Solitude: Alone, Together

Chapter 1

Selea Arcillius took a few steps out of the Ceporah Tower and took a deep breath. Sotha Sil was gone, back to Clockwork City she supposed. It was his departure that seemed to stir up the pot that was her current emotional state.

As she began to wander the beautiful island of Artaeum, her mind wandered. She was feeling quite nostalgic as she considered all the friends she'd gained, and so many that she'd also lost. For a brief moment, she wondered exactly how the god-mer fit into that picture. She sighed as she sat down on the very rock that her dear friend Darien Gautier—the Golden Knight—had sat on just days before. Another friend lost. She thought further back to Verandis Ravenwatch—another one gone. And then there was Varen Aquilarios—the man who was somewhat responsible for her rebirth—whom she eventually came to call 'friend' as well.

She felt tired, and altogether not interested in going on another adventure. Was it selfish of her to not want to have to save anyone else? For now at least? Deep down she realized who she really needed to save. Herself. She'd been running away from herself ever since she woke up in Coldharbour, since the Prophet brought her back to Nirn, essentially reestablishing her as a living being without a soul. And she continued to run even after Meridia gave her her soul back.

Where could she go that she wouldn't be disturbed, wouldn't be asked to save the world again? Where could she be alone with her thoughts to decide what she wanted to do next?

Artaeum was beautiful, and she was fairly certain that if she wanted to, she could have studied with the Psijics. They seemed rather impressed with her skills as a mage, though her tendency to use them for battle seemed less than preferred. She appreciated their generally private lifestyle, but Artaeum was too connected to her most recent victory—and her most recent loss. She quickly arose from the rock she'd been sitting on. The rock where Darien had sat. It would do her no good to stay in Artaeum because she knew her thoughts would go back to the man who she had *almost* considered pursuing a relationship with.

Then, she heard Sotha Sil's voice in her head.

The Prisoner wields great power...

The Prisoner must apprehend two critical insights. First, they must face the reality of their imprisonment. They must see the determinative walls - the chains of causality that bind them to their course.

The Prisoner must see the door to their cell. They must gaze through the bars and perceive that which exists beyond causality. Beyond time. Only then can they escape.

She sighed. His mysterious words still confounded her, but in a small way she felt she understood. She felt trapped on Nirn. Perhaps it as because of her connection with Coldharbour, all her interactions with the Daedric world. Perhaps it was because there seemed to be nowhere to turn that people hadn't heard of her exploits. It was her own fault—but once she'd defeated Molag Bal, she felt... driven... to continue helping, continuing saving people, continue fighting evil.

She wanted to escape the prison. She wanted to take herself out of the equation, to exist beyond causality. Was that possible? An idea began forming in her head and she stood and began walking to the nearest wayshrine. She may not be able to totally escape being a part of causality, but she could hide herself away and perhaps not be a part of the equation for a while. It was time to head to Mournhold.