The Wolf and the Lioness - Daedric Fun. (Patreon)

Aegon Targaryen, Inside Azura's Star – Oblivion.

"I still can't believe this world is…real," Headmistress Ariana said as the trio walked along an enormous crystal walkway that…ascended or descended.

At this point, Aegon wasn't entirely sure. The sooner they found Neville, the sooner they could get out of here. This entire place gave him…the creeps, for some reason.

Perhaps it was the Daedric magic permeating everything around them, but his connection to Aetherius felt…faint for some reason.

The interior of Azura's Star was a spectacle that defied everything Aegon had learned during his studies at Winterhold and Daggerfall. The young Dragon and the Headmistress of Hogwarts stood before something that could only be described as an impossible realm, an infinite ocean of violet and amethyst hues, where enormous islands made entirely of crystal remained suspended above a bottomless abyss.

"This…is beautiful, although terrifying. Do you have any idea where we are?" the elderly sorceress asked, making Aegon nod gently.

"Aye. We're in Oblivion, a dimension belonging to the Daedric Princes. Powerful and capricious beings, extraordinarily powerful entities best left alone."

The young Dragon's words made the Headmistress regard him with caution before silently shaking her head and looking around.

Aegon made no attempt at conversation either. He knew about this place from the report Serana had given him concerning her adventure to recover the Star. His vampire had mentioned how she had trapped the soul of an Altmer inside it, destroying it from within. And although she had described the Gem Realm at the time, the truth was that his vampire's words hadn't done justice to what Aegon's eyes were now witnessing.

Far beneath the floating islands, the landscape was a vortex of titanic proportions, like an eternal storm of pure magic that devoured light. Powerful bolts of lightning roared as they struck the floating islands, making their passage extremely dangerous and treacherous.

There was no sky, earth, or horizon; only an immensity of crystal and magic where the laws of nature seemed like mere suggestions.

"This place is unnatural," Professor Ariana said, making Aegon nod.

"It is, which is why we must hurry and get out of here as soon as possible," the young Dragon replied, while they both continued following Lady Longbottom's golden silhouette.

"This way. We need to reach the central receptacle," the woman said urgently, running along a beautiful walkway…which slowly rotated around itself, causing the specter to walk upside down, much to Aegon and Ariana's disbelief.

"I honestly don't know why something like that surprises me," he said with a sigh, following the specter of Neville's mother until he was upside down himself, now with the infinite storm above his head.

"This is surreal," he muttered to himself before shaking his head and continuing toward the center of the gem.

The architecture surrounding him was as incredible as it was strange, to the point that he couldn't help commenting on it.

"This place…is based on fractal patterns, repetitive patterns that recur endlessly," Aegon said softly, making Professor Dumbledore nod beside him.

"Extraordinary…" the powerful, elderly sorceress murmured, contemplating the vortex spinning above their heads. "But also terribly dangerous, Aegon. Soul magic is one of the forbidden disciplines for a reason. If Elizabeth Riddle has intertwined her essence with Neville's for so many years, separating them could destroy them both."

"Nothing of the sort will happen. I won't allow it," Aegon replied gravely, turning his gaze toward the center of the gem with a frown. Now that they were much closer, he could sense the stench of the necromancer's soul, the one known as Elizabeth Riddle. "At the Academy of Daggerfall, I studied the arts of necromancers, soul-trapping enchantments, and the Daedric secrets of Oblivion. But there's a difference between imprisoning a soul and tearing away one that has been attached to another for years."

There was a certain concern in Aegon's words. It was possible, of course, and Aegon was fairly confident that he could accomplish it, but he needed to find Neville's soul. Much of this struggle depended on the Boy Who Lived and the strength of his will to rid himself of the soul fragment.

"And are you certain you can accomplish it?" Ariana asked, without taking her eyes off the Crystal Citadel, which was drawing ever closer.

Aegon didn't respond for several seconds, evidently gathering his thoughts, before sighing.

"Certain that I possess the knowledge to get rid of Riddle? Yes. But certain that I can exorcise the spirit without harming Neville…that's an entirely different story. No. However, Azura's Star provides us with a physical manifestation of our enemy. That will be an advantage when it comes to avoiding harm to young Longbottom."

Ariana didn't respond, but simply tightened her grip on her wand, preparing to fight if necessary. Aegon did the same, calming his worried mind and preparing his throat, hands, and wand…

Anything he might need in the coming battle. He would take no risks, especially with something as delicate as Neville's soul. The longer they remained inside, the more dangerous it became for everyone.

After all, there were five magical souls within the realm of Oblivion, and although the Star provided a certain degree of protection, it was only a matter of time before they attracted the attention of someone or something truly dangerous.

Which was why they had to hurry.

"It's here," Lady Alice said as they reached the end of the walkway, taking their first steps onto the beautiful and impressive central island.

