If you didn't know, but from my last chapter there was a mention of the Daedric Quest: I'll Met By Moonlight. But I intentionally skipped this quest for later on. Now that that's out of the way, let's continue with the Dawnguard!

Chapter 36

It has been over 10 days since Blackheart left Whiterun to do that Companion mission. Serana was starting to get worried. Although she knew that Blackheart was a powerful person, but for him to be away this long was almost heartbreaking. As she was pacing back and forth, the front door opened. When Serana look to see who entered, she saw Blackheart walking in.

"Blackheart!" Serana said in a worried way, "What took you so long?!"

Kiara then ran down the stairs and hugged Blackheart.

"Big brother!" Kiara said, "Where were you?!"

Blackheart replied "It was a tough job, but I manage to get rid of the werewolf."

"Werewolf?!" Serana asked, "Your job involved a werewolf?! And you didn't bother telling me?!"

"Oh," Blackheart said, "Must have slipped my mind."

Serana shook her head and said "Did you kill the werewolf?"

As Blackheart stood there in silence, Serana said "Did you?"

Blackheart replied "I did get rid of the werewolf from Falkreach. Are we all set to go to Harkon's castle?"

Serana nodded and said "We are. Just one question."

"What is that?" Blackheart asked.

Serana replied "When we find the bow, what then? What are we planning on doing after?"

Blackheart said "Well, we were all planning on going to the Greybeards to find a Shout to defeat Alduin."

"Right," Serana said, "Let's get going then."

Blackheart said "I just got here. Let me rest up and sell some stuff that I got along the way."

Serana nodded and said "Alright, Kiara can't stop talking about you."

Kiara smiled and said "Yep, because big brother is the best!"

Blackheart playfully shook his head and said "Well, let's just sit back and relax. Once we go into Harkon's Castle, who knows what we can find."

Blackheart and Serana manage to arrive at Harkon's Castle without any noticing them. It was dark, so Blackheart and Serana have to move quickly before any vampires come out. As Serana took the lead, she led Blackheart into the Ruined Docks where there were Skeletons present there on the U-shape jetty. Blackheart then took out his Gauss Rifle and began to them down one at a time while Serana used her Thunderbolt Spell to destroy them. After they dealt with the Skeletons, Serana and Blackheart walked up the stairs and into the Undercroft. As they walked through the entrance, they encountered a few Skeevers, but they manage to kill them with ease. But once they entered the Frigid Cistern, that is when things got worse. Because once they walked through the doors, in the distance, they saw a Feral Vampire along with Death Hounds. Serana took out her Ebony Dagger while Blackheart took out Dawnbreaker and charged towards the Feral Vampire.

After dealing with the vampires and the Death Hounds, Serana said "What in the world? What was this thing?"

Mephala replied "Must be your rejected family member."

Right before Serana was going to snap back, Blackheart said "Ha!"

Serana then gave him a stern look and said "What did you say?"

Blackheart then said "I said…uh…come on."

As he was taking the lead, Serana rolled her eyes and followed him. After encountering a few skeletons, Blackheart and Serana made it to the Oubliette Bridge. But they saw the bridge raised, which was a problem. When they made a left and entered the catacombs, they encountered more Death Hounds. Blackheart swings Dawnbreaker and cuts through them. After they pass the torture chamber and into the Lever Room, they encountered a Giant Frostbite Spider. As Blackheart readied his weapon, Serana used her Paralyze Spell on the spider and then used her Ebony Dagger to continuously stab it to death.

After she killed the spider, Blackheart said "Remind me not to get you pissed off."

As Serana smiled, she walks over to the lever, pulls it and activates the bridge. When they left the room and made their way to the bridge, they crossed the bridge and to the courtyard.

"We made it to the courtyard," Serana said before saying, "Oh no…"

"What?" Blackheart asked, "What is it?"

Serana replied "What happen to this place? Everything's been torn down…the whole place…well, dead. It looks like we're the first ones to set foot here in centuries."

As they walked around the courtyard, there were dead plants everywhere. When they walked up the stairs, they saw a giant door that lead into the castle.

"This use to lead into the castle's great hall," Serana said, "It looks like my father had it sealed up."

She then looks back at the courtyard and said "I used to walk through here after evening meals. It was beautiful, once."

"What is this place?" Blackheart asked.

"This was my mother's garden," Serana said, "It…do you know how beautiful something can be when it's tended by a master for hundreds of years? She would have hated to see it like this."

As Serana was looking around, she saw the moondial and said "Something's wrong with the moondial here. Some of its crests are missing and the dial is askew. Let's see if we can find them."

