Skyl and the others had been away for less than a week. No sooner had they returned to the College than they noticed a few extra visitors on the grounds.
They were all High Elves, dressed head to toe in black mage robes, radiating arrogance with every breath.
"Let me introduce you. This is Ancano, a scholar from the Thalmor. He is now serving as advisor to the Arch-Mage. The Thalmor envoys with him are responsible for his personal security," Mirabelle Ervine said, sounding very polite.
Ancano had just finished eavesdropping on the four of them. When Mirabelle was still a bit hazy on what exactly "the Eye of Magnus" was, Ancano, on the other hand, perked up like a cat catching the scent of fish; his eyes went completely round.
He might not know what the Eye of Magnus truly was, but he was absolutely sure it was no ordinary artifact.
"I wonder if I might have the honor of knowing the names of such outstanding mages?" Ancano smiled with that peculiar mix of modesty and flattery. Skyl couldn't help evaluating him: he really did look like some shy little court eunuch trying to ingratiate himself.
Skyl didn't introduce himself. He only gave Ancano a brief nod, then turned and led his companions straight toward the Hall of the Elements.
As she passed, Brelyna quietly asked Yisra, "What do you think of this Ancano?"
"He's very arrogant. He's only been here two days and he's already making speeches, looking down on the College and saying studying magic here is a waste of time."
That was all Brelyna needed to hear.
By the time the Arch-Mage arrived, Skyl had already finished setting up a summoning circle on the ground floor of the Hall of the Elements.
In the very center of the hall was the College's largest Well of Magicka, a source of surging magical energy. Using it to anchor the fake Eye of Magnus would make the replica feel much more convincing.
Savos Aren called Skyl aside to a quieter corner.
"Master Skyl, are you certain that thing you found won't put the College in danger?"
"It won't. I give you my word. It isn't even going to stay here very long."
Savos studied the confident young man in front of him and could only choose to trust him. "I won't stand in your way. But please, think of the College. Think of those of us who believe in you."
"Of course I have," Skyl said, catching the flicker of worry in him. "Arch-Mage, you may set your mind at ease. I'll restore the College's glory. I'll make Winterhold's people stand guard around us once more."
At that, Savos Aren patted Skyl lightly on the shoulder and said nothing further.
When the fake artifact, the Eye of Magnus, was summoned out from the Tower of Tomes, everyone present at the College gasped in awe. Its surface was covered with flowing runes and lines, laden with the craft and wisdom of the gods themselves, and its mere existence felt like an undersea volcano, exerting a deep, far-reaching influence on the world's magical environment.
Skyl told them it was a find from their recent archaeological expedition. "With the Eye of Magnus powering us, the College will be able to raise the finest mages in the world. We can use that vast reservoir of magic to haul up the old district of Winterhold from the Sea of Ghosts and restore the ancient capital to its former glory."
At the sight of the Eye of Magnus, everyone at the College had their own thoughts. The Thalmor envoys, off to the side, were already quietly scheming how to steal it for themselves.
That very night, after the mages on duty at the Hall of the Elements had gone back to their rooms, Ancano slipped inside alone.
Standing in the artifact's glow, the High Elf let out a breathless sound of wonder, then immediately began sneering at the Winterhold mages for not recognizing its worth, for just leaving such a treasure sitting in the middle of the main hall.
Ancano raised his hand and lightly touched the Eye's icy surface.
He could feel the surging magic, and beneath the shell, that deep, inscrutable presence. The power of the artifact poured into him, filling this High Elf with the illusion that there was nothing he couldn't do.
"Oh… my precious…" Ancano crooned, doing a perfect Gollum impression.
Right on cue, Skyl made his entrance. He kicked the doors of the Hall of the Elements wide open, magic candlelight blazing in his hand, with a whole group of mages at his back. He jabbed a finger at the Thalmor mage and roared, "You damned thief! Take your hands off College property and surrender at once, or we will tear you to pieces in our wrath— not even the Aldmeri Dominion will be able to save you!"
Ancano answered with the classic villain cackle.
"Fools! With an artifact like this, what in this world could possibly stand above me? Even the Aldmeri Dominion itself will be reborn in the hands of the great Ancano! It's long past time those rotten old regimes were cast into the dust of history!"
His rant left even the Thalmor envoys who'd hurried in behind Skyl completely stunned.
"Ancano, what are you talking about?!"
"Kill this Thalmor," Skyl said coldly, chopping his hand through the air.
A thunderous boom shook the hall.
The Eye of Magnus exploded with a violent shockwave that flung everyone nearby off their feet. Ancano, however, seemed to receive some kind of divine empowerment: not only was he unscathed, he looked more energized than ever, and laughed wildly.
"Mortals! You cannot hope to defeat me while I wield the Eye of Magnus! Bow before the power of truth and destruction! No— I don't need your surrender. You can all simply die!"
Just as Ancano finished delivering his world-destroying villain speech, time froze again.
With everyone watching, the Psijic monks arrived precisely on cue. Their faces were cold this time; they didn't spare Skyl a glance. They simply announced that the Eye of Magnus was to be sealed away, then, ignoring Ancano's feeble attempts to stop them, hit him with a single lightning bolt that sent the fool flying, and immediately began a summoning ritual to whisk the fake Eye away.
Skyl wanted to look furious, to curse them out properly… but he couldn't hold back his laughter.
Brelyna hurriedly elbowed him in the side.
"Ahem. Since the Eye of Magnus has been taken, I suppose we have no choice but to accept this unfortunate outcome. However!" Skyl pointed at Ancano, now with his hair frizzed out and his face blackened like a lump of charcoal. "This wicked Thalmor traitor tried to steal the power of the artifact to endanger the world, to threaten Skyrim, the Empire, and the people of the Aldmeri Dominion. His crimes are beyond forgiveness. I propose we execute him on the spot!"
The College erupted in righteous fury. Voices rose in immediate agreement. In their minds, it was Ancano's reckless actions that had caused the Eye of Magnus to be taken away.
The Thalmor envoys' expressions were ugly. They wanted to stop the College from doling out private justice, but then they remembered the idiotic speech Ancano had just delivered. For the sake of the Aldmeri Dominion, they could only allow this "advisor" to rejoin his honored ancestors ahead of schedule.
Before the sun rose again, a single corpse tumbled from the College's outer steps into the Sea of Ghosts below. In their report, the Thalmor envoys wrote: due to a sudden drop in temperature, the roadways froze and became slick, causing Master Ancano to tragically slip and fall to his death… awaiting reply, et cetera.
Thus, the Eye of Magnus incident came to a close.
Skyl's life once more settled into a quiet rhythm. He did a bit of mental math and realized he hadn't been back to Hogwarts in quite a while; it was probably about time to pay them a visit. So he stepped through the portal.
Worlds shifted, scenes blurred.
He looked at Percy, who'd followed him into the bathroom, and lifted a hand in greeting. "Long time no see."
Percy frowned slightly. He had the distinct feeling that this transfer student had changed somehow… but he couldn't put his finger on how.
Early the next morning, Skyl went to drag Harry and the others out for a morning run.
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