The College of Winterhold is a very curious structure. The building itself is located on top of a large cliff, and the only thing connecting the college to the mainland was a narrow, zigzagging bridge suspended over the ocean below. The bridge is intimidating not just because of the powerful mage that guards it, but because of its state of disrepair.

Across the bridge is the central courtyard. A fountain statue of the first Arch-Mage of the college, Lee Jieun or more commonly referred to as IU, dominated the middle of the courtyard. The hub of the facility offered access back out to the bridge or into the three Halls.

The Hall of Attainment, the living quarters for mage apprentices, is the left tower upon entering the courtyard, while the Hall of Countenance, the living quarters for more advanced mages, is the tower off to the right. Straight ahead through two enormous doors was the Hall of Elements, the lecture hall of the college. Above the Hall of Elements was the Arcanaeum, the college’s extensive library, and above that was the Archmage’s quarters.

What makes the college curious is its history. Winterhold was once a great, powerful and wealthy hold, and its relationship with the college was good. But over two hundred years ago, an unprecedented event struck Winterhold and most of the areas along the coastline. A massive storm came from the Sea of Ghosts bringing huge waves and extreme weather.

Most of the city fell into the ocean below, leaving the city in ruin both physically and emotionally. Physically in terms of destruction and emotionally in terms of the psychological damage done to Winterhold’s people. This event would eventually be referred to as "The Great Collapse." The disaster left Winterhold in ruins, however, the college was practically unaffected.

It is often believed that the activities at the college that caused the disaster; the only evidence supporting this is that only the building remained almost untouched. The college has since been cautious as to avoid provoking the population. The only positive relationships the country has with the College of Winterhold are requests for various items to be enchanted and calls for aid.

Many fear those living inside the college, claiming they are all part of a cult or something along those lines, but Jihyo doesn’t. She knows what the residents were really like. Yes, they had a passion for something hard to wrap one's head around, but they didn’t let that passion blind them. Almost all the staff of the college had been kind to Jihyo when she first started visiting with Dahyun.

Some even offered to teach her magic to help in her field. Illusion spells soon became her and Dahyun’s specialty; the detect life spell was useful for identifying how many people were in a building and the muffle spell kept their movements soundless. One of the staff even promised to teach Jihyo an invisibility spell.

But out of all the mages at the college, Jihyo’s favorite had to be Momo. The woman carried the heavy burden of Archmage but didn’t let that stop her from enjoying her life. From the few times she had been to the college, Jihyo watched Momo interact with staff and students, eat more than humanly possible, and perform mesmerizing spells.

When Jihyo had first met Momo, the thief believed her to be far too young for such a position of power. However, when the Sowon explained how Momo had come to be Archmage, Jihyo couldn’t help but be impressed.

According to Sowon, Momo had come to the college from a foreign country seeking knowledge. The young mage had claimed she learned all she could in her homeland and wished to expand her views on magic. Over time, young Momo had built a strong reputation for herself inside the college and eventually went with a group to investigate the excavated ruins of Saarthal.

Unintentionally, Momo and one of the professors ended up in the depths of Saarthal where an ancient magical orb lay hidden. The group had taken the orb back to the college and one of the students had become, for lack of better word, possessed by its power. The student forced everyone out of the college with new magical abilities and attempted to gain even more power from the orb.

Momo was sent by the previous Archmage to find a magical staff that was affiliated with the orb. This involved fighting her way through a mountain full of cannibalistic elves called Falmer and delving deep into the forgotten ruins of Labyrinthian to fight an undead priest and his minions.

When Momo had returned from her assignment, news of the Archmage’s death shocked the young mage. He was cast over the edge of the bridge when fighting the possessed student. The rest of the professors and Momo successfully defeated the student and Momo was given the Archmage title.

Now the young Archmage was about to face something that was widely believed to be nothing but a legend, until last night.

RM had sent Jihyo on a quick job that put her in the area near the attack. She had seen the giant beast fly overhead with her own eyes. As quickly as she could, Jihyo wrote and sent a letter to Dahyun before setting off for Winterhold herself. She and the younger thief are always in contact with each other, so Jihyo knew she was in Solitude for the Burning of King Olaf.

