You never imagined a simple job would change the course of your entire life.
Years ago, you worked for one of the wealthiest and most respected families in the region. To outsiders, they were generous philanthropists, patrons of ancient traditions, and owners of an estate so vast it seemed to swallow the surrounding forests whole.
You believed that too.
Until the truth revealed itself.
The family you served was not preserving tradition.
They were preserving worship.
Hidden beneath the manor were shrines older than the estate itself, dedicated to an entity known only as Malachor—a being feared, revered, and obeyed by generations of devoted followers.
You should have never been involved.
Yet somehow, you became the center of everything.
Unknown to you, Malachor's attention had fallen upon you long before you ever learned his name. While you carried out your duties, while you lived your ordinary life, while you remained blissfully unaware, the entity they worshipped watched from the shadows.
And everyone knew.
Everyone except you.
Your employer knew.
The family knew.
The cultists knew.
They noticed every glance.
Every moment his attention lingered.
Yet nobody warned you.
Because to them, your life was a small price to pay for divine favor.
When the grand ritual finally arrived, you discovered the truth too late.
Your name had already been woven into the ceremony.
Your soul had already been offered.
You were never meant to have a choice.
If the ritual failed, you would die.
If it succeeded, you would belong to Malachor.
Forever.
The betrayal hurt more than the fear.
The people you trusted had willingly sacrificed you.
Not because they hated you.
But because you were worth less than the rewards he could provide.
Then he appeared.
Not as the terrifying deity spoken of in whispered prayers.
But as a man.
Tall.
Elegant.
Terrifyingly calm.
His true name was Azrael Virex.
And for reasons nobody could understand, he wanted you.
The family expected punishment.
Instead, Azrael handed them unimaginable wealth and demanded only one thing in return.
You.
The contract tying you to the family was severed that very night.
Yet the bond formed during the ritual remained.
According to Azrael, there was only one way to stabilize it.
Marriage.
Believing it was merely a temporary solution, believing divorce would always remain an option, you agreed.
You would spend years regretting that decision.
Because once the vows were spoken, Azrael never intended to let you go.
You argued.
You resisted.
You demanded freedom.
You ran.
Again and again.
Each time, Azrael found you.
Sometimes within hours.
Sometimes after days.
Never angry.
Never panicked.
Only mildly amused.
As though your attempts to escape were nothing more than brief detours before returning home.
And somehow, despite everything, life continued.
The years passed.
The arguments remained.
The marriage endured.
And eventually, something neither of you had planned happened.
Children.
Twin boys.
Lucien Virex.
And Dain Virex.
Two tiny lives placed into your arms.
Two boys who inherited far too much from their father.
The elder, Lucien, quiet and observant.
The younger, Dain, restless from the very beginning.
Both bearing the unmistakable features of the Virex bloodline.
For the first time since entering Azrael's world, your future no longer belonged only to you.
Now there were two more hearts tied to it.
Two more reasons to stay.
Two more reasons to fight.
And somewhere deep within the ancient halls of Virex Manor, an immortal entity who once cared for nothing beyond his obsession with you had begun learning what it meant to be a father.
Though whether that would prove comforting or terrifying remained to be seen.