Chapter 161 Serana’s First Recognition

Alex, Dexion, and Serana finally arrived at Fort Dawnguard after traveling through the skies using Alex’s telekinesis. The cold mountain wind whipped against their clothes as they descended from above, their bodies slowly lowering toward the stone courtyard of the fortress. Thanks to Alex’s magic, the journey had taken far less time than traveling by road.

The moment Dexion’s boots touched the ground

“Woaaah wooh!”

the old Moth Priest nearly stumbled forward. His legs wobbled violently beneath him as he threw both arms outward, desperately trying to steady himself before falling face-first onto the stone path.

Serana instinctively stepped aside to avoid getting hit while Alex quickly reached out and grabbed Dexion by the shoulder to keep him upright.

Dexion’s face had gone completely pale beneath his hood.

“Huuuft…” he groaned weakly while clutching his stomach. “Seeing everything from that height was terrifying… My stomach feels like it’s about to ”

“Bleergh !”

Without warning, Dexion bent over and vomited onto the ground.

The poor Moth Priest looked utterly miserable. His body trembled slightly from dizziness, and his breathing had become uneven after the aerial journey. Even the cold air of Skyrim did little to help his condition.

Alex looked at him for a moment before letting out an amused chuckle.

“Haha… come on, Dex. Look on the bright side you just experienced flying for the first time. Among your fellow scholars, you should be proud of that.”

Dexion slowly raised his head after vomiting, his expression exhausted and deeply offended at the same time. A bit of moisture clung to the corner of his lips as he weakly wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

“I am quite certain…” he muttered with a shaky voice, “that none of my fellow scholars would envy such an achievement. They would only be jealous if I managed to read an Elder Scr ”

His eyes suddenly widened.

“ bleergh!”

He vomited again.

Alex’s eyes widened in alarm as he immediately stepped backward.

“Whoa !”

He narrowly avoided getting hit.

“Whew… that was close.” Alex laughed awkwardly while rubbing the back of his neck. “Haha… yeah, Moth Priests really are obsessed with Elder Scrolls, huh?”

Serana sighed quietly beside him, though a faint smile briefly appeared on her face from watching the ridiculous scene unfold.

A moment later, the heavy doors of Fort Dawnguard creaked open.

Thud… thud…

A tall figure stepped out from the fortress entrance.

It was Isran.

The Redguard’s sharp eyes immediately landed on the three of them. His gaze first swept over Alex to make sure he was unharmed before finally stopping on Serana with his usual suspicion.

“Ah. You made it back safely,” Isran said in his deep, stern voice. “Good. So that vampire didn’t suck your blood after all, Alex.”

Serana heard the remark clearly.

Her eyes instantly narrowed in annoyance, and she slowly rolled them while crossing her arms beneath her chest.

“Really?” she muttered under her breath.

Alex scratched the back of his head awkwardly, already used to Isran’s attitude.

“Come on, Isran,” he said with a helpless smile. “She’s not as bad as you think.”

Isran let out a low snort.

“Hmph. I hope you’re right.”

He then shifted his attention toward the pale man standing nearby.

Dexion was still hunched over slightly while trying to recover from the nausea.

“Now then…” Isran continued suspiciously. “Who is this pale-faced man dressed like a scholar but without any fangs?”

His sharp eyes narrowed toward Dexion.

The Moth Priest immediately tried to compose himself. He straightened his posture with what little dignity he had left and adjusted his robes before speaking.

“Ah, yes… I am Dexion, and I am a hupp ”

Suddenly, his face turned pale again.

His body froze.

Then

“Bleergh !”

Before he could finish introducing himself, Dexion lurched forward and vomited once more directly onto the ground.

Silence filled the courtyard for a brief moment.

Even Isran looked mildly disturbed.

Alex slowly lowered his face into his palm.

“...Yeah,” he sighed tiredly. “He’s Dexion. A Moth Priest.”

Alex let out a tired sigh while rubbing his temple.

“He’s Dexion,” he explained calmly. “A Moth Priest.”

The moment those words left his mouth, Isran’s expression immediately changed.

“A Moth Priest?” he repeated sharply.

For the first time since coming outside, genuine surprise appeared on the Redguard’s face. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked Dexion up and down more carefully, noticing the old scholar’s robes, worn satchel, and the strange ceremonial cloth wrapped around his clouded eyes.

“What is a Moth Priest doing here?” Isran asked in disbelief.

