- 12 hours ago
Reigning with the Devil New
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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 chip 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.
01:13Dominic, 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 clench 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.
02:12Even 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,
02:45were nothing more than parasites.
02:47To keep the girl who stole my life breathing,
02:50they drugged me,
02:52turned me into a commodity,
02:54and sold me straight back into this nightmare.
02:57Two warlocks forced me down,
02:59my knees grinding painfully against the stone.
03:01The fumes from the acidic alchemy pit burned my eyes.
03:06But I still lifted my head,
03:08staring 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,
03:22her hands trembling.
03:24Richard, he said,
03:25her 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.
03:38There 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,
03:46she slipped into a fragile, pitiful act.
03:48It's okay, Dad, Mom.
03:50She coughed weakly,
03:51tears spilling onto the ground as she staggered back,
03:53shaking 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,
04:04even just for this short time,
04:06is enough for me.
04:07Please, don't carry that guilt because of me.
04:10Helen rushed forward,
04:12pulling her into a tight embrace.
04:14Oh, sweetheart,
04:15don't say something so foolish.
04:17You're the daughter I raised,
04:19the one who's always been by my side.
04:22You're everything to me.
04:24Richard shot me a cold,
04:26dismissive glance
04:26and flicked his wand at the warlock's.
04:29Proceed.
04:30Ignore her.
04:32Mia genitally pushed her cell out of Helen's farms
04:34and made her way toward me,
04:36unsteady on her feet.
04:38Let me say goodbye to Chloe.
04:39She crouched at the edge of the assic alchemy pit
04:42and lifted my mud-streaked face in her hands.
04:46Her lips brushed against my ear,
04:48and 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 lifespan is perfectly fine.
05:02I'll live to 99.
05:03She continued softly.
05:05Those eternal 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.
05:19As long as you're alive,
05:21that ancient blood contract can't transfer to me.
05:24Even if you were digging through trash in the Bronx,
05:27you'd still be the rightful heir.
05:29I hate those pure-blood eyes of yours.
05:32The only way I'll ever sleep peacefully
05:34is if I watch you dissolve in this pit
05:36until there's nothing left.
05:38Have fun in hell, Chloe.
05:41The warlocks nearby have run out of patience.
05:45That's enough.
05:46Wrap up this pathetic family drama already.
05:49One of them snapped,
05:51shoving 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,
05:59he yanked me up off the floor
06:00and forced half my body over the edge
06:03of the churning, green-fuming, acidic alchemy pit.
06:06Another enforcer said,
06:08checking his watch.
06:09Move it.
06:10Mr. Leo ordered this batch of life-binding contracts
06:12refined and bottled before midnight.
06:14If we screw this up,
06:15we're the ones getting dumped into the dead mines.
06:17Leo!
06:18My face hovered inches above the bubbling surface,
06:21the fumes burning my skin.
06:23I let out a piercing scream.
06:26Wait!
06:28Leo?
06:30You mean Leo Rossi?
06:32I struggled wildly,
06:33my 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.
06:41I swear Leo will skin every last one of you alive
06:44with the 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?
06:56One of them muttered,
06:58swallowing hard.
06:59In the rigid hierarchy of the Shadow Syndicate,
07:02people at their level weren't even allowed to speak Leo's name,
07:05let alone say it so casually,
07:07first and last.
07:09If I really had some kind of connection to a man like him,
07:13someone with influence across the entire underground,
07:17they wouldn't survive the consequences.
07:20Seeing the enforcers actually hesitate,
07:23my biological parents stared in stunned silence.
07:27Richard, what is this?
07:29Helen clutched his sleeve,
07:31unease creeping into his voice.
07:33She spent years in the Bronx?
07:36Could she have gotten involved with someone
07:39powerful in the underground market?
07:42Even Richard frowned now,
07:44his 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,
07:56if this execution were stopped,
07:59her entire scheme,
08:01faking a terminal illness,
08:03and hiring people to kill me,
08:05would collapse instantly.
08:06Damn it!
08:08Mia shrieked,
08:10rushing forward in her heels,
08:12and 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,
08:25even claim she's some secret heir
08:27to 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,
08:44humiliated at having hesitated.
