Fjord smirked. He could probably see right through her composure, could probably guess that every part of her was screaming say yes on the inside. But to his credit, he didn't comment on it.

  "My first condition is simple."

  Lotte waited, her gaze fixed unwaveringly on him.

  "No lies between us."

  That took her slightly off guard. She'd expected demands far more outrageous, far more difficult.

  "That's it?" she managed to keep her voice perfectly even.

  Fjord's smile widened, a spark of something almost like mischief in his eyes. As if he was enjoying this, watching her struggle to keep a lid on her surprise and excitement.

  "Yes," he said, the single word sounding almost like a challenge. "No lies. No half-truths. No secrets."

  Lotte's thoughts whirled, trying to decipher the deeper meaning, if there was one. But she nodded, keeping her face unreadable. "That's doable.”

  Fjord tilted his head slightly, a glint of amusement in his eyes. "Good," he said smoothly. "Because my second condition is... more fun."

  Lotte's pulse spiked, fun? That was never good news when coming from someone like Fjord, but she kept her expression neutral and gave him the barest nod of permission to continue.

  He leaned forward, resting an elbow on the table between them as if sharing some scandalous secret:

  "I get to pick our first mission together." A slow grin spread across his face as he added: "And I already know exactly what we're doing."

  Lotte felt her stomach drop. Exactly what they were doing? That sounded like a trap, no, worse than that. A test.

  She kept her voice light, but the edge in it was unmistakable now: "Care to share what this 'mission' entails?"

  Fjord's grin didn’t waver. He reached into his coat pocket and slid a single photograph across the table toward Lotte, a black-and-white image of an ancient stone archway half-buried in sand under twin moons she recognized instantly as belonging to ōkuninushi.

  "You see," he murmured, tapping one claw-like nail against the photo with deliberate slowness...

  "This is where I'm taking you first."

  Lotte's eyes widened as she recognized the image, the Gate of the Shattered Moon. A relic lost for centuries, rumored to hold power that could rewrite reality itself.

  Her breath caught in her throat. This was no small mission. This wasn't just some alliance-building errand, this was a suicide run wrapped in legend and danger.

  Fjord watched her closely, his grin never faltering as he saw the realization dawn on her face.

  "Surprised?" he asked innocently, tilting his head slightly. "I thought you might appreciate... an adventure."

  Lotte exhaled slowly through clenched teeth before forcing herself to speak:

  "...You realize we’d be walking into one of ōkuninushi’s most guarded ruins? That place is crawling with Void Wards and ancient traps designed specifically to keep trespassers out."

  Fjord's grin only widened, if that was even possible, as Lotte laid out the sheer impossibility of their mission. He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands behind his head like a man who had already won some unspoken bet.

  "Oh—I know," he said breezily. "That’s what makes it fun."

  Lotte stared at him for a long beat before letting out an incredulous laugh. "You're insane," she muttered under her breath, but there was something almost... admiring in her tone now.

  Fjord shrugged one shoulder lazily. "Maybe." His eyes glinted as he added: "But if you want me on board with your little Cabal? You'll have to trust my judgment on this. And believe me... we’re getting inside."

  A heavy pause followed as Lotte weighed the risks against potential rewards (and let’s be honest, against sheer curiosity). Finally:

  "...Fine," she muttered through gritted teeth.

  "When do we leave?"

  Fjord's smile turned downright predatory.

  “Now.”

  Lotte couldn't believe her own words even as they escaped her mouth, but it was done now. She was in too deep to go back...not with what Fjord was offering.

  She let out a long sigh, rubbing her temples as she mentally kicked herself. "...Fine," she repeated, her voice almost resigned. "You can meet Ms. Nyx," she allowed grudgingly. "Though I can't promise you'll like her."

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Fjord merely smirked at the warning, he had a feeling he wouldn't.

  Nyx's voice cut through the air like a blade, sharp and controlled: "Fjord of Euphoria." The way she said it made it sound less like an introduction and more like a verdict being handed down in court.

  The woman standing beside Lotte—tall, poised, with hair as dark as shadow itself—was Nyx herself: leader of the Imago Cabal...and one of the most dangerous people Lotte had ever met.

  She didn’t look impressed by Fjord’s theatrics; if anything, her expression darkened further when he offered his hand to shake.

  "You have five minutes," she stated flatly.

  "Use them wisely."

  Fjord chuckled under his breath but withdrew his outstretched hand without protesting further (for now). He could already tell this would be…

  Fjord barely had time to blink before Nyx's whip of Darkness cracked through the air, close enough for him to feel the heat of it against his cheek.

  His smirk didn’t waver, but there was a flicker in his eyes now, something sharper, more calculating. He turned slowly back toward her, tilting his head like an intrigued predator assessing a new threat.

  "Oh?" he mused aloud. "So that’s how you treat guests? I suppose I should be flattered."

  Nyx’s grip on her whip tightened imperceptibly; Lotte could practically feel the murderous intent radiating off their leader as she took one deliberate step forward.

  "Guests don't make demands," Nyx said lowly.

  "They follow orders."

  The air between them crackled with tension, a silent duel of wills already underway...

