29 Flashback.

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Getting onto the smaller private frigate ship, a vessel designed for speed and maneuverability, as the Nilfgaardians must return to their command center on this Tamriel continent quickly with no delay, knowing what they carry and the implications of it, William chooses a railing to lean on, gazing at the view.

A Stormcloak banner replaces the College symbol of the eye in every part of the castle. The Jarl of Windhelm looks at us from the distant wall with his entourage, some of them wielding double two-handed axes—one silver, the other steel. Thousands upon thousands of soldiers from different holds in Skyrim have gathered in a line stretching from one horizon to the other. A viking longship with a different flag from those holds stretches endlessly by the time Nilfgaardian sails deep into the Sea Ghost.

This is the sight that William sees when looking back in the direction of Winterhold. Or, more specifically, the sight that has been present since two months ago when the members of the Chronicle Explorers consisted only of Za'bil, Onmund, Brylina, and J'zargo, plus Master Wizard Tolfdir, came back to the College bringing the news of what they discovered deep beneath ancient Nordic tomb of Saarthal.

At that time, William was still immersed in his research for two weeks straight in his quarter, trying to figure out the correct measurement for the Ring of Infinite Extension. He didn't receive any news whatsoever on what was happening around him, not until a magical explosion occurred, shaking the ground in their very being and creating an earthquake that almost took out his life, burying him beneath the rubble of his quarters.

If not for the lady who smelled of lilac and gooseberries, who helped him out of the rubble with her telekinesis magic, and the silver-haired lady who found him first beneath that rubble, he most likely would have already transitioned to the next world by now. Although at first, he is confused as to why another continent protagonist arrived there in Winterhold, he soon realizes when looking at the silver-haired lady talking in the third person perspective with her eyes glowing in greenish-white light.

"The one who was once known as Reachmen. The one who was once bringing decimators into this land. The one who wants to achieve divinity through the souls of others is right there at the center of the Eye," are the specific words that this silver-haired lady utters at that time. Transcendence activated, trying to understand what was happening, he finally figures out by the time the two ladies are already out of sight, leaving him in the snowy ground, bloody and battered, but most importantly, still alive.

That is, the Augur of Dunlain, living as an incorporeal entity at the College Mystic Focal Point, now wants to fuse with the Eye of Magnus that Tolfdir brought into the College, and in that, the exact location in one of the Focal Points, no less. He doesn't know if that old man is an accomplice or not, essentially creating that scenario so his friend can use that Eye easily, but one thing is for sure: by the time he finishes mending his wounds, all sorts of chain of events are happening.

Hundreds upon hundreds of Magic Anomalies dotted the sky, killing any civilians or mages alike that were brought into existence because of the high concentration of Magicka, which also was followed by the great blizzard and maelstrom that hit Winterhold city, bringing another disaster.

Nilfgaardian sorcerers and sorceresses arrive using a portal one after the other after receiving the news from raven black haired lady, running toward the castle to battle Psijic Order members that stay invisible, as if they are waiting for the Augur to finish fusing with the Eye.

Nordling Magicka mages that arrive with these Nilfgaardian sorcerers help the citizens and placate them to prevent panic, also dealing with the continuously piling up Anomalies and putting an end to them.

All Dominion guards stationed there to protect Ambassador Ancano are killed one after the other by silver-haired lady wielding neon katana who keep blinking from one place to another, as if she has a personal vendetta against them, with some of these guards are revealed to be an Aen Elle when their elven helmets are opened.

The Stormcloak army stationed in the area outside Winterhold city reports the news to Ulfric, who instantly brings that army to storm Winterhold College, because their suspicion is true: the mages are the ones who created the Great Collapse, destroying their old capital city.

Letters and messages are sent one after the other to every hold in Skyrim, prompting some of them that support Stormcloak to send their vessels and armies into the College.

Students and professors alike panic and don't know what to do, wanting to attack anyone on sight, but luckily, quickly calmed down by Sylivia and Onmund, who instruct them to leave the College and help the citizens with the continuing disaster first. Which, if not for these two, the College would have become a bloodbath between Ulfric's army and the mages.

And many many, much more that by the time the Psijic Order has been repelled and the Augur of Dunlain has been contained by the Nilfgaardian sorcerers, one and a half months have already passed.

Which then prompted this late arrival army to demand an explanation from the next person in line after the deceased Savos Aren—Half-Step Arch Mage Mirabelle Ervine—about the continuous disaster that is happening and the old tale disaster that has not yet been resolved.

Luckily, before mages and people of Skyrim come to blows due to the misunderstanding, since the culprit is the floating big blue orb that the angry Nordling can't wrap their head around the idea of how that is possible, a delegation sent from the Nilfgaardian front arrives to resolve the matters. They bring a shaman prisoner from the Western Reach who knows personally this Augur of Dunlain and understands this floating blue orb's mission at the Winterhold College.

After hearing the tale of how, 70 years ago, this orb that used to be a Reachmen, sacrificing Winterhold inhabitants by causing the Great Collapse, in an attempt to awaken the Dark Heart—an imitation of the Heart of Lorkhan—so that the Augur could ascend to achieve divinity and help their people prosper.

But it ended in failure, resulting in it being only a blue orb that became part of the College castle, which, in itself, was under the gaze of the previous Arch-Mage of the College of Winterhold and many old members of that College.

The Skyrim Nordling gives a verdict—a verdict to execute the accomplice of this Augur of Dunlain, who wanted to hitch a ride to achieve divinity, and to exile all members of the College out of Skyrim.

When they meant all, it meant all—thousand students currently studying in the Winterhold College and professors who have nothing to do with this incident.

And because their academy is disbanded, plus the College occupants cannot contact their families all over Tamriel in a short period of time to ship them out of Skyrim. They, the students and professors including him and his study group, all have no choice but to listen to what the Nilfgaardians have to say because they are the ones that bring about hundreds upon hundreds of ships with them, predicting that this is likely to happen.

Essentially creating this scene before him: a big migration of Winterhold College occupants led by Anna Henrieta and her Breton new husband, who act as the multicultural affairs delegation side of things, to welcome these new mages into their new place of study.

A place where the ancient clan of mages, the Direnni, has been living since time immemorial. A place believed to be the oldest standing building in Tamriel. A place that is supposed to have been created by the Eight Divines themselves. That is, the Adamantine Tower.

—

"Will, it's okay. We still have a place to study. Even if you decide to go adventuring, there is no need to worry about not having research material or references. You can always come back."

Sight lingering at distant Skyrim as a whole for a while, William's gaze turned toward his best friend, "No, it's not that. I just think I need to return here as soon as possible after meeting the Emperor."

A couple of seconds in silence, the lady with the scent of wisteria flowers then tilted her head, asking, "Are you having the same feeling as Za'bil?"

Not quite true, but also true at the same time, since his first goal is the staff of the Eye in the middle of this fleet, William just exclaimed, "Something like that."

Hearing the explanation, the lady then just nodded, "Then there will be no problem. Onmund will make sure of that. Judging from his expression, it seems he already misses this place."

Pausing for a moment, she added, "And, me, Syanna, and Anna also will make sure our team's area of activity will be in Skyrim province and surroundings."

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