Chapter 156

Alex flew through the open sky, carrying Gunmar toward Fort Dawnguard with the invisible grip of his telekinesis.

The two of them moved like a streak across the heavens.

Cold mountain wind roared around them, tugging at their clothes and whipping through their hair. Far below, the wilderness of Skyrim stretched out in a vast, breathtaking expanse. Dense forests rolled like dark green waves beneath them, their treetops swaying in the wind. Rivers gleamed like silver threads between the hills, and distant cliffs rose toward the clouds like the broken bones of ancient giants.

Behind them, the forest where Gunmar had nearly met his end slowly disappeared into the distance.

Ahead of them, the land became harsher.

The green wilderness gave way to rocky slopes, jagged ridges, and snow-dusted mountain paths. The closer they flew toward the Dawnguard’s hidden stronghold, the more the air seemed to sharpen, as if the mountains themselves were warning all intruders to turn back.

Gunmar remained quiet.

For once, the rough old hunter did not complain about being carried through the air. His arms were crossed tightly, his beard and hair battered by the wind, while his eyes stared ahead with a heavy, thoughtful gaze. The earlier encounter with the bear still lingered in him, and perhaps Alex’s words had left an even deeper mark than the beast’s claws ever could.

But Alex’s mind was somewhere else entirely.

As he guided their flight through the sky, his expression slowly became distant.

Gunmar’s words returned to him.

Vampires do not know sin.

That sentence echoed in Alex’s thoughts again and again, like a bell tolling in the depths of an old cathedral.

At first, he had understood Gunmar’s hatred. After all, vampires in Skyrim were not misunderstood creatures hiding from the world. Many of them hunted the innocent, kidnapped travelers, enslaved mortals, and treated human lives as nothing more than blood to be spilled.

But then-

A certain face surfaced in Alex’s mind.

Pale skin.

Dark hair.

Sharp eyes filled not only with coldness, but also loneliness.

Serana.

In the game, she had been different.

She had been born into darkness, raised among monsters, and tied by blood to one of the most dangerous vampire clans in Skyrim. Yet despite that, she had not walked the same path as the rest of her kind.

She had chosen to oppose them.

She had chosen to stand against her own father.

Against her own family.

Against the bloodline that should have bound her forever.

For the sake of Skyrim.

For the sake of the living.

For the sake of a world that still had sunlight, warmth, and ordinary lives worth protecting.

Alex’s brows slowly drew together.

His gaze moved toward the distant mountains, but his thoughts were fixed on that contradiction.

Isn’t she different from ordinary vampires?

The question settled heavily in his chest.

It was easy to hate monsters when they acted like monsters. It was easy to judge evil when it never questioned itself.

But what about a creature born from darkness who tried to step away from it?

What about someone cursed by blood, yet still capable of choosing another path?

Alex’s eyes narrowed slightly as the wind brushed across his face.

He knew this world was not a simple game anymore. The people here were not merely NPCs following fixed scripts. Their pain, choices, fear, and loyalty were real.

And if that was true…

Then perhaps even a vampire could be more complicated than Gunmar believed.

Unable to hold back his curiosity any longer, Alex turned his head slightly toward the man flying beside him.

“Hey, Gunmar…”

Gunmar glanced at him from the corner of his eye.

“What?”

Alex’s voice was calm, but there was a strange seriousness beneath it.

“You said vampires don’t know what sin is, right?”

Gunmar did not hesitate for even a second.

“Aye,” he answered firmly. “Of course they don’t.”

His jaw tightened, and his eyes hardened with old hatred.

“That word means nothing to them. Not guilt. Not mercy. Not regret. They know pain, fear, and pleading when it happens to them… but when they inflict it on others, they feel nothing.”

Alex listened in silence.

The wind howled between them.

For a moment, he said nothing more. He simply looked ahead, watching the snowy ridgelines rise in the distance like the walls of an ancient kingdom.

Then he spoke again.

His voice was quieter this time.

Calmer.

But strangely heavier.

“What if…”

Gunmar’s gaze shifted toward him.

Alex continued, “What if, somewhere out there, there was a vampire who tried to change?”

