The first scream came from the docks.At first, I thought it was just someone seeing things in the fog again—another villager snapping from the fear. But then the sound kept going, raw and desperate, tearing through the night air.
Meridia was already standing by the door before I could react. Her eyes were glowing faintly, gold light flickering against the damp wood. She didn't say a word, but the look on her face said everything.
We were out of time.
I grabbed my sword and shoved the door open.The cold hit first. Then the smell—mud, rot, and smoke. The fog was thicker than ever, swallowing everything past a few feet. But I could still see the glow of fire somewhere ahead, dancing like a dying torch.
I moved forward carefully, every plank creaking under my boots.Behind me, Meridia followed—her light breaking through the mist, pushing it back just enough for me to see the ground.
And then I saw it.
A figure crawling across the walkway. Its limbs twisted, joints moving wrong. It dragged itself forward, leaving a black smear behind.For a moment I thought it was a wounded man—until I saw its eyes.
Empty. Glowing faintly blue.
The same as the corpses in the marsh.
I didn't think. I just swung.The sword cut through its neck clean, sending the body tumbling into the water. It didn't scream. Didn't even flinch. Just sank—quietly—like it never existed.
Meridia's voice was calm, but sharp as steel. "They have been summoned. The corruption has taken form."
"By who?" I asked, scanning the fog.
"Not who," she said darkly. "What."
The docks were chaos.Villagers running in every direction, their lanterns swinging wildly in the mist. The water churned below, splashing against the supports as more of those things pulled themselves up from the dark.
I saw Captain Aldia at the far end, barking orders to his men, sword drawn. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, but his voice was steady. "Form a line! Don't let them through!"
"Captain!" I called out.
He turned just long enough to see me. "You again—good! We need every blade!"
I nodded and ran to join them. Meridia followed, her glow flaring brighter as one of the corpses lunged at her. She didn't even move—just raised her hand.Light exploded from her palm, and the thing disintegrated into ash before it even touched her.
Every guard who saw it froze for a second, stunned.
"Don't question it!" I shouted. "She's with me!"
Aldia didn't argue. "Fine! Just keep them off the bridge!"
We fought.Steel clashing against bones that shouldn't move. The fog around us glowing faintly from the light of Meridia's power. Every swing felt heavier, every breath colder.
The cultists were there too—wearing those same black masks I'd seen in Dragon Bridge. They moved between the undead like shadows, their chants rising over the screams.
I cut one down, then another, but they kept coming. For every one that fell, two more took their place.
"Meridia!" I shouted. "There's too many!"
She didn't answer. Her light had grown blinding now, burning through the mist. Her voice echoed, layered and distant—like it was coming from everywhere at once.
"Hold them!" she commanded. "I will sever their link!"
She stepped forward, raising her hand toward the marsh. The ground trembled, water rippling outward as the mist began to twist and coil around her like a storm.
For a moment, I saw it—the faint outline of something deep within the fog. A figure standing far off the pier, surrounded by the dead. Its presence felt heavy, wrong.
Then it vanished.
The cultists screamed. One of them tried to rush her, blade raised—but I got there first.I don't remember the swing, only the sound—the crunch of metal meeting flesh. The man fell, and I was breathing hard, chest burning from the cold air.
"Chad!"Aldia's voice came from behind me. He was bleeding from the shoulder, his armor scorched from fire. "We can't hold them much longer!"
"Fall back!" I yelled. "Get your men to the square!"
He hesitated, eyes darting toward Meridia. "What about her?"
I looked back. She was still there, her glow now so bright it hurt to look at. The mist was pulling away from her in waves, hissing as if it was alive.
"She'll handle herself!" I said.
We ran through the narrow planks toward the main road, dragging the wounded with us. The screams behind us didn't stop—they just got swallowed by the fog.
The square wasn't any better. The houses were burning. The smell of smoke mixed with the stench of the swamp.
Meridia's light flashed behind me, followed by a sound like thunder splitting the sky. I turned just in time to see a wave of energy sweep through the mist, burning away dozens of undead at once.
She was still standing when the light faded, her expression unreadable—but her glow dimmed, just slightly.
I ran to her side. "You okay?"
She exhaled slowly, her voice steadier than I expected. "A fragment of their link is gone. But not all."
"Meaning what?"
"It means the source still breathes."
Aldia joined us, his men rallying what was left. "If you've got any more tricks like that, now's the time!"