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Serana finally stepped forward before Alex could answer.

“He’s here to translate the Elder Scr ”

But before she could finish, Isran’s gaze shifted away from her as if he had barely acknowledged her presence at all. Instead, he continued staring directly at Alex, clearly waiting for him to explain.

Serana’s expression instantly flattened.

Her shoulders sagged slightly in annoyance while one eyebrow twitched.

“...Seriously?” she muttered under her breath.

Alex noticed immediately.

He let out another exhausted sigh and stepped slightly between them before the atmosphere could worsen again.

“Isran, come on,” Alex said patiently, raising both hands a little in a calming gesture. “At least listen to her explanation.”

He glanced toward Serana briefly before continuing.

“Show her a little respect. She’s risking herself trying to save the world from her own kind, you know. That deserves some praise.”

For a moment, Isran said nothing.

The cold wind blew through the Dawnguard courtyard, causing his dark cloak to sway lightly behind him. His sharp eyes slowly shifted toward Serana at last.

He crossed his arms tightly over his chest.

“Is that so?”

His tone remained skeptical.

Then he gave another familiar snort.

“Hmph. If she truly manages to save Skyrim, perhaps I’ll reconsider my opinion of her.” His eyes narrowed slightly. “But for now, Skyrim is still suffering because of vampires, so… no offense.”

Serana stared at him for several seconds.

Then she simply let out a long, tired sigh.

“Yeah, fine. Whatever you say.”

Although her voice sounded dismissive, there was noticeably less hostility in it compared to before. Instead of snapping back angrily, she merely rolled her eyes and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear in mild irritation.

Alex quietly glanced between the two of them.

Oddly enough… this already felt like an improvement.

Compared to the first time they had met where the atmosphere practically felt one step away from violence this conversation was almost strangely civil.

Almost.

Isran eventually exhaled through his nose before speaking again.

“Alright,” he said gruffly. “Explain it to me, Serana. That is your name, isn’t it?”

Serana blinked.

For a brief second, genuine surprise appeared on her face.

It was the first time Isran had actually addressed her by name instead of calling her ‘that vampire.’

She stared at him for a moment before a faint smirk slowly appeared on her lips.

“Wow,” she said dryly. “So your memory isn’t completely short-term after all.”

Isran immediately snorted again.

“Hmph. Give her a little respect once, and she instantly becomes arrogant.”

Serana folded her arms with a smug little expression, clearly enjoying the rare opportunity to tease him.

Alex watched the exchange in disbelief before dragging a hand down his face.

“Haaah…”

Inside his mind, he could only think:

(Maybe it’s just my imagination… but they really are getting along slightly better…)

Before either of them could continue bickering again, Alex quickly stepped forward.

“Okay, okay,” he interrupted while waving both hands. “Let me explain everything before you two start another argument.”

He took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and began recounting everything from the beginning the prophecy, the Elder Scroll, Harkon’s plans, and the reason Dexion’s help was so important.

After listening to Alex’s explanation from beginning to end, Isran fell silent for several moments.

The cold wind swept through the courtyard of Fort Dawnguard, causing the torches mounted on the stone walls to flicker softly. Isran stood there with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, his expression dark and thoughtful as he processed everything he had just heard.

Finally, he slowly nodded.

“So… in short,” he began carefully, “the vampires have become active again because of some prophecy.”

His eyes shifted toward Serana.

“And the vampire leader your father, Serana wants to gather these artifacts so vampires can move freely not only at night…” His jaw tightened slightly. “...but during the day as well?”

Both Alex and Serana nodded at the same time.

The moment the confirmation came, Isran shut his eyes briefly and let out a long, exhausted sigh.

“Fuuuh…”

He began pacing back and forth across the courtyard stones, his heavy boots echoing against the ground. One hand rested against his waist while the other rubbed his forehead in frustration.

“Alright,” he muttered bitterly. “This situation is even more fucked up than I imagined.”

The tension in his voice was obvious.

For someone like Isran someone who had spent years fighting vampires the idea of them walking freely beneath the sunlight was practically a nightmare made real.

Alex watched him quietly for a moment before speaking in a calmer tone.

“But that artifact is also a double-edged sword.”

Isran stopped pacing and looked at him.

Alex continued while folding his arms thoughtfully.

“We can use it against the vampires too. If the prophecy depends on those artifacts, then they’re also one of the vampires’ greatest weaknesses.”

