"So… you're telling me your plan is to rescue these gamblers? That's your grand idea, Lira? But do you really think that's smart?" Elliott's voice carried a mix of doubt and frustration as he stood alongside Joker, both of them keeping their distance from the ragged, disheveled gamblers nearby. Lira stood a few meters ahead, her back to them as she observed the sorry crowd.
Elliott continued, "These people were—and still are—hooked on gambling like it's air. How in the world are we supposed to rescue them?"
Lira's gaze remained fixed ahead, her voice steady and resolute. "Not everything is as it seems, Elliott. Aurelio… he isn't just fueling their addiction. He's manipulating it—twisting their luck, their desires, and their very will to gamble into something they can't escape. These 'dead souls' weren't always like this. They weren't this consumed until Aurelio took over the island and decided to 'conquer' it in his own, twisted way."
"We… I… wanted to fix their lives," Lira began, her voice trembling with the weight of her words. "But once someone gets hooked on these games of luck, there's almost no way back. No way to reclaim the good lives they had before." She stared down at her open palm, her fingers trembling as her voice faltered. A low groan escaped her lips, filled with frustration and despair.
"I've tried everything," she admitted, her tone laced with regret. "Everything to bring these people back. But nothing worked. The only way to free their minds… to truly save them… must involve Aurelio."
Lira's idea and solution lingered in the air, weighing heavily on Elliott and Joker as they tried to process her reasoning. If Aurelio truly held the power to twist someone's luck into misfortune, then he was far more dangerous than they had anticipated.
Elliott folded his arms and furrowed his brow, his tone serious. "How are we supposed to defeat someone who can manipulate luck itself? Even if he's not much of a fighter, if he uses his powers to lower our chances at every turn, it makes him nearly impossible to beat. And let's face it—we don't even have a clue how to approach him, let alone take him down."
Joker remained silent for a moment, his usually sharp mind coming up empty for a solution. Finally, he spoke, his voice low but firm. "There has to be a way. Even the luckiest man alive can't win forever. No power is truly unbeatable." His words carried a note of determination, but his expression betrayed his uncertainty.
Lira nodded slowly, her gaze distant yet focused. "I've tried so many things," she admitted, her voice tinged with exhaustion. "Nothing worked. But deep down, I know… I know there's a way to defeat even the worst misfortune."
Joker noticed Elliott's sudden silence, his gaze distant and thoughtful. Curious, both he and Lira turned to face him, their expressions tinged with curiosity and concern.
"You know what's still bothering me?" Elliott finally spoke, breaking the quiet. His tone carried an unusual weight, enough to make Joker raise a brow and wait for him to elaborate. "Back there... in the alleyway. We didn't move a muscle, and yet the officers just... collapsed. Did either of you feel it? That split second where everything felt off—like time itself shifted?"
Joker tilted his head, intrigued but skeptical. He glanced at Lira, who looked equally puzzled. After a brief pause, he nodded slowly. "I did sense something strange. It was subtle but undeniable—a ripple, like the air froze for just a moment. But how does that connect to these gamblers, or anything Lira just explained?"
Elliott clasped his chin, his expression sharpening as if he were piecing together a puzzle. "It doesn't connect directly. But think about it—someone or something intervened back there. We didn't save ourselves. Don't you see? Someone helped us. They stopped time, or altered it somehow. It wasn't
Lira's eyes lit up, and she suddenly jumped into their conversation. "You both felt it too? Like time skipped a beat, just for a moment? That strange sensation has been happening for a week now. Every day, we—the misfortunes—have sensed it. But none of us have been able to figure out the reason behind it. At first, we thought it was Aurelio's doing, but eventually, we realized it had nothing to do with him or his power."
Joker folded his arms, his mind racing. "So it's not Aurelio, yet it's been affecting everyone tied to this island... That means we're dealing with something—or someone—outside of the usual suspects."
Elliott tapped his foot anxiously. "What if this phenomenon is tied to whatever—or whoever—saved us earlier? If it's been happening for a week, there's a pattern. Someone's intervening, but why? And how does this connect to the gamblers and Aurelio's hold on them?"
Lira crossed her arms, her gaze narrowing in thought. "There's one possibility. There's an old rumor circulating around Casinova. People say there's a phantom—a figure that appears only to those on the brink of collapse, twisting fate for reasons no one can comprehend. Some think it's a spirit, others believe it's a cursed gambler who defied luck itself. I didn't take it seriously before, but now... it's starting to make sense."
Joker smirked, tilting his head. "A phantom gambler? Sounds like a fairy tale. But then again, after what we felt, I'm willing to entertain the idea. What do you think, Elliott?"
Elliott frowned, glancing at Lira. "I think we need answers, not rumors. If this 'phantom' is real, then it might be the key to understanding what's happening here—and maybe even how to beat Aurelio."
Lira nodded solemnly. "Then we need to find them. But I'll warn you, the rumors aren't exactly clear on where this phantom appears. Some say it's in the heart of the casino, others claim it's out in the abandoned districts. If we're going to look, we'd better be ready for anything."
Joker's grin widened. "Ready for anything? That's our specialty." He spun his cane dramatically before pointing it toward the towering casino in the distance. "Let's start where the stakes are highest. If this phantom is tied to fate, what better place than Aurelio's playground?"
Elliott nodded in agreement, his determination hardening. "Then let's move. The answers—and maybe even our chance to turn the tables on Aurelio—are waiting for us."
Elliott nodded at Joker's response and the proposed plan. "But before we move forward, we should regroup with the others. Our team's been scattered across different parts of Casinova Island."
Lira tilted her head, curious. "You mean your crew? How many are there of you?"
Elliott smirked faintly, crossing his arms. "Enough to handle whatever Aurelio throws at us. But splitting up wasn't exactly part of the plan. We'll cover more ground once we're together."
Joker chimed in, his voice light but focused. "They'll all be drawn toward the casino eventually. Let's leave them a trail to follow. With luck—ironically—we'll run into them soon."
Lira sighed, a bit skeptical. "Hope they're as capable as you make them sound. This island doesn't exactly play fair."
Elliott's expression hardened, his confidence unwavering. "They'll hold their own. Let's just make sure we're ready when the time comes."
With that, the three began retracing their steps, each on alert for the rest of their crew and the dangers that loomed ahead.
To be continued...