Chapter 160 Bloodbound

Alex and Serana successfully freed the Moth Priest from the barrier that had imprisoned him.

“Thank you. I owe you both a great debt,” the man said gratefully. “My name is Dexion Evicus, and I am a Moth Priest from the White-Gold Tower. Those vampires claimed they had some purpose for me, but they refused to explain what it was. They were probably hoping to ransom me. Fools.”

Alex then spoke calmly.

“I know why they needed you. Because we need you for the same purpose.”

Dexion looked at him with curiosity.

“You do? Alright then, enough mysteries.”

Serana stepped forward before explaining,

“Yeah. We’re from the Dawnguard, and we need someone capable of reading an Elder Scroll and uncovering the knowledge hidden within it.”

Dexion’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“You have an Elder Scroll? Remarkable!”

He sounded almost impatient with excitement as he continued,

“If my knowledge of history serves me correctly, I recall that the Dawnguard was an ancient order of vampire hunters. I would be honored to assist you with your Elder Scroll. Just tell me where I need to go.”

Alex then said,

“You can find us at Fort Dawnguard, near Stendarr’s Beacon… or you can come with us right now.”

Dexion nodded quickly.

“Great, right then. I fear those vampires may return if we wait here any longer.”

With that, Alex, Serana, and Dexion the Moth Priest left the cave and began their journey toward Fort Dawnguard.

Along the road, Alex glanced at Dexion curiously.

“Would it be alright if I called you Dex?”

Dexion gave a small smile.

“Ah, of course.”

Alex then asked,

“Earlier, you said the Dawnguard was an ancient order. Is it really that old?”

Dexion adjusted his robes slightly before answering in a storytelling tone.

“Yes, the Dawnguard is indeed an ancient order of vampire hunters. It was originally founded during the Second Era by the Jarl of Riften. One day, the Jarl’s son, through his overly confident and adventurous pursuits, contracted vampirism. The Jarl refused to kill his own son, so instead he commissioned the construction of a fort and hired a large mercenary force later known as the ‘Dawnguard’ to keep his son quarantined.”

Dexion continued his story while absentmindedly scratching the back of his head.

“Some say the Dawnguard eventually had to put the Jarl’s son down and were later banished from the hold. Even so, the Dawnguard continued their work as vampire hunters for many years. However, as time passed, people increasingly began to disregard the threat of vampires, and the Dawnguard slowly lost both their influence and the respect they once commanded.”

He paused briefly before continuing.

“Others claim that after witnessing the immense power possessed by vampires, some members of the Dawnguard chose to become vampires themselves. According to the rumors, they preyed upon the people of the Rift until they were eventually hunted down.”

Dexion let out a quiet sigh.

“There are even darker tales saying that the Dawnguard became feared because of their abuse of power that they carried out nightly raids and pillaged small villages without proper cause.”

His expression turned more thoughtful as he finished,

“In the end, the Dawnguard faded into obscurity, becoming little more than a forgotten name buried in history.”

Serana and Alex listened with great interest, especially Alex.

“Oooh, so the Dawnguard originally started as a group of mercenaries? That’s honestly surprising. And now they’ve become official vampire hunters… I never knew that. I always thought Isran was the one who started everything related to the Dawnguard.”

Dexion nodded slightly before replying,

“Isran is certainly the most influential figure in the Dawnguard’s modern history, but he was not its original founder. Yes, the Dawnguard did begin as a mercenary force, but because their existence eventually became surrounded by uncertainty and controversy, the group was disbanded. Only much later was the order truly reformed into the official organization known today.”

Serana, now equally curious, asked,

“Ah, then what happened after that?”

Dexion continued the story as the three of them walked along the narrow road leading toward Fort Dawnguard. The afternoon wind brushed gently through the trees surrounding the path, causing the leaves to rustle softly above them.

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The Moth Priest adjusted the sleeves of his robe before speaking again, his calm voice carrying the tone of a scholar recounting ancient history.

“Centuries later, during the Fourth Era, Isran a former Vigilant of Stendarr revived the order.”

Dexion glanced ahead thoughtfully as he continued.

“He re-established the Dawnguard at their original fortress, Fort Dawnguard, hidden within Dayspring Canyon east of Riften. This renewed order devoted itself entirely to eradicating the resurgent vampire menace spreading across Skyrim once again.”

As Dexion spoke, Alex quietly listened with his hands tucked inside his pockets. His expression gradually shifted into one of understanding. After a few seconds, he gave a faint nod.

“Yeah…”

His voice was quieter now.

“He lost his family to vampires. Of course he’d dedicate his life to wiping them out.”

Alex lowered his gaze briefly toward the dirt road beneath his feet before continuing.

“Rebuilding that fort probably became more than just restoring some old organization.”

A small bitter smile appeared on his face.

“It became a symbol. A symbol of resistance against vampires… and probably a place where people carrying the same hatred could gather together.”

The further he spoke, the more serious his tone became.

