COUNCIL OF SHADOWS

The helicopter descended like a vulture, cutting through the clouds and lowering onto a rooftop lit only by silver spotlights. Seren clutched the armrest tightly as the engine whirred down. Wind whipped through her hair. She could feel it — something heavy waiting below, like the city's heart was about to stop.

Ares stood calmly across from her in the dim cabin, dressed in all black, his suit tailored like armor, his two cold violet eyes unreadable. He hadn't said a word since the explosion on his rooftop hours ago.

Now, he finally spoke.

"You're about to see something most people die before entering."

She swallowed. "And I'm going in because…?"

He met her gaze. "Because you're mine now. And if they want to test me, they'll do it through you."

The door hissed open. Ares stepped out first.

She followed.

The building they entered was disguised as a hollow business complex, but beneath it lay another world — no windows, no signs, no sound beyond the echo of power.

The hallway they walked through felt endless. Black marble, lit with soft purple strips that matched Ares' eyes. Cameras tracked them in silence. Armed guards in custom suits nodded as he passed — not with respect, but submission.

"Where are we going?" Seren asked quietly.

"To the council."

"The mafia?"

He paused, then smirked. "Something worse. The heads of the underworld. Crime families. Tech kings. Mercenary guilds. They don't fear police. They are police."

"And you?"

"I sit at the throne."

THE COUNCIL CHAMBER

It was massive — a hollowed-out auditorium in the shape of a circle. The ceiling pulsed with faint light like a heartbeat. Dozens of figures sat in semi-darkness, dressed in robes, suits, armor—every kind of wealth and war made flesh. They murmured in a dozen languages, all hushed when Ares entered.

One seat stood above the rest. He walked straight to it and sat like a man born into it.

All eyes turned to Seren.

A low voice echoed from across the room.

"Is that her?" asked a man with a gold ring tattooed on his throat. "The girl from the Ming family?"

"A daughter no one spoke of," hissed another. "A forgotten girl. A stray. This is who he chooses?"

Seren felt the heat of their gaze. She wanted to shrink. To vanish.

Ares didn't even blink.

"Say it louder," he murmured, lounging back in his chair.

Silence.

A woman in crimson robes leaned forward. Her voice was smooth, venomous.

"We have to ask, Lord Sung. Bringing her here—she is untrained, unknown. An outsider. Why risk our secrecy?"

Ares tilted his head. "You mistake this for a democracy."

Another man growled. "She is a liability."

Ares reached into his coat slowly and placed something heavy on the table — a matte black blade, curved and cruel.

"She is mine."

The room froze.

"Touch her," he continued, eyes hardening, "and I'll send your grandchildren your bones in a velvet box."

No one moved. No one spoke.

Ares' twin purple eyes gleamed like cursed gemstones beneath the dim light.

"She stays. She learns. And she remembers the faces that dared doubt her."

After the meeting, Seren walked beside him down a hall lit by blue firelight, her fingers trembling slightly.

"You didn't have to do that," she whispered.

He glanced at her. "You think I did that for you?"

She looked away. "No. I think you did it because they tested you."

He smirked again. "You're learning."

They walked in silence for a moment longer.

"Why did you bring me?" she asked softly.

"I needed them to see you," he replied. "They needed to know what line not to cross."

"And what am I to you, Ares?"

He stopped.

The air grew thick.

"You're the only person in that room who saw me as human."

Her breath hitched.

"And that… is dangerous."

THAT NIGHT

Back at the private fortress, Seren couldn't sleep.

The room she'd been given was bigger than her entire wing back home, yet she felt like a ghost in a palace.

The weight of what she'd witnessed—the knives hidden in smiles, the cold calculation behind Ares' eyes—was overwhelming. Yet at the same time… she felt safe. Protected in a way she'd never felt in the Ming estate.

A knock came at the door.

She stood, heart racing.

Ares stepped inside, a tablet in one hand, dressed down in a dark sleeveless shirt and loose slacks. His hair was damp from a shower. The sight of him like this — raw, real, breathtakingly gorgeous — made her chest ache.

"You're awake," he said.

"So are you."

He walked toward her desk, dropped the tablet. "Thought you should know. Rael's been moving."

"Your brother."

A nod.

"He wants to dismantle everything I've built. He doesn't care who burns with it."

"And me?"

"He'll come for you."

Her hands clenched at her sides. "You said I'd be safe."

"You will be."

He turned to her again, stepping close.

His voice lowered.

"I made a mistake."

She frowned. "What mistake?"

"Bringing you here."

Her stomach twisted. "You regret it?"

"No," he said softly. "I regret not doing it sooner."

His hand lifted, brushing a strand of hair from her face. She froze. His fingers were cold, but the trail they left across her skin burned.

"I was going to use you, Seren," he admitted. "A pawn. A weapon. But now?"

His lips hovered just above her cheek.

"I don't know what you are."

Their eyes met.

Her throat tightened. "Neither do I."

He took a step back before she could fall forward.

"Get some sleep," he said quietly. "Tomorrow, we train."

She blinked. "Train?"

"You want to survive in my world? Then you don't get to be weak anymore."

And just like that, he was gone.

SOMEWHERE ELSE IN H CITY…

A candle burned low in a room lined with velvet and bone.

Rael Sung stared at a screen — paused on a photo of Seren at Ares' side.

"She's pretty," he muttered.

His lips twisted.

"But weak."

He turned to the shadowy figure behind him.

"Send the message."

The figure nodded.

"And make sure it reaches her. Not him.