Space distorted, then exploded into absolute silence.
Sinhara fell to his knees. His knees did not hit a cold stone floor, but instead touched a surface of black water, as still as a mirror. Ripples spread outward, reflecting a brilliant but artificial starry sky on the high ceiling.
This was the highest floor of the Golden Scale Casino—the place where the boundary between reality and illusion vanished.
In the center of the vast room, a giant Golden Scale of Libra floated in mid-air. The two weighing pans were as large as beds, held by thin but strong chains of light.
Madame Lysandra stood there, her black dress blending into the dark water beneath her feet. She waved her fan, made from a single, massive feather that glowed with metallic light and flowed with ancient energy.
"Welcome to the Scales of Truth," Lysandra said, her voice echoing from all directions. "The rules are simple. Place your bet on the scale. Answer the question. The one with the 'lighter' mind loses. And the loser..."
She smiled, revealing teeth that were white and perfect, yet as cold as a blade.
"...will have their bet taken by the Feather. If the bet is not a physical object, it will take a corresponding piece of the soul."
Sin stood up. The black water soaked into his trousers. He looked around. There was no exit. Only the artificial stars rotating threateningly above.
"I need the map of the secret tunnels into the Royal Dungeons," Sin said directly, without wasting words. It was the only way to save Lady Sil without facing an entire army.
"A costly request," Lysandra nodded. She placed a green emerald on the left pan. The scale dipped. "This contains the palace's sewer system blueprints, which I bought from the chief architect twenty years ago. And you? What do you have, little boy?"
Sin reached into his pocket. He had no money. The gold coins he had won below had fallen away during the teleportation.
Lysandra stepped closer. The heavy scent of wisteria flowers came from her. She used her fan to lift Sin's chin, sniffing as if enjoying a delicious meal.
"I smell a new fire starting inside you. Very intense. Very chaotic," she whispered, her eyes glowing with greed. "A hot memory, full of sin and sweetness. It reminds me of my youth. I want it."
Sin frowned. A hot memory?
Images of the rainy night in the cathedral flashed through his mind. Eric's breath. The weight of his armor. The pain and pleasure when their bodies became one. It was the only thing making his heart race right now.
"Fine," Sin replied, his voice cold. He was confident in his intellect. He would win before she could touch his mind. "I bet that memory."
THE FIRST ROUND: THE PRICE OF LUST
"The first question," Lysandra snapped her fingers. An illusionary chessboard appeared in the air. She began to chant:
"I have no voice, yet I judge kings. I have no blade, yet I can kill empires. I am naked, yet people always try to cover me with magnificent clothes. What am I?"
Sin narrowed his eyes in thought. A metaphorical riddle.
No voice but judges kings... History? No, history can be distorted. No blade but kills empires... Time? No, time is a constant.
Naked but covered...
Sin's eyes brightened.
"It is Truth," Sin answered firmly.
The scale on his side began to lower. The Libra Feather glowed, accepting his answer. Sin's logic was absolutely correct. He was winning.
But Lysandra only laughed softly. A wicked smile.
"Truth? How naive."
She waved the Feather fan. A golden magical wind swept across the scales.
"In this world, Truth is whatever the winner writes. Truth is a whore wearing the clothes of those in power."
The rules of reality bent. The concept of "Truth" in this space was rewritten by Lysandra. Sin's lowering scale suddenly shook violently, then snapped upward as if thrown by an invisible hand.
"Wrong," Lysandra declared. "The answer is Power."
Sin was stunned. "You're cheating! You changed the definition of the words!"
"I am the owner. I am the law," Lysandra glided forward, fast as a snake. "And I claim my prize."
She pressed her body against Sin, placed her freezing thumb on his forehead, and kissed him lightly on the lips.
A kiss of Death.
Sin's eyes went wide. He felt a terrifying suction force deep inside his brain.
ZAP.
The image of the rainy night in the cathedral appeared clearly before his eyes. He saw Eric pinning him down. He smelled the rusted iron and mint. He felt the racing heartbeat as Eric whispered his name. The feeling of being protected, being desired, the intense vibration of a starting love...
All of it was torn out of his mind.
The image shattered like glass hit by a hammer. The colors faded. The sound died. The emotion of love was sucked out of Sin's chest, flowing through his forehead and into Lysandra's fingertip.
It crystallized into a brilliant red gem, glowing like fresh blood.
Sin fell to the water. He gasped for air.
He looked up. In his mind, the name "Eric" was still there. He knew who Eric was. He knew they had sex. But... Why did I do that? he wondered. There was no more excitement. No more longing. Sin's heart became cold and empty.
The memory of that night was now as dry as a travel journal: Day X, Month Y. Physical intimacy with Subject Eric. Purpose: Physiological release. End.
Downstairs, amidst the ruins of the main hall.
Eric had just smashed the head of a Bone Golem. Bone fragments flew onto his mud-stained armor.
Suddenly, he froze. The sword in his hand hit the ground. Clang.
