Viktor is breathing heavily. Sweat runs down his face and drips onto the cracked floor. His boots sink slightly into the fractures. His jaw is clenched. I may not have injured him, but I forced him to reach deep. I can see it in his posture. His shoulders are lower. His breathing is uneven. I can’t hold on anymore. My strength leaves me all at once. The floor comes closer. Unconsciousness takes me without warning. Aris catches me before I fully collapse. He pulls me back and positions me out of the direct line. Fortuna stays upright. The casino owner, on the other hand, can’t stop himself from speaking.

  “Thank you for saving the casino, Viktor. I hope this trash will pay for the repairs.”

  Fortuna steps toward Viktor.

  “We haven’t lost yet. Well played, Heyo. Now that he’s weakened, we have a chance. Aris, we handle this.”

  Aris moves beside her. The owner joins Viktor, looking for protection he no longer truly has. Aris takes a step forward.

  “He still has strength left. I can feel it.”

  Viktor lifts his head slightly.

  “It’s been a long time since I used this much energy.”

  Fortuna tilts her head.

  “What if we played a game?”

  Viktor takes half a step back. His instinct stays sharp.

  “Interesting. What game?”

  “A game of chance. If I win, let’s say your chances in this fight will drop drastically.”

  “Fine. I accept. I want to face you at full power.”

  Fortuna lets out a small laugh.

  “I am Chance. You have no chance of winning.”

  The owner cuts in.

  “I knew it. Cheater. Your Mots influences outcomes. I’m filing a complaint. You’ll drown in debt.”

  Fortuna does not answer him. A giant coin appears.

  “Heads or tails?”

  “Heads.”

  Fortuna feels an unusual resistance. She pushes harder. She puts more intention into it than she normally would. The coin rises into the air. It spins at a dizzying speed. It crashes down onto the cracked floor. A cloud of dust rises and hides the result for several seconds.

  Fortuna sketches a smile.

  “Then I’m tails.”

  The dust settles slowly. No one speaks. Even the owner holds his breath, eyes locked on the floor.

  Heads.

  Fortuna stumbles back several steps. She rubs her eyes, as if the result might change. She looks again at the coin.

  “I lost.”

  The word hangs in the air. She blinks once. Then again. As if her gaze refuses to agree with reality. Her thoughts race too fast. How is this possible. Chance doesn’t lose. A game of chance cannot resist her. I have to win. Always win. If I don’t win, he comes back. Her chest tightens violently. An old pressure, familiar, crawls up her spine.

  Her expression shifts. Fear slips in.

  “Viktor… you… no. That’s impossible. If there is only one explanation, then you keep company with demons. That’s it, isn’t it. You were sent by the demon of bad luck to harm me.”

  Viktor takes a step forward.

  “No. I don’t know any demon.”

  Fortuna loses control.

  “Back off. Don’t come closer.”

  She drops onto her backside. Her hands search for the floor to steady herself.

  “It’s not possible. He’s not far. He came to curse me.”

  She lowers her head, folds into herself.

  “Sorry, Mom. Sorry, Mom. It’s not my fault. I never wanted this. Sorry, Mom.”

  Viktor steps closer. Fortuna crawls backward, her body shaking without stopping.

  “Help…”

  Aris steps between them and shoves Viktor back.

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  “He’s not here, Fortuna. Calm down. Pull yourself together. There’s no demon. No more curse. You lost because your power isn’t absolute. That’s all.”

  She pushes him away.

  “Nonsense. It’s my only power. What is it worth if I can lose. That makes no sense.”

  Aris keeps his voice steady.

  “I swear there’s no demon.”

  She stares at him.

  “Then why did I lose?”

  “Because probability isn’t absolute.”

  She shakes her head.

  “No. It’s because I didn’t have luck. And bad luck, I know it. Too well.”

  Her shaking worsens. Her heart beats too fast. Her gaze empties.

  Aris strikes her with a clean hit to the back of the neck. Fortuna collapses.

  “Rest a little,” he whispers.

  He straightens and faces Viktor.

  “I’ll take them back to headquarters. Don’t worry. But I’d like to ask you a favor.”

  Viktor sets his stance.

  “What is it?”

  Aris looks him straight in the eyes.

  “Fight me.”