Gunmar’s eyes widened slightly.

“What?”

Alex did not immediately look at him. His gaze remained fixed on the mountains ahead, his expression unreadable beneath the pale light of the sky.

“I mean exactly what I said,” Alex continued. “What if there was a vampire who tried to change?”

Gunmar’s brows furrowed deeply.

Alex’s tone remained steady, but each word seemed to carry more weight than the last.

“One who turned against their own kind for the sake of other living beings. One who chose to protect the world instead of destroy it. One who was even willing to stand against their own family if that was what it took.”

Gunmar did not answer.

His rough expression froze, as if Alex’s question had struck him harder than expected.

For a long moment, the old hunter simply stared at him.

The man who could speak so easily about killing vampires, who had no hesitation in condemning them as walking curses, suddenly found himself without words.

Below them, the mountains passed in silence.

Above them, clouds drifted across the pale northern sky.

And between the two men, only the cold wind remained.

The wind struck Gunmar’s face as he flew alongside Alex, carried through the air by the invisible force of telekinesis.

Cold air rushed past them in powerful waves, tugging at Gunmar’s beard and whipping the loose strands of his hair backward. His heavy armor creaked faintly beneath the pressure of the flight, and his cloak fluttered violently behind him like a torn banner caught in a storm.

For a while, Gunmar said nothing.

His eyes narrowed against the rushing wind, but his gaze was not truly focused on the mountains ahead. Instead, his thoughts remained fixed on Alex’s question.

A vampire who tried to change.

Those words did not sit easily in his mind.

For a man like Gunmar, vampires were simple. They were predators. Monsters. Walking curses that fed on the innocent and mocked the natural order of life and death. He had hunted them, heard stories of their cruelty, and seen enough suffering caused by their kind to carve hatred deep into his bones.

And yet, Alex’s question had forced a crack into that certainty.

What if one of them truly chose a different path?

Gunmar’s fingers tightened slightly around the handle of his axe. His expression darkened, not with anger, but with the discomfort of a man being asked to consider something he had long refused to imagine.

At last, he spoke in a much more serious tone.

“I’m wondering whether a vampire like that truly exists or not,” he said slowly.

His voice was lower than before, almost swallowed by the wind.

The author's chapter can be found on NovelPhoenix, but the text here was reproduced without approval.

“If they do… then it must be an extremely rare case.”

Gunmar turned his eyes toward the distant horizon, his face rough and thoughtful.

“One in a million, perhaps.”

Alex glanced at him.

For a moment, he studied Gunmar’s expression. The old hunter still looked stern, but there was no blind mockery in his eyes. He was actually thinking about it.

Alex’s lips curved into a faint smile.

“But if that vampire appeared right in front of you,” Alex asked, “what would your reaction be?”

Gunmar fell silent again.

This time, the silence lasted longer.

His jaw tightened slightly. His brows furrowed, and the lines on his face deepened as if the question had struck something difficult inside him. He lowered his gaze for a moment, staring at the forests and cliffs passing far beneath their feet.

It was not the kind of question a hunter could answer lightly.

If he said he would kill them, then he would be ignoring the possibility of redemption.

If he said he would forgive them, then he would be betraying years of hatred and countless victims who had suffered beneath vampire fangs.

For a moment, Gunmar looked almost troubled, as if the question weighed heavier than any axe he had ever carried.

Then he let out a long breath.

“Haaah…”

The sound was rough, weary, and full of reluctant honesty.

“You really ask difficult questions, don’t you? Hahaha…”

His laughter came out hoarse and uneven. It was not mocking. It did not carry his usual rough confidence. It sounded more like a man trying to loosen the weight pressing against his chest.

Gunmar rolled his shoulders once, then looked at Alex with a stern but calmer expression.

“But… if what you said is true,” he continued, his voice becoming more solemn, “then that vampire has already paid for their sins in a way few monsters ever would.”

Alex listened quietly.

Gunmar’s grip on his axe loosened slightly.

