A/N: Trigger warning, this chapter includes implications of rape/nonconsensual. You have been warned.

Serana stepped out of her room, her body visibly shaking, wracked with nerves, anxiety, and though the young woman dared not show it outwardly, sheer terror. This was the day she had been preparing for ever since coming of age. All she needed to do was survive today, and untold power would be hers. But then, her survival was most definitely not guaranteed. Ever since that fateful day at the banquet, when Valerica miscarried her unborn brother, Serana's parents had become entirely different people. Harkon obsessed with his own mortality, determined to find a way to defeat it. Valerica secretive, dismissive to anything that didn't involve herself or her daughter becoming stronger.

Even Serana herself sought only to become a more powerful mage, to learn more about the arcane arts than any had before. With the exception of Sedric, her interests almost never fell elsewhere. These obsessions had led Harkon, Valerica, and Serana into the service of none other than the Daedric Prince Molag Bal, lord of rape and domination.

The family had communed with Molag Bal numerous times over the course of years, each time the Prince demanded brutal, depraved acts of violence as proof of their dedication. After all, one was required to show themselves to be strong in their own right before summoning Bal to the mortal plane. Serana often felt pity for the poor souls she had been coerced to brutalize and violate. But at the time, her goals and ambitions as a wizard outweighed the cost of a few lives. She would often tell herself, I have no regrets, even after awaking from nightmares.

As Serana reached the end of the spiraling staircase, she found Valerica waiting for her at its base. "It's time, my daughter," she said. "After today, you and I will be stronger than we have ever dreamed."

"That's assuming we don't die," Serana said, crossing her arms.

Valerica rested her hands on her daughter's shoulders, her voice calm, nearly at a whisper. "Serana," she said. "We will survive. We are strong, and lord Molag Bal will recognize that. You must have faith, my daughter."

Serana sighed. "I guess I'm a bit annoyed that father isn't being offered like we are."

"This again?" Her mother replied. "It's tradition, Serana. The females must be offered to Molag Bal on his summoning day. Unless you plan to tell a Daedric Prince that his rituals are outdated."

To this Serana had no response other than a grumble, and so she and her mother made their way down the corridor, into the main dining hall, where a fresh display of depravity and savagery were waiting for them. Bodies, everywhere. Men, women, even children, slain like animals, their corpses strewn about the hall, the stench of blood and rotting flesh permeating through the air. Serana shuddered. She was used to this kind of brutality, she knew it served a purpose, but there was always some small, nagging part of her that felt wrong for engaging in them.

Sitting in his throne, as if he ever spent any time elsewhere these days, was Harkon, sword in hand, both its blade, and his clothes slick with blood. He turned to his wife and daughter, visibly annoyed. "The both of you took your time, I see."

"Would you rather we rushed?" Valerica shot back. "All the preparations must be made carefully, else we risk the wrath of Molag Bal."

Harkon rose from the throne, beckoning his wife and daughter to follow him as he slowly marched towards the center of the hall. Where nearly every other inch of the room was littered with corpses and soaked in blood, a small area had been cleared out, the stone floor remarkably spotless, save for several chalk markings. The incantation that would at last allow the family to summon Molag Bal himself. Harkon, Valerica, and at last Serana, formed a circle around the séance, dropping one knee to the floor.

Directly at the center of the markings was a goblet, one of Harkon's, encrusted with jewels and normally shining like it had the day he'd bought it. Tonight, however, its shine was dulled significantly by the splatter of dried blood, even more blood nearly overflowing at the cup's edge. There was a long uncomfortable silence, before Harkon at last asked his family, "Are we ready?" Valerica nodded silenty, before looking to her daughter.

"As ready as we'll ever be," Serana said. With this, Harkon took a deep breath, before gingerly grasping the blood-filled goblet and pressing it to his lips. As he swallowed a generous amount of their victims' blood, he then handed the goblet to Valerica, who did the same. Finally it was passed to Serana, and she proceeded to finish what was left. She hadn't been sure what to expect, blood was rather tasteless and metallic. But then, the young woman only supposed she should get used to it, considering what was to happen if she survived this ritual.

"Now then," Harkon said. "Serana, if you will."