08:46His arm jerked forward with brutal force,
08:48shoving most of my body straight into the acidic alchemy pit.
08:52Agony tore through me.
08:54My body corrosive violently against the edge
08:57as the corrosive brew devoured my skin.
09:00In seconds,
09:01my face was unrecognizable,
09:03reduced to a horrifying mass of blood and ruined flesh.
09:07From beyond the safety line,
09:09Richard, Helen,
09:11and Mia watched with relieved,
09:14satisfied smiles.
09:17God, look at her!
09:19Mia giggled,
09:20covering her mouth,
09:21her eyes gleaming with cruel delight.
09:24She looks even more ridiculous now
09:26than she did in the Bronx.
09:27This is what happens
09:28when you try to take my place.
09:30Helen found away the acrid stench
09:32with her handkerchief,
09:34her tone cold.
09:35If she had just accepted her role
09:37and quietly gave you her remaining years,
09:39she wouldn't have to suffer like this.
09:41Instead,
09:42she chose to make a spectacle of herself.
09:44She brought this on herself.
09:46Richard adjusted his sleeve,
09:48impatience written all over his face.
09:50Stop dragging it out.
09:51Push her all the way in.
09:53If we miss the optimal extraction window
09:55for the life-binding contract,
09:57you'll be the ones paying for it.
09:59As I writhed in unbearable pain,
10:02the sharp, rapid sound of dress shoes
10:05echoed from the doorway.
10:09I could hear this mess
10:11from halfway down the hall.
10:12What are you idiots doing?
10:14Trying to draw the attention
10:15of the American arcane countess?
10:17Leo Rossi,
10:18the soul broker,
10:20strode in with a frown.
10:21He waved away the swirling green fumes,
10:24his gaze sweeping coldly
10:26across the execution chamber.
10:28The enforcers immediately straightened,
10:31lowering their heads.
10:32Sir,
10:33nothing serious.
10:34Some Upper East Side clients
10:35are carrying out
10:36an illegal lifestand extraction.
10:37This one's being difficult,
10:38so we're about to dissolve her completely.
10:40At the sound of his voice,
10:42a flicker of clarity
10:43broke through my fading vision.
10:46I forced my ruined face up
10:48from the edge of the pit,
10:49a broken sound
10:51blowing its way out of my throat.
10:54Leo,
10:56help.
10:56Leo glanced at me
10:58and froze.
11:00The cigar slipped from his lips
11:02and hit the floor.
11:03His pupils shrank sharply,
11:06his face draining of all color.
11:08He recognized me.
11:10In the shadow syndicate,
11:11no one understood my eyes
11:13better than Leo.
11:14Years ago,
11:15he'd made a catastrophic mistake
11:16while handling a gang conflict
11:18for Dominic.
11:19Dominic had been seconds away
11:21from hanging him upside down
11:22and dropping him into a pit
11:24just like this one.
11:25Back then,
11:26I'd walked over
11:27with a martini in hand,
11:29pressed down Dominic's wand arm
11:30and said lightly,
11:32let it go.
11:33If he falls in,
11:34the acid might splash
11:35and ruin my boots.
11:36That offhand comment
11:37had pulled Leo back
11:39from the brink of death.
11:40Now I looked at him,
11:41at the sheer terror
11:43on his face.
11:44He knew exactly who I was.
11:46He owed me his life.
11:47There was no way
11:48he'd let these people
11:49get away with this.
11:51Leo stared fixically
11:52at my ruined face.
11:53The shock and fear
11:55in his eyes
11:55quickly hardened
11:56into killing intake.
11:58No one understood
11:59Dominic's obsession
12:00with me
12:01better than he did.
12:03If Dominic ever found out
12:05that Leo had been secretly
12:07running illegal
12:08lifespan trades,
12:10behind his back
12:11in the underground market,
12:13and worse,
12:14that he had stood by
12:15while the woman Dominic
12:17valued above everything
12:18was thrown into
12:19an acidic alchemy pit
12:21and disfigured,
12:21Dominic would carve him
12:23apart inch by inch
12:24with dark arcana,
12:26keeping him alive
12:27through every second of it.
12:28For Leo,
12:29there was only one way
12:30to cover up
12:31a mistake like this.