“Turning against their own kind is no small thing,” Gunmar said. “Vampires live by blood, pride, and hunger. Their clans are bound by fear, power, and old curses. If one of them truly raised a weapon against that darkness…”

He paused, his eyes narrowing.

“And if they truly fought for the safety of the world even against their own family then yes.”

His voice grew firm.

“They could be forgiven.”

For a brief moment, Gunmar seemed almost unwilling to admit it. His pride as a vampire hunter resisted the words, but his sense of justice forced them out anyway.

He exhaled again, slower this time.

“Hmph. I’ll admit it,” he muttered. “That sounds extraordinary to me.”

Alex’s smile grew a little softer.

But a moment later, Gunmar snorted, as if trying to recover his usual rough attitude.

“Though that doesn’t mean humans would accept them so easily.”

His eyes shifted toward the snowy mountain path in the distance.

“A vampire like that would still receive scorn from people who hate their kind. Fear does not disappear just because one monster chooses to act differently. People remember blood. They remember graves. They remember families that never returned home.”

Gunmar turned his head and looked directly at Alex.

His expression was serious.

“And that includes me.”

Alex blinked once.

Then he could only shake his head with a helpless smile.

“You really don’t make things easy, do you?”

Gunmar scoffed.

“I’m being honest. Don’t expect me to welcome a vampire with open arms just because they claim to be different.”

Alex let out a small laugh.

“Fair enough.”

For a short moment, the heavy atmosphere between them eased. The conversation had not erased Gunmar’s hatred, nor had it fully answered Alex’s doubts. But at the very least, it had opened a narrow path between absolute hatred and impossible forgiveness.

That was enough for now.

Alex turned his gaze forward.

Beyond the jagged cliffs and cold mist, the hidden path toward Fort Dawnguard was beginning to come into view. The mountains rose like ancient walls around them, and the distant fortress lay somewhere beyond the rocky valley ahead.

Alex’s expression shifted back into focus.

“Alright, alright,” he said. “It looks like we’re almost there.”

He glanced toward Gunmar with a faint grin.

“Prepare yourself. I’m going to increase our speed.”

Gunmar’s brows immediately twitched.

“Wait, what do you mean by ”

Before he could finish, Alex raised his hand slightly.

The invisible force around them tightened.

In the next instant, their bodies surged forward.

The wind exploded against them.

Gunmar’s eyes widened as the world below blurred into streaks of green, gray, and white. His beard whipped violently against his face, and he instinctively gripped his axe with one hand while bracing himself with the other.

“By Shor’s bones !”

Alex only smiled as his telekinesis propelled them faster through the sky.

Like two arrows released from a divine bow, they cut across the northern wind and soared toward Fort Dawnguard.

When they finally arrived, they saw many Dawnguard soldiers working in front of Fort Dawnguard.

Some were building barricades. Others were reinforcing the fences around the courtyard, hammering wooden stakes into the ground and dragging heavy materials into place. The entire entrance looked far more guarded than before.

Gunmar looked down at the scene and raised his brows.

“Wow… Isran really wasn’t joking when he said the vampires were becoming active again,” Gunmar said.

Alex glanced at the busy courtyard, then shook his head slightly.

“Ah, not exactly. Before you came here, we were attacked by vampires. Isran probably wants to strengthen the defenses of our headquarters because of that.”

Gunmar nodded in understanding.

“Ah, I see. That’s the Isran I know. Always cautious… and always learning from mistakes.”

A moment later, Sorine noticed the two of them.

Her eyes immediately fixed on Gunmar, and a wide smile appeared on her face.

“Ah, Gunmar! It’s been a long time since I last saw you. Haha!”

Gunmar smiled back, his rough expression softening slightly.

“Ah, Sorine. Haha.”

Then his eyes moved toward the crossbow strapped to her back. His smile grew a little wider.

“Hm… I see you’ve upgraded your toy. Looks much more advanced than the one you used to carry.”

Sorine proudly pulled the crossbow from her back and held it up.

“Haha, of course. My baby gets stronger with time, doesn’t she?”

She gently stroked the crossbow as if it were something precious, then turned her gaze back to Gunmar with a teasing grin.

“Want to try it?”

