Serana remained incredibly quiet throughout the journey. Occasionally, she would break the silence only to ask a question when something about the modern world piqued her curiosity.
She seemed lost in a deep, perpetual state of contemplation.
Choi Ha-neul was also unusually taciturn, perhaps due to the lack of sleep or the sheer awkwardness of Serana's presence.
—Caw! Caw!
Being near the coast, the cries of seagulls echoed across the sky as they circled above.
On a stretch of the beach, a small rowboat was moored.
In the game, interacting with the boat would have triggered a loading screen before instantly placing me in front of the castle. Here, however, it looked like we were going to have to reach the fortress the hard way—by rowing.
"Are you telling me... we have to take that thing?"
Ha-neul, looking absolutely haggard, pointed a finger at the boat and looked at me.
"That's right. What else did you expect?"
"Oh..."
Her face clouded with despair as she anticipated the grueling labor of rowing across the water.
In the game, you could usually see the faint outline of the castle across the sea. Here, the distance seemed much further, likely because the landmasses were more realistically scaled. The fortress was nowhere in sight.
"Don't worry. Do you know who I am?"
I focused and summoned a Skeleton.
I commanded my summon to move the boat toward the island. Without a word, the bony minion took up the oars and began to row steadily.
"I didn't know that was possible," Serana remarked, sitting in the boat with her arms crossed as she watched the skeleton work.
"What do you mean?"
"I can use conjuration magic as well, but I've never seen a summon carry out such detailed, mundane instructions."
Serana rested her chin on her hand, observing the skeleton with genuine interest.
Come to think of it, most of the necromancers I encountered in dungeons only ever used their summons for combat. I had never seen one put them to work on chores.
Perhaps this sort of eccentricity was only possible because of my unique talent for Necromancy.
I recalled that Serana mainly used spells in the game, though I wasn't sure exactly what her magical aptitudes were in this reality.
Unable to contain my curiosity, I asked her.
"Could you tell me what kind of magic you're gifted in?"
"I'm proficient in Destruction and Conjuration."
She added that if a normal human is turned into a vampire, they naturally gain the ability to use Destruction magic even if they had zero talent for it before.
Living forever without aging, possessing immense physical strength, and gaining innate magical powers... I could see why the desperate and the wicked were so obsessed with the idea of becoming vampires.
"It even has an effect like that?"
"Are you interested?"
"No, not particularly..."
Gaining talent in Destruction sounded nice, but I had no desire to join the ranks of the bloodsuckers.
"Heh, it was a joke."
Serana chuckled softly, covering her mouth with her hand. Her laughter was refined, and for a moment, I found myself dazed by her striking beauty.
I suppose her royal background wasn't just for show; every minor gesture and movement she made carried an air of grace and elegance.
Anyway, since getting on the boat, we had talked quite a bit. It seemed she was finally starting to open up to me.
"Ugh..."
On the other hand, Ha-neul was slumped over the side of the boat. The combination of sleep deprivation and seasickness was clearly taking its toll.
Seriously, why is the Dragonborn such a weakling?
As Serana and I continued our small talk, the boat pushed forward. Eventually, a massive silhouette of a fortress began to loom through the thick fog.
—Splash.
In about fifteen minutes, the boat reached the island that housed her home. After securing the rope to dock the vessel, we stepped onto the shore and slowly approached the castle.
Castle Volkihar. It was every bit as grand as Fort Dawnguard, built in a beautiful, mysterious architectural style. But behind that majestic facade, a sinister aura permeated the air.
As Ha-neul and I trudged toward the main gate, Serana stopped us.
"Wait... before we go in, I have something to say."
"What is it?" Ha-neul asked.
"First, I want to thank you both for bringing me this far. And I know you both despise vampires, but once we're inside, you must stay quiet and stick close to me..."
Her words were heavy with meaning. It didn't take long for either of us to grasp what she was implies.
'Dammit... now I'm starting to get scared too.'
The vampires in Dimhollow Crypt had been strong enough. But I knew better than anyone that the vampires residing here were ancient, evil entities that made the others look like fledglings.
Feeling the oppressive weight of the malicious energy emanating from within the castle walls, a chill ran down my spine.
There wasn't a direct entrance door yet; instead, a heavy iron portcullis blocked outsiders from entering. Between the gate and the inner doors, an elderly man stood guard as the gatekeeper.
"Who goes there! Wait... Lady Serana!"
The old man had been about to yell at us to get lost, but his attitude flipped instantly the moment he saw Serana standing right behind us.
"Um... hello. It's been a long time," Serana said awkwardly.
