Chapter 555 - Onikkeindrog The Wise

Happy Birthday everyone. Not me, not anyone in Particular. But to "Dragonborn Saga". On the 1st of August, 2018; I published the first Chapter of this Monstrosity and I am quite proud of everything it has achieved so far. I am most thankful for everyone of you guys and I hope we all have another Wonderful and Successful year in our Careers and Hobbies. ❤️❤️❤️

One more thing, I took a break the last five days for Eid and I was completely away from internet and civilization. I may also take another break this month because of my PhD Exam so writing may get a bit slower. Sorry Big Time. ​​

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"Will you talk to me, Dovahkiin?"

"I said I will."

A Man and a Dragon stood face to face in a gathering of mortals and another Dragon. The sheer pressure of the two entities was so suffocating for the wildlife in the range of a mile to flee in terror.

Jon stood tall in the [Ebony Mail] and held the Daedric Halberd which can harm any Dragon. Opposite to him was the golden Onikkeindrog, Strategist of the Horde of Alduin and one of the mysterious pillars of the Dragon Cult.

Jon and Onikkeindrog exchanged deep looks into one another. Normally, a Dragon would see through any mortal just with a glance. Onikkeindrog turned his eyes and saw worry in Jonrad, readiness in Wulfur and Mirren, firmness in Delphine and fear in the rest. But Jon… Jon was impossible to see through.

On the other hand, Jon exactly knew what Onikkeindrog was trying to do. The way the Dragons can tell what the mortals feel is a sense of intuition that is harnessed by reading the sounds of hearts. If you know what people's heartbeats sound like when they lie, when they are afraid, when they are at their bravest; you can simply not only predict but manipulate your opponent.

Onikkeindrog was plotting to overpower Jon by threatening him and playing mind games but Jon's heart was as if immovable. And for a second there, a sound was heard audibly.

*BabDUM*

It was as if a heart was bursting with power, Jon's heart went through the trials of Flame and Frost and now that he reached the Thunder Heart stage, he made those around him tremble with only a heartbeat.

Onikkeindrog was just taken aback by what he heard and felt strangely uncomfortable being seen through by a mortal whose age wasn't even 1% of his own.

"You said you're speaking, will you keep this folly for too long or should we just skip to fighting." Jon spoke.

"Patience, you seem eager for fighting, Dovahkiin. Is it your Paar? Your Desire?" Onikkeindrog finally started talking.

"Eager? That doesn't even half describe it." Jon walked even closer to Onikkeindrog and showed hostility, "I will tear through everything and everyone who stands between me and Alduin and if you want to know my desires, you should have done a better job knowing me first before coming after me."

"Vahzah! True! We were also eager to deal with you Dovahkiin. Do you know what kind of creature you are?" Onikkeindrog asked.

"Sure, a member of the Homo Sapiens race known commonly as Humans." Jon replied with a cheeky answer.

"Oh! But you are so much more, Dovahkiin. Do you understand the Origins of Dragons and the Dragonborns? The reason why scourges like you were made."

"HA! Calling me names now? Fine, I know the reason and the duties of the Dragonborn. I know the Origins of your kind and the Dragons' Sin of Hunger."

"Sin? You call bahlok… our hunger, you call it a Sin when you had no faintest idea what it all meant?" Onikkeindrog seemed rather offended by what Jon just said.

Jon raised his arms and shoulder gesturing that he doesn't know and doesn't care but the look on his face displayed mockery. How can a Dragon say to a human that they don't know hunger even though from the days they were born, humans were Hungry… were Mortals.

Hunger is Mortality in the Dragons' logic and too many other myths that surround the creation. In the past, the Dragons experienced Mortality thus they ate Akatosh and many other Spirits in order to gain their current immortal selves. Alduin himself is fated to eat the whole World if he desires to do so instead of ruling it.

"As a member of the mortal races, I don't find anything wrong with the death you so much fear. Death gives life meaning."

"Mey! (Fool!) What meaning do demise and defeat accomplish? As I thought, you are dangerous. Let me tell you what a Dragonborn really is. Scourges like you are no heroes, no saviors, no champions. I admit that Dragons are not perfect just as you mortals but a Dragonborn, he is the worst of both worlds."

"Ho!" Jon raised his eyes up and seemed interested in this remark, "Please, elaborate further."

"Desires are what drives both Joor and Vojoor, mortals and immortals, but only those who are wise enough are able to resist the temptations. For Dragonborns, they have the worst traits of Mortalkind and the worst of the Dov. Dovahkiin are selfish, power-hungry, fearful of death, desire dominance and have terrible powers. Bormahu (Akatosh) was unwise to hand his power to mortals without holding back. Truly unwise." Onikkeindrog said.

Jon rubbed his chin and nodded.

"But you are making it as if I am Miraak." He replied.

"We fought the Dragon Slaver for many bitter years. He killed those he couldn't enslave and took the weak of us under his rule. He was a terrible example of what a Dovahkiin can be. Tell me, Dovahkiin, what makes you different from Miraak?"

