An illustrated Skyrim story beyond the fall of the Dark Brotherhood~
After a surreal event, Cicero is inexplicably thrown back into a clear state of mind and his memories from his life prior to his madness return. We begin to learn who he really is...
Cicero had to pee. He had drunk his weight in mead last night and felt like his back teeth were floating. He shifted a bit and felt something pressed up against him. Ruby? He opened his eyes remembering that he was in Jade's bed. She had her head tucked into his shoulder and was pressed tightly against his side making his need to piss all that more urgent. Having her so close was something he'd literally dreamt about for months and he didn't want to ruin it.
He lifted his eyes to the ceiling as he contemplated what to do. Jade would be rightfully angry if he just wet the bed and she'd never let him sleep near her again. But if he tried to hold it any longer, he'd have no choice.
He turned to press his lips against the top of her head and inhaled. She smelled faintly of nightshade, a beautiful yet deadly flower. Fitting. Okay, maybe he could hold out just a moment longer... ah.
A warm sensation began to grow beneath him. Cicero cringed. He gently pushed Jade's shoulder and moved her over while trying not to wake her. As he sat up he quickly realized that it was not urine he was lying in... it was blood.
He glanced down at his stomach thinking it was from where he was stabbed, but strangely he was unable to find the wound or even a cut in his leather armor. He lifted his eyes back to the bed.
"Jade...?" Cicero was hit with a disorienting wave of terror upon seeing her body covered in blood. She didn't respond. He grabbed her shoulder again and lifted her a bit to see that she was cut from the throat down the length of her body, her entrails spilling onto the sheets. Cicero cried out in horror and scrambled off the bed. He began hyperventilating as his mind raced. He'd seen more disemboweled corpses than he could count, many of which he'd butchered himself. But this... this was not the same.
How could this happen!? He was there the entire time! Who could have done this!? Cicero was getting tunnel vision. Jade was dead... and the baby- he felt like he was in a state of suspended reality. Nothing made sense.
"Psst, Chickpea..." a tiny voice mocked from across the room. Cicero glanced over and saw a small child standing in the doorway. It was the girl from his visions; a trail of blood from the bed led right to her. She was holding a bloody steel dagger in her tiny hand.
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Cicero slowly exhaled. This was another dream. Or at the very least, a hallucination. It had to be.
"Fool..." the girl scoffed and tossed the weapon across the wooden floor. It slid through the blood trail before coming to a stop at his feet. He stared down at it and recalled Tripp's words.
'Pay attention to your dreams, friend. He's trying to help.'
Cicero cautiously retrieved the blade. It was made of Skyforge steel just like the one he had pulled from his back in a previous dream.
