Chapter 20 Beautiful World
Back at the Sleeping Giant Inn in Riverwood, the warm scent of roasted meat and burning firewood drifted through the air. The low chatter of travelers blended with the crackling hearth, creating a cozy, familiar hum.
"Uncle, where are Astrid and Delphine?" I asked, stepping forward. My eyes darted left and right, scanning the dim corners of the inn behind tables, near the fireplace, even toward the stairs hoping to catch even the faintest trace of them.
The innkeeper paused mid-wipe with the cloth he was using. His eyes widened briefly as he recognized me as one of Delphine's acquaintances. He leaned forward, elbows resting on the counter, and subtly glanced around the room to make sure no unwanted ears were near.
Then, in a low, cautious voice, he answered,
"They went to Riften. I don't know what business they have there, but…" He narrowed his eyes as if replaying the moment. "They looked like they were in a hurry."
I exhaled softly. So, they're already hunting for Esbern in the Ratway…
"Thank you, uncle," I said. "Oh and I'll be renting a room for a week."
The innkeeper's expression softened into a welcoming smile, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepening.
"Of course, lad. Do you want something to eat or drink first? Just say the word."
Alex shook his head lightly, offering a small smile.
"Thanks, uncle. Maybe later. And please let them know I'm here if you see them."
The innkeeper gave a firm nod. "Will do."
Alex stepped away from the counter, his boots making soft thuds against the wooden floor. A faint uneasiness hung over him an emptiness that came from not knowing when Astrid and Delphine would return. The inn felt quieter without them, the silence settling on his shoulders like a light weight.
Not wanting to sit around idly, Alex decided to make use of the time.
Alex felt a bit lost an empty, floating sensation settling in his chest. With Astrid and Delphine gone, the world suddenly felt too quiet. He exhaled slowly, letting the cool air of Riverwood fill his lungs. I can't just sit around doing nothing… he thought.
While waiting for their return, he chose to keep himself busy: clearing the small mine near Riverwood, the one close to the Guardian Stones. Rumor said bandits had taken residence there nothing too dangerous, but enough to be a nuisance.
He followed the Riverwood stream, his boots brushing against soft grass and loose stones. The water flowed beside him with a gentle, steady murmur, sparkling under beams of sunlight slipping through pine branches. The crisp air brushed against his cheeks, carrying the scent of wet bark and mountain soil.
Eventually, he reached the mine entrance a wooden frame reinforced with old, moss-covered beams. From inside, faint echoes of movement hinted at the bandits within.
Alex tightened his grip on his weapon and stepped in.
The moment he encountered the bandits, everything happened quickly almost too quickly. His body moved with instinctive precision: a sidestep, a slash, a thrust, a spell. Their shouts were brief, their resistance weak. Compared to his first battles in Skyrim, this felt almost effortless.
He felt no panic, no trembling just quiet focus.
And when the last bandit fell, he stood over the bodies with a long, steady breath.
They preyed on others… killed without remorse.
But… they were still people, once.
Once the mine was secure, Alex brought the bodies outside. His movements were calm and deliberate digging shallow graves with steady hands, pushing soil aside with his boots, and lowering each body gently into the earth. The sky above was quiet, only the wind rustling through the treetops.
When he finished covering the final mound, he rested his hands on it and bowed his head slightly.
"Well… I hope in your next life, you'll become better people with a better fate," he whispered, his voice soft but sincere. He patted the earth twice, as if sealing his words into the ground.
Back inside, the mine was dim and cool, lit only by the soft glow of his conjured flame. Iron ore veins gleamed faintly along the walls. He pulled out his pickaxe and began to mine, each strike echoing through the caverns with a metallic clang.
Further in, he discovered a small underground waterfall. Crystal-clear water fell from a crack in the rocks, producing a soothing rhythm that filled the cavern. It reminded him of wind chimes gentle and calming.
Alex found himself enjoying the place more than expected. Sometimes he mined. Sometimes he sat on a flat boulder, elbows resting on his knees, watching the water pour down in shimmering ribbons. Every now and then, he performed Transmute, the alchemical spell swirling gold light around his hands.
He repeated this cycle mine, rest, transmute over and over again. It became strangely meditative. Time blurred. His breathing synced with the waterfall's rhythm, and the warm, shifting glow of his spell illuminated the cave like a heartbeat.
Hours later, a soft notification echoed in his mind:
Alteration Skill: 20 → 30.
Main Level: 30.
Alex blinked in surprise, then smiled slightly.
"Not bad… not bad at all."
After some time, a distant rumble echoed through the mine's wooden beams low and rolling, like the sky clearing its throat. Another rumble followed, louder, closer. Then came the unmistakable hiss of rain beginning to fall outside.
Thunder cracked overhead.
Alex walked toward the entrance and stepped out onto the porch-like platform built at the mouth of the mine. The old wooden roof above him groaned slightly under the first heavy drops. He sat down on a thick stump, its surface cool and smooth from years of weathering.
Outside, the world transformed.
Rain cascaded from the sky in shimmering silver sheets, each droplet catching faint light as it fell. The forest that had been still moments ago now swayed with the rhythm of the storm. Leaves trembled under the downpour, sending tiny sprays of water into the air. Mist rose softly from the earth where warm soil met cold rain.
Alex rested his elbows on his knees, eyes fixed on the breathtaking scenery.
Back in his old life stuffed in an office from nine to five, trapped between deadlines and fluorescent lights he never had time to look at something like this. His entertainment was limited to video games squeezed into the weekend hours. He had money, sure… but most of it went into savings for a future he never reached.
