Night fell again before I returned to the apartment.
Seraphina sat on the windowsill, legs crossed, one hand resting on the frame. Her wounds had faded even more. The faint symbol on the back of her neck glowed softly in the dark.
"You smell like tension," she said when I entered.
"Evelyn is smart," I replied. "Too smart to be easy. Not smart enough to walk away."
"Will she be a problem?" Seraphina asked.
"Everything is a problem," I said. "The question is whether she becomes my problem, or Lucas's."
I dropped into the chair opposite her. The room felt smaller tonight. The air thicker.
The system chimed.
[Sin Points Increased][Fear Index Increased][Influence Threads Expanding]
Then a different notification appeared.
[Incoming Presence][Source: Unregistered. Power Level High.][Location: Directly Outside.]
Seraphina straightened, her eyes sharpening.
"We have company," she said.
A slow, measured knock sounded on the door. Three gentle taps. Precise. Confident.
No one from this building knocked like that.
I stood and crossed the room.
"Stay alert," I said.
Seraphina moved off the windowsill. Her posture shifted. Relaxed but ready. Her fingers curled slightly, nails lengthening into something more dangerous than human.
I opened the door.
Victor Draven stood in the hallway.
He wore a dark coat tonight, long and fitted, the kind of style that never went out of fashion. His silver hair was tied back loosely. His eyes held the same amused interest as before.
He glanced past me into the room, taking in Seraphina with one look.
"Interesting," he murmured. "You moved quickly."
I stepped aside.
"Come in," I said.
He entered as if stepping into a private lounge rather than a cramped apartment above a convenience store. The air changed subtly with him inside, as if the room itself recognized an intruder of higher rank.
Seraphina stiffened.
"Nightshade," she whispered.
Victor's gaze shifted to her.
"Nightborn," he replied. "You smell of unsealed lineage. Half-awakened. Half-starved. The hunters almost ruined something valuable."
She glared. "I didn't ask for your opinion."
"No," he said. "You asked for survival. This boy granted it to you."
His attention returned to me.
"You are gathering pieces quickly, Aiden Crow. That is good. Chaos favors speed."
He moved to the center of the room and looked around without disdain, which somehow felt worse than outright mockery.
"I remember when I began," he said. "My throne was a ruined chapel. My followers slept on stone. Now I sit above nations. Everything begins small, if it begins correctly."
"Why are you here?" I asked.
"I am here to extend an offer," he said.
The system pulsed.
[Major Event: Nightshade Pact Opportunity][Outcome will alter power structure.]
Victor studied my face.
"The underworld is restless. Old bloodlines are stirring. Hidden markets are opening. I have watched many men rise and fall trying to claim a piece of this storm." He paused. "You are different. You returned the sky's attention to this city in one night."
"Flattering," I said.
"Accurate," he replied simply. "I don't waste praise."
He clasped his hands behind his back.
"Here is my proposal. I give you access to the Night Market. The true one, not the cheap imitation the hunters whisper about. You will gain the ability to buy and sell power, information, relics. You will move faster than your brother ever could."
"And what do you want in return?" I asked.
"Two things," Victor said. "First, I want you to survive. I find you entertaining. Second, when the time comes and the courts at the top begin to move, I want your alliance. Not obedience. Alliance."
Seraphina stared at him as if he had started speaking in a different language.
"You don't offer alliances," she said. "You issue commands."
"Usually," he agreed. "But this is not a usual situation."
The system whispered.
[Warning: Victor Draven operates on long term gains.][Accepting his offer will bring immense opportunities and hidden obligations.]
"Show me the Market," I said. "Then I decide."
He nodded once.
"Very well."
He raised his hand and traced a small circle in the air.
Reality thinned.
The room dimmed. The walls blurred. The floor under my feet shuddered. A circle of darkness opened in front of us like a door that had been waiting behind the paint of this reality all along.
Behind it lay a street lit by lanterns of pale blue flame. Stalls lined the cobblestones. Shrouded figures moved about, negotiating in whispers. The air smelled of incense, blood, and old magic.
"The Night Market," Victor said softly. "Under the skin of your city. Unreachable to most. Open to you now."
My heart beat faster.
The system chimed.
[Hidden Location Unlocked: Night Market][New Functions Available: Trade, Contract, Enhancement]
Victor looked at me.
"Walk through," he said. "If you step inside, you are no longer merely a pawn on your brother's board. You become a player on mine."
Seraphina moved closer, eyes wide.
"You aren't seriously considering this," she whispered.
"Yes," I said. "I am."
Victor watched my answer with amusement.
"The world above believes power comes from money and politics," he said. "Let them. The truth is that power is negotiated in places like this, long before it appears on the surface."
Steps. Choices. Marks. Bloodlines. Deals. All of it spinning, threading, converging.
I stepped forward.
"Let us see," I said, "what the night has to offer."
And I walked through the door.