He didn't wait for ceremony.
While nobles fought to recover their pride from the ruined auction, he simply walked—silent, slow—toward the payment altar.
The air thickened with dread.
He offered no gold. No contracts.
Only pure mana, pulsing from his palm like black wildfire.
"Transaction… complete."
The rune altar hissed as it absorbed the darkness.
"Item 98 and 99 now belong to… the Masked Buyer."
Two women approached from opposite ends of the chamber.
The first: Elena, skin pale, eyes glowing with forbidden allure.
The second: Syrlvia, an elven beauty in dark robes, her presence calm but cold—like a blade sheathed in silence.
They were not chained. They did not resist.
They walked willingly toward him.
He spoke only one word.
"Home."
And with a stomp of his foot, a black sigil flared beneath them.
A teleportation seal. Personal. Forbidden. Deadly.
Light swallowed the trio—then silence.
✦ The Castle Below
They reappeared in a vast underground sanctuary.
Stone arches soared overhead. Chandeliers made of spirit-crystal lit themselves with a flicker.
Velvet drapes danced in the silent wind of forgotten magic.
There was no sound. No other soul.
Only one throne…
…and now three hearts.
"This place…" Elena whispered, running fingers along a rune-carved pillar.
"It's beautiful."
"It's cursed," Syrlvia murmured.
"But it suits you."
He removed his cloak.
Then, slowly… his mask.
Golden eyes. Lips pressed firm. A jaw forged from control—and beneath that, a fire barely chained.
"I never touched a woman," he said plainly.
"Not once. Not out of honor… but fear. Fear that if I start… I'll never stop."
Neither woman moved.
But neither turned away.
"Tonight," he said, "you stay."
"Is that a command?" Elena asked, voice soft.
"A choice," he replied.
"But understand this—when I take the first step… you will both feel it."
He extended a hand to each of them.
Elena's hand slipped into his without hesitation.
Syrlvia paused… then placed hers as well.
In that moment, the air pulsed.
The sigils under their feet lit again.
Not for teleportation.
This time—for the ritual.
The Ritual of Flame and Flesh… begins.