[The Grand Banquet Hall: The Wedding Ceremony]
Creak.
The giant doors opened, like the jaws of a mythical beast preparing to swallow the attendees. All eyes turned at once. Vanitas stood at the altar, watching her. His bride.
Aurelia Aurum. She looked like a statue carved from sunlight. Her golden hair rippled with every step, like a wheat field caressed by the wind. Her pristine white dress was provocatively innocent; a whiteness that did not reflect purity of heart, but rather masterfully concealed its darkness.
And beside her, leading her like one leads a luxurious sacrifice, was Leonardo. The mocking smile never left his face as he handed over the family's "used goods."
A step. She approached him.
With every step, Vanitas felt the current intensify. It wasn't a current of love, but the current of "destiny" that Aurum had mapped out for him. A current dragging him toward a bottomless abyss. A step. And another.
She reached him. The heavy scent of her perfume filled his lungs. She extended her hand. That hand which dozens had touched before him. He grasped it. He didn't feel disgust; rather, he felt a sense of ownership. She looked into his eyes and smiled that smile which had ensnared so many. He bowed like a slaughterer to his sacrifice and kissed her hand with theatrical submission.
The "Observer" overseeing the rituals began to speak in a resonant voice: "Vanitas Exemplar... In the name of the Great Observers, do you accept to marry Aurelia Aurum, and bind your fate to hers?"
Vanitas looked at her. He saw the gold, and he saw the rot beneath it. He smiled coldly: "Who am I to refuse such beauty?"
"Aurelia Aurum... And do you accept to marry Vanitas Exemplar?" She didn't hesitate. Her voice carried the huskiness of genuine desire: "Yes."
The Observer offered the rings. They were small alchemical shackles. She took his ring; the cold metal slipped onto his finger like a lock snapping shut. He took her ring and placed it on her finger slowly, savoring the moment of enclosure.
Click. It was done.
The hall erupted in applause. Applause that sounded to Vanitas like the slapping of blood-stained hands. He leaned toward her ear amidst the noise.
"You are now my wife, Aurelia," he whispered in a voice only she could hear, the voice of a landlord inspecting his new property. "You are my property."
She shivered with pleasure. She brought her mouth close to his ear, her hot breath fanning his neck: "And in your own words... who am I to refuse being your property?"
[The Reception]
Wine flowed like rivers. Vanitas stood by the beverage table, watching his "wife" receive fake congratulations.
"I didn't think you would get married before me." A gruff voice from behind him. Otus. He was holding a glass, staring at Aurelia with unconcealed disgust.
Vanitas took a sip of his wine and didn't turn around: "Neither did I, Otus. Life is full of surprises."
"I don't know what you said to father to convince him of this farce..." Otus took a step closer, his voice dropping to a low threat. "...but I am still against this. You are bringing shame upon us."
Before Otus could finish his usual lecture, Vanitas placed his hand on his older brother's shoulder. It wasn't a touch of affection, but a touch to silence him.
"Brother..." Vanitas looked directly into Otus's eyes, a pitying smile on his face. "Do you know what your problem is?" Otus froze, unaccustomed to this tone. "Your problem is that you think in straight lines in a world full of curves. You only understand direct paths... while true power lies in the twisting."
He patted his back lightly, like one pats a loyal dog. "Enjoy your brother's wedding, Otus... for this is an event that will not be repeated."
He left him stunned, and walked toward the restroom.
[The Restroom]
He pushed the door open. White marble and gold covered the place. Leonardo was there, washing his hands under a faucet streaming with scented water. Leonardo looked at Vanitas's reflection in the large mirror. The usual smile of contempt was drawn on his face.
"Water won't wash away the filth from your hands after you touched her, will it?" Leonardo said with biting sarcasm.
Vanitas didn't reply. He walked calmly to the adjacent sink and began washing his own hands, completely ignoring the man's presence.
"..." "Not going to answer? Huh? You're boring."
Leonardo shut off the faucet violently. He shook his wet hands. Then, he approached Vanitas and wiped his wet hands on Vanitas's luxurious jacket, as if it were a dirty towel.
"Congratulations, groom." Leonardo laughed and walked out, leaving the door swinging behind him.
Vanitas looked at his wet jacket in the mirror. He didn't get angry. He didn't even feel insulted. Does he think I care about these childish antics?
He slowly closed the faucet. He dried his hands with an actual towel. And adjusted his jacket. True cleanliness... comes later.
[The Second Summons]
He reached out to open the restroom door to leave. Click. He opened the door. But he didn't see the ornate hallway in front of him. Nor did he see the guests, or the hall.
He saw a vast, dark void, saturated with the smell of sulfur and molten gold. He was in the "Dragon's Room." The beating heart of the Aurum Palace.
It wasn't the walls that were moving. It was him.
The Great Golden Dragon, which he had seen in the sky weeks ago, now filled the hall with its coiled body, like a mountain of metallic muscle. Its flaming breath billowed from its nostrils like hot steam melting the cold air.
And in front of him, by the monster's giant head, stood Aurum. He was standing next to the dragon's snout, which was larger than an entire carriage. Aurum raised his soft, white hand and placed it on the dragon's rough, sharp scales. He ran his palm slowly, with a terrifying tenderness, as if petting a docile house cat.
The dragon closed its massive golden eye and let out a deep purr that shook the ground beneath Vanitas's feet in response to its master's touch.
"Approach." Aurum said it without lifting his hand from the beast's face. His voice was calm, yet carried the weight of the mountain standing beside him.
