A tough procedure

" Yes so, Max, coming back to your predicament…. " Said Severus as he stroked Max's numb hands 

" You see, boy, you are a weird one, I have personally seen all sorts of creatures. Humans, Vampires, Zombies, Goblins, Hobgoblins, FireGoblins,DumbGoblins, basically a lot of goblins. 

But never have I ever seen a creature to survive the first awakening but still not possess a mana stat. In this achievement, I must say you are alone.

The mana veins in your body are collapsed shut, but somehow you can still survive in this mana-rich environment without suffering from mana poisoning, THAT is truly fascinating". Severus said as he beamed with joy, he had never met a specimen as unique as Max. 

" You see Max, Vampires are a race that can be both born and created. 

Not only can vampires be born naturally, but elves and humans are two special species that can also be converted into the vampire race through a special process we call vampirefication. 

You see there is only one big difference between you humans and us vampires and it's the fact that you are warm-blooded animals and we vampires are cold-blooded. 

While the natural human pulse is 80 BPM, Vampire hearts only beat once a minute for newborns, and twice or thrice for adults. 

So compared to humans it's very very low, and it's due to this that we don't have the property of thermoregulation, we cannot maintain our temperature at a 310K constant, rather our body temperature fluctuates all over the place, helping us adapt to both hot and cold environments easily, as our organs don't fail even when internal temperatures are very high or very low ". Severus explained the basics of vampire anatomy to Max, as he cautiously began to set up the experiment, attaching all sorts of medical equipment to Max's body and injecting all sorts of serums into his arms through a Vigo. 

' Boy, he is going to make you a vampire, this lad, it will be a very painful process, so keep talking to me throughout, no matter the pain, just keep talking with me normally okay? Drax said to Max, who bit on the cotton hard and replied to Drax within his mind ' Okay grandpa, I understand '. 

" What happens in vampirefication is basically all the human blood in your body is drained, in the olden days it would be through one, two, or maybe a bunch of vampires feasting on your blood, but we are not so crude anymore so we use machines.

So basically for about a minute or two, you would be left bloodless and dead. 

And then, the blood of a vampire will be used to replace the lost blood in your body, in your case rejoice, it will be the blood of me and Asiva! Rejoice for both of us hail from very very powerful clans as well as a third major bloodline which is even more powerful! It is an honor that quite literally will be worth upwards of a few billion coins for the right buyer, but you my boy, get it for absolutely free! 

This vampire blood will kick-start your heart and transform your organs, change the structure of your muscles, and will rip your old body to pieces before reconstructing it. 

It will be very painful, but you will be a vampire at the end of it! 

Well if you survive anyway". Severus said as he connected three big machines and poked several needles in Max's body. 

" Try your best to survive Max, it will be a shame for me to see someone with a fate as interesting as yours die so early in life.

If you do survive, I will have lots of surprises for you when you wake up! 

Good surprises, not bad ones, I promise! 

So try your best... " Severus said with lots of self-doubts as he turned and gave instructions to the assistants, however, stopped mid-way as he turned and took out the cotton from Max's mouth.

" Do you have any last words? Err… I mean any doubts? ". Severus asked with his eyebrows raised 

" M-my brother is a god, he will rip you, your dumb Saint Maximus, and your vampire king Regus Aurelius to pieces, I swear ". Max said with a panting voice, the injections that Severus had given his body messing with his mind as he began hallucinating. 

Severus paused for a second, and there was visible fear in the eyes of his assistants who seemingly no longer wanted to follow through with the procedure. 

However, while Max's threat was supposed to be a deterrent, all it did was pique Severus's interest in him even more as the mad albino said " Well well well, a divine bloodline just makes you even more valuable as a test subject, doesn't it …. 

Hahahahaha, see you on this side Max, or the other … hahahahahaha ". 

Max heard the roaring laughter of Severus, as he signaled to start the procedure, his eyes shutting down as if they were too heavy for him to keep open anymore as his brain felt like it was ready to burst any second now.

' Don't sleep boy!, Don't you dare sleep, talk to me… talk to me! We will get through this! DON'T GIVE UP ON ME BOY! MAX! '. Max heard the shouts of an old man, they seemed to be distant and far, almost like the ramblings of his deceased father. 

Max felt like he was falling into a bottomless abyss, it was scary but peaceful at the same time. 

Max felt all his ambitions, and all his desires being lost to the darkness as he became light and burden free. It felt like a liberation, seeing his burdens leave his falling body one after another.

However, soon after the burdens, it was things that he loved that started to leave him.

Jake 

Amy 

Naomi 

Max frowned and started to struggle against the abyss, completely freaking out when he saw Rudra leave him.

Max struggled as he held on firmly to the ankles of his brother, however, while he stopped falling it seemed like he was stuck in one place, unable to move back up either. 

Max gritted his teeth and tried to pull himself up, but it was to no avail.

' I refuse to give up, Not here, Not yet! Never! ' 

Max let out a primal roar, and a golden angel seemed to fly down the abyss as if answering his call, bringing light to the dark world that he was in. 

Max recognised the angel, it was Hazriel, his benefactor. 

Hazriel pushed Max from behind as Max clutched onto Rudra's heels on top, combining to move back up the abyss that he had fallen into, towards light and towards life!

As Max finally made it out of the abyss, he regained all his burdens and his loved ones, losing only and only one thing at the very end. 

It was a precious thing, an intangible asset that could be said to be his defining trait. However, he no longer had it anymore. The price to escape the abyss was steep, and to come out of there alive Max had to lose his humanity.