As the storm clouds gathered in the sky, inside the casino, Aurelio had just claimed another victory at the roulette table, winning a substantial prize of bolts.
"Impossible!" The defeated gambler glared at Aurelio, his face contorted with disbelief. "It was almost on black! How did it shift to red at the last second? Is this roulette rigged?" In a fit of rage, he slammed his fist down on the table, causing the dice to bounce and clatter.
Aurelio's smile widened, cold and taunting. "It's just luck, my friend. They don't call me 'Luckmaster' for nothing. Winning means you're the one who needs to take your leave and find something better to do with your time."
The man, seething with anger, turned and stormed away, shoving the table with such force that it toppled over.
Aurelio's expression darkened, the light in his crimson eyes flaring with an ominous glow. In an instant, the man tripped, his foot twisting beneath him with a sickening crack as he fell, the sharp sound of his pain cutting through the room. The other players' gazes fixed on the scene, their eyes wide with a mix of fear and awe.
Aurelio rose from his seat, the sound of the man's pained groans reaching his ears. The gambler clutched his injured ankle, tears welling up in his eyes as he writhed on the floor.
Aurelio's shadow loomed over him as footsteps approached, the room growing hushed. Leaning down, Aurelio's voice was icy, laced with threat. "Did you not read the rules before stepping into my casino?"
He ripped the rules from the wall and held them up, shoving the paper in the man's face with a force that left no room for argument.
The man read the five rules...
"1. Respect the Establishment: Any form of violence, threats, or disruptive behavior directed at staff or other guests will result in immediate expulsion and a permanent ban.
2. The Wheel of Fate is Absolute: All games are determined by pure luck and chance. Complaining about the results is pointless and will lead to consequences.
3. Acceptance of Loss: If you cannot accept defeat, you forfeit your right to participate and must leave the casino.
4. Maintain Decorum: Civility and respect are expected at all times. Loud outbursts and aggressive conduct are prohibited..."
Before the man could even make it to the fifth rule, Aurelio snatched the paper back with a practiced, almost lazy flick of his wrist. He squatted down in front of the man, who trembled as he fought to stifle his cries. The man's face was pale, slick with sweat, and his eyes darted around in a desperate search for an escape that didn't exist.
Aurelio's eyes, deep and dark as a midnight abyss, locked onto the man's face. They were not the eyes of a man who simply enjoyed victory; they were the eyes of something far more predatory. He leaned in, so close that the man could feel his breath, cool and sharp with the scent of coffee and something metallic. The weight of Aurelio's gaze pressed down on him like an iron shackle.
"You've broken nearly every rule in my casino," Aurelio whispered, his voice a low, venomous rasp that seemed to seep into the man's bones. "And that's a problem, isn't it?"
The man's chest convulsed, his mouth opening and closing as if trying to say something, anything to explain, to beg, but no sound escaped him. His eyes flicked to the floor, where his foot lay at an unnatural angle, the bone splintered and grotesque. The sound of his own sharp, ragged breathing was loud in the silence that stretched between them.
Aurelio smiled, but it was not a smile of amusement. It was the kind of smile that belonged to someone who had seen too much and felt too little. "Look at you now," he continued, voice softening as if he were speaking to a child. "Your luck, so dazzling and boastful moments ago, is now shattered. Just like you. Isn't it ironic? 'Karma,' they call it, don't they? The universe's little way of evening the odds."
He leaned back, eyes narrowing as the man winced, struggling to hold back a sob. "And here you are, broken before you even leave my domain. It's almost… poetic, don't you think?"
Aurelio stood up slowly, towering over the man, his shadow stretching dark and long across the cold marble floor. The room was silent except for the man's muffled cries and the soft, eerie hum of distant conversation from the other tables. Aurelio's smile deepened, an unsettling crease that carved into his sharp features. "Don't worry," he said, turning on his heel and giving the man one last glance. "You'll remember this. You'll remember me. And I promise, you won't forget the taste of bad luck any time soon."
As Aurelio strolled away, he snapped his fingers casually, and the room seemed to hold its breath. The fallen man's body was suddenly surrounded by a strange, shimmering aura, a pulsing, dark energy that made the air hum with a subtle vibration. The man's eyes widened in terror as the energy twisted around him like a living thing, coiling and tightening. He opened his mouth to scream, but only a ragged, strangled noise escaped him.
The room fell silent, save for the sickening crack of bones splintering and the sharp, guttural moans that tore from his throat. His limbs contorted, bending in ways they were never meant to, skin stretching and tearing as his body warped under the relentless force of the unseen power. His veins bulged with a dark, unnatural hue, and his organs seemed to shudder within him, writhing like captive serpents.
It felt like hours, the agonizing torment stretching time until it became an eternity. Then, with a sudden and complete silence, the man's body fell still. The energy dissipated, leaving behind an almost reverent stillness in the room. In the place where the man once lay, a crimson-red chip shimmered in Aurelio's hand, its surface slick and glistening as though it were fresh from a wound.
Aurelio's eyes gleamed with an otherworldly light, his grin spreading across his face like a predator that had just made its kill. The chip pulsed in his fingers, an uncanny reminder of the man's essence now trapped and transformed into something new. The air around him seemed to grow colder, the quiet of the casino deepening as if even the walls were recoiling from what had just happened.
Aurelio held the chip up, letting the dim light of the room catch its slick, scarlet sheen. It was more than just a token; it was a piece of the game, an omen that he would soon place back into the roulette, adding another, more sinister gamble to the odds. The man who once stood defiant was now an element, a cruel and literal part of his twisted spectacle, a wager to be tested and lost all over again.
He laughed, a chilling sound that echoed through the marble hall, making even the most carefree gamblers stop mid-drink or game. The roulette awaited, its wheel ready to spin and claim what was left of the man's luck. And Aurelio, the so-called 'Luckmaster,' was eager to play.
To be continued...