The clock struck twelve.
Each bell rang like a heartbeat across Valerion.
Outside, fog rolled across the streets — soft, silent, cold.
Inside the Crimson Balcony, the air was thick with candle smoke and anticipation.
Raven stood by the window, watching the city lights shimmer through the mist.
Selene sat near the table, arms folded.
Lira leaned against the wall, whistling softly, blades glinting on her belt.
The door creaked.
Aria entered, flanked by two lieutenants — both masked, both watching.
She wore crimson again, but tonight, her hair was tied back, her smile sharper.
"Nice view," she said.
Raven turned, calm, collected. "It's better from the top."
She smirked. "Always looking up?"
"Always looking ahead."
Her gaze flicked to the chairs around the table. "Shall we?"
---
They sat.
Raven at one end, Aria at the other. Selene and Lira flanked him like twin blades.
The two masked men stood behind Aria — silent, still.
A single candle burned between them, its flame swaying with each breath.
Aria spoke first. "So. You burn ports, tame guilds, and hijack districts. What's next?"
"Valerion," Raven said simply.
She blinked. "All of it?"
He nodded.
Her lips curved. "You're ambitious."
"Ambition is the only thing that listens when the world doesn't."
Vee's voice purred in his mind. "That one sounded cool~"
He ignored her.
Aria tapped the table. "You're not the first man who wanted Valerion."
"I'll be the last one who needs to say it."
She leaned back, eyes gleaming. "And how do I fit in your little empire, my lord?"
Raven studied her.
Every blink, every breath — measured. She was testing him, trying to find his edge.
"You'll rule beside me," he said.
Her brows rose. "Beside you?"
"In shadow. In silence. As the queen of the undercity."
Her eyes narrowed slightly. "And if I say no?"
He smiled. "Then you'll still rule. Just... not awake."
One of her lieutenants reached for his dagger.
Selene's sword flashed before he could blink — the blade touched his throat.
The room froze.
Raven didn't move.
He just looked at Aria. "Call them off."
She raised a hand. The man backed down slowly.
Selene lowered her blade, eyes cold.
Aria exhaled softly. "You don't bluff, do you?"
"I don't need to."
---
Silence hung heavy between them.
Outside, a distant bell tolled again.
Finally, Aria leaned forward, elbows on the table. "Say I agree. What's in it for me?"
"Power. Protection. Profit."
"That's what everyone offers."
Raven's voice softened. "And revenge."
Her eyes sharpened. "...Revenge?"
"You built this district alone," he said. "And the nobles still treat you like decoration. They smile at you in the day and steal from you at night."
Aria's jaw tightened.
Raven leaned closer. "I know the ones who burned your family name. The ones who took your father's seat. I can erase them."
The candle flickered. Her eyes darkened.
"How do you know all that?"
"I listen."
Vee's voice whispered in his head. "You dug deep for this one."
I always do.
Aria went quiet. Her hand trembled — just once, then steadied.
Lira watched her closely. "Looks like he hit the right nerve."
Aria straightened. "You promise revenge. But what do you want from me?"
Raven didn't hesitate. "Loyalty."
She raised an eyebrow. "That's a dangerous word."
"It's safer than betrayal."
Selene spoke for the first time. "He doesn't chain allies. He builds them."
Aria's eyes flicked to her. "You trust him that much?"
Selene's hand rested on her sword. "Enough to follow him into hell."
A silence followed — heavy, sharp, alive.
---
Aria stood. Slowly.
Her lieutenants tensed.
Raven stayed seated. Calm. Still.
If she drew steel, he'd move before the air shifted.
Instead, Aria walked around the table — each step slow, echoing.
She stopped in front of him.
Their eyes met.
Crimson and silver.
Fire and frost.
Aria extended her hand. "Then let's see if the serpent keeps his word."
Raven looked at her hand — then took it. Firm grip. Steady.
A deal sealed in silence.
Vee's voice hummed. "Another queen on your board."
Raven thought back, No. Another piece that moves herself.
