Chapter 22: Prison

As Boris looked at Emily's stunning face, he suddenly understood a lot. Perhaps Emily could be used as bait to lure that person out!

"Alright, this matter has nothing to do with Emily. After tonight, she will be your sister, Alexander, and you should take good care of her." Boris's words left everyone in the room stunned. Emily couldn't discern sincerity or deceit in his words.

"Emily, go upstairs and rest for now. I will call for you when it gets dark." Boris looked at Emily with a warm smile in his green eyes.

In Boris's room, Emily tossed and turned, trying to make sense of Boris's intentions. What did he mean by not pursuing the matter of the mysterious man and giving up his own room? Was there some hidden secret? Emily never thought of herself as someone important, except for having a face that attracted trouble.

Emily didn't know when she fell asleep. When she woke up, she was disturbed by the noise outside. She looked out the window and saw a sea of people, crowded and bustling, with various smells mixing together.

"Emily, it's time to get up!" Benjamin's gentle voice echoed from outside the door.

Emily responded, "I know, I'll take a shower first." Apart from buying herself a little more time and savoring the last moments as a human, she also wanted to be clean and fresh to welcome her new identity.

Taking a deep breath, Emily gazed at the moonlight outside the window. From now on, this would be her sun!

Benjamin led Emily to the living room, which was empty. He walked up to a bookcase and pushed it hard, revealing a hidden door. They descended a dark staircase until they reached a spacious underground room surrounded by stone walls. In the center was a stone bed, and torches were lit all around, each torch accompanied by a person with green eyes. They seemed to be members of the Lesombres with higher seniority.

This place, rather than being the basement of a castle, resembled a massive altar.

Benjamin guided Emily to the central stone bed and gestured for her to lie down. He held Emily's hand tightly, feeling more nervous than she did. He was the only one to survive Boris's initial embrace. Would Emily be successful?

"Alright, you can go down now!" Boris's voice came from behind Benjamin. Benjamin quickly let go of Emily's hand and responded with a "yes" before retreating. He was still relatively junior and didn't have the qualifications to participate in the Elder's initial embrace ceremony.

Emily heard the stone door slam shut, and the air in this place felt stifling. There was a musty smell mingling with the floral scent emanating from the people present, making her uncomfortable.

"Now, all you need to do is sleep," Boris said kindly, looking into Emily's eyes as he hypnotized her.

Emily's consciousness gradually blurred, and then she felt a sharp pain in her neck before losing consciousness.

It felt like she had a very long dream. Various people appeared in the dream, but the one who appeared the most was her mother. She saw her mother's tearful face, and her heart tightened. Mother...

Emily groggily opened her eyes and felt the soreness in her lower back from lying on the stone bed. She struggled to stand up but realized she was locked in a prison-like place, surrounded by dampness and the squeaking of rats.

She felt weak all over, her mouth dry, and she realized she didn't even have the strength to stand up. Her legs were so weak that even sitting down was difficult.

What had happened? Weren't they conducting the initial embrace ceremony? Why was she now in this place? Could it be that she was still dreaming? Emily pinched herself, but her hand lacked strength, and even pinching her face didn't hurt. She became even more confused.

She remembered Benjamin saying that the initial embrace was a dangerous process, and if one's consciousness wasn't strong enough, it was easy to perish during the embrace. Could she be on the verge of life and death right now?

She struggled to focus her consciousness, feeling like she could faint at any moment. If she fell asleep again, she didn't know when she would wake up, and she had a gut feeling that if she slept again, she might never wake up!

She fought hard to keep herself awake, not allowing herself to fall asleep. As she surveyed the dungeon-like place, she noticed that the walls were shiny and silver. Upon closer inspection, she realized they were made of pure silver. The entire place was lined with silver.

Emily suddenly realized that this might be the vampire's dungeon. Vampires were strong, and ordinary cages couldn't contain them, so they made everything silver here. It served the purpose of preventing the prisoners from escaping and also subjected them to the torment that silver brings. She felt a surge of fear. If she wasn't dreaming, then where was she?

She attempted to call out, but her throat was dry, and no sound came out. She exerted all her strength, managing to produce only a weak gasp. The surroundings were dim.

