"Lady Iris."
Carla’s voice ca from the other side of the door.
Without turning, Iris said,
"You may co in, he’s already asleep."
Carla did not hesitate and stepped through the doorway.
She saw Sirius, sleeping deeply on the bed, and the syringe lying on a table beside him.
She hesitated before asking,
"Was that necessary?"
Iris did not spare Carla a glance; her eyes softened as she looked at her sleeping brother.
"Yes," she answered, then added,
"My brother is very intelligent, but there are situations in which he can be extraordinarily foolish. If I don’t act firmly with him in those monts, he risks putting his life in danger."
Carla raised an eyebrow.
"I don’t understand."
"That’s normal. You’ve seen us risk our lives before, and you must wonder how this is different."
Carla simply nodded, confirming Iris’s assumption.
"You know, when we were at Invictus and even when we decided to join the Order, though we each ti wagered our lives, in reality it was never truly the case.
As I told you, Sirius is brilliant; he’s far craftier than you think or than he lets on. He’s the sort of person who, when he makes a move, has already planned for nearly a thousand possible outcos.
It’s a bit complicated to explain, but know this: even when we find ourselves in perilous situations that seed impossible, my brother always preserves at least one scenario that allows us to escape.
That was the case at the fortress of Invictus, where he managed to save the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in the North of the empire through a bluff."
Carla looked surprised, as if she could hardly believe it.
"You an... no , since when had he anticipated things getting that bad?"
Iris had to think for a second before answering.
"Who knows? I’m not inside his head. However, I think he must have considered it before deciding to go into the fortress; otherwise he would have advised us to run."
Iris paused.
"Even now, he has already glimpsed the end of this trial , the scenario in which we succeed, or a door that allows us to survive."
Carla remained silent, struggling to take it in, and one idea intrigued her strongly.
"Lady Iris, are you also able to foresee as far ahead as your brother?"
Iris smiled.
"No, that’s far too boring; I prefer being surprised to surprising others."
Carla interpreted her words in her own way.
(" Does she an she could do it but chooses not to because it’s too dull? " )
A silence settled as Carla’s imagination set out on a quest to discover the many talents of Lady Iris of which she had been unaware.
Realizing that her emotions were dangerously leaning toward idolization, Iris had to stop her and change the subject.
"It’s ti we get to work. We don’t know when the calamities will attack again; let’s hurry and prepare everything."
"Speaking of which, Kritos is looking for you right now, he says"
Carla stamred a little, hesitating to speak.
Iris looked at her, a faint trace of annoyance in her expression.
"What nonsense has that madman worthy of an asylum said this ti?"
Before Carla could reply, the door opened, revealing a young man with deep red eyes, long red hair tied back with an elastic, pale skin, and, above all, a beauty capable of making any girl swoon, his proportions bordering on perfection.
However, Iris did not give the man more than a glance, as if rely seeing him irritated her.
"Kritos, why are you looking for ?" she asked.
Kritos smiled faintly.
"I have co to claim what is owed to ."
"And what do you want?" Iris replied.
"Since I saved your brother, you will tell the value of his life and I’ll tell you what is owed to ."
Iris did not answer him imdiately, instead asking Carla,
"Could you leave alone with Kritos for a minute?"
Carla did not object and went out.
Once alone, Iris closed the distance between herself and Kritos so that even if she whispered, he could hear.
"Let tell you what I think of you.
You think yourself handso and you are.
You think yourself strong , I won’t say you’re weak.
You must be one of those proud people who always got everything they wanted, but know this: I am not a trophy you can acquire."
Kritos did not step back.
"You said it yourself: what I want, I obtain."
Iris ca even closer, whispering in his ear.
"I can read you like an open book. You have no feelings for , no lust.
In truth, you are not trying to possess . I don’t know what you seek in , but know this: you risk losing."
Kritos laughed.
"You’re clever. What I desire in you are your eyes.
Since you want frankness, let tell you that you have the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen;
they are perfect, and I would like to study them to understand them better.
I give you two options: either you stay by my side and keep them, or you pluck them out yourself and, in that case, I will leave you alone."
For the first ti, Iris saw no lie in his words and concluded that this was indeed his intention.
"You know what?" Iris said, stepping back and taking her place again.
Kritos looked at her.
"What?"
"I have never liked n like you, who know nothing of human emotions. Nevertheless, since you were sincere with , I will be too."
Iris’s voice took on a threatening tone.
"The only reason you stand there and are in full possession of your faculties is that, according to my brother’s plan, we cannot afford to lose power."
Kritos did not flinch at the threat.
"Since you leave no choice, I will tear out your eyes myself; don’t worry, I will find others , though they will be less beautiful and I will graft them on you personally. You will only lose your sight temporarily while your new eyes adapt."
Iris showed no fear. "Fine, try if you dare."
Kritos had not spoken empty threats.
Moving slowly toward Iris, he pulled gloves from his white coat and put them on.
As soon as he stood before her, barely a few centiters between them, Iris proposed,
"What if there were a better idea?"
Kritos paused, curious to hear what she would say.
Iris considered.
"Let’s make a wager. If you win, I’ll give you my eyes in a jar. You’re not stupid enough to think you can neutralize so easily."
Kritos raised an eyebrow.
"And if you win?"
Iris smiled.
"Then I will take your life, your heart, your soul, and dispose of them as I see fit."
Kritos smiled.
"Although that seems unbalanced, I accept; after all, I don’t risk losing."
"Good," Iris replied cheerfully.
"At least it saves the trouble of killing you," she added.
"What’s the wager?"
"Oh, sothing very simple: between the two of us, whoever kills the most calamities in the coming battle wins."
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