Dante twisted the golden ring and stepped into the sanctuary with eyes that saw differently than they had before. The towering statues no longer looked like monuments waiting to gift him power.They looked like what they truly were. Ancient beings with their own wills, their own agendas, and their own reasons for watching him in silence.Any one of them could decide he was unworthy. Any one of them could become a threat."I have been treating you like vending machines." Dante walked slowly through the circle of dormant gods, studying each face with careful, measured attention. "Put in effort, receive power. That was stupid. Neptune made that very clear."He stopped before the nearest mural and raised his hand, tracing the carved figures without touching them.The ancient images depicted divine beings locked in a massive conflict, their weapons burning with celestial energy, their formations suggesting coordinated warfare on a scale no human army had ever attempted.But sections of the

The warehouse sat on a dead stretch of road forty minutes outside the city, surrounded by overgrown lots and rusted chain link fences that nobody had maintained in years. The only light came from a single bulb hanging above a metal table where two men in dark clothing sat waiting.Luca walked in through the side entrance at exactly eleven fifteen. His steps were different here. Gone was the delicate, fragile shuffle he performed for Ginevra.Gone was the hunched posture and the gentle, wounded eyes. He moved through the warehouse with the fluid, controlled stride of a man who understood his own body far better than anyone suspected."You are late, Ferrero." The taller of the two men stood up from the metal table. His name was Dario, and he carried the lean, scarred face of someone who had been doing ugly work for powerful people since before Luca was born. "The Black Veil does not appreciate waiting.""The Black Veil can learn patience." Luca pulled out the remaining chair and sat dow

Luca sat in the back seat of an unmarked sedan parked three blocks from the old quarter, watching Dante's movements through a pair of binoculars provided by his Black Veil contact.The morning sun cast long shadows across the narrow cobblestone streets, and Dante moved through them with the quiet, purposeful stride of a man who knew exactly where he was going."The old archive building on Via Coronati." Luca lowered the binoculars and checked the encrypted tablet on the seat beside him.The Black Veil's tracking data showed Dante had visited four locations in the past week, all connected to ancient artifacts and historical records that official databases claimed did not exist."Then the private museum near the harbor district. Then an abandoned church on the eastern ridge that was sealed by the city thirty years ago."He zoomed in on the map and traced Dante's route with his finger. The pattern was unmistakable. Every location contained symbols or artifacts connected to the same ancie

Footsteps echoed behind him. Dario walked into the warehouse carrying a sealed envelope, his scarred face tight with professional urgency."Put your shirt on, Luca." Dario stopped ten feet away, his eyes lingering on the glowing mark with visible unease. "I have new instructions from the council.""I do not care about your instructions." Luca pulled his shirt over his head without hurrying, the dark glow slowly fading beneath the fabric. "I want answers. Why does the Black Veil fear Dante so much? He is one man with one ring and a power he barely understands. Your organization has existed for centuries. You have resources, soldiers, and people with abilities that would make most governments surrender. So why are you afraid of him?"Dario's jaw tightened. He set the envelope on the nearest surface and folded his arms. "That is above your clearance, Ferrero.""Then raise my clearance." Luca stepped toward him, his voice carrying the cold, quiet menace that only surfaced when the mask wa

He moved through the shelves systematically, scanning every label, every crest, every faded inscription. It took him nearly two hours before he found what he was looking for.Several documents bearing the Moretti name.Dante pulled them from the shelf and spread them across a flat stone surface near the wall. His golden eyes moved rapidly across the pages, absorbing information that made his blood run cold."This cannot be right." Dante held up the first document, his expression shifting from concentration to genuine shock. "The Moretti family was connected to an ancient bloodline that possessed knowledge about supernatural forces. They maintained contact with people who guarded forbidden relics. They were not just a wealthy family. They were part of something much older."None of this matched the ordinary family history he had grown up knowing. His father had never mentioned any of this. Not a word. Not a hint. Not a single reference to ancient bloodlines or forbidden relics or supern