Alex slowly looked ahead toward the distant mountains, his eyes narrowing slightly as though remembering something unpleasant himself.

“Man…”

He exhaled quietly.

“A person who’s lost everything and carries revenge deep in their heart…”

His voice became heavier.

“…is never someone you should underestimate.”

For a moment, silence settled between them.

Serana’s expression remained calm as always, but her eyes subtly lowered. Even though she had done nothing to Isran or the countless people who had suffered because of vampires after all, she had been sealed away for thousands of years the conversation still left an uncomfortable weight in her chest.

Because no matter how she tried to separate herself from it… she was still a vampire.

She unconsciously tightened her fingers against the fabric of her sleeve.

Stories like Isran’s were not uncommon. Humans feared vampires for a reason. Entire families destroyed. Villages slaughtered. Lives ruined.

And even if she personally had not caused those tragedies… hearing them still made her feel strangely guilty.

Her crimson eyes drifted away slightly as the atmosphere around them grew heavier.

Alex noticed it immediately.

He glanced sideways at Serana and caught the subtle tension in her expression the way she had gone quieter than usual, the way her gaze avoided meeting theirs.

A brief awkward silence followed.

Then, almost deliberately, Alex suddenly spoke in a casual tone.

“Hmm…”

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, pretending to be deep in thought.

“I wonder… can vampires survive on blood other than human blood? Hmm?”

The abrupt question immediately caught Serana off guard.

She frowned deeply and shot him an irritated look.

“No, we can’t just live off animal blood,” she answered quickly, sounding more defensive than she intended.

Her brows furrowed as frustration slowly crept into her voice.

“We need blood from intelligent living beings, so… ugh…”

She suddenly stopped herself mid-sentence and looked away with annoyance.

A faint expression of discomfort crossed her face.

Serana rarely showed her emotions so openly. Most of the time, she hid everything behind sarcasm, calm indifference, or a cold poker face. But now, there was clear irritation in her voice and beneath it, embarrassment.

The topic clearly struck somewhere sensitive for her.

Alex blinked once, realizing he may have accidentally stepped onto dangerous ground.

Meanwhile, Dexion quietly observed the interaction from the side.

Truthfully, he had already figured out that Serana was a vampire long ago. Between her pale complexion, crimson eyes, unnatural aura, and the way Alex carefully danced around certain topics, it was not particularly difficult for someone as knowledgeable as a Moth Priest to piece together the truth.

Still… he wisely chose not to mention it.

Every now and then, Dexion glanced between the two of them with subtle confusion hidden behind his composed expression.

A human traveling peacefully beside a vampire was already strange enough.

But the way Alex treated Serana with casual trust rather than fear or hatred was even stranger.

Dexion adjusted his robes slightly and decided, for the sake of everyone involved, that remaining silent was probably the safest choice.

Noticing the quiet guilt hidden beneath Serana's composed expression, Alex scratched the back of his head awkwardly. The road ahead remained silent except for the sound of their footsteps brushing against dirt and scattered leaves.

After a brief pause, Alex suddenly spoke in a casual tone almost as though he were discussing something entirely ordinary.

"Well, if that's the case… whenever you feel the urge to drink blood, you can drink mine if you want."

Serana stopped walking.

Her crimson eyes narrowed sharply. She stared at him the way someone stares at a person who has just said something profoundly unreasonable which, by any measure, he had.

"...Are you serious?"

"Yeah."

"You realize what you just said?"

"Yup"

Serana rolled her eyes.

"Humans are strange."

Alex simply shrugged, hands folding lazily behind his head.

"I already told Isran I'd take responsibility for you. So that includes this too. If you get hungry, just say so. Don't go around drinking other people's blood carelessly."

Serana opened her mouth then closed it again.

She had been ready to say that she didn't need anyone's pity. That she had lived for thousands of years and was perfectly capable of handling herself. That an offer like this was ridiculous and naive.

But something stopped her.

Not because his words had been particularly moving. Not because she was suddenly struck by some dramatic wave of emotion.

It was simply that… no one had ever said something like that to her before. Without a hidden condition attached. Without fear creeping into their eyes immediately afterward.

Serana glanced slightly to the side, away from him.

"...You're not afraid?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because if you wanted to attack me, you would've done it a long time ago."

Serana said nothing.

Alex lowered his arms and looked at her directly this time his tone settling into something quieter, more even.

"But if you break that and drink someone else's blood carelessly..."

He paused briefly.

"...don't expect me to keep letting you walk beside me."

A cool breeze passed between them.

Serana finally looked back at him. Her expression was as composed as ever but somewhere at the edge of her eyes, there was something difficult to name. Not warmth. Not gratitude worn openly on her sleeve.

Just a quiet, steady acceptance.

"Fine," she said simply. "I understand."

Then she resumed walking, as though the conversation had never happened at all.

Dexion, who had been carefully silent at their side, glanced briefly at Alex with an expression he chose not to elaborate on then wisely continued forward without a word.