She nodded, extending an open palm to the chalk markings, magicka radiating through her fingertips. Less than a moment later, the markings were set ablaze, and her father began to speak. "Lord Molag Bal!" He exclaimed, his hands in the air. "We, your humble servants invoke your name!" The flames began to rise, their heat growing unnaturally intense and forcing beads of sweat down Serana's forehead. "In your glory we have performed this sacrifice," Harkon continued, "A thousand innocents have we slain to gain your favor."

The flames suddenly vanished, leaving in their trace only darkness and an unnatural cold. Serana could sense a presence in the room, one previously not there, and unlike anything she had ever felt before. In truth, the young woman was terrified, every inner voice she had was screaming at her to run, but she silenced them. She knew what kind of power awaited her if she made it through this. It had been years in the making, and she wasn't about to shrug off her destiny now.

"Lord Molag Bal!" Harkon chanted into the air. "We beseech you, bestow upon my family the power of the ancient blood! We summon you!"

There was a blinding flash of light from the center of the markings, and a wall of force that threw Serana and Valerica backwards, as well as Harkon in the opposite direction. When her senses returned to her, she was met with only pure horror. Molag Bal, in his true, terrible form, was standing in the center of her family's hall. The Daedric Prince's frame was vaguely humanoid, yet his appearance was anything but. Standing nearly eight feet tall, scales and spikes adorned every inch of his flesh, and although he was not looking in Serana's direction, she still felt his gaze.

The Prince laughed, his voice like rusty nails to the human ear. "Well, well," he said, seemingly amused. "Seems you spared no expense for my summoning."

Harkon had already returned to his feet by then, but knelt down once more in Bal's presence. "My lord," he spoke calmly, clearly, reverence in his voice. "I have waited many years for this day."

Molag Bal slowly walked to Harkon, surveying the room as he went, nodding his head. When he finally reached Harkon, the man bowed his head before the Prince, only to have it picked back up with a gentle caress. "Tell me, my child," Bal spoke. "What have you done here? Why slay these poor fools?"

"A thousand innocents to gain the power of the ancient blood," Harkon said. "We are strong, and they were weak."

Molag Bal let out yet another amused laugh, before his soft hand on Harkon's cheek turned to a deadly grip around his throat. Bal lifted the man into the air by his neck with a single arm. "And are you quite certain you finished the job?" The Prince snarled at Harkon. "Because by my count, there are exactly nine hundred and eighty seven corpses in this room."

"Im- imp-" Harkon choked, gasping for air. "Impossible!"

"Silence!" Molag Bal roared at him. "Do you dare to tell a Prince of Oblivion that he cannot do something as mundane as count? The gall of you mortals!"

The Daedra at last dropped Harkon to the ground, who immediately began hyperventilating, his hands moving to massage his neck where several small cuts had opened up. Bal then turned his attention to the women, and Serana's blood ran cold. She regretted everything, no amount of power was worth what was about to happen to her. She wanted to run, but her body simply refused to move, frozen with sheer terror. Valerica on the other hand, knelt down to the Prince as her husband had. "Lord Molag Bal," she said calmly. "Myself and my daughter have been chosen as an offering to you this day. Our bodies and souls are yours to do with as you please."

The god cackled menacingly. "They all say that at first," he replied before honing in on Serana, who had been too terrified to move a muscle, even to kneel before Bal. "This one doesn't seem to be in a very talkative mood."

"F- forgive me, m- my lord," Serana finally spoke.

"Serana has always been rather quiet," Valerica said matter-of-factly.

"Shame," said Molag Bal as he grabbed Serana by the throat, just as he had done with Harkon. "I love it when they beg me to stop." Serana could barely breathe. It was as though the Prince was only allowing just enough air to enter her lungs that she could stay alive, not nearly enough to cry in pain as his spiked palms dug into her skin. Bal held his face unbearably close to Serana, his twisted features unmoving, unnatural, and for a moment the young woman could almost swear he was smelling her. Suddenly, Molag Bal growled angrily. "How very disappointing," he said. "This one's not a virgin." With his free hand, Molag Bal snapped his fingers, and Serana was suspended in midair magically. Unable to move or speak, completely at the Daedric Prince's mercy. Mercy being something that the Lord of Domination was most certainly not known for, Bal grabbed both of Serana's ankles and forcibly spread her legs apart.

