Chapter 379 - Farewells
A/n: Big Thanks to @Steven cluff parkinson JR and @Johnathan Murphy for the support! You guys are awesome.
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*Castle Volkihar*
A Portal appeared over the castle in a blind spot to the surveillance. A small black creature jumped out of it and started looking left and right. Once all was safe, she called out.
"It is clear."
Not a second later, a bigger portal appeared for three humanoids in disguise to walk out of it. The creature disappeared in its shadow and the three humanoids looked at each other.
"This place gives Mr. Skittles bad vibes. Is that an undead bird? This one hates undead birds." Mr. Skittles fur was erected from the foul air around Castle Volkihar.
"Why are you returning back here?" Serana asked Jon.
"As I said, one last errand. We can't leave without losing our tail." Jon said as he waved his staff around and his eye started seeing what is inside the castle through the walls.
Of course, they were on top of it.
Jon surveyed the situation silently. It seems that Lord Harkon is not here as well as many vampires, the place was a mess and every one of the lesser and high ranking vampires were on guard. Even the Thralls and the Gargoyles were on watch.
"The place is a mess as a hornet nest." Jon said with a big smile.
"Is father here?"
"Of course not. How can he stay home when 'what is precious to him' is missing?" Jon said with a mocking tone.
Serana seemed down when she heard that.
"... I am sorry. That was not even funny."
"It's okay."
The awkwardness was a bit unneeded right now.
"So… what are we going to do?" Serana thought.
"With the mess made by the Sith in Coldharbour right now, the first place your father will suspect us is where the mess is happening. He even took all the big goons with him."
"Won't that reveal your identity? If you got caught, I say you kidnapped me, you know." Serana said.
"How cold!" Jon sighed, "Don't worry, I have a good idea but before that…"
Jon waved [Pride] towards the [Transliminal Scanner] on top of the watchtower and the thing moved from its place and flew towards Jon. Jon hurriedly took it in the [Cube].
"... I always wanted to have one of those."
"Mr. Krilon, you really fit to be a Khajiit, no?"
"Mr. Skittles, it would be an honor."
As he got what he wanted, Jon led the way to the main objective through the roof. Right above the Cathedral of the Castle, Jon cast his Magic and a [Gate] appeared leading directly to it. Jon, Serna and Mr. Skittles jumped down to find themselves in the center of the Cathedral.
"This is?" Mr. Skittles was on guard.
"Some dangerous place." Jon said and walked to the Shrine at the end of the room.
He took a look through the sink filled with the blood that powered the Domain of Castle Volkihar and smiled when he sat the deformed Briarheart Vine lying dormant and feeding on the high-quality blood.
Serana approached and looked at it too.
"That what you came back for?" She asked.
"Yes, this greedy little thing will the final piece of the puzzle. Lucky for us, Harkon didn't discover it thus far so we are safe. Right now, I am going to seal that thing in the Shrine and erase its presence. The effect will remain for a couple of years at the very least." Jon said.
"Meaning?"
"We are sabotaging the Domain's Source of Power without anyone noticing. With this, your father won't be able to employ his Domain's Powers and travel back to Nirn. Some time of peace for us, after all, we can't let your father chase us all that time or harm my Winterhold when I am not around."
Jon took out the [Skeleton Key] and started to apply all sorts of seals on the Briarheart Vine and the Blood Shrine.
"You really planned it all." Serana said. "Charming me with blood, tricking my father that you are fully under his control while showing a facade of resistance, breaking out and making an act, making some absurd things and getting back on a Daedric Prince then coming back and sealing the plan."
Jon smiled behind his mask.
"What do you think of it? Well played?"
"Indeed." Serana smiled wryly. "What's next?"
"We leave a message then get the hell out of here."
Jon pointed [Pride] at the ground then strong energy of light shot out and started carving the symbol of the Sith Empire on the ground of the Cathedral, Jon left his autograph as Krilon behind too.
The Light energy was obviously felt by the vampires outside the room. Some of them rushed in with alarming expressions only to see the strong white light breaking their bodies and turning them to ash. None could survive a blast from the violent light.
'Damn, reproducing Meridia's Energy is very much of a burden. Actually, this staff is really aggressive on Magicka.'
Jon had to admit that [Pride]'s power required a lot of Magicka when he casts a spell he doesn't know the principle of, it was a burden yet a fair trade at the same time.
'I think this is enough as a message." Jon said and turned to the ones following him, "Mr. Skittles, put your hands on the staff and imagine the place you want to go. Don't do anything else."
"Just that? Yes."
Mr. Skittles followed Jon's instructions and put his hand on [Pride], the staff seemed a bit displeased to be touched by someone else other than Jon yet Jon was still feeding it Magicka. As soon as Mr. Skittles' thoughts of his home surfaced, Jon could pin a certain location on Nirn."
