The card dealer, a man with a stern face and dressed in black, cleared his throat before speaking.
"Alright, since we have a new player, I'll go over the rules again. This is Blackyat, a game of choices and strategy. The goal is simple: get as close as possible to 21 points without going over. Each card has a value, face cards are worth ten, and the ace can be one or eleven, depending on your decision. You can either take another card or stick with what you have. If you go over 21, you automatically lose. If no one beats 21, the player with the highest score wins."
Anna nodded slowly as she listened to the explanation.
Although she already knew the rules, the pressure of being surrounded by strangers made her feel like she had to keep reminding herself of them.
The dealer handed out the cards, sliding each one with smooth but decisive movements.
When the cards reached her, Anna studied them carefully. She had a seven and an eight, totaling fifteen.
'Not enough,' she thought.
As the other players started drawing more cards, Anna realized she would have to do the same.
The dealer reached her turn and raised an eyebrow.
"Will you take another card?" he asked.
Anna, nervous, nodded.
"Yes… yes, please."
The man dealt her a new card.
With trembling hands, she flipped it over to see a nine. Her stomach dropped.
'25! I went over…'
Without thinking, Anna rewound time.
The throbbing pulse in her head returned, but she ignored it.
When the dealer asked her again if she wanted another card, this time, Anna answered firmly.
"No."
The dealer nodded and moved on to the other players.
Anna watched as some took more cards, others stayed, and finally, it was time to reveal their hands.
Nervously, she glanced around, seeing a few players hesitating. Some raised their bets, while others, scared of going bust, decided to fold and lose the minimum.
Damian, standing to the side, watched her with crossed arms, his expression hard and impatient.
"Don't lose," he muttered.
When her turn came, Anna took a deep breath.
She couldn't lose...
She could rewind time if things went wrong. So, confident, she bet all the money she had. That surprised the other players, including Damian, who looked at her with curiosity.
The dealer started revealing the hands.
One player showed 18, another had 17, and one had busted with over 21.
Anna, nervous, revealed her hand: a total of 20.
Before she could feel relieved, the last player, an older, elegant man with a smug smile, revealed his cards.
A perfect 21.
"Nice try, little girl," he said, chuckling softly as he gathered the chips from the table.
Anna's face froze in frustration.
Without wasting time, she rewound again.
This time, when it came to betting, she decided not to risk everything, only losing what she had bet initially.
When the man revealed his 21, she already knew what to expect.
She stayed silent, accepting defeat with a nervous smile while the man collected his winnings.
The game continued.
Another round started, and the players received their cards again.
Anna was growing more and more tired. She hadn't fully recovered from the exhausting chess match with Damian's mother, but she knew she couldn't stop.
At the end of another round, when Anna finally got a perfect 21, she bet everything again.
The room fell silent for a moment, shocked by her move.
"She won!" one of the players said, while others laughed and teased, saying it was just luck.
However, game after game, Anna kept winning.
It wasn't luck; she knew exactly what she was doing, rewinding time every time things went wrong.
As the rounds progressed, the tension in the room grew.
Some players started folding after every hand, unwilling to risk more.
By the sixth round, Anna bet everything again, but this time, only one opponent was left against her.
It was the man who had been playing from the start, the one who had scored the 21 earlier.
He was tall, in his thirties, with an imposing presence. His dark hair was tied back in an elegant ponytail, and though his outfit was simple, it was of the highest quality. His smile radiated confidence, but it wasn't friendly; it was more calculated.
"I have to admit, you're skilled," the man said, eyeing Anna with an evaluating gaze. "You know when to fold and when to stay… but you still haven't learned the most important part of this game."
Anna looked at him, surprised by his words.
"What do you mean?"
The man smiled cunningly.
"You're too predictable. You play thinking you can always win or fold when things get tough. In Blackyat, the real skill isn't just knowing when to fold or draw… it's how well you hide your intentions. You're showing your hand before you even reveal it."
His words echoed in Anna's mind.
Was she being too obvious with her moves?
The man in front of her clearly had more experience, and now, the advantage seemed to have shifted.
It was time to reveal the cards.
Both had a perfect 21.
The dealer explained that, since it was a tie, they would have to continue playing, but this time, the mechanics would be different.
Instead of just drawing cards, they could now discard ones they didn't want, but only before seeing them.
It was a new level of strategy.
The man, confident, played first and discarded twice before accepting a card.
Then it was Anna's turn.
Her hands shook slightly as she drew a card, and though her heart raced, this time she decided to discard before seeing her next card.
She didn't want to abuse her ability, feeling like she might faint at any moment.
The game continued, with the man discarding several times and Anna doing the same.
At one point, she had 17 and decided to draw another card, but seeing that her new total was 25, she rewound time.
This time, she discarded the card she had taken and drew again, only to see she had reached 22.
She rewound once more, discarding and drawing again until she finally got a perfect 21.
The man, seeing that Anna wasn't drawing any more cards, decided to stick with his hand too.
Both revealed their cards at the same time, and to everyone's surprise…
They had tied again.
The room fell silent.
Anna kept her nervous gaze steady, while the man smiled with a mix of respect and admiration.
"Well... this is getting interesting," said the man, his tone soft but firm. "I didn't expect someone so young to have such talent."
Anna swallowed, feeling the pressure of everyone's eyes on her, but she couldn't let fear paralyze her.