Prologue, or how Skyrim was supposed to end

The petite girl with light hair, clumsily tied up in a ponytail, fell to her knees weakly, clutching a terrible wound on her left side with her right hand. Her black daedric armor was dented and marked with claw marks, and some parts of the armor were missing altogether. Summoning her strength, the girl looked into the crimson eyes of her enemy with her own green ones, burning with desperation and hopelessness, but in the eyes of her adversary, she saw nothing but indifference and a sense of resignation. Smiling through the pain, she nearly screamed and looked around. A torn body of an old man lay next to her, the body of a woman without most of her left half lay on the nearby rocks, and a charred body lay in front of her, still wearing hot armor.

"Felldir, Hakon, Gormlaith" the warrior wheezed, scanning the bodies of her fallen comrades. "I couldn't... Paarthurnax, Arngeir, Lydia, forgive me, I let you down."

"Hi aal lost zemqulek vok zun do dii kruziik paal, ahrk vorohah zun nol qeth do dii mahlaan zeymah, nuz hi los ni dii rinid! Hi neh lost, ahrk neh kos!" thundered a voice above the defeated warrior, and a huge black dragon landed in front of her, its eyes burning with bloody light.

"Alduin..." the girl whispered, barely finding the strength to stand, using her sword as a support. The flame of life in her green eyes gradually faded, and her eyelids became heavier and heavier with each passing second.

"You have discovered the secret of my ancient enemies, made weapons from the bodies of my fallen brethren, but you are not my equal" Alduin spoke.

"You never were, and you never will be. But I am impressed by your persistence and fearlessness, bordering on madness. Many fear and hate me, even among my own brothers, but you? You and your fallen comrades were the first who dare to challenge ME. You fought bravely, Dragonborn, but you lost."

"And what now? Will you destroy everything alive?" the Dragonborn asked, spitting blood.

"As attractive as your proposal may be, it seems that my intervention will not be required. Yes, you have eliminated the threat of Molag Bal's degenerates and traitorous servants, but you forget about the sharp-eared fahliil (elves). Their arrogance, along with your general mortal stupidity, will lead the world to it's destruction. But that is the affair of the future" the dragon interrupted his musings, looking at his quickly paling opponent.

"What a fine girl" a mocking voice sounded next to Alduin as mischievous smirk spread across his lips. "Or should I say, she was?"

"Shoegorath, I thought that Sovngarde was inaccessible to other Princes" Alduin spoke without turning his head.

"Your daddy is furious..." Sheogorath said, juggling his staff.

"Let him be, I was only fulfilling my destiny."

"You'll explain that to him yourself, darling" Sheogorath mockingly replied, and in the next second, Alduin disappeared, engulfed in golden light.

"I feel like I agree with my bright... brother for once" a man in black armor said as he approached the battlefield, his chest plate strapped with leather belts. "Sheogorath..."

"Yup?"

"What did Akatosh plan that required the presence of representatives from all the houses of Anu and Padomay?"

"Well, it wasn't only his idea. Meridia, together with Azura, got into his head. And would you believe it? It is Meridia who wants to save his life. Talk about mood swings! In the style of Magna-Ge I say, though Mnemoli said her 'phew!', that we are too unfair to our niece. It seems that the Dragonborn wasn't just their champion, boo-hoo-hoo."

"Well, since you've decided to take care of the Alduin threat yourself, maybe you'll take this," Shor said, kicking the Dragonborn's corpse.

"Naturally, she's a Nord, so that makes her your ward. Get to work, Shor, and we'll return her to Nirn. I think Azura will be pleased and will speak with her champion during the romantic twilight in some Dwemer ruins"

Alduin, on the other hand, woke up in a vast, dark hall, surrounded by eight columns that rose high into the sky. It was like the very heavens rested upon these columns.

Alduin remembered this place, he couldn't forget it. After all, it was here that he first opened his eyes and breathed in the air of Nirn.

Looking ahead, the Great Dragon saw an old man in lavish clothing. Alduin remembered him, even though he hadn't seen him since the Spring of the World. The old man sat on a high throne and looked menacingly at the King of dragons.

The clash of two great powers echoed throughout the hall, as Alduin, the World-Eater, faced his father, Akatosh, in a battle of wills.

"Father."

"Alduin, my son". Akatosh spoke with a commanding voice. "You have disappointed me, my firstborn."

"And how is that, Father?" Alduin hissed at him.

"By fighting a little harder than before, by testing the limits of the Dragonborn's strength? Or by refusing to allow her to sever my neck?"

Akatosh remained silent in response.

"You yourself called me the World-Eater, have you forgotten?" Alduin snarled. "It was my destiny to bring destruction to the world, to pave the way for a new one to emerge. The Dragonborn was merely a pawn in this game. If it was their fate to fall, then so be it. If it was their fate to emerge victorious, then the world could have continued on for another thousand years. And I, and only I, am the judge in this battle!"

"You may be the World-Eater, but that does not give you the right to kill the lesser beings of Nirn for your own amusement" Akatosh responded sternly.

"Your duty is to protect Nirn from the corrupting influence of the Daedra. Your purpose was to ravage THEIR worlds, if they posed a threat to Nirn. That is the very reason you were born equal to ME. "

The dragon's deep voice echoed through the hall, with his obsidian scales shimmering menacingly.

"Through pain and suffering, the soul becomes stronger" Alduin retorted aggressively. "Your words, Father."

"Through trials and hardships, Alduin. Do not twist my words to fit your whims. But enough talk. I had thought that your imprisonment in the Ancient Scroll for a thousand years would have been enough for you to reconsider your ideals, but it seems I was mistaken. You need to be alone and reflect on your actions, my son."

"If you spare mortals too often, they become victims of their own vices and degenerate. Only through eternal struggle can the soul be tempered, only by overcoming pain can it become stronger!" Alduin continued in his heated speech. "For it is only such souls that are capable of passing through the Whalebone Bridge."

"Note that when I ruled over mortals, these long-eared worms, high-minded creatures did not even think to call themselves 'children of the gods' or anything of the sort. They, like humans, were born of the blood of the Aedra, but only they presumed themselves to be equal to You, Me, the Princes, and the Gods. Nirn has become too peaceful, and that is why it is rotting"

"That changes nothing" Akatosh said.

"O-oh, but it does." Alduin replied "Shall I return to Nirn now, in all my glory?"

Alduin started to focus all his energy on himself.

"These mortal insects will learn who the World-Eater is! They will learn what suffering is and learn to overcome it! It is in those who are beaten by life, but not yet broken, the legacy of the Et'Ada truly shines!" Alduin roared.

A black aura enveloped Alduin and in a few moments, before Akatosh stood not a black dragon, but a massive black creature woven from the darkness.

Alduin transformed into a massive creature of darkness, a fierce and twisted shadow of his former self.

But Akatosh was prepared for this turn of events. All nine of the gods and sixteen Daedric Princes appeared around Alduin, their power rivaling that of the World-Eater.

''They will not, my son." Akatosh spoke with a calm and collected voice, his presence radiating power and authority.

''You can be proud that it is because of you that, for the second time in history, the council of the Aedra and Daedra has convened, a council that has not taken place since the creation of the world."

''Your behavior even drove Magnus to fury and that is why the council has made a decision. You will be banished forever beyond Oblivion, to the abyss of Aetherius. This world will live its own life, and when it is time for it to be reborn, we ourselves will help the world to cleanse itself.''

''There is no longer any need for infinite cycles of trials. And you need not try to return. Though you are my equal in strength, the might of the united children of Anu and Padomay is beyond your grasp."

"Farewell, my first and most beloved son. You are no longer needed by me, nor by the world."