"It has indeed... Please, enter."
As expected, the gatekeeper raised the iron bars to let us in. Terrified, Ha-neul and I walked slowly into the castle, staying as close to Serana's side as physically possible.
"Lady Serana, welcome home. The Lord is expecting you."
The first person to greet us inside was Vingalmo. He was a loyal advisor to Lord Harkon and a high elf—an Altmer.
Strangely, he spoke as if he had already known we were coming. I had felt the presence of vampires within the castle; likely, he had detected us in a similar fashion.
Regardless, the horrific scene unfolding inside made me break into a cold sweat.
Vampires were gathered around a long table, roughly ten meters in length, enjoying a feast of human flesh. When a tap on a keg was opened, thick, crimson blood poured out instead of wine.
They filled their glasses and savored the scent as if they were sommeliers tasting a fine vintage.
And that was the tame part.
I nearly gagged when I saw one vampire use a spoon to scoop out brains from an open skull, gorging himself greedily. Even though I thought I'd grown accustomed to violence, this was a hauntingly repulsive sight.
The scent of blood was so thick it was suffocating. My stomach churned.
"Yes," Serana replied shortly to Vingalmo's welcome. At that moment, the castle doors slammed shut with a heavy thud.
Every vampire in the hall stopped what they were doing and fixed their gaze on us.
"Eep!"
Terrified by the ominous red glow of dozens of eyes staring at her, Ha-neul scurried closer to my side.
I was just as tense as she was. Despite Serana's return, nobody seemed particularly happy to see her. Serana, for her part, didn't look like she expected a warm welcome anyway.
Then, the silence was broken by the sound of footsteps.
—Thump. Thump.
I knew instantly who it was.
A middle-aged man appeared at the top of the stairs. He placed a hand on the banister and stared down at us in silence before finally speaking.
The man was, predictably, the master of Castle Volkihar: Lord Harkon.
"My daughter, you've returned at last. I assume you have the Elder Scroll with you?"
Harkon didn't even waste a second before asking his daughter for the artifact. She had been gone for over a century, yet to him, there was something far more important than her safety.
Serana shouted back, her voice tinged with disbelief at his coldness.
"Is that scroll more important than your own daughter?"
"Is there even a need to ask? Though, of course, 'you' are precious as well."
Harkon lied without a hint of shame. He was exactly the kind of man the game portrayed. I didn't know what he was like before becoming a vampire, but there wasn't a shred of fatherly love left in him now.
"More importantly, will you return that scroll to me?"
At his request, Serana unwrapped the cloth covering the Elder Scroll to show him, then tossed it toward him with total indifference.
Since the Elder Scroll was an item of immeasurable value, carrying it openly would have drawn too much attention, so we had kept it wrapped in common cloth for transport.
"At last..."
Harkon fumbled with the Elder Scroll Serana had thrown, his voice trembling with ecstasy. "My daughter, you have done well. Truly magnificent."
"Yes, thank you," Serana replied with a formal, empty courtesy.
"If your traitorous mother were here, I would have shared this glorious moment with her... right before mounting her head on a pike."
—...
Despite Harkon insulting her mother, Serana simply stared at him in silence.
"By the way, who are these people behind you?"
Harkon's attention finally shifted to us. Serana answered on our behalf.
"These people are my benefactors. They are the ones who released me from the seal."
"Really? And who might you be?"
"We... we're just adventurers!" Ha-neul stammered, her voice shaking with fear.
"There is no need to be afraid. And as you've likely guessed our identity..."
"You're all vampires," I said, finishing his sentence for him.
"Correct. But we are not just vampires; we are the oldest and most powerful bloodline in Skyrim."
He added that we deserved a proper reward for our service.
"A reward?"
Ha-neul seemed to expect gold or weapons, but Harkon proposed something entirely different.
"Indeed. I shall grant you a gift. I offer you my blood."
Those who romanticize vampires might have jumped at the chance, but neither Ha-neul nor I had any intention of becoming bloodsucking monsters.
"We appreciate the offer, but we'll pass."
"If you accept my blood, you will never have to worry about aging again. All will fear you; you shall walk as lions among the sheep."
"..."
"Still not convinced? Then witness this power with your own eyes!"
Insulted by our negative reaction, Harkon decided to demonstrate the power of his blood himself. His body began to glow a deep, sickly red.
—Boom!
A crimson aura, reminiscent of splattered blood, erupted with a powerful shockwave. When the red mist cleared, he had transformed into a hideous, demonic monster.
"This is the blood-given authority that only a Vampire Lord can enjoy."
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