Villain's Harem Returns
Chapter 36: Science

Chapter 36: Science

Draven was taken aback by the woman.

Not only was she gorgeous, but he was also entirely unfamiliar with her. It was rare that someone so powerful was often able to slip from under his radar, yet it was happening right now.

The woman must have noticed that Draven was slightly off edge, as she tried to soothe him.

"I’m Yelania, and whilst I’m sure you come here in anger, all I ask is that you hear me out."

Yelania pleaded with the vampire lord, whilst keeping the friendly smile on her face.

Draven had originally planned to come here and eradicate the deserters, but something made him want to hear what she had to say.

"Go on then." He said to her bluntly.

Yelania turned around and gestured towards the darkness that lay behind the door she had emerged from.

"Please, follow me. If you don’t mind."

Draven didn’t hesitate, he knew there would be nothing in there powerful enough to harm someone as strong as him.

Yelania and her small group led the way into the darkness, and Draven and the Nocturnal Knights followed close behind.

Once through the door, Draven’s eyes began to adjust to his surroundings.

They made their way through tunnels with many doors layered on the side, most likely leading to chambers.

It was a modest, cramped space, which made Draven wonder how they had managed to stay tucked in there for so long.

The Noctaris Vampires only knew of luxury. They were made to live like lords and ladies, and that was what they had been given.

Not this group though. The deserters were gritty. A rugged set of people that didn’t even seem to follow the ways of the Noctaris vampires anymore.

As they walked further through the tunnel, it was the leader, Yelania who first broke the silence.

"I must make it clear, my lord, that we did not desert of our own volition; rather, we were forced by the humans."

That gave Draven a pause.

The Humans? Their names pop up so often these days.

"How can that possibly be? And when did this happen?" He asked, confused, but as the words left his lips, he thought he had an idea how.

"Science. We were test subjects, kept in the capital city and experimented on, all in the name of human progression."

The pieces of the puzzle were starting to fall together, and Draven did not like the outcome.

"By The Mother?" He asked, needing to confirm that she was the culprit.

Yalenia nodded her head, somehow keeping a smile on her face despite the tragedies that had happened to her.

No...

Her entire group had gone through unjust treatment at the hands of The Mother.

Draven suddenly felt bad for the legless man that he had killed, but he wiped away the moment in an instant.

Things hadn’t changed.

These vampires were clearly no longer being held captive, so why could they not return home.

Instead, Draven asked a different question.

"To what end? What did Annabelle earn from taking you captive and experimenting on you?"

In other words, there was one thing on Draven’s mind.

"What powers have they managed to obtain?"

During his brief encounters with the humans since waking up, Draven had experienced their powers twice.

One was from Odalys. Although she was a Whiteyes, she said she had used ’science’ gifted to her by the humans to advance her powers.

The other time he had witnessed it was during the time he was first visited by the humans and invited to have tea with Annabelle.

What was most strange, though, was that The Mother, whom the humans seemed to praise and worship, had no power emanating from her body during their meeting.

She was a regular woman. Beautiful, yes, but everything else about her was regular.

Yalenia scratched at her head as she continued walking, as though a difficult thought began to disturb her.

Finally, after a while of turning through the tunnel, they came to a large door.

"It’s best that I just show you." She said as she pushed open the door.

Its hinges groaned as it swung open, revealing a faint light from the other side.

There was also a strange humming sound coming from inside the room.

A sound that Draven felt like he was familiar with.

And then he saw it.

"W-what on Velhalla is that!" Maya Heart said from beside him, reaching for the great hammer on her back.

Draven hardly blamed her.

In the room was a device he had seen not long before. In the depths of Odalys palace.

"Science," Valencia said as she gestured towards the large tube that was built in the centre of the large room.

Once again, it was filled with a liquid, which this time was green.

And inside of the tube was a little boy, probably around the age of twelve, floating unconsciously.

Draven sensed no power coming from him, and he appeared to be a regular human.

Serena walked over to the tube, examining the boy inside in awe.

The Nocturnal Knights had not seen this spectacle before, so they were completely taken aback.

Even Draven found it strange to be in front of the strange device again.

Something about being in it’s presence made him feel weird. As though he was mingling with Otherworldly forces.

"It’s nowhere near as complex as the ones in the capital," Yalenia explained, gesturing towards the wires that ran from the tube and into a strange mechanical device on the far side of the room.

"I had limited resources, and had to work with what I had. Still, I believe the results will still be worth it."

Draven looked at the lady, confirming that he had heard correctly.

"You made this?" He asked.

Yalenia flashed him a smile as she walked over to stand by Serena, examining the tube. Her hips swayed from side to side, taking Draven’s attention.

"Who’s the boy?" Oprah Breaker, the Twelth-Ranked Knight asked, just as mesmerised by the device that stood before her as Serena was.

Sakura, the twentieth-ranked knight, and Maya, the sixth-ranked knight, stayed back near the entrance, seemingly afraid of the foreign device. As though getting close would put them in danger.

Yalenia’s vampire group lingered at the entrance as well, in no surprise at the events taking place in the room.

Draven made his way closer to the tuber, now examining the boy that floated inside.

"I’m not sure," Yalenia says. "I kidnapped him from a small village and placed him in here against his will. Just as Annabelle did to me."

The words were spoken with scorn, and Draven felt as though he was coming to understand the woman.

She was not a traitor to the vampires, she just held such contempt for the humans that she had set out on a personal goal of her own.

Although he still had many questions to ask, there was one thing that he was certain of.

He and Yalenia would get along.

"What does the tube do," Serena asked her next question, which seemed to be on everybody else’s minds as well.

There were a few moments of hesitation as Yalenia seemed to be lost in her thoughts, staring at the boy floating in the transparent green liquid.

Finally, after a few moments, she placed her hands on the glass. A smile etched onto her face once again.

"It will turn him into a fairy."

The silence lingered as Draven and his group stared at Yalenia in disbelief.

Surely such a thing is not possible? There has never been anything like it.

As if predicting his thoughts, Yalenia continued to explain.

"It was how they were created."

She pointed towards her small group of vampires, who seemed to look uncomfortable at their truth.

"I’m still uncertain of how exactly this science works, as what I have created is merely a poor copy of what I personally witnessed in the human labs hundreds of years ago. But this device seems to be able to change a being’s genealogy, switching their race."

Draven’s head was filling with so many thoughts.

First, he came to the conclusion that this science was an abomination to everything he believed. That device should not exist.

Such a thing should be impossible. Vampires were born, not created.

To think that Annabelle stole one of his people, and used them to create such a thing.

His blood began to boil, and it took a large effort to calm himself down, lest he destroyed everything in the vicinity.

Afterwards, he was able to tackle his next thought.

Odalys. She had clearly tapped into one of the other races’ powers, which was why she was so strong.

He didn’t mourn the woman’s death, but he felt bad for the sorry state she had been in during her demise.

"So how far can this be pushed? What are Annabelle’s goals with creating this technology?"

It was Serena who asked the question that was on everybody’s mind.

All of this technology was powerful, but what were The Mother’s true goals?

The smile was wiped from Yalenia’s face, turning to one void of joy.

She took in a breath before continuing with her next sentence.

"The mother’s goals are simple. She wishes for world domination... And to achieve that, she wishes to make herself the ultimate being."

Draven looked at the woman with a raised eyebrow, confused about what she meant.

Yalenia elaborated.

"Annabelle wishes to turn herself into a mixture of every single race. A multiracial, blessed with the powers and perks of all beings on Velhalla."