The group reached the Star's main structure, a monumental platform of polished black crystal suspended directly above the heart of the vortex. Before Aegon and Ariana's astonished eyes rose an imposing cathedral-like structure, although its enormous columns, vaults, and spires appeared to have grown naturally from a single block of amethyst. A white light, faintly tinged with violet, emanated from its entrance and traveled along the walls like luminous blood through transparent veins. At the center of the atrium's entrance stood a gigantic door bearing a symbol familiar to Aegon.

The symbol of…

"Oblivion. A bad omen," the young Dragon said with a frown, staring at the infamous symbol he had learned to associate with necromancers and sorcerers who meddled with Daedric forces.

"Your words hardly fill me with comfort, my Lord," Ariana said firmly, making Aegon sigh heavily, gently rubbing his face before replying.

"That's the curse of knowledge, my Lady. I know perfectly well what the Daedric Princes are capable of, and the sooner we deal with this, the better for everyone."

"No time like the present. Let's go," Aegon said, using his wand to open the enormous doors of the atrium, revealing a kind of…twisted cathedral. The seats throughout the immense hall were made of crystal, and Aegon couldn't help frowning when he saw, at the center of the room, the silhouette of a mature sorceress murmuring to herself while gently caressing Neville's face with an elegant finger.

She regarded him with satisfaction, as though he were a fucking pet, and Aegon knew perfectly well who she was. The dark, putrid aura was impossible to conceal.

"So, that's Elizabeth Riddle," Aegon said to himself, making Ariana nod gently.

Aegon had to admit it. The mature woman possessed a presence and elegance impossible to conceal. Elizabeth Riddle waited at the heart of the atrium, as beautiful as she was terrifying. She appeared to be around fifty years old, although her beauty seemed to defy the passage of time. Her face, with its aristocratic features, high cheekbones, and crimson lips, possessed an almost supernatural elegance, accentuated by piercing scarlet eyes that shone with intelligence, arrogance, and cruelty.

There was no doubt that she was a Dark Witch. She wasn't even trying to hide it, Aegon thought to himself.

A magnificent mane of long, silky black hair cascaded in delicate waves down to her hips, framing a voluptuous figure that retained all the grace of a powerful woman overflowing with magic. She wore an exquisite, custom-tailored black silk robe, and although she looked radiant, like an erotic dream…Aegon's senses told him something entirely different.

Elizabeth Riddle had something…rotten inside her. The Dark Witch radiated formidable power, a presence that saturated the crystals of the atrium with sinister magic. It was evident that she was rapidly recovering her strength, as though all the malevolence of Oblivion were nourishing her and slowly making her stronger. In her right hand rested a delicate wand of white wood, around whose tip danced countless reddish strands resembling pulsating veins. Aegon immediately recognized that energy: soul magic, extraordinarily refined and corrupted by decades of experimentation. Her spirit had become an arcane construct capable of manifesting with almost physical perfection, feeding upon the connection she still maintained with Neville and the echoes of the souls within the gem. Most dangerous of all, however, was her aura of fascination, a subtle enchantment that enveloped her presence and transformed her beauty into a powerful weapon of manipulation.

As was evidently happening to young Longbottom.

Neville remained absolutely motionless, staring at her with enormously widened eyes and parted lips, a prominent erection visible at his crotch as he made sporadic thrusting movements with his hips. His expression was one of almost religious awe, as though he were witnessing the appearance of a goddess. An involuntary moan escaped his throat, undoubtedly wishing he could touch the Dark Witch's body.

"Elizabeth…" young Longbottom whispered in a trembling voice, extending a hand in an attempt to reach the beautiful woman with desire. "I'll give you everything…Everything I have, everything I am…You only have to be mine. Please…" Another moan broke his words, making Aegon realize with growing alarm that this was no mere fascination. The witch had sunk her claws into the young wizard, transforming his feelings into a sickening dependency, while threads of soul magic slowly emerged from Neville's body, nourishing Elizabeth more and more. The witch herself smiled slowly, satisfied, as her scarlet eyes settled upon Aegon.

The message was more than clear. This battle wasn't going to be easy, so Aegon would attack with everything he had.

"Ariana, make sure you break Neville's enchantment," the young Dragon said, and without waiting for an answer, he took a couple of steps forward, inhaled deeply, and prepared his Thu'um.

"MUL QAH DIIV!"

A moment later, all of Oblivion trembled at the precise instant the will of a Son of Akatosh manifested within Azura's Realm, while arcane Draconic armor appeared around young Aegon's body, and the surge of power associated with the Thu'um flooded through him.

Aegon watched with satisfaction as the necromancer's soul widened her eyes in absolute shock, opening her mouth, undoubtedly intending to say something about it.

