Year 9 – Early Autumn, Beneath the Crimson Mirage
The corridors beneath the Crimson Mirage were silent — too silent.Once used for wine storage and servant passages, they now glowed faintly with crimson runes. Shadows rippled across the walls like living ink. In the deepest chamber, Rosa Seraphiel stood before a mirror framed in black iron and spider lilies.
The glass rippled, and dozens of faces appeared within — shinobi, assassins, and spies cloaked in red and gray. They knelt as one.
"Lady Seraphiel," they said in unison, "we await your command."
Rosa drew a dagger across her palm. Blood dripped into the runes, and the mirror flared to life."Then hear me. The world above sells its truths in ledgers. We will sell what they hide."Her voice echoed, sharp as steel."From this moment, you are no longer blades of the old House Sanguis. You are The Crimson Veil. You will listen through shadows, see through mirrors, and sell only what I approve."
The mirror pulsed once, sealing the pact.A red spider lily bloomed in each reflection — the new mark of the Brotherhood.
That same evening, Ketsuraku found Rosa waiting in his office. She wore her assassin's coat over her royal gown, crimson eyes glinting like molten gems.
"You've been busy," he said.She smiled. "Someone had to balance your markets. Every empire needs its shadow."
He gestured toward her. "And what does your new Brotherhood trade in?""Information," she said. "Secrets, rumors, truths the Emperor fears to speak. My people already control the lower districts' whisper network. In a week, I can move more markets with one rumor than you can with ten guilds."
Ketsuraku leaned forward, resting his hands on the desk. "And who watches your shadows?"Rosa's smirk deepened. "You do. Because if I ever turn on you, the reflection will tell you first."
They locked eyes for a moment — an unspoken contract more binding than any signature.Then Ketsuraku extended his hand. "Then it's a deal."Her gloved fingers met his. Blood runes briefly glowed between them before fading into the dark.
Two nights later, Rosa tested her new empire.Across the city, rumors spread like wildfire: that the Emperor's treasury was running dry, that a noble house was funding illegal summoning experiments, that the Church planned to tax the Mirage. Each whisper traveled through the Veil's network — taverns, courtyards, coded letters, and reflected surfaces.
By morning, three guilds had lost half their stock value. The Mirage Exchange's floor was chaos.Luminous stormed into the command balcony, scrolls in hand."Who started this?" she demanded.Ketsuraku calmly sipped his wine. "Rosa did. She's stress-testing the market."
Rosa appeared behind her with a smile. "And it survived, didn't it? Prices fell, then rebounded. Fear and greed make a stronger foundation than law ever will."Luminous glared. "You could've crashed the entire system."Rosa leaned closer. "Then I'd have bought the ruins and rebuilt it better."
Ketsuraku raised a hand, stopping them both. "We don't fight each other. Light manipulates truth. Blood manipulates fear. Together, we make the reflection complete."
The Red Code Dragon, coiled above, released a burst of crimson symbols across the mirrored floor.
[System Update]
New Network Formed – The Crimson Veil (Tier I)
Operations: Information trade, espionage, market influence
Linked Structure: Mirage Stock Network
Effect – Controlled Rumor Events can influence share prices
Risk – Detection by Imperial Intelligence
[Skill Progression]
Silver Tongue level 1 – 66% Mastery
Blood Magic level 1 – 41% Mastery
Finance level 1 – 44% Mastery
That night, Ketsuraku walked the lower halls, now guarded by Rosa's shinobi.He stopped at a new mirror etched with runes of binding. Inside its surface swirled faint reflections of distant rooms — noble chambers, trading halls, and secret councils.
"An empire of mirrors," he murmured.Rosa's reflection appeared beside his. "And every mirror shows a different truth. We just have to decide which one the world sees."
By dawn, the first Crimson Bulletin — a whispered newspaper distributed through enchanted ravens — spread across the Empire. Every noble who read it found their own secrets staring back. None dared challenge it.
Above the Mirage, the markets thrived on fear and fascination.Below, the shadows listened, waiting for Rosa's next command.
And somewhere between them, Ketsuraku smiled — because now, he owned both the light and the dark.
[System Update]
Crimson Veil (Tier I) – Active
Passive Income: +400 Astral Coins per cycle
Influence Gain: +15% Information Control
Reputation – "The Mirror King's Network" Unlocked
[Skill Progression]
Silver Tongue level 1 – 68% Mastery
Blood Magic level 1 – 45% Mastery
Finance level 1 – 49% Mastery