The Villain's Story

Christopher Lee was a thirty-four-year-old man, someone who had awakened at the prime of his life, twenty years of age. His original estimate of talent was C+, but he had managed to ascend even higher, becoming a veteran awakened at the rank of B.

After nine years as an awakened, he was experienced in many matters, and while he was not the most powerful awakened, he was certainly valuable. His family was loyal to the Wellingtons, and thus he joined the family after becoming an awakened. Over time, he had grown enough to become a team captain.

He had several achievements under his belt, one that made him a respected figure in the awakened community, but unfortunately, that was it. Christopher had been stuck at B rank for half his career and still saw no hope of advancing. He had hit his true limit, according to experts. However, his loyalty to the family was undeniable.

Therefore, he was chosen to be the first subject to be ‘turned’; it was something he pushed for. Unlike his peers, Christopher had little to no interactions with demons and demonic humans, perhaps a rare stroke of luck. He didn’t hate the demonic too much, just as much as every new generation human being.

Currently, in an underground laboratory, he was chained to the ground. Sabrina had assured the elders that this wouldn’t be necessary, but they insisted that some form of safety measures be taken. Alpha and Beta rolled their eyes once they saw Christopher chained to the ground.

Sabrina approached the man and looked up at the elders hiding behind reinforced glass, watching this all with rapt attention. It would be a lie if they said they weren’t interested… after all, who wouldn’t want power?

Only some of them were awakened, but even they craved it. Previously, they were well aware of the dangers of becoming demonic humans. They would lean into losing control more often than not, and worse, always be subject to unfair contracts. Power like that came at a price.

As the times progressed, more and more awakened sought demonic power, to become demonic humans in order to increase their strength… but most still refrained from it, simply because the disadvantages far outweighed the advantages.

But ‘turning’ was different. It forced no unfair terms on the one being turned, as long as they were willing. It didn’t increase the risk of losing control of themselves and delving into the demonic side, nor did it change much of their appearance.

The only real demerit of turning was perhaps being afraid of the sun more, requiring some blood now and then, and absolute loyalty to the ‘turner’. The first two could be dealt with, but the latter.

Not many of them minded it too much. It had already been decided that Sabrina would be the next head of the family, and no one other than her was closer to it. All of her cousins were simply inept. They were going to be under her one day or another… so why not get some boons while at it?

Of course, there were still some who held apprehension towards the term ‘absolute loyalty’, but it wasn’t too much of a concern to them.

They all watched silently as the ritual was about to commence. All of them, even Sabrina’s grandfather, watched with some form of expectations, mostly positive. If the ritual succeeded, and no crazy flaw was there to be found…

The entire Wellington Family might become vampires in the course of a month or two.

Under the elders’ eyes, Sabrina sighed as she walked towards Christopher.

“Are you ready?”

She asked, and Christopher nodded. He was ecstatic, even, to begin the process.

“Yes, my lady.”

A grimace appeared on her face for a brief moment. The next moment, Alpha walked over to her, carrying a glass bottle filled with blood. It was the blood of an S-rank beast, the Snow Mammoths found to the North of the portal back in Gigantium. For this special occasion, the Wellingtons had organized a raid to hunt one.

Aware that the quality of blood had a major impact on the ritual, they didn’t spare any effort to procure a large quantity of S-rank monster blood. It cost a lot, but it was worth it, according to the elders, presuming the ritual went well.

Even if it didn’t… they had enough money not to care.

Alpha bent down on both knees and offered the glass bottle to Sabrina, who rolled her eyes. Her attempts at normalizing Alpha’s behavior towards her were hopelessly futile. If Sabrina asked, Alpha would willingly bark like a dog for her.

Sabrina grabbed the bottle from Alpha and consumed the blood within it. It was like she was drinking a cool beverage… like cola. It had a minty taste to it, and for some reason, reminded her of Alan.

Was it because she missed him? Or was it because of the same affinity? Disregarding it, she focused on the blood within her body, isolating it from the blood she had just consumed.

She refined it, again and again, until she could do it no longer. It took a great deal of mental strength. Sabrina’s eyes turned red, and her hair turned white as a blood red circle of magic appeared beneath her. It expanded to cover Christopher, and numerous runic enchantments rose up, each possessing a chill to them.

The eyes of the elders widened as Sabrina lowered herself and bit into Christopher’s neck with her fangs, inserting the refined blood of the Snow Mammoth, along with her own. The Essence of a Royal Vampire.

The circle disappeared, and Sabrina returned to her original state, but Christopher remained the same, at least, on the outside. For a while, nothing happened, but Sabrina knew better.

‘…’

The mana and the blood within Christopher’s body were undergoing a massive change, and when it was done, it would reflect on his outer appearance. It didn’t take long.

His veins bulged out, threatening to leave his skin; chilly mist escaped his mouth. His body convulsed, threatening to break the chains that bound him. His body increased in size, and he appeared to grow younger. His hair lengthened, and his eyes took on a bloody hue.

Christopher Lee stood up, easily breaking the chains that bound him. He felt as if he was reborn anew, but the very next second, he prostrated himself before Sabrina.

Alpha and Beta could not hide their excitement, reverence, and glee… while the Elders were caught within desire, amazement. As for Sabrina, a bleak look appeared on her face.