"Still, I am not sure which is more amazing……"

  "Creating something from nothing can’t be amazing because it is simply impossible. But converting matters and energies is the next level shit…… ouch! Hey!"

  "You kiss your mama with that mouth?"

  "…… Stop casting spells out of nowhere…… and drink your tea before it gets cold."

  "Oh, thank you…… Shit! It is cold……"

  Tsk! This woman is a hypocrite.

  I keep explaining modern theories to her and I get a ’Telekinetic Slap’ in the end.

  Well, at least the road is not boring. We headed out of Windhelm earlier this morning and some new faces joined us. These were Patriarch Sigurd Moonblade and some of his men as well as Freyja and Bjorna who were on a mission to Morthal.

  The Moonblade Clan’s stronghold is located in Winterhold. It is exactly in the western region of the hold south to Snowpoint Beacon and Hob’s Fall Cave. It is a very rocky area on a mountain but I was aware of it because it is an area that Alina asked me not to send people there.

  Anyway, Sigurd was glaring at me all the time lately. For some reason, that old man didn’t give me one chance to have a proper conversation with Alina.

  This daughter-con old man is getting on my nerve.

  "Father-in-Law, would you like some herbal tea?"

  "……"

  "Father-in-Law, are you okay? You seem a bit dejected."

  "…… I, will, murder, you!"

  The man gave off a scary aura for a second but there was someone who was giving him the ’I dare you’ smile behind me.

  I love it when Nurina is on my side. I can just go and kick a dragon’s butt without worrying about my own.

  Anyway, after we reached the southern crossroad in Winterhold after two days of riding, we went to the north and the Moonblade with the Firemanes kept riding west.

  Alina joined her father and rode to her clan with him, she hasn’t returned there for some time so Nurina gave her a vacation for a few days.

  Now, heading north to Winterhold town were Nurin, Jull, Wulf and me. This is basically our territory so we were taking it easy.

  Still, something weird occurred…… the wind howled and snow started flying everywhere.

  "A storm? Well, this is Sun’s Dawn (February) after all. Let’s find cover."

  "We are in the middle of nowhere!"

  "Whistling Mine and the new village are just one hour ahead, we can make it."

  We all were riding Flame Atronach Horses so it wasn’t a tough trip anyway but the Snow Storm started affecting the performance of the Flame Atronach Horses.

  "Okay, I am doing it…… LOK VAH Koo…… *cough* the last word is so damn tricky!"

  I had to use the ’Clear Skies’ Thu’um to put down the storm but I haven’t made any progress with the last word ’Koor’ which means ’Summer’. Mostly because I haven’t seen a real summer in a long time and it is hard to pull its effect out. Also, the word was so damn hard to use as a Thu’um.

  Some words of power are harder than others to master and ’Koor’ is the hardest one so far.

  Anyway, the snowstorm returned once again after a minute.

  "We will arrive shortly anyway. Let’s pick up the pace."

  I encouraged them to go ahead and tried to use the Thu’um one more time……

  But……

  I couldn’t shout!

  Nurina looked at me and tilted her head.

  "Ehem! It seems that I need some more time." I said while smiling awkwardly.

  "You never needed that long to rest from two words." Nurina said and seemed a bit worried.

  "Never mind it! We can reach Whistling Mine normally now. Let’s hurry."

  I tried not to worry her but I felt strange myself.

  Wulf and Jull nodded and rode faster ahead, Wulf had his bear cub tied carried on his back and Nefertiti chose to ride with Jull for some reason.

  Nurina and I were riding slowly in the back.

  ***

  Time passed and the storm became stronger, I tried to use the Thu’um one more time but with no result.

  "Okay, this is not good!"

  "What?" Nurina replied.

  "I can’t use the Thu’um. I don’t know why but it is not coming out."

  Nurina rode closer and held my shoulder. She let her Magicka flow into me and tried to check something.

  She then opened her eyes wide and looked at me.

  "Jon, you have been ’Silenced’!"

  "Silenced?!"

  What is she talking about?

  No one can ’Silence’ me.

  ’Silence’ is a spell that locks the magic of the target. Through it, the target can’t use any form of magic or anything related.

  But, I can’t be Silenced! My Magicka is far too strong to get (normally) Silenced!

  "What is going on here? How couldn’t you feel yourself being silenced?" Nurina asked me and seemed worried.

  "I don’t know! How couldn’t you feel any magic being cast around?"

  "……"

  This wasn’t a good sign! I looked around but……

  "Where are Jull and Wulf?"

  Nurina also looked around and didn’t spot anyone.

  The storm was so intense for us to see more than ten meters ahead.

  "Here, you are good to go!" Nurina removed the ’Silencing’ state from me and cast protection around us.

  We were on high alert and started looking around with caution.

  Suddenly!

