods, no one can activate the Shehai anymore. Simon once felt immense regret about this, never expecting today to be the day his dream came true.
The Troll threw his greatsword aside, looking as if he was about to surrender. Ebony Arm frowned, about to speak but hesitating.
"The former Ninth Divine, the powerful God of War Ebony Arm, you are indeed incredibly strong. Even the Dragons in the sky would not last a single move against you. If I had met you a year ago, only defeat awaited me, but now it is different."
"How is it different?"
"As I get closer to the essence of the world, I've gradually come to see many things. All extraordinary powers actually share a common principle: ultimately, it is about using will to twist reality. And the more one knows about reality, the easier it is to do so. The Thu'um and spirit-swords are actually the same thing."
"For a mortal, to have such understanding truly astonishes me."
"Not only that." Simon waved into the distance, and Serana, carrying the Eleven-Tone Copper Umbrella, came to her lover's side.
She whispered, "Be careful."
"Okay." Simon took her into his Pure Land, then grasped the umbrella handle, gently opening it. The bells jingled, emitting a clear sound.
Ebony Arm's expression changed dramatically. The clouds in the high sky turned greenish-blue, and a tidal wave of lightning instantly struck the ground. The rocks and soil around the basin rolled like awakening Titans, tossing high into the air, crashing down towards the incarnation of the God of War.
Simon floated in mid-air, commanding the power of heaven and earth, "Feel—the fear of being abandoned by the world!"
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