12:33Make sure I disappeared
12:34completely
12:35as just another
12:36nameless piece of trash,
12:38erased in this pit
12:39before anyone noticed.
12:41Sir,
12:43is something wrong?
12:44One of the enforcers
12:46asked cautiously.
12:47Leo took a slow breath,
12:48his expression snapping back
12:50into cold irritation.
12:52He turned his back to me
12:54and issued his order
12:55without hesitation.
12:56I don't tolerate
12:57this kind of noise
12:58in my territory.
12:59He adjusted his tie.
13:01Open the dissolution valve
13:03all the way.
13:04No delays.
13:05Finish it.
13:06I want her gone completely
13:08in three minutes.
13:09No trace left behind.
13:12The potion kept eating
13:14through my flesh
13:15as I stared up
13:15at the harsh light above.
13:17So this was what it felt like
13:18to be completely abandoned.
13:20No one cared
13:21whether I lived or died.
13:23Even the man
13:23whose life I had saved
13:24could throw me away
13:25without a second thought
13:26just to protect himself.
13:28Mia,
13:29ever perceptive,
13:30caught on immediately
13:31to the authority
13:32radiating from Leo.
13:34To her,
13:34he wasn't just a shield.
13:35He was a gateway
13:36into the entire underground
13:38of New York City.
13:39She smoothed out
13:40her wrinkled designer gown
13:41and stepped toward him
13:42on her heels,
13:44swaying deliberately.
13:45Mr. Rossi,
13:46the way you gave that order
13:47just now was impressive.
13:49She said softly,
13:50lowering her voice
13:51as she leaned closer.
13:52Her tone deliberately suggested,
13:54If you don't mind,
13:55I'd love to rely on your support
13:56for my future ventures
13:57in Manhattan.
13:58Her parents' eyes
13:59lit up instantly.
14:01Richard caught on at once,
14:02rubbing his hands together
14:03with a fanning smile.
14:05Mr. Rossi,
14:06truly remarkable.
14:07If it pleases you,
14:08consider this a small gift
14:09from our family.
14:10Mia has been raised
14:11to the highest
14:12Upper East Side standards.
14:14Pure blood,
14:14well-mannered,
14:15and obedient.
14:16It would be her honor
14:17to remain by your side.
14:19Helen chimed in eagerly.
14:20Of course.
14:21Mr. Rossi,
14:23if you agree,
14:24Mia can go straight
14:25to your penthouse tonight.
14:27Leo let out a low laugh
14:28and pulled Mia
14:29against him by the waist.
14:30Richard,
14:31you really are
14:32a calculating bastard.
14:33Since you're offering
14:34so generously,
14:35I'll accept.
14:37His gaze turned crude,
14:39right there in front
14:39of everyone.
14:40His hand slid along
14:41the line of Mia's dress,
14:42gripping her
14:43with 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
14:54from his lips
14:55as he spoke close
14:56to her ear.
14:56Upper East Side socialette,
14:58let's see what
14:59you're really worth.
14:59If you keep me satisfied,
15:01forget ten years
15:02of a life-binding contract.
15:03I'll make sure no one
15:05in New York City's
15:06magical world
15:06dares touch you.
15:08Just as the sickening sounds
15:09echoed through
15:10the empty execution chamber
15:12and the enforcers
15:13reached for the final switch,
15:15the iron door
15:16let out a tortured screech
15:18and was blown clean
15:19off its hinges
15:20by a blasting curse.
15:22The heavy metal slap
15:23slimmed into a distant,
15:25blood-bearing wall,
15:26sending the entire structure
15:27trembling.
15:28Leo's hand froze
15:29inside Mia's dress,
15:31the lewd grain on his face
15:32drained 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
15:41in the shattered doorway.
15:43What the hell is going on here?
15:44The two enforcers
15:45collapsed to their knees
15:46with a heavy thud,
15:47bodies shaking uncontrollably.
15:50My biological parents
15:51crumpled into the filthy water,
15:53not daring to breathe.
15:54Leo yanked his hand
15:55out of Mia's dress
15:56so violently
15:57that the fabric tore
15:58with a sharp rip.
15:59All color vanished
16:00from his face.
