"Varus and his team are dead."

Kaelmor whispered it like a joke only he understood.

The words rolled off his tongue smoothly, almost amused, as if he were commenting on a minor inconvenience rather than the loss of six elite enforcers.

He sat on the balcony of his palace, one leg crossed over the other, a glass of deep crimson wine resting lazily in his hand. Below him, Hell stretched endlessly, burning, breathing, alive with ambition and fear.

But his gaze?

Locked on one place.

The Greed Tower.

Nexus Prime.

Tall. Immaculate. Efficient.

Annoyingly so.

Kaelmor took a slow sip, eyes narrowing slightly as he observed the distant structure. His senses stretched far beyond sight, brushing across the network of spies he had embedded throughout the infernal houses. Threads of awareness. Whispers of movement.

And yet…

Nothing.

No clear evidence.

Just… activity.

Greed behaving like Greed.

Working.

Producing.

Growing.

His lips curved faintly.

"How very boring," he murmured.

Zavros.

That man had been predictable for centuries.

Kaelmor had relied on that.

Relied on the fact that the Lord of Greed had abandoned his own son in favor of his wife. It aligned perfectly with the narrative he had cultivated, fractured families, unstable houses, power slipping through cracks.

Lux was supposed to be one of those cracks.

Instead…

He became a pillar.

Kaelmor's gaze sharpened.

"Redemption arc," he echoed softly, almost tasting the phrase.

Zavros had returned.

Not weak.

Not distracted.

Focused.

He had stepped back into Greed like a man correcting a mistake he finally understood.

And worse…

He wasn't sabotaging Lux.

He was supporting him.

Fully.

Kaelmor exhaled slowly through his nose.

"That wasn't the plan."

Under Zavros, Greed should have destabilized again. Internal conflict. Resource mismanagement. Power struggles.

Instead?

Public trust increased.

Infernal markets stabilized.

Contracts flourished.

Lux's systems…

His systems…

Remained untouched.

Improved, even.

Kaelmor's fingers tapped lightly against the glass.

"And then there's Seraphyne…"

His lips twitched.

A daughter of Lust.

Supposed to be indulgent. Distracting. Irrelevant beyond her… talents.

And yet…

She adapted.

Public relations.

Connections.

Influence.

Soft power layered over Greed's hard structure.

"Using Lust as public image management…" Kaelmor chuckled quietly. "Oh, that's clever."

Too clever.

His eyes darkened slightly.

Because it meant coordination.

It meant intention.

It meant, Lux wasn't improvising.

He was building.

And now…

Varus was dead.

Which meant, Yue Xianlong was no longer bound.

Kaelmor tilted his head slightly, expression thoughtful.

"And the only demon wandering the mortal realm with a fascination for dangerous lineage…"

His smile widened just a fraction.

"…is you."

Lux Vaelthorn.

The name lingered in his thoughts.

Annoying.

Persistent.

Growing.

Kaelmor took another sip of wine, savoring it slowly before speaking again.

"I suppose I'll need to kill you. Quickly."

A pause.

Then a softer, almost fond murmur…

"Hm… Luxy."

The name rolled off his tongue like a private amusement.

Before the silence could settle again, footsteps approached behind him.

A guard.

He dropped to one knee. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

"Your Majesty."

Kaelmor didn't turn.

"What now?"

The guard bowed his head slightly.

"Rumors are spreading rapidly. The Abyss Lords of the Shadow Corridors have begun moving against you."

That made Kaelmor pause.

Not dramatically.

Just enough.

"…Have they?" he asked mildly.

The guard continued, voice steady but cautious.

"One of their declared intentions is retaliation. Specifically… the death of Lord Varus."

Kaelmor's fingers stilled against the glass.

"…Retaliation."

The word lingered.

Interesting.

"And?" he prompted.

The guard swallowed slightly.

"They claim responsibility for another act as well. The death of the ancient dragon you bound five hundred years ago."

Silence stretched.

Kaelmor's gaze shifted slightly, something sharper flickering behind his eyes.

"So," he said slowly, "An ancient Abyss Lord killed both Yue Xianlong and Varus."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Kaelmor leaned back slightly in his chair, the corner of his lips curling.

"How convenient."

He didn't sound convinced.

Not even close.

"Tell me," he continued, tone light, "do they describe this Abyss Lord in detail?"

The guard hesitated.

"Only in fragments. A being of shadow. Sovereign-level presence. Unbound."

Kaelmor hummed softly.

Unbound.

Yes.

That would explain the story.

It would also…

Cover something else.

His gaze drifted back toward the Greed Tower.

"What about Lux?" he asked casually. "What is he doing in the mortal realm?"

The guard didn't hesitate this time.

"Based on surveillance… he has been indulging in mortal nightlife. Frequenting clubs. Repeatedly."

A beat.

Then…

Kaelmor laughed.

Not loudly.

Not mockingly.

Just… amused.

"Of course he is."

His fingers tapped lightly against the armrest now, rhythm slow, deliberate.

A demon of Greed and Lust.

Spending his time in nightclubs.

Exactly the kind of distraction one would expect.

Exactly the kind of behavior that would make everyone… Look away.

Kaelmor's eyes gleamed faintly.

"You see," he said softly, more to himself than the guard, "the problem with clever children…"

He swirled the wine in his glass.

"…is that they forget who taught the game."

His smile didn't reach his eyes.

"Lux Vaelthorn is not careless."

The guard remained silent.

"He is deliberate," Kaelmor continued. "Which means if he appears careless… he is hiding something."

His gaze sharpened again.

"Yue's death… Varus's death… Abyss Lords moving…"

He tilted his head slightly.

"…and Lux dancing in nightclubs."

Another soft chuckle.

"How theatrical."

He raised the glass slightly, as if toasting an unseen opponent.

"Well played."

For now.

Kaelmor stood slowly, the air around him shifting with his movement.

"Continue surveillance," he ordered lightly. "Do not engage him directly."

The guard bowed deeper. "Yes, Your Majesty."

"And," Kaelmor added, voice almost absent-minded, "spread the narrative."

"Which narrative, sire?"

Kaelmor's smile returned.

"The Abyss Lord one."

A pause.

"It will be useful to lure whoever wants me dead."

The guard nodded and withdrew.

Left alone again, Kaelmor stepped closer to the edge of the balcony, gaze fixed on the distant Greed Tower.

Even from here…

He could feel it.

A shift.

A disturbance.

Something that hadn't existed before.

Something growing.

His fingers tightened slightly around the glass.

"…You're getting interesting," he murmured.

Not annoyance.

Not yet.

Curiosity.

Dangerous.

Because Kaelmor did not tolerate variables.

Not for long.

His smile faded just slightly.

"And when something becomes interesting…"

His eyes darkened.

"…it becomes a problem."

And problems… Were meant to be removed.