Howdy! Got another chapter for you guys.

Enjoy! I will now answer some guest reviews in the order that they were posted.

'Guest' - You'll see once we get around to it.

'Guest' - I suppose technically there could be an Oblivion Crisis, as you will come to understand why in this chapter, though that isn't really what I have in mind for this story at all. Does he have all shouts? Certainly. Does he own the dlc weapons? Yes, he did complete those story arcs.

'Guest' - Where does the Dovahkiin scale? Jose is a Wizard Saint, officially recognized as one of the most powerful wizards around which is no joke, though Varus is certainly above him. I wouldn't say that he is necessarily under Acnologia. His power will be shown more as the story develops. He did fight Alduin the World-Eater and Miraak after all, though Alduin was not in World-Eater mode.

'Guest' - Only time will tell.

The world around him vanished, simply melting away before his very eyes. He found himself standing seemingly on nothing, surrounded by a vast pink and purple nebula, stars shining in every direction.

It was truly beautiful. Though he'd recognised it for what it was, a realm of Oblivion. A being materialised before him, a well dressed gentlemen, with a suit that was half purple and half dark orange.

The Daedric Prince of Madness, Sheogorath.

"Howdy dear lad! My, my, it has been some time, hasn't it? Can I get you anything? Some cheese perhaps? The cheese is to die for, simply marvelous!" His eye twitched, he wasn't expecting such a boisterous greeting.

"Lord Sheogorath." He greeted, bowing slightly. Of all the Daedric Prince's to contact him, he was glad it was Sheogorath. There were much worse entities out there. He relaxed a little, though not by much, the Prince of Madness was just that, mad, unpredictable. There was no telling how this meeting might go.

"I'll pass on the cheese," He said, he paused, choosing his next words very carefully. "If you don't mind my asking, but why are you here? Why am I here?"

The Prince smiled and snapped his fingers. Two comfortable chairs appeared before them, along with a small table, on it was a platter, containing a wide variety of cheeses alongside some crackers. The Prince took a seat and gestured to the one across from him.

Varus hesitantly accepted the offer to sit, still watching the Prince cautiously. Sheogorath began to eat some unknown cheese, humming in satisfaction as he ate a slice.

"I'm glad you passed on the cheese, more for me!" The Prince grinned, "Good question, good question indeed."

Varus frowned when the Prince didn't provide an answer, instead spending the next for minutes eating some more cheese.

"Tell me," Sheogorath said, "Do you know how you escaped Apocrypha?"

The question threw him off guard. Calming his rage that began to surface at the mere mention of that realm, he thought about how he escaped. Details of his escape were hazy, he wasn't actually sure how he managed to leave.

"I presume you know?"

The Prince smiled, "Of course! I got you out."

Everything stopped, he couldn't believe what he was hearing, the Prince of Madness had freed him from Apocrypha. He calmed his absolutely shocked expression, replacing it with a blank mask, though his face was hidden by his gear, there was no doubt in his mind that Sheogorath could make out his facial expressions. Why? Why did Sheogorath free him? What did the Prince want? What did he serve to gain from his freedom?

"Calm down, Varus." Sheogorath said. "You're probably asking yourself why? Why did I do it? Am I correct?"

He gave a tense nod in reply.

"Well, honestly that is requires quite a lengthy explanation. But put simply, you deserve it."

He deserved it? What did that even mean?

"I don't understand, Lord Sheogorath." He eventually said.

The Prince waved his hand, "Bah! No need for such formalities my lad. I don't mind you treating me like a common person."

Sheogorath paused, Varus narrowed his eyes. Why would a Daedric Prince hesitate? He almost didn't want to know. Sheogorath leaned forward, the Mad God's eyes were filled with worry. Sweat started to form on his brow, he really wasn't looking forward to what explanation Sheogorath had for him.

"AHA! WINE!"

'...What?'

With a snap of his fingers, two cups of wine appeared on the table, the Prince picked up one and took a sip.

"Ahh… I knew I was forgetting something! Can't possibly eat cheese without a good wine to wash it down!"

Varus gritted his teeth, the Daedric Prince got him worked up for nothing, because the insane god wanted some wine with his cheese all of a sudden? Before his frustrations with the god could begin to take root, the other cup of wine was shoved into his hands.

He blinked, looking down at the drink in confusion.

"Trust me lad, you're going to need it." Sheogorath said.

Hesitantly, he brought it to his lips and he nearly chocked when the heavenly drink entered his mouth. His body felt like it was melting, relaxing almost instantly after his first gulp.

