The Sun Shines on Castle Volkihar

It's done. After so many months of chasing echoes and nearly getting blind, Harkon is no more. Suffice to say, chaos just erupted the moment Kousei and I took the lead in storming Castle Volkihar. Thankfully, Isran's speech seemed to be working its desired effect on our Dawnguard allies. Ordinary hired thugs would most likely run to save their skins the moment they were faced by a horde of vampires and reanimated gargoyles.

Reanimate more gargoyles, friend. We want their loot.

Things were even less pretty when we finally forced our way through the gate. But it was expected that Harkon's clan wouldn't give up their stronghold so easily, and so we took them down one by one as planned. Kousei's form was magnificent, as usual. And with the Dawnbreaker in hand, he was even more so. Knowing that I only had a limited number of Sunhallowed Elven Arrows on hand, he had suggested that I reserve it for Harkon. I took his advice to heart, and relied on spellwork to best the vampire underlings. But one thing was sure: spell or sword, we would see this mission through.

A beautiful battle.

Kill 'em! Kill 'em with fire!

The Vampire can cast flames!

We had exchanged few words with Serana during the course of our preparations, and that was because she preferred to be left alone. Now I have grown to be quite fond of that girl, quite miraculously, considering how I used to scorn her presence. Serana, the central figure in the prophecy that caused her father to go mad... I wonder what will happen to her after all this. I had already reassured Kousei when he approached me on the subject of our future after we accomplish the Dawnguard's final quest, but I am short on words where Serana was concerned. Where will she stay? There was little time for pondering. Harkon was waiting.

On Harkon's defense, very few prophecies are fully understood.

Harkon confronted us in that dreadful Vampiric form he took prior to banishing Kousei and me from the Castle. I wanted to whisper a word of warning to Serana to not get too close to Harkon, but she approached him before I could do so. In an act of final defiance, she openly denounced her father's greed, and how she would not back away from him like her mother did. Kousei and I had to smile. Serana was nowhere like Valerica. She was braver; far braver.

I almost took a step back when Harkon turned to me, his terrible eyes fixed on the bow I held at ready. His words aimed to cast some doubt into our hearts about our cause. Are we going to finish off Serana next, owing to the nature of her blood? I wanted to say that I would never harm a friend, but that would mean nothing to a man who does not value friendship. Might as well get straight to the point. After a last ditch-attempt to get us to hand over Auriel's Bow (which obviously failed), Harkon finally began his assault.

I can say the same to you, Lord Harkon.

Battling Harkon was most likely one of the most difficult ones Kousei and I had to face together. Kousei and Serana tried their best to corner Harkon so I can have an easier time aiming my arrows at him. However, he had a habit of disappearing in a cloud of bats and reappearing on the opposite end of the room. Then, there were the gargoyles and undead he summoned. But that wasn't the most trying part of the battle, it turned out. Just when we thought we had brought Harkon to his knees, he teleported to the altar of blood and began to replenish his strength. Kousei charged at him, but he was pushed back by an invisible barrier. Neither the Dawnbreaker nor Serana's spells could penetrate it. They spent a few moments hitting the barrier futilely before I nocked a Sunhallowed arrow on Auriel's Bow and shot it at the barrier. Lo and behold, it disintegrated in a flash of sunlight.

Swallowed up by the sun.

Now that we knew how to prevent Harkon from recovering his health, it was only a small matter of time before he fell. He addressed Serana in his dying words, and it was more as an expression of disappointment than a curse. I was guessing that up to the last moment, Serana still held on to the slim hope that her father will see sense, but we may never know. When it became clear that Harkon will no longer rise from his bloody remains, we finally asked Serana about her future plans for herself. To our surprise, she said that she'll stay with the Dawnguard, going further to call them "respectable." Of course, she'll gladly accompany either Kousei and me if we request her aid, but she knows (and she said this with a mischievous glint in her eyes) that she's not likely to be a central part in our future adventures. I will miss her, and I can say that now with a sincere heart.

Friends with "benefits".

But the even greater surprise was Isran. In a huge contrast to the antagonistic manner by which he treated Serana on their first meeting, Isran's tone was almost fatherly as he thanked her for the sacrifices she made for the Dawnguard's sake. I guess Serana will be quite happy in Fort Dawnguard now. A mutual respect had formed between her and Isran, and that was more than what we could have hoped for. Isran didn't even object when he saw Kousei embracing me prior to exiting the cathedral. Either he's gotten resigned to that facet of our relationship, or he's a little less of the cold man he was.

One thing though, Isran: why weren't you with us when we slew your #1 enemy?

Kousei and I bid farewell to Serana and our Dawnguard colleagues after we have taken some valuable loot from Castle Volkihar. As we stepped into the rowboat back to the mainland, Kousei invited me to visit his home in Morthal. I quickly agreed. This major victory calls for a celebration, and some uninterrupted moments of togetherness with my beloved would be the perfect way to cap it up.

- Kiya