16:02Six months ago,
16:03I had told Dominic myself
16:05that the Styx dissolution pit
16:06was barbaric,
16:08revolting.
16:08Without hesitation,
16:09the man who showed
16:10no mercy to the world
16:11had made me a promise.
16:13He swore he would
16:14shut it down permanently,
16:15that his fumes
16:16would never touch me again.
16:18Breaking a vow
16:19Dominic made to Chloe
16:20was the kind of line
16:22no one crossed
16:23in the obsidian order.
16:24And yet,
16:25Leo,
16:25driven by the massive profits
16:27of the underground
16:28life-finding contracts trade,
16:29had secretly restarted
16:31the forbidden facility.
16:32Amping caught in the act,
16:34Dominic's crimson case
16:35swept slowly across the room,
16:36finally settling
16:37on the churning pit
16:38of green fumes.
16:39I gave a direct order.
16:40He said quietly,
16:41This damn pot
16:42was supposed to be
16:43sealed in concrete,
16:44permanently.
16:44Leo's eyes flicked
16:45past Dominic's shoulder,
16:46landing at me,
16:47still half submerged,
16:48my body destroyed
16:49beyond recognition.
16:50Boss!
16:52Mr. Dominic!
16:53He dropped to his knees
16:54with a crash
16:55and scrambled forward,
16:56clutching Dominic's
16:57polished shoes,
16:59tears streaming down
17:00his face.
17:00I was wrong.
17:02I 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
17:13for you all these years,
17:14have mercy.
17:15I'm begging you.
17:16He slammed his forehead
17:17against the ground
17:18again and again,
17:20splitting the skin open
17:21as blood smeared
17:23across the floor.
17:23I swear this is the last time.
17:25I'll take care of these
17:26Upper East Side idiots
17:27immediately.
17:27I'll shut everything down,
17:29fill the pit myself.
17:30Just please,
17:30don't hand me over
17:31to the execution division.
17:32Please, sir!
17:33In the shadows,
17:34Richard, Helen,
17:35and Mia didn't dare
17:37make 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
17:48on your knees breathing
17:49right now
17:50is something you should
17:51thank the Bronx
17:52for every single day.
17:53Dominic slowly turned
17:55the Obsidian family
17:56signet ring on his thumb,
17:58his voice edged with frost.
18:00If Chloe hadn't shown
18:01mercy back then,
18:02if she hadn't told me herself
18:04that she never wanted
18:05to breathe that stench again,
18:07your clever little head
18:08would 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
18:18to crawl all out of hell.
18:19I forced myself to move,
18:21enduring the agony
18:22as the potion ate through me.
18:24Inch by inch,
18:25I dragged myself
18:26out of the acidic alchemy pit,
18:28thick acid mixed with my blood,
18:30leaving a smoking trail
18:31across the stone floor.
18:33I pushed forward,
18:34trembling,
18:35and reached out
18:35a mangled hand,
18:36clapping the hem
18:37of 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.
18:45At that moment,
18:47Nia panicked.
18:48She rushed in,
18:50her heel grinding hard
18:51onto my fingers
18:52as she grabbed a fistful
18:53of my acid,
18:54burned hair,
18:55and yanked me away
18:56from Dominic's feet.
18:57What the hell is this,
18:58this disgusting thing?
19:00How dare it touch your clothes?
19:02She shrieked.
19:02Get away from him,
19:04you filthy piece of trash!
19:06Dominic's brow twitched.
19:07A heavy blow echoed
19:09as a surge of
19:10wondrous dark arcana
19:11slammed into her,
19:12sending her flying
19:13across 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
19:25of blood and filth,
19:26staring up
19:27into 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,
19:42the man who ruled
19:43the Shadow Syndicate
19:44dropped to his knees
19:45in 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
19:52of hurting me further.
19:54God.
19:55Chloe?
19:56Is it really you?
19:57When it finally sank in
19:59that the ruined,
20:00barely human figure
20:01in front of him
20:02was the one
20:02he had been searching for,
20:04to the point of madness.
20:05A raw roar
20:06tore out of him.
20:08The red in his eyes
20:09burned,
20:10like it might spill over.
20:12Those bastards,
20:14they did this to you?
