“The fates do have a sense of humor.” A melodic tenor voice echoes through the chamber. I turn to face the door and I come face to face with one of the most gorgeous individuals I’ve ever laid eyes upon. “To place the two of us in the same place at the same time, this will be a blast.”

  A fit man with beautiful golden skin stands before me. His jet black hair shaved on one side of his head, braided on the other, sits atop a gorgeous angular face. Cheekbones that could cut diamond. Eyes that could pierce the soul. And a voice that sounds like a gift from the angels. Who is he?

  He raises a finger to his lips in a shushing motion, which he then lowers to his inner thigh. Initially I thought it may be some sexual pass at me, but my eyes land upon a card stuck to the inside of his leg, The World.

  “I see.” I respond as my eyes drift back to his, a smirk on his face. Before I have a chance to react, the ground shakes and multiple screens appear throughout the chamber.

  “The second round will cease immediately.” Theos’s voice echoes through the room. “The Order of Saints has infiltrated Zodiac, and all citizens must return to their homes at once and shelter in place until further notice.”

  Across the screen flashes images of Acolytes rushing through the streets of the city snapping up individuals. On another screen are images of them going door to door in search of something. Why are they here? I thought they had no power here.

  “I suppose we will continue this meeting at a future time. The Saint can’t have us in the same place at the same time, that would be scandalous.”

  I stare at the screens as I watch the members of the Order causing chaos in the streets. The people of Zodiac have much greater freedom’s of expression than those under the rule of The Order; will they attempt to take them in as well. I didn’t have time to linger on that thought, because I blinked and I was back in the champion’s balcony.

  “What’s going on?” Avis asks in a panic as we watch the audience rush out of the Colosseum like roaches exposed to the light. They scurry about, having no thoughts of who gets trampled in the process.

  “The Order has arrived in Zodiac.” Dardania says turning towards the Zodiac balcony where the Godrick stands tall, his gaze locked on us. He squints as a grimace slowly appears on his face. I can’t wait to smack him in his stupid face again, and this time, I won’t miss.

  “Right this way,” one of the attendants says as he ushers members out of the balcony, “we need to get you to safety.”

  As we are ushered down the stairs, we find ourselves between Ishta and Gem, like this day couldn’t get any worse. Whoever was in charge of fate has a sick sense of humor and they need to be fired.

  “The Order is currently searching for The Arcana Killer.” Gem says, his voice stable but not too loud.

  “He’s dead.” Dardania says through gritted teeth.

  “We don’t know that.” Avis quickly adds, Dardania shoots him a dirty look. If I had to guess, she still wasn’t happy about him stopping her from killing Trevor. Cest La Vie, I guess. It’s not exactly our biggest problem at the moment.

  “Clearly a pretense. Keep the lines open, I’ll be in touch.” Ishta says before seemingly vanishing into thin air.

  “I feel like I’m stuck between a rock and Kardashian.” I mutter as we are shuffled down the stairs and out of the arena. I had a sinking feeling that this was about to get a lot worse.

  * * * * *

  “C’est magnifique.” A familiar voice sings through the room as the three of us step into Art’s house. We immediately come face to face with the holder of The World.

  Unlike previously, he’s no longer naked, but honestly is quite close. He’s wearing a golden mesh chain tank top and a matching golden chain sash around his waist. That’s it. Nothing else. His entire body on display for the world to see, and this time it was intentional.

  “I don’t know what you just did, but I dig it.” Avis mutters as she steps down the stairs into the room, eyeing the gorgeous nearly nude man before us. Avis looks him up and down, looking like he was ready to pounce. The man just smiles back at him, with the same level of lust that Avis was giving him.

  “The sex can wait. Who the hell are you?” Dardania asks, she was also ready to pounce, but for a far different reason.

  “He is a guest.” Art says softly as she enters the room from the other side, “He arrived just moments before you did. Allow me to introduce you to Dmitri, current wielder of The World card.”

  Dmitri bows, though he keeps his gaze locked on Dardania. Her posture softened the moment she heard he was a member of the Major Arcana, but it wouldn’t be the first time we were fooled by another member of the the Arcana.

  Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

  “Your reluctance is warranted, and the strength you exude is magnificent.” He smiles at Dardania who blushes, but immediately looks confused.

  “Um… thanks.” She says softly.

  “Oh don’t be surprised, I find all genders to be magnificent.” He sits down on the couch and crosses his legs, “Shall we begin.”

  “Begin what exactly?” I ask, not quite ready to relax. Sure, he’s charming and absolutely stunning, but I won’t be so quick to trust him. He literally waltzed into our lives two seconds ago and I’m not ready to just accept him as part of the party. So, spill the beans Mister Gorgeous.

  “With the introductions of course.” He motions for everyone to sit, which they do, but I opt not to. “I’m Dmitri, The World. Based on the silly name, it’s not exactly indicative of my power. I have the ability to alter spells, and theoretically can make them grow to infinity.”

  “Grow to infinity? Elaborate.” Dardania pulls her legs under her as she gets comfortable to listen and analyze every word he says.

  “You cast a spell, and I can adjust it’s size big or small. I can shrink it until it no longer has any effect, or grow it to such capacity that it can alter the entire universe. It’s really quite simple.”