'This is some powerful stuff!'

Sheogorath laughed, grinning and slapping his knee, "Some good stuff ain't it? Brewed by yours truly."

His grin died down and he took a slow, solemn sip of his drink.

"Well, my dear boy. When you faced off against Alduin, you didn't absorb his soul. I'm sure you notice this, yes?"

He nodded.

"Alduin's soul was scattered in the realm of Sovngarde, never to reform and harm the world again."

He fought the urge to roll his eyes, he already knew this. Couldn't this god just get to the point already?

"Alduin returned."

Silence. The drink fell from his hands, and somehow magically appeared back on the table.

'Alduin… returned?! How?! How did this happen?' His thoughts raced to all of his friends that he had made throughout his adventures in Skyrim, the faces of members from various guilds flashed before his eyes. People he'd laughed with, dined with and quested with. The colour drained from his face. If Alduin had returned to the world… They were either dead or enslaved.

"H-How?" He croaked.

"Alduin cannot truly be killed. He had a duty to perform, one he originally rebelled against, seeking to rule the world. He is the World-Eater, reshaping the world at the end of time. He returned to fulfill his purpose, the world you knew was destroyed. You've been away a long time, Dragonborn. Things have changed. The cycle of creation has begun anew."

He sunk into his chair, unable to believe what he was hearing. Alduin, had not conquered the world as he thought, he'd erased it from existence entirely. The reptile destroyed the world, creation itself. His heart ached, Skyrim, sweet Skyrim, his home land, it was gone, forever. Everything that had been or would ever be was now erased for all eternity.

He suddenly felt something wet touch his hands, tears. He paled further and felt sick. He suddenly leaned over the side of the chair and unleashed the contents of his stomach.

Sheogorath took the cup of wine off the table and gently put it in his hands. His hands shook like something shocking, he struggled to even bring the drink to his lips. When the liquid entered his body, he felt a lot better.

"I told you you'd need it." Sheogorath said.

"H-how long w-was I gone?" He mumbled.

"That's a tough question to answer, linear time and creation itself has been reset, a new cycle. Time is an artificial construct, an arbitrary system based on the idea that events occur in a linear direction at all times. Always forward, never back. Though for your mortal mind to comprehend it, let's just say a few thousand years or more."

'Thousands of years...'

Varus broke. He tuned out the Daedric Prince, his eyes glazed over, not truly registering anything. His heart sank and a cold feeling of dread overwhelmed him. He had been trapped in a Daedric Prince's realm for what could only be thousands of years, from one cycle of creation to another.

He was all that was left from a universe that no longer existed. He was alone. He should be dead.

"Ah yes, interesting thing that. Just like Miraak before you, you've become ageless. Hermaeus Mora wasn't going to just let you die. Having the soul of a Dovah helps too." He shifted his attention back to the Mad God.

He must've said that out loud. But it answered how he was even alive, he was ageless. His life now outside the very boundaries of time, never to grow old.

But that still didn't explain why he was here. And what did a Daedric Prince get out of freeing him from the clutches of another?

"Why did you free me?"

Instead of answering his question, the Daedric Prince stood up. His eyes flew open as wide as saucers. Sheogorath's form morphed, becoming that of man covered head to toe in a special armour. He looked like a knight, the helmet sported wings on the side. He knew this armour, the armour of the Divine Crusader.

Rumours were that two hundred years ago, the legendary armour had been found and worn by none other than the Hero of Kvatch, the Champion of Cyrodiil. One of the greatest warriors ever known, having played a huge role in stopping the Oblivion Crisis. No one knew what had befallen the warrior, as he seemingly just disappeared, presumed dead.

"Y-Your-"

"Yes, I am Bendu Olo, the Hero of Kvatch. I left our world, arriving at the Shivering Isles, Sheogorath's realm. The events that followed are a little complicated, but I helped to free Sheogorath from a curse. Jyggalag, the Daedric Prince of Order, was freed from becoming the Daedric Prince of Madness and I took Jyggalag's place as Sheogorath after fighting and defeating Jyggalag in combat." He said. Varus was surprised that the Hero's voice was rather gentle and soft in nature. He'd expected it to be deeper, and rougher.

"You became a god." He uttered in disbelief.

He was the Dovahkiin, great wielder of the Thu'um. With extensive training and his natural ability to control the Thu'um, his power was akin to a demigod. However, even for someone like himself, it was a humbling and awe inspiring experiencing to see the legendary Hero of Kvatch. He had nothing but respect for the man who had stormed through Oblivion itself countless times, cutting down countless Daedra in his path in order to close as many Oblivion Gates as possible.