Gunmar let out a laugh and took the crossbow from her hands.

“Don’t mind if I do.”

He turned toward the training targets set up nearby, lifted the crossbow, and aimed.

Thwack!

The bolt struck the center of the target.

Then another.

Thwack!

And another.

Thwack!

Every shot landed cleanly on the bullseye.

Sorine whistled, clearly impressed.

“Wow. You’re not rusty at all. Good. We’ll need that strength in the fight ahead.”

She then rested a hand on her hip and gestured toward the inside of the fort.

“Ah, right. You two should show your faces to Isran. I’ll continue improving the defenses out here.”

Then Alex and Gunmar entered Fort Dawnguard.

The moment they stepped inside, the cold mountain wind faded behind them, replaced by the heavy silence of stone walls and ironwork. Their footsteps echoed through the corridor, each step bouncing off the ancient masonry like a warning.

The fort felt different from before.

Torches burned along the walls, their orange flames flickering against shields, weapon racks, and reinforced beams. The scent of oil, iron, old stone, and freshly cut timber lingered in the air. Somewhere deeper inside the fortress, the faint sound of hammers and moving equipment could still be heard as the Dawnguard continued strengthening their defenses.

Gunmar looked around as he walked, his sharp eyes taking in every detail.

“Hmph,” he muttered. “Still as gloomy as I remember.”

Alex gave a faint smile but said nothing.

Together, they made their way toward the main hall.

At first, everything seemed normal.

Then, the moment they reached the center of the hall

Clang!

The door behind them suddenly slammed shut.

Gunmar’s head snapped back instantly.

Clang! Clang!

Two more iron gates dropped from above, crashing down in front of them and sealing the passage ahead. The sound thundered through the hall, sharp and violent, like the jaws of a great metal beast closing around them.

Gunmar’s expression changed at once.

His earlier calm vanished. His hand flew to the handle of his axe, fingers tightening around the grip as his shoulders lowered into a battle-ready stance.

Alex also tensed, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the room.

“What the ”

Before he could finish, a deep mechanical grinding echoed above them.

Both of them looked up.

The ceiling began to move.

Heavy wooden panels slowly slid apart, groaning against hidden mechanisms. Dust drifted down from the cracks, glittering faintly in the dim torchlight. Then a section of the roof opened wide, revealing the pale northern sky above.

In the next instant, sunlight poured into the hall.

But it did not fall naturally.

The light struck a large convex glass fixture installed beneath the opening. The glass caught the sunlight, bent it, and intensified it until the pale daylight became a brilliant, concentrated beam.

A blinding radiance filled the center of the hall.

Alex and Gunmar both flinched as the light hit their faces.

“Agh!” Gunmar growled, raising one arm over his eyes. His face twisted in irritation as he staggered half a step back. “What in Oblivion is this, Isran?!”

Alex also lifted his hand quickly, shielding his eyes from the harsh glare. The brightness was so intense that even he had to squint.

“Ugh… Isran!” Alex shouted upward. “Hey! We’re not vampires!”

For a few seconds, only the hum of light and the faint clanking of hidden machinery answered them.

Then a familiar voice came from above.

“Ah… forgive me.”

Alex and Gunmar looked up through narrowed eyes.

Isran stood on the second floor, one hand resting on the railing as he looked down at them. His face carried its usual sternness, his posture straight and unyielding. Even while apologizing, he did not look the least bit ashamed.

He looked more like a commander who had simply completed a necessary inspection.

“I had to be careful,” Isran said firmly. “It has been a long time since we last met, Gunmar. I needed to make sure.”

Gunmar lowered his arm just enough to glare at him.

“You tested me with a sun trap?”

Isran’s expression did not change.

“If you were a vampire, you would not be complaining this much.”

Gunmar’s mouth twitched.

For a moment, it looked as if he wanted to argue. But then he clicked his tongue and looked away.

Alex almost laughed, but he quickly held it in.

Then Isran’s gaze shifted toward him.

“And as for you, Alex,” Isran continued, “I apologize as well.”

His voice became slightly heavier.

“But I cannot afford to be careless when vampirism is involved. Not now. Not after what happened.”

