It was just an ordinary day: I was spending my time in the Crimson Blades Library as usual, skimming history books to refresh my knowledge of the people of Tamriel. I was planning to leave for a journey in the southern part of the continent, in the region known as Elsweyr, home of the Kahjitt race, but at the time I did not know an unexpected event would bring me to an altogether different place... a place I knew very well...

The door of the library swung open and Iceman, the former Primus of the Guild, entered the room. I raised my eyes from the book I was reading and I noticed he had a somewhat grim expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" I asked him bluntly. We had known each other for a long time and we were used to speak frankly in every occasion.

"There's a message for you... as I could see it's from your family..." He handed me a small envelope: he was right, of course: there was the symbol of the house of Tenkor impressed on it.

I opened it slowly and read it carefully, pondering every single word.

I frowned.

"Bad news?" Iceman inquired.

"I'm afraid so... My father... has died."

"I'm sorry to hear this.

I remained silent for some moments, then I suddenly stood.

"I've got to go." I said as I hurried to the door.

Iceman took me by my arm. "You are not meaning..."

"I do, indeed. I have to return to Morrowind"

"But you know you can't: you are marked for death there. And, by the way, haven't you considered it might be a trap?"

"It would not be the first time I fall willingly into a trap..." I claimed with an ironic grin.

"Yes, but it might be the last..." Iceman replied.

"Be it a trap or not, I have to go" I added as I was opening the door.

"Do you want me or some other to come along with you, Darak?"

"It won't be necessary. Besides it's something I have to deal with alone."

"Take care, Darak. I hope to see you soon again, safe and sound."

I just nodded, then turned around and did not look back.

******************

I had to proceed with great haste, so I decided I would travel to the capitol city of the Imperial provinces by means of teleportation, the quickest way to move across the continent, a privilege I was entitled to thanks to my high rank in the mages guild. I would pretend to have some matters to discuss there with the Emperor (he had already used my services before), should undesired eyes were shadowing me, and then try to deceive them out of my trail. When I had arranged things in such a way that I would appear to be staying in the city for some days, waiting for an audience with the Emperor, I set off.

Speeded up with magic, in a couple of days I was able to reach the border with Morrowind. As I was about to cross it, I hesitated... I knew each step I made in my native land would put me in great danger: the more I stayed, the more I risked. Fortunately Verlikis, my hometown lay not very far from the border, so I hoped the trip would be short enough to let me come and go undetected, and for this my usual spell of invisibility would surely help. Somewhat comforted by this thought, I advanced.

I avoided the town entirely, making a wide circle around it, and I silently approached the graveyard. The night air was humid and the turf was hidden by ghostly fingers of white mist: this made the scene appear more ominous than it really was.

I jumped beyond the small wall surrounding the cemetery, then, with as much speed as stealthy movements permitted, I approached the crypt of my family. I peered inside: nobody was around... at least nobody I could see. I shook off this thought and I touched the cold iron bars of the entry gate; it swung open with a faint creak and I silently entered the vault...

I remembered perfectly well were my father's tomb should be (among the noble families of Morrowind, everybody has his own resting place from the very date of his birth), and in fact there it was. My red eyes allowed me to see even in utter darkness and so I was able to spot the numbers on the plaque... but there was only the date of birth!!!

My mouth opened wide in astonishment... I had been fooled: it was a trap, just as Iceman had predicted! I had to get out of there as soon as I could!

I hurried towards the vault gate, but what I feared had become true: in the pale moonlight stood a dark humanoid silhouette, as eerie as the surrounding tombs.

"Sarkan" I thought "Who else?"... and he was obviously waiting for me.

I strode confidently outside the vault, trying not to show surprise or fear. Sarkan was there, staring at me with a light of satisfaction in his eyes, his sword and dagger drawn and readied in his hands.

"I told you we would meet again, Darak" he started with a tone of mockery in his voice.

"So it was all a hoax... really, I didn't expect you to use such expedients just to lure me into a trap" I replied, trying to contain my anger.

"And I didn't expect you to be so gullible. As I could judge, human feelings can do to a Dark Elf a harm greater than a sword... or can't they?"

And with these words he sprang forward, his sword pointing dangerously at my chest. I remained calm (as much as the situation allowed, at least) and I avoided the thrust swerving on the left and unsheathing my dai-katana with the same quick movement. Sarkan regained the balance he had momentarily lost and immediately turned around to face me. I decided to give him no quarter and I swung my weapon, trying to hit him with a powerful slash, but Sarkan blocked the blow with both his sword and dagger crossed. We were standing face to face, eye in eye, just like our last meeting. Our weapons glided one against the other with a grinding sound, sending multi-coloured sparkles all around.

"I was you teacher, Darak. All you know, you learned it from me. You can't hope to beat me..." claimed Sarkan with a vicious grin.

"But sometimes pupils surpass their teachers" I replied, confident of my skills.