  “So, I can cast a spell, say like rain, and you can make it rain all over the universe?” I ask, skeptical.

  “Well, I don’t have that kind of power at the moment, it’s just a theoretical limit. I’m pretty sure my predecessor could accomplish such things, but I am unfortunately unable to do so. All yours truly can do is shrink it several degrees and increase by about the same. So, I can take your rain and maybe spread it to the rest of the city.” Dmitri frowns, but somehow still remains beautiful. It’s like his mouth contorts downward, but nothing else on his face moves to match it. Strange.

  “I’m assuming that is the reason by the Order infiltration.” Art says, as he grabs a notebook and begins jotting something down rapidly.

  “Stands to reason,” Dardania begins, “If Godrick believes Dmitri holds the same power as the original wielder, I could see why he wouldn’t want us to come face to face with him.”

  The door swings open, slamming into the wall behind it. Prisha quickly grabs it and shoves it closed, her breathing labored.

  “We are about to have a big problem.” She says through bated breath as she rushes into the room with the rest of us.

  “What’s going on?” Dardania jumps off the couch and rushes to her side.

  “The Order, they’re here.”

  “We know, they canceled the second round.” Dardania responds.

  “No, they are here here.” She says exhaling loudly just as a knock appears at the door.

  Art immediately jumps off the couch and begins slowly walking towards the door. The knock comes again, this time louder.

  Avis unsheathes his knives, ready to fight. Dardania gently places her hand on his, shaking her head.

  “Not here. We can’t invoke the fury of the Zodiac and the Order.”

  Avis sighs, and puts his knives away. Dmitri uncrosses his legs and stands up gracefully, not a care in the world is seems. I wish we could all be as calm as our majesty over here.

  “Anyone know how to use glamours?” He looks around to the group, awaiting an answer. I didn’t know how to do any, so that was a big fat no from me.

  “I can do simple ones.” Prisha says softly, “But nothing overly complex.”

  “Perfect. Art, my dear, open the door just after she completes her spell.” Dmitri nods to Prisha.

  Art slowly reaches for the handle on the door, gently resting his hand on it while Prisha closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.

  “Surprisingly, they didn’t find anyone in the house besides Art.” Prisha mutters softly.

  “Stunning.” Dmitri smiles as his eyes turns white. I feel magic ripple from his body, expanding rapidly until it surrounds the entire house. He nods to Art who swiftly opens the door.

  “Good evening sir. We are looking for this man.” The Acolyte at the door holds up a picture perfect drawing of Trevor. This really does prove that Godrick was watching us this entire time, and knew every step we took. How else would he know what Trevor looks like. “Have you seen him?”

  “No sir, it’s just me here.” Art says, his voice shaky.

  “Did you not have other guests? We have been notified you are housing several individuals who are performing in the tournament.” The Acolyte takes a step forward trying to wedge his way into the house. Even though Art was shaking, he didn’t budge.

  “I did, yes.” Art swallows loudly, “But they aren’t here at the moment. They haven’t returned yet since the cancellation of the second round.”

  The Acolyte raises his eyebrow, clearly not believing him. Avis slowly raises his knives again, this time Dardania doesn’t stop him. They both get ready to attack if the moment arises. Dmitri on the other hand didn’t look even a little bit concerned.

  “May we step inside and take a look around.”

  Art freezes and slowly turns to Dmitri who nods.

  I slowly start backing away from the door. I’m not sure how far this spell goes, and it it just simply makes us invisible or if it makes us not here entirely to them. I’m going to assume, it’s simply invisible. Better to not be anywhere near the door.

  The two Acolytes takes several steps into the house, past the foyer, and into the sitting room. They look around, clearly searching for us. The idea that they’re looking for the Arcana Killer is laughable.

  “Who is that man?” Art asks, trying to distract them.

  “The Arcana Killer.” One of them responds without turning towards him, he was still sweeping the room. “A serial killer in Gaea who has vanished and there have been reports that he escaped to Zodiac.”

  “I see. Well, I hope for everyone’s sake that you can find him.” Art responds, his voice still shaky. Remind me to never take him on a spy mission. He should stick to the books, being under pressure doesn’t exactly suit him.

  “Do we have a problem here?” Ishta ask as she steps over the threshold and into the house with Gem in tow.

  “Madam.” Both Acolytes immediately turn around and bow. “We are merely continuing our sweep.”

  “And you thought that questioning one of the greatest Archaeologists in Zodiac will lead you to your serial killer?” Gem asks pointedly.

  “Sir, we are merely doing our due diligence. Anyone could be harboring this fugitive.” The Acolyte lowers his head after being scolded, but stands his ground nonetheless.

  “The perhaps take your search somewhere more fruitful, like the rest of the world where the Order is in control. Now leave us.” Gem demands of the two members.

  “But sir.”

  “‘Kay bye.” Ishta says as she walks past them, smacking them on the back.

  “We are under direct orders from—” the Acolyte begins but Ishta immediately sticks her hand over his mouth.

  “You are leaving. Now.” Ishta says sternly, not a question, a demand. They both nod, turn on their heel, and swiftly exit the house. Art closes the door behind them, staring in shock at the presence of Ishta and Gem.

  “Well, Godrick has kicked this up a notch, which means we need to talk.” Ishta begins as she makes her self at home.