To rule beside the devil, she must sacrifice everything she once believed in.
Reigning with the Devil is a trending dark fantasy romance short drama packed with supernatural power, forbidden passion, emotional betrayal, and dramatic twists.
Fans of viral drama series, gothic romance stories, fantasy short films, and supernatural emotional dramas will love this unforgettable full episode.
Experience dark magic, powerful emotions, dangerous love, and epic fantasy storytelling in one of the most talked-about viral fantasy romance dramas online today.
Watch the full episode now and enter a kingdom ruled by darkness and desire.
#ReigningWithTheDevil #DarkFantasy #FantasyRomance #ShortDrama #ShortMovie #ShortFlim #ViralDramaSeries #TreddingDrama #SupernaturalRomance #ForbiddenLove #GothicFantasy #FantasyDrama #EmotionalDrama #MysticalKingdom #FullEpisode #ReelsShort #ViralShortDrama #TrendingDrama #FantasyAdventure #DarkRomance #MiniDrama #AsianFantasy #EpicFantasy #DramaSeries #MagicalLoveStory #ViralFantasy #SupernaturalDrama #FantasySeries #HistoricalRomance #MysteryFantasy
Reigning with the Devil is a trending dark fantasy romance short drama packed with supernatural power, forbidden passion, emotional betrayal, and dramatic twists.
Fans of viral drama series, gothic romance stories, fantasy short films, and supernatural emotional dramas will love this unforgettable full episode.
Experience dark magic, powerful emotions, dangerous love, and epic fantasy storytelling in one of the most talked-about viral fantasy romance dramas online today.
Watch the full episode now and enter a kingdom ruled by darkness and desire.
#ReigningWithTheDevil #DarkFantasy #FantasyRomance #ShortDrama #ShortMovie #ShortFlim #ViralDramaSeries #TreddingDrama #SupernaturalRomance #ForbiddenLove #GothicFantasy #FantasyDrama #EmotionalDrama #MysticalKingdom #FullEpisode #ReelsShort #ViralShortDrama #TrendingDrama #FantasyAdventure #DarkRomance #MiniDrama #AsianFantasy #EpicFantasy #DramaSeries #MagicalLoveStory #ViralFantasy #SupernaturalDrama #FantasySeries #HistoricalRomance #MysteryFantasy
Category
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Short filmTranscript
00:00A dull fud cracked through the air, as my head slammed hard against the stone floor.
00:07Hurry up! Before she's gone, dump her into the acidic alchemy pit!
00:12Helen snapped, her voice sharp with urgency, as she pressed a handkerchief over her nose and mouth in disgust.
00:20I forced my eyes open. A circle of black-robed warlocks had already closed in around me.
00:26I'd clawed my way through the filth of the Bronx's lowest magical districts for years.
00:32When I finally found my so-called biological parents, I thought I could leave it all behind.
00:38I thought I could escape Dominic, the twisted master of the Obsidian Order, and his suffocating obsession.
00:45I thought I'd finally have a normal life, a real family, freedom.
00:50Instead, to keep Mia alive through that cursed life-binding contract, these pure-blood elites had me abducted and handed
00:57over like a bargaining chib to the Obsidian Order.
01:00Mia stood off to the side, arms crossed, watching me with open amusement.
01:05I let out a bitter breath.
01:07Hell, right back into this damn nasty dark magic underworld.
01:14Dominic, the shadow king who ruled life and death down here.
01:18He'd chased me for nearly a decade, treated me as if I mattered more than his own life.
01:24A few months ago, all I'd done was sneak out to some run-down mortal bar for a cheap whiskey.
01:30That was enough to send him over the edge.
01:32He locked me away in the upper sanctuary like a prisoner.
01:35I still remembered that night.
01:37His fingers clamped around my jaw, his eyes burning with obsession.
01:42Chloe, listen carefully.
01:44You don't leave me.
01:45Not now, not ever.
01:47Even if this entire world falls apart, your soul stays bound to mine.
01:52I clenched my teeth and spit straight in his face.
01:55To hell with you, Dominic.
01:57I seized the moment, used an enchanted hairpin to short out the security wards,
02:01and slipped through a hidden passage out of that gilded cage.
02:04I was wrong.
02:06Completely wrong.
02:08I didn't find freedom.
02:09I dove straight into something even darker, even colder.
02:13Richard!
02:14Helen!
02:15Look at me!
02:16My voice came out raw, shaking with fear and desperation.
02:20I have your blood in my veins.
02:22The same pure blood magic as you!
02:24Are you really going to stand there,
02:27and watch your own daughter get dissolved?
02:30Into a pile of slug for some black market contract?
02:36If there's even a shred of conscience left in you, stop this!
02:40Right now!
02:41These people, wrapped in the skin of high society, were nothing more than parasites.
