The road to Valerion wound through fog and forest, a narrow strip of dirt that vanished between crooked trees.
By dawn, the mist had thinned, revealing the city on the horizon — tall spires, black rooftops, walls etched with gold.
Valerion.
The capital of crowns.
The heart of rot.
Raven slowed his pace, eyes sharp, cloak drifting in the morning wind.
Selene walked beside him, silent. Behind them, Lira followed — hood drawn, eyes scanning the treeline.
It was quiet. Too quiet.
"Watch the roofs when we enter," Raven said.
Selene frowned. "Why?"
"Valerion smiles with knives," he replied.
Vee's voice purred in his mind. "And you're about to smile back, aren't you~?"
He didn't answer. He just smirked.
---
The gates of Valerion loomed tall — iron and marble, guarded by soldiers in silver armor. Their eyes tracked every traveler. No one entered unnoticed.
When Raven's group approached, one guard stepped forward. "Papers."
Raven handed him a folded sigil scroll, forged perfectly.
The guard eyed the seal, hesitated, then nodded. "Lord Rafe of Merien. You're cleared."
Selene blinked. "Lord Rafe?"
Raven whispered, "Alias. Remember it."
She whispered back, "You have a lot of names."
"Names," he said, "are masks. And I wear plenty."
The gates opened with a deep groan. The city stretched beyond — streets paved in black stone, lined with banners and towers. Merchants shouted, nobles rode carriages, beggars whispered in alleys.
Selene stared. "It's… beautiful."
Raven's eyes narrowed. "No. It's hungry."
---
They moved through the crowd, blending in. Lira trailed a few steps behind, her eyes scanning every shadow.
"This place reeks of secrets," she murmured.
"Good," Raven said. "Secrets are currency."
A boy ran past, bumping into Raven. Quick hands tried to snatch his coin pouch.
Raven caught the wrist mid-motion. The boy froze, trembling.
Raven didn't speak — just looked at him. Cold, silent.
The boy dropped the pouch and ran.
Selene smirked. "You didn't even say anything."
"He saw enough," Raven said.
Vee chuckled in his head. "You're terrifying, you know that?"
"Efficient," he corrected.
They turned down a narrow street — quieter, darker.
Old stone houses lined the path, their doors shut tight. The noise of the main road faded behind them.
Selene frowned. "You sure this is the way?"
Raven nodded. "The underworld doesn't live in palaces. It hides beneath them."
At the end of the alley stood a tavern — wooden sign swinging, faded paint spelling The Silent Vow.
A crow perched above the door, watching them.
Raven pushed the door open. The smell of ale and smoke hit instantly.
Inside, rough men hunched over tables. Cards slapped, coins clinked, laughter came sharp and low.
The room quieted when Raven stepped in.
He didn't look around. He walked straight to the counter.
The bartender — a broad man with a crooked nose — squinted. "You lookin' for trouble or a drink?"
Raven placed a black coin on the counter. The serpent emblem gleamed faintly.
The bartender's eyes widened. "...Follow me."
---
He led them down a back hallway, through a door disguised as a wine rack.
Behind it, a staircase spiraled down — stone steps leading underground.
Selene glanced at Raven. "You planned this."
"Always."
They descended into the dark. The air grew colder, the walls damp.
At the bottom, another door waited — carved with old runes.
The bartender knocked thrice, paused, twice more.
A slit opened. Eyes glimmered behind it. "Password."
Raven stepped forward. "The serpent coils twice before it strikes."
A click. The door swung open.
Inside — a hall lit by torches, filled with masked figures in black cloaks.
Whispers filled the room. A map of Valerion stretched across a table in the center, covered in pins and notes.
The bartender bowed. "He's here."
Every head turned.
Raven walked forward calmly, Selene and Lira behind him.
The whispers grew louder. "The Black Serpent." "He came." "It's true."
A man stepped out from the circle — tall, masked, voice deep. "We thought you were a myth."
Raven smiled faintly. "Then consider me a very real one."
The man hesitated. "Why are you here?"
"To clean your mess."
The man stiffened. "Our mess?"
"You sell cursed steel to nobles and call it business," Raven said. "Now the royal court's watching. One mistake, and your little circle burns."
The hall fell silent.
Selene's eyes flicked between them. Lira folded her arms, amused.
The masked man's voice hardened. "And you think you can fix it?"
"I already did," Raven said. "Blackvine Port is ashes. Your supplier's gone. You're welcome."
Murmurs spread. Some looked relieved, others suspicious.
The man studied him for a long moment. "What do you want, Serpent?"