Alex’s expression softened slightly.

The irritation in his eyes faded.

He understood.

The Dawnguard had already been attacked once. If Isran had installed something like this, it was not because he wanted to insult them. It was because he was trying to prevent a disaster from happening again.

Alex let out a small breath and lowered his hand.

“Well… I guess I can’t blame you for being cautious.”

Only after hearing that did Isran give a small nod.

A moment later, the hidden mechanism above them began moving again.

The wooden roof panels slowly slid back into place, blocking the sky from view. The concentrated sunlight faded, and the main hall returned to its dim, torchlit atmosphere.

At the same time, the iron gates around them rose with a heavy metallic screech.

Clank… clank… clank…

The path opened once more.

The tension in the room slowly eased.

Gunmar rolled his shoulder, still looking annoyed, while Alex blinked a few times to recover from the brightness.

Then, as if nothing unusual had happened, Isran suddenly let out a rough laugh.

“Hahaha! It really has been a long time, Gunmar.”

His stern expression eased slightly, and for the first time, a trace of old familiarity appeared in his eyes.

“How are you doing today?”

Gunmar stared at him for a moment.

Then he snorted.

“Hmph. I was doing fine until you tried to roast me like a piece of meat.”

Isran crossed his arms.

“If sunlight is enough to roast you, then I was right to test you.”

Gunmar opened his mouth, then closed it again.

Alex turned his face slightly away, trying not to smile too obviously.

Gunmar noticed and shot him a glare.

“Don’t laugh.”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

“I’m smiling respectfully.”

Gunmar clicked his tongue again, but his anger had already begun to fade. After a moment, he sighed and rested his axe more loosely at his side.

“Well,” Gunmar said, his voice turning gruffer and more serious, “if your new friend here hadn’t saved me, I might have become a bear’s meal by now.”

Isran’s eyebrows rose slightly.

For the first time, his attention turned fully toward Alex.

“Ha!”

There was a faint look of approval in his eyes.

“Then you should be grateful to him.”

Alex scratched his cheek lightly, already sensing where the conversation was going.

Isran continued, “He may be a new member, but I’ve already begun to trust him somewhat.”

Gunmar glanced at Alex, his expression turning curious.

Isran crossed his arms more firmly and added,

“After all, he was the one who managed to hold back the vampires during their recent attack.”

Gunmar’s eyes widened slightly.

His gaze shifted toward Alex, studying him from head to toe as if seeing him in a new light.

“Ah… is that true?”

Alex’s smile became faintly awkward.

He lifted one hand and rubbed the back of his neck.

“Well… I just did what I could.”

Gunmar stared at him for another moment.

Then the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

“Hmph. Saved me from a bear and held back vampires, eh?”

His voice carried a mixture of surprise, respect, and reluctant amusement.

“You’re stranger than you look, lad.”

Alex could only smile helplessly under Gunmar’s gaze.

Isran then turned back to Gunmar.

“Gunmar, I haven’t thrown away your equipment or your forge,” he said. “Though they may be a little dusty by now. Feel free to use them again and strengthen our weapons in the back.”

Gunmar’s face immediately brightened, and he let out a hearty laugh.

“Hahaha! Good. I’m glad you didn’t throw away my forging tools. I’ll get back to work as soon as I can.”

With that, Gunmar turned and headed toward the rear of the fort, where the blacksmithing area was located.

After watching him leave, Isran shifted his attention to Alex.

“Alex, come upstairs,” he said in a lower voice. “There’s something I want to show you.”

Alex already had a feeling he knew what Isran meant.

Without saying much, he followed Isran up to the second floor and made his way toward the torture room.

And there, he found Serana.

She was standing inside the room, her expression calm but clearly uncomfortable under the weight of the hostile atmosphere surrounding her.

Isran stood nearby with a deeply irritated look on his face.

“This creature came here and claimed she isn’t hostile,” Isran said sharply. “She says she knows you. Is that true?”

Alex could only scratch the back of his head and offer an awkward smile.

Inside his mind, however, he sighed.

(Alright… time to convince Isran about this.)