The second round began under heavier silence.
The deck slid across the glass table as Blaze shuffled again, his fingers moving with practiced