Sariel lived in an abandoned church on the outskirts of Seoul—because of course a fallen angel would choose a church as their base.
The building had been beautiful once, all Gothic architecture and stained glass. Now it was crumbling, forgotten by the modern city that had grown around it. But inside, Adrian could feel power—old power, the kind that predated most supernatural beings.
"Kieran Ashford," a voice echoed through the empty nave. "The Cursed Prince. I wondered when you'd come calling."
A figure materialized from shadows—tall, androgynous, with features so perfect they hurt to look at. Sariel wore modern clothes, but they seemed wrong on them, like a divine being trying to pretend to be human.
Their eyes, though—their eyes were the giveaway. Pure white, no iris, no pupil, just endless light that spoke of heaven and what they'd lost.
"Sariel," Kieran greeted formally. "Thank you for meeting us."
"I didn't have much choice. You invoked an old debt." Sariel's gaze shifted to Adrian. "And this must be the reincarnation. Ten lives lived, the soul that survived death. How... interesting."
Adrian shifted uncomfortably under that inhuman gaze. "Is everyone in the supernatural world going to comment on my past lives?"
"It's rare. Most souls dissipate after one life, maybe two if they're strong. Ten is unprecedented." Sariel circled them slowly. "It makes you powerful in ways you don't understand yet. It also makes you a target."
"I've noticed," Adrian said dryly.
"You want to know about Asmodeus," Sariel said, getting to business. "About what he's planning with the Mirror of Souls."
"Yes," Kieran confirmed. "We need to know who he's searching for and why."
Sariel was quiet for a long moment, their expression unreadable. "What I tell you comes with a price. Not a favor—you've already paid that debt. But a warning. Once you know, you can't unknow. This information will change everything."
"We accept," Adrian said before Kieran could hesitate.
"Very well." Sariel gestured, and images appeared in the air—holographic memories, playing out like a movie. "Five thousand years ago, before the Flood, before most recorded history, there was a vampire. The first vampire. Cain."
Adrian sucked in a breath. "As in, Cain and Abel? That Cain?"
"The same. Cursed by God to wander the earth, to never die, to feed on blood. He was the progenitor of all vampire bloodlines. Every vampire alive today carries a fraction of his power in their blood."
The images showed a man—ancient, powerful, radiating darkness. Cain wandered through civilizations that rose and fell, watched empires turn to dust, existed on the margins of history.
"What happened to him?" Kieran asked, his voice strained.
"He vanished. Three thousand years ago, Cain simply disappeared. No body, no trace, no explanation. Most believed he'd finally found a way to die, to end his curse. But some suspected he was still alive, hiding, waiting."
"And Asmodeus thinks he can find Cain using the mirror," Adrian realized.
"Exactly. The Mirror of Souls doesn't just show futures—it can track souls across time and space. If Cain is still alive, the mirror can locate him."
"Why would Asmodeus want to find the first vampire?"
Sariel's smile was grim. "Because Cain's blood is the source of all vampire power. If Asmodeus could control Cain, he could control every vampire on Earth. He could create or destroy vampires at will, manipulate their powers, turn them into his army. The demon could finally achieve what demons have always wanted—dominion over the mortal world."
Silence fell in the abandoned church.
"That's why Bael showed me those futures," Adrian said slowly. "If Asmodeus finds Cain, if he uses him to control all vampires, we'd have to choose—submit to a demon's rule or fight. And fighting would mean war. Vampire against vampire, demon against everyone, the world burning."
"Yes," Sariel confirmed. "Every future you saw stems from that moment—from returning the mirror to Asmodeus and enabling his search for Cain."
Kieran's expression had gone cold. "Then we don't return it. We destroy the mirror."
"You can't. It's indestructible—forged by the first demons with power that predates creation itself. You can only keep it hidden or give it to someone else."
"Give it to who? Every supernatural being with that much power would misuse it."
"Not every being." Sariel's white eyes fixed on Kieran. "Give it to me. I'll hide it where no demon, no vampire, no one can find it. In return, I'll tell Asmodeus it was destroyed in the theft. Break your bargain, but at a cost to me, not you."
