"...And that was how the three Vigilants of Stendarr were dealt with. Report concluded."
"Excellent."
Lord Harkon, receiving the report in the royal bedchamber, looked upon Choi Ha-neul with clear satisfaction.
"My thanks, My Lord."
Seated upon his throne, Harkon stared into the crackling logs of the fireplace for a moment, lost in thought. Having reached a decision, he issued his next command.
"Speak with Garan Marethi regarding your next task. Tell him 'The time has come.' He will know what it means."
"Understood."
Receiving her orders, Choi Ha-neul gave a shallow bow and exited Harkon’s chambers.
Serana watched the exchange from a distance. As Choi Ha-neul approached the door to leave, Serana moved with preternatural agility to avoid being seen.
A short while later, Serana sat in her own room, clutching a pillow and sinking into deep contemplation. She recalled the first words Harkon had spoken to her upon her return after decades of slumber.
'I trust you have the Elder Scroll with you?'
'What a shame. If your traitorous mother had been with you, I would have shared this joy by mounting her head on the tip of a spear.'
There wasn't a shred of familial love in his words or actions. In fact, Serana was currently outside his sphere of interest. His focus was entirely on the Elder Scroll and this newly arrived girl.
The other nobles and council members of the court were no different.
Though she had been sealed alone in a cold dungeon for decades, she found herself just as isolated now that she had returned home.
'That man...'
Suddenly, her thoughts drifted to the man who had rescued her.
'Are you alright? I'll make sure you get home safely.'
He hadn't flinched, even after realizing she was a vampire. He had treated her as a person and shown her genuine kindness.
Serana stood up abruptly, her expression hardening with resolve.
Choi Ha-neul, following Harkon’s command, went in search of Garan Marethi. While navigating the castle's gloom, she ran into another individual.
"Ah, so you're the new recruit. A word of advice: watch your back around Orthjolf."
"Pardon?"
Choi Ha-neul blinked in confusion. "Where is this coming from?"
"Orthjolf pretends to be loyal, but he dreams of taking the top spot for himself."
"!!"
To an outsider, it might seem the Volkihar Clan followed Harkon blindly, but the reality was far messier.
The court was split into factions—one led by Vingalmo and another by Orthjolf—both circling the throne like vultures waiting for a moment of weakness.
"Why should I believe you? And why tell me this?"
"You'll see soon enough. I'd simply prefer not to have you as an enemy."
Vingalmo didn't bother answering her questions. He simply spat out his warning and vanished into the shadows.
'Should I report this to Lord Harkon?'
Choi Ha-neul considered warning her master, but dismissed it. The information lacked credibility, and Harkon was far too powerful to be bothered by petty squabbles. She let it slide and continued to Garan Marethi’s office.
—Knock, knock.
She entered after a brief wait.
"The fledgling? What business have you here?"
Garan Marethi, Harkon’s steward and the undisputed second-in-command of the Volkihar, exuded an aura of ancient strength and experience. He wasn't quite at Harkon's level, but he was formidable.
"I have a message from Lord Harkon. He says, 'The time has come.'"
"That can only mean one thing. Tell me, have you ever heard of the Bloodstone Chalice?"
Choi Ha-neul shook her head.
"Of course not. It is a well-kept secret."
Garan continued his explanation. "To put it simply, that chalice allows us to receive a blessing that significantly enhances our vampiric abilities."
Choi Ha-neul nodded silently.
"Better to see it for yourself than to listen to me drone on. Follow me."
Choi Ha-neul followed him toward the inner sanctum. On their way to the chalice, a burly Nord blocked their path—another prominent member of the court.
"Well, well, look who it is."
"We're busy, Orthjolf."
'Orthjolf?'
This was the man Vingalmo had warned her about.
"What mission? It's rare for Harkon to give orders to you directly these days."
"That’s 'Lord' Harkon. Watch your tongue."
Orthjolf gave a dismissive nod. "Going for the chalice, are we?"
"Indeed. By Lord Harkon’s own command."
"And who's being sent? This Elf beside you?"
"That is none of your concern."
Orthjolf pressed for details with persistent questions, but Garan Marethi cut the conversation short and kept moving. Orthjolf watched them leave with a gaze that hinted at hidden schemes.
"This is it."
Choi Ha-neul looked at the item Garan was pointing at. It was a large, ornate silver chalice. Aside from its craftsmanship, it didn't look particularly extraordinary, yet it radiated an unnatural weight.
"Do I just fill it with blood?"
"Not just any blood. You must fill it with the special essence from the Blood Spring located deep within the caverns of Redwater Den."
"Redwater Den?"
"Yes. A hidden skooma den."
"Skooma?"
Choi Ha-neul looked puzzled, unfamiliar with the term.
