Haise and Matilda ran back to Blackreach, seeing the smoke rising in the distance. Matilda's blood ran cold at the sight.
As they reached the entrance, screams filled the air. Panic spread through the streets like wildfire. Citizens of Blackreach were fleeing, terror painted across their faces.
"What's happening?!"
Matilda shouted, stopping one of the fleeing civilians.
"A dragon! A large dragon appeared out of nowhere!"
The civilian cried out, before continuing to run for safety.
Haise's eyes widened as the words sank in.
There's more dragons?!
"Haise! Let's go!"
Matilda commanded, her voice sharp as she sprinted toward the heart of the city.
ROAR!!!!
The dragon's roar thundered through the streets, shaking the very air. Haise could feel his heart pounding in his chest, the noise nearly deafening.
They skidded to a halt as the dragon came into view. It soared above the rooftops—red scales gleaming under the sun, its eyes glowing a bright, menacing yellow. Its sharp teeth were bared as it let out another roar. Blackreach's guards fired arrows at it from below, trying to bring the beast down.
Haise stood frozen. His breathing grew shallow as the memories of Helgen came flooding back—screams, fire, and the scent of burning wood. His legs trembled.
"Haise! Focus!"
Matilda's voice snapped him out of it. His gaze met hers, steady and determined.
"We need to help the guards take that dragon down. Let's see if our training earlier actually paid off."
Haise could sense the nervousness beneath the smirk she wore, but she held it together.
"Alright… let's see."
He exhaled, gripping the sword Matilda had given him. He knew what was at stake—the lives of the people, the fate of Blackreach.
They dashed toward the group of guards, who were still firing arrows at the beast above.
"What are—Miss Lionheart?!"
One of the guards exclaimed in shock as he recognized her.
"Give me one of those, now!"
Matilda ordered, holding out her hand.
The guard hesitated but eventually handed her a bow.
Matilda took it without another word. She looked up at the dragon, raising the bow and drawing the string back until it creaked under the pressure. She inhaled slowly, the arrow glowing faintly with magical energy.
WSHH!
The arrow shot through the sky, its magic cutting the air as it flew.
ROAR!!!
The dragon let out a pained roar, its flight faltering slightly. It turned mid-air and locked eyes with Matilda, now seeing her as a threat.
Matilda nocked another arrow, calm and focused.
"Haise, the dragon's locked onto me now. I need you and the others to get to that bell tower over there."
She pointed toward the structure near the center of town.
"I'll keep it distracted until you're in position to strike."
Haise opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off before he could say a word.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine."
She gave him a small, confident smile—the same smile that told him she wasn't backing down, no matter how dangerous it got.
Haise hesitated… then nodded.
"Follow me!"
He shouted, signaling to the guards as he took off toward the bell tower.
As he ran, he stole one last glance over his shoulder.
He saw Matilda firing arrows in quick succession, her form fluid, each shot precise. She moved gracefully across the battlefield, dodging the dragon's flaming breath and diving through crumbling rubble.
Even if she's strong… a dragon is no pushover…
The guard opened the door to the bell tower, and they rushed in, racing up the spiraling stairs toward the top.
As they reached the upper platform, they emerged onto a balcony that stood level with the sky—and with the dragon still flying across it. The beast remained focused on Matilda below, circling like a hawk ready to dive.
"Guards, attack!"
The captain barked the order, and the archers drew their bows in unison, releasing a volley of arrows toward the dragon.
ROAR!!
The dragon let out another screech of agony. Several arrows struck its scales, and one embedded into the soft flesh near its wing.
Its glowing eyes snapped toward the bell tower, filled with fury. With another roar, the dragon turned sharply in the air—now hurtling straight toward them.
The platform trembled as the dragon closed in, faster than they could react.
Haise's grip tightened on his sword. His heart pounded.
Think, think, think—what do I do?!
The dragon was seconds away from colliding with them.
Okay… whatever happens, just move.
At the last second, just as the dragon was about to crash into the tower, Haise jumped.
He launched himself into the air, sword aimed forward—and drove it straight into the dragon's eye.
ROAR!!!
The dragon shrieked in pain, its body twisting mid-flight. Its momentum veered violently, missing the bell tower by mere inches. The force of its change in direction sent shockwaves through the air.
Haise clung to the sword buried deep in the dragon's eye, the wind threatening to tear him off. Blood streamed past him, and the beast thrashed through the sky.
