The echoes of Lucius's laughter lingered long after the council dispersed. In the city above, fear spread like poison in clear water. The Devil's hand reached everywhere, but in the courts it was Adrian who held the strings.
That morning, Adrian entered a gilded chamber where senators whispered of passing laws to cut down Lucius's influence. They did not see Adrian as a man; they saw him as a shadow given voice. He stood at the center of the hall, his eyes calm, his hands folded as if already in prayer.
"You speak of laws," Adrian said softly, "but laws are chains, and chains are useless when the Devil decides to break them." He laid out forged evidence, whispered secrets of their mistresses, debts, and sins. One by one, their courage crumbled.
By the end of the day, the vote they had sworn would destroy Lucius instead fortified his empire. Senators left pale and trembling, muttering that they would rather be slaves to the Devil than corpses in his path.
Meanwhile, Darius led Enzo into the slums. Their target was a syndicate that dared to steal shipments belonging to Lucius. "This time," Darius growled, handing Enzo an axe, "you do not just kill. You make them remember why no one steals from the Devil."
Enzo entered the hideout first. The syndicate's men mocked him, thinking he was only a boy. Their laughter ended in screams when Darius stormed through the doorway like a beast of war. Blood sprayed across the walls, but Enzo did not falter. His axe fell again and again, each strike louder, heavier, until silence reigned.
When it was done, Enzo stood over the corpses, chest heaving. He felt sick, but he also felt power. Darius clapped him on the back with a grin that was more snarl than smile. "You are no longer just a survivor, boy. You are becoming a wolf."
At the estate, Selene's torment deepened. Veyra tied her with silk cords laced with blades, forcing her to dance until her feet bled. "This is what loyalty tastes like," Veyra crooned, her eyes glittering with madness. "Pain is your altar, and the Devil is your god."
Selene gasped for breath, but her voice was steady. "If fire is my altar, then let me burn. I will never betray him again." Veyra laughed with delight, savoring the broken pieces of her once-proud rival.
That night, the council gathered once more. Adrian delivered news of the Senate's surrender. Darius presented Enzo, bloodied but alive, as proof of his training. Veyra dragged Selene into the hall, chains rattling as she knelt in silence, no longer defiant.
Lucius sat upon his throne, his crimson gaze burning brighter than the torches. "Good," he said, his voice a blade across stone. "The city bends. My enemies tremble. Even betrayal has become loyalty reborn."
The council bowed, each feeling the weight of his power. Adrian smiled, knowing the courts were already his playground. Darius smirked, proud of his pupil's rising savagery. Veyra hummed a lullaby of blood while Selene whispered her vow through cracked lips.
But beyond the walls of the estate, unseen eyes watched. In a hidden chamber beneath the city, a rival council gathered. Maps of Lucius's empire stretched across their table, marked with crimson ink. Their leader leaned forward, his voice low and venomous.
"The Devil grows stronger," the man said. "If we do not cut him now, he will rule everything. Tomorrow, we strike where he least expects."
And in the silence of the night, as Lucius gazed out his window with that cruel grin, he whispered to himself, "Come then. Show me your teeth. I am waiting."