"No matter, he said. "I'll make it work."

Serana could do nothing but scream as her body was torn apart...

"What was I thinking?" Serana wondered to herself, still staring at her old betrothal amulet. A thousand years ago, she had been so hungry for power and knowledge that she allowed herself to be subject to unspeakable horrors at the hands of a Daedric Prince. Had it been worth it? To never be able to feel the sun's embrace again? To feast on blood like an animal? These questions the vampire had asked herself countless times over the centuries. But then, without the ritual, she would never have been made immortal, and would never have known Valkyrie's love. Perhaps there was still some part of her that was human, despite her parents' best efforts.

"Feeling sentimental, are we?"

Serana turned around, magic already brimming in her palms, ready to strike down whoever had intruded on her thoughts. She was shocked to find none other than Garan Morethi, a former servant of her father, one who had survived the battle a year prior. The last time she had seen Garan, he had been taken captive by the former leader of the Dawnguard, Isran, who managed to used his blood to turn himself into a vampire. One mad last ditch effort to destroy Serana as well as Valkyrie once and for all.

Upon seeing Serana ready to pounce, the Dunmer vampire immediately backed away, his hands in the air. "Easy, my lady!" He said. "I mean you no harm."

"What are you doing here, Garan?" Serana demanded. "I thought I told you not to cross my path again."

"And I had every intention of doing as I was told," Garan said. "But, well... things change."

"What do you mean?"

"Would you believe me if I told you that lady Valerica invited me back?"

"Gods damn it, mother," Serana groaned. "And I'm guessing you two picked up where you left off? What with all the sneaking around behind my father's back?"

"With all respect, my lady," Garan chuckled. "Lady Valerica and I weren't exactly carrying on behind closed doors. I don't think Harkon truly cared that his wife was cuckolding him. His only concern was... well, you know."

"The prophecy. I remember," she sighed. "It wasn't that long ago I had to kill him over it, don't you recall?"

"Apologies," the Dunmer slightly bowed his head. "I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject."

"It's alright," Serana replied. "Where's my mother now?"

"In her laboratory, the one at the top of the eastern tower."

"I don't supposed you know why she sent for me?" She asked.

"Lady Valerica preferred she tell your herself, but..." Garan paused. "Apparently it has something to do with your recent trip into the Soul Cairn."

"Wonderful," Serana said, rolling her eyes. "Well, no time like the present. Let's go see her."

"At once, my lady," the Elf said graciously as the two of them departed Serana's old room. As they made their way through the maze that was Castle Volkihar, the vampire's mind continued to drift to her past, despite her best efforts. She found herself still clutching the betrothal amulet, now thinking back to the day her heart had first been broken.

Being able to see perfectly in pitch darkness was quite the boon, Serana decided as she scaled the outside walls of the Blue Palace. If there was one thing she was grateful for, it's that practice with her new powers was quite the amusing distraction, helping take her mind off the horrors of a few weeks prior. Now that she had become acquainted with her new blood, with being a child of the night, a pure blooded vampire, it was time to offer the gift to Sedric. In truth, the young vampire was quite anxious over how her lover would react. Sedric wasn't quite a true Nord type, but even his open mindedness had its limits.

There was always the possibility that the young heir would react poorly, that he would forsake Serana and what she had become. No, she thought to herself, nearly at the young man's window. He loves me. He'll understand. At long last, Serana reached the window of Sedric's personal chamber. She was amazed at how resilient her body had become since turning into a vampire, previously such a climb would have exhausted her. She lightly tapped on the window, and a moment later it was cautiously opened by Sedric himself, the young man shocked to see her at this time of night.

"Serana?!" He exclaimed, grasping a hand to her wrist as he helped her in. "By the Eight, are you crazy? What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, stepping from the windowsill onto the floor of Sedric's room. "I wanted to come see you." Serana's hood was still on her head, obscuring her eyes from her lover. She knew she had to approach this delicately.

"You've never been this brazen before," Sedric said, walking over to make sure his door was locked. "I mean, really? Climbing the walls of the palace? What if the guards saw you?"

"Oh come on, Sedric. It's me," Serana said playfully. "This isn't the first time I've snuck in to see you. The guards never see me, even before."

Almost too quickly, the young man picked up on her choice of words. "What do you mean, before?"