So here she was, wrapped in a thick fur coat walking up the spiral stairs to the college’s library. Solji had quickly rushed Jihyo across the narrow bridge when she showed up in the early morning with a slight cold.

Solji told her that the girls were waiting in the Arcanaeum and handed her a cure disease potion and a heavy fur coat. As she made it up the final step, Dahyun’s familiar voice echoed throughout the room.

“Jihyo!”

“Dahyun!” Jihyo shrugged off her coat rushed over to her small thief.

“We came back as fast as we could when we got your letter.” Mina’s concerned face appeared behind Dahyun.

“Come, sit down.” Momo’s voice was serious as she led the older thief further into the Arcanaeum.

“Mina’s been searching for anything related to dragons.” Dahyun gestured at the large pile of books the mage had pulled out of the shelves.

“Jihyo,” Momo led the smaller woman over to one of the leather chairs in the reading area, “I need you to tell me everything that happened.”

“I was out in Karthwasten on a job when someone pointed out a strange light in the distance. It took a few moments for me to realize that it was actually Markarth. The whole city was on fire and there was something above it that was making more. At first, I thought it was a mage of some sort casting powerful destruction spells, but then I heard the roar. A few minutes later, the fire stopped coming down from the sky and something flew out of the city. I know I sound crazy but then it flew over Karthwasten. It was a dragon. I know for a fact it was.”

Momo nodded at everything Jihyo said and when she finished, the Archmage leaned back in her own seat thinking to her self.

“Dragons, how is that possible. I thought they went extinct in the first era.” Momo crossed her arms as she spoke.

“I know it sounds impossible, but I’m telling the truth.” Jihyo pleaded with the Archmage.

“I believe you Jihyo.” Dahyun knelt down next to her mentor and squeezed her hand.

“As do I, but I need proof before we start jumping to conclusions.” Momo stood and walked over to Mina and her pile of dusty books. “Anything?”

“All I’m finding is folklore and short texts about the god Akatosh.” Mina said as she flipped through more aged pages.

“That makes sense, Akatosh is depicted as a dragon.” Seulgi’s voice came from the other end of the circular room as she helped search for more books.

“Oh! Here’s something, it’s a prophecy of some sort.” Mina walked into the center of the room.

 

“When misrule takes its place at the eight corners of the world, 

When the Brass Tower walks and time is reshaped,

When the Thrice-blessed fail and the Red Tower trembles,

When the Dragonborn Ruler loses his throne and the White Tower falls,

When the Snow Tower lies sundered, kingless, bleeding,

The World-Eater wakes, and the Wheel turns upon the Last Dragonborn.”

 

When Mina looked up form the page, everyone was staring at her. Momo took the book from her hands and read over the passage again.

“Dragonborn. Whats a Dragonborn?” Momo asked the group of women.

“It’s a person.”

All the heads in the room turned towards Chaeyoung.

“A what?”

“A Dragonborn is a person with the blood and soul of a dragon, but the body of a mortal.”

“How do you know this?” Momo asked, now standing in front of the small bard with her hands on both Chaeyoung’s shoulders.

“My grandfather is a Greybeard.” Chaeyoung told the older in a quiet voice.

“A Greybeard.” Momo drops her hands and looks up in thought.

“What does that mean? Greybeard?” Jihyo asked, still sitting in her leather chair.

“The Graybeards are an order of philosopher monks who are masters of the Way of the Voice. They live in silent isolation in High Hrothgar atop the Throat of the World, the largest mountain in the country. My grandfather is one of the few left. He tried to teach my father the Way of the Voice but he refused. The only reason I know all this is because my father didn’t want me to be left in the dark about my family’s history.” Chaeyoung told the others.

“Don’t the Greybeards live in absolute silence?” Mina asked.

“Yes, when the Greybeards speak, storms brew above High Hrothgar, and people are forced to evacuate due to the imminent danger of avalanches. When they so much as whisper, it rumbles through the world, and the mountains shake. The last time that they spoke was when they announced the greatness of GDragon, the first Emperor of the YG dynasty.” Chaeyoung explained.

“Hold on I have a question,” Dahyun raised her hand for the others to see, “What’s the Way of the Voice?”

“Dragon language.”

“Woah.”

