Chapter 166: When Shadows Gather Again
The private lounge of the casino was bathed in low, amber light. Velvet curtains covered the walls, and a long circular table sat in the center, surrounded by untouched drinks, idle cards, and a single, pulsing crimson crystal floating just above the surface.
Only five chairs, now occupied.
For the first time, none of them wore masks.
The dwarf leaned back in his chair, a puff of pipe smoke curling lazily around his thick, braided red beard. His hair matched—long and wild, barely tamed by the golden clips he used to tie it back. Rings shimmered on every finger, and a glint of gold peeked from beneath his cuffs.
To his left, the twins sat side by side.
One was a boy, lean and sharp-featured, with a silver earring and a bored expression. The other, a girl, nearly identical in bone structure, though her eyes were heavier and more tired. Both looked like teenagers, but no one at the table believed they were harmless. The boy twirled a dagger between his fingers. The girl sipped from a wine glass without looking up.
Next came the chained woman—her body wrapped in bands of iron and dark steel, some fused to her arms like armor, others hanging loose like accessories. Her face was mostly visible now: smooth, pale, and emotionless, save for the black markings around her throat, like burned scripture.
Finally, sitting still as a statue, the First Pillar.
His skin was pale, almost waxy, and his black hair hung in tangled strands down the sides of his face. His eyes, dark as pitch, didn’t blink. Didn’t shift. He hadn’t spoken since arriving.
The air around him always felt colder.
The crystal in the center pulsed once—