  Viktor smiles.

  “Very well.”

  They measure each other for a moment. Aris moves first. He plants his foot and strikes. Viktor narrowly dodges. His sword vanishes immediately and he counters with a direct hit. Aris shifts aside in turn. The fight chains together without pause. Aris advances on a diagonal, testing footing, searching for an opening. Viktor pivots just enough to deflect, never more than necessary. The strikes are short, clean, calculated. Each impact vibrates through Aris’s arms.

  Aris loses ground. Viktor advances without rushing. Pain rises in Aris’s muscles. He has been using his Mots from the beginning. Viktor reads it in his eyes. Viktor steps back on purpose and gives space. Aris doesn’t stop. He follows closely, then drives forward with controlled force and strikes at full power. Viktor guards and absorbs it without flinching.

  Aris goes still.

  “I see. I have no chance of inflicting even the smallest injury.”

  Viktor answers calmly.

  “Stay on this path. You’ll catch up to me.”

  Aris extends his hand. Viktor takes it without hesitation.

  “Does it bother you to help me bring them back?”

  “No. Of course not.”

  The casino owner approaches, still nervous.

  “I hope all three of them end up in prison.”

  Aris looks at him.

  “Unfortunately for you, we’ve been prisoners from the start. We escaped. We’re going back to our cage.”

  The owner says nothing.

  Where the coin fell, nothing remains except a clean crack in the floor. No one looks at it.

  …

  Evra walks down a long corridor. Pale walls reflect her silhouette with every step. The floor is smooth. The light is cold. She stops in front of a large gray door and waits. The door eventually opens by itself. She enters a vast circular room. She stands at the center. Around her, men and women type at keyboards, manipulate screens, analyze data streams. Information scrolls everywhere.

  No one looks up. Faces remain neutral, focused only on curves and indicators. One board catches her attention. Three words are written there: Libre. Chance. Best. Activity is intense. Analysts move, exchange quick comments, adjust parameters. A man approaches Evra. Long hair falling in front of his eyes and part of his face. He gives her a relaxed nod.

  “Hey, Evra. Your anomalies went hard, you know.”

  “Hi, Manion.”

  He tilts his head slightly.

  “Want the juicy details?”

  “No. I’ll wait for your report.”

  He exhales as he steps away.

  “You can be serious sometimes.”

  He goes back behind his desk.

  The light shifts. Screens stabilize. A face appears in projection above the room. Short hair, close-shaved beard, hard eyes. The President. Everyone stops and straightens.

  “Good morning, Mr. President.”

  His voice is low.

  “Report.”

  Analysts activate multiple interfaces. Data appears above Evra. One of them speaks.

  “The three subjects have shown significant progress and a high level of utility.”

  “First, Best. He is the most stable of the three. He advances slowly but consistently. He is disciplined and his objective is clear. He wants to eliminate his opposite. He trains daily and recently annihilated a gang with his own hands. He displays a structured sense of justice. Killing demons will not be a problem for him.”

  Another voice continues.

  “Chance. She generated a large amount of capital in a very short time. She takes high-risk bets. Her probability of success is very high, but not absolute. She has a well-developed strategic mind and clear ambition. She is aiming for domination through money, which could be exploited to influence the local economy. However, she shows trauma linked to her opposite, Bad Luck. We do not yet know if she will be capable of facing demons in a stable manner.”

  A third voice follows.

  “Libre. The most unstable. He has shown notable progress in the use of his Mots. When he acts under heavy emotional load, his abilities appear amplified. He invoked a sword powerful enough to destroy a significant portion of Corpius, possibly reaching Turus. His instability represents a risk, but his offensive potential against demons is high. One additional point must be reported. Before awakening his Mots, we found no trace of his existence. No file. No record. It is as if he appeared on the very day he awakened his Mots.”

  The President speaks.

  “Conclusion.”

  A robotic voice answers, emotionless.

  “Confirmed profitability.”

  The President continues.

  “Maintain the pressure.”

  Screens dim one by one. The President’s image disappears. Analysts immediately resume their work. Conversations restart. Data flows again.

  Manion gestures to Evra from his desk.

  “Don’t forget. You’ll need to go to Morgus soon.”

  Evra does not answer. She turns and leaves the room.