"Here we go."
With a strong gush of Magicka, a portal started to form breaking the laws of the Domain which forbade teleportation. The Domain shook but Jon was more powerful at the point with [Pride] at hand and the Briarheart Vine draining the Domain.
What is important is that a portal was now open to Nrin.
"Go!" Jon pushed Mr. Skittles forward and the latter stepped in the portal.
He looked at Serana and gave her a hand but what he didn't expect happened.
"I am sorry, Jon." Serana said, "I think this is as far as your charm go."
"Wha… what?" Jon got flustered right away.
Serana and Jon met eye to eye, he even took off his mask and kept looking at her.
"Come on, there is no time for that."
"It's okay." She said. "You can go without me. I can't leave."
"What are you talking about? Your father will be trapped here, your mother is hidden, the Elder Scroll is with me, you don't need to stay in this hell hole."
"This hell hole is my home." She said with a warm smile. "You are the one who should leave. If I am to leave with you, my father will stop at nothing to get us and the Scroll back, only me staying here to leave a message will perfect your act."
Jon's face grew desperate.
"Come on. I don't need it to be perfect, I want you with me out there. There is a whole world for you to see and many things to do. The caves that you hate and Skyrim's beautiful weather, a ton of adventure is out there."
She kept smiling.
"I guess I am not as daring as you are."
Jon's smiled turned bitter.
"You just called me by my name for the first time, you are getting better."
She laughed.
"I guess I am still learning… but you need to understand, I can't leave. Not right now. I don't have anyone out there, I'll be lost and I will regret it. I am afraid, Jon. The places you talk about, the people who wait for you, it won't look good for me to show up with you, not right now."
"Please."
"No, I am the one asking. Please, don't do anything rash and go home. I care about you… a lot… you are my first friend out there… we are friends, right?"
"Friend? I will never be friend zoned by you." Jon walked closer to her with a calm look.
"Baby steps, Jon. Baby steps." She put her hand on his chest to keep him at bay but it was her who got closer after a second's thought.
They looked at each other and smiled.
Nothing was there except to stuff that bitterness deep and avert their eyes but an urge of desire electrified through them and they got even closer for their lips to print a slow kiss on their other's.
As they took a distance, Jon kept looking at her and she kept looking at him.
"Tell me, Serana. Was my blood that effective?"
"Silly you. Of course not. It tastes sweet though."
"Damn, and here I thought another sip will change your mind."
"If things were that simple."
Their foreheads touched one another and they closed their eyes.
"If something happened to you here, I swear I will tear down this place brick by brick." Jon said.
"A strong claim but don't worry, the Castle will be stuck in Coldharbour for two years and I will have plenty of time to read books and go around the place. Maybe I will go and visit the Hollow City and Sir Cadwell now that everything looks bright."
"Okay… I just… I never thought you would want to stay behind."
"Time to go, Jon. You can go and halt the prophecy for a couple of years, right?"
"Whatever you wish for, my Cute Little Fangs."
Jon took a few steps back without turning. They smiled at each other and she nodded to him. As soon as his hand touched the portal, he was sucked through and the portal closed itself.
Serana kept looking at the place where Jon disappeared and kept silent for a few minutes before taking a deep breath and looking around the place.
She felt a strong surge of regret but it was too late and she had to do so.
Feeling an aura approaching, she evoked a strong flame spell on her hand then pointed it at herself.
"That's gonna hurt."
She said and detonated the spell on her body.
That should make things believable.
***
*Tamriel, Elsweyr*
Jon walked out of the Portal only for his face to be assaulted by a strong heat wave and a lot of sand. He closed his eyes to adapt to that weather he didn't get to feel since his reincarnation and then opened his eyes slowly.
The face he saw right in front of his made him smile wryly.
"Am I really that miserable?"
It was a camel looking at him eye to eye in a very close distance. Jon raised his hand and pushed the camel's face away.
"Mr. Krilon, is that you?" A voice called for Jon.
Jon looked on the camel's back only to see Mr. Skittles riding on it.
"You got yourself some cool ride right there, Mr. Skittles."
"Haha! A caravan was passing and this one traded it for some of those cheap gems."
"Good for you."
"This one must offer you something nice, we got a place up to the north, come up."
Jon shook his head.
"Some other time for sure. I am still in a hurry."
"Where will you go in the middle of this desert?"
"Portals always do the trick, Mr. Skittles. Skyrim is up north."
"Then this one wishes you luck. Make sure to visit, we will sink you with Moon Sugar in Riverhold."
"I'll take that as a promise."
"Fare thee well."
Jon nodded and opened another portal. The destination was Skyrim, Falkreath Hold to Peak's Shade Tower.
Some items were needed for Jon to heal himself back to shape.