It is our third day of freedom, and Fortuna wants to see us. I have no reason to refuse. She offers no explanation, and I ask no questions. I meet her where she told me to come. The fa?ade is massive, the name blazing in bright letters above the entrance. A casino. I notice Aris in the distance, leaning against a metal post, hands in his pockets. He nods at me.

  “Hey.”

  “Hey. How are you, Heyo?”

  “I’m fine.”

  I am about to speak when a side door opens. A man in a dark suit steps out, white gloves, posture perfectly straight.

  “Gentlemen. Please come in. Madame Fortuna is waiting for you.”

  The word lingers in my mind for a second too long.

  “Madame?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  I glance at Aris. He gives a slight nod, and we enter. The contrast is immediate. The carpet swallows our footsteps. No machine noise. The elevator is already open. Soft music accompanies the ascent, without a single vibration. The numbers climb. The doors open onto a vast room lined with tall windows overlooking the entire city. No tables. No players. Pale armchairs arranged with intention. A discreet bar occupies one corner. It feels more like a private lounge built above a casino than part of it. Fortuna stands at the center, observing the room as if considering whether to purchase it outright. Since when does she play at this level? Beside her stands a man in a gold suit, visible jewelry, tight smile. His expression carries none of a host’s warmth.

  Fortuna sees us.

  “Aris. Heyo.”

  She opens her arms.

  “Welcome.”

  I stare at her.

  “Welcome where?”

  “Our base.”

  Aris remains calm.

  “We’ll have to return to headquarters.”

  “I know.”

  She takes a step forward.

  “Exactly. Now we don’t need it anymore. And if it comes to that, they’ll come find us.”

  The man in the gold suit interjects, nervous.

  “Mademoiselle won this space last night. I was the sole owner. Now, after losing certain shares, I must share it with her.”

  I look at Fortuna. Nothing surprising. Fortuna is luck. He played. He lost. I speak without raising my voice.

  “If we want to survive as long as possible, we should go back to headquarters.”

  Aris crosses his arms.

  “I agree with Heyo. Explain yourself, Fortuna. What do you really want?”

  She gestures toward the city.

  “I want to control Corpius through money. I don’t care about headquarters. I don’t care that we’re anomalies. I want to be free and do whatever I want.”

  She looks at me.

  “I’m disappointed, Heyo. Your Mots is Free. I thought you would be the first to accept. Isn’t it in your nature to break free? What’s the point of surviving if you remain a puppet?”

  I answer without thinking.

  “Evra will come for us. We have no chance against her. Even if we’re free for a few days, she’ll come. She said so.”

  Fortuna does not look away.

  “That’s why we must become strong enough to defeat her. With money, we can hire mercenaries, buy artifacts, increase our power.”

  She continues.

  “Heyo. Aris. What do you actually want?”

  Aris answers immediately.

  “To become the best. So I can kill a certain demon.”

  I speak more quietly.

  “I want to survive.”

  Fortuna steps closer to me.

  “Surviving is not a goal. Start by wanting to live. Stop letting others decide for you. I’m offering you the chance to fight at my side against the world.”

  Her words remain inside me. I remember Evra. The day I awakened this Mots. Since then, I’ve only endured. Moved forward without choosing. Avoided thinking too far ahead. I never chose to live. I only avoided dying.

  Aris breaks the silence.

  “I’m in. I already completed a mission that will bring trouble. I don’t have much left to lose. I want strength. Anything that brings me closer to it interests me.”

  He knows what he wants. Fortuna does too.

  I remain still. The question keeps turning. What do I want? I never took the time to answer.

  Fortuna extends her hand to Aris.

  “Good. Let’s walk together. Let’s reclaim what belongs to us. Our lives.”

  Then she turns to me and offers her hand.

  “Heyo. Take the time you need to find your answers. But trust me. Follow us.”

  This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  I do not analyze further. I take her hand. I do not know where I am walking. I look at the city through the windows. A movement draws my attention. The elevator is rising. The butler is no longer here.

  “Fortuna. Were you expecting someone else?”

  “No, I…”

  The owner interrupts her. His composure has returned.

  “That one is a friend. Your conversation was instructive. Government. Evra. Freedom. Combat. You do not strike me as reasonable people. Fortunately, I know someone who handles this type of problem. When you run a casino, you maintain good contacts.”

  He pauses.

  “He will arrest you. And return what belongs to me. You should have stayed discreet. Chosen another place for your ambitions.”

  The elevator stops. The doors open. I freeze for a second. I don’t believe it. Viktor. The gray-haired recruit. The one I saw in the cafeteria, not far from Rose. That’s his savior. What a joke. Heat rises through my body. Not a clear emotion. A sharp surge. My fingers tighten. If he approaches as an obstacle, I will strike him.

  Viktor steps forward, looks around the room, then at us.

  “Hey. What are you doing here? I received an alert. I was told the casino was under attack.”

  He speaks as if everything is normal.

  Fortuna moves toward him.

  “There’s no one else here, Viktor. It’s not a mistake. We’re going to fight for ourselves. This casino is our base.”

  Viktor frowns slightly.

  “Fortuna, calm down. What happened? You don’t want to become demon hunters anymore?”

  I step forward.

  “Stop that. We were taken. Forced to become their apprentices. If we become useless, they’ll kill us.”

  Viktor looks at me without changing his tone.

  “I see. Your Mots are powerful. And you don’t control them yet. I know it may seem harsh, but it’s also for your protection.”

