Metalborn in Skyrim

The College of Winterhold rarely conducted field trips school-wide, but when Professor Aldren Varic, an expert in historical magics and lost arcane techniques, announced an expedition to an ancient ruin, it immediately garnered attention. Students were given strict instructions—to study the magic used by past civilizations, document findings, and observe how ancient magical systems functioned.

Kael, intrigued but with his own motivations, joined the group as they set out early in the morning. The ruin lay far beyond Winterhold, nestled in the frozen wilderness, its entrance half-buried under layers of ice and snow. Carvings of long-forgotten symbols marked the stone archway leading inside, their meanings lost to time.

As the group ventured in, they split into smaller teams, each assigned different tasks. Some students focused on analyzing warding glyphs that still held traces of protective magic, while others studied remnants of forgotten spells etched into the walls. Professor Varic walked among them, offering insight on how some of these structures had withstood time itself, their magic still humming faintly despite centuries of decay.

Kael, however, found himself drawn to something deeper—the structure of the magical systems present in the ruin. How had these civilizations maintained their enchantments for so long? Unlike modern magic, which required soul gems and periodic recharging, the enchantments here seemed to have been designed to last indefinitely.

As he traced his fingers along a pillar marked with runes, he felt a faint hum beneath his touch. Not dead magic. Dormant magic.

The deeper they went, the grander the architecture became. Tall ceilings lined with intricate carvings, floors inlaid with smooth black stone, and walls covered in long-forgotten inscriptions. The temperature was noticeably warmer the further in they traveled, an effect likely tied to the lingering magic still present in the ruins.

Professor Varic gathered the students in a large circular chamber where stone pedestals sat in even intervals along the floor. At the center of the chamber, a massive arcane diagram was carved into the stone, glowing faintly.

"Take note of how these runes are structured," Varic instructed, gesturing at the walls. "Unlike modern enchantments, which are bound to physical objects, these ancient systems work by integrating their magic into the surrounding environment itself."

A student raised a hand. "Professor, does that mean these enchantments never run out of energy?"

Varic nodded but held up a finger. "Not quite. They do recharge on their own, but the process is incredibly slow. The magic here is woven into the natural magicka fields, pulling in ambient energy. However, the drawback is that the recharging process can take decades—or even centuries—depending on how depleted the enchantment becomes."

Kael took in that information, his mind working through the implications. Magic that didn't need soul gems, but instead used the world's natural energy? That was an incredible discovery, but it also had limitations. If the recharge time was as slow as Varic suggested, then using it in a practical sense would be difficult.

The students were given time to explore, documenting their observations. Some sketched diagrams, others tried measuring the lingering magical fields, but Kael remained focused on understanding the sustaining mechanisms.

As they moved deeper into the ruins, Kael and a few others entered a vast chamber lined with floating crystal formations. The air felt charged, the faint buzzing of energy tingling against his skin.

He moved toward a stone altar, noticing inscribed runes glowing faintly along its surface. He crouched and placed his hand over the stone, focusing his senses. The magic within the runes was stable, but… thin. It was as if the enchantment was still active, but lacking the energy to fully manifest.

Kael glanced back at Varic, who was overseeing another group. "Professor, these runes—are they still functioning?"

Varic strode over and studied the markings, nodding. "Yes, but they're weak. This is an example of a system that has outlasted its natural energy source. It's still trying to recharge itself, but without an external source to bolster it, the process is taking an absurdly long time."

Kael furrowed his brow. "But if these enchantments take centuries to recover, how did the ancient civilizations make use of them?"

Varic smiled. "A good question. They likely had amplifiers—structures designed to boost the surrounding magicka fields and speed up the process. Without those amplifiers, we see what happens when the magic is left to fade naturally."

Kael took in every word. If amplifiers were the key to making self-recharging enchantments viable, then understanding how they functioned could provide an entirely new way to sustain magical systems.

The first few hours of the expedition had been focused on surveying the stable areas—large halls filled with inscribed stone pillars, partially collapsed corridors lined with warding glyphs, and remnants of what were once magically enhanced mechanisms. The students were split into small teams, each tasked with identifying and recording any residual magical energies still present.