However, Aegon simply unleashed the next Thu'um, unwilling to give his enemy even a moment to breathe.

"WULD NAH KEST!!"

The universe once again obeyed the Dragonborn's will, moving Aegon's body to less than a meter from the Dark Witch, and without hesitation, he continued.

"FUS RO DAH!"

And the instant the Thu'um emerged from his throat, Elizabeth's body was hurled with monstrous force out of the atrium, breaking Neville's enchantment on the spot.

"But…what the fuck? What happened?" the young man asked in confusion, but Aegon didn't respond. He simply continued staring at the hole through which Elizabeth had been sent flying.

"Ariana, help Neville sever the connection. I have work to do," the young Dragon ordered, and without waiting for a response, he went after the Dark Witch.

He had no time to waste. He had to put an end to Elizabeth Riddle.

Whatever the cost.

Eddard Stark, Harrenhal – In the Past.

"I am hers, and she is mine…"

"I am his, and he is mine…"

"Disgusting," Eddard spat, looking with thinly veiled contempt toward his beloved sister and the "gallant" prince. Once again, he found himself here, at Lyanna's wedding, on the very day Aegon was conceived.

Again, he thought with a heavy sigh.

He had tried many…maaaany times to spare his family the fate awaiting them, with…pathetic results, to be honest.

His mentor had warned him that manipulating time itself would be far more complicated than he expected, and although Eddard hadn't expected it to be simple, he certainly hadn't expected a process that accomplished practically nothing.

More than ten times he had attempted to save his sister, and he had failed every single time.

He…didn't know what else to do. It was as though…something or someone was determined to make time flow in a particular way. But of one thing he was certain: these events were not natural, and Eddard would get to the bottom of it, one way or another.

However, Lord Stark was so distracted that he failed to notice the appearance of a human figure beside him, a tall, extravagant man wearing a two-toned suit and possessing the most powerful and deranged gaze he had ever seen.

"Ah, weddings! Wonderful, splendid, absolutely delicious! Nothing quite like watching two young lovers swear eternal fidelity while their relatives contemplate the advantages of committing murder! Ha, ha, ha!" The voice emerged beside him without warning, powerful, cheerful, and completely out of place. Ned turned his head sharply, discovering an extravagantly dressed man wearing an elegant suit divided between purple and scarlet. His smile was far too wide, his eyes sparkled with unsettling joy, and for some reason, none of the guests seemed to notice his presence. "Who are you?" Ned asked, instinctively reaching for his sword, only to curse when he remembered where he was.

Although if the stranger took offense at anything of the sort, he didn't show it in the slightest.

"Sheogorath! Daedric Prince of Madness, sovereign of the Shivering Isles, and passionate defender of cheese! Especially cheese!" the stranger replied, performing an exaggerated bow. "And you must be our little time traveler! The honorable Eddard Stark, who decided to repair the past and now discovers that the future has as many holes as a wheel of overripe cheese! Marvelous! Simply marvelous!"

Ned turned pale, immediately realizing that this being knew far more than he should. "Do you know what I've been trying to do?" he asked cautiously. Sheogorath burst into laughter so thunderous that several candles seemed to tremble. "Of course! You've stuck your hands into the great pie of destiny, boy! Well done!! And now we must discover whether it tastes of strawberries, blood, or despair! Personally, I'm hoping there's a little cream inside!" The extravagant stranger extended a hand and, before Ned's incredulous eyes, opened a luminous rift in midair, from which, to Eddard's disbelief, the mysterious Sheogorath pulled out a…three-eyed white raven, which immediately began shrieking desperately.

"Eureka! I've found our little meddler! This little creature is the one responsible for ensuring your efforts never succeed, you know? But that's why I'm here, to unleash madness upon Westeros! HAHAHAHA!"

Eddard tried to open his mouth, but before he could, the…God? grabbed Ned by the shoulder and began dragging him away from Lyanna's wedding, and Lord Stark couldn't help having a terrible feeling about it.

"Come along, come along! We still have so much of the past left to ruin! Kings to save, wars to prevent, and futures to turn into absolute nonsense! I rather like Jon, you know? Perhaps I'll give him a princess or two for his new princely bed, or perhaps ten! HAHAHAHA!" Sheogorath exclaimed, cheerfully holding him by the shoulder. Ned looked back at Lyanna one last time, happy beside her husband, before sighing in resignation. If this stranger could help him correct the mistakes that still threatened his family, he was willing to listen.

"May the Old Gods forgive me…" he murmured, crossing the portal alongside the Prince of Madness. "Oh, boy! The gods are going to need to do a great deal more than forgive you by the time we're finished! HA, HA, HA! WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SO MUCH FUN!!!"

And at that moment…Ned could only swallow nervously, feeling that he was making…the best and worst decision of his life at the same time, a strange sensation.

But a remarkably accurate one.