The vampire inhaled deeply. It was now or never. "Alright, I need you to promise me you'll stay calm."

"Has something happened?" Sedric was now visibly concerned.

"Well, yes. Kind of," she paused, choosing her words carefully. "Something amazing has happened. I came here to offer you the same gift that was bestowed onto me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Sedric," her voice was low, calm, gentle even. "Do you remember when we were teenagers, and you would go on and on about how you wanted to be together forever?" The young man nodded his head slowly, cautiously. "Well now we finally have that chance." Serana at last removed her hood, revealing a set of unnatural amber eyes. Sedric immediately stepped back, the look on his face a mixture of horror and devastation.

"Serana," he said, barely whispering. "What did you do?"

"I gave us a chance to live, my love," she said, gleeful and ecstatic. "Free from our fathers, free from politics, free to do whatever we want, when we want it. All you need to let me do..." she smirked, baring her fangs. "Well, it's nothing I haven't done before." It was then that the heir reached beside his door, immediately grabbing the blade that rest just next to it. In the briefest of moments, Sedric's expression had turned from shock to seething rage.

"I didn't want to believe the rumors were true," he said. "But they are. You and your parents... a group of filthy blasphemers."

"Wait," Serana gasped, her voice now shaky. "What are you doing?"

"Leave," the man demanded of her. "Because of what we once had, I'm letting you leave of your own accord. But if you ever come near me or my family again, I will not hesitate to destroy you." He then raised his sword, pointing the tip of the blade directly at Serana's throat.

"Sedric?" She stuttered, tears beginning to well in her eyes. "I thought you loved me."

"The woman I loved would never consort with vile Daedra," he growled at her. "Since you don't want to leave yourself," his head then turned slightly to the door. "Guards! Assassin!"

Serana immediately turned to mist, flying out the open window of her former lover. The vampire's form quickly scaled down the walls of the Blue Palace, through the court yard, in and out of the back streets of Solitude, finally materializing far outside the walls of the city. She found herself in remote wilderness, no civilization in sight, which gave the young vampire the perfect opportunity to break down and cry.

The waltz through the courtyard, which Serana noted was looking much more vibrant than it had on her last visit here, followed by the winding maze up the tower went by surprisingly quickly. Perhaps it was due to the lack of undead minions attempting to kill her at every turn, or simply being lost in her own thoughts. The vampire was a bit nervous at seeing her mother again, their last reunion having been brief and momentary after the battle with Harkon. Gods only knew what was so important that Valerica had to send a thrall across the entire province just to find her.

At last, Serana and Garan reached the top of the tower, and as she stepped through the large wooden door into her mother's laboratory, she was greeted firstly, with the sounds of Valerica cursing up a storm. Followed immediately by noticing that the portal to the Soul Cairn was suddenly growing wild, unstable, sending bolts of pure energy in every direction. Serana immediately leapt to her mother's side, attempting to help curtail the damage.

"Ah, there you are," Valerica said, almost too calm and formal upon noticing her daughter's arrival. "I do hope the trip wasn't too much trouble."

"I've had worse?" Serana was confused. "What's going on and how do we stop this?" Her mother's only answer was to hold out both her palms, radiating with magic.

"Unfortunately there's no permanent solution yet," Valerica grunted, clearly straining to contain the growing instability of the portal. "For now, just help me stabilize this." The younger vampire did as she was told, focusing her own magic entirely on subduing the chaotic energy of this rift into Oblivion. After a short struggle, and a fair amount of her magicka drained, the portal finally closed, leaving nothing but the cold stone of the castle behind. "Well," Valerica gasped, resting her hands on her knees. "That was exciting, wasn't it?"

"That's certainly one way of putting it," Garan interjected. "Lady Valerica has been dealing with this portal for months now."

"What's wrong with it?" Serana asked. "I've seen gates to Oblivion before, but never any that were this unstable."

"Unfortunately," Valerica now stood straight. "It seems the Ideal Masters were none too fond of losing out on my soul. They wish to drag me back into the Soul Cairn to claim it by force."

"Ah," was Serana's only response.

"There have been a few instances where they almost succeeded," the Dunmer said. "Luckily our lady is quite resourceful."