  *thud* *thud*

  We both fell on the ground!

  "The hell!"

  I was shocked…… we weren’t attacked! It was only our Flame Atronach Horses getting dispelled.

  "The fuck is going on! Show yourself, scoundrel!" Nurina regained her balance and lashed a Lightning spell in anger that moved like a whip around us…… but it also got dispelled.

  Shit!

  Silencing me without me noticing! Fooling Nurina’s magic sense and dispelling her magic!

  "…… Who on Nirn can do that?"

  I asked Nurina who was back to back with me but I got no answer.

  I looked at her and found her frozen in a shock with her eyes wide open.

  "It wasn’t easy, you know…… Locking his magic and sneaking on you, girl."

  Following where Nurina’s eyes were looking, the source of the voice appeared from the snow storm.

  It was……

  a normal Dark Elf woman in some unremarkable clothes?!

  What is that?

  "Long time no see, girl!" The woman walked forward and Nurina was still frozen in shock.

  She was a Dunmer with the same grey skin and red eyes but her hair was ashen grey. Maybe due old age but her movements weren’t that of an old person. Maybe that’s her appearance!

  "…… Jon." Nurina spoke in a weak voice

  "What?"

  "…… Run!"

  ***

  "Run!" Nurina said in a scared manner.

  "Huh?" Jon’s thought process was still in a bewildered state.

  "I said run! Don’t look back and run!"

  "Eh! I don’t underst……"

  Meanwhile, the Dunmer woman was watching with an expressionless face.

  "Are you two done?" She spoke in a bored manner.

  Nurina and Jon got tensed up and looked at the woman with worried expressions and seemed to have been ready to go on a fight any time. Difference is…… Nurina was very aware who was she up against.

  "You will never get your hands on him." Nurina was trying to protect Jon with a desperate look on her face. She was resolved to go all out.

  "It is a matter of whether I can or can not, girl."

  The old woman waved her hand and both Jon and Nurina got blown away from their places in a second.

  The woman looked at them then sighed and shook her head, she then walked towards them once again.

  Thirty meters away, Jon and Nurina landed over each other and seemed all beaten up.

  "This *cough*…… Who is that monster?" Jon stood up while staggering.

  "If you already know that she is a monster then hurry up and leave."

  "The fuck are you talking about? I am not leaving! And weren’t you the one who should have been the monster around these parts? Why is there someone who is kicking you around like that?"

  "Tsk! Here she comes."

  Jon and Nurina got into battle mode once again and used their best spells to get ready.

  "I will take left, you go right!" Jon said and started to open the close the gap between himself and the woman with his hammer in hand. Once he was five meters close, he teleported to the right (contrary to what he said) and swung his hammer.

  "A shameless attack, huh? You taught him that?"

  The woman didn’t even look at him and took out a sword out of nowhere and blocked his hammer with ease.

  Jon was shocked of the woman’s strength but he already expected this woman to be a freak who can play with Nurina around. Once his attack got blocked, his hand moved to the Skyforge Saber and drew it in an arc towards the woman.

  She snorted in disdain and twisted the hand that was holding her sword then used it to block the saber too.

  She was blocking Jon’s two trusty weapons with one hand and one weapon.

  Jon was vexed as he didn’t seem to be able to push the woman at all so he twisted his waist kicked at the woman’s head from the back.

  The woman simply moved faster than anything Jon can do and was just behind Jon, she then used the side of her sword and smacked Jon’s butt with it sending him away.

  "Where did you find such a big child? He is so persistent."

  The woman asked Nurina who was for some reason unable to move or talk.

  "Oh, sorry!" The woman noticed the abnormality then flicked her finger dispelling the paralyzing state from Nurina.

  "You crazy old hag! Why don’t you just die?" Nurina, who got freed, released her magic in a massive Lightning attack.

  "You know my family, little girl. We never die." The woman waved her right hand coolly and blocked all Nurina’s magic like it was nothing.

  "Just get swallowed in Oblivion already!" Nurina put more effort into her magic and launched it like a bomb.

  "Been there…… boring by the way." The woman was blocking Nurina’s massive spell like it was nothing.

  "FUS RO DAH!" Jon returned to the battle and shouted the ’Unrelenting Force’.

  The woman clicked her tongue and moved away from the shout’s path.

  "This kid is indeed troublesome. To make me move twice?! Who is he to you, girl?" The woman looked at Nurina while aiming a spell at Jon whose instincts told him that he is fucked up if he moved.

  Nurina looked at the woman with absolute anger and shouted.

  "Alfe, that’s my son!"

  The atmosphere settled down for a while and became a bit awkward.

  "…… I see!" The woman nodded her head canceled her magic.

  "I think we have a lot of catching up to do." The woman said and waved her hand. Both her and Nurina disappeared from sight. Jon all left alone!