  Aris answers steadily.

  “This city is corrupt. Their protection depends on our usefulness. They don’t care about us. They only care about what we can produce. So we’re going to show them the cost of underestimating us. Our Mots are powerful. They’ll understand.”

  Viktor inhales slowly, as if searching for the right words.

  “I agree with part of what you’re saying. But what you want to face is out of reach. For now. Let me help you. Don’t do this the wrong way.”

  Fortuna does not step back.

  “We’ll do it our way.”

  Viktor extends his hand.

  “I want to understand. Wait before doing something irreversible. Come with me.”

  I step closer. I strike his hand and knock it aside.

  “Enough talk.”

  Viktor answers without raising his voice.

  “I see you’re motivated. Very well. But compared to the enemies you want to confront, I am extremely weak. Prove to me you have the strength required.”

  I gather my energy into my fist and strike. The impact echoes sharply. I do not move. He has caught my fist. His grip is firm. I push, try to pull my arm free, but my strength collapses against his. My fist lowers slowly under the pressure. I cannot break free.

  His emerald eyes lock onto mine. They shine faintly. He does not look away.

  “Heyo. There’s fog in your mind. Tell me. Are you amnesiac? Have you forgotten important moments of your life?”

  Amnesiac. The word pierces through me. How could he know. No. I did not exist before. There is nothing to forget. He releases my hand.

  “Nonsense. I don’t have any problem.”

  I strike again. A mannequin appears between us. I hit it. It flies across the room. Viktor has not moved. I strike again. A punching bag appears. I send it flying. I miss him again. Why is my Mots doing this. I remember the day I awakened it. I had to survive against Evra. No. That’s not it. There was something else. A shock. A sound. A sensation.

  What was it.

  Viktor speaks calmly.

  “Your Mots is responding to you, Heyo. You’re lashing out to hide something. Let me help.”

  He extends his hand again. How did I awaken my Mots. It was not Evra. It was not for survival. I throw myself at him. I hit him. I claw at him. I push him to the ground. He takes every blow without raising a hand. I scream.

  “I’m not amnesiac!”

  I strike again.

  “I have to survive.”

  Another blow.

  “I have nothing else.”

  I lean over him.

  “So stop looking at me like I’m weak.”

  My hand rises toward his face. It stops a few inches from his eyes.

  “Defend yourself. Why aren’t you defending yourself?”

  I hit him again. I shake him.

  “You’re not trying to survive? Everyone tries to survive!”

  I shout.

  “Stop looking at me like that!”

  He keeps that calm gaze. I hit him again. And it is me who feels the pain. My heart tightens. My breathing fractures. Emotion rises without a name. I can’t think anymore.

  I forgot what allowed me to awaken my Mots. Just like I forgot everything before. Only these last weeks remain. The rest is empty. His green eyes. His steady voice. The feeling of being exposed. Once again I refuse to yield. I stand. I raise my hand toward the sky.

  “You’re right, Viktor. I forgot my entire life. I only remember the weeks after awakening my Mots. But I refuse to let you keep looking at me like that. Fight seriously.”

  Viktor does not change expression.

  “Your blows were weak, Heyo. They were empty. There was no desire. No conviction. Show me an answer. I will respond with everything I have.”

  I laugh.

  “I haven’t found an answer. This is my last attack. All my energy has been drained to bring it forth. It’s despair.”

  I lower my arm. I feel it arriving. Massive. Ready to sweep everything away.

  Viktor smiles.

  “Magnificent, Heyo. If this is an attack without meaning, I cannot imagine what you will unleash once you find one. Do not blush. You are not weak. I feel it coming. It is immense. I, Viktor, have not yet introduced myself.”

  A sword appears in his hand. Gold and silver intertwined. Massive power, contained. Golden armor forms gradually across his body, fitting him without sound. He shines. He looks like a knight torn from legend. That yellow light. It reminds me of…

  Mother.

  I remember. How could I have forgotten. That memory. It was the one that awakened my Mots. Tears fall without restraint. I’m sorry. I won’t forget you again. A luminous hand appears before me.

  Viktor.

  “The fog has lifted a little. Good. Do not worry. Your attack will not harm anyone.”

  He raises his sword.

  “My name is Viktor. My Mots is HERO. I will save every living being in this world. That is my reason to live.”

  I stand there. From the beginning, it was not anger I felt. It was jealousy. So this is the hero.

  Viktor bends his knees and leaps. He pierces through the ceiling in a single motion and lands on the roof. Through the opening he created, I see it. My attack steals my breath for a second. It is immense. Precise. Perfectly formed. Did I truly summon that.

  A colossal sword suspended in the sky. I poured all the pressure forced upon me into it. It is wide enough to destroy multiple buildings, sharp enough to carve deep into the earth and leave a permanent scar in this city. I know it. I feel it. It descends slowly, pulled by gravity.

  Viktor launches himself from the roof. The force in his legs shatters the structure behind him. The roof partially collapses above us. Aris shields me. Dust floods the air, then slowly settles. The view clears.

  I see Viktor streak straight toward the blade. Golden light erupts around him, illuminating the sky like a second sun. The impact resounds when the two swords collide. The sound is brutal. Viktor pushes my blade back, then cleaves it cleanly in two. The giant weapon disintegrates into golden dust that falls slowly.

  Viktor lands heavily near us. The casino trembles under the impact.