Ashen Requiem

The card slid across the table.

Still panting, Dante glanced at it. His blood ran cold.

The card bore no traditional symbol. No sword, no cup, no throne.

Just a massive eye inside an anarchic horizon.

And at the bottom, etched in ancient script : "The Architect."

Lady Baccarat jumped back.

— "No. No, this card was never in the deck. It’s a dead card. A sealed artifact. It can only appear when there’s a fracture..."

Lexie looked up at Dante.

— "Do you know what this is ?"

Dante, eyes locked on the card, spoke in a voice he didn’t recognize as his own.

— "It’s a card that obeys no rules. It doesn’t play the game. It writes it."