After she said that, she and Blackheart started to look around the courtyard for the missing dials. When Serana was having difficulties looking for the dials, Blackheart already found the Full-Moon Crest. It was located behind a bush of Nightshades. As he walked to a pond, he saw the Half-Moon Crest resting on the edge. When he walks over to the stone balcony behind the stone gargoyle statue, he found the Crescent-Moon Crest near the table. After he gets the dial, he walks over to the moondial and places the crests on the empty slots. After he finished placing the dials, the center of the moondial started to move and the moondial started to disconnect and formed a spiral staircase.

"Very clever, mother," Serana said, "Very clever."

"Huh," Blackheart said, "I wonder how long your mother planned this."

Serana shrugged and said "Who knows. I've never been down in those tunnels before, but I'd bet they run right under the courtyard and into the tower ruins."

After they entered through the doors and entered, Serana said "I've never seen this part of the castle before. Be careful, I don't know what might be around."

Blackheart said "Let's hope we don't run into something nasty."

"Run!" Blackheart yelled before entering the laboratory.

He and Serana encountered a few Skeletons along the way. But as things couldn't get any worse, the stone statues gargoyles started to crack and flesh started to appear. It was then when Blackheart and Serana realized that these Gargoyles are real! When they were near Serana's mother's laboratory, a Gargoyle came to life and started to chase Blackheart. When he entered the laboratory with the Gargoyle, Blackheart took out Mephala and swung the sword across the Gargoyle's face. As the Gargoyle growled in pain, Serana used her Ice Spear Spell to pierce its head, causing an instant death.

Blackheart then in a furious way "Why did your mother have these Gargoyles around?!"

Serana replied "She was a protective person."

Serana looks around the room and said "Look at this place. This has to be her laboratory."

"Wow," Blackheart said, "And she was a necromancer person?"

Serana nodded and said "I knew she was deep into necromancy. I mean, she taught me everything I know. But I had no idea seen a set like this."

Blackheart walks over to a table and said "Look at this. She must have spent years on collecting these components."

When he looks at the center of the room, he saw a circle in the middle. He then said "And what is this thing?"

"I'm not sure about this circle," Serana said "But it's obviously…something."

She then said "Let's take a look around. There has to be something here that tells us where she's gone."

Blackheart said "Okay…so what are we looking for exactly?"

Serana replied "My mother was meticulous about her research. If we can find her notes, there might be come hints in there. I remember she use to keep a small journal. See if you can dig it up."

As Blackheart nodded, he and Serana started to look around. When he walked up to one of the selves, he saw a lot of ruined books. Suddenly, something caught his eyes. It was small red book. When he picked it up and read it, it was Valerica's notes!

Blackheart rushed over to Serana and said "I found your mother's notes."

"You did?" Serana said in an excited way, "Let me see them."

When she got the notes, Blackheart said "She mentions something called the Soul Cairn. Have any ideas on what it is?"

As she was reading the notes, she said "I only know what she told me. She had a theory about soul gems. That the souls inside of them don't just vanish when they are used…they end up in the Soul Cairn."

"Don't want to sound rude," Blackheart said "But why did she care about where used souls went?"

Serana replied "The Soul Cairn is home to very powerful beings. Necromancers send them souls, and receive powers of their own in return. My mother spent a lot of time trying to contact them directly, to travel to the Soul Cairn herself."

Blackheart thought for a moment and said "If she is there, then how are we going to get to her?"

Serana looked at the circle and said "That circle in the center of the room is defiantly some type of portal."

She then said "If I'm reading this right, there's a formula that should give us safe passage into the Soul Cairn. We need a handful of soul gem shards, some finely bone meal, a good bit of purified void salts…oh damnit…"

"What?" Blackheart said, "What is it?"

Serana stood there silent and said "We are also going to need a sample of her blood. Which…if we could get that, we wouldn't even be trying to do this in the first place."

Blackheart thought and said "Well, since you are her daughter, you must share the same blood, right?"

"Hmmm, not bad," Serana said, "We'd better hope that's good enough. Mistakes with these kinds of portals can be…gruesome. Anyway, enough of that. Let's get started."

After that, Blackheart started to look around for the ingredients. Blackheart walked up to one of the tables and found piles of bones. That is where Blackheart found some finely bone meal. After he took some, he looked around of the remaining ingredients. As he walked upstairs, he saw a counter with a bowl of soul gem shards. Once he got them, he started to look for the last ingredient. After spending minutes of looking, he found a shelf of purified void salts. After he got them, he walked over to the portal vessel that was overlooking the circle.

After Blackheart puts all the ingredients into the vessel, he said "There, all the ingredients are in the vessel."

Serana then walks up to him and said "Then the rest is up to me. Are you ready to go? I'm not entirely sure what's this thing is going to do when I add my blood."

Blackheart nodded and said "Don't worry, we already come this far, there is nothing that can stop us."

Serana smiled as she places her left hand over vessel. She then takes her Ebony Dagger and cuts her left wrist. As blood started to drip into the vessel, nothing happen. Just as things were lost, the circle started to move in a weird pattern. After a few seconds, the circle formed into a staircase leading down.

