The Aftermath (A Skyrim Fanfic)

Chapter One: What The...?

It was chilly when I woke up. But I didn't find that surprising, since I live on the deserted outskirts of Winterhold. I squirmed uncomfortably under my covers, then pulled them over my head. I didn't want to move from my bed, so I lay there, staring at my walls. Decorating them was a window, some staves, and some admittedly bad drawings. In the corner of the room was my desk, messy and unorganized. Amidst the piles of spell tomes and journal entries was a wooden block with a collection of letters scrawled into it: O-R-E-N. It was not just an assortment of letters - it was a name. My name.

After minutes of admiring my room, I got out of bed, adorned my glasses, and staggered sleepily to the kitchen to make breakfast, my eyes feeling heavy with slumber. I found Morose in the kitchen, looking irritated as usual.

"Breakfast?" I asked.

"I don't eat." He replied.

"Oh," I slurred. "Right."

I grabbed some cheese and some bread, slumped into a chair, and ate. Then I went upstairs to get dressed. I looked in my mirror. Here, I see a quite young Bosmer with voluminous medium-brown curly hair, freckles dotting his thin face. Glasses balanced atop his pointed nose. He was stepping awkwardly into his Adept mage robes, almost losing his balance a few times as he had to stand on only one foot. If you looked close enough, you'd notice the three small holes in his right ear and above his left eyebrow, along with a single hole in his right ear. These were where he placed his piercings: three studs were placed above the eyebrow and in his ear, and a piercing with 3 smooth blue feathers was put in the other. After dressing himself, he made a face into the mirror and chuckled quietly at his ridiculousness. How childish.

I heard a crash downstairs, along with an angry curse. My guess was that Morose had crushed or dropped something once again - without trying to, I'm sure. Speaking of Morose, how he came to be is quite a story. Last year, 4E 204, I was trying out a new Conjuration spell, and I must have gotten it wrong, because what resulted was not an Atronach, but a permanently bound Dremora. Or, at least, I think the spell is permanent. He hasn't gone back yet, like a regular Dremora would have. He hated it at first, but I think he's come to grips with it. As much as a hatred-fueled creature could, anyways. After this incident, everyone at the college thought I was a much better mage than I actually am, which is why I moved away from the main part of town. I didn't want to take credit for something that was completely accidental. If I wanted to cast it again, I wouldn't be able to.

My thoughts were interrupted by a loud sound outside. It's just the wind, I thought, but it's stronger than usual. Maybe it's just a storm. After all, those aren't unusual around here. To my dismay, the sound did not die down. In fact, it did quite the opposite. The house shook violently, and the wind was no longer howling. It was screaming. I peered out the upstairs window, and I was shocked, to say the least, at my find. It was clear as day outside. Snow was falling gently from the sky. Everything looked normal, aside from what looked like large pieces of hail, and that unnerved me.

I ran downstairs and out the door frantically. Maybe the other mages know something. I am quite secluded out here, something may be happening. I slammed the door in my frenzy, and soon heard it swing open once again. Morose, weapon drawn, had followed me outside.

"What is that sou-" Morose began. He looked up, and so did I, only to see the College collapsing right before our very eyes.

I watched in horror. I could not pull my eyes away from the terrible scene. Shouts echoed across the barren hamlet. Debris was flying all around, which I had mistaken for hail, creating a whirlwind of rubble and remains. Through the commotion, I looked up once again. A large, misshapen object flew away from the once-college. It definitely was not debris. It was alive. Without even thinking, I flung a Fireball at it.

Before I could see the result, a piece of debris was hurled past my face, and I jumped back in shock. Little did I know, I had jumped right into the path of an airborne stone. The stone collided with my head, and my vision went blurry as I fell to the snowy earth below, unconscious, just as I had started the day.

End of Chapter One