"Me? Different? Not at all." Jon shook his head, "I have no love for the Dragonborn who refused to end Alduin once and for all and chose to abandon the people and be his own King or something. Still, I get to have all the power he had, I would do it without thinking."

"So… power-hungry, that's a thing you admit, Dovahkiin." Onikkeindrog seemed annoyed by Jon's honesty towards himself even in public and in front of his enemies.

"I just don't imagine anything good this conversation is achieving, Dragon. On one hand, you are trying to blame me for being what I am and on the other, you are acting as if you are in the right." Jon locked his arms together demanding an explanation.

"What wrong am I in when the only thing I do is defend my kind?" Onikkeindrog argued.

"Is that so? So you are saying that the best way to Defense is Offense… then why are we having this conversation?"

"Don't you already understand? I failed to know who you are, to predict you, it is only natural for me to come directly to the source."

"And what stops me from sticking this Halberd in your nose all the way to your brain?" Jon murderously asked, "You are injured and not completely healed. I am in a better position. There will be no better moment to take you on except right now."

"There is nothing to stop you if you wish to fight. But do not Warriors prefer to exchange words with their foes before a bitter battle?"

"I'm not that kind of Warrior."

"Then yet again I was mistaken and my curiosity got the best of me." Onikkeindrog spoke as if he is admitting his own bad habit.

"Now if you're done with your nonsense, I have something to confirm." Jon took the lead on the conversation from that point.

"…" As if knowing what Jon is about to talk about, Onikkeindrog showed a hint of carefulness.

"Aside from the fact that you somehow found out about my real identity and you even looked around for all the enemies I made all around Skyrim making them your cult, am I mistaken to assume that the plan to attack Winterhold… to be more specific, the targeting of my family especially my wife was your idea all along?"

Jon's question was different from the argument Onikkeindrog was dwelling around all that time but from the look of it, the Dragon didn't deny what Jon said.

"Vahzah (Correct), it was me who wanted the demise of your loved ones, Dovahkiin." Onikkeindrog said it bluntly.

The situation seemed to have reached its dead end. Everyone following Jon knew exactly what it meant to target his family, Jon would raise Oblivion itself to face such a crime.

"Alright."

But the words that Jon replied with were devoid of any anger or hate. Jon was simply unshaken to the point where it was difficult to understand him. Even Onikkeindrog didn't predict that at all.

"Normally, I would kill you where you stand. Those who tried to harm my family before were only pitiful losers who saw no hope of getting after me. However, I don't understand you. In the case of my wife, was it because of her powers?" Jon asked.

The dragon seemed very careful with his following words so he chose to give a half-assed answer.

"Yes, but not entirely that." He said.

Jon nodded and asked one more question.

"So my family, you weren't aiming to hurt me but you still had a sinister plan in mind. Mind if you spill the beans?"

"That would not be advantageous to me."

"I see." Jon nodded, "If my family's demise was your goal and it had nothing to do with revenge then you must have simply wanted me to lose rationality. Losing it in my case can prove dangerous since I… I would act based on hatred… this means you wanted my quest to be about revenge rather than being about saving those who I care about. I see… a man who lost everything won't care for anything. I would simply ignore the other people who are suffering because of the Dragons and look for the fastest way to kill the one who I would blame for losing my family… Alduin."

Jon smiled as if not believing his own analysis then looked at the Dragon in front of him.

"Hah! So all you were aiming for is to break me as a person and drive me to a quest for revenge against Alduin. If he kills me, he would achieve his fate; but if I kill him… Hahaha! You sly old lizard." Jon laughed, "You wanted me to ignore most of the Dragons and directly kill Alduin?"

There was no longer hiding it. Jon is too much of a monster when he starts profiling something in his head and from the looks of it, Onikkeindrog wasn't denying it at all.

*ROAR*

On the other hand, Trahdruniik spread his wings and flew closer to Jon and Onikkeindrog.

"That's not true. Onikkeindrog, this is not what you were planning." He said.

Jon and Onikkeindrog seemed to be completely focusing on one another ignoring the tantrum Trahdruniik was throwing.

"Thuri, you can't possibly be betraying Alduin." Trahdruniik pressed further causing Onikkeindrog to reply.

"That's enough, Trahdruniik." He spoke.

"Impossible… Why would you turn your back on Alduin?" The Dragon Trahdruniik was having a hard time believing what he was witnessing from his direct superior.

"Yes, Onikkeindrog. Why don't you tell us the reason." Even Jon seemed demanding yet not forgetting to add his smug touch.

Even Onikkeindrog would be pressured by such firmness. On one hand, there is an age-long ally whom he risked the lives of two other dragons for and on the other, there is the bitter enemy of all the Dov.

"My true intention was to cause the demise of you Dovahkiin alongside my brother, Alduin. If you want to know why then simply understand it is the only way." Onikkeindrog spoke.

"The only way for what?" Trahdruniik asked.