"By the blood of my ancestors," Serana said in an amazed way, "It worked! It really worked!"

Blackheart smiled when he say Serana smile. It almost reminded him when he was looking for his dad. Blackheart made a lot of risks and wasted a lot of time trying to find his father, but in time, he found him. However, Blackheart felt a rush of déjà vu. Just like his situation, when Serana finds her mother and have their moment together, Serana's mother will die in front of her. Blackheart knows that will never happen, but there is no telling what will happen.

His mind was interrupted when Serana said "So…are you ready?"

Blackheart looked at her and said "Yeah, let's go."

As Blackheart walked down the stairs and into the portal, he stopped and he was starting to feel weak. When he steps away from the portal and stood next to Serana, he moaned in pain.

"Blackheart!" Serana asked in a worried way, "Are you alright?!"

Blackheart replied "What the hell just happen?!"

Serana observed the portal and said "I think the only reason why you are weakening is because the Soul Cairn doesn't allow 'normal' people like you. The reason it isn't affecting me is because I am a vampire."

"Great," Blackheart said, "What now?"

Serana said "There is a way to solve this situation, but you will not like it."

Blackheart said "What is it?"

Serana replied "I could make you a vampire like me."

Blackheart's eyes widen and said "Whoa, Whoa, Whoa! I am not going to become a vampire like that!"

Serana asked "Why is that?"

Blackheart replied "I guess it's time to tell you my little 'condition'."

Curious, Serana said "What condition?"

Blackheart said "You see, my body went through a change over time. My body suffered through a large amount of radiation and my body became like…well…like this."

As he displayed his body to her, he then said "When I first became a werewolf, the Beast Blood mixed in with my mutation and became a powerful, new form of a Werewolf. I was stronger, faster and more powerful than any normal Werewolf."

"What happened?" Serana asked.

Blackheart said "I eventually cured myself. I couldn't sleep on a daily basis."

Serana asked "What are you afraid of?"

Blackheart said "If I mixed the vampire blood with my mutation, then I could become something more powerful that any normal vampire."

Serana then realized it and said "And since I am a Pure Blood Vampire, the effects will be more dangerous if you took some in. That's why you didn't accept my father's gift."

Blackheart nodded and said "Please tell me that there is another way."

Serana said "As a matter of fact, there is. My mother taught me how to partially Soul Trap a soul. But if I do this, then you will be weaker than what you are."

There was a moment of silence when Blackheart said "Is that the only way?"

Serana nodded and said "I will only take enough of your soul to please the Ideal Masters. And if we find my mother, she might find a way to retrieve it back."

As Blackheart let out a sigh of frustration, Serana said "These are the only decisions. What will you choose?"

Blackheart thought about it. His choices are turning into a vampire or getting partly soul trapped. If he turns into a vampire, then he would have to deal with the changes he has to go through. But with his mutation he has, he doesn't know what he will become. On the other hand, if he gets soul trapped, then he would have to pass right through without transforming into a vampire. But if he does that, then he would be weaker and has to look all over the Soul Cairn to find his other half of his soul.

Blackheart took a deep breath and said "Alright, soul trap me."

Serana's eyes widened and said "Are you sure?"

Blackheart nodded and said "I'm sure. Do it."

Worried, Serana walked to one of the tables and picked up a Black Soul Gem. As she held the soul gem in one hand while readying the other hand with the Soul Trap Spell, she said "Okay, here goes nothing."

When she cast the spell on Blackheart, he quietly moaned in pain as part of his soul was transferring into the gem. After a few seconds, the spell quickly died and Serana said "There, it is done."

Blackheart fell to his knees and said "Fuck that hurts. Now what?"

Serana replied "Now we go into the Soul Cairn."

As Blackheart got up, he said "What do you think we will find in there?"

Serana shrugged and said "Who knows? But the sooner we find my mother and the scroll the better."

Mephala then said "I'm afraid that I cannot be there."

"Oh real funny," Blackheart said, "Just because you are in my Dragon Gauntlet doesn't mean…"

Mephala then said "No really, I cannot be there. You are traveling into a different plane of Oblivion. Even though I am a Daedric Lord, I cannot travel into other places in Oblivion."

Blackheart said "So you are going to be off the radar until we leave?"

Mephala said "Pretty much. As much as I want to help you since you are going into Oblivion, I cannot travel to the Soul Cairn."

"That's alright," Serana said, "We won't be there for long."

She then looks at Blackheart and said "Are you ready?"

Blackheart nodded and said "Ready."

After he said that, Blackheart and Serana walked down the stairs and entered the Soul Cairn. Even though it is only them, they do not know of the dangers that they will encounter.

Sorry that Blackheart didn't choose to become a vampire in this chapter. But I promise you that, later on in the story, I will make him turn into a vampire. Until then, please review!