Kael, though eager to study the enchantments in depth, found his attention pulled toward a small, unassuming doorway along the edge of the main chamber. Unlike the others, this door had no visible runes, no warnings or signs that it had been explored. It simply stood slightly ajar, inviting curiosity.

Glancing at the rest of the group—most of whom were still examining various etchings—Kael stepped inside alone.

The chamber was silent, the air thick with a long-dormant presence. Faint markings lined the circular walls, their once-bright glow reduced to mere whispers of power. In the center of the room, a pedestal of black stone stood, empty yet humming with something unseen.

Kael moved cautiously toward it, his instincts prickling. He reached out, tracing the edge of the stone with his fingertips—

A sudden pulse of energy erupted, sending a shockwave rippling through the entire ruin.

The enchantments embedded in the very structure of the ruins awoke, reacting violently to the disturbance. A deep, reverberating hum filled the corridors as every student outside the chamber felt the pull of magicka being ripped from the air, drawn toward Kael's location. The residual enchantments that had once been dormant were now feeding off the energy, activating long-forgotten mechanisms.

Kael barely had time to register what was happening before the floor beneath him shuddered.

The pedestal flared to life, its runes glowing brighter and brighter, wrapping around his body in shifting tendrils of light. He tried to move, to resist, but the magical force seized him, dragging him downward.

A sharp crack split the air.

And then—

He was gone.

——————

The moment the enchantment activated, every student in the ruin felt it. A wave of energy pulsed through the air like an unseen ripple, sending a tingling sensation down their spines. Conversations halted, spells flickered out mid-cast, and an eerie silence settled over the group. The weight of the magic was undeniable—ancient, vast, and now fully awake.

Professor Varic immediately raised a hand, his sharp gaze scanning the chamber as he reached out with his own senses. The disturbance wasn't just strong—it was pulling. "Stay together! Something is siphoning all magicka into that chamber!" he barked, his voice cutting through the tension.

Several students gasped as the glowing runes embedded in the walls and floor of the ruins flickered, then began shifting like living veins of energy. What had once been an inert, crumbling structure was now pulsating with power, its slumber disturbed. The stone beneath their feet vibrated ever so slightly, and a faint hum filled the air—a sound that didn't come from any one place, but seemed to resonate from the ruin itself.

"Where's Kael?" a voice called out, breaking the stunned silence. Eyes darted around, scanning the group.

Another student turned, pointing toward the shadowed archway at the far end of the room. "He was in that room—then everything started pulling toward it!" Their voice trembled slightly, the implication clear.

Varic cursed under his breath, his expression darkening. Without hesitation, he strode toward the entrance, intent on retrieving his student—only for the chamber's threshold to slam shut behind Kael with a thunderous clang. The entire ruin shuddered with the force of it, dust and loose stone raining down from the ceiling.

The professor skidded to a halt, pressing his hand against the sealed entrance. Magic flared in his eyes as he called upon his own power, attempting to break through whatever force had closed it—but the spell resisted, ancient and unyielding. It wasn't a simple barrier. It was a lock—one that had been waiting for this very moment.

His fingers curled into a fist, his frustration evident as he turned back to the students. "Kael has been pulled deeper into the ruin. Whatever magic was activated wasn't meant to be broken so easily." His gaze swept across the worried faces before him. "We need to find another way down. Now."

A distant rumble echoed through the corridors, as if the ruin itself had heard him—and was shifting in response.

——————

Kael landed hard, his body hitting the cold stone floor of a lower chamber with a rough impact. The air was thick—humid, unlike the dry chill of the upper ruins. A damp, earthen scent filled his lungs, mingled with something metallic, like rust or old blood. Faint, bioluminescent markings flickered on the walls, casting eerie, shifting glows across the cavernous space. Shadows danced with the trembling light, stretching unnaturally along the carved stone, hinting at unseen depths beyond his immediate surroundings.

Groaning, he pushed himself up, wincing as his muscles protested the fall. He blinked against the dim light, his breath coming shallow as he took in the chamber's architecture. It was different. The upper ruins had been worn, their once-grand pillars crumbling with time and neglect, but here… here, the stone was smooth, pristine, untouched by decay. Towering columns lined the chamber, their surfaces engraved with intricate patterns that pulsed faintly, as though alive. Strange symbols snaked across the floor, forming a network of glowing veins that seemed to guide the eye toward the room's center.