---
Chapter 14:Mask and motives
The dim light in the hideout flickered erratically, casting fractured shadows that danced like ghosts on the cracked walls. A slow, uneasy creak echoed beneath their boots as the three members huddled close, voices low and sharp.
Marik's voice cut through the stale air, blunt and rough, "One of ours... dead. No sign, no clue. Someone's watching."
Lira's eyes glinted cold, her tone precise, "It's a calculated move. Someone's trying to destabilize us, but they've underestimated our resolve. We'll crush every last one of those fools."
Jax shifted nervously, fingers twitching, voice wavering, "But what if the traitor's among us? I don't like this... too many secrets, too many masks."
Their conversation was interrupted by a faint sound—a soft, almost imperceptible shuffle from the shadows near the entrance.
Lira's gaze snapped to the figure stepping out, a slow smirk curling her lips. "Speak of the devil."
Veyra emerged, her presence like a blade sliding through silk. Her eyes flickered with a calculated gleam, every movement deliberate. "I know your doubts," she said softly, voice layered with meanings only half-revealed. "But I'm here to keep us alive. And I can offer you the fool in their group. Their hideout. For protection. For survival."
Marik grunted, suspicion thick in the air, but nodded. "We need every edge."
The uneasy alliance was sealed with hollow promises, the flickering light casting long shadows over the fragile pact.
Suddenly, footsteps echoed—slow, deliberate. The trio froze as a new figure stepped into the weak light. He was wrapped in a cloak of mystery, a sleek black mask , leaving only piercing eyes gleaming with quiet menace. His gloved hands rested lightly at his sides, but the air around him felt electric, charged with latent power.
Jax swallowed hard. A chill snaked down his spine. "Who is that guy? There's something... off about him."
Marik's jaw clenched. "Not just off. Dangerous. You can feel it in the air."
Lira's voice dropped to a whisper, reverent and fearful all at once, "That mask, those gloves... he's hiding something. And I don't like it."
From the shadows, Chester's calm voice cut through the tension, low and commanding, "Ready for the game to truly begin?"
The trio stared, breath caught, as the silent storm closed in around them.
---