"Now is not the time for flattery, my darling," Valerica smirked at him, and Serana found herself resisting the urge to gag. "Speaking of flattery," the eldest vampire now turned back to her daughter. "Where is Valkyrie? I thought she'd be coming with you."

"She..." Serana began. "Had her own business to take care of. It was also quite important, and I couldn't keep her away from it."

"Mortals," Valerica only rolled her eyes, and her daughter felt a snappy remark form on her lips, but ultimately bit her tongue.

"So how long is this portal going to stay closed?" Serana asked.

"A few hours at best," her mother answered. "When it first started, I was able to keep it sealed for weeks at a time. It's been getting harder and harder to stabilize." Valerica then suddenly bore a grin, one that her daughter knew all too well, one that foreboded the beginnings of a mad scheme. "But now that you're here..."

"Alright," Serana pinched the bridge of her nose. "What are we doing?"

"When this portal opens up again," Valerica explained. "The three of us are going back in."

The youngest vampire's eyes grew wide. Had her mother completely lost her mind? "Uhh... why?" Serana asked. "I thought the whole point was to stop the Ideal Masters from claiming your soul, not handing it over to them on a platter?"

"That is the end goal," her mother continued. "But unfortunately, I share a connection with the Soul Cairn, thanks to the centuries I spent in isolation there. All my research leads me to believe that connection can only be severed from one side."

"Do you at least have a plan?"

"In fact, I do," Valerica said. "But I'll save it for when we're inside. For now, I would suggest you get you rest, get your strength up. We may be in the Soul Cairn for some time."

"Wonderful," Serana rolled her eyes. "This is exactly what I wanted, to leave my lover behind so I could go traipse around Oblivion again."

"I didn't realize it was such an inconvenience to you," her mother shot back. "By all means, feel free to leave again and go rejoin her. I'm sure Garan and I will be fine wandering the infinite realms of Oblivion without someone who's already experienced them."

Serana sighed, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to come across like that."

"It's alright," Valerica said, now calm. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. Listen, Serana," she reached out, placing a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "I understand I'm asking quite a bit of you, as I've done before. If you truly wish to leave and go find your woman, I won't hold it against you."

"Don't worry," Serana replied, a slight smile forming. "She can get along without me for a bit. And I've survived the Soul Cairn before, I'm here for you."

"Thank you," was all the elder vampire said before turning away, likely to continue whatever preparations she had made for her latest journey into Oblivion. Without her mother's prodding and banter, it took only moments for Serana to realize that she was still holding on to Sedric's betrothal necklace. The vampire shook her head, wondering now as she had countless other times, if perhaps somehow she could have done something different, that maybe it hadn't had to end how it did.

The taste of blood was decidedly far sweeter, far more delectable than anything Serana had tasted as a mortal. Thus it was only fitting that she had gone on something of a bender the last several weeks, gorging herself on blood from every captive her father now kept in the castle. Several of their unfortunate prisoners had not survived, much to the annoyance of her parents. Harkon had taken to inviting other vampires to the castle, now that he no longer entertained mortal guests. One of these lesser vampires was a Nord, Serana didn't recall his name, and he had been tasked with making sure there were plenty of humans and Elves for them all to feed off of.

The Nord in question had once tried to scold Serana about her carelessness, drinking every last drop from some of the thralls, but this had happened only once. There was now a painful reminder on the flesh of the vampire's back not to do so again. The gall of this lesser nightwalker to interrupt Serana's gorging. Couldn't he tell her heart had been broken? It seemed it was true what she often heard at the courts of nobles, men were all the same. As soon as a girl made a single mistake, or wanted something more for herself than to be a pretty little damsel, they would begin frothing at the mouth.

Serana sunk her fangs into yet another poor soul who had been confined to the castle walls, and the young vampire's eyes nearly rolled back into her head as the blood flowed down her throat. It was delicious, beyond anything she had ever experienced, it was only a shame that the thrall she fed from insisted on groaning. If there was one thing she hated more than the pained cries of mortals as she drank them dry, it was the thought of that heartless son of a bitch Sedric.

Just as the vampire gulped down a fresh mouthful of blood, the doors to the dining hall flew open, the crash alerting every vampire within, Serana and her parents included. A moment later, one of their mortal servants rushed into the room, panting.