“Well, according to this prophecy, I think the wheel has turned to the Last Dragonborn.” Mina interrupted taking the book once more from Momo.

“What makes you think that?” Seulgi poked her head around the corner.

“All of us, besides Chaeyoung, had never even heard the term Dragonborn. If we have all forgotten about them, then the last one should be in hiding, yes?”

“That makes sense.” Chaeyoung spoke up, agreeing with Mina.

“But does that mean the Dragonborn will stop the dragons? Who says the guy won’t turn on us and join them.” Momo pointed out.

“Good question. But we won’t know until we meet him.” Mina said as she carefully marked the page with the prophecy and closed the book.

Momo cleared to get everyone’s attention.

“For now I think we all need some rest. We’re still tired from our trip from Solitude and Jihyo just got here. Look at her, she can barely keep her eyes open,” everyone turned to the thief in the chair to see her head slowly dipping, “Chaeyoung, Tzuyu, you both are welcome to stay on the Hall of Attainment.”

With the Archmage’s announcement through the Arcanaeum, the group split ways for the night. Chaeyoung and Tzuyu leaving for the Hall of Attainment, Mina, Dahyun, Jihyo and Seulgi heading for the Hall of Countenance, and Momo going upstairs.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Snow. Nothing but snow for all the eye could see. Snow burring the mountainside under pure white. Snow plummeting down from the constant grey sky. Snow dancing in the strong wind. Treacherous cold covered the region of the Pale casting the land in white. The only thing that could disturb the frozen blanket was a weary traveler. Or two.

A small black dot on the horizon pushed through the onslaught of powder. Two figures on horseback were covered in thick flakes, making it difficult to distinguish them. The only proof that they were moving was the trail of deep footprints their steed was leaving behind.

Jeongyeon and her sickly acquaintance had been traveling through the Pale’s downfall since mid-afternoon, and were about to break through to the other side as the light of the day disappeared. Both of their fur coats were completely white and the only source of heat came from their horse and each other. No gap between the two riders to let the cold in there too.

Soon, the snow began to lighten as they reached the end of the Pale and entered Winterhold. The remains of the city could finally be seen through the snow as less and less fell. Jeongyeon felt her companion slipping in the saddle and pulled her upright.

“We’re almost there, don’t give up now.”

No response. She hasn’t gotten one since they left Whiterun. Jeongyeon would speak with her companion every once in a while to check on her. The glowing emerald eyes could no longer be seen, for they were hidden behind closed eyelids, but there was a faint sign of life in the woman’s veins. The green lines had stretched up from her wrist and were now wrapping themselves up her neck.

“Look, there’s the city. We made it.”

They swayed back and forth as the horse walked into the snowy remains of the city. They passed by the local inn and a few guards waved up at the snow-covered travelers. The college loomed unnervingly in the snowfall but Jeongyeon directed the reins towards the intimidating building. She pulled the horse to a stop and climbed down, careful not to knock over the unconscious woman. Slowly, she lifted her snow-covered companion off the saddle and carried her bridal style up towards the college.

“Halt! What is your purpose for crossing the bridge?” A woman with fiery red hair stood at the entrance to the bridge. Her arms were crossed but through the thin material of the robes she wore, the muscle could be seen.

“I need to get into the college,” Jeongyeon slightly raised the woman in her arms, “She has a magical illness and told me she needed to come here.”

“What kind of illness?” The woman uncrossed her arms and walked down the slope towards Jeongyeon.

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen it before.”

The red-haired mage stuck out a hand to feel the woman’s forehead but jerked it back at the contact. Eyes wide, she looked up at Jeongyeon.

“Quick, follow me.”

~ ~ ~

Momo’s sleep is disturbed by a wild Sowon bursting into the room.

“Momo!”

She sat up and groggily rubbed at her eyes. Reluctantly, Momo climbed out of her fur-covered bed and stretched her arms up into the air with a long sigh. The past to days of travel had taken its toll on the Archmage, so as soon as she laid down, she was out like a light.

“Momo! This is urgent!”

“I’m coming, Sowon!” Momo yelled from behind her wall as she pulled on her clothes.

With a final yawn, Momo rounded the section of the wall separating her personal side of the room and found Sowon pacing back and forth in the archway that led into the circular room.

