The pitch-black night shrouded the sleepless city of Trier. In a house within a quiet, elegant villa district, far more people had gathered than any single villa should have held.
This house was the residence of "Black Scorpion" Roger, the leader of the Stinger Gang. Now, however, it had a different owner.
For Trier, a city that worshipped the Sun, storms and dark nights were hardly pleasant imagery. Even the heretics who no longer believed in the Sun disliked the pitch-black depths of night-especially these gang members.
Darkness often meant danger, and reminded them of the shadows that had haunted them when they were weak. Now, they were all beneath a shadow named Passion.
The flames in the lamps flickered. Gang leaders with coarse manners repeatedly picked up the wineglasses the attendants had placed on the table. Alcohol poured into their stomachs, but it did little to soothe these villains, exhausted in both body and mind by the threat of assassination.
Everyone around the dining table was quite silent, and the atmosphere seemed frozen. Just then, the man at the head of the table suddenly stood up. "Everyone, we only need to endure this for a little longer. Once Mr. Artois becomes a member of parliament, we'll be able to drive Passion out of here."
Wearing Roger's appearance-a slightly plump face and blue eyes as cold as an abyss-Nimrod, the boss of Passion, made this solemn promise to the people around him.
"Roger's" words were like a shot of adrenaline, gradually changing the atmosphere around the long dining table.
The clinking of glasses gradually grew more frequent, and the previously restrained, oppressive conversations began to pick up. Under Nimrod's silent guidance, the mood of the entire banquet shifted toward relaxation.
The only exception at the banquet was Roger's deputy, "Baldy"