Emir couldn't sleep. His encounter with Raizel and the glowing orb haunted his thoughts. The cryptic warnings, the smug smirk, the subtle challenge—it all hinted at something bigger, something looming. Yet, the strangest part wasn't the relics or Raizel's claims. It was how everything seemed to orbit around power. Power that didn't seem to exist, yet everyone acted like it did.
He leaned back in his chair, staring at the faint glow of the skill tree. Every new piece of the puzzle deepened the mystery, making him question if he was the only one who truly had something extraordinary. Raizel, Sofi, Kavi—they all talked about power as though it was real. The organization, the relics, the vague warnings. What if it was all a façade, a smokescreen hiding a truth only Emir knew?
He glanced at his phone. The auction house buzzed with rumors. A mysterious figure had purchased another relic—a black amulet said to grant its wearer unparalleled strength. The amulet had caused quite a stir, with everyone speculating on the buyer's motives. Emir chuckled. He knew better. No amulet, no relic could give someone real power. Only he had the ability to turn money into miracles.
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The Black Amulet
The black amulet's true purpose would be revealed in time, not as a source of strength but as a clue to the origin of Emir's cashback power and the vast web of lies surrounding it.
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The Amulet and the Strongman
The next day, the streets were alive with whispers. A new "strongman" had surfaced—a hulking figure who claimed to have gained superhuman strength after acquiring the black amulet. Videos flooded social media, showing him lifting cars, bending steel bars, and crushing boulders with his bare hands.
Emir watched the clips, his brow furrowing. He recognized the theatrics immediately. Magnets under the steel bars, hydraulics in the cars, and the boulders? They crumbled too easily to be real stone. It was all a show, but the world ate it up.
The "strongman," who went by the name Titan Rex, declared himself the protector of the city. He gave interviews, signed autographs, and basked in the adoration of the crowd. Emir couldn't help but laugh. A fraud leading other frauds.
Still, there was something unnerving about the act. The people wanted to believe. They needed to believe. And that belief was dangerous. It created a smokescreen that could mask real threats.
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A Dangerous Game
Later that evening, Emir attended another auction. He moved through the opulent hall, his sharp suit and calm demeanor blending perfectly with the crowd. But his focus wasn't on the relics. It was on the people. The bidders, the spectators, the auctioneers—they were all players in a game they didn't understand.
"Back again?" a familiar voice drawled.
Emir turned to find Sofi, dressed in a sleek black gown, her eyes sharp and calculating. "Didn't expect to see you here," he said, his tone neutral.
"You should've," she replied. "This is where the real power brokers come to play."
Emir smirked. "Power? You mean the fake kind everyone's so obsessed with?"
Sofi tilted her head, her expression unreadable. "And what makes you so sure it's fake?"
"Call it a hunch," Emir said, sipping his drink. "Or maybe I just don't believe in magic tricks."
Sofi's lips curved into a sly smile. "Careful, Emir. Doubt can be as dangerous as belief. Sometimes, the trick isn't the illusion—it's what the illusion distracts you from."
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The Illusion
Sofi's words would echo in Emir's mind in the chapters to come, as the truth about the organization and their relics unraveled. What were they hiding, and why did they need people to believe in false powers?
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Unmasking Titan Rex
Emir's thoughts returned to Titan Rex. The strongman's rise to fame wasn't just annoying—it was suspicious. What if someone was using him as a distraction? Emir decided to investigate.
Under the guise of a casual fan, Emir attended one of Titan Rex's public appearances. The man was larger than life, his booming voice and over-the-top charisma commanding the crowd's attention. But Emir's sharp eyes caught the inconsistencies. The carefully choreographed demonstrations, the subtle props hidden in plain sight—it was all smoke and mirrors.
After the event, Emir followed Titan Rex to a private meeting. From the shadows, he overheard a heated conversation between Rex and a slim, nervous man in a tailored suit.
"Do you know how much money I've spent on this charade?" Rex growled.
"It's necessary," the man replied. "The public believes in you. That belief is worth more than any relic."
Emir's jaw tightened. The strongman was nothing but a pawn, a tool to manipulate public perception. But for what purpose?
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The Pawn's Fate
Titan Rex's story would take a darker turn, revealing the lengths the organization was willing to go to maintain their illusion of power.
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The Real Power
As Emir walked away from the scene, he couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction. Let them play their games, build their lies, and bask in their false glory. He didn't need an audience or applause. His power was real, and it was growing.
Back in his penthouse, Emir stood before the skill tree. The locked skills glimmered faintly, teasing him with their potential. He placed his hands on the keys, feeling the hum of energy beneath his fingertips. He was on the verge of something monumental.
The world believed in powers that didn't exist. They worshipped illusions and clung to lies. But Emir was different. He didn't need to believe. He knew.
And soon, the world would know, too.