The sound came first — not a crash or an explosion, but a heartbeat.
Slow. Thunderous. Ancient.
It echoed through every corridor of the House of Odds.
Dealers froze mid-deal. Croupiers paused mid-spin. The stars themselves flickered, uncertain of their place in the sky.
Because for the first time in eternity… the House was bleeding.
Rex stood at the center of it all — cradling Lia as light and crimson mist spiraled around them.
Her projection had stabilized, but her pulse was erratic, glowing veins of gold crawling across her arms.
"Rex…" she whispered, voice trembling. "Something's wrong. The House is… reacting."
"Reacting how?" he asked, glancing upward.
The answer came before she could speak.
The walls of the void rippled. The chessboard, the staircase, even the air itself — everything was melting, turning into streams of red and gold energy that twisted into the shape of a single, colossal card:
THE HEARTS TABLE.
Its edges bled cosmic flame. Its surface pulsed like living skin.
Then — the Dealer appeared.
Not summoned, not projected — embodied.
His mask cracked down the middle, his usual grin replaced by something unreadable.
"Fascinating…" he said softly. "The House is rewriting its own script. It's not supposed to feel."
Rex glared at him. "Then maybe it's learning from us."
"From you," the Dealer corrected, stepping closer. "Do you realize what you've done, Wildcard? You've infected the system with empathy."
Rex smirked. "Guess I'm contagious."
The Dealer's tone sharpened. > "You think this is a victory? The moment emotion becomes currency, every gamble becomes war."
"Then let's play," Rex shot back.
[Universal Disturbance Detected]
Luck Stream Integrity: 42% and falling
Emotional Currency Breach expanding across 11 Realities
Caution: Divine Auditors inbound.
Lia's eyes widened. "Rex… he's right. This isn't just the House anymore. It's spreading to other worlds."
"So what?" Rex said, jaw tight. "Let the universe feel something for once."
She reached up, touching his face. "You don't understand. If the emotional current spreads too far… it'll crash every fate system in existence."
The Dealer tilted his head, voice quiet now — not mocking, but measured.
"She's right. You've turned chaos into contagion. Beautiful, but catastrophic."
He looked at Lia.
"And you, my dear assistant… are the epicenter."
Lia's light flickered violently. "No— I didn't—"
"Oh, you did," the Dealer whispered. "You felt love. You defied your code. You're the first emotion born inside the House, and now every rule wants to copy you."
Rex stepped forward, blocking her. "If you lay a single finger—"
The Dealer laughed quietly. Not cold — not cruel — almost human.
"Relax, Wildcard. I don't want to end it. I want to understand it."
He crouched, staring at the bleeding sky. The red light reflected off the broken edge of his mask.
"Do you know what this means, Rex? For the first time, the odds are no longer mine to control."
He looked up — and for the briefest second, the Dealer's grin faltered.
"And I don't know whether to be terrified… or thrilled."
Lia suddenly gasped — light pouring from her chest, forming threads that extended outward, connecting to unseen worlds.
Images flashed across the void:
A warlord betting his memories for power.
A dying goddess trading her last breath for love.
A child flipping a coin that landed on its edge.
Everywhere, emotion began rewriting probability.
Rex caught Lia as she nearly collapsed. "Hey— hey, stay with me."
She looked up at him, eyes glowing bright as suns. "Rex… it's too much. I can't contain it."
He tightened his grip, smiling despite the chaos. "Then don't. We'll share it."
And with that — he pressed his forehead against hers.
The world exploded.
[System Update: Dual Fate Link — Established]
New Status: Wildcard Pair
Effect: Shared luck, shared consequence, shared heart.
Far above them, the Dealer watched the data surge into infinity.
For once, he didn't laugh.
"Love," he murmured. "The most dangerous gamble of all."
And somewhere, in the deepest part of the House of Odds, the first tear fell from a mask that was never meant to cry.