James laughed when he heard his father. Richard would certainly do something like that. James leaned against the wall but discovered that it was moist, so he stopped resting against it. "How many years have you been doing this, Father?" he questioned. Draven did not turn back to his son and spoke out while mixing some kind of vivid fluid. "I built this place for myself when I was 15 years old."
As James heard his father, his eyes widened, noting that his father had been doing such experiments for a very long time. James was genuinely stunned by it. Then, suddenly, he focused on the dead person there.
When James glanced at the dead body, he noticed that the bottom portion was gone. He searched the area in search of the bottom section but could not find it. He thought about asking his father about it, but something was bothering him. He observed his father becoming preoccupied with combining various fluids.
James could not help but ask, "Father, what about that human body?"
Draven stopped mixing when he heard his son and turned his head to look at him. Immediately after giving James a harsh look, he turned to gaze at Kabuto and Derek. They understood the emperor's desire for them to depart from the area. After bowing, they immediately walked out of the room. Draven approached the human corpse, and James gently followed his father.
"James, I usually keep my experiments a secret; even if you are my son, I still can't tell you everything," Draven said as he tilted his head.
James raised an eyebrow since he was so aware of his father. His father would never expose his secret skill or the source of it to them because he did not believe his sons.
"But, father," James said after taking a long breath, "what if I attempt to help you here? Won't you tell me?"
Draven arched one brow and then grinned out of nowhere. You are showing interest in my business, James; he replied contemptuously.
As soon as James heard what his father said, his expression abruptly turned serious. He tried his hardest to smile. He was attempting to avert his father's attention when he understood how horrible that was. Draven turned his attention away from his son and carefully began rattling the liquid once again.
Draven would never say such a thing. Although James could be drawn to Draven's path, it was not the best for him. Because Draven knew that if James found out, he would not keep silent; after all, James was his son. If James had gotten a chance, he would have killed him as well; therefore, he had to be cautious with his bloodline, he thought as he narrowed his gaze. He placed the flask on the table before returning to James.
"I am delighted you are interested in my experiment," he remarked, placing his hand on James's shoulder. "Is it okay with you if I invite you here?"
After hearing his father, James gave a little smile. Certainly, he wanted to come here, but he wasn't dumb enough to put his faith in his father. He would come, although not always regularly. Thus, in response to his father's invitation, he answered, "I'd love to take part, father. Nevertheless, I don't think I can attend regularly since, as you are aware, I only have two days left until the competition, and then we must go to Sofia. Consequently, I will be concentrating on my needs and my training."
"Oh, yeah."
Draven stated this with a serious expression. He stroked his beard and mused before saying, "But today I heard something. Was that correct?"
James pretended not to know, but he understood what his father was trying to tell him. "What is it, Father?" he asked.
"I overheard Alfred aiming his sword at you. Is that true?"
James appeared to be pondering something, as his eyes remained glued to the damp wall. After some time, he finally said, "It's not entirely true, Father. I was speaking to Adela about the assignment and inquiring what she would do if the First Prince could not be there before the tournament."
He stopped, took a deep breath, and added again, "But before she could answer me, out of the blue, Lord Alfred came and pointed his sword at me. It was pretty upsetting to witness him being so possessive of his daughter."
Hearing his son, Draven instantly started laughing. James kept a blank expression on his face. He occasionally struggled to comprehend his father. But his current thoughts were on his father's experiments. James rolled his eyes around the place and wondered what his father was going to do.
Yet the temperature in the chamber was lower than in other chambers. It might be that this chamber was subterranean, which would explain why, or the emperor could have used magic to seal the chamber. James instantly turned to look at his father as he heard his voice.
"James, I need a powerful magician who can lend me her body. I want to experiment with her body with so many different animals and want to create a new one."
Draven spoke as he dissected an organ from the deceased snake. James narrowed his eyes and said, "I didn't understand it. Do you mean half human and half animal?"
"You can say it that way, but I had a different notion."
"What is it, Father?" James inquired, his eyes narrowing and his voice curious.
Draven smirked at his kid and asked, "If I teach you everything today, what will you learn the next day?"
"Let's go. I've completed my task here." Draven walked as he spoke.
James kept his gaze fixed on his father for a few moments before nodding faintly. He had to be grateful that his father had given him some of his time. He ought to be happy because his father would not readily give everything to everyone. His father was the veritable devil, James thought, while following him.
Draven strolled along while smiling; he appeared pleased that his second son had discovered his secret place and had not even opposed him. Because of this, he liked his second son. Yet, since he was so familiar with himself, he did not like that his second son began to like everything he did. He observed the second son heading for him, and he was cognizant of his icy-heartedness. He killed his father, making it impossible for him to have faith in his sons, especially James. He could deal with Richard emotionally, but not with James! Draven furrowed his brows in thought.
Draven was aware of what he had done with James, and James was the first successful experiment in his life. Draven started ascending while he was still deliberating, and James was right behind him, following him.
**
As Adela and Elise emerged from the fireplace, they stumbled to the floor. Elise groaned in agony because it was her first time attempting something like this and she had hurt her elbow.
"Ahh."
Adela sprang up and said, "Don't make any noise. Guards probably come here to check things out." Elise gave a nod. She carefully rose to her feet and moved her eyes. Except for that fireplace, the library was completely dark. Elise spoke as she rolled her eyes.
"It's dark, my lady. What are we going to do here?"
Adela made her way over to a bookcase. On the wall, there was a lantern. She ignited the lantern after getting it. Adela approached Elise and said, "No need to worry, we have it. Don't be scared."
After saying this, Adela walked away, and Elise soon followed. Moving ahead, Adela remarked, "Elise, we are here to find some books, and we have to find a secret chamber."
"Secret room? Where is it?" Elise asked.
"I don't know; we have to find it," Adela remarked as she began looking for books.
Elisa was interested in learning more, but it was too dark. When she moved her attention, she noticed they were passing two bookcases. After a short stroll, Adela picked up three books, two of which were white magic books and one of which was black magic. Elise widened her eyes, being with her master, nowadays she had gained a little knowledge of magic. She could be referred to as support. Elise took three books, and then she started following Adela. "My lady, this library is so huge; how can we find a secret room here?" she said as she peered around with such curiosity.
Adela came to a stop in the middle of the sidewalk and appeared to be searching for something. Then, out of nowhere, she said, "I have you, and you have me; together, we shall find it."
Elise sighed. She understood her master was kidding. Yet she stated it seriously. Elise furrowed her brows ever so slightly and sped up her stride to meet Adela's. After some time, Adela placed the books on the table and motioned for Elise to take a seat.
"Elise, please take your seat and try to read these books right away."
"What?" Elise responded, her eyes widening. Did her master bring her here to read a book? Impossible; she hated reading.
To be continued.