"Surely you know what skooma is. It's a drug."
"Honestly, I've never heard of it."
Garan muttered something about her being sheltered before handing her a map with the location marked. "This is where you'll go."
"Understood. Leave it to me."
"You shouldn't go alone. I suggest taking a companion."
When she asked why, Garan warned her that while the den was run by vampires, they were mongrels—feral thin-bloods who couldn't be reasoned with.
"Then I'll... Agh!?"
As she thought about who to bring, a sudden, agonizing headache spiked through her skull.
"Argh!!"
'Companion... companion... companion...'
The word echoed in her mind, creating a storm of confusion. It felt as if she were desperately reaching for something—someone—she had forgotten.
'I... I think I'm forgetting someone important...'
In a haze of mental imagery, fragments of a face began to stitch themselves together against a white backdrop.
'Who was it? Who was...?'
—Gulp, gulp.
Suddenly, a liquid was forced down her throat. The fragments in her mind shattered and evaporated instantly.
"Phew!"
Choi Ha-neul drained the last of the liquid and took a ragged breath. Her head immediately cleared.
"You haven't fed in quite some time, have you? It's been a while since you turned."
Garan said, capping a glass vial of blood. "We don't need food, but blood is a necessity. You must consume it regularly."
"Whew... I'll keep that in mind."
'Right. The only person important to me is Lord Harkon.'
Choi Ha-neul composed herself. Once she felt steady again, she wiped the blood from her lips and began searching for a partner.
'Now... who would be good?'
Since she was new to the Volkihar, there were many members she hadn't even spoken to. 'The only one I'm familiar with is...'
She immediately sought out her choice.
"I need a companion."
She got straight to the point. Salonia Caelia had recently performed a mission with her, and they had worked surprisingly well together.
Salonia set down her glass of wine. "And what is the task?"
"We need to fill this chalice."
"Sounds interesting. I'm in."
For some reason, Salonia accepted the request quite readily. The temporary party of Choi Ha-neul and Salonia left Castle Volkihar and headed for Redwater Den, completely unaware they were being followed.
"In you go."
Choi Ha-neul and Salonia passed the sentry guarding the entrance to Redwater Den and entered the underground hideout. Due to a strict no-weapons policy, they had been forced to enter empty-handed.
"Welcome, welcome! New faces, I see?"
"Cough! Hack!"
Inside, the air was thick with acrid vapor. An attendant at the counter greeted them warmly, while beyond the heavy smoke, the sounds of agonized coughing echoed.
"Heh, our goods aren't cheap, but I can personally guarantee the quality."
Salonia ignored the sales pitch entirely, scanning the room for the passage leading to the Blood Spring. Everywhere they looked, people from all walks of life—deserters, fallen nobles, beggars, bandits—were rotting away in drug-induced stupors. Some were already cold corpses.
It was a grotesque sight, but to Salonia, a vampire who had lived for centuries, it was merely an ordinary day.
"Tsk. You there, the beautiful lady!"
"Me?"
Seeing Salonia’s indifference, the attendant clicked his tongue and switched targets to the more approachable Choi Ha-neul.
"Our Redwater Skooma guarantees the ultimate pleasure! And unlike the standard swill, there are absolutely no side effects!"
It was a blatant lie, the kind of script every dealer used.
"I'll take a look around first before I decide..." Choi Ha-neul declined politely, already well aware of what skooma really was.
"Hmm... then let me offer you this as a sample!"
The attendant reached into his tunic and pulled out a different bottle of skooma rather than the one on the tray.
"Ha-neul, I found it."
Salonia had found the gate to the spring. It was blocked by iron bars, but Salonia simply grabbed them and tore the gate right off its hinges with supernatural strength.
"Damn it! Purebloods!!"
The attendant screamed and lunged for a steel war axe hidden behind the counter. Another female employee, who had been sweeping the floor, pulled a dagger from her apron and charged.
Choi Ha-neul instinctively caught the man’s axe hand, redirecting the momentum.
'Slow and clumsy.'
The attendant might have been experienced in murder, but against a Dragonborn like Choi Ha-neul, he was barely a minnow. She grabbed an empty skooma bottle from the floor and smashed it over his head. He collapsed, bleeding profusely from his scalp.
'With that much bleeding, he'll die on his own.'
She glanced at Salonia's side; the female employee was already a decapitated corpse on the floor. Despite the blood spray and chaos, the 'customers' remained slumped over, too far gone in their high to react.
"Your skills are improving."
"Is this the way?" Choi Ha-neul asked, looking at the broken gate.
"Yes. No doubt the place is crawling with thin-bloods further in."
They turned back toward the entrance to reclaim their gear before heading into the depths.
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