  And Fjord?

  He just laughed again.

  “Well then… looks like we understand each other perfectly.”

  Fjord’s grin only grew wider, too wide, almost unnatural, as Nyx’s words dripped with venom. The whip coiled around her arm like a living thing, and he could practically taste the threat in the air.

  He didn’t flinch.

  "Understand each other?" he echoed, tilting his head slightly as if amused by some private joke. "Oh, I think we do."

  His voice dropped lower now, a smooth purr laced with something far more dangerous beneath it:

  "You see power when you look at me… and you hate that I don't cower."

  Nyx's eyes narrowed to slits.

  Lotte stiffened between them; this was spiraling fast into a disaster she couldn't stop.

  But Fjord? He took another step forward, right into Nyx's space, and whispered:

  "...But here's what you're missing: You could have an ally who bends reality for fun.

  Or..." His gaze flicked meaningfully toward Lotte before returning to hers.

  "...You can keep playing judge-and-executioner until your Cabal crumbles under its own rules.

  If Lotte had thought tensions were high before, they were nothing compared to this moment. The air was thick enough to cut with a knife; the silence could have shattered a mirror.

  But Fjord was still smiling, a slow, lazy grin as he stared into Nyx's eyes. Unblinking, unwavering… and entirely unfazed by the whip she held aloft.

  "Your move, 'leader'."

  The words hit like a slap; Lotte could see the muscle in Nyx's jaw tense involuntarily as he threw her own title back in her face.

  She'd been called many things, ruthless, pragmatic, merciless... but never a coward.

  And Fjord knew it, his eyes glinting with triumph as he watched her reaction.

  So he was testing her after all, testing just how far she dared to go. Not just for her own pride... but for the Cabal. For her home.

  The room went dead silent.

  Nyx’s eyes widened, just for a fraction of a second, before her expression hardened into something terrifyingly blank. The whip in her hand twitched, as if itching to lash out on pure instinct alone.

  Lotte felt the blood drain from her face. "Ms. Nyx," she started urgently, stepping forward, but Nyx raised one hand sharply without even looking at her.

  "...You think I'm what?"

  Fjord didn’t back down an inch; if anything, he leaned closer, his voice dropping to a mocking whisper:

  "A scared little girl playing dress-up in power suits."

  A beat passed.

  Then another.

  And then,

  Nyx laughed. A cold, hollow sound that made Lotte’s skin crawl worse than any snarl ever could have done before now...

  She stepped so close their noses nearly brushed together when she spoke next:

  "Tell me... do you enjoy digging your own grave?"

  Her free hand rose toward Fjord's throat, not yet touching him but hovering there like death itself waiting patiently behind closed doors...

  "Because I can arrange that too."

  Fjord finally let his smirk fade slightly… just enough for genuine interest flicker across those sharp features instead:

  “Now we’re talking. Say, how about you introduce me to the other members of this Cabal of yours, let them vouch for me.”

  Lotte held her breath, he was really going there now; no going back. But to her shock, Nyx simply smirked.

  "Of course," she said sweetly, her hand still hovering close by Fjord's throat in silent menace. "I'd be more than happy to make your acquaintance."

  Her eyes flicked over her shoulder: "Fetch me the others, now."

  Lotte swallowed hard as several more Cabal members filed obediently into the room. This... was not what they'd come for.

  One after the other, they came into the room, taking seats around the onyx table.

  Fjord's eyes gleamed as the Cabal members filed in, each one a different flavor of danger, power, and unpredictability. He let out an amused hum under his breath before straightening up with theatrical flair.

  "Ah," he mused aloud, surveying them all like a man at some grand marketplace. "So this is the infamous Imago Cabal."

  His gaze lingered on Cassie (demonic aura practically crackling around her) and Sylvie (whose smirk promised chaos), but he made no move to engage them directly, yet. Instead:

  "Let me guess… you’re here because your dear leader wants to vet me?" A beat. "...Or are we going straight for bloodshed? I’m flexible either way."

  Nyx watched him closely from behind that unreadable mask of hers, but something flickered in her expression now; curiosity? Annoyance?

  Lotte could only hope it wasn’t both.

  Brittany cracked her knuckles loudly from where she stood near Vilho’s side.

  Courtney rolled her eyes but said nothing.

  And then Mathusalem, the class clown, spoke up:

  "Ohhhh, we should fight! You just ooze final boss energy!”

  Fjord threw his head back and laughed, loud, unhinged, like Mathusalem had just told the funniest joke in the world.

  "Oh, I love you," he declared, pointing at the grinning Cabal member with sudden delight. "You get it."

  Then his gaze snapped to Nyx again, sharp as a blade’s edge:

  "...So? What's your call?"

  A challenge.

  An invitation.

  Or maybe both?

  The room held its breath.

  Nyx didn’t blink. She turned slowly toward Brittany first:

  "One fight."

  Brittany grinned like Christmas came early.

  Cassie cracked her knuckles; Sylvie licked her lips (literally). Even Vilho looked reluctantly intrigued now...

  And Fjord?

  He grinned wider than ever before, and spread his arms wide open:

  “Come at me.”