02:47To keep the girl who stole my life breathing,
02:50they drugged me, turned me into a commodity,
02:54and sold me straight back into this nightmare.
02:57Two warlocks forced me down, my knees grinding painfully against the stone.
03:01The fumes from the acidic alchemy pit burned my eyes.
03:06But I still lifted my head, staring straight at the two people who brought me into this birth.
03:12At my plea, Richard's face tricked.
03:15For a split second, something flickered in his eyes.
03:19Hesitation.
03:20Guilt.
03:21Helen covered her mouth, her hands trembling.
03:24Richard, he said, her voice unsteady as she turned to him.
03:28She's still the child I carried for nine months!
03:32Maybe we could spend whatever it takes.
03:34Go to the Central Archic Medical Center in New York City.
03:37Find the best healer in the country.
03:39There has to be another way to save Mia.
03:41Something that doesn't involve this.
03:43Mia's expression turned icy in an instant.
03:45Then just as quickly, she slipped into a fragile, pitiful act.
03:48It's okay, Dad, Mom.
03:49She coughed weakly, tears spilling onto the ground as she staggered back, shaking her head.
03:54Chloe's right.
03:55I'm just someone who took her place.
03:58Maybe I should be the one to die.
04:00My life's already running out anyway.
04:03Being loved by you, even just for this short time, is enough for me.
04:07Please, don't carry that guilt because of me.
04:10Helen rushed forward, pulling her into a tight embrace.
04:14Oh, sweetheart, don't say something so foolish.
04:17You're the daughter I raised, the one who's always been by my side.
04:23You're everything to me.
04:24Richard shot me a cold, dismissive glance and flicked his wand at the warlocks.
04:29Proceed.
04:30Ignore her.
04:32Mia genitally pushed herself out of Helen's barns and made her way toward me, unsteady on her feet.
04:38Let me say goodbye to Chloe.
04:39Chloe, she crouched at the edge of the ASIC alchemy pit and lifted my mud-streaked face in her hands.
04:46Her lips brushed against my ear, and her voice dropped into a sharp whisper.
04:52Here's a secret, Chloe.
04:54I never had the blood bond curse.
04:56My eyes flow open.
04:58My pupils trembling.
05:00My life stand is perfectly fine.
05:02I'll live to 99.
05:03She continued softly.
05:05Those turnal diagnosis?
05:07Fake.
05:08Bought and paid for from Black Market Healer.
05:10I never needed your life in the first place.
05:13I just wanted you gone.
05:14Her manicured nails dug into my flesh.
05:17Her tone laced with vicious satisfaction.
05:20As long as you're alive, that ancient blood contract can't transfer to me.
05:24Even if you were digging through trash in the Bronx, you'd still be the rightful heir.
05:29I hate those pure-blood eyes of yours.
05:32The only way I'll ever sleep peacefully is if I watch you dissolve in this pit until there's nothing left.
05:38Have fun in hell, Chloe.
05:41The warlocks nearby had run out of patience.
05:45That's enough.
05:46Wrap up this pathetic family drama already.
05:49One of them snapped, shoving Mia aside and spitting on the ground.
05:53You Manhattan elites make me sick.
05:56Stay back.
05:56Don't contaminate the pit with your stench.
05:58Grumbling, he yanked me up off the floor and forced half my body over the edge of the churning, green
06:04-fuming, acidic alchemy pit.
06:06Another enforcer said, checking his watch.
06:09Move it.
06:10Mr. Leo ordered this batch of life-binding contracts refined and bottled before midnight.
06:14If we screw this up, we're the ones getting dumped into the dead mines.
06:17Leo!
06:18My face hovered inches above the bubbling surface, the fumes burning my skin.
06:23I let out a piercing scream.
06:26Wait!
06:28Leo?
06:30You mean Leo Rossi?
06:32I struggled wildly, my voice breaking.
06:34I know him.
06:35I know your boss.
06:37Call him down here right now.
06:39If you throw me in that pit today, I swear Leo will skin every last one of you alive with
06:44the unforgivable curse.
06:46The enforcer froze.
06:48A flicker of shock and fear crossed his face.
06:52Did she just say Mr. Rossi's full name?
06:57One of them muttered, swallowing hard.
06:59In the rigid hierarchy of the shadow syndicate, people at their level weren't even allowed to speak Leo's name.
07:05Let alone say it so casually, let alone say it so casually, first and last.
07:10If I really had some kind of connection to a man like him, someone with influence across the entire underground,
07:17it wouldn't survive the consequences.
07:19Seeing the enforcers actually hesitate, my biological parents stared in stunned silence.
07:27Richard, what is this?
07:29Helen clutched his sleeve, unease creeping into his voice.
07:33She spent years in the Bronx?
07:36Could she have gotten involved with someone powerful in the underground market?