"My lord," he said between breaths. "We are under attack."

"What?!" Harkon rose from his throne, clearly enraged. "Who on Nirn would be so brazen as to attack us?"

"A few dozen soldiers," the servant replied, hands resting on his knees. "All wearing Solitude's colors. They appear to be led by High King Sedric."

Serana's jaw clenched. So the Moot had finally met to name that little shit High King. She supposed it was only fitting that he come knocking at her door now. But to be so foolish as to attack a coven of vampires. "Are they insane?" She asked to no one in particular. "It's the middle of the night!" It was then that Serana noticed her father glaring at her from his throne. Despite leaving a normal life behind, she had still yet to confess to anyone about her affair with the then-prince. She stood up from her place at the table, about to make for the doors.

"And just where do you think you're going?" Harkon asked her, almost too calmly.

"To greet an old friend," she said. "Wouldn't want the great lord Harkon to sully himself. I'll deal with this."

"As much as I trust in your abilities, my daughter," Valerica interjected. "You are still relatively new to the ancient blood's power. I feel it would be best if your father and I joined you," she raised an eyebrow at Harkon. "Wouldn't you say so... husband?"

"Oh, I could not agree more, my dear wife," Harkon said, his calm and formal demeanor failing to mask the venom underneath.

Serana sighed. Her father knew, and she was going to hear about it later. But none of that mattered now, it was time to face Sedric and put an end to this chapter of her life once and for all. She marched across the dining hall, throwing open the doors of the castle with her parents closely in tow. As the young vampire reached the outside, throwing a hood over her head out of habit, she saw them, moving agonizingly slow at the edge of the island. Sedric on a horse, carrying a torch as well as his blade, leading a large group of nameless soldiers, helmets obscuring their faces. She sighed, finally meeting them at the end of the bridge.

There was a long silence as she stared Sedric down, the young man unfazed by her glare, and so she finally confronted him. "What are you doing here, Sedric?"

"I will not tolerate the presence of a hive of bloodsuckers so close to my city!" The King roared back, and Serana only rolled her eyes.

"I'm only going to warn you once," she stepped forward, off the bridge and onto dirt. "Go. Home."

Sedric scoffed. "Vampires or not," he said. "Do you really think the three of you can stand against all of us?"

Serana said nothing in response, instead opting to remove her hood and glance back at her parents. She offered only a nod, a gesture that all three of them recognized. In the glow of the moonlight, the three of them moved faster than the eye could see. Flesh was torn, blood was spilled, the screams of men who were dead before they hit the ground sounded out in the night. The throat of Sedric's horse was torn out by Harkon's jaws more quickly than the young King could comprehend, and he found himself falling to the ground, with Serana standing over him less than a moment later.

"To answer your question," she said to him. "Yes. I do."

Sedric only glared at her, not daring to reach for his weapon. "I should have listened to my father," he growled. "He was right about you. All of you."

"Sedric!" Serana finally snapped at him, and despite his rage, the king fell silent. Serana bent her knees, lowering down to his level and looked dead in his eyes, "Leave," she said. "Because of what we once had, I'm letting you leave of your own accord." The anger in Sedric's eyes flared as she moved closer to him. "But if you ever come near me or my family again, I will not hesitate to destroy you."

The young man said nothing, only slowly rising to his feet, seeming as though he were about to heed Serana's words. It was then that he reached for his blade, charging wildly at the vampire, who was far too quick for him. The sword had barely left its sheath before Serana's claws were sunk deep into Sedric's neck, blood now flowing freely on her hands, much like the tears that had begun to form in her eyes.

"You stupid fool," Serana choked out. "It didn't have to be this way."

Sedric gurgled, blood now clearly beginning to fill his mouth. "G-gods..." he managed to sputter out a few final words. "...damn you all."

The King's body went limp, and Serana let go, allowing his corpse to fall freely to the ground. She expected to wail. to feel indescribable grief at the loss of the one person she had ever truly loved, but instead the vampire only felt hollow, empty. She was human no longer, in more ways than just her blood.

"Well, that takes care of that," Harkon said far too cheerily. "Come, Serana, there are still plenty of thralls for you to indulge yourself with."

Serana didn't take her eyes off Sedric's corpse. "Suddenly, I'm not that hungry."