"I doubt it!" he growled; suddenly the veins of his neck swelled as he gathered all of his strength. He pushed me away so abruptly that I barely retained my balance. A moment after, our duel began once again. We started with a series of parries and blows, but they were just skirmishes: we both knew each one of us would have to do better than this to overcome the other. Unfortunately I lacked in dexterity what my two-handed weapon provided me in might, so Sarkan was able to caught me almost off-guard when I had to parry a slash of his sword: in that while his dagger was aimed viciously against the side of my chest. I avoided it at the last moment: for the Oblivion, it had been damn close! Seconds later, though, I had my chance: I caught his sword with mine from a favourable angle and my strength did the rest: Sarkan's blade described  a couple of circles in the air before embedding into the turf, just a few feet away. It was just what I was waiting for: Sarkan was at my mercy... or so I thought. He gave a quick glance at his sword, then looked at me and suddenly stepped sideways in the direction of his lost weapon.

I turned around in order to precede him and that proved to be my downfall: it was just a pretence: Sarkan raised his dagger and threw it at me!

I felt a deep pain crawling down my right arm and, as I turned my head, I could see my shirt was all smeared with blood, the insidious knife sticking out of my shoulder.

My ears were thumping, but I could clearly hear Sarkan laughing. Then he stopped and started teasing me: "Now what are you going to do, my pupil?"

"He is overconfident!" I thought "With my magic I'll be outta here in a blink of an eye" Trying to forget my pain, I smiled and replied ironic: "Just look!"

I made a quick gesture with my left hand and muttered the arcane word that would bring me back directly to my room in the Crimson Blades castle, where I had set a permanent magical anchor... but nothing happened!

Sarkan looked at me more intensely with an amused expression: he saw my astonishment and he laughed out louder than before.

"Darak, you are a fool. You didn't even think for a moment that, knowing your skills, I would set some sort of magical barrier... All the cemetery area is encompassed in a dome that prevents the use of ANY kind of magic... a useful trick of one of the most skilled Avenger mages: I asked him to perform it in this very place, and, as I can judge, it's working real fine."

As he spoke, I realised what had happened: when I had entered the graveyard I was invisible, but Sarkan had been able to spot me anyway... at the moment I had thought about a spell to reveal invisibility, but I was wrong: my cover was worthless from the instant I trod the cemetery grounds.

Now Sarkan was striding confidently towards me, and I was badly injured and unable to use my magic. I had to react someway... As soon as my opponent was close enough I took off my cloak and threw it at him, blinding him for some moments while he growled and clawed to bust free from it.

I escaped as fast as my condition permitted me, hiding behind the gravestones until I came back to the part where several family crypts were. There, shielded from Sarkan's sight by a massive marble wall, I halted and took a deep breath, but after a moment I heard him shouting out in the distance.

"I know you're still here Darak, but you won't make it out alive... I did not come alone, you know..." his voice grew in intensity as he cried louder: "My Avengers, come to me: the first to bring me the traitor, dead or alive, will be generously rewarded!" then he burst in a chilling laughter.

Trapped! I was in the centre of the graveyard, where I hoped the tombs would shelter me from Sarkan's eyes... instead now I had to cross the whole cemetery to break free... if only that spooky mist was thicker... But I had no time to waste: those Avengers were already after me, for sure, and I didn't even know how many they were! I decided to just hurry up and try to avoid them. Unfortunately luck was not on my side: I was close to the perimeter of the graveyard when I stumbled upon a couple of Avengers, armed and ready to fight. I raised my dai-katana in order to defend myself as steadily as I could, but I was obviously in bad conditions, blood all over my shirt and my hands trembling: their expert eyes noticed it and they advanced confidently to confront me, their grins teasing me. I was prepared to fight with all my leftover energies, no matter if they slew me: at least this would have spoiled Sarkan the fun...

The two Avengers were close and about to strike with their weapons: without thinking I lifted my sword to parry, but no blow did come... The assassins stood there still, eyes widened in fear for no apparent reason. Then, after an instant, they turned their backs to me and ran as fast as they could. Something had scared the Oblivion out of them... and it had not been me, for sure... I turned around, fearing a new and more powerful menace was behind me, but I was relieved to see just a dense bank of fog dissipating, although...

I shook away a thought: I had absolutely no time for that: my life was at stake and I had to run! I managed to leave the cemetery grounds and continued until I reached a small grove. It was far away enough from the graveyard, and probably the anti-magic field did not cover such a wide area. Without halting, I mumbled a simple levitation spell: it worked! Now that my magic was back I could escape in but a moment. I paused a bit to ponder about what could have occurred to those two Avengers... the more I thought about it, the more I was positive that the strange bank of fog hovering behind me, before dissipating, had a somewhat humanoid form... All I could make out was that, in that sacred place, the spirit of one of my ancestors had come to help me... but suddenly I heard in the distance Sarkan yelling at his minions: it was dangerous for me to linger there longer: I would have more time for speculations in the safety of the Crimson Blades Castle...

All I had to do was whispering the magical words of the spell of recall...