07:42Even Richard frowned now, his composure slipping.
07:47Mia, on the other hand, went pale.
07:50Panic flickered in her eyes.
07:52She knew better than anyone that if my identity were verified, if this execution were stopped.
07:59Her entire scheme, faking a terminal illness, and hiring people to kill me, would collapse instantly.
08:07Damn it!
08:08Mia shrieked, rushing forward in her heels, and pointing straight at me.
08:14Are you all brain dead?
08:16You're actually buying this nonsense?
08:18She's nothing but a gutter rat from the slums.
08:21A compulsive liar.
08:23She'd say anything to stay alive.
08:25She even claims she's some secret heir to a dark Arkama empire.
08:30What exactly are you afraid of?
08:33My father paid you well.
08:35Now do your job and throw her in.
08:38Now!
08:40Yeah, nice try.
08:42The enforcer snapped, humiliated at having hesitated.
08:45His arm jerked forward with brutal force, shoving most of my body straight into the acidic alchemy pit.
08:52Agony tore through me.
08:54My body corrosive violently against the edge as the corrosive brew devoured my skin.
09:00In seconds, my face was unrecognizable, reduced to a horrifying mass of blood and ruined flesh.
09:07From beyond the safety line, Richard, Helen, and Mia watched with relieved, satisfied smiles.
09:17God, look at her!
09:19Mia giggled, covering her mouth, her eyes gleaming with cruel delight.
09:24She looks even more ridiculous now than she did in the Bronx.
09:27This is what happens when you try to take my place.
09:30Helen found away the acrid stench with her handkerchief, her tone cold.
09:35If she had just accepted her role and quietly gave you her remaining years, she wouldn't have to suffer like
09:40this.
09:41Instead, she chose to make a spectacle of herself.
09:44She brought this on herself.
09:46Richard adjusted his sleeve, impatience written all over his face.
09:50Stop dragging it out. Push her all the way in.
09:53If we miss the optimal extraction window for the life-binding contract, you'll be the ones paying for it.
09:59As I writhed in unbearable pain, the sharp, rapid sound of dress shoes echoed from the doorway.
10:09I could hear this mess from halfway down the hall.
10:12What are you idiots doing?
10:14Trying to draw the attention of the American Arcane Counselors?
10:17Leo Rossi, the Soul Broker, strode in with a frown.
10:21He waved away the swirling green fumes.
10:24His gaze sweeping coldly across the execution chamber.
10:28The enforcers immediately straightened, lowering their heads.
10:32Sir, nothing serious. Some Upper East Side clients are carrying out an illegal lifestand extraction.
10:37This one's being difficult, so we're about to dissolve her completely.
10:40At the sound of his voice, a flicker of clarity broke through my fading vision.
10:46I forced my ruined face up from the edge of the pit.
10:50A broken sound blowing its way out of my throat.
10:55Leo, help.
10:57Leo glanced at me and froze.
10:59The cigar slipped from his lips and hit the floor.
11:03His pupils shrank sharply, his face draining of all color.
11:08He recognized me.
11:10In the shadow syndicate, no one understood my eyes better than Leo.
11:14Years ago, he'd made a catastrophic mistake while handling a gang conflict for Dominic.
11:19Dominic had been seconds away from hanging him upside down and dropping him into a pit just like this one.
11:25Back then, I'd walked over with a martini in hand, pressed down Dominic's wand arm, and said lightly,
11:32Let it go.
11:33If he falls in, the acid might splash and ruin my boots.
11:36That offhand comment had pulled Leo back from the brink of death.
11:40Now I looked at him, at the sheer terror on his face.
11:44He knew exactly who I was.
11:46He owed me his life.
11:47There was no way he'd let these people get away with this.
11:51Leo stared fixically at my ruined face.
11:53The shock and fear in his eyes quickly hardened into killing intake.
11:57No one understood Dominic's obsession with me better than he did.
12:03If Dominic ever found out that Leo had been secretly running illegal lifespan trades,
12:10behind his back in the underground market,
12:13and worse, that he had stood by,
12:15while the woman Dominic valued above everything,
12:18was thrown into an acidic alchemy pit and disfigured,
12:22Dominic would carve him apart inch by inch with dark arcana,
12:25keeping him alive through every second of it.
12:28For Leo, there was only one way to cover up a mistake like this.
12:33Make sure I disappeared completely,
12:35as just another nameless piece of trash,
12:38erased in this pit before anyone noticed.
12:41Sir, is something wrong?
12:44One of the enforcers asked cautiously.
12:47Leo took a slow breath,
12:49his expression snapping back into cold irritation.
12:52He turned his back to me,
12:54and issued his order without hesitation.
12:56I don't tolerate this kind of noise in my territory.
12:59He adjusted his tie.
