The silence after Dracula knelt wasn't peaceful.
It was heavy.
Those who didn't bow stood frozen—not out of defiance, but confusion. Fear. Pride. All tangled up. Some glanced around, unsure if they were already too late. Others clung to their bloodlines like shields.
Lord Verek didn't move.
Neither did Nira.
Helvain remained kneeling, shaking slightly, the veins around his eyes darkened from Lucifer's earlier presence. He couldn't stand. Even now, his knees refused him.
Lucifer turned his gaze toward the remaining few. Not harsh. Just… final.
"You still stand?" he asked softly.
No one answered.
Valena, still kneeling near the front, lifted her head slightly and looked between them.
"They don't understand," she whispered.
Lucifer heard her.
But his voice didn't come from his mouth.
It came from the walls. From the stone. From the realm itself.
It wasn't a spell. It wasn't magic.