She had no idea how long she had been there. Emily felt like she couldn't hold on any longer. It felt as if she could just fall asleep and stop thinking, but her mother's image kept flashing in her mind. She couldn't bear it! If she left, her mother would be the only person left in this world!

Hold on! Emily!

She admonished herself in her mind, her thighs already bruised from her pinching. Whenever her consciousness wavered, she viciously twisted her thigh. At this moment, her thighs were covered in bruises, and they weren't healing on their own!

Was she really going to die? Emily suddenly felt despair. This cage, if she wasn't so weak, she could struggle and escape. After all, silver was soft and had no restraining power over a human like her. But now, she didn't even have the strength to stand up, and no one had come to see her. Even if she had to die, she wished she could at least understand a bit more!

Emily's eyelids grew heavier and heavier, to the point where she no longer had the strength to open them. However, she faintly heard a voice from outside, barely audible.

There's a sound!

Emily immediately felt a surge of strength welling up inside her, fueled by the hope of being alive. She slowly crawled toward the silver railing and listened carefully. There was indeed a sound! It was faint, but after being in silence for so long, even if a mouse had farted, she would have heard it. Besides, this had to be the sound of a person!

Whether it was a human or a vampire, it was her hope.

Emily's eyes darted around, and she immediately lay down, closing her eyes and pretending to be dead.

After a while, the sound grew closer. The footsteps were light yet urgent. Emily nervously clenched her fists, her palms sweaty. As long as they weren't here to kill her, she still had a chance!

"Emily!" A soft voice filled with anxiety and concern, accompanied by a light pat on her shoulder.

"Olivia!" Emily abruptly opened her eyes, incredulously looking at the person before her. It was indeed Olivia, dressed all in black—a black leather vest, black leather shorts, black ankle boots—and she had two swords strapped to her back.

What was going on?

Seeing Emily's confusion, Olivia hurriedly said, "I'll explain later. It's dangerous here. Stay away, I'll break it!"

Emily also regained her composure. Indeed, now wasn't the time for explanations. She quickly crawled to the side, watching Olivia draw a sword from behind and swiftly strike the silver railing. The sword, made of an unknown material, split the railing without making a single sound.

Olivia cleaved open a gap in the railing and helped the limp Emily to her feet. Olivia, who appeared fragile and delicate under normal circumstances, now exuded strength. She effortlessly carried Emily, who felt as pliable as soft clay, as they escaped from the prison-like cell.

Along the way, Emily saw the bodies of vampires strewn about. It seemed that Olivia had gone through a fierce battle before arriving here. She had numerous injuries, both minor and major, and her wounds were still bleeding. Olivia appeared to lack the ability to heal herself.

The dungeon wasn't far from the castle. They climbed countless stairs before reaching the surface. As soon as they stepped out, the glaring sunlight dazzled Emily's eyes. Olivia noticed her discomfort and tore a piece of cloth from her clothing, using it to cover Emily's eyes. Then, she carried Emily on her back and started running.

Since it was daytime and they were close to the castle, they didn't have to worry too much. However, Emily could clearly feel that Olivia's strength was waning.

"Olivia, put me down. Let's take it slowly," Emily said worriedly.

Olivia gritted her teeth and shook her head, carrying Emily far away before finally reaching the hidden car. She settled Emily inside the vehicle.

Emily removed the blindfold, her eyes now adjusted to the surrounding light. Olivia started the car, and to Emily's surprise, it stopped at the entrance of Benjamin's mansion.

Emily looked at Olivia in astonishment. Olivia clenched her teeth, enduring the pain in her body, and glanced at Emily. "I'll explain later," she said. With that, she supported Emily and led her into the basement.

Benjamin paced anxiously in the basement. When he saw Olivia and Emily return, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. He quickly helped Olivia support Emily and lay her down on the bed.

"What happened?" Emily, despite her overwhelming desire to sleep, wanted to know what had transpired.

"Father is dead..." Benjamin said, his brows furrowed. Emily could see the grief in his eyes, indicating that despite his fear of Boris, he had feelings for his father.

But why did he die? Emily remained perplexed, but she felt too exhausted to speak any further.