Dracula remained silent, his gaze fixed on the ground. After a moment of silence, Raizel spoke again, his voice firm but tinged with curiosity. "Vlad, you betrayed humanity long ago. Why do you care for your master turning humans into vampires?".

Dracula lifted his head slowly, meeting Raizel's gaze with resignation. "I may have strayed from the path of humanity in the past, but that does not mean I have lost all sense of morality," he replied.

Raizel narrowed his eyes, studying Dracula's demeanor closely. "And yet, you seek redemption now?" he asked, his tone skeptical yet intrigued.

Dracula nodded. "Perhaps redemption is too lofty a goal for one such as myself," he admitted, "but I cannot stand idly by and watch more monsters born to hurt innocent lives.".

Raizel sighed at Dracula's response, who was no less a monster than others. With a resigned air, Raizel withdrew the pressure he had exerted on Dracula and made his way towards the sofa, seating himself with crossed legs and tilting his head to one side, supported by his hand. "Dracula, your words seem sincere, but your past doesn't match with your professed sincerity," Raizel began. "Without consuming innocent lives, you wouldn't have lived this long. You wouldn't have come after me."

Dracula remained silent, his expression unreadable, as Raizel continued. "All you want is revenge for losing someone dear.. again" Raizel asserted, his voice tinged with understanding.

Dracula said nothing, believing that the noble before him was already aware of his true intentions. Raizel's smile was enigmatic as he spoke again, gaining Dracula's attention. "I could help you, but..." Raizel paused, "What's my catch?"

Dracula lowered his gaze for a moment before meeting Raizel's eyes once more. "I will serve you for eternity," he declared.

For a moment, silence enveloped the hall. The only one visibly annoyed by the conversation was Frankenstein, his expression betraying his impatience.

Raizel chuckled softly before speaking again, his tone carrying authority. "Why would I need you when I already have Frankenstein?" he mused, gesturing towards his loyal servant, who regarded Dracula with a taunting gaze.

Then, with a decisive tone, Raizel addressed Dracula, who still knelt before him. "Since you are willing to serve, I don't mind granting you my power," he declared. "Enter into a contract with me.".

Frankenstein felt a strong urge to intervene and stop Raizel from making such a sudden decision, but he hesitated when he saw Raizel was genuinely considering entering into a contract with Dracula. Dracula, stunned by Raizel's unexpected agreement to help him, had resigned himself to the impossibility of achieving revenge against his former master. However, Raizel's willingness to assist him came as a pleasant surprise.

Finally, Dracula agreed, his voice barely above a whisper as he uttered, "I'm willing... master." Raizel simply smiled in response, his eyes betraying a hint of amusement at Dracula's reaction.

At that moment, Frankenstein approached with a cup of tea, prompting Dracula to look at him in confusion. "Pour your blood," Frankenstein instructed calmly.

Dracula nodded and bit his finger, allowing a drop of his blood to fall into the tea. Frankenstein then presented the cup to Raizel, who hesitated for a moment before accepting it. It was the first time Raizel had ever entered into a contract with someone, let alone drunk tea infused with blood.

As Raizel took a sip of the tea, Dracula felt a strange sensation coursing through his veins. For the first time in centuries, he felt his heart stir and warmth spread throughout his body. He stared at Raizel in awe, overwhelmed by the unexpected surge of vitality that coursed through him.

Raizel then spoke with closed eyes, his voice carrying an air of finality. "You may leave," he said calmly.

Dracula lowered his head in deference and replied, "Yes, master."

With that, Dracula transformed into hundreds of bats, bursting out of the window and disappearing into the night. Despite receiving Raizel's power, Dracula retained some semblance of his former abilities. However, he no longer feared the sun or silver, for he was no longer bound by the limitations of his former vampiric species. By entering into a contract with a more powerful being, he had broken his sire bond with his former vampire progenitor.

Selene and Micheal, who had watched the entire interaction between Raizel and Dracula, found it difficult to believe what they had just witnessed. The sight of Dracula transforming into hundreds of vampire bats was beyond anything they had expected to see. With each passing moment, Raizel became an increasingly enigmatic figure, an existence they struggled to comprehend.

[

Hey everyone, hope you're all doing great! I'm currently tangled up in the sacred world's theories from the underworld and writing it feels like pulling words out of a hat. Struggling hard with this one. Chapter 36 is a real head-scratcher, and a headache is knocking at my door. Anyway, if you want to see my unpolished, raw content, head over to my Patreon!

link: patreon.com/AmouxCreationX

]