Yandere Levelling in Her World-Chapter 193 - 194: Children of Judith

Silver's eyes fluttered open to darkness. Her head throbbed with a dull persistent ache. The taste of metal lingered on her tongue and her limbs felt heavy as though weights had been strapped to every joint.

She tried to move but thick ropes bit into her wrists and ankles pinning her to a hard wooden chair. The coarse fibers scraped against her skin with every futile twist.

A low mechanical hum filled the room. She looked down. A thin tube snaked from the inside of her elbow connected to a small sinister machine perched on a metal stand beside her.

The device clicked and whirred softly as it drew dark red blood from her vein in slow rhythmic pulses. A clear collection bag hung below already half full. Silver stared at the setup in raw shock. Her breath hitched. She yanked against the restraints but the ropes held firm.

Before panic could fully take root a figure stirred in the shadows directly across from her. A woman sat on a low stool legs crossed elbows resting on her knees.

She leaned forward slightly watching Silver with intense unblinking interest. Short black hair framed a sharp face. The same leather jacket from the alley clung to her slender frame. Drain.

The woman tilted her head and offered a slow almost affectionate smile.

"Welcome back sister" Drain said her voice soft and smooth carrying an edge of amusement. "I didn't think that gas would work on you that much. Normally it is used to knock down disaster level monsters. Maybe that's why it hit you so hard. Overkill perhaps but effective."

Silver's throat felt raw. She forced the word out anyway. "Drain..."

Drain nodded once the motion small and deliberate. "Yes sister. I'm glad at least you remember me even though our mother exiled me."

Silver's voice rose sharp despite the weakness dragging at her words. "She exiled you because you tried to steal from her."

Drain's smile widened but it never reached her eyes. She rose gracefully from the stool and closed the distance between them in two slow steps. She leaned down until her face hovered inches from Silver's. Their breaths mingled in the stale air.

Silver glared up at her. "How did that work for you?"

Drain's gaze dropped to Silver's lips for a moment before flicking back up. She spoke so quietly the words felt like a secret shared between them. "It worked really well unlike you. Now I don't have to rely on someone's blood for my power."

Silver let out a bitter laugh that turned into a cough. "Great. So betrayal worked in your favor. If that's true then why the fuck are you still chasing us? Why am I here?"

Drain straightened. She turned slightly and glanced at the blood collection bag. The red liquid swirled gently inside as the machine continued its steady work. Pity flickered across her features brief and unexpected.

"I don't like what Judith is doing to you girls" Drain said. Her tone had lost some of its playfulness. "So I'm going to knock some sense into her."

She walked a slow circle around the chair fingers trailing lightly along the backrest. Silver tracked her every move muscles tense despite the restraints.

"I know what kind of woman Judith is" Drain continued. "She is not the savior she pretends to be. She definitely has motives. Selfish motives." Drain stopped behind Silver and leaned close again lips near her ear. "And you probably even know them. Isn't that why you were looking after that Liberator building?"

"I wasn't looking after the building. I just happened to be there." Silver muttered.

Drain paused. She stepped back into view and crouched so their eyes were level. "Then what were you looking after?"

Silver pressed her lips together. She stared straight ahead refusing to answer.

Drain studied her for a long moment. Then she shrugged as though the silence meant nothing. "I will get my answers. But for now give me the blood Judith gave you. I will show you something interesting."

She reached for the collection bag. With practiced ease she detached it from the machine and sealed the tube. The bag dangled from her fingers heavy with Silver's blood. Drain held it up to the dim light filtering through a single barred window high on the wall. The liquid caught the faint glow and shimmered darkly.

Without another word Drain turned and walked toward the only door in the room. It was solid steel dented in places with no visible handle on this side. She rapped twice. The door opened from the outside. A sliver of harsher light spilled in outlining Drain's silhouette.

She glanced back at Silver one last time. "Rest sister. This will all make sense soon."