Vanitas walked, his legs nearly betraying him from the pressure of the dual aura. He stood close to Aurum and the dragon, and knelt immediately. Aurum continued to stroke the dragon's skin, his eyes watching Vanitas's reflection on the polished scales.
"Now... I will tell you what I want, Vanitas." Aurum spoke. A few words. Short sentences. But every word came out synchronized with the dragon's hot exhalations.
Vanitas listened, his eyes fixated on Aurum's hand as it nonchalantly toyed with the dragon's lethal horn. When Aurum finished speaking, silence descended. Aurum gave one final, firm pat on the dragon's neck, then turned his entire body toward Vanitas.
Vanitas kept looking at the ground, absorbing the magnitude of what had been said. Then, in a calm voice, void of hesitation, he said a single word: "Understood."
Aurum smiled a smile devoid of any warmth. Aurum moved a single finger in the air. From among the motes of golden dust floating in the hall, luminous particles gathered quickly, fusing together to form a thin, delicate metallic chain. At the end of this chain formed a pointed tip, as sharp as an alchemical needle made of pure black gold.
The pointed dart floated in the air for a second, then shot forward at a speed the human eye could not follow.
Thwack! The dart pierced Vanitas's chest, burying itself directly in the center of his heart.
Vanitas didn't scream. He didn't flinch. He remained kneeling, his back straight, his face completely devoid of any expression, as if what had pierced his chest was merely a cold breeze.
"Your ring is for storing what I allow you to store," Aurum said coldly. "Understood, my lord," Vanitas replied mechanically, his dead eyes never leaving the ground.
[The Bedroom]
The room was luxurious, the bed as vast as a battlefield covered in red silk. They were naked, lying side by side after a violent round of physical possession. Sweat covered their bodies, and their breaths were still panting.
Aurelia turned to him. Her eyes, so accustomed to lying and manipulation, gleamed with something strange this time. Something resembling... truth.
"Why are you so tense?" she whispered, running her fingers over his chest. "It's not like it's the first time you've seen me naked." "Married women have their own special charm," Vanitas replied mechanically, staring at the ceiling.
She kissed him deeply. Then she pushed herself on top of him. The rhythm began anew. Faster, rougher. Her nails dug into his shoulders. Her moans filled the room.
Suddenly, in the midst of ecstasy, she began to cry. "I love you, Vanitas..." she sobbed, her tears falling on his face. "I truly love you."
He looked into her tear-drenched eyes. "I know I made mistakes... I was young... I was a whore..." She buried her face in his neck, wailing. "But I fell in love with you... You are different... Please believe me... I want to be yours alone."
Vanitas raised his hand. He wiped away her tears with extreme gentleness. She felt his tender touch, and her relieved crying intensified.
"I believe you..." He whispered into her ear in a voice as soft as silk. "...my love."
Aurelia smiled through her tears, closing her eyes in happiness. In that moment, his hands slipped from her face... down to her neck. She half-opened her eyes, a sly and playful smile forming on her wet lips.
"You like to play rough?" she whispered with arousal, lifting her neck to him submissively. "Show me what you've got..."
Vanitas didn't answer. His fingers began to tighten. His thumbs pressed against her windpipe with alchemical precision.
At first, Aurelia moaned with expected pleasure. But the pressure increased. It surpassed the boundaries of "play." Her smile twisted into a grimace of pain. "Vanitas... this is... too hard..."
He didn't stop. The pressure turned into a crush. The delicate bones of her neck began to scream under his grip. Her breath was abruptly cut off. She opened her eyes wide. She tried to scream, but the sound died in her compressed throat.
She looked into his eyes. She saw...
She tried to hit him, to scratch him, but he was on top of her, his weight pinning her down, his hands squeezing the life out of her with absolute coldness. He continued to look into her eyes as they bulged, the blood vessels bursting within them. Her body convulsed violently one last time... then went limp.
Aurelia Aurum, the lady who owned everything, died strangled in her wedding bed, believing in her final moments that it was all a game of love.
Vanitas slowly withdrew his hands. He looked at the purple finger marks on her white neck. He got up off the corpse. He lay back down beside her on his back, panting slightly.
Silence returned to the room. He raised his eyes upward. He stared at the luxurious ceiling of the room, at the ornate plaster and the paintings of deer. His eyes stopped at a specific point.
"The plaster in the right corner..." he muttered in a low voice within the silent room that reeked of sex and death. "...this room too... needs renovating."
.........
[Excerpt from: The Constitution of "Integration Protocols" - The Royal Academy]
Subject: Laws of Intermarriage with the Lineage of the Observers
"Gold does not mix with lead; it only coats it to give a false appearance of value."
1. The "First Week" Protocol (The First Week Rite): According to the ancient custom at the Apex Summit, the wife (even if she is from the lineage of the Observers) must spend the first week of her marriage in her husband's family home.
Technical Objective: A testing period to gauge the husband's ability to "contain" the trust handed over to him. After the week concludes, the couple moves to a private residence (Nest), beginning a life of dependent independence.
2. The "Immortality Isolation" Law: The commoners mistakenly believe that marrying into the Observer family grants "immortality" to the other party. This is a fatal misunderstanding of the system's mechanics.
The Integrated Party: The spouse belonging to a lower family remains a mortal human and does not receive the privileges of infinite resurrection. They remain subordinate to their original family name.
The Offspring: Privileges are granted exclusively to the children; they are the only ones carrying the mixed-blood "code" that allows them access to the immortality system. Marriage in Apex is not a "promotion" for the individual, but rather a "cultivation" of future generations to serve the Summit.