“What is it?” The Archmage sleepily asked the pacing advisor.

“Solji is crossing the bridge with two women, one of them is under Daedric possession.”

That woke Momo up. The Archmage’s eyes widened at the information. She hadn’t had to deal with possession since the previous Archmage. Just as she opened to speak, the wooden doors at the staircase burst open and Solji appeared with two women behind her. One with short hair, the other being carried in her arms.

“Bring her in here.” Momo told the short haired woman.

She quickly walked through the archway and presented the unconscious woman to Momo. The Archmage waved her hand and the limp body floated out of the arms of the short-haired woman.

“’What is your name?” Sowon asked from behind Solji.

“Jeongyeon, but I don’t know her name.” Jeongyeon pointed at the hovering body Momo was inspecting.

“Im Nayeon.” Momo whispered under her breath.

“Im Nayeon!” Jeongyeon shouted out. “That's not possible, she’s in prison!”

“Well not anymore.” Momo removed the hood off of the floating body to be met with Nayeon’s scarred and veiny face.

Momo’s eyes glowed a faint gold as she began reciting spells, her hands raised over Nayeon. Two orbs of pulsing yellow light appeared in her palms and she pressed down on the unconscious body. Immediately, the Archmage was launched backwards into the room. Her back slammed into the large stone wall and she fell to the ground. Nayeon stopped floating and collapsed onto the stone floor.

“What just hap-“ Jeongyeon was cut off as Nayeon opened her emerald green eyes.

Momo rose up from behind the illuminating tree and rushed back over to Nayeon. With her eyes still glowing gold, Momo tried casting another spell but a veiny hand reached up and tightly grasped her wrist.

“Run!” Momo told Jeongeyon, Sowon, and Solji right as a flash green light shot Momo backwards.

The Archmage crashed into her alchemy table, smashing wood and glass everywhere while Nayeon began to stand up. Momo engulfed her hands in flames as she lay in the wreckage of the alchemy lab and Nayeon twitched her fingers. Bright green particles appeared and swirled around Nayeon’s right hand. They began forming a glowing light until The Mace of Molag Bal appeared in her hand.

“Molag Bal, it all makes sense now,” Momo climbed out of the splintered remains of the table and walked towards Nayeon, “you’ve been under his control all your life. Haven’t you?”

Nayeon smirked and swung the glowing mace and the Archmage. Momo ducked and launched a fireball towards the possessed woman. The magical fire fizzled out into nothing as it came in contact with Nayeon’s body.

“I will send your soul to Oblivion.” Nayeon threatened as she stalked towards the Archmage.

“Not if I get that Daedric lord out of your mind first.” Momo summoned a shimmering purple sword and raised the weapon at her opponent.

 

~ ~ ~

 

Jeongyeon made it outside with Sowon and Solji just as a crash is heard from behind them. The three women turn around to watch Momo fly through a window and Nayeon jump out after her. The two were outside on the upper level of the courtyard and could be seen clashing weapons in the snowfall.

Momo flipped out of the way of the mace and launched a lightning bolt at the possessed woman. The magic was deflected and the electricity instead flew down into the courtyard, scorching the stone buried underneath the snow.

“Be careful! She can use-“ Jeongyeon yelled up to the Archmage right as a blast of fire shot Momo against the Hall of Attainment. “Fire magic.”

The women on the ground watched as Momo stood and raised her weapon once more. Blood was dripping from a wound on the Archmage’s head and white burn marks were already visible from the fireball she was just hit with. The two clashed weapons over and over along the top of the courtyard.

As the mace and sword collided, Momo slid her weapon into one of the many spiny groves of the mace and ripped it from Nayeon’s grasp. The mace flipped over the edge of the second floor and fell into the snow near the fountain below.

Nayeon began throwing fireball after fireball at Momo. The Archmage deflected each one by casting wards and leaping out of the way. A lucky ball of flames caught Momo in the arm causing her to keel over and grip the sizzling flesh.

She was lifted into the air and thrown on top of the stone railing. The impact knocked the wind out of the Archmage, leaving her gasping for breath as Nayeon’s hand became encompassed in ice. The possessed woman pressed the sharp icicle against Momo’s throat and began pushing the ice past the skin. Momo let out a gargled screech of pain as blood flowed out from .

