The wind in Setealem did not sing.
It moaned.
It moved slowly, dragging with it the metallic scent of ancient blood and the black dust that clung to the ruins. Among shattered columns and fallen statues, a figure advanced — tall, with impeccable posture, even as the stones crumbled beneath his feet.
Lucifer did not hurry. Each step he took felt deliberate, as if the ground itself deserved to feel the weight of his stride. His black mantle moved in silence, revealing only the golden glow of his face beneath a sky that had no sun.
His eyes — two slits of cold light — drifted over the ruined landscape.
Not even the distant screams of the Corrupted dared to echo within that ring. Pride was silent.
"Gone…" he murmured, the word barely audible, yet somehow blending into the air.
He stopped beside a broken staircase, glancing upward where heavy clouds stirred in fragments. Then came the sound of heavy wings cutting through the silence. A black hawk descended slowly, as if it were part of the twilight itself. It had no eyes — only a smooth void where sight should have been.
The bird landed on his shoulder, and its voice, hoarse like scraped metal, echoed directly into Lucifer's mind:
"My presence was requested… but first… I bring news. Leviathan and Beelzebub… have vanished."
Lucifer's fingers brushed the creature's feathers — not in affection, but as if confirming the message was real.
"Vanished…" he repeated, this time with weight. "This isn't disappearance… it's a shift of power."
The hawk tilted its head, awaiting orders.
"I found broken traces… as if something had erased them from Setealem's map. No energy to track."
Lucifer stepped forward. The dry sound of his foot against the stone echoed like a hammer on iron.
"Then the balance has changed…" he spoke softly — not to the bird, nor to himself, but as if declaring to the void itself. "If two thrones fall or fade, four must rise to fill the vacuum."
The hawk stirred upon his shoulder.
"Shall I send the call?"
The cold edge of Lucifer's mouth curved into a humorless smile.
"No… I will make the call myself. Messengers are for kings… but we… are something greater."
He continued walking through a shattered archway into a vast hall, where towering pillars still held a cracked ceiling. At the far end stood the Throne of Pride — a seat of black stone, rooted into the ground like a living part of the ring.
Lucifer stopped before it and slowly turned toward the horizon. The sunless sky seemed to respond, growing heavier, denser. The shadows at the edges of the hall began to stretch, twisting into distorted forms.
His voice did not rise, yet every word vibrated in the air like an ancient command:
"Mammon… Asmodeus… Belphegor… Satan."
The names echoed — not only through space but across every corner of Setealem. Those who held power felt the call burn within their bones.
The hawk leapt from his shoulder and vanished into the dark clouds.
Lucifer sat upon the throne, resting one elbow on the stone armrest and his face upon a closed fist.
"The world is changing… and we will change it first."
It did not take long before the hall began to tremble. A distant sound — like many footsteps — drew closer. Between the columns and cracks in the walls, shapes formed, each carrying its own crushing presence.
Lucifer watched without haste.
The first to appear was Asmodeus — tall, slender, draped in rags that looked woven from smoke. His eyes burned like pink diamonds.
Then came Belphegor, surprisingly more awake than usual, summoned to a second meeting that year.
From the other side, Mammon emerged, dragging golden chains that clattered with weight, his fingers covered in rings that looked more like claws.
And last — Satan. His presence made the ground vibrate; cracks in the ceiling rained dust. His gaze was pure steel and fire, his breath thick like furnace smoke.
They stood before the throne. None spoke first. They only waited.
Lucifer broke the silence.
"Leviathan and Beelzebub are gone. No one knows where, or for how long — or if they are dead. The void they leave behind is dangerous… but it is also an opportunity."
Asmodeus stepped forward, his voice alive with amusement.
"And what do you propose?"
Lucifer's smile widened.
"That this be the beginning of a new hierarchy… and that we four decide who lives… and who dies… even in Heaven itself."
Asmodeus chuckled softly.
Mammon tilted his head, intrigued.
Satan remained still with his usual wide grin — yet the fire in his eyes flared, not in rage, but in quiet awareness. He knew this meeting might not be his.
Silence fell again — heavy as stone.
And there, upon the throne, Lucifer seemed to savor each second before unveiling his plan.
The Hall of Pride glowed with a dim gold, as if even light itself feared to shine too brightly. Lucifer, seated upon a throne carved from obsidian and crowned with blue fire, rested his chin upon his hand, watching the long table before him. The Seven Sins — or rather, what remained of them — occupied their places: some restless, others too relaxed for the gravity of the moment.
The eyeless black hawk perched beside the throne, its beak slightly open as if absorbing every sound.
"The seats of Leviathan and Beelzebub are empty," announced Lucifer, his voice cutting like a blade. "And, as far as we know… they will remain that way."
A heavy silence filled the room. Mammon spun a golden ring on his finger, his sharp eyes calculating every word. Asmodeus lounged lazily, drumming his fingers against the armrest, smiling as if waiting for an indecent proposal. Belphegor, on the other hand, looked moments away from falling asleep on the table.
"Then…" Lucifer continued, straightening up, "the order must be remade."
He lifted his hand, and a black scroll materialized on the table. The letters upon it were alive, writhing like worms across the parchment.
"From this day forth, Belphegor will take the third seat. Asmodeus, the fourth. Mammon, the fifth."
His gaze lingered slightly longer on Mammon.
"I hope this serves as motivation… not as an incentive for an early death."
Mammon frowned.
"Wait — are we taking control of two rings each?"
Lucifer smiled faintly.
"Exactly. Asmodeus will oversee Lust and Envy. Belphegor, Gluttony and Sloth. And you… will remain as you are."
A low laugh escaped Asmodeus, who tilted his head toward Belphegor.
"Looks like we're moving up in rank, my dear. Does that mean more power or just more boring meetings?"
Belphegor yawned without opening his eyes.
"More chances for me to be bothered, probably."
Mammon did not laugh. His fingers stopped spinning the ring.
"And more chances for us to be the next targets."
Lucifer leaned back against the throne, studying them like a chess master who already knew the end of the game.
"Exactly. The balance has shifted. And if you don't wish to end up like them…"
His lips curved into a cold smile.
"Learn to play better."
The flames around the throne flared higher, casting grotesque shadows across the walls, and for a moment no one dared to speak.
The black hawk let out a rasping sound, as if announcing the end of the meeting. Lucifer gestured dismissively. One by one, the Sins rose and vanished into portals exhaling crimson smoke.
When the room fell silent, Lucifer turned to the pedestal beside the throne.
"Keep watching them. I want to know every step… every breath."
His voice was nearly a whisper to the messenger.
The hawk twisted its head unnaturally, then vanished in a whirl of black feathers.
Meanwhile…
The scene shifted to a perfect contrast: an open field bathed in golden light — though no sun shone above. Daytona, Ghost, Saravia, and Martin walked along a road paved with white marble, lined with silver-leaved trees that swayed without wind.
Martin looked around, his voice full of wonder.
"So… this really is Paradise? It feels… too calm."
Ghost kept his gaze forward, as if calculating every step.
"Calm is only the surface, kid. Nothing here is as simple as it seems."
Saravia, walking a little behind Daytona, let out a soft laugh.
"Then let's see how long that calm lasts."
Daytona didn't reply. Her eyes stayed fixed on the road, but her mind was already spinning — sensing that something greater was already in motion… and that their time of peace was about to end.