After hearing this, even the slowest audience members finally understood.
The three beings SCP-1440 spoke of—
the ones who would never let him go—
were none other than the phantoms of Death and Disaster that constantly surrounded him.
But one question lingered in their minds:
What exactly was the card game SCP-1440 referred to?
And how did he draw the attention of such terrifying beings?
---
As the Marvel Universe held its breath, SCP-1440 took another sip of harsh liquor.
The alcohol flushed his weathered face red.
> "Where was I again?" he muttered.
"The card game," Leon Lake reminded him gently.
"Oh, yes…"
The old man exhaled a shaky sigh. His eyes dimmed as memories surfaced.
"First, it was the gambling."
He paused, his expression twisting in regret.
"I never should have challenged them. I should have known better. But I was young, arrogant… and afraid."
His gaze seemed to pierce through the mountains, beyond space and time, to the moment where it all began.
---
> "I was struck down in the prime of my life, lost in a meaningless war…
and then I found myself in the dark halls of three brothers."
---
The livestream chat exploded.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Natasha Romanoff's eyes widened.
"Wait… are you saying SCP-1440 already died once?"
Nick Fury frowned deeply, unsettled by the phrase "three brothers in a dark hall."
Where exactly had this man gone?
---
SCP-1440 continued.
"My comrades walked silently toward a distant light, guided by three thin, skeletal figures. They never looked back.
But I… I couldn't accept it.
I had a young wife. A thriving farm. A future waiting for me.
I couldn't lose it all."
His cloudy eyes glistened.
"Those who quietly accept death are fools. Cowards. Out of pride and desperation, I challenged the three Pathfinders.
I swore that unless they gave me a chance to fight for my life, I would remain in that hall forever."
The old man closed his eyes in pain.
"They agreed… and I won."
After a long silence, he added bitterly:
"I won too much."
---
Leon Lake's eyes narrowed.
"So… you defeated the three brothers, and earned a chance at rebirth."
The old man nodded, then raised a second finger.
> "Second mistake: I was too greedy."
---
The audience fell quiet. They could feel this was the true root of his torment.
"The three brothers had no idea how dangerous I was at the table.
I held the perfect cards. I saw through every trick. I used cunning and desperation to win my life back from the three Death Gods."
The livestream room exploded in disbelief.
> "What the hell?! He actually beat the Gods of Death in a game?"
"So that's how he became immortal?!"
"Those three brothers… they're not guides, they're rulers of hell!"
"No way. He really cheated death?!"
---
S.H.I.E.L.D.
The agents exchanged uneasy glances.
Even Nick Fury looked shaken.
Logically, regaining life should have been a blessing.
But judging by the old man's haunted face… it wasn't that simple.
---
SCP-1440's voice grew weaker, his eyes never leaving Leon's.
"The Death Gods were furious, but they accepted their loss.
They led me to the gate back to the living world."
Leon's gaze flickered sharply.
Now he understood what "greed" meant.
---
The old man's voice trembled.
"When I reached the door, I hesitated.
I thought—why stop here?
I was the best card player alive. I could win more. Glory. Power. Even… immortality."
His cloudy eyes suddenly flared with fanatic light.
"I couldn't just walk away when eternity was within reach."
But that spark quickly faded, replaced by crushing regret.
"So… I turned back.
And I gambled again."
---
He swallowed hard.
"Yes. I won.
And then again.
And again."
---
The audience erupted.
The idea was absurd—yet undeniable.
This frail old man had beaten the Death Gods not once, but three times.
---
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Natasha's jaw dropped.
"This old man… he actually defeated the Gods of Death three times in a row?! That's insane!"
But Fury only sneered grimly.
"At a poker table, when both players are equals, victory brings reward.
But this man? He was just a mortal soul. His opponents… were Supreme Gods.
Even if he won the game, he was bound to lose in the end."
---
And sure enough—
the old man's next words confirmed Fury's suspicion.
---
"The three brothers grew uglier with every round, but they honored the results.
In the end, I won three treasures from them:
A cup.
A deck of cards.
And a cloth bag."
---
Leon Lake's eyes darted to the worn bag and weathered cards at the old man's side.
For the first time, he felt a surge of shock.
Those simple items… were Death's artifacts.
And the audience widened their eyes in unison.
---
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