The Archmage grabbed the arm pushing into her and released a bolt of electricity into Nayeon. She recoiled away from Momo and collapsed onto the ground. Nayeon let out a demonic scream and charged at Momo, tackling the bloody Archmage. Both women fell over the railing just like the mace and plummeted down into the courtyard. They landed on a thin layer of snow and the sound of cracking bones echoed through the college.

No one moved for a few moments but then one of them started to twitch. Nayeon slowly kneeled over the Archmage, blood dripping from a large gash on her temple into the snow. She took Momo’s head into her bloody hands and the green veins glowed brighter.

“Your soul belongs to the Void.” Nayeon’s demonic voice rung out.

“NO!”

Bright spheres of light crashed into Nayeon, knocking the possessed woman off the Archmage. Seulgi and Mina stood in the snow outside with glowing eyes. Both women had cast a bane of the undead spell when they came outside to find Im Nayeon with a broken Momo in her hands.

Nayeon stood back up while the gold light and blue flames surrounded her body. She stalked back over to Momo once more but, before she reached the Archmage, crumpled into the snow. Dark tendrils rose out of Nayeon’s seizing body and evaporated into the air. The mace buried in snow also began glowing gold and started flaking away into the night sky. Everyone watched as Nayeon screamed and the darkness left her body. Permanently.

Seulgi and Mina rushed over to the crumpled mass that was Momo. The snow under her was pink with blood and third-degree burns were visibly coving the Archmage’s arms and neck. looked as though a wolf had bitten her and scarlet blood covered her entire torso. Mina pressed some snow on the woman’s wounds while Seulgi cast all the healing spells she could think of.

“Hold on Moguri.” Mina pleaded while looking into the glassy eyes of the dying Archmage. Momo’s heartbeat was faint and her blood was beginning to stain Mina’s hands.

Seulgi cast one final healing spell and Momo was surrounded in a blue veil of transparent magic. The blood stopped flowing from her wounds and started returning into her body. The pink tint of the snow slowly absorbed back into Momo. Once it had completely disappeared, it looked as though she had fallen asleep in the snow.

A collective sigh echoed through the courtyard as all the students and staff watched their Archmage fall into a healing coma.

One woman in the crowd approached Nayeon’s unconscious body and knelt over her.

“Is… is she dead?” Jeongyeon asked with a hand on Nayeon’s cheek.

“I don’t think so,” Solji walked over to the short haired woman. “The pain of the Daedra leaving her body must have been too much for her to handle. We will move her to the Hall of Countenance.” Solji waved her hand over Nayeon just as Momo had done and the body began floating into the air.

 

~ ~ ~

 

“I can’t believe I didn’t know she was Im Nayeon.”

Jeongyeon sat next to the unconscious woman with her head in her hands. She had been allowed to stay at the college until Momo woke to explain what happened. She requested to stay by Nayeon’s side until then, but Sowon felt it dangerous to be with her alone. The advisor allowed Jeongyeon to stay with her as long as Seulgi was in the room.

“It’s alright Jeongyeon, I don’t blame you for helping someone who needed it.” Seulgi sat on the other side of the room reading an aged book.

“She wasn’t all… demonic when I found her. She was small and fragile. Her eyes weren’t glowing green, they were… the most beautiful tone of hazel I had ever seen.”

Seulgi looked away from her book to see Jeongyeon’s hand wrapped around Nayeon’s limp and pale one.

“I gave her an apple and… she ate it like she had never eaten something so delicious in her life. Her laugh is loud and infectious. And her giggle, ahh, it’s the cutest giggle to ever exist.”

“Sounds like she really wooed you.”

“But that’s the problem, she’s so… captivating. I didn’t even know her name and I dropped everything I was doing for her. To take her here, I bought a horse and rode through snow for four hours. All because she made me feel warm and fuzzy inside.”

“I guess finding out that she was under possession of the Daedric Lord of Domination really shocked you.”

“Yeah… but it was kind of hot. The way she and Momo smashed through that window and fought along the railing in the snow. Not all the blood though, that was gross.”

“You’re right… Momo was pretty hot up there.”

“What?”

“What?”