Chapter 5: The Inquisitor’s Kiss
4 hours.
That was how long the system said Lucien had until the Church’s executioners reached Vel Riven. Four hours until holy blades came for his neck, until silver pierced his cursed heart.
And yet... he wasn’t running.
He was hunting.
Lucien crouched on a rooftop overlooking the crumbling Royal Blood Crypts, a shattered mausoleum guarded by arcane sigils and whispers older than the Church itself. The scent of dust, bone, and old blood rolled off it in waves.
Beside him, Lilith leaned against a stone gargoyle, her leather corset undone at the top. Her pale chest rose and fell, glistening slightly from their earlier sprint. Her thigh-high boots were soaked in grime, yet somehow it made her hotter.
"You’re quiet," she said. "Planning something reckless?"
Lucien’s crimson eyes narrowed. "Always."
> [Quest Objective: Enter the Crypt of the Last Blood]
[Warning: Barrier contains remnants of Divine Seal – System support limited inside.]
He flexed his fingers. Clawed tips. Veins glowing faint red beneath his skin. The Scarlet Mark pulsed over his heart like it had synced to something ancient beneath the tomb.