He inhaled deeply.
The scent of wet soil fresh, earthy, grounding filled his lungs. It washed over him like a balm, soothing places inside him that he didn't know were bruised.
I never realized the world was this beautiful.
Tall pines stood like guardians in the storm, their trunks darkened by rain. Water slid down the bark in narrow rivulets. Ferns shivered at the base of the trees, their emerald fronds folding under the weight of droplets. The river beside the mine swelled, its surface rippling with thousands of tiny impacts.
It was peaceful. Real. Alive.
Nothing like the world he came from where cars roared constantly, cigarette smoke clung to the air, and neon lights drowned out any hint of stars. Bills, responsibilities, noise… all of it choking him day after day. That world felt like slow suffocation.
But here…
Here, he could breathe.
Here, this was life.
Alex stood up. Slowly, he stepped forward from under the shelter.
The first raindrops splattered on his head, running down his hair and trickling over his face like cool fingertips. More followed down his neck, across his shoulders, soaking his clothes until they clung to him.
He tilted his head back and looked up at the grey sky streaked with falling water.
A smile crept onto his lips.
Then it widened.
Then he laughed.
"Hahaha… hahaha… hahahaha!"
It burst out of him uncontrollably raw, unrestrained joy. As if invisible chains from his previous life were snapping one by one, falling away into the mud beneath him. In that moment, the weight of everything the quests, the danger, the dragons seemed to drift off his shoulders.
He spread his arms wide.
Yes, the world was still in danger. Yes, his mission was far from over.
But right now?
"Hahaha! It's not wrong to enjoy this world for a moment, right?!"
Laughing like a child, Alex ran into the open space near the river. He spun around, kicking up water with every step, splashing through puddles, letting the rain hit him freely. He raised his arms and twirled, soaked and breathless, dancing as though the storm itself was urging him on.
For the first time in a long, long while
Alex felt truly, wonderfully alive.
Eventually, the rain softened transforming from roaring sheets to a fragile drizzle and then, with a final whisper, it stopped entirely.
Silence settled over the forest, broken only by the rhythmic drip-drip-drip of water sliding from leaf to leaf. The world smelled different now cleaner, fresher, like the earth had been washed and reborn. Mist curled gently above the ground, drifting lazily between tree roots and over moss-covered stones.
Then the clouds parted.
A warm, golden hue spilled across the sky, turning the wet landscape into a shimmering painting. Every pine needle glittered. Puddles reflected the sky like scattered mirrors. Even the river glowed, its surface rippling with molten amber.
And there stretching proudly across the horizon arched a brilliant rainbow.
Thick, radiant, its colors so vivid they almost looked unreal, as though someone had brushed them onto the sky with a divine hand. After the violence of the storm, the sight felt sacred.
Alex stood frozen for a moment, breath catching in his throat.
"…It's beautiful," he whispered, almost afraid speaking too loudly would break the magic.
A tall tree stood nearby, its branches still dripping from the rain. Driven by some childlike instinct, Alex approached it, grasped the slick bark, and began to climb. His fingers curled around wet grooves; droplets slid down his wrists. The tree was alive beneath his hands its scent earthy and rich.
He reached a sturdy branch halfway up and sat down carefully. From his new perch, the world spread out far below him: the glistening forest, the glowing river, the rainbow's arch fading slowly into the golden sky.
As the sun descended, its light softened into a deep orange. Then a soft, melancholy pink. Then a faint purple. The horizon swallowed the last sliver of light, and with it, the day.
Alex exhaled… slow and content.
He had never imagined witnessing something like this something so serene, so achingly beautiful. Gratitude swelled in his chest, warm and quiet.
I'm really free…
Free from fluorescent lights.
Free from cramped office cubicles.
Free from deadlines and bills and suffocating routines.
Twilight deepened. The first stars blinked awake one, then several, then hundreds. Soon the entire sky was a vast ocean of diamonds scattered across velvet darkness. The moon rose, pale and gentle, casting silver edges on treetops and shimmering bands of light across the grass.
Darkness didn't feel lonely.
It felt welcoming alive with night sounds.
Crickets chirped in soft, steady rhythms. Frogs croaked near the riverbank. The breeze whispered through the trees, cool and crisp, brushing against Alex's damp skin like an old friend.
Realizing how cold he was, he muttered a spell.
"Flame."
A gentle warmth blossomed around him. His wet clothes steamed lightly, drying under the subtle heat, and his chilled muscles slowly loosened with relief.
He climbed down from the tree, landing softly on the damp soil. Nearby stretched a field of soft, rain-kissed grass lush, deep green, and still dotted with tiny droplets that sparkled like miniature stars.
Alex lay down on his back.
The grass cushioned him perfectly, cool against the heat still lingering from his spell. He folded his hands behind his head and stared upward, letting the brilliance of the night sky pull him in.
"I won't let this world fall into disaster," he whispered, voice steady, eyes reflecting starlight.
"I will save it no matter what… and after that, I'll enjoy this world one hundred percent."
He raised a clenched fist toward the heavens a quiet vow, silhouetted against the moon.
The night wrapped around him gently. His eyelids grew heavy, heavier… each blink slower than the last. The comforting chorus of crickets soothed him. The soft rustling of the wind stroked his hair. The distant river hummed like a lullaby.
Slowly… peacefully…
Alex drifted into sleep beneath the vast, star-filled sky like the world itself was watching over him.
Main Level: 30.
Health 200
Stamina 160 -> 170
Mana 230
Perk point 7->8
Alteration Skill: 20 → 30.
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