Raven's eyes gleamed. "Control."
The torches flickered. Whispers rippled again.
"Control of what?"
"The Guild. The docks. The trade. Everything the court doesn't see."
The man scoffed. "And if we say no?"
Raven's dagger flashed — silver edge stopping at the man's throat.
No one saw him move.
"You won't," Raven said softly.
A long pause. Then the man raised both hands. "Understood."
Raven pulled back, smiling faintly. "Good. Then let's begin."
---
They gathered around the map.
Pins marked every district — trade routes, taverns, noble estates, black markets.
Raven studied it all, eyes moving fast.
"The palace watches the northern docks," he said. "So we move trade south. Shift coin through silent merchants. No paper, no witnesses."
The masked man nodded slowly. "You've done this before."
Raven's lips twitched. "Once or twice."
Selene leaned close, whispering, "You're taking over an entire guild."
"Piece by piece," he whispered back. "Power hides in structure. Control the roots, and the tree obeys."
Vee's voice giggled in his mind. "You sound like a villain again~"
"I am one," he replied silently. "And they'll learn to thank me for it."
---
Hours passed. Plans formed. Orders whispered.
By the time Raven stepped back into the street, the sun had set and Valerion glowed with a thousand lights.
Selene walked beside him, quiet. "You did it. You actually did it."
"Did what?"
"Made them follow you. Without blood. Without threats."
He smiled faintly. "Everyone bleeds differently."
Lira trailed behind, studying him. "You're dangerous."
He glanced at her. "You're late noticing."
She laughed softly. "Fair."
Vee's voice hummed. "One city at a time, hm?"
"Until they kneel," he thought.
As they walked through the lantern-lit streets, people passed — merchants, thieves, nobles in fine cloaks. None looked twice. None knew the boy beside them was building an empire beneath their feet.
Selene watched him from the corner of her eye. The way he moved, the calm in his face — it wasn't arrogance. It was certainty.
He wasn't guessing. He was deciding.
And in a city built on lies, that made him the most dangerous truth of all.
---
They turned down another street, quiet and narrow.
A shadow flickered at the corner.
Raven stopped.
Selene reached for her sword. Lira's hand went to her dagger.
The shadow moved again.
A soft laugh echoed. "You're quite the stir, Lord Rafe."
A woman stepped into the lamplight — crimson hair, golden eyes, smile like sunlight and secrets.
Her dress shimmered with silk and danger.
Raven's eyes narrowed. "You've been following me."
She smiled. "Observing."
"Why?"
"Because," she said softly, "Valerion likes its monsters. And you, my dear, are the prettiest one I've seen."
Selene stiffened. Lira's eyes narrowed.
Raven just smiled faintly. "Flattery's a weapon here. Use it carefully."
The woman tilted her head. "Then consider this a greeting, not a strike. My name's Aria. And you're standing in my district."
Raven's smile didn't fade. "Then it's about to be mine."
Aria laughed quietly. "I like you already."
---
The street was silent except for the soft hum of lanterns.
Aria stood before Raven — crimson hair glowing in the golden light, her eyes glimmering like coins in the dark.
She didn't look nervous.
She looked like someone who owned the ground she walked on.
Selene shifted slightly, hand on sword. Lira tilted her head, studying Aria like a hawk measuring prey.
Raven just smiled — that quiet, unreadable smile that made people nervous.
"You said this is your district?" he asked.
Aria's lips curved. "The southern quarter. Every trade, every whisper, every hidden blade."
"Impressive."
"It pays the bills."
Raven took a step forward, slow, deliberate. "Then you already know what I did at Blackvine Port."
She smirked. "The firestorm? The vanishing warehouses? The sudden silence from the Serpent Guild?"
"Those," he said.
She circled him like a cat, silk brushing against stone. "You don't act like a noble. You move like a ghost that learned how to smile."
"And you talk like someone who thinks charm is armor."
Aria chuckled. "Sometimes it is."
Then — her hand flicked. A small dagger flashed in the lantern light — aimed straight for his neck.
Selene moved, but Raven was faster.
He caught the blade mid-air — two fingers, barely a twitch.
Metal rang against skin. He didn't even blink.
"Cute," he said softly.
Aria blinked — her confident grin wavered.
He dropped the dagger to the ground. It clinked once, then lay still.
Raven took another step closer, closing the space between them. "Lesson one: never test someone you can't read."
She stared at him, eyes narrowing. "You're dangerous."
"Efficient."
Vee's voice hummed in his mind. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"
He didn't answer — but his faint smile said enough.