13:01Open the dissolution valve all the way.
13:04No delays.
13:05Finish it.
13:06I want her gone completely for three minutes.
13:09No trace left behind.
13:12The potion kept eating through my flesh
13:15as I stared up at the harsh light above.
13:17So this was what it felt like to be completely abandoned.
13:20No one cared whether I lived or died.
13:23Even the man whose life I had saved
13:24could throw me away without a second thought
13:26just to protect himself.
13:28Mia,
13:29ever perceptive,
13:30caught on immediately to the authority radiating from Leo.
13:34To her,
13:34he wasn't just a shield,
13:36he was a gateway into the entire underground of New York City.
13:39She smoothed out her wrinkled designer gown
13:41and stepped toward him on her heels,
13:44swaying deliberately.
13:45Mr. Rossi,
13:46the way you gave that order just now was impressive.
13:49She said softly,
13:50lowering her voice as she leaned closer,
13:52her tone deliberately suggestive.
13:54If you don't mind,
13:55I'd love to rely on your support
13:56for my future ventures in Manhattan.
13:58Her parents' eyes lit up instantly.
14:01Richard caught on at once,
14:02rubbing his hands together with a fanning smile.
14:05Mr. Rossi,
14:06truly remarkable.
14:07If it pleases you,
14:08consider this a small gift from our family.
14:11Mia has been raised to the highest Upper East Side standards.
14:14Pure blood,
14:14well-mannered and obedient.
14:16It would be her honor to remain by your side.
14:19Helen chimed in eagerly.
14:20Of course.
14:21Mr. Rosso,
14:23if you agree,
14:24Mia can go straight to your penthouse tonight.
14:27Leo let out a low laugh
14:28and pulled Mia against him by the waist.
14:30Richard,
14:31you really are a calculating bastard.
14:33Since you're offering so generously,
14:35I'll accept.
14:37His gaze turned crude,
14:39right there in front of everyone.
14:40His hand slid along the line of Mia's dress,
14:42gripping her with open entitlement.
14:44Mr. Rossi,
14:45you're hurting me,
14:46Mia murmured.
14:47But she didn't pull away.
14:48Instead,
14:49she leaned into him,
14:50playing along.
14:51Cut the act.
14:52Leo muttered,
14:53cigar smoke curling from his lips,
14:55as he spoke close to her ear.
14:56Upper East Side socialette,
14:58let's see what you're really worth.
15:00If you keep me satisfied,
15:01forget ten years of a life-binding contract.
15:03I'll make sure no one in New York City's magical world dares touch you.
15:08Just as the sickening sounds echoed through the empty execution chamber,
15:12and the enforcers reached for the final switch,
15:15the iron door let out a tortured screech,
15:18and was blown clean off its hinges by a blasting curse.
15:22The heavy metal slap slimmed into a distant, blood-bearing wall,
15:26sending the entire structure trembling.
15:28Leo's hand froze inside Mia's dress.
15:31The lewd grain on his face drained into lifeless gray.
15:34Through the swirling dust,
15:35Dominic stepped into view,
15:37clad in a tailored black coat,
15:39boots crunching over debris,
15:40as he appeared in the shattered doorway.
15:43What the hell is going on here?
15:44The two enforcers collapsed to their knees with a heavy thud,
15:47bodies shaking uncontrollably.
15:50My biological parents crumpled into the filthy water,
15:53not daring to breathe.
15:54Leo yanked his hand out of Mia's dress,
15:56so violently that the fabric tore with a sharp rip.
15:59All color vanished from his face.
16:02Six months ago,
16:03I had told Dominic myself,
16:05that the stick's dissolution pit was barbaric, revolting.
16:08Without hesitation,
16:09the man who showed no mercy to the world,
16:12had made me a promise.
16:13He swore he would shut it down permanently,
16:15that his fumes would never touch me again.
16:18Breaking a vow Dominic made to Chloe,
16:20was the kind of line no one crossed in the obsidian order.
16:24And yet, Leo, driven by the massive profits
16:27of the underground life-binding contracts trade,
16:30had secretly restarted the forbidden facility.
16:32Amping caught in the act,
16:34Dominic's crimson case swept slowly across the room,
16:36finally settling on the churning pit of green fumes.
16:39I gave a direct order.
16:40He said quietly,
16:41this damn pot was supposed to be sealed in concrete,
16:44permanently.
16:44Leo's eyes flicked past Dominic's shoulder,
16:46landing at me, still half submerged,
16:48my body destroyed beyond recognition.
16:50Boss!
16:52Mr. Dominic!
16:53He dropped to his knees with a crash
16:55and scrambled forward,
16:56clutching Dominic's polished shoes,
16:59tears streaming down his face.
17:00I was wrong.
17:01I know I was wrong.
17:03His voice broke,
17:04hoarse and desperate.
