Chapter 1 – Burnout & Black Coffee
"I quit."
The words left Lux Vaelthorn's mouth with all the fire of a breaking contract. The kind of statement that shouldn't be possible inside the Underworld's most sacred financial institution—Vault Nexus Prime.
And yet, here he was.
Standing in the middle of the Executive Atrium like a freshly uncorked bottle of sarcasm and soul-crushing exhaustion, Lux looked absolutely done with life. His collar was open, tie half-removed, sleeves rolled up in casual rebellion. His black hair was slightly mussed like he hadn't bothered to brush it.
Behind him, a mountain of floating holographic files blinked in silent protest. Alerts. Notifications. Performance charts. Bored-looking demon assistants stood frozen nearby, contract scrolls clutched like they were bracing for a lawsuit.
Across from him, lounging far too comfortably for a man who had just returned from a 100-year honeymoon, sat Zavros Vaelthorn, the Lord of Greed. His obsidian-horned head tilted back in his executive hell-throne, tailored suit sharp enough to cut through treaties.
Beside him, equally unbothered and casually dangerous, was Seraphyne, his eternally gorgeous wife and the daughter of the Lord of Lust. She wore a long velvet dress that technically obeyed dress codes, if barely, her crimson nails tapping lightly on a crystal goblet filled with… something that sparkled and probably corrupted innocence.
They looked like two influencers who'd just returned from a luxury resort in the 9th Circle and hadn't noticed their teenage son aged into a traumatized 200-year-old war accountant while they were off breaking every bed in hell.
Zavros blinked once. "You quit… what?"
Lux threw his hands up. "Everything! This job. This hellhole of fiscal damnation! I've been running your empire while you two were off collecting honeymoon stamps like it's some kind of infernal challenge!"
Seraphyne took a slow sip from her goblet and gave a light smile. "You're adorable when you're stressed."
"I'm not adorable. I'm underpaid and spiritually withering."
Zavros frowned slightly. "You literally own half of hell's GDP."
"Ownership doesn't mean freedom!" Lux snapped, storming around the desk that technically belonged to his father but hadn't seen Zavros's ass in almost two centuries. "You left me with unpaid intern demons and quarterly hellfire taxes!"
He slammed both palms on the desk. The impact caused one of the contract ledgers to whimper and slink away into its drawer.
"You know I've been filing your cursed equity mergers? Negotiating with succubi guild unions? I even signed a treaty with Heaven's Neutral Bank last week. Heaven, Dad. Do you know how hard it is to get them to drop the 'Smite First, Ask Later' policy?"
Seraphyne blinked. "Wait. You went to Heaven?"
"Yes! I wore a tie and everything!"
She looked genuinely impressed. "Aww."
Zavros, still somehow confused, leaned forward. "Lux, you're overreacting. The work is important. You've been holding up the entire economic system of three infernal planes. That's incredible."
"No," Lux said, voice sharp. "It's a hostage situation with spreadsheets."
He grabbed his favorite mug—solid obsidian, etched in gold. It read: #1 Overworked Spawn of Greed and Lust. He didn't remember who gave it to him, but it might've been himself. Out of pity.
"I haven't had sleep in decades. I've had to manage souls, sin-fueled interest rates, and emotional labor while you two were off having synchronized bubble baths in lava pits! I'm so tired—" he pointed to his own eyes. "—even my eye bags have bags. One of them is screaming for union rights!"
Seraphyne, still lounging like a fashion goddess who moonlighted as a heartbreaker, murmured, "We didn't even send that many postcards…"
"I'm your only child!" Lux practically shouted, flinging his hand toward the blinking system window behind him. "Do you know how many times the System has warned me I'm one coffee bean away from a nervous breakdown?!"
[Current Burnout Level: 99.87%]
[Please ingest caffeine or commit tax fraud to stabilize mental state.]
[Also, your hair is frizzy.]
"Even the System's glitching from stress! It keeps throwing weird comments at me like it's having a breakdown! It's overworked—I'm overworked!"
Zavros exhaled slowly, standing from his throne with the aura of a man used to closing trillion-soul deals without blinking. "Lux. You are the Heir of Greed. Your soul is literally bound to the throne. You can't quit."
Lux's red eyes narrowed. "Fine."
Zavros blinked. "Fine?"
"I won't quit," Lux said, voice steady, too calm. "I'll just… take a break."
There was a beat of silence. Even the temperature dropped.
"A break?" Seraphyne asked, brow raised.
Lux nodded, backing toward the massive gold-trimmed elevator at the far side of the office. "Yeah. A break. A little vacation. Time off. Mental health leave. Whatever they call it in the mortal world."
Zavros followed, confused. "How long?"
Lux pressed the elevator button.
"One. Hundred. Years."
Seraphyne made a choking sound. "Excuse me?!"
"You had 100 honeymoons!" Lux said, throwing up his arms. "Let me have one coffee break."
Zavros looked like he'd just been hit with a divine audit. "Lux. Be reasonable. There's work to do. Wars to fund. Souls to manage—"
"You do it," Lux said, stepping inside as the doors hissed open. "You're the Lord of Greed, right?"
"That's not how inheritance works!"
"Then revoke it."
The elevator glowed, summoning the portal runes to the Mortal Realm. Dark power poured in, tinged with the scent of roasted coffee beans and capitalism.
Lux visibly inhaled.
Gods. He missed the mortal realm.
Not the people. Not the weather. Just the coffee. The good stuff. Bitter, overpriced, served in recycled aesthetic cups and brewed by hipsters who thought they were philosophers. That stupid beautiful chaos.
He'd read the reviews. Followed the forums. Watched mortal influencers grind beans on social media.
He was so ready.
Zavros stepped forward, looking genuinely worried now. "You can't just leave. You're our heir. You're—"
"Burnt out. Done. And in need of a caramel macchiato."
"Lux—" Zavros reached for the elevator, but Lux pointed at him, firm.
"Nope, nope. This is family-run slavery. And I'm not dying of stress before I hit my third century. I'll call when I feel like inheriting again."
Zavros opened his mouth.
Lux cut him off.
"I'm going to the mortal realm. I'm going to drink good coffee. And I'm going to sleep like I've never paid taxes."
He grinned, slow and dangerous.
"Try to stop me, and I'll leak your quarterly mismanagement report to the angels."
Zavros froze.
"…You wouldn't."
Lux winked.
The doors slid shut.
[Tracking High-Luxury Cafes Nearby…]
[LOCATION: Earth – Upper District, Capital City]
[STATUS: on the way]
[Coffee Nearby: 3 Shops]
He smiled.
"…Finally."
Let the coffee break begin.