UNMEI: Pantheon's Game-Chapter 121: Dice

The inn was alive with shouts, music, and the clatter of dice on wood. At the center of it all sat Ezra and Liam, their dark-orange curls wild, their grins wide, and their luck suspiciously perfect.

Liam rolled the dice again, two neat cubes spinning through the air. One landed clean on the table, a six. The other tumbled off the edge, landing with a soft thud on the floor.

Liam picked it up, grinning. Another six.

The man across from them, heavyset with gold-capped teeth and a scar twisting across his cheek, leaned forward. His eyes narrowed as he grabbed the dice from Liam's hand.

He rolled them himself. They bounced once, twice, then settled.

Six.

Six.

The man's lips peeled back in a slow grin. "You two little rats think Kairo Goldjaw don't know a trick when he sees one?"

The noise in the inn seemed to dim. The name Goldjaw carried weight here, and the men flanking him, three thick-necked brutes, were already rising from their seats.

Ezra's grin twitched. Liam started tapping the table with his finger. frёeωebɳovel.com

Kairo stood, cracking his knuckles, the faintest golden shimmer dancing around his fists.

"Been a while since I cracked some skulls."

Ezra stood up too, spreading his hands. "Cheating? Us? Nah, nah, we just got lucky rolls."

One of Goldjaw's men lunged forward, but in a blink, Ezra and Liam switched places, the air rippling faintly as Liam appeared where Ezra had been and caught the attacker's wrist mid-swing.

"Oops," Liam said, twisting the arm and shoving the man back into the table. "Wrong move."

Chaos exploded.

The brutes charged, and the twins moved like mirrored chaos, switching places mid-dodge, fists and kicks landing from angles that made no sense. They leapt over tables, grabbed mugs to hurl, flipped chairs to block attacks. Every time a punch was about to land, they swapped, onfusing even their own enemies.

"Switch now!"

"No, switch now!"

"You switch!"

"You switched too late idiot!"

A chair shattered against the wall. A bottle spun through the air. Ezra caught it, smashed it against a brute's head, and switched again just before another fist came crashing down.

But then, Kairo's laughter cut through the noise. His yellow Neba flared bright and hot around his fists, turning his arms into glowing hammers.

"That's enough!" Kairo roared, stomping forward. His punch crushed the edge of the table, splinters flying like shrapnel.

Ezra and Liam both skidded back, their faces dropping.

"...Yellow Neba," Ezra muttered, voice suddenly dry.

"Yeah, we're screwed," Liam added, gulping.

Kairo pointed at them, golden light pulsing. "I'm breakin' your spines and feeding you to the rats!"

Ezra raised a hand, grinning nervously. "Hey! Hey, hey, no need! Look over there— it's, who's this?"

Kairo blinked and turned his head. "What?"

The twins instantly ran.

They barreled out of the inn doors, boots slamming against the wooden floor, laughter and panic mixing in their breath.

Outside, the night air hit them cold and sharp. The streets were dimly lit, and most folks had already cleared a path when they heard the commotion.

But Kairo Goldjaw wasn't far behind, he crashed through the doors like a rampaging bull, yellow light crackling from his fists. He didn't slow, his eyes locked on the twins.

He didn't see the man sitting at the table outside until it was too late.

Kairo's shoulder smashed into the seated figure, sending the small wooden table spinning and the man's chair scraping back across the stone.

Goldjaw growled, spitting, "Outta my way, old man!"

But the man stood up, slow, deliberate. His black hood slipped back, revealing long, light silver hair that shimmered faintly under the lantern light. His sharp blue eyes lifted, cold and clear as a frozen river.

Then, without a word, his hand shot out, too fast to see. His fist collided with Kairo's face, and the yellow Neba glow shattered like glass. Kairo's body lifted off the ground, spun midair, and then crashed in a heap against the wall of the inn. Unmoving.

Ezra and Liam skidded to a stop, ending up right next to him, panting. both froze.

"...Whoa," Ezra breathed.

Ezra glanced at the silver-haired man. "...Uh, sorry about that, mister."

Liam added, "Yeah, no hard feelings, right? We're kinda in a rush—"

The man turned his gaze down to them, expression unreadable.

Ezra grinned sheepishly and offered a hand. "Hey, i'm Ezra."

Liam slapped Ezra's hand. "And I'm Liam. We're twins, if you can't tell."

The silver-haired man's eyes narrowed, studying them both.