17:06Greed got the better of me.
17:07I lost my head
17:08and restarted the operation.
17:10Please,
17:11please,
17:12for everything I've done for you all these years,
17:14have mercy.
17:15I'm begging you.
17:16He slammed his forehead against the ground again and again,
17:20splitting the skin open
17:21as blood smeared across the floor.
17:23I swear this is the last time.
17:25I'll take care of these Upper East Side idiots immediately.
17:27I'll shut everything down,
17:29fill the pit myself.
17:30Just please,
17:30don't hand me over to the execution division.
17:32Please, sir!
17:33In the shadows,
17:34Richard,
17:35Helen,
17:36and Mia didn't dare make a sound.
17:38They covered their mouths,
17:39barely breathing.
17:41Dominic stood over Leo,
17:43looking down at him
17:44without a trace of emotion.
17:46Leo,
17:47the fact that you're still on your knees breathing right now
17:50is something you should thank the Bronx for every single day.
17:53Dominic slowly turned the Obsidian family signet ring on his thumb,
17:58his voice edged with frost.
18:00If Chloe hadn't shown mercy back then,
18:02if she hadn't told me herself
18:04that she never wanted to breathe that stench again,
18:07your clever little head would have been cut off
18:09and displayed in Times Square
18:11six months ago.
18:13He still cared.
18:14He remembered what I had said.
18:16This was my last chance to crawl all out of hell.
18:19I forced myself to move,
18:21enduring the agony as the potion ate through me.
18:24Inch by inch,
18:25I dragged myself out of the acidic alchemy pit,
18:28thick acid mixed with my blood,
18:30leaving a smoking trail across the stone floor.
18:33I pushed forward,
18:34trembling,
18:35and reached out a mangled hand,
18:36clapping the hem of his trousers.
18:38Through shattered breath,
18:39I forced the words out.
18:41Dominic.
18:42Dominic's entire body jolted.
18:44He snapped his gaze downward.
18:46At that moment,
18:47Mia panicked.
18:48She rushed in,
18:50her heel grinding hard onto my fingers,
18:52as she grabbed a fistful of my acid,
18:54burned hair,
18:55and yanked me away from Dominic's feet.
18:57What the hell is this,
18:59this disgusting thing?
19:00How dare it touch your clothes?
19:01She shrieked.
19:03Get away from him,
19:04you filthy piece of trash!
19:06Dominic's brow twitched.
19:07A heavy blow echoed,
19:09as a surge of wondrous dark arcana,
19:11slammed into her,
19:12sending her flying across the room.
19:14She crashed into a metal wall,
19:16and crumpled to the floor,
19:17coughing up blood.
19:18Be quiet.
19:20Don't touch her.
19:21Dominic's gaze,
19:22locked back onto me.
19:24I lay in a pool of blood and filth,
19:26staring up into his dark eyes.
19:29Dominic,
19:30you lunatic.
19:31I told you,
19:33I hate that smell.
19:35His body went rigid.
19:37Chloe?
19:38He whispered the name,
19:39disbelief laced with fear.
19:41With a sharp crash,
19:43the man who ruled the Shadow Syndicate
19:44dropped to his knees in the blood,
19:46soaked stone.
19:47His hands trembled violently,
19:49hovering in the air.
19:50He wanted to touch me,
19:51but he was afraid of hurting me further.
19:54God.
19:55Chloe,
19:56is it really you?
19:57When it finally sank in at the ruined,
20:00barely human figure in front of him,
20:02was the one he had been searching for,
20:04to the point of madness.
20:05A raw roar tore out of him.
20:08The red in his eyes burned,
20:09like it might spill over.
20:12Those bastards,
20:14they did this to you?
20:15He gathered me into his arms with impossible care.
20:18The man known for his cruelty held me like something fragile,
20:22his voice breaking with fear.
20:23In his embrace,
20:25staring at his twisted,
20:27anguished face,
20:27I finally let go of everything.
20:29The pain swallowed me,
20:31and darkness followed me.
20:32When I opened my eyes again,
20:35the suffocating stench was gone.
20:37In its place,
20:38was a familiar,
20:39calming scent.
20:40I lay in a wide bed,
20:42sunlight spilling across the carpet
20:44through floor-to-ceiling windows.
20:45My hand rose instinctively to my face,
20:48my throat,
20:49smooth,
20:50warm,
20:50whole.
20:51Dominic had used powerful ancient dark arcana
20:54to piece me back together,
20:55body and soul.
20:57Don't move, sweetheart.
20:59Your soul is still stabilizing.
21:02The voice came from the shadows,
21:03rough with exhaustion.
21:05Dominic sat on the couch beside the bed,
21:07his shirt collar hung open.
21:09Stubble shadowed his jaw,
21:10and his eyes were bloodshot,
21:11locked on me without blinking.
