Rain poured over the city like tears from the heavens.
Ethan Vale's world had already ended long before the lightning struck that night.
His mother had died. His father had vanished. He was just another lonely college student with empty eyes and fading dreams.
But fate no, something beyond fate had other plans.
As he walked home through the dark alley, he saw her.
A woman, standing still under the rain, wearing a long crimson dress that shimmered even in the dim light. Her skin was pale as moonlight, and her eyes glowed a deep, seductive red.
When she spoke, her voice was like velvet laced with danger.
"You can see me… Then your soul is already marked."
Ethan blinked.
Before he could react, another shadow appeared behind him a monstrous figure with wings like torn shadows, claws sharp enough to slice steel.
The woman moved faster than sight.
One second, Ethan was staring at death.
The next, she was holding his trembling body, his blood dripping down her lips.
"Forgive me," she whispered. "But if I don't turn you… you'll die here."
Her fangs pierced his neck.
Pain then ecstasy then darkness.
He woke up in a grand chamber, surrounded by gothic beauty crimson curtains, black roses, and silver chandeliers. His body felt… different. His heartbeat was gone. His senses were sharp, his mind clearer than ever.
And she stood there again, smiling softly.
"Welcome back to eternity, my dear husband."
Behind her, two more women appeared.
One with silver hair and icy blue eyes calm and regal.
The other with golden hair and fiery crimson pupils fierce and wild, her aura crackling like burning blood.
"I am Lilith," said the first, the one who turned him.
"I am Seraphina," said the silver-haired one, her voice like winter wind.
"And I'm Aria," said the fiery one with a smirk, "Your third wife, soon enough."
Ethan stared at them all, his mind spinning.
"W wives…"
Lilith leaned close, her lips brushing his ear.
"You carry the soul of the Eternal King the one we've been searching for across centuries.
And now that you're awake… the other Houses will come for you."
The chandeliers flickered. A shadow moved across the walls.
The ground trembled.
And Ethan felt the ancient blood within him ignite.