20:15He gathered me
20:16into his arms
20:17with impossible care.
20:18The man known
20:19for his cruelty
20:20held me like
20:20something fragile,
20:22his voice breaking
20:23with fear.
20:24In his embrace,
20:25staring at his twisted,
20:27anguished face,
20:28I finally let go
20:29of everything.
20:30The pain swallowed me,
20:31and darkness followed me.
20:32When I opened
20:33my eyes again,
20:34the suffocating stench
20:36was gone.
20:37In its place
20:38was a familiar,
20:39calming scent.
20:40I lay in a wide bed,
20:42sunlight spilling
20:43across the carpet
20:44through floor-to-ceiling windows.
20:45My hand rose instinctively
20:47to my face,
20:48my throat,
20:49smooth,
20:49warm,
20:50whole.
20:51Dominic had used
20:52powerful ancient
20:53dark arcana
20:54to piece me back together,
20:55body and soul.
20:57Don't move,
20:58sweetheart.
20:59Your soul
21:00is still stabilizing.
21:02The voice came
21:02from the shadows,
21:03rough with exhaustion.
21:05Dominic sat on the couch
21:06beside the bed,
21:07his shirt collar
21:08hung open,
21:08stubble shadowed his jaw,
21:10and his eyes were bloodshot,
21:11locked on me
21:12without blinking.
21:13He stood and came closer,
21:14carefully wrapping
21:15my hand in his,
21:16pressing his forehead
21:17against my fingertips.
21:18His voice trembled.
21:19I've never been this scared
21:20in my life,
21:21Chloe.
21:22When I heard your voice,
21:23I almost put a bullet
21:24in my own head.
21:25If I'd been even
21:25a second later,
21:27God,
21:29I won't let anyone
21:30hurt you again,
21:31not even death itself.
21:33I tightened my grip
21:34on his hand,
21:35my voice still hoarse.
21:36I'm not dead yet,
21:38Dominic,
21:38but the people
21:39who thought they could
21:40decide that,
21:40I don't want them
21:41getting off easy.
21:42He lifted his head
21:43and brushed a soft kiss
21:44across the back of my hand.
21:46A chilling smile
21:47curved his lips.
21:49As you wish,
21:50my queen.
21:52Once you've fully recovered,
21:53I'll personally guide you
21:55through this little
21:55VIP tour of hell.
21:57Half a month later,
21:58I slipped into a black coat.
22:00Dominic took my hand
22:01and led me into
22:02a private elevator,
22:03one only the highest
22:04authority could access.
22:07It didn't stop
22:08at the ninth floor.
22:09It descended deeper
22:10into something heavier,
22:13suffocating.
22:14The tenth level,
22:16the black cells.
22:17The metal doors slid open.
22:19We stepped into
22:20a circular gallery.
22:22Under a focused
22:23beast of light
22:24stood two life-sized
22:26gold statues.
22:27I walked closer
22:28and immediately
22:29recognized the faces.
22:30Richard.
22:31Helen.
22:32Their expressions
22:33were frozen
22:33in absolute terror.
22:34Mouths stretched open
22:35in silent screams.
22:37Their bodies
22:37were solid gold,
22:38gleaming under the lights.
22:39Only their eyes
22:40remained human,
22:41dirting wildly
22:42in their sockets.
22:43They loved money,
22:44status,
22:44saw that upper
22:45east seat vanity.
22:46Dominic said
22:46from behind me,
22:47lighting a cigarette
22:48and placing it
22:49between my fingers.
22:51His tone was
22:51almost casual.
22:52So I had molten gold
22:53enhanced with magic
22:54poured straight down
22:55their throats.
22:56It filled them
22:56from the inside out,
22:57organs, bones,
22:58everything.
22:59Turned them into
22:59the most expensive
23:00art pieces in the world.
23:01He exhaled slowly,
23:03his gaze cold.
23:04Their souls are sealed
23:05inside those shells.
23:06They can't breathe,
23:07can't speak,
23:08can't move,
23:08but they feel
23:09every second of it.
23:10The confinement,
23:11the suffocation.
23:12They'll stand here
23:13for tens of thousands
23:14of years,
23:14part of my private collection.