21:13He stood and came closer,
21:14carefully wrapping my hand in his,
21:16pressing his forehead against my fingertips.
21:18His voice trembled.
21:19I've never been this scared in my life, Chloe.
21:22When I heard your voice,
21:23I almost put a bullet in my own head.
21:25If I'd been even a second later,
21:27God,
21:29I won't let anyone hurt you again,
21:31not even death itself.
21:33I tightened my grip on his hand,
21:35my voice still hoarse.
21:37I'm not dead yet, Dominic,
21:38but the people who thought they could decide that,
21:40I don't want them getting off easy.
21:42He lifted his head and brushed a soft kiss
21:44across the back of my hand.
21:46A chilling smile curved his lips.
21:49As you wish, my queen.
21:52Once you've fully recovered,
21:53I'll personally guide you through this little VIP tour of hell.
21:57Half a month later,
21:58I slipped into a black coat.
22:00Dominic took my hand and led me into a private elevator,
22:03one only the highest authority could access.
22:07It didn't stop at the ninth floor.
22:09It descended deeper,
22:11into something heavier,
22:13suffocating.
22:14The tenth level.
22:16The black cells.
22:17The metal doors slid open.
22:19We stepped into a circular gallery.
22:22Under a focused bism of light
22:24stood two life-sized gold statues.
22:27I walked closer and immediately recognized the faces.
22:30Richard.
22:31Helen.
22:32Their expressions were frozen in absolute terror.
22:34Mouths stretched open in silent screams.
22:37Their bodies were solid gold,
22:38gleaming under the lights.
22:39Only their eyes remained human,
22:41dirting wildly in their sockets.
22:43They loved money, status,
22:44all that Upper East Sea vanity.
22:46Dominic said from behind me,
22:47lighting a cigarette,
22:49and placing it between my fingers.
22:50His tone was almost casual.
22:52So I had molten gold enhanced with magic
22:54poured straight down their throats.
22:56It filled them from the inside out.
22:57Organs, bones, everything.
22:59Turned them into the most expensive art pieces in the world.
23:02He exhaled slowly,
23:03his gaze cold.
23:04Their souls are sealed inside those shells.
23:06They can't breathe,
23:07can't speak,
23:08can't move.
23:08But they feel every second of it.
23:10The confinement.
23:11The suffocation.
23:12They'll stand here for tens of thousands of years.
23:14Part of my private collection.
23:16I looked at them.
23:17At the parents who had sold me out without hesitation.
23:19I felt nothing.
23:21Impressive taste.
23:22I said,
23:23flicking ash from the cigarette.
23:25But don't polish them.
23:26The shine is annoying.
23:28Dominic let out a low chuckle,
23:30wrapping an arm around my waist
23:31as he led me into the next room.
23:34It was a soundproof cube.
23:36No instruments.
23:38No chains.
23:39Just walls lined with mirrors.
23:42Mia was inside.
23:43When we first looked in,
23:45she appeared as she should.
23:47Young.
23:48Beautiful.
23:49Twenty.
23:50Then it began.
23:51Her skin yellowed and shriveled in seconds.
23:54Wrinkles carved across her face.
23:56Her hair fell out,
23:58turning grey as it thinned.
24:00One after another,
24:01fatal diseases erupted through her body.
24:03Organs failed.
24:05Tumors swelled grotesquely.
24:06Her skin split and rotted.
24:08In less than thirty seconds,
24:10she became a frailed,
24:12decaying old woman.
24:13Then,
24:13with a final,
24:14agonized scream,
24:15she collapsed into a pile of bones.
24:18The moment the bones hit the floor,
24:20everything snapped back.
24:22Time reversed.
24:23She was twenty again.
24:27And then the cycle started over.
24:31Didn't she dream of stealing your lifestand?
24:33Of living forever?
24:34I had my shadow maceses re-rate the temporary exit in her cell.
24:40In this chrono decay chamber,
24:42every sixty seconds she lives an entire lifetime.
24:45Youth to death.
24:47Crushed under a hundred different terminal illnesses.
24:50She can never truly die.
24:52Every minute,
24:52she watches herself rot in those mirrors.
24:55She got the endless life she wanted.
24:58I looked away,
24:59disgusted.
25:00That ending fits her perfectly.
25:02But,
25:02I'm more interested in the one who thought he ran this place.
25:06Dominic snapped his fingers
25:08and led me to the final chamber at the end of the corridor.
25:12Inside,
25:12Leo Rossi,
25:13once immaculate,
25:14untouchable,
25:15hung suspended in mid-air,
25:17pinned by hundreds of thick metal probes.
25:20They pierced deep into his spine,
25:22his brain,
25:23his limbs.
25:24There wasn't an inch of him left intact.