Aria smiled faintly. "You play a dangerous game, Lord Rafe."
He stood. "Then we'll win it dangerously."
She laughed softly, genuine this time. "You really are something."
Selene crossed her arms. "Don't feed his ego."
"I'm trying to measure it," Aria teased.
Lira chuckled. "Good luck. It's bigger than Valerion."
Raven ignored them all, walking toward the window. "Midnight's over. Tomorrow, we start."
Aria tilted her head. "Start what?"
"Cutting the city open," he said. "Finding every rat, every snake, every liar who thinks they own the dark."
"And then?"
"Then we build something worth ruling."
She smirked. "You talk like a king."
He looked out at the city lights. "No. Kings beg for crowns. I'll build one myself."
---
The candle burned low.
Aria turned to leave, her lieutenants following.
Just before stepping out, she glanced back.
"You know, Raven…"
He looked at her.
"If you're lying, I'll kill you myself."
He smiled faintly. "If I'm lying, you won't have to."
The door closed behind her.
---
Selene sighed. "You trust her?"
"No."
"Then why deal with her?"
He looked at the candle flame, now a dying ember.
"Because enemies make good shields — if you teach them where to stand."
Vee giggled softly. "You're playing with fire again~"
"Good," he thought. "It's cold out."
---
He turned to Selene and Lira. "Get some rest. Tomorrow, we move the guild headquarters."
Selene nodded. "Where?"
"The old cathedral. No one checks holy ground."
They started toward the door.
Raven lingered by the window, eyes fixed on Valerion — glowing gold and red under the fog.
Every district a kingdom.
Every heartbeat a chance.
Every promise… a weapon.
And he'd use them all.
----
Morning came slow — gray light leaking through fog, cutting across the towers of Valerion.
The city never truly slept.
But in the slums and ruins, silence was a language.
That's where Raven walked now — through cracked streets, past fallen statues and burned walls.
Selene followed a few steps behind, cloak pulled tight.
Lira scouted ahead, moving like a shadow among shadows.
They stopped before a gate half-buried in vines.
Beyond it — the old cathedral.
Its spires leaned, its windows shattered, its bells long broken.
But even in ruin, it stood proud — a monument to something greater.
Selene looked up at it. "You really want to make this your base?"
Raven nodded. "It's perfect."
"Because it's haunted?"
"Because no one's brave enough to check if it is."
Vee's voice purred in his mind. "Creepy~ I like it."
"Good," Raven thought. "We're keeping it."
---
Lira pushed open the gate — iron hinges groaning.
Inside, vines crawled up the walls. Dust filled the air.
Faded murals stared from cracked stone — angels, swords, and forgotten gods.
Selene whispered, "Feels like walking through history."
"Feels like opportunity," Raven said.
He stepped down the aisle, boots echoing across marble.
In the center stood a grand altar, split clean down the middle — as if by a single strike.
Raven ran a hand across the stone. "Power leaves scars. Even holy ones."
Vee hummed. "So what's the plan, boss? Just move in and redecorate?"
He smirked slightly. "No. We cleanse it first."
Selene frowned. "Cleanse?"
Lira turned, senses sharpening. "Something's here."
---
A low growl echoed from the shadows.
Then another.
Figures emerged from the corners — half-visible, flickering shapes wrapped in smoke.
Eyes like dying embers.
Voices like whispers through grave dirt.
Selene drew her sword. "Spirits."
Raven's eyes narrowed. "Bound ones."
The ghosts drifted closer — slow, gliding, hungry.
They hissed in a tongue older than men.
Lira's daggers flashed. "We fighting or running?"
"Neither," Raven said softly. "We're commanding."
Selene blinked. "Commanding?!"
Raven stepped forward, cloak shifting in the faint light.
The spirits halted — sensing something.
He raised his hand, palm open, and spoke — not loud, but steady.
"By the mark of the bound flame, kneel."
For a second, nothing moved.
Then — light flared across his arm.
