The Lust Ring was loud tonight.
Not in the usual way not the shrieks, drunk chanting, or neon-soaked chaos.
This was a different kind of noise.
Excitement.
Anticipation.
Because Verosika Mayday was performing her biggest show of the year.
And Malerion was walking straight into it.
Not hidden in shadows.
Watching from rooftops.
Pretending he was "just observing."
This time, he came because she asked.
Sin Rouge was miles behind him now, its warm lights dimming as he moved deeper into the Lust nightlife. Every demon he passed stepped aside without needing to be told. Didn't know why but it seemed natural
But nothing tonight felt like business.
Nothing felt like strategy.
Everything felt like gravity.
When he reached Velvet Halo Arena, the line to enter wrapped around the block twice. Posters glowed with Verosika's face confident, seductive, almost electric.
He paused in front of the newest print, remembering the very first fading poster he saw years ago… how much she'd changed… how much both of them had.
"Are you actually nervous?" Alastor's voice teased in the back of his mind.
No, Malerion said silently.
"Yes," Alastor hummed, amused.
Malerion ignored him and stepped inside.
THE ARENA FULL TO THE BRIM
The air hit him first hot, dense, saturated with perfume, sweat, smoke, and anticipation that buzzed like electricity.
The arena lights were low, the crowd chanting her name in waves:
"VERO-SI-KA!
VERO-SI-KA!"
Malerion stood in the upper level, not hiding but not drawing attention either. His aura was restrained, domain carefully tucked inwards so no one would feel a ripple of what he had become.
For once, he didn't want fear.
He just wanted to watch her.
The stage lights suddenly dropped.
A single spotlight burst to life.
And she walked out.
VEROSIKA ON STAGE
She wasn't the girl from a smaller club two years ago.
Wasn't the rising talent from Neon Harem.
Tonight she looked like something carved out of Lust itself the way she moved, the control in her voice, the fire in her eyes. A performer who knew exactly who she was becoming.
Her band hit the first note.
The crowd erupted.
But Malerion didn't hear the cheers.
He heard her.
Confident.
Focused.
Sharp in every motion.
Then
She looked up.
Their eyes met.
Instantly.
The sound of the arena kept going, but for that single second her entire expression changed not dramatically, not in a way fans would notice.
Just a micro shift:
recognition
satisfaction
something warmer underneath
Her smile curved, subtle and dangerous.
Alastor whistled in his mind.
"Oh, she saw you. And she liked seeing you."
Malerion said nothing.
But he didn't look away.
Not once.
HER SONG HITS DIFFERENT NOW
She sang the song he'd heard her practice months ago the one Quill accidentally overheard being rewritten at 3 a.m.
But tonight it wasn't just a song.
Tonight it was a blade wrapped in honey.
"You think you know me," she sang, eyes slipping toward his section again.
"You think you see right through."
A slide of her hips, a tilt of her chin.
"But I'm the one who's watching
and I'm aiming straight at you."
Fans screamed like they'd been shot with joy.
But Malerion felt something deeper the intent behind her delivery.
She wasn't flirting with the audience.
She was aiming at him.
Her voice ran sharp.
Hot.
Alive.
This was how she communicated through rhythm and fire, through stage presence and perfectly controlled chaos.
And tonight?
She wasn't acting
AFTER THE THIRD SONG
She paused for a breath, sweat glistening on her collarbone, chest rising and falling in sharp motion.
Then she said into the mic:
"Funny how sometimes people decide to show up at the right moment."
The crowd howled.
Verosika's eyes didn't leave Malerion's.
"Guess some promises do matter," she added with a sly smile.
Malerion felt the words hit deeper than he expected.
Because he knew exactly what promise she meant.
"You'll come… right?"
He had.
And she noticed.
THE MOMENT HE REALIZED THE SHIFT
Halfway through the set, he felt something inside himself shift. Not power not resonance something simpler:
Clarity.
For years he kept distance:
To avoid altering canon.
emotional attachments.
Maybe even weakness.
But canon was gone.
Fear gone.
Distance gone.
And seeing her like this confident, powerful, adored, radiant
He understood something:
Didn't want to stay on the sidelines anymore.
Not in her story and in his own.
THE LAST SONG
Lights dimmed.
A softer melody began something she'd never released before.
A ballad.
Unexpected for her.
Verosika stepped toward the edge of the stage, voice warm and aching:
"I never asked for someone
to see the parts I hide
but somehow you walked in
and everything aligned."
She wasn't smiling ,teasing.
Honest.
Raw.
And Malerion felt the line tighten between them almost physical.
The arena vanished around him.
There was only her.
Only the music.
That terrifying, magnetic pull.
AFTER THE SHOW
When the final lights dimmed and the final scream faded, Malerion remained still, hands relaxed at his sides.
Alastor was quiet now for once.
Then he murmured:
"Well. That settles that, doesn't it?"
Malerion didn't deny it.
He exhaled slowly, quietly.
Wasn't observing or calculating.
Tonight, for the first time, he simply felt.
And he knew, without question:
This was the night their paths stopped running parallel…
…and started to intertwine.