Curious, I booted up the Skyrim Special Edition and loaded the file. Usually, a new game starts with the cart ride to Helgen, but this was different. My character was already inside the keep, but the world was silent. There were no dragons, no Imperial soldiers , and no Stormcloaks .
When I plugged it in, there was only one file: Save 666 - Prisoner, Helgen Keep, 00.00.00 .
Suddenly, the silent keep wasn't empty anymore. Faint, translucent figures of every NPC I had ever killed in previous playthroughs began to fill the room. They didn't attack; they just stood there, staring with hollow eyes.
I found the drive at a yard sale, tucked inside an old jewel case labeled simply: The.Elder.Scrolls.V.Skyrim.Special.Edition.v1.0.Saves . The seller didn't ask for money; he just wanted it gone.