And to think, that this man had gone on to fight a Daedric Prince, won and had ascended to godhood. He suddenly recalled that time he had entered the mind of Pelagius Septim, Sheogorath had mentioned the Oblivion Crisis in his mad ramblings to Pelagius. It all came together.

'Sheogorath was there, as the Hero of Kvatch.'

"Yes, I assumed the mantle of Sheogorath. It's a very… complicated affair, especially when it comes to this new cycle of creation." He said with a sigh.

"I, like you Varus, had my own purpose, my own fate as it were. Being tasked with saving the world, it is a massive burden to bear," Bendu said, his eyes held a glint of sadness behind that helmet, "Though unlike you, my role in the Oblivion Crisis was to carve the path for Martin Septim to put an end to it. I was not faced with the task of actually facing Mehrunes Dagon, whereas you were fated to face Alduin."

Bendu morphed back into his form of Sheogorath, the elderly gentleman, wearing a crazy suit.

"To put it simply lad, our lives were determined from the very beginning. I freed you from Apocrypha so that you could finally have a chance to live. You've had to deal with a lot but like me, you never had that chance to live a proper life. You deserve that at least." Sheogorath said.

He didn't respond, he was truly at a loss for words. Sheogorath sympathised with him and freed him, so that he could have the opportunity to just… live. He could feel a migraine forming, the amount of revelations that had been dumped on him was too much. His emotions were all over the place, he needed time to process this.

He didn't noticed the world around him slowly vanishing, until Sheogorath spoke one final time.

"I'm sorry for dumping so much all at once on ya lad, but there is one more thing before you go, as crossing the barrier is a little more difficult than it was before. The path you forge from here on will be your own. But take note, there are forces out there that threaten you and the world. Beware the dragon, Acnologia and the dark wizard, Zeref. 'Till we meet again."

'Acnologia!? He knows Acnologia? And who is Zeref!?'

"Wait! What do you kn-" The world returned to normal and he found himself lying next to a very disturbed Gajeel.

"-ow about Acnologia?" He asked, trailing off towards the end as he registered that he was no longer with Sheogorath and in fact back in the normal world.

Ignoring Gajeel's confused gaze, he crouched, raking his hand across the earth and picking up some dirt. Inspecting it, his chest tightened and he felt deathly cold. He would never again feel the dirt of Skyrim beneath his feet. Instead, for the rest of his days, however long those would be, he would be touching the dirt of another world.

His vision blurred as tears threatened to fall. He was all alone, a remnant of a non-existent world.

He needed to get away, he needed some peace and quiet. Time, he just needed some time to process and emotionally deal with everything Sheogorath had told him. That conversation had answered some questions, and raised so many others.

Getting up, he simply walked, to where, he didn't care. All he wanted was to be alone. Reaching the outskirts of town, he found a little isolated clearing on a hillside, overlooking the city. He sat down against a tree and for hours, he just sat there.

'I'm all alone' He thought sullenly.

It was then that he noticed something in one of his armour's pockets. Pulling the item out, he chuckled when he gazed upon a wrapped up piece of cheese. Unwrapping the cheese, he took a bite and instantly relaxed. He would admit, it was some really good cheese.

'I suppose I'm not so alone, aye, Bendu?'

There was no response. Though for just that brief moment, he was content.

There we have it, what did you think?
Going with the implied canon that the Hero of Kvatch is now Sheogorath.

Fun fact that most of you probably know, Bendu Olo can technically be considered the 'canon' name for the Hero of Kvatch. It is the name given to the actor model for the player character in Oblivion, at least from my research. So I went with that name.

Now for other readers who read some of my other stories, a quick update. Slowly progressing with the next chapters of Crisis Effect and Cosmic Joke. Though I've been spending a lot of time re-writing Sora of the Akatsuki, that story is one that always pops back into my mind, but I don't like how I started that story, and trying to redo the chapters just doesn't work without changing the whole thing.

So I'm redoing that story from scratch, but to make up for a lack of a chapter, I'm aiming to at least try make the first chapter at the very least, around 8,000 to 10,000 words, making it up to you guys who wanted to see another chapter for that story. I'm already around 3,500 and I'm liking what I have going, overall, the general story will be the same. It is however the execution and other certain elements that are being completely reworked, the timeline has also shifted a bit for the story. Should turn out I reckon.

Well, that's all for now, 'till next time!