Weeks passed.
The Vampire Realm was still.
Not because it had gone quiet—but because silence had become reverence.
The castle stood tall, shadowed under a red sun. Its towers caught the wind with their ancient ridges, and the flags along the highest spires fluttered without sound. Even the birds kept away now. Even the sky knew something had changed.
Lucifer stepped out onto the highest terrace.
The air was colder here. Sharper. It bit his skin and cooled his lungs, and yet… he didn't mind. In fact, he welcomed it. His coat hung open, black and crimson, the edges whipping around his legs. His hair had grown longer, brushing his neck, curling slightly at the ends.
He stood barefoot.
His toes met cold stone. He liked the way it grounded him. Kept him from floating too high above it all.