"Why would you do that?" Adrian asked suspiciously.
"Because I've seen what happens when demons gain too much power. I fell from heaven because I chose the wrong side in a war. I won't make that mistake again." Sariel's expression was bitter. "Consider it penance."
Kieran looked at Adrian, their blood bond allowing silent communication. Both of them felt the truth in Sariel's words, but also the risk. Trusting a fallen angel with the Mirror of Souls was dangerous.
But so was every other option.
"If we give you the mirror," Kieran said slowly, "Asmodeus will know we broke the bargain. The demon mark will burn Adrian until he goes mad."
"Then we remove the mark."
"That's impossible. Demon bargains are binding—"
"For most beings, yes. But I'm fallen, not demon. I still have a fraction of divine power. Enough to break a demon's claim." Sariel extended their hand. "Give me the mirror, and I'll free your mate from Asmodeus's mark. You'll both be released from the bargain."
It was too good to be true. Adrian knew that. But his palm still burned with the demon mark, a constant reminder of the favor owed. And the visions from the mirror haunted him—those terrible futures where everything ended in blood and regret.
"We'll do it," Adrian decided. "Take the mirror. Break the mark."
"Adrian—" Kieran started.
"It's the right choice. I can feel it." Adrian pulled the mirror from his bag, careful not to look at it. "If Asmodeus finds Cain, everyone suffers. If we keep it, he'll eventually take it by force. This is the only option that doesn't end in war."
Kieran studied him for a long moment, then nodded. "Together. We decide together."
They handed the Mirror of Souls to Sariel, who took it reverently.
"You're making the right choice," the fallen angel said. "History will never know what catastrophe you prevented tonight."
Sariel placed their hand on Adrian's marked palm. Divine light—pure white, burning cold—flooded through Adrian's system. He gasped at the sensation, something beyond pain, beyond pleasure, beyond any human experience.
The demon mark fought back, hellfire battling divine light in Adrian's flesh. It felt like his hand was being torn apart from the inside.
Then, with a sound like breaking glass, the mark shattered.
Adrian collapsed, and Kieran caught him. "Are you alright?"
"I..." Adrian flexed his hand. The mark was gone, not even a scar remaining. "I'm free. The burning stopped."
"The bargain is broken," Sariel confirmed. "Asmodeus has no claim on you now."
"What about the consequences? He'll come after us."
"Let him try. He'll find I've been very thorough in hiding the mirror. And without proof you destroyed it, he can't justify full retaliation." Sariel's form began to fade. "Go. Live your immortal lives. And try not to make any more demon bargains. They're tedious to break."
The fallen angel vanished, taking the Mirror of Souls with them.
Adrian and Kieran stood alone in the abandoned church, the weight of what they'd just done settling over them.
"We made an enemy tonight," Kieran said quietly. "Asmodeus won't forgive this."
"I know. But we also prevented a war. Stopped a demon from controlling all vampires. Saved Cain from being used as a weapon." Adrian leaned against him. "Worth it?"
"We'll see. Ask me again in a century when we're still dealing with the consequences."
They left Seoul that night, returning to Shanghai with Wei and her pack. The demon mark was gone, but Adrian could feel the absence—like a weight lifted, but also like a connection severed.
"You're quiet," Wei observed on the flight back.
"Just thinking. We broke a demon bargain tonight. Made an enemy of one of the most powerful demons in existence. And gave an ancient artifact to a fallen angel we barely know."
"So, typical vampire politics?"
Despite everything, Adrian laughed. "I guess so."
Back in Shanghai, in the safety of their penthouse, Kieran pulled Adrian close.
"No regrets?" Kieran asked.
"About breaking the bargain? No. About pissing off a demon lord? Maybe ask me later when he inevitably comes for revenge."
"Fair enough."
They stood together, looking out at the city they'd protected so many times, aware that new threats were always emerging, new challenges always waiting.
But they'd face them together.
Like they always did.