"So, why exactly did you come to this world, and how did you get here?" Raiden asked, shaking his head.
Standing before Raiden was a humanoid apparition with long stag antlers. This was the God of the Hunt, Hircine!
"I was summoned by someone, so I came," Hircine replied, looking at Raiden.
"Oh, I didn't summon you—though, thanks for saving me." Raiden nodded.
"Dragonborn, I wasn't talking about you." Hircine walked over to Yinsen and reached out to stroke Yinsen soft fur, smiling as Yinsen tore hungrily into the flesh. It was such a cute sight.
"Yinsen? That ring—you mean Yinsen summoned you?" Raiden asked hesitantly.
"Whoosh."
Suddenly, Hircine appeared behind Raiden, placing a hand on Raiden shoulder and saying,
"That's right. The moment Yinsen put on the ring, I sensed Yinsen. Look at Yinsen—such perfection, such a magnificent soul. A soul mired in despair, weak and helpless, once longing for power and now finally grasping it. From prey to predator. But Yinsen is resisting—fighting back against this power. Did you see the look in Yinsen eyes? That's a fascinating soul!"
Hircine vanished from behind Raiden, reappeared before Yinsen, and cupped Yinsen blood-soaked lupine cheeks in both hands, utterly captivated.
"Ah, perfection—this one is mine."
"Stop!" Raiden rushed over and pulled Yinsen away, pointing at Hircine. "Yinsen doesn't belong to you. Yinsen is family—Yinsen is free."
"Hahaha, Dragonborn, the moment Yinsen put on that ring, my mark was carved into Yinsen. When Yinsen dies, his soul will come to my realm—my finest creation!" Hircine spread his arms, face wild with excitement and madness.
"No, no, no, Yinsen will take that ring off—Yinsen will!" Raiden insisted, wagging a finger.
But Hircine didn't seem at all disturbed by Raiden firm stance—only smiled faintly.
"Dragonborn, a word of advice… never try to remove that ring. The ring is bound to Yinsen now. His soul is inside it—just as yours once was." Hircine voice was calm, stating a fact.
Raiden fell silent, trying to seize Hircine—but grasped only air. Frustrated, Raiden pointed at Hircine.
"Then you must have a way to break the connection—set Yinsen free!"
"Set Yinsen free? No, no, Dragonborn. My relationship with Yinsen is just like yours with Akatosh. Yinsen is my heir, bearing a destiny." Hircine spoke with manic fervor—after all this time, in the long stretch of eternity, Hircine had finally found the soul long sought.
"Destiny? Oh, no." Raiden shook his head in frustration.
"Dragonborn, I know what you fear. I thought you would've understood by now—there's no difference between daedric princes and aedra. The difference is just something mortals invented." Hircine squeezed Raiden cheek.
"In any case, I won't give up on Yinsen. Whatever happens, that's between Yinsen and me—it has nothing to do with you, Dragonborn. Oh, see? My little one isn't full yet." Hircine turned calmly away and watched Yinsen, who had just finished devouring all the bodies Hircine had brought.
But apparently Yinsen still wasn't satisfied.
Hircine clapped, and as the spectral form flickered, the barren desert echoed with the howls of wolves—a pack was arriving. Watching the running wolves, Hircine patted Yinsen head.
"Go on, eat—let these lesser creatures."
Yinsen leapt into the pack. The ground ran red.
"Does Yinsen really need that much food?" Raiden hesitantly watched Yinsen rampage.
"He's a masterpiece." Hircine gaze lingered on Yinsen in obsessive admiration.
As Raiden watched, it was clear there was no way to sway Hircine—Raiden could only watch Yinsen and hope Yinsen wouldn't blame him.
"Hircine, then you—" Raiden suddenly remembered an important question, just about to ask, when—Suddenly, Hircine expression sharpened. A surge of power radiated out, surrounding the area in a blue barrier.
Raiden looked uneasily at the barrier, unsure what Hircine was doing. The next moment, from the distant horizon of the desert, a torrent of golden energy swept toward them.
When the golden energy met the blue barrier, ripples spread across the surface. The barrier trembled, nearly shattering—but stood its ground against the overwhelming flood. The energy lasted three seconds, then receded into the distance.
"What was that?" Raiden asked Hircine—only to see Hircine form fading, becoming even more translucent.
Hircine looked at Raiden and gave a wry smile. "Someone troublesome. Looks like I've been noticed."
"How do you know it's not another Daedric Prince?" Raiden pressed.
"Because that person has a link to this world." Hircine answered.
Raiden mind immediately fixated on the culprit—it had to be this world guardian The ancient one. Realizing this, Raiden blurted out the earlier unasked question.
"How did you get here, exactly?"
It was a big question—Raiden had arrived via the power explosion of the Infinity Stones. But Hircine? Was there a connection between Marvel and the Elder Scrolls? a passage between the universes? That would be trouble.
The Marvel Universe was already chaos—if the daedra started intervening, things would turn from bad to horrible.
"How did I get here? I walked." Hircine raised a hand, now only half formed from energy. "This world and our own… it's so far away. The journey nearly drained me of everything."
Suddenly, Hircine turned, staring at Raiden with ancient, penetrating eyes. "Dragonborn, I know what frightens you. Relax. I have no interest in this world. Instead of worrying about us, you should fear those so called guardian of this world. We don't meddle in things the way they do."
It made sense—the daedra of the Elder Scrolls are notoriously lazy, apathetic even toward their own worlds, let alone another. Of course, there are always exceptions—a few who love stirring up fun elsewhere—but they're the minority. In contrast, so-called guardians just can't resist getting involved in everything.
"Dragonborn, I'm leaving," Hircine suddenly announced.
Raiden looked at Hircine—whose blue-sheened form had grown almost transparent; the power was fading fast.
"Hopefully you won't come back," Raiden said with a laugh.
"Oh, I will. The next time I come will be to collect Yinsen soul—at the time of Yinsen death." Hircine pointed to Yinsen.
Yinsen seemed to have finally eaten enough and was lying on the ground, perhaps asleep.
"Fine, I won't let Yinsen die so easily," Raiden shot back.
"Nor will I," Hircine smiled.
"Dragonborn, thank you for delivering my heir. This last bit of strength—I give it to you. May our dealings go well." A blue spark drifted from Hircine hand.
Raiden lifted an eyebrow—unexpected, but a nice surprise. Even at a glance, the blue spark radiated immense power.
But then a strange thing happened—when the blue spark touched Raiden, it bounced off as if hitting an invisible wall. Hircine head snapped up, what remained of those vanishing eyes blazing with disbelief.
[Note : Bro always getting cockblocked when he was getting power ups 😭]
"Dragonborn—Dragonborn! You've changed. Your soul, why is it so beautiful? Rage, hatred, despair, the mark of death—oh, perfect, absolutely perfect." Hircine reached for Raiden, but the hand dissolved into mist.
"No, no, no—Dragonborn, I'll be back! I'll find you—ah!" Hircine roar faded into nothingness.
Raiden stared at his own hands, utterly at a loss.
What's wrong with my soul?
Deep in Raiden heart, a desperate beast crouched atop a prison of darkness, peering out at the world. And cowering in the shadows behind it, a faint phantom trembled in fear.