Rain poured relentlessly over the dimly lit alleyways of Greyvale City as Ethan Hale signed the last of the blood-stained documents.
"Are you certain about this?" the lawyer asked, his voice shaking as he glanced at the strange sigils glowing faintly on the parchment.
Ethan didn't answer right away. His eyes, hollow from months of debt and desperation, stared at the ring on the table. A black band carved with runes he couldn't read.
He swallowed hard. "If this saves my family, then yes."
"Very well," the lawyer muttered, stepping back as a shadow emerged from behind the velvet curtain.
She entered without a sound.
The woman wore a dark crimson gown that clung to her curves like smoke wrapping around fire. A black veil covered her face, but Ethan could feel her eyes on him—burning, ancient, dangerous.
"This is your bride," the lawyer said, trembling. "You may proceed."
The room was nothing like a chapel. No flowers. No witnesses. Just stone, candles, and a feeling that the air itself could scream if it dared.
Ethan knelt in front of her. She didn't move.
"I, Ethan Hale," he whispered, "take you as my wife."
Her voice came soft, almost a whisper—but it struck through him like a blade of ice.
"I, Lilith… accept."
At that moment, the candles flickered violently. The walls pulsed. Somewhere deep in the stone, something awakened.
A gust of cold wind swept through the chamber as the veil fell from her face.
Ethan gasped.
She was beautiful—otherworldly. Pale skin like moonlight. Crimson lips that barely curled. But her eyes…
They opened slowly.
And then, they glowed.
Bright, fiery red—like molten rubies under the surface of hell.
Ethan's heart slammed against his ribs. His instincts screamed, Run.
But it was too late.
The runes on the ring blazed to life. The contract was sealed.
He was now the husband of a woman no longer human.
His wife...
...was the Demon Queen.