23:16I looked at them,
23:17at the parents
23:17who had sold me out
23:18without hesitation.
23:19I felt nothing.
23:21Impressive taste,
23:22I said,
23:23flicking ash
23:24from the cigarette.
23:25But don't polish them,
23:26the shine is annoying.
23:28Dominic let out
23:29a low chuckle,
23:30wrapping an arm
23:31around my waist
23:31as he led me
23:32into the next room.
23:34It was a soundproof cube.
23:36No instruments,
23:38no chains,
23:39just walls
23:40lined with mirrors.
23:42Mia was inside.
23:44When we first looked in,
23:45she appeared
23:46as she should.
23:47Young.
23:48Beautiful.
23:49Twenty.
23:50Then it began.
23:51Her skin yellowed
23:53and shriveled
23:53in seconds.
23:54Wrinkles carved
23:55across her face.
23:56Her hair fell out,
23:58turning grey
23:59as it thinned.
24:00One after another,
24:01fatal diseases erupted
24:02through her body.
24:03Organs failed.
24:05Tumors swelled
24:05grotesquely.
24:06Her skin split
24:07and rotted.
24:08In less than
24:09thirty seconds,
24:10she became a frail,
24:11decaying old woman.
24:13Then,
24:13with a final,
24:14agonized scream,
24:15she collapsed
24:16into a pile of bones.
24:18The moment the bones
24:19hit the floor,
24:20everything snapped back.
24:22Time reversed.
24:23She was twenty again.
24:27And then the cycle
24:28started over.
24:31Didn't she dream
24:32of stealing your lifestand?
24:33Of living forever?
24:35I had my shadow
24:36maces as re-rate
24:37the temporary
24:38exit in her cell.
24:40In this
24:40chrono decay chamber,
24:42every sixty seconds
24:43she lives
24:44an entire lifetime.
24:45Youth to death.
24:47Crushed under
24:48a hundred different
24:48terminal illnesses.
24:50She can never
24:50truly die.
24:52Every minute,
24:52she watches herself
24:54rot in those mirrors.
24:55She got the
24:56endless life
24:56she wanted.
24:58I looked away,
24:59disgusted.
25:00That ending
25:00fits her perfectly.
25:02But,
25:02I'm more interested
25:04in the one
25:04who thought
25:05he ran this place.
25:06Dominic snapped
25:07his fingers
25:08and led me
25:08to the final chamber
25:09at the end
25:10of the corridor.
25:11Inside,
25:12Leo Rossi,
25:13once immaculate,
25:14untouchable,
25:15hung suspended
25:16in mid-air,
25:17pinned by hundreds
25:18of thick metal probes.
25:20They pierced
25:21deep into his spine,
25:22his brain,
25:23his limbs.
25:24There wasn't
25:24an inch of him
25:25left intact.
25:26Dark red streams
25:27of soul energy
25:28flowed through
25:29the conduits,
25:31siphoned out
25:31without pause.
25:33At the sound
25:33of our steps,
25:34he forced his head up.
25:36His face was gaunt,
25:37his eyes hollow
25:38with pain.
25:39Chloe,
25:40Miss Chloe.
25:41His voice
25:42barely held together.
25:43Kill me,
25:44please.
25:45Just shoot me.
25:47I can't take this anymore.
25:48Dominic walked
25:49to the control castle
25:50and tapped the glass.
25:51Leo,
25:52my former chief operator.
25:54He liked dealing
25:55in lifestand contracts
25:56behind my back,
25:57so I repurposed him.
25:59He's now the primary server
26:01for the entire underground market
26:02in New York City.
26:04He turned,
26:05a cold smile
26:06on his lips.
26:07You're connected
26:08to the pain network
26:09of every condemned soul
26:10down here.
26:11Every ounce of suffering
26:12they feel
26:12is converted into data.
26:14It runs through
26:14your brilliant brain,
26:16multiplied a thousand times,
26:17and powers the city's
26:19magical barrier.
26:20I stepped closer,
26:21looking straight at him.
26:23Congratulations, Leo.
26:24You finally found
26:26your true purpose.
26:27His mouth opened,
26:28trying to scream,
26:29but another surge
26:30of pain flooded in.