"To save your scaley ass." Jon seemed to have caught up on Onikkeindrog's reasoning, "He wanted to save all the Dragons from the rock and the hard place. In other words, Alduin and Me."

It all made sense to this point.

Onikkeindrog wanted to destroy Jon's family in order to darken his heart and send him over to Alduin. With the two monsters on each other's throats, they would put each other down for good and the Dragons would be free from both their ultimate slayer and their dominator.

In a sense, it was a very realist and simple plan. If Jon were so much to lose a single loved one to Dragons, he would have rushed his campaign and went to face Alduin right at the moment.

"How do you feel about Alduin?" Finally, Jon asked a strange question.

Onikkeindrog was in a way shocked by this question. In a sense, it was as if someone asked him something he can't even fathom the answer to.

Who is Alduin to Onikkeindrog?

A brother? A commander? A tyrant?

He was… everything.

There was no way Onikkeindrog would forget what Alduin who was once a hero to all Dragons did. The first brother Alduin, the second brother Paarthurnax, the third brother Onikkeindrog, the fourth brother Kungosvern, the fifth brother whose name is a secret… Those five were legends among the Dragons ever since they were but Wandering Spirits.

When the hunger came and when mortality and death threatened everything by the emergence of Akatosh, who put the second after the second and the minutes into hours, there was only the Black Prince to stand up for Akatosh. It was Alduin who first dug his teeth into the hide of Akatosh and tore his spirit apart then the Wandering Spirits followed. The hunger turned to madness as the Wandering Spirits ate and ate until they devoured many parts of Akatosh and even other spirits. It was then when the Wandering Spirits transcended mortality and stood above all else as the eternal Dragons and the supreme life form.

To Onikkeindrog and many others, those were the days.

But now those days are gone. Now, Alduin is nothing but an old bitter tyrant. And much more, there is one thing that Onikkeindrog the Wise hates in both Jon and Alduin and it was the basis of his answer.

"Alduin… you, Dovahkiin… I feel about you just about the same." Onikkeindrog said, "You two are the worst kinds of Dragons above all else, you two are Mad."

"Heh!" Jon disdainfully laughed.

There was no more to say. Onikkeindrog came to know Jon and he knew him, Jon listened to Onikkeindrog and he realized what kind of a Dragon he is up against.

"Interesting! Interesting indeed!" Jon was smiling widely, "So Alduin is crazed, power-hungry and a bitter Dragon. That's a recipe for disaster indeed. And you… you don't want me to kill the Dragons who are uninvolved, right?"

Onikkeindrog didn't reply as there are no more words to be said.

"Alright. I won't kill Dragons discriminately." Jon raised his shoulders without much care.

"What?"

"Wait… what are you saying?"

"Son, what are you…"

"How could… no way."

"Not kill Dragons…"

"That's… how!"

The reactions around Jon were the same whether it is from the side of humans or Dragons.

"Thane Jon, how could you say such a thing? You are a Dragonborn, this is unacceptable." And the one with reacting the most was Delphine.

"Unacceptable?" Jon turned to her with a murderous look on his face before slapping her with the back of his hand before she even replied, "You don't get to tell me what I should and shouldn't do, bitch."

The Agents quickly held her up and dragged her back then gagged her after a signal from Jon. After that, Jon turned to Onikkeindrog.

"As I said, I won't hunt the Dragons without a reason. If they committed crimes, I will arrest them and put them to trial then pass judgment on them. If they resisted arrest, I would deal with them as I see fit. By my authority, the rules and rights of men would be applied on Dragons from now on."

Jon declared his intentions. His words were as if lightning kept striking at an instant rate.

"What… what is the meaning of this?" Trahdruniik asked.

"It is as you heard. From the beginning, I had no intention of driving the Dragons to extinction and quite frankly, I would prefer to have the Dragons as allies instead of enemies. Dragons are one of the sentient races and I know they feel lonely, they get mad and bitter, they hate isolation and can suffer mental traumas. I had to confirm that of course and you proved to be excellent specimens."

Jon was satisfied with what he confirmed and what he found out about Dragons. Other than their psych, he can also figure out many weaknesses in their nature.

"And what judgment will you pass, Dovahkiin? We killed many of the mortalkind, will you sentence us to death?" Onikkeindrog asked.

"I should do so." Jon replied, "Sadly, this will raise conflict and cause the other dragons to feel distrust towards me thus I will pass a judgment fit enough for your crimes. The same goes for you Trahdruniik."

The two dragons didn't reply carefully considering their options but eventually, there seemed to be either this or conflict. If conflict became the option, Jon would forever be seen as an enemy to the Dragons and would be forced to annihilate them at some point.

The only option for peace is to comply.

"Pass your judgment, Dovahkiin." Onikkeindrog spoke.

Jon nodded.

"For the crimes of Murdering the Innocent, enslaving members of the mortal races, terrorizing the peaceful folk and the hardworking travelers, seeking to cause discord in the realm of Winterhold. I, Dragonborn Jon Dare, sentence you to exile. You may not dwell on or fly over Tamriel for a Thousand Years."

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