The obsidian throne room pulsed with a dim, unnatural glow. No torches burned, no lamps flickered, yet the shadows themselves revealed just enough. The Dark Lord sat upon his throne, carved from the skull of a colossal dragon, when she appeared.
Victoria moved as though gravity bent to her. Her crimson gown flowed in waves of silk, her emerald eyes gleaming with mischief and certainty.
"My love," she purred, velvet over steel, "I've come to offer my support. To help you build the empire you desire."
He chuckled low, a sound that echoed through the throne room. "Always ahead of me, princess." He gestured to the empty throne beside him. "Sit. We have much to discuss."
She glided into place, her hand warm against his. Then her lips curved into a smirk.
"I've already spoken with your seven… guests. They're impressed with your taste."
He froze, then flushed. "They were watching us?"
A whisper of voices rose from the shadows. "Yes, Dark Lord."
Victoria laughed softly, cruel and playful. "It was quite the performance. You've made them your audience."
His embarrassment simmered into anger, then into reluctant amusement. "Enough games. If they've watched, let them also work." He rose, and with a gesture, a great round table of polished obsidian formed at the heart of the chamber. "Tonight, we shape an empire."
The shadows rippled. The Seven emerged one by one, each radiating a different kind of menace. They did not kneel like prisoners—they came forward like rivals weighed down by oaths.
Victoria rose, her voice clear, formal, commanding. "Allow me to introduce them properly. You should know who stands before you."
She moved first to the broad-shouldered brute whose fists crackled with rage.
"This is Ira, conqueror and warlord. His rage burned kingdoms to ash, until even his allies chained him. Now he is your shield, your blade, your terror."
Ira's jaw flexed, fire simmering in his eyes. "Give me enemies, and they will remember your name through screams."
Victoria's hand brushed to a woman robed in silks that shimmered with false faces.
"Vidi. Sorceress of deception. She twisted reality itself, driving nations mad. For her, truth was just another illusion."
Vidi's lips curved, splitting into a dozen phantom smiles before settling into one. "I will make them doubt even their own eyes."
A tall figure with the bearing of royalty stepped next, pride carved into every line of his face.
"Subia. Once a king who crowned himself emperor of all. His pride devoured his people, and so he was devoured in turn. But ambition never truly dies."
Subia bowed with mock grace. "Your throne, my Lord, need not stand alone. I will place it among empires."
A slender woman followed, scrolls and chains of ink swirling at her feet.
"Opor. Scholar without mercy. Her wisdom bent minds, toppled dynasties, and rewrote histories to her design. Knowledge is her weapon."
Opor inclined her head, eyes glinting. "Your shadows will be sharpened with wisdom."
Victoria gestured to a man whose beauty was almost painful, every movement calculated like a seduction.
"Li. Painter, singer, deceiver. His art enslaved hearts and his beauty ruined kings. He made love itself into chains."
Li smirked, eyes half-lidded. "I will make the world beg to serve."
Beside him, a woman cloaked in coins and jewels that seemed to shimmer from nowhere.
"Ava. Merchant without limit. Her greed rewove economies, her schemes collapsed nations. She devoured wealth the way others devour food."
Ava's smile was sharp as a dagger. "Every coin shall serve you."
Finally, the hulking figure with too many mouths stepped forward. The air reeked faintly of spice and blood.
"And Vor," Victoria said softly. "A chef who brought kingdoms to their knees—not with armies, but with feasts laced in poison. His meals have slain more rulers than war itself."
Vor grinned, all his mouths speaking in unison. "If I must feed, let me feed empires."
The Dark Lord's smirk spread. "Then your titles are yours no longer. From this night, you are mine—and you will build with me."
With a sweep of his hand, shadows bound them not as chains, but as marks on their foreheads. His voice thundered:
"I will not rule as a tyrant who burns blindly. This will be precise. Hidden. A syndicate of shadows, striking where the light cannot reach. From this day, we are the Shadow Syndicate."
Assignments
He met their gazes one by one, echoing Victoria's introductions but reshaping them into purpose.
"Ava. Treasurer. Expand our coffers, manage our assets, and turn greed into my weapon."
"Li. Recruiter. Bind followers with your charm, and turn their ambition into loyalty."
"Opor. Strategist. Map the enemy's moves. Keep us one step ahead."
"Ira. Enforcer. Be my terror, my blade, my shield."
"Vidi. Illusionist. Twist perception, spread chaos, and make our enemies fight shadows."
"Subia. Diplomat. Broker our deals, secure alliances, place us among the great powers. And you will be the face of the Syndicate. You shall lead."
Finally, he turned to Vor.
"And Vor… you are hunger embodied. You shall be chef."
Vor blinked, then laughed with all his mouths. "Chef?"
"You will master my table and more—manage resources, supplies, and sustenance for the Horde I will raise. A kingdom's strength begins with its bread."
Vor's laugh rumbled deeper. "Then I will feed empires."
The others chuckled darkly, tension eased but respect sharpened.
And then, his gaze softened as it fell on her.
"Victoria. You are queen. My balance. My flame. Together we rule."
She squeezed his hand, eyes alight. "Always, my love."
The Rules
He rose again, voice like thunder striking stone.
"There will be rules. Three. Simple. Unbreakable.
First—no killing without my word. Only I decide whose soul is consumed.
Second—we strike only the corrupt, the predators who feed on the weak. Innocents are off limits.
Third—No one among you shall show your power to anyone publicly."
His voice hardened, shadows burning on their marks.
"Defy me, and the chains you felt last night will drag you lower than death."
The Seven stiffened. None spoke.
The First Step
Victoria leaned forward, her voice a silken whisper. "Every empire needs a home. I suggest the City of the Lost—a place of shadows, secrets, and power. The perfect ground for your Syndicate."
The Dark Lord smiled darkly. "Then we begin there. The world will not see us rise until it is too late."
He stood, voice echoing through the chamber. "Go, my shadows. Begin your work."
The Seven bowed and dissolved back into the darkness, bound by oath and mark.
Victoria lingered. She leaned close, lips brushing his ear.
"This is only the beginning."
Their kiss sealed more than love—it sealed an empire.