The invitation arrived wrapped in gold thread and sealed with black wax.Even the paper smelled expensive — the scent of wealth, power, and hidden traps.
Daniel read it twice, brow furrowing. "Lord Kareth Valin… the richest merchant in the city. He owns half the blood markets."
"So the wolf finally noticed the rats," Lumiel murmured.
Cartethyia's faint glow flickered from his amulet.
[Caution: individuals of that wealth rarely invite without purpose.]"Purpose means opportunity," Lumiel said. "And opportunity's the first step to chaos."
The Merchant's Hall
The Valin estate looked like a cathedral carved from greed itself — stained-glass windows dripping gold veins, and chandeliers made from frozen blood crystals.Guards with angelic wings — black, sharp, mechanical — lined the hall.
Lord Kareth sat upon a throne of bone-white marble, smiling like a serpent wearing perfume.His voice was smooth, heavy with old money and older sin.
"Ah, the Crimson Rats. Street alchemists turned saints of the poor. Do sit — your story has been quite the entertainment."
Daniel bowed stiffly; Lumiel did not.
"You're either here to crush us or buy us," Lumiel said."Ah, buy, of course. Crushing is so… unprofitable."
The merchant snapped his fingers, and a figure stepped forward — tall, radiant, terrifyingly composed.
The Daughter of the Fallen
Changli Valin.
Red hair that shimmered like molten ruby.Six black wings folded neatly behind her, their tips glinting faint gold in the candlelight.Her eyes — one gold, one crimson — studied them like they were stocks, not souls.
"Father speaks too much," she said coolly. "You must forgive him. He enjoys the sound of leverage."
Her voice was silk and steel. Every word carried weight, measured, calculated.
Lumiel's first thought was she's dangerous.Daniel's was she's beautiful.
Lord Kareth gestured elegantly.
"My daughter oversees our celestial investments — particularly in blood fusion, energy conversion, and… promising young enterprises."
Changli smiled faintly. "Enterprises like yours."
The Offer
They dined on golden plates beneath a sky painted by illusion — constellations shaped like angels in freefall.
Kareth spoke casually, like discussing the weather.
"You've built influence among the lowborn. Admirable. But influence without protection is fleeting.""And you'd protect us?" Lumiel asked."In exchange for loyalty. And for family ties."
The room fell quiet.
Changli placed her goblet down, eyes glinting.
"I am prepared to offer my hand in alliance," she said. "To Daniel Valentine."
Luminous nearly choked on her drink. Lumiel froze.Daniel blinked, stunned. "Pardon?"
Changli continued smoothly.
"A union between our houses. You bring innovation and chaos; I bring stability and reach. Together, we could reshape the academy, the economy, the city itself."
A Glimpse of Power
Cartethyia's hum turned sharp.
[Alert. Celestial energy reading unstable.]Lumiel whispered inwardly, What do you mean unstable?[Her wings… they radiate mixed divine and vampiric frequencies. She is not a pure angel.]
He looked at her again. Beneath her beauty, he saw it — the faint pulse of fallen divinity.A being who had corrupted herself on purpose.
"You're a fallen angel," Lumiel said quietly.Changli smiled, unashamed."An investor diversifies her portfolio."
Daniel flushed, trying to find words. "You want to… marry me? Why?"
"Because you're smart," she replied. "Because you're loyal. And because I see potential in what your bloodline could become."
The Hidden Promise
After dinner, Changli walked Daniel through the garden — a forest of black roses glowing faintly in moonlight.
"I studied your Red Vein," she said softly. "You made the dead feel alive. Do you know what that means?""That I'm either a genius or a hazard," he said."Both. That's why I need you."
Her wings unfolded — six vast shadows rimmed with crimson light.
"My blood carries celestial code. Yours, the code of Nihility. Combined…"She stepped closer, eyes burning gold."We could create a new kind of existence — angels who feed not on grace, but on passion, on life itself. Fallen, but free."
Daniel's heart raced. "That sounds like heresy."
"No," she whispered. "That sounds like evolution."
Closing Scene
Back in their quarters, Lumiel listened to Cartethyia's worried hum.
[She intends to turn you all into hybrids — angelic vampires.]"And?"[And she'll succeed.]"Good. Maybe it's time Heaven learned what hunger feels like."
He looked out at the crimson horizon where the academy's towers shimmered.The invitation had been written in gold —but the contract was already signed in blood.