Eric gripped his left chest. A sharp pain tore through his heart. He felt as if an invisible thread—the fragile connection he had just built with Sin—was cruelly cut by someone.
He felt Sin's presence in his mind fade away. The warmth vanished, leaving a cold, deep hole.
"Sin..."
Eric roared, his eyes turning bloodshot. His anger exploded, turning into pure physical strength. He no longer needed his sword. He lunged at the remaining Golems, tearing open their chests with his bare hands, crushing their magic cores like a mad, wounded beast.
"Don't let her touch you!"
-
Back on the top floor.
Sin stood up. His dark eyes were now as flat as a dead lake. No more confusion, no more embarrassment. Only cold logic remained.
"Second round," Sin said, his voice emotionless.
Lysandra raised an eyebrow in delight. She swallowed the red gem, licking her lips in satisfaction.
"You are more stubborn than I thought. Fine. What do you want this time?"
"The same thing," Sin replied.
"In return... I want the Secret of the Origin. What brought a child of the Veylan family here?"
Sin clenched his fist. That was a survival secret. If he lost it, he wouldn't know how to trigger the self-destruct mechanism of the stone if it fell into the wrong hands.
"Accepted."
THE SECOND ROUND: THE SECRET OF THE STARS
"The second question," Lysandra pointed to the artificial sky.
"To hide a star, where do you put it? To kill a light, what do you feed it?"
This was a question about how to seal the Mirrakyn. Sin knew the answer. It was in the ancient book Lady Sil made him memorize. To hide a star, put it among the stars. To kill light, feed it the Void.
But Sin could not tell the truth. He planned to use "Inverse Thinking." He would answer with half-truth mixed with a lie to trick the scale.
"To hide a star, I bury it in the deepest ground. To kill light, I use eternal darkness," Sin answered.
Sin's scale remained still.
But the Libra Feather glowed a warning red. It did not measure knowledge. It measured the weight of deceit.
"Liar," Lysandra laughed. "Libra hates those who are dishonest."
She flicked her fan. Sin's scale flew upward. He lost completely.
"I'll take it now."
This time, she used the feather to sweep lightly across Sin's temple.
There was no pain. Only a terrifying emptiness.
Sin felt as if someone had pulled the most important book out of the library in his head. A glowing silver thread was pulled out of his temple.
Ancient language knowledge. The formula to activate the 12 constellations. The fatal weakness of the Mirrakyn. All of it vanished like smoke.
Sin stood frozen. He knew he was carrying a world-destroying weapon in his pocket, but he... forgot how to use it. He forgot how to destroy it. He became a foolish guard holding a nuclear bomb without the activation code.
Lysandra wrapped the silver thread around her finger, narrowing her eyes to read the glowing runes on it.
"Oh... So that's it. 'Devoured by the Void'. Interesting. Delicious."
She swallowed the silver thread.
Sin stepped back. No emotions. No knowledge. He was now just an empty shell.
"You have nothing left to bet, little boy," Lysandra approached, her shadow covering Sin. "Become my slave. I will give you eternal pleasure in forgetfulness."
Sin lowered his head.
Yes. He had lost. Human intellect could not beat a cheating Divine Artifact.
But the loss of emotion made Sin even more dangerous. No more fear. No more regret. His brain now functioned like the coldest probability-calculating machine.
To beat someone who manipulates the rules, one cannot play by the rules. You must break the board.
Sin looked up. His dark eyes had no human light left, as deep as an abyss. He reached into his breast pocket.
A brilliant purple light exploded, pushing back the darkness in the room. Sin pulled out the Mirrakyn—the Stone of Wisdom. It was vibrating violently, resonating with its master's desperation.
"I have one more thing," Sin said, his voice as hard as a hammer hitting an anvil.
Lysandra stepped back, overwhelmed by the pressure of the stone. "That is..."
"I bet the Mirrakyn itself," Sin stepped forward, slamming the stone onto the right pan.
BOOM.
The massive golden scale shook violently. The right pan became heavy, falling straight to the water's surface. The weight of Universal Wisdom was immeasurable.
"I bet everything," Sin looked directly at the powerful woman. "In exchange for the Feather in your hand. And the return of everything you just stole from me."
Lysandra was stunned. Her beautiful face twisted with greed. The Mirrakyn. The thing the whole world wanted. It was lying right on her scale.
"You're insane," Lysandra hissed, her hand trembling as she raised the feather fan. "If you lose this round, your soul will be crushed forever."
"Or I will take your power," Sin replied, emotionless. "Do you dare to play?"
THUMP! THUMP!
The thick ebony door in the distance shook violently. Large cracks began to appear. Eric's roar echoed through.
Sin did not turn back. He no longer had the emotions to care about that man. He only cared about the probability of winning.
Lysandra grit her teeth. Ambition blinded her. She slowly placed the Libra Feather—the source of her power—onto the opposite pan.
"Fine. One last round. All in."
The two pans began to vibrate wildly. The purple light of the Mirrakyn and the golden light of the Libra collided, creating a storm of energy that tore through the artificial sky, preparing for the final judgment.