---
Aria bent down, slowly picking up her dagger. "You have reflexes like a shadow, but shadows don't build empires."
"Then you haven't been watching closely."
She raised an eyebrow. "And what do you want from my district?"
Raven glanced around. The street was empty — a silent vein leading to the heart of Valerion. "Control. Quietly."
Aria sheathed her dagger. "You're not subtle."
"I don't need to be."
"Because you think you're untouchable?"
"Because I'm already inside your walls."
Her eyes flashed. "Meaning?"
He turned slightly — gaze shifting to the rooftops.
Selene and Lira followed his eyes — and froze.
Shadows moved. Dozens of them.
Figures crouched along the edges — Raven's men, cloaked in black, silent as smoke.
One raised a hand. A soft whistle. Another signal answered from the next block.
Raven looked back at Aria. "You rule this district, but your roots were shallow. I fixed that."
She blinked, realizing. "You—"
"Moved your smugglers under my command two hours ago," he said. "Your coin's flowing through my channels. Your guards take my orders now. You still have a throne. It's just… borrowed."
Her breath caught.
For the first time, the crimson-haired queen lost her smile.
Then — she laughed.
A soft, genuine laugh. "You did all this before even meeting me?"
Raven shrugged. "I plan ahead."
She grinned. "I like you."
Selene's eyes narrowed. "That makes one of us."
Aria turned her gaze to Selene. "You his bodyguard?"
"His sword," Selene said flatly.
"Cute."
"Careful."
Raven raised a hand. "Enough."
They both went quiet.
He looked back at Aria. "You said Valerion likes its monsters."
Aria nodded.
"Then tell your city there's a new one in town."
She smirked again — slower this time, more measured. "You're not like the others. You don't chase power. You build it."
"And you?" he asked.
"I survive it."
They locked eyes — sharp, amused, wary.
It wasn't trust. Not yet.
But it wasn't war either.
---
Raven turned away, cloak brushing the ground. "We'll meet again. Tonight. Midnight. Bring your lieutenants."
"Where?" Aria asked.
He looked back once. "The Crimson Balcony."
Her eyes widened. "That's royal ground."
He smiled faintly. "Then let's see how brave your crown is."
She stared after him, half shocked, half thrilled.
When he and his group vanished into the night, Aria whispered to herself —
"He's not here to play."
---
They didn't speak until they reached the next block.
Selene broke the silence first. "You planned all of that?"
"Every piece."
"And if she'd attacked again?"
"She wouldn't. She's smart. She wanted to see how deep my claws go."
Lira smirked. "And you showed her the whole paw."
"Sometimes mercy looks like dominance," Raven said.
Vee giggled. "You're terrifying, boss~"
"You like it," he thought.
"...Yeah."
---
As they moved deeper into the city, the streets changed.
The southern quarter was loud — lanterns glowing, music spilling from taverns, masked dancers twirling between shadows.
Raven walked straight through it, eyes scanning everything — the alley corners, the rooftops, the faces that turned too fast.
Selene asked quietly, "You think Aria will come?"
"She will," he said. "Curiosity kills more rulers than war."
"And if she doesn't?"
He smiled. "Then I'll take her district anyway."
---
They stopped before a tall building — crimson banners, arched windows, balcony overlooking the street.
The Crimson Balcony.
An old noble's manor turned into a tavern of deals and whispers.
Raven pushed open the door.
Inside, candlelight glowed across red carpets and velvet curtains. The air smelled of wine and secrets.
The host bowed deeply. "Lord Rafe. Your room is ready."
Raven nodded. "Good. Lock the doors."
As they entered the private hall upstairs, Selene asked, "You've been preparing this for days, haven't you?"
He smirked. "Weeks."
She looked at him. "You're seventeen, right?"
He raised an eyebrow. "That a problem?"
"No. Just… you don't act like it."
"I don't have the luxury."
Her eyes softened for a moment, then looked away.
---
Raven stood by the window, gazing out at the city. Lights shimmered like stars fallen to earth.
Every district a chessboard.
Every name a piece.
And him — the player no one saw coming.
Vee's voice hummed softly. "You're enjoying this game."
"It's not a game," he said.
"Then what is it?"
"Justice. My way."
Outside, the bell tower struck midnight.
A knock echoed at the door.
Raven's eyes glimmered.
"Right on time," he said.
Selene's hand brushed her sword. Lira leaned against the wall, smirking.
The door opened.
Aria stepped in — crimson dress, gold eyes, and behind her, two masked lieutenants.
She met his gaze. "Let's talk about your new city, Lord Rafe."
Raven smiled faintly. "Let's talk about ours."