Riddle Me This

So many riddles, so many cryptic signs, all in one day. But I guess we should consider ourselves lucky that we have not lost our minds in all the mysteries of the moment. And I thought all of Kousei's secretive chats with Serana was already enough to drive me mad. Gods, that Serana! I do not know what kind of spell she has been casting on him lately, but I do hope he remembers that there are three of us in this venture. Still, I am at two minds if I really want to find out what they've been talking about together, just the two of them. It hurts to be kept in the dark, but the truth may even be more hurtful than that. Damn, what a coward I've become. And what is worse than a coward is a cowardly third wheel.

Dexion's reading of the scroll in our possession went smoothly enough. Well, there was this brief moment of Kousei tensing up a bit when the Moth Priest expressed his delight at seeing me again. I thought I saw him reaching for the handle of his blade at the corner of my eye, but it must have been my imagination. Kousei wouldn't dare harm Dexion; not when he knows how much we needed the Priest to uncover the secret of his dear Serana's scroll.

Do you also see a vision of what my two companions are up to?

Thankfully, I was able to put my petty concerns about what's going on between Kousei and Serana at the back of my mind. I need to be able to listen to the prophecy with a clear train of thought. Dexion first mentioned something about a weapon known as Auriel's Bow -- something I know nothing about despite being an archer. But that was perhaps the only part of the prophecy I could even partially understand. He went on to speak about how a "dread lord" will rise among the "night's children," and how "darkness will mingle with light and the day and night will be as one" in "an age of strife, when dragons return to the realm of men."

I presume the "night's children" refer to Vampires, and the "age of strife" may refer to the current age, but everyone was as confused as I. And to add to this mystery, Dexion discovered that Serana's scroll is not enough to reveal the entire prophecy. We need two others, one that refers to "the ancient secrets of the dragons" and another that speaks of "the potency of ancient blood." Now, I do not know anything about the latter, but the mention of the former made me recall something I have learned in the College of Winterhold. Neither Kousei nor Serana know that I am officially a mage of the College -- not that he will like it anyway, come to think of it. But Urag gro-Shub, the resident librarian, had given me leads about what may be the dragon scroll in this puzzle. Maybe we can follow up on it now. Alas, before I had the chance to say anything to Kousei, Serana went and said that she needed to talk to the two of us.

Are you trying to tell me something here?

Serana, after apologizing a bit about a little secret she had been keeping, told us that her mother, Valerica, may know the whereabouts of the blood scroll. Unfortunately, Serana herself was unsure of where her mother can be found. Apparently, Valerica went and hid herself after her falling out with Harkon over the mysterious prophecy. Kousei, however, suggested that she may be hiding under Harkon's very nose, in Castle Volkihar. I rolled my eyes when Serana eagerly agreed with his theory (oh, I am sure she will, even if he suggested that Valerica is holed up in Helgen). She then described a garden she and her mother maintained that could perhaps hold a clue to Valerica's hiding place. I remarked softly that Harkon wouldn't really allow us to use the front door to get there, but Serana had a plan. Just as we do in the Thieves Guild, we had to utilize disused entrances to get things done.

Great. Using our male companion's fondness for Alchemy to your advantage.

Only when Serana was done with her little speech did Kousei turn to me and asked if our next itinerary would now be Castle Volkihar. I stared at him for a moment or two before saying that I have picked up leads from a book or two about a man in the northern tundra who may know about the other missing scroll. But if he, Kousei, preferred to get things done quickly, he and Serana could go ahead and find Valerica (and the blood scroll) while I go and investigate the other one. I raised an eyebrow when he immediately threw my suggestion that I go alone out of the window. If I was going north of Winterhold, he and Serana (of course, why should she be left behind? I have to sigh.) will accompany me. And so off to the tundra we went, in search of the man Urag told me about -- Septimus Signus.

I guess I should not interrupt your little sweet conversation, my friends.

I was a bit tired after navigating shifting ice, and Kousei helpfully suggested that we take a little rest. I gratefully took it, but my nap was cut short when I noticed that I was alone in the camp. I looked around a bit, and what did I find? Well, a scene to impress Mara, to say the least. There was Kousei, talking to Serana. And as usual, I was not included. It was difficult to make out their conversation due to their hushed tones, but the few words I recognized revealed quite an intimate exchange. They looked so at ease with each other that I almost lost my dinner. Serana, with those night-sharp eyes of hers, must have noticed that I was staring at them with a look more deadly than Frostbite Venom, because she immediately nudged Kousei to go back to camp. Well, he should have stayed put instead, because all that he ended up talking (or rather, babbling) about was how Goldenglow Estate and Honningbrew Meadery had their share of misfortunes the past weeks. I told Kousei to hush it before getting up and storming my way to Septimus Signus' outpost. The last thing I wanted was a reminder of how I have to play it nice with Maven Black-Briar just to ensure my Guild doesn't vanish into nothingness.

No use arguing with a mad man. Breathe. No use arguing with a mad man.

I was in such a foul mood that I had to stop myself from punching Septimus Signus' already addled head into deeper madness when he spoke his riddles. However, I can no longer have the calm state of mind like I did when Dexion was reading the scroll. I allowed Septimus to rant on and on about his enlightened knowledge, catching only words like "Blackreach" and "Tower of Mzark." I hope Serana and Kousei (ugh, my blood boils just to mention them together) have been paying attention, because I cannot honestly recall everything Septimus said. All I know is that I now have an Attunement Sphere and a Blank Lexicon given by him, and that we have to get to Blackreach. If there is a way to get my mind as blank as that Lexicon, I would do it right now.

You talk to Serana about your past, Kousei, but you talk to me about how you'd like to find out who caused mayhem in Goldenglow and Honningbrew so you could "deal with him." Go figure. Not many riddles are more baffling than the ramblings of Septimus or the prophecies of the Elder Scrolls, and you precisely are one.

- Kiya