CHAPTER 228: NIGHTCLUB 2

They were escorted past the long, envious line, through a shimmering, energy-field entryway that tingled against Nero’s skin as he passed.

Then, he stepped inside, and the world detonated.

The transition was absolute. The sound was a tidal wave, a complex, layered track of synth-melodies and a driving, primal beat that hammered against his eardrums.

Dum! Dudu Dum ~

Strobing lights, lasers, and floating holographic patterns danced across the vast, multi-level space, painting the air itself. The floor beneath his feet was made of some light-conductive material, glowing and shifting its hues in perfect sync with the music, making it seem as if he was walking on a shallow pool of liquid rainbows. The air was thick, almost soupy, with a cocktail of scents: expensive perfumes and colognes, the sharp, sweet tang of spilled alcohol, and the faint, clean smell of ozone from the mana-charged lighting systems that powered the entire spectacular display.

Hundreds of bodies packed the main dance floor, a single, undulating organism. They moved as one, lost in the rhythm, their individual forms dissolving into the collective, glowing mass. It was hypnotic and slightly overwhelming.

Lux, utterly in his element, cut through the chaos with the ease of a shark through water. He nodded, waved, and flashed smiles at a dozen familiar faces as they moved.

"This way!" he shouted over the din, gesturing towards a curving staircase. "VIP lounge! Better view, better drinks, and you can actually hear yourself think!"

The ascent up the stairs felt like rising above a storm. They entered a semi-private area enclosed by tinted, sound-dampening glass walls. The assault of the bass softened into a balanced, powerful hum, and the frantic strobing of lights was replaced by a more gentle, ambient glow. The lounge was furnished with deep, curved couches upholstered in dark velvet, offering a panoramic, almost god-like view of the seething dance floor below.

They had barely settled into the plush seating when a waitress materialized. She was dressed in sleek, form-fitting black attire, her movements efficient and silent. She bowed slightly. "Welcome, gentlemen. What would you like to start with?"

Lux didn’t even glance at the holographic menu that flickered to life above the table. "A round of Frostfire on the rocks. And bring a bottle of the ’47 Golden Nectar for later. Keep it on standby."

The waitress bowed again and vanished.

Nero raised an eyebrow. "Frostfire? That sounds... aggressive."

Adam, who had settled back into the cushions with an air of detached amusement, smirked. "Don’t worry—it’s not as deadly as it sounds. Strong, but smooth. A Leclair family specialty. You’ll like it."

Minutes later, the drinks arrived. They were served in heavy, crystal tumblers. The liquid inside was a mesmerizing spectacle, a swirling, shimmering mixture of deep cerulean blue and bright, fiery orange that never quite blended, like a captured sunset and a midnight ocean in a single glass. A faint, mana-laced vapor, cool to the touch, curled from the surface. Nero lifted his glass, studying the entrancing play of colors before bringing it to his lips for a cautious sip.

The effect was immediate and complex. A wave of cool, almost mint-like freshness hit his tongue, followed by a trail of blazing warmth that slid down his throat and settled in his chest. The residual fatigue from his training, a ghost he hadn’t even fully acknowledged, was chased away completely, replaced by a vibrant, buzzing alertness.

A genuine, faint smile touched his lips. "Not bad," he conceded, his voice holding a note of real surprise.

Lux’s grin was triumphant. "See? Told you. Best in the city. It’ll put fire in your veins without burning your throat out."

For a time, they simply sat, letting the spectacle of the nightclub unfold around them. Lux became their narrator. He pointed with his glass towards various groups scattered throughout the lounge and on the floor below, his voice a low murmur.

"See the group in the corner, the ones with the silver-threaded cloaks? Minor branch of the Sylvas family. New money, but lots of it. And the woman with the electric-blue hair near the central pillar? One of the city’s top prana-tech designers. A genius, and she knows it." He went on, weaving a tapestry of names, alliances, rivalries, and gossip, painting a vivid picture of the city’s intricate social hierarchy. It was a world as comple.

Meanwhile, Nero observed it all—the lights, the rhythm, the intricate social dance. He watched the way bodies moved, the micro-expressions on faces, the flow of energy in the room. To him it was a marvelous thing, he understood why a lot of people become nocturnal.

At one point, Lux raised his newly refreshed glass, his eyes bright. "To a night of fun between friends!" he declared.

Adam clinked his glass against Lux’s with a lazy, almost bored motion.

"And to those who missed it," he added, his dry tone leaving it ambiguous whether he meant it as a jest or a genuine slight. Well, he was obviously talking about Blake who refused to join them, they wanted to insist but he saw he would inform Khione forcing Nero to stop the other two. Although he was not coming here to do nothing wrong he didn’t want Khione to know for some reason.

Nero chuckled, the sound warm and real. He lifted his own glass, the Frostfire shimmering within. "To good company, then."

They drank, and for a long, comfortable while, words were superfluous. The music, now a thrumming backdrop, filled the spaces between them, a language more primal and honest than speech. From their elevated perch, the crowd below was a living, breathing entity. It glowed in pulses of red and blue, a collective consciousness moving in a unified, rhythmic trance. Lux leaned forward on his elbows, his fingers tapping an intricate rhythm on his knee, completely synchronized with the beat.

Adam, the dwarven prince was controlling himself.

And Nero... he was simply taking it all in, enjoying his first experience here.

As the night deepened and the bottle of Golden Nectar was opened, its rich, honeyed aroma filling their corner of the lounge, Lux leaned back with a contented, soul-deep sigh. The music had shifted to a slower, more melodic track, and the lights had dimmed to a soft, ambient glow.

"Not bad for a spontaneous night out, huh?" Lux said, his voice relaxed.

Nero’s gaze was still fixed on the dance floor, the shifting lights reflecting in his ominous red eyes like distant stars.

He smiled, a quiet, genuine expression.

"Yeah," he said softly, the single word carrying the weight of a newfound understanding. "Not bad at all."