26:31His body convulsed,
26:33the sound breaking
26:33into a strangled twitch.
26:36I turned away
26:37without another glance
26:38and slipped my arm
26:40through Dominic's.
26:41Let's go, Dominic.
26:42I took a slow breath
26:43of the cold air
26:44of the underground.
26:44You were right.
26:45The rules down here
26:46were rotten long
26:47before this.
26:48Maybe it's time I stay
26:49and re-rate them myself.
26:51He froze for a heartbeat.
26:53Then something fierce
26:54and bright broke
26:55across his face.
26:57He pulled me
26:57into his arms.
26:59My honor, boss.
27:00Five years later,
27:02a blizzard wrapped
27:03the city,
27:04but inside the obscene
27:06order's top floor duplex.
27:07The air was warm enough
27:09to make you forget
27:10the world outside.
27:12I stood by the window,
27:14spurling a crystal glass,
27:15the neon lights
27:16of New York City
27:17stretching out beneath me.
27:19What's caught
27:20your attention, my queen?
27:22Arms slipped around
27:23my waist from behind.
27:24His jacket lay tossed
27:26on the couch.
27:27Tie loosened.
27:29His presence relaxed
27:30in a way only I ever saw.
27:33Our empire,
27:34I said,
27:36turning to him
27:37with a faint smile,
27:38straightening his collar.
27:39In the past five years,
27:41I kept my word.
27:42I was no longer
27:43the girl clawing her way
27:44out of the Bronx,
27:46hiding under his protection.
27:47I took my place
27:48at the head
27:49of the highest council,
27:50and I re-wrote the rules
27:51of the entire shadow world.
27:53I personally destroyed
27:54every illegal
27:55life-binding contract,
27:56and had every broker
27:57who tried to keep
27:58siphoning life-simes
27:59on 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
28:07devoted supporter,
28:08and the most ruthless
28:09enforcer of my will.
28:11Any elder who dared
28:12question even a single
28:13clause of my new code
28:14would be found
28:16the next morning
28:17at the bottom
28:17of 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
28:31with 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,
28:48warm 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.
28:56Either 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
29:11cycles of punishment.
29:13I no longer spared
29:14them a second thought.
29:15They had become
29:16dust in the machinery.
29:18And I had become
29:20the one who wrote
29:20its rules.
29:22Still thinking
29:23about the past?
29:24Dominic's voice
29:25softened as he felt
29:26the shift in me,
29:28his arms tightening
29:29slightly.
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 Marley 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
30:14American arcane
30:15countless poking
30:16around New York's books
30:17again,
30:17I'm turning their headquarters
30:19in the Wolford 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.
30:32Voodoo circles
30:32out of New Orleans
30:33and a West Coast
30:34illusionist syndicate.
30:35They think your ban
30:36on lifespan contracts
30:38crossed a line,
30:39cut off a major
30:39revenue stream,
30:40so they teamed up
30:41and blocked Route 66,
30:43the main artery
30:44for magical smuggling.
30:46Hmph.
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 a hint
30:57of 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 voodoo dolls
31:18in New Orleans
31:18or hallucinogenic bruise
31:20in Vegas,
31:21runs under my new code.
31:23Who do you think you are?
31:24One of the voodoo enforcers
31:26snapped,
31:27bound tightly
31:28in my chains.
31:29The reason you're still
31:30standing there breathing
31:31is because I'm
31:32in a good mood today.
31:33I tapped his cheek
31:34lightly with my nails,
31:35and because in this
31:37shadow 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,
31:48tossing 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
31:59offshore 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
32:09on the table
32:10and splashed it across Sam's face,
32:13then turned,
32:14slipping my arm
32:15through Dominic's
32:15as we walked out.
32:17Back under the bright lights
32:18of the Las Vegas Strip,
32:19Dominic opened the car door for me.
32:22That familiar intensity
32:23burned in his eyes,
32:25undisguised.
32:26This is what you call negotiation?
32:27He murmured,
32:28leaning in to kiss
32:29the curve of 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 wanchibis who think
32:51revolvers make them dangerous,
32:53I need a proper
32:54Italian apparato.
32:55As you wish,
32:56my 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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