Meridia's eyes flicked toward him. "Your weapons are useless against this corruption."
"Then what do we do?" I asked.
She looked at me, and for the first time since I met her, there was uncertainty in her eyes. "The power binding these souls is hidden beneath this land. Deep… below."
"Below?"
"The marsh," she said. "Where the oldest water runs black."
I frowned. "You're saying we go down there?"
She nodded once. "It's the only way."
Aldia swore under his breath. "You're insane. That's suicide."
Meridia turned her head toward him, calm as ever. "You are free to die here instead."
That shut him up.
We didn't have time to think. The fog was moving again, rolling inward like a living thing. The villagers were running toward the inn, some praying, some screaming.
I turned to Aldia. "Get them inside. Barricade the doors. If we don't come back, burn the bridge before sunrise."
He grabbed my shoulder. "Chad—don't be a hero."
"Wasn't planning to."
Then I followed Meridia toward the edge of the swamp.
The air grew colder the further we went. The mist clung to our clothes, the water below us black and still. The moonlight barely reached through the trees.
Meridia walked ahead, her glow faint now, almost flickering. I could tell she was pushing herself.
"You're losing power," I said.
She didn't look back. "It takes strength to manifest in this form. But I am not powerless."
"That's comforting," I muttered.
A faint smile tugged at her lips. "You doubt too easily, mortal."
"Experience."
We reached the edge of a large clearing where the ground sloped downward into a pit of murky water.Something pulsed beneath it—a faint red glow, like an ember buried deep under glass.
Meridia stopped. "There. That is where the corruption festers."
I stared at the glow. "You sure that's not just a bad idea waiting to happen?"
She glanced at me. "Most of your choices have been."
I sighed. "Fair."
Then the water moved.
At first, just ripples. Then a shape rising—massive, skeletal, wearing the remnants of armor fused with rot and moss. Its head was a skull wreathed in mist, its body a patchwork of bone and mud.
Meridia raised her hand, but the creature roared, and the shockwave sent both of us back. I hit the ground hard, my sword flying from my grip.
"Chad!"
"I'm fine!" I yelled, scrambling up.
The thing lumbered toward us, every step shaking the ground. It wasn't just a corpse—it was a graveyard made flesh.
I grabbed my sword and ran.
Meridia's light flared again, blasting a beam into the creature's chest, but it barely slowed. It swung a massive arm, striking her and sending her crashing against a tree.
"Meridia!"
I charged in, slashing at its leg. The blade bit deep, black sludge spilling out—but it didn't scream. It just turned its head, hollow eyes staring right through me.
Then I heard it. A whisper, curling through my skull like smoke.
You do not belong here.
It wasn't the creature speaking. It was something behind it. Something watching.
"Mora," I breathed.
Meridia rose slowly, her eyes burning with light. "So he dares interfere again."
She lifted her hand, and a spear of light formed in her grip. "Keep it occupied."
"Occupied? Sure—no problem," I muttered.
The creature swung again, and I ducked just in time, feeling the wind scrape my face. I slashed upward, cutting through its arm. The limb fell, dissolving into black water—but the rest of it kept moving.
Meridia's light shot forward, piercing through its chest. This time, the creature screamed—a sound that made the air itself shake.
The red glow beneath the swamp flickered.
"Now!" she shouted.
I didn't think. I ran straight toward the center, toward the light. The ground burned under my feet, the stench of death choking the air.
I plunged my sword into the glow.
A flash—white, blinding.
Then silence.
When I opened my eyes again, the fog was gone. The swamp was still.The creature had vanished, leaving only bones scattered across the mud.
Meridia stood beside me, her glow faint but steady. She looked… tired. For the first time, truly tired.
"It's done," she said softly.
I nodded, still catching my breath. "So that's it?"
"For now."
We looked back toward Morthal.The fires were dying, smoke curling into the night sky.
"Many are dead," she said quietly. "But more would have perished if not for you."
I shrugged. "We did it together."
She gave me a look—half a glare, half something softer. "Do not mistake cooperation for equality."
I smiled faintly. "Yeah, yeah, I know, Lady Light."
Her eyes narrowed, but her lips curved—just barely. "Insolent mortal."
We stood there in silence, listening to the quiet water and the wind moving through the trees. For the first time since we came here, the air felt lighter.
But deep down, I could still feel it—something watching.Not gone. Not yet.
Miraak. Mora. Whatever it was—it wasn't finished.
And neither was I.