In Underworld, Emilia's screen time had been almost nonexistent. She was little more than a background figure, a minor character who barely left an impression before being brutally killed by a pack of werewolves led by Lucian. Drained of blood and discarded, her end had seemed pitiful—almost laughably weak for someone of her supposed status.
But appearances were deceptive.
Within the vampire hierarchy, Emilia stood just beneath Marcus and Viktor. Her authority and strength were anything but trivial. A being who could ascend to the rank of elder was never as fragile as they appeared on the surface.
"Mr. Rorschach," Emilia said after stepping forward, her voice smooth but direct, "may I examine the Supreme Ring?"
She wasted no time with pleasantries.
"Of course," Ryan replied calmly, handing the ring over without hesitation. "Take a good look."
Emilia accepted it carefully, her fingers steady as she began a brief inspection. At first, her expression remained neutral, but within seconds, it shifted.
Her face grew serious.
Her eyes flicked toward Ryan, reassessing him.
Then, without another word, she bit down lightly on her finger. A bead of dark red blood welled up, and she let it fall onto the surface of the ring.
The reaction was immediate.
The blood didn't drip or smear—it vanished.
Like water absorbed into dry soil, the ring consumed it instantly.
At that exact moment, Emilia felt it.
A pressure.
Not physical, but something deeper—something rooted in blood itself. It surged through her senses, pressing down on her very being, as if reminding her of a hierarchy she could not defy.
Her pupils shrank.
"Emilia greets the Supreme!"
The shift was instantaneous. She lowered her head, her posture respectful, her tone devoid of hesitation.
Behind her, Klein's expression changed dramatically. The last traces of doubt vanished from his face, replaced by urgency and reverence. He followed Emilia's lead without delay, bowing deeply.
Ryan simply nodded.
He reached out and took the ring back at his own pace, sliding it onto his finger once more as if the entire display meant very little to him.
Then he spoke, his tone casual.
"Dracula told me I'd be your master from now on." He glanced at Emilia, his expression calm but unreadable. "So tell me—does what he says carry weight here?"
For the first time, Emilia felt genuine tension.
A thin sheen of sweat formed on her forehead.
Dracula was more than just an ancestor. He was the origin, a near-mythical existence revered by every vampire lineage. His authority was absolute.
And yet this man spoke of him so casually.
Not with reverence.
Not even with caution.
As if they were equals.
The thought that Ryan might have taken the ring by force never even crossed her mind. That scenario was beyond absurd. Dracula's power was legendary—godlike. No one could simply take something from him.
Which left only one conclusion.
Dracula had willingly given it.
"Supreme," Emilia said immediately, her voice firm and unwavering, "on behalf of our entire lineage, I pledge our loyalty to you."
There was no hesitation.
No resistance.
Only submission.
"Good," Ryan said lightly, clearly satisfied.
He didn't waste time on formalities.
"Two things," he continued. "First, I need a place to stay. Second, I need you to investigate something."
"What do you require?" Emilia asked at once.
"William Stryker," Ryan said. "Army major… maybe lieutenant colonel. I don't remember his exact rank. He runs a secret research base on an island. I want its location."
His tone remained steady, but the intent behind it was unmistakable.
With Sebastian Shaw dealt with, it was time to move on.
Stryker was next.
And maybe, just maybe, there was something more to gain from that encounter.
Originally, Ryan had considered asking Charles Xavier to locate Stryker using Cerebro. But things had changed too quickly. Their paths had diverged before that plan could ever be realized.
Going back now wasn't an option.
Which was exactly why he had claimed this vampire clan so quickly.
Even with his current strength, there were limits. His enhanced hearing could cover all of New York, but beyond that, it fell short. He had already tried listening for Stryker's location.
Nothing.
Homelander's abilities weren't limitless. Not yet.
So if brute force didn't work, he'd use something else.
Networks.
Resources.
Influence.
"Military personnel…" Emilia said carefully, a trace of hesitation creeping into her voice. "Supreme, that may be beyond our capabilities."
Ryan's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Oh?"
"We do have connections within human society," Emilia explained quickly, choosing her words with care. "But the military is… difficult to penetrate. Especially at that level."
"You're not lying to me?" Ryan's gaze sharpened, a cold edge slipping into his voice.
The pressure was immediate.
"I swear in Dracula's name," Emilia replied, forcing a faint, strained smile, "everything I've said is true."
She didn't stop there.
"Our clan is not large," she continued. "At best, we are mid-sized. Across all our strongholds, we have just over three hundred members."
Ryan frowned slightly.
That was… smaller than expected.
He had been operating under the assumption that vampire influence mirrored what he knew from later timelines—deep, widespread, almost impossible to root out. But this was the 1960s.
Things were different.
This wasn't a unified race.
It was fragmented.
Different clans. Different scales.
And this one?
Barely over three hundred.
That limited their reach significantly.
Ryan didn't press further.
Expecting them to uncover a hidden military installation might have been unrealistic. But that didn't mean the situation was hopeless.
If they couldn't find the base…
Then they could find the man.
And Ryan knew exactly where to start.
There was someone who had escaped Stryker's facility. Someone who knew exactly where it was.
Gambit.
The one who got out.
The one who could lead the way.
"Fine," Ryan said after a brief pause. "Then change the objective. Find William Stryker himself. As fast as possible."
Even a mid-sized clan had value.
They had existed for centuries, embedding themselves into society piece by piece. Over that time, they had built connections across countless industries and institutions.
Their reach might not extend into the military's deepest secrets.
But it was far from insignificant.
And that was more than enough for Ryan to work with.
.....
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