"Cad," he said quietly.

Ezra and Liam exchanged a quick glance.

"Cool name," Ezra said.

"Yeah, thanks for saving us, old man," Liam added.

But shouts echoed from inside the inn, more men were coming, furious and ready for blood.

Ezra cursed. "Yeah, we gotta go."

Liam nodded rapidly. "Yup, time to vanish."

Ezra grabbed a small pouch from inside his coat, heavy with stolen gold coins, and tossed it at Cadogan. The man caught it effortlessly without even looking.

"Payment for the help!" Ezra called out.

"Keep the change!" Liam added, already turning to run.

The twins bolted into the night, their laughter echoing through the crowded streets as they disappeared into the shadows.

Cadogan stood still for a moment, glancing down at the pouch in his hand. He opened it slightly, golden neba coins glinting in the dim light.

His gaze lifted, watching the direction the twins had vanished. That strange, lingering feeling gnawed at the back of his mind, something familiar in their auras.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"...Who the hell are those two?"

Cadogan turned, pulling his hood back up, and walked away, silent but with that small, knowing smile still lingering on his face.

Cadogan stepped forward, his black cloak trailing behind him as he crossed the dusty street. The commotion from earlier was already fading. But Cadogan had no interest in chasing ghosts not tonight.

He pushed open the inn doors. Warm air, thick with smoke and spilled ale, rolled over him. Regulars were already back to their games and drinks, as if chaos was just part of the decor.

Cadogan moved to the bar, his steps steady, deliberate. He sat down, the wood creaking under his weight.

"Drink," he said simply, his voice low.

The innkeeper, a broad-shouldered man with a scar down his lip, set a mug of dark ale in front of him without question.

Cadogan took it, but didn't drink yet. His sharp blue eyes flicked sideways, catching bits of the conversation at the table near the wall, four men hunched close, voices low but urgent.

"I'm telling you, it's true," one said, slapping the table. "Just came in this morning. Three passed the Bloodrose Academy Trials. Three commoners, no less!"

Another snorted. "Commoners? Don't be stupid. Higher ups own that place. No way commoners get that far."

The first man leaned in. "You heard about the test, yeah? The potential gauge? One of 'em hit a hundred percent. Name's Atlas. Boy's making noise all over Sanatria right now."

Cadogan's grip on the mug tightened, his silver hair falling a little across his eyes. Atlas?

He kept his head down, listening.

"Yeah, yeah," the third man chimed in. "And the boy Dune. Apparently beat nobles into the ground during the matches. People are calling them the raising stars of Sanatria. All over continent now, folks are talking about it. Even the nobles are pissed."

Cadogan's lips twitched into a faint smile. He lifted his mug and took a slow sip, savoring the bitter taste. Dune. Atlas. Those two... they really did it.

But then he heard the fourth man speak up. "Yeah, and there was a third one, right? Another commoner? What was his name... Ned? Yeah, Ned. But they say he got busted up bad in the fights. Real bad. Had to give up the final round. Didn't pass."

Cadogan's yes lifted. He turned toward them now, voice calm but with an edge.

"There was a third," he asked. "This Ned... he failed?"

The men glanced at him, sizing him up, but the first one nodded. "Yeah. Word is he had to quit. Injured too bad to continue. Official word says he gave up." He shrugged. "Happens. Bloodrose Academy's brutal."

Cadogan leaned back, his gaze distant now. He muttered, almost to himself, Ned wouldn't give up. He's not like that.

He drank deeper this time, finishing half the mug in one go. His thoughts spun, Dune and Atlas passing made sense. He expected as much. But Ned... to surrender? That didn't sit right in Cadogan's chest. Not with what he knew of that boy's stubborn fire.

He stood up, setting a silver Neba coin on the bar. "Where'd you hear this news from?" he asked.

The first man grinned. "A merchant wagon from Rendely came through this morning. Word's spreading fast. Whole continent's buzzing about it now. Guess even out here in the city of Clayle, we're hearing it."

Cadogan nodded once.

He turned from the bar, his cloak sweeping behind him as he headed for the door.

As he stepped outside into the cool night, the distant stars above Sanatria glittered cold and bright.

Cadogan exhaled, a thin plume of breath curling into the air. He wasn't sure what had happened to Ned... but something wasn't right.

And he hoped that the boys were still standing strong.

A small smile touched his lips again, but this time it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Without another word, Cadogan stepped off into the dark street, his journey pulling him forward once more.