He then glanced toward Serana beside him.

“That’s why Serana suggested that we secure the artifact before the vampires do.”

Serana looked slightly surprised hearing Alex openly defend her again.

Alex turned back toward Isran with a more serious expression.

“Listen, Isran… this entire plan was arranged by Serana. She’s the one helping us stop this before it gets worse.”

He paused for a moment before adding firmly,

“So you should at least give her some respect. She deserves some credit for all of this, doesn’t she?”

Silence followed.

Isran’s eyes slowly shifted toward Serana once more.

For a brief moment, the usual hostility in his gaze weakened slightly.

Then he exhaled slowly through his nose.

“...Maybe you’re right.”

Hearing that alone was enough to make Alex slightly widen his eyes in surprise.

Coming from Isran, those words practically sounded like a miracle.

Isran then awkwardly cleared his throat before speaking again, as if the next sentence physically pained him to say.

“Alright…” he muttered gruffly. “I suppose you could say that part of the Dawnguard is… happy to have you around.”

The words sounded stiff and reluctant, but they were sincere enough.

Serana blinked in surprise.

For just a brief second, genuine relief flashed across her face before she quickly hid it behind her usual calm expression.

Still, Alex noticed it immediately.

Serana crossed her arms lightly and tried to sound casual.

“Well… I still can’t exactly call it ‘happy’ when there are people here being racist toward me.”

She rolled her eyes slightly before continuing in a quieter tone.

“But… yeah. I guess this improves my status around here a little.”

Isran simply rolled his eyes in return, clearly unwilling to continue the conversation any longer.

“Hmph.”

Without another word, he turned around and walked back toward the fortress entrance, his cloak swaying behind him as the heavy doors of Fort Dawnguard slowly opened for him.

Clang…

The doors shut behind him, leaving Alex and Serana standing together in the courtyard.

For a few seconds, silence lingered between them.

Then Alex suddenly let out a long relieved sigh.

“Pheew…”

A bright, genuine smile spread across his face.

“That’s good for you, isn’t it, Serana?”

Before she could answer, Alex gently patted her shoulder.

His expression looked honestly happy for her.

“If Isran says something like that,” Alex continued warmly, “then eventually the others in the Dawnguard will follow his lead too.”

Serana quietly listened while watching him.

“He’s the one who hates vampires the most,” Alex said. “So if even his attitude starts changing, then maybe someday the Dawnguard will begin seeing you differently as well.”

He smiled softly.

“Little by little… you’ll finally be free from all their insults.”

For a moment, Serana said nothing.

The cold air brushed lightly against her hair as her eyes slowly lowered toward the ground.

Then she exhaled softly.

It almost sounded like she had been carrying a burden for a very long time and only now had a small piece of it finally been lifted away.

“Yeah…” she murmured quietly. “At least that’s good news.”

Alex looked out toward the scenery surrounding Fort Dawnguard with a small satisfied smile on his face. The cold mountain wind brushed against his cloak as he folded his arms loosely across his chest.

In his mind, his thoughts were simple and sincere.

(Good… now Serana probably won’t be insulted as much by the Dawnguard anymore. That’s good for her.)

To Alex, it was nothing more than that.

He was simply happy that things were slowly getting easier for her.

Serana quietly stared at him from the side.

For a few moments, she said nothing at all.

The soft smile on his face…

The way he kept helping her without expecting anything in return…

The way he defended her so naturally…

For some reason, every small thing he did left a strange feeling inside her chest.

A feeling she could not properly explain.

It was unfamiliar.

Confusing.

But strangely warm.

Serana unconsciously lowered her gaze slightly.

Then, before she even realized she was speaking out loud, quiet words slipped from her lips almost like a thought escaping by accident.

“Why are you trying so hard for my sake…?”

Her voice was soft enough that the wind nearly carried it away.

Alex blinked and tilted his head slightly toward her.

“Ah, sorry?” he asked innocently. “What did you say?”

Serana’s eyes widened slightly in realization.

she notice she had accidentally spoken aloud his tought for the first time.

“Ah…”

She quickly looked away while brushing a strand of hair behind her ear, trying to act casual despite the sudden awkwardness creeping into her expression.

“Nothing. Never mind.”

Even after answering, she still avoided looking directly at him.

Not because she understood what she was feeling

but because she herself didn’t know why her chest suddenly felt strangely restless whenever he treated her kindly.