Chapter 556 – Eros
He sat first, legs crossed, wings folded. His eyes never left Lux.
"So," he said. "Why now?"
Lux didn’t sit. He stood there like he owned the space. Like he didn’t need comfort. Or chairs. Or ti.
"There’s movent in Hell," Lux said.
Ely sat beside him but kept a little distance now. Her fingers curled over the edge of the seat, silently watching the two demons... no, cousins, trade sothing more than words. It was like watching war disguised as family dinner. They didn’t shout. Didn’t threaten. But every pause between their sentences was filled with tension thick enough to chew.
Eros exhaled. "There’s always movent in Hell. Soone’s always scheming, fucking, fighting, or failing."
Lux smirked faintly. "Ever heard of Zoltarin?" He tilted his head slightly. "I an, I know we’re my cousin, but you’re... much older than . Thought you might have so firsthand insight."
That got Eros quiet. For a few seconds, the only sound was wind through the high trees and the gentle bubbling of koi water from the pond nearby.
Eros’s gaze finally narrowed. "Yeah," he said slowly. "I heard of him. Third bloodline. Obscured in records. Last known appearance... centuries ago. Your uncle from Greed line."
Lux nodded once. "He’s back."
Eros sat up straighter. "Back how?"
"Not physically," Lux said. "His body’s still sealed in the old Greed tower. But..."
He raised his fingers and tapped the side of his temple lightly.
"His consciousness is active. Roaming."
Eros’s tail flicked once against the polished wooden floor. "You’re saying his soul escaped the seal?"
"Not exactly," Lux replied. "More like... his awareness. He’s infected the InfernalNet."
Eros let that settle. He drumd his fingers against his thigh. "That’s more than just a problem. If he’s in the network—"
"He’s already nudging high-ranking systems. I’ve been tracking packet interference in the financial web. Contracts subtly rewriting. Vault traces showing triple-encoding signatures. All the sa pattern."
"You think it’s him?"
"I know it’s him," Lux said. "And I think he put the first bounty on ."
Eros blinked. "Wait. You have a bounty?"
Lux shrugged. "Yeah. A bunch of them now. Seraphs. Warlords. A few archdukes. Seems I’ve made a few enemies."
"That’s not new," Eros muttered. "You were born with a bullseye on your back."
"Doesn’t an I enjoy the paint," Lux replied.
Eros rubbed his forehead. "Okay, so. Zoltarin’s back. In so way. Still sealed in the old tower. But conscious and active. Connected to the InfernalNet. You sure he’s not poking into the Celestial line?"
Lux hesitated. "He might. The way the network leaks into interrealm data streams... he could use code-stained angels. Hijack soulwire."
"Shit," Eros said. "That could cause a divine war."
"Wouldn’t be his first one."
Eros looked over at Ely, who’d gone very still.
"Does she know how deep this goes?"
"No," Lux said softly. "And I want to keep it that way."
Eros studied her a second longer, then nodded. "Understood."
"But I do need to tell you sothing," Lux said.
"What?"
"He has a descendant."
Eros froze.
Lux continued. "Here. In the mortal realm."
Eros’s wings shifted slightly. "How? Who?"
"A lamia. Queen bloodline."
"...Queen?"
Lux nodded. "She’s powerful. Connected. Possibly unknowing. Goes by Lylith Seravelle."
"And you’re sure she’s his?"
"The blood reacted to a Zoltarin artifact," Lux explained. "Old infernal seal embedded in a circlet. The mont it touched her, it activated."
Eros muttered sothing dark in a language Ely didn’t recognize.
Ely finally spoke up, even though her voice felt small in her throat.
"...Wait. A bounty? A demon uncle? A sealed tower? What is happening?"
Lux looked down at her, his face unreadable. "Politics," he said gently. "Just very... infernal ones."
"That’s not an answer," she said.
"I know," he admitted. "We’ll talk later."
But Ely didn’t let it go.
She reached out, grabbing the edge of his sleeve again, more grounding herself than stopping him.
"Wait..." Her voice trembled a little. "The fight before. The one you got hurt from. The one that left blood on your shirt... Was that... related to this?"
Lux’s eyes didn’t soften.
He just looked at her with that quiet weight he always carried, like the world was already calculated and he was just waiting for the total to clear.
He nodded.
"Yeah," he said simply. "Royal demon versus royal demon."
She blinked, breath caught in her throat.
"We tried to kill each other," he added. "Still trying, I guess."
Ely’s lips parted like she wanted to say sothing. Maybe a protest. Maybe disbelief. But nothing ca out.
Because what could she even say to that?
You okay?
Of course, he wasn’t.
Eros grunted, folding his arms as his gaze slid toward Lux with an amused flicker.
"She’s fiery," he muttered. "You like her?"
Lux didn’t answer.
He didn’t look away either.
His silence said everything.
Eros smirked. "You do."
"She’s kind," Lux said, his voice lower now. "She looks at like I’m not what I am."
"You say that like it’s a bad thing."
Lux shook his head. "No. It’s just... dangerous. She thought I was a funeral director."
Ely swallowed hard. "You keep saying you’re not from this world. You keep talking about Hell and the economy like it’s normal. I don’t... I don’t even know your real na, do I?"
"You do," Lux said. "You heard it yourself how he called ."
He stepped closer.
"Lux Vaelthorn. Prince of Greed. Grandson of Lust. CFO of Hell."
Her brain... blanked.
Eros whistled softly. "You told her?"
"She asked."
"I didn’t expect you to answer."
Lux turned back to Ely.
"Now you know."
She stared. "You’re... a prince. Of Greed. And Lust?"
He nodded.
"You’re a demon."
"Yes."
"And you have cousins with wings and horns who throw needles at people as a greeting."
"Also yes."
She blinked slowly. "That’s a lot, Lux."
He stepped even closer. "Do you want to stop being honest?"
Her throat tightened. "No."
"Do you want to go?"
"...No."
"Then what do you want, Elyndra?"
She looked up at him. This demon prince with ancient eyes, power hidden under silk shirts, and hands that could destroy realms or hold her waist like she was sothing worth protecting.
"...I want to know everything."
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