The Devil’s Halo: He came from hell… but not to destroy. In the heart of a luminous city teeming with life, secrets, and sins, something ancient stirs beneath the surface. Welcome to Viremont, a city so dazzling it blinds you, yet so corrupt it feeds off shadows. Beneath its billion-dollar skyline, there’s a darkness no light can touch. And walking right through its core is a man who doesn’t belong. Lucien Vale. To the world, he’s the embodiment of success—an enigmatic billionaire wrapped in fine suits and secrets. Women want him. Men want to be him. His business empire spans across continents, his face is on magazine covers, and yet—no one knows where he came from. But Lucien? He remembers everything. Because he’s not human. He never was. Lucien is the real devil, the ruler of Hell, born of chaos and crowned in flames. But he didn’t rise through the underworld to bask in power. He was cast out. Stripped of his throne and sentenced to the one place he always looked down upon—Earth. His punishment? Live as a man. Feel what mortals feel. Walk among them, bleed with them, love like them. And if he fails… he will cease to exist, forever. But how do you teach a demon to feel? Hell didn’t send him here for redemption. They sent him to suffer. And yet, even in exile, Lucien walks like royalty. He builds empires with a whisper, commands boardrooms with a glance, and seduces without touching. But behind closed doors, he’s unraveling. Because what no one sees is the war inside his chest—the fire of damnation colliding with the ache of a human heart. He craves. He dreams. He feels. And that’s when she happens. Aeris Monroe is nobody in a world that worships names. A college dropout working night shifts at a luxury bar, she's invisible to the elite—but she’s watching. Observing. Surviving. And unlike most women, she doesn’t melt under Lucien’s gaze. Instead, she looks back. Eyes that don’t ask for favors. Eyes that don’t lie. The night they meet, it’s accidental. Or maybe it’s fate. A drunk client crosses the line. Lucien steps in. And time… stops. For her, it’s just another moment of danger. For him, it’s the first time he hears his own heartbeat. Aeris doesn’t believe in fairy tales. She’s tasted reality, and it’s bitter. But Lucien? He’s the kind of storm you don’t run from. The kind that destroys, and yet, she wants to be swept away. There’s something about him—his stillness, his silence, the weight in his gaze—that makes her wonder if he’s even real. But love doesn’t come easy. Especially when one of them isn’t even supposed to feel it. Lucien’s drawn to her not just because she’s different, but because she sees him. Not the billionaire. Not the fantasy. But the broken creature underneath. And in her presence, something ancient in him begins to shift. What neither of them know is that their bond isn’t an accident. It’s a spark that was foretold. The Prophecy of Crimson Fire: “When the devil falls in love, the veil will thin. Blood will remember. And the gates will burn.” Their love is the catalyst. And hell is watching. As Lucien and Aeris grow closer, the city begins to fracture. Brutal, ritualistic murders begin to surface. Symbols written in blood. Victims burned from the inside out. And always… a red feather left behind. Detective Marcus Hale, a skeptic until now, starts to piece the impossible together. The deeper he digs, the more he discovers a truth darker than crime: a war between realms is brewing—and Lucien might be the fuse. Meanwhile, Aeris is pulled into secrets that begin with her own past. Her sister, Rhea, was once part of a cult. A cult that believed the devil would come to Earth wearing a human skin. A cult that never truly disbanded… The Crimson Circle, a secret society made of former priests, witches, and believers, wants Lucien. Some want to destroy him. Others… want to use him. And then there’s Liora. The woman Lucien once loved in Hell. The woman who betrayed him. And now, she’s back. Not out of love. But war. Side Characters Who Shape the Fire: Darian Knox – Lucien’s right hand, charming and brutal, with secrets of his own. Knows Lucien’s true identity, and may be more loyal to Hell than he seems. Rhea Monroe – Aeris’s older sister, recovering from trauma and drawn into the Crimson Circle. She knows something about Aeris she’s too afraid to reveal. Detective Marcus Hale – Intelligent, obsessive, and on the brink of believing in the unbelievable. His past is entangled with the Circle. Liora – Former queen of Hell and Lucien’s ex-lover. Herreturn threatens more than Lucien’s sanity—it threatens Aeris’s life. The Crimson Circle – A cult cloaked in religion and blood magic. They believe Aeris is the ‘Burning Key’ that can control the devil. As the prophecy looms, Lucien must choose: Fight his destiny and lose the one person who anchors his soul—Or embrace the hell inside him and let the world burn. The love he finds in Aeris isn’t soft. It’s not poetic. It’s feral, raw, and terrifying.