The carriage cut through the dense fog of the Blackwood valley, its wheels crunching over gravel with a steady rhythm that mirrored Lucian's heartbeat. Inside, the plush velvet interior was heavy with the scent of incense and the subtle, electric tension of three formidable women vying for the same space.
Lucian's eyes were fixed on the darkened window, his reflection ghostly against the night. He wore a high-collared doublet of midnight silk, embroidered with subtle silver threads forming the crest of a fictitious Kurogane branch. The "Zero" was gone; in his place sat a young lord of quiet, chilling intensity.
"You are clenching your jaw again, Master," Aria whispered, perched opposite him, lethal in a crimson silk gown that seemed to mimic fresh arterial spray. Her gloved hand brushed against his knee. "This place… it reeks of old lies and stagnant blood. My fangs ache."
"Control yourself, Vampire," Shizuka snapped from his right. Her kimono-style gown had been modified for combat; the hilt of a hidden blade peeked through the folds of her obi. Her violet-tinted eyes, a gift of the blood pact, scanned the treeline with unwavering precision. "We are here for information and infiltration. If you go on a feeding frenzy before the ballroom, I will be the one to put a stake through your heart."
Aria's eyes glimmered red. "You're welcome to try, little knight. But remember whose blood is currently rewriting your mediocre DNA."
"Both of you, be silent," Lucian commanded, his voice resonating with the weight of the Sovereign's aura.
Even Selene, motionless in the corner with her wings folded into a dimensional cloak, looked up. Her silver eyes were vacant, yet all-seeing.
"The light here is thin," she murmured, her voice ringing like bells in a vacuum. "The shadows are hungry. They remember you, Creator. They wait for the boy who bled on the altar."
"The boy is dead," Lucian said, his eyes narrowing as the jagged silhouette of Blackwood Manor rose ahead, a gothic monstrosity of black stone. "Tonight, they meet the man who inherited their sins."
The carriage halted. A footman in Blackwood livery opened the door. Lucian stepped out first, offering his hand to Shizuka and Aria, while Selene glided behind them like a silent phantom. Marble steps led to massive oak doors that swung open, revealing a ballroom that dazzled with opulence and decay.
Crystal chandeliers dripped enchanted candles, casting flickering amber light over hundreds of masked nobles. The air was thick with perfume, roasted meats, and the metallic tang of mana.
"Presenting Lord Lucian Kurogane of the Southern Isles, and his retinue," the herald announced.
The chatter continued, yet the room shifted. Heads turned. Whispers trailed them like shadows. A "Kurogane" was a rare and exotic curiosity.
"There he is," Shizuka whispered, gripping Lucian's arm.
On a raised dais, Patriarch Alaric Blackwood surveyed the crowd. His presence alone commanded attention. Beside him, Alistair's pale face betrayed unease; his eyes darted through the crowd like a man haunted by a shadow he could not name.
"He's terrified," Aria giggled, looping her arm through Lucian's. "I can smell the sweat under his cologne. Shall I greet him? I'm sure he remembers my touch."
"No," Lucian said. "We mingle. Shizuka, find the Church representatives. Aria, distract the guards. Selene, stay near me. Your aura will mask the true scent of my blood from the Patriarch's runes."
Moving through the crowd, Lucian felt the System's pull.
[QUEST OBJECTIVE: SCAN THE CROWD FOR 'CHURCH OF LIGHT' AGENTS]
[REWARD: REVELATION OF THE 'BLOOD-PURGING' RITUAL SITE]
His glass of wine was steady in his hand, but his gaze was fixed on three men near the arched windows—robes of white and gold, silver masks, observing with clinical detachment.
"The inquisitors," Selene whispered, her wings twitching. "Their souls are bleached. The scent of the lab lingers. The same as the one who broke me."
Lucian tightened his grip on the glass. As he advanced, a hand intercepted him.
"Lord Kurogane, I presume?"
Alistair stood before him, attempting composure, his hand trembling over a signet ring.
"I don't believe we've met," Alistair said, eyes searching Lucian's face. "The Kurogane name is… distant. What brings you to the heart of Albion?"
"Curiosity," Lucian replied, voice low and cold. "And the search for power. I heard the Blackwoods were pioneering new heights of magic. I wished to witness it."
Alistair flinched. "Power has a price, Lord Kurogane. Sometimes… more than one can bear."
"Or," Lucian stepped closer, shadow falling over Alistair, "some are simply too weak to pay it. I heard rumors of a failure in the Galthar Ruins recently. A 'Zero' who could not bear his heritage. True?"
Alistair's face went pale. "Family… private matters."
"Of course," Lucian smiled coldly. "Forgive my bluntness. Strength above all, like your father."
As Alistair fumbled for escape, Shizuka tugged Lucian's sleeve.
"The Inquisitors are moving. Private wing—the Patriarch's study. The ritual Selene mentioned… it's happening tonight."
[ALERT: RITUAL COMMENCEMENT IMMINENT]
[TIME REMAINING: 15 MINUTES]
"Aria," Lucian sent through the mental link. "Chaos. Now."
"With pleasure, Master."
Glass rained from a shattered chandelier, flames erupted in violet-tinted drapes, screams filling the ballroom. The perfect distraction.
Lucian, Shizuka, and Selene slipped through a side door into the manor's restricted corridor. Portraits of dead Blackwoods lined the walls; their eyes seemed to judge him as he ran.
At the reinforced inner sanctum doors, Lucian unleashed [Chains of Blood], red links lashing out and shattering the locks.
Inside, the air was freezing. Three Inquisitors stood around a stone table. On it lay a young girl, twelve at most, skin etched with glowing white runes.
"The catalyst," Selene breathed, silver light flaring from her hands. "They're refining the Light through her pain!"
The lead Inquisitor, mask glinting, spoke. "Interlopers. Depart, or be purged."
"The only thing purged tonight will be your existence," Lucian spat.
A spear of light shot at him. He caught it barehanded; holy energy seared his palm.
[SYSTEM: DAMAGE SUSTAINED]
[PASSIVE ACTIVATED: BLOOD FOR BLOOD]
[STRENGTH INCREASED BY 20% DUE TO INJURY]
Lucian snapped the spear and drove the jagged tip into the Inquisitor's throat. Blood sprayed over the white robes.
Shizuka became a blur of violet steel, dominating the second Inquisitor with ferocious precision.
"For the Master!" she cried, her voice fanatical, dark mana humming along the blade.
Selene moved toward the girl. Her silver hands radiated gentle light. The third Inquisitor tried to intervene. She merely looked at him.
"Fall," she commanded.
The man collapsed; his mana turned against him.
Lucian reached the lead Inquisitor, tearing the silver mask off. Behind it was a face twisted by religious zeal.
"Where is the Patriarch?" Lucian demanded.
"He… he is at the altar below," the man coughed blood. "The transfusion… for the true heir… already begun. Too late, Zero."
Lucian snapped his neck.
He turned to the girl. Selene had neutralized the runes; her breathing stabilized.
"Shizuka, take her out," Lucian ordered. "Selene, with me. We descend to the basement."
"Lucian!" Shizuka shouted, flushed with urgency. "The Patriarch will detect you. No going back to your 'Kurogane' disguise."
Lucian paused at the staircase, hand already knitting from the burn.
"I'm done with disguises, Shizuka. I reclaim my name. One drop of blood at a time."
He descended. The stone steps echoed like a funeral march. Below, a massive machine hummed, and his father's chanting filled the air.
The waltz was over. The massacre was just beginning.