Preparation

The eerie tap seemed to reverberate along with Lord Archus' words, and Milo couldn't help but feel a cold shiver along his spine as goosebumps emerged on his deformed body. Such words coming from such a small child would typically not be intimidating, but when it came from Lord Archus, all of his senses screamed in protest to get out of here.

"Oh? It knows fear... Does it understand me? Velkan?" Lord Archus said as it stared into Milo's eyes.

"Pa-pardon? From what we know, it should be able to think like a newborn chil-" said the nervous researcher before being interrupted.

"Silence!" screamed the child without ever breaking eye contact with Milo, "Nod your head if you understand me.". As the child spoke these words, his red eyes slightly glimmered with light. Milo felt something touch the tip of his consciousness as it compelled to nod his head as ordered, but because his head was too heavy, he instead did a front flip in the vat.

'Fuck! This stupid deformed body.'

"I've changed my mind; I'll be taking over the ritual. Prepare the alchemic circle and bring the sacrifice immediately." said the child who looked surprised at first, but his facial expression changed into a grin that seemed amused at Milo. Veneration and awe could be seen amongst the researchers before they scurried off in preparation. Lord Archus tilted his head with curiosity as he never broke eye contact with Milo for several minutes before he turned his head to examine how the preparations were going.

The researchers had moved several vats out of the way and made a clearing. Soon they had brought a dirty distraught woman who was chained; she wailed in despair as she fought futilely against her captors. "Please...release me! Give me back my child and let us go!!" she screamed, but soon enough, a man was brought into the room, but his face seemed to have given up all hope until he laid eyes upon the young women.

"Samantha!" yelled the feeble man as tears smeared the dirt upon his face.

"Da-Daniels..?" the woman mumbled, but before they could say anything else, a shadow flitted across the room. A hand had seemingly appeared out of the man's chest, within its grasps was the man's heart. At first, it did not register to the woman what had happened, but soon, her tragic wails became so desperate it pained Milo to the depths of his being.

"Sorry to have interrupted your heartbreaking reunion, but I'm in a rush! Now shut up and wait your turn..." said Lord Archus in an amusing tone as he ripped his arm out from the man.

"You monster!! May the Gods smite you! May they obliterate your dirty race from this pla-!" screamed the woman before the shadow flickered once more, and she was lifted into the air by her throat. Her dainty hands clasped the small child's hand as she gasped for air as her legs kicked the ground to pull away from his grasp.

"Now, now. No need for insults!" chuckled Lord Archus. "Gag this one, please.". Soon the researchers tied a cloth into a knot before stuffing it in her mouth and tying it behind her head before locking her chains to a nearby hoop that was on the wall.

Lord Archus then moved to a table that had been prepared with ingredients and placed the heart at the center of a small alchemic circle. He chanted with glee as he took pinches of many unknown materials and sprinkled it upon the still bloody heart. Soon light emanated from the heart and began beating once more with renewed vigor. "Prepare the homunculus..." the vampiric child ordered as he held the heart into the air as if admiring his work.

Milo watched this entire scene helplessly overwhelmed by all that was happening. A million thoughts raced through his mind, but he was currently powerless and unable to do anything. There was nowhere to run nor any way to hide inside his vat. Soon, Milo's vat was lifted and brought over towards the area in which the woman was being held captive. Lord Archus had walked in between the woman and Milo, but before he could understand what was happening, she was decapitated. Blood spurted out like a fountain all over the place as it bathed the child in a scarlet viscous liquid. The child sadistically smiled as if relishing in the feeling before licking his lips clean.

"Delicious..." said Lord Archus before he raised his right hand, and all the blood that splattered across the room risen into the air to form a ball of plasma. The room was once more spotlessly clean until the blood began to slowly turn into a stream of liquid that painted the floor with alchemic runes. Slowly and intricately, it began to form into an alchemic circle that had hundreds of patterns and shapes. The whole process took several minutes until the child chirped "Done!" in a manner that was similar to a child finishing his sandcastle.

Lord Archus began to clap his hand merrily before exclaiming "Remove the experiment from the vat and place him carefully within the circle. Be sure not to ruin my beautiful artwork."

Soon a couple researchers had grabbed two metal rods with hooks at the end and approached him. The slowly stuck the hooks under his armpits and lifted him out of the vat. As soon as Milo's head surfaced out the liquid he took his first excruciating breath of air. Each breath burned his lungs as if he had just run a marathon. Soon the pain emanated further across his entire body and Milo could feel his lifeforce rapidly deplete.