Chapter 33: First Step

Chapter 33: First Step"I want to join you," Zane said, stepping out of the crowd. His voice was firm, his head lowered. "Make me like you."

Lucifer raised a brow, slightly amused. The room was dead silent.

"There's no need to bow, Zane," Lucifer said with a faint smile. "You were already my best pick."

His eyes began to glow, red like dying embers. Sharp fangs slid out from under his upper lip. The crowd gasped.

Lucifer bit into his own wrist, blood spilling slowly—dark, thick, and unnatural. He let it drip into an empty glass he'd picked from a nearby tray, swirling it once before holding it out.

Zane took the glass with both hands, looked into Lucifer's eyes, and drank.

The room held its breath.

Then—

Crack.

Lucifer moved in a blur. Before anyone could blink, he was behind Zane, hand on his neck. A brutal snap echoed through the hall. Zane's body dropped like a puppet with its strings cut.

Gasps. Shrieks. Someone dropped a drink.



Lucifer stood tall, his gaze calm, like he'd just flicked off a fly.

"You see that?" he said, turning to the stunned crowd. "That speed. That strength."

His eyes scanned their faces, some frozen in fear, others wide with curiosity. "That's the kind of power I'll give you."

He walked slowly past Zane's body, not even looking down at it.

"Like I said earlier... not all of you have to join. And I won't be picking everyone. I want those with vision. People who aren't satisfied with being weak. I want people who want more—more than just being rich kids with no real bite."

He stopped near the middle, turning to face them all again.

"I want those who want to be kings in a world filled with monsters. So..."

He spread his arms.

"Who's next?"

The room was frozen.

No music. No chatter. Just the heavy sound of silence and the occasional clink of a glass being set down by a trembling hand.

Lucifer stood at the center, arms slightly spread, red eyes gleaming under the warm chandelier lights. Zane's lifeless body still lay on the marble floor, neck twisted unnaturally—but no one dared to look at it for too long.

Then... a hand rose.

A girl. Maybe eighteen or nineteen. Curly brown hair, dark eyeliner, expensive heels. Her voice trembled a bit.

"If I join... do I have to die first too?"

Lucifer gave a short laugh. It was smooth, casual—too calm for someone who just killed a man.

"No," he said, "Zane's death was part of the process. Dying with my blood in his system... he'll come back."

Gasps rippled again.

"He'll wake up in a few minutes. Stronger. Different. Hungry, of course—but we'll get to that."



Another voice, male this time. "What if we don't want to become vampires? Can we still be part of this... organization?"

Lucifer nodded. "Of course. Not everyone's built for the thirst. But even as humans, you can rise. Train. Learn. Manage operations. Make connections. Build the empire from the inside."

A guy near the back adjusted his blazer. "And what do we get out of this? Apart from... getting killed or turned."

Lucifer stepped closer, voice low but carried across the hall like a slow-moving wave. "Protection. Influence. Access to things no human should ever know. You'll never be prey. You'll be respected—even feared—by beings you've only heard about in stories."

He looked around.

"You've all had that feeling before, haven't you? Like something's watching you at night. Like there's something darker in this world just waiting to reach out and grab you."

He smiled.

"Well... now you can be the one doing the grabbing."

A pause.

Then a voice from the left, shaky but firm.

"...I'm in."

And another. "Me too."

Followed by three more.

And suddenly, the silence began to shift—murmurs rising like sparks in dry grass.

Lucifer took it all in. The fear. The curiosity. The hunger.

He stepped over to the edge of the room, picked up another glass, and said, "Good."

He held it up.

"Tonight... we start something the world will never forget."

The room buzzed with tension, the kind that comes just before something monumental is about to unfold. Lucifer took another sip from his glass, the faint taste of blood still lingering on his tongue. He looked at the gathered crowd, their eyes wide, anticipation hanging in the air like a thick fog.



"Now, for those of you who truly wish to join me," Lucifer said, his voice smooth, almost like velvet, "step forward."

A few people hesitated, exchanging nervous glances before they slowly made their way to the center. Their steps were shaky, but the allure of power—of immortality—was undeniable. One by one, they stood before Lucifer, their eyes filled with uncertainty and hunger.

He looked each of them over, his red eyes glowing brightly. "This is your chance. A chance to shed the chains of mortality, to become something far beyond what you've ever known. You'll no longer be bound by the fragile life of a human. Instead, you'll gain strength, speed, and vision beyond imagination."

Lucifer held up his hand.

"Who among you is truly ready to give up their humanity?"

He gestured for them to come closer. The ones who stepped forward were trembling, not just from fear, but from the thrill that coursed through their veins. They were ready. And that was all Lucifer needed.

He stepped forward and held out his wrist. The crowd grew still.

"You will drink from me. My blood will transform you, will make you into my kin. But remember—this power doesn't come for free. The thirst is a burden. And you will never be the same again."

Lucifer's smile never wavered as he watched the first person approach. A tall guy with dark hair, his eyes wide with fear and excitement. He knelt before Lucifer, barely able to breathe.

Lucifer glanced at the boy, an impatient sigh escaping his lips. Seriously, what's with the bowing? he thought. Without a word, he pressed his wrist against the rim of a glass, letting dark blood pool inside. He pushed it toward the young man.

The boy raised the glass with trembling hands, gulped down the crimson liquid—then before reality could catch up, Lucifer's hand shot out. In a heartbeat, his fingers snapped the man's neck. The body hit the floor with a dull thud.

Around them, ten more faces stepped forward, each one trembling but determined. And so the night's transformation continued.