The door to Vivec’s chamber slid open with the sound of stone slowly grinding upon stone. Isaac entered, quickly turning his back to the rest of the room as he sealed the door shut once more. Without the door open and due to a significant lack of windows, the room was now dimly lit by candles, a few red flames that flickered and cracked, and one more spirit like, almost ethereal blue flame that radiated behind him. Isaac sat there, facing the door for a long time. His anger boiled inside him with such ferocity, yet he didn't know why.

Isaac had always been an angry man and when he was younger he was an angry boy. He was a scrapper, a fighter, a warrior. The years at war and the years in prison had not been kind to him, and he was released an angrier man, a bloodthirsty man, a violent man. This anger was unlike that which he was so used to, though. This anger hurt. He gripped the door and grinded his teeth, struggling not to cry. He had felt this in dreams, specifically his nightmares as Nerevar, but it had been a long, long time since he had felt it himself.

“So…” A voice from behind him began to say, it was feminine and masculine at the same time. It was smooth and light, yet sly and powerful. There was so much confidence in that voice, it infuriated Isaac. It was the God King: Vivec.

“You have finally come unto me. Are you ready to bear the burden of your destiny, Nerevarine?”

Isaac’s fist clenched and the handle of the door crumbled under the pressure, small cracks creeped out from where he held it.

“Destiny…?” He said, Isaac was angry but he could feel Nerevar within boiling with a sudden rage that Isaac didn’t believe him capable of. With the power expected of Nerevar his anger burst forward and he began to speak to Vivec, demanding to be heard. The voice belonged to Isaac, the words were Nerevar’s.  It was a quiet tone at first, as he remained towards the door.

“Vehk, you dare speak to me of destiny? You, who was doomed to die among the streets until I saved you and took to Ayem? You, who would have lived a modest priest if not for the teaching of my brother Seht? You, who was to pass on all our legacies in truth and in infinity, before passing yourself as a saint unto Azura herself until you stabbed me in the back and doomed all of Velothi!? You DARE speak to ME about destiny!?”

Isaac spun around and stared directly into Vivec's eyes, who was extremely taken back, though it only showed slightly. Vivec’s lips were slightly sucked back up against their front teeth, their jaw was slightly clenched, their neck stiffened slightly, and when Isaac looked into Vivec’s eyes, he saw slight fear, and Vivec’s heart break, but only slightly.

“You… It’s you.” Vivec said, for with his mask on only Isaac’s eyes could be seen, and when Vivec looked into Isaac’s eyes, they saw their mentor, their once savior, their closest friend: Nerevar. So with his mask on, Isaac could not be seen by Vivec, Isaac knew this and he felt broken. Nerevar saw this and, having a kinship with Isaac, was broken as well. For a moment then, there was no separation between voice and words. What Nerevar said was what Isaac wanted to say, what Isaac said was what Nerevar needed to say. Isaac and Nerevar scoffed.

“You didn’t even really believe that it was me- that it was us?! You didn’t believe that we were the Nerevarine?! What in Oblivion did you call us here for?! ‘Here are the tools, go kill a god, oh, and by the way, you’re just some random idiot the empire pulled off the streets’?!”

“Don’t worry, Nerevar.” Vivec started. “I know it’s you-”

“Me! You know that it’s me? No, no it’s not me,  it’s us.” Isaac removed his helm, letting his hair fall down and showing his face. “It’s us, Vehk, because I had a life, I had friends and a family! I watched as my comrades died on the battlefield when I was just a boy. I came back from war and my people celebrated. I went home that same night to be framed for my mothers murder. I was shot and detained my closest friend. I had a life, it was torn away from me, this does not mean it never happened. This does not mean my name should be changed because of your ‘destiny’.”

Vivec suddenly seemed unamused, scowling as they looked over Isaac's face. Evidently disappointed. “That doesn’t matter.” they said dismissively. “Welcome to the ranks of immortals. The days meld together like paste in water.” they said in an unenthusiastic tone.

“You’re lying.”

“Excuse me?!” Vivec said astonished. “Forget not who you speak-”

Isaac reached out and grabbed Vivec’s face, covering their mouth and squeezing their cheeks. That same fire that emerged whenever Nerevar took over showed itself again as Isaac spoke.

“It is YOU who needs a history lesson, Vehk! You are no god, and no matter what powers you wield it will never be enough to strike me down! No mer of honor among the tribunal, no mer among the great houses or all of Morrowind that I fear. I am Nerevarine and you are a treasonous whelp! I reached no heaven through violence, only Oblivion. Where I wandered as the daedra sought for my soul. I saw horrors and beauties, I saw maddening eternity and enjoyed faithful service to Azura whenever I found myself in her realm. I felt every hour of that eternity, I remember the feeling of every second. It was agony even when it wasn't, because of all the terrible things I've seen, the only nightmare I have is of my own murder. Without pain, a day still passes, and you must survive, even if nothing threatens you. You must survive. I have never been one to fully understand the emotions of others, I rarely fully understand my own, but I know that you, Vehk, have spent every day thinking you had gotten rid of me forever. You regretted it, because you loved me, but you’re greed overthrew your love. My vengeance has outgrown mine. Give me the tools, Vehk, and I will finish this.”

Vivec cautiously reached up, that same realization returning to their eyes, and slowly removed Isaac’s hand from their mouth.

“I…” Vivec stared desperately into Isaac’s eyes.

“Speechless, Vehk? So much for the Warrior Poet.”

“Can you blame me?” They said with a sad smile. “All this time I had hoped to see my king again, and you come limping in like an injured lion, only to show me your claws and fangs are sharper than before. No grace, only power, like it has always been.”

Isaac did not look away, he continued to stare deep into Vivec’s eyes. He was growing tired of this charade.

“I will give you the tools, of course.” Vivec said. “But first, I have a question for you.”

Isaac simply nodded.

“Do you know who lies in wait at Red Mountain?”

Isaac had heard his name before: Dagoth Ur. He had never seen him in his nightmare’s as Nerevar, and had only assumed he was the man in the golden mask from his own dreams. He was about to answer when Nerevar’s words sprung forth once again.

“All too well. Confronting Voryn… it will be harder than it was with you.”

Vivec seemed satisfied with the answer, they nodded, and summoned forth a shining gauntlet and a scroll of parchment.

“I am no longer in possession of Keening and Sunder. You will find them at the locations listed.” They tried so hard to seem distant, to seem unaffected by the meeting. They were failing.

Isaac took the gauntlet and the paper and turned to leave. He could tell Vivec wanted to say something, but he had gotten what he had come for. He reached the door, placed his hand on the cracked handle, and then turned around to say one last thing.

“Vehk, if we manage to do this, you had better start running.”

Vivec nodded and Isaac opened up the door. With the sound of stone slowly grinding upon stone, Isaac, and Nerevar, were gone.