The door clanged shut behind her. The lock engaged with a heavy thud.

Silence settled over the room broken only by the faint drip of condensation somewhere in the shadows and the occasional creak of the old building settling. Silver sat alone bound to the chair the empty tube still taped to her arm. A small bead of blood welled at the puncture site and trickled down her forearm.

She closed her eyes and drew a slow shaky breath. The fog from the gas had mostly cleared leaving behind exhaustion and a bone deep ache. Her thoughts turned immediately to Ren.

He had been upstairs with Anna when the explosions started. She had seen the smoke heard the fighting. Had he gotten out? Was he hurt?

Silver's fingers curled into fists against the ropes. She tested the bindings again searching for any give. Nothing. The knots were professional tight designed to hold someone much stronger than she felt right now.

"Ren" she whispered into the darkness. "Don't die."

***

Ren grabbed Anna's hand and pulled her toward the fire escape. Smoke poured thick from the shattered windows below. Flames already licked up the side of the old liberator house turning night into flickering orange day. They scrambled down the rusty metal stairs. Each step groaned under their weight.

Halfway down Anna stopped and looked back. The entire lower floor glowed from inside. Windows burst outward in showers of glass. Black smoke rolled into the sky like an angry storm.

She stomped her foot hard on the landing. The metal rang out. "Fuck! Who the hell are they?"

Ren landed beside her. He kept his grip on her hand tight. His golden threads had faded but faint sparkles still drifted off his skin like dying embers. He stared at the burning building too. Shadows of people moved inside some running some fighting some falling.

"Looks like a bunch of hired mercenaries" Ren said quietly. "They knew exactly where to hit. And the way they talked they think your mother Victoria will pay big for you. That means she has connections with them. Probably hired them herself or at least knows the people who did."

Anna's jaw clenched so hard her teeth ached. She spat blood onto the grated floor from her still-bleeding lip. "That pompous bitch."

Ren turned to her. Soot streaked his face but his eyes stayed calm. "What shall we do? Are we going to complain to the police?"

Anna let out a harsh laugh. It sounded more like a snarl. "It's no use. We're already frowned upon by them. Two runaways with powers? They will probably arrest us first and ask questions later. No help is coming from that side."

She looked back at the fire. A section of roof collapsed with a thunderous crash. Sparks shot high into the air. Somewhere inside someone screamed then went silent.

"It looks like Judith is not fully aligning with our goals either" Anna muttered. Her voice dropped low almost to herself. "She talks big about freedom and fighting the system but she keeps too many secrets. Too many strings. Let these powerful families do whatever they want as long as they are on her side."

Ren shrugged his shoulders. The motion looked almost casual. "I already knew that."

Anna glanced at him sharp. "You did?"

He nodded once. "From the start. She smiles too much when she lies. Typical politican."

They stood there for a moment watching the flames eat the building they had called home for months. Sirens wailed in the distance getting closer. Soon the street would fill with flashing lights and shouting officers.

Ren's lips curved into a small smile. It started slow then grew until it reached his eyes. The expression looked strange on his soot-covered face almost playful.

Anna noticed immediately. She tilted her head. "What's wrong baby? Why are you smiling like that?"

Ren's smile widened. He squeezed her hand. "I got an idea. Why don't we go and greet your mother? I have something I want to show her."

Anna blinked. For a second she looked like she might argue. Then her own lips twitched. A spark of something dangerous lit in her eyes. "You want to walk straight into Mother's house? After all this?"

"Exactly" Ren said. "They came for us. They burned our place. They hurt you. I think it's only fair we return the visit. Personally."

Anna studied him. The Ren she knew from before the explosion had been quiet careful always thinking three steps ahead. This Ren felt different. Sharper. Like the golden threads inside him had changed more than just his power.

"You really want to do this?" she asked.

Ren met her gaze steady. "I want them to see what happens when they touch what's mine. And I want you to see it too. You will see something interesting today!"