25:26Dark red streams of soul energy
25:28flowed through the conduits,
25:30siphoned out without pause.
25:33At the sound of our steps,
25:34he forced his head up.
25:36His face was gaunt,
25:37his eyes hollow with pain.
25:39Chloe,
25:40Miss Chloe.
25:41His voice barely held together.
25:44Kill me,
25:44please.
25:45Just shoot me.
25:47I can't take this anymore.
25:48Dominic walked to the control castle
25:50and tap the glass.
25:51Leo,
25:52my former chief operator.
25:54He liked dealing in lifespan contracts behind my back.
25:57So I repurposed him.
25:59He's now the primary server
26:01for the entire underground market in New York City.
26:04He turned,
26:05a cold smile on his lips.
26:07You're connected to the pain network
26:09of every condemned soul down here.
26:11Every ounce of suffering they feel
26:12is converted into data.
26:14It runs through your brilliant brain,
26:16multiplied a thousand times,
26:17and powers the city's magical barrier.
26:20I stepped closer,
26:21looking straight at him.
26:23Congratulations, Leo.
26:24You finally found your true purpose.
26:27His mouth opened,
26:28trying to scream,
26:29but another surge of pain flooded in.
26:31His body convulsed,
26:33the sound breaking into a strangled twitch.
26:36I turned away without another glance
26:38and slipped my arm through Dominic's.
26:41Let's go, Dominic.
26:42I took a slow breath
26:43of the cold air of the underground.
26:45You were right.
26:45The rules down here
26:46were rotten long before this.
26:48Maybe it's time I stay
26:50and re-rate them myself.
26:51He froze for a heartbeat.
26:53Then something fierce and bright
26:55broke across his face.
26:57He pulled me into his arms.
26:59My honor, boss.
27:00Five years later,
27:02a blizzard wrapped the city,
27:04but inside the obscene order's
27:06top floor duplex.
27:07The air was warm enough
27:09to make you forget the world outside.
27:12I stood by the window,
27:14spiraling a crystal glass.
27:15The neon lights of New York City
27:17stretching out beneath me.
27:20What's caught your attention, my queen?
27:22Arms slipped around my waist from behind.
27:24His jacket lay tossed on the couch.
27:27Tie loosened.
27:29His presence relaxed in a way
27:31only I ever saw.
27:33Our empire, I said.
27:36Turning to him with a faint smile,
27:38straightening his collar.
27:39In the past five years,
27:41I kept my word.
27:42I was no longer the girl
27:44clawing her way out of the Bronx,
27:46hiding under his protection.
27:47I took my place at the head
27:49of the highest council,
27:50and I rewrote the rules
27:51of the entire shadow world.
27:53I personally destroyed
27:54every illegal life-binding contract,
27:56and had every broker
27:57who tried to keep siphoning
27:59life-simes on the black market
28:00thrown into the Hudson River.
28:02Through all of it,
28:03Dominic didn't interfere once.
28:05If anything,
28:06he became my most devoted supporter,
28:08and the most ruthless enforcer
28:10of my will.
28:11Any elder who dared question
28:12even a single clause
28:14of my new code
28:15would be found the next morning
28:17at the bottom of the East River.
28:18At today's board meeting,
28:20were those centuries-old
28:21Sicilian war laws
28:22behaving themselves?
28:23I asked,
28:24raising an eyebrow.
28:26With your laws
28:27hanging over their heads,
28:28they wouldn't dare
28:29step out of line.
28:30Dominic said with a low chuckle,
28:32he leaned in
28:33and brushed a kiss
28:34against my lips.
28:35Everyone in the underground
28:36knows this.
28:37Cross the godfather,
28:38and you might take
28:39a cursed bullet.
28:40Cross his wife,
28:42and your fate
28:43will make hell
28:44look merciful.
28:45I let out a soft laugh
28:46and leaned into his chest,
28:49warm and steady.
28:50Time is a strange
28:51kind of magic.
28:52Or maybe it's power,
28:53absolute and undeniable,
28:55paired with a love
28:55that never wavers.
28:57Either way,
28:57it heals.
28:58The memories that once
28:59haunted me,
29:00the burning acid,
29:01the disgust
29:02in my parents' eyes,
29:04Mia's venom,
29:04Leo's betrayal,
29:06had faded into
29:06something distant
29:07and indistinct.
29:09Those who hurt me
29:09were still down there,
29:11trapped in endless cycles
29:12of punishment.
29:13I no longer spared them
29:14a second thought.
29:15They had become dust
29:17in the machinery.
29:18And I had become
29:20the one who wrote
29:20its rules.
29:22Still thinking about
29:23the past?
29:24Dominic's voice
29:25softened as he felt
29:27the shift in me,
29:28his arms tightening slightly.
29:30No.