A dark sigil glowed faintly beneath his sleeve — something etched deep into his soul long before he arrived in this world.
The spirits recoiled, hissing.
The nearest one lowered its head.
Then another.
Then all of them.
Selene stared. "You… what was that?"
Raven's eyes glimmered faintly. "A promise I never broke."
Vee whispered, "You used that old seal again. You sure that's safe?"
"I'm not," he thought. "But it listens."
The spirits knelt — silent now, fading like smoke in wind.
Only one remained — older, taller, armored in fragments of spectral steel.
It looked at Raven, eyes glowing faintly blue.
"Who commands?" it asked, voice echoing like a bell underwater.
Raven met its gaze. "I do."
The spirit studied him. "Then speak your purpose."
"Rebirth," Raven said. "This place served gods who forgot their vows. It will serve justice now."
The spirit paused. Then nodded slowly.
"Then you are my new oath."
It dropped to one knee.
The others followed — kneeling in silence, forming a circle around the altar.
---
Selene whispered, "You just took control of a haunted cathedral."
"Correction," Lira said, grinning. "He just hired it."
Raven turned toward them. "They'll guard it. No mortal or mage will step in without my leave."
Selene sheathed her sword, still wide-eyed. "That's… insane."
He smiled faintly. "Efficient."
Vee giggled. "You love that word."
"It fits."
---
They spent the next hour exploring — mapping out rooms, clearing debris, lighting old lanterns.
Selene found an old library behind a cracked wall — shelves thick with dust, books untouched for centuries.
Lira uncovered an underground passage — sealed but intact.
And Raven discovered the cathedral's heart — a spiral staircase leading deep beneath the altar.
He paused at the entrance.
Vee's voice was quiet now. "Something's down there."
"I know."
Selene stepped up beside him. "You're going down, aren't you?"
He nodded.
"I'm coming."
He glanced at her. "You don't have to."
"I want to."
Her tone was firm — not as a soldier, but as someone who chose to stay.
Raven nodded once. "Stay close."
Lira frowned. "I'll hold the entrance."
"Good," Raven said. "If we're not back in an hour—"
"—I burn the place down," she finished.
He smirked. "Exactly."
---
The staircase was narrow, steep, and cold.
Torches flickered weakly against damp stone.
Each step echoed deeper, until even their breaths sounded distant.
At the bottom, a chamber opened — circular, lined with broken chains.
In the center stood a stone pedestal — and on it, a black crystal pulsing faintly.
Selene whispered, "What is that?"
Raven's eyes narrowed. "A seal. One that's waiting to be broken."
He stepped closer.
The crystal pulsed faster — light flaring like a heartbeat.
Vee's voice whispered urgently. "Careful. That's not just energy — it's bound will. Old magic. Ancient."
"I know," he thought. "But power locked away is still power wasted."
He raised his hand, hovering over the crystal.
Selene tensed. "Raven—"
"Trust me."
Her jaw tightened. "I do."
He pressed his palm against the crystal.
Light exploded outward — cold, sharp, blinding.
The air roared, wind spiraling around them.
Selene shielded her eyes. "What are you doing?!"
"Unlocking potential."
The crystal cracked — once, twice — then shattered, pieces scattering like glass stars.
Silence followed.
Raven opened his hand. In his palm glowed a single ember — black flame, faint but alive.
Selene stared. "What is that?"
Raven's voice was quiet. "A memory of the first sin. The kind gods tried to bury."
Vee gasped softly. "You found it… the Shadow Ember…"
He closed his hand, and the flame vanished.
Selene stepped closer. "Is it dangerous?"
He looked up. "Everything worth having is."
---
They climbed back to the surface.
Lira waited, tapping her dagger impatiently. "Took you long enough."
Raven walked past her. "It's ours now."
Selene looked back once at the cathedral.
The spirits still lingered, faintly glowing, kneeling around the altar like silent sentinels.
A chill ran through her — not of fear, but of awe.
The city's new underworld was rising.
And its throne had just been claimed.
To be continued....