He gritted his teeth, tightening his grip with every ounce of strength.
Please don't fall… please don't fall…
"Haise!!"
Matilda's voice rang out from the ground. She looked up, horror flashing across her face as she saw him hanging from the dragon's face like a speck.
Without hesitation, she began sprinting—leaping from rooftop to rooftop, chasing the wounded dragon across the burning skyline.
The city below was chaos. But Matilda's focus was solely on Haise.
And the dragon was still flying, bleeding, blinded in one eye—and furious.
'when it gets low, move!'
Haise thought to himself, trying to find the right time to release his grip from the sword.
The dragon soared through the skies of Blackreach, circling in wide arcs, but to Haise's luck—it began to descend.
"There!"
Haise let go of the sword, launching himself backward with the momentum of the dragon's flight.
CRACK!
"EURGH!"
He slammed into a wall with bone-crushing force. The world spun, and pain exploded in his chest. He coughed up blood, his body crumpling onto the streets below.
Some kind of hero you are…
Footsteps echoed. Haise's eyes flicked weakly to the side.
"Haise!"
Matilda rushed to him, kneeling as she lifted his limp body. His vision blurred—his head pounding, body barely responsive.
"S-sorry…"
Haise muttered weakly, his voice cracked and low.
"No time for that. We still have a dragon to take down."
Her tone was steady, but Haise could hear the worry hidden behind it.
Both of them turned to face the dragon, now grounded, its yellow eyes gleaming with unrelenting hatred.
Haise struggled to his feet, barely regaining his balance as he stared into the monster's eyes.
I'm gonna die…
The dragon began charging.
Matilda handed him her sword.
"You'll need it."
No... I won't let Matilda die.
Before she could react, Haise bolted forward—sword in hand, charging head-on toward the dragon.
"Haise!!"
Matilda's voice rang out behind him, filled with panic.
"I'm taking you down with me!" Haise shouted.
But the dragon didn't even flinch. It ignored him.
Instead, its massive tail whipped back.
CRASH!
Matilda was slammed into a wall. Dust and debris filled the air as her body hit the stone with terrifying force.
"Matilda!"
Haise's eyes widened in horror as he saw her motionless figure lying in the rubble.
No… no, no, no—
The dragon now turned to him, slowly, menacingly. Each step it took was deliberate. It was savoring this.
And then—something snapped inside him.
A glowing light erupted from the mark on his wrist. It pulsed—like a heartbeat. A searing power surged through his veins. Divine energy.
The air around him distorted, warping like heat off a forge.
Haise clenched the sword tighter, and with a roar of his own, he lunged forward.
BOOM!
The ground behind him exploded from the force of his leap.
In a blink, he was face-to-face with the dragon.
He drove the sword deep into its remaining eye.
ROAR!!!
The dragon shrieked in agony as darkness overtook its vision.
SLASH!
Haise shifted into another stance—then in one clean arc, slashed through the creature's neck.
The dragon staggered.
Its body trembled.
And with a final groan, it crashed to the ground.
Silence.
Haise stood still, bloodied and breathless, the sword trembling in his hands. He pulled it free—Matilda's sword—and stared at the dragon's lifeless body.
Then—something happened.
A strange, swirling light began to rise from the dragon's corpse. Ethereal and bright, it shimmered like starlight.
Haise gasped as the light suddenly surged into him.
It burned—seared into every nerve of his body.
The world turned white.
Then—silence.
When he opened his eyes again… the dragon was gone. Only bones remained.
"Ha-Haise…"
His heart leapt.
"Matilda?!"
He ran to her and dropped to his knees, wrapping her in his arms, holding her like she would disappear.
"You're alive!"
She smiled weakly and returned the hug.
"I k-know… I'm glad you're alive too."
They slowly pulled apart, and Matilda's gaze turned toward the dragon's remains.
"The light… it went into you."
Haise nodded, his brows furrowed.
"Yeah… I don't know what happened."
Silence stretched between them, heavy with unspoken questions.
Then the guards rushed over, surrounding them with cheers and cries of triumph.
"The dragon is slain!"
The captain shouted, raising his weapon.
"YEAH!!!"
The other guards echoed, victorious.
Haise looked at Matilda, his body swaying from exhaustion. Their eyes met—and then everything went dark.
They collapsed.
There would be time later to speak. To rest.
To understand what had just awakened.