29:31I lifted my gaze
29:32to meet his,
29:33then drained the whiskey
29:34in my glass.
29:35Leaning close,
29:36I murmured against his ear,
29:37my voice low enough
29:38for only him to hear.
29:40I was thinking,
29:41now that New York's
29:42underground is finally
29:42running the way
29:43I want it to,
29:44maybe it's time
29:45we took a vacation,
29:46a Mali coast,
29:47a proper honeymoon.
29:48He paused,
29:49just for a second,
29:50then something bright
29:51and unmistakable
29:52lit up his eyes.
29:53Without another word,
29:55he swept me into his arms
29:56and carried me
29:57toward the bedroom,
29:58his voice rough
29:58with affection and surrender.
30:00As you wish,
30:01my queen.
30:02Amalfi,
30:02the edge of the world,
30:03anywhere.
30:04As long as you're there,
30:05I'm all in.
30:06He was supposed to fly
30:07straight to the Amalfi coast.
30:09Instead,
30:10halfway through the flight,
30:11the route changed.
30:12I swear,
30:13if this is the American
30:14arcane countless
30:15poking around
30:16New York's books again,
30:18I'm turning their headquarters
30:19in the Walford building
30:20into the largest
30:21public restroom
30:22in Manhattan.
30:23I said,
30:24swirling the whiskey
30:25in my glass.
30:26Dominic laughed,
30:27quietly,
30:28and draped a coat
30:29over my shoulders.
30:30Not Congress.
30:31Voodoo circles
30:32out of New Orleans
30:33and a West Coast
30:34illusionist syndicate.
30:35They think your ban
30:37on lifespan contracts
30:38crossed a line,
30:39cut off a major
30:40revenue stream,
30:40so they teamed up
30:41and blocked Route 66,
30:43the main artery
30:44for magical smuggling.
30:46Predictable.
30:47I said coolly.
30:49I'd spent too many years
30:51surviving in places
30:52like the Bronx,
30:53not to understand
30:54how people like that
30:55think.
30:56Show them even
30:57a hint of mercy
30:58and they'll take it
30:59as weakness.
31:01Listen carefully,
31:02I said,
31:03bracing both hands
31:04on the table
31:04as I looked down
31:05at the local bosses
31:05in front of me.
31:06The life-binding contracts
31:08in New York
31:08are gone,
31:09completely.
31:10And starting today,
31:11every transaction
31:12in the underground
31:13magical world
31:14across the United States,
31:16whether it's
31:17voodoo dolls
31:18in New Orleans
31:19or hallucinogenic
31:20brews in Vegas,
31:21runs under my new code.
31:22Who do you think
31:23you are?
31:24One of the voodoo
31:25enforcers snapped,
31:27bound tightly
31:28in my chains.
31:29The reason you're
31:29still standing there
31:30breathing is because
31:31I'm in a good mood
31:32mood today.
31:33I tapped his cheek
31:34lightly with my nails.
31:36And because
31:36in this shadow syndicate,
31:38Dominic is the godfather,
31:40and I'm the one
31:41even he answers to.
31:43I tightened the chains
31:44until they were seconds
31:45from suffocation,
31:46then released them
31:47at the last moment,
31:49tossing them into the corner
31:50like discarded trash.
31:51You've got three days
31:52to reopen Route 66,
31:54and from now on,
31:5630% of West Coast profits
31:58get wired to the Obsidian Order's
32:00offshore accounts.
32:01Miss a payment,
32:02and I'll personally show you
32:04what a VIP version of hell
32:06really looks like.
32:08I picked up the glass of whiskey
32:10on the table
32:10and splashed it across Sam's face,
32:13then turned,
32:14slipping my arm through Dominic's
32:16as we walked out.
32:17Back under the bright lights
32:18of the Las Vegas Strip,
32:20Dominic opened the car door for me.
32:22That familiar intensity
32:23burned in his eyes,
32:25undisguised.
32:26This is what you call negotiation?
32:28He murmured,
32:29leaning in to kiss the curve
32:30of my neck,
32:31his voice low with amusement.
32:33Bronx survival rules.
32:35I said,
32:36looping my arms around his neck
32:38and returning the kiss.
32:39Combined with Manhattan-level
32:41Monopoly power,
32:42I pulled back slightly,
32:44a faint smile on my lips.
32:46Now have the pilot
32:47reset our course to Europe.
32:49After dealing with
32:50of Wancher bees
32:50who think revolvers
32:51make them dangerous,
32:53I need a proper
32:54Italian apparato.
32:55As you wish, my queen.
32:56Dominic said with a quiet laugh,
32:58the engine roared to life.
33:00And as the city of sin
33:01fell away beneath us,
33:02we sped towards
33:03something far greater,
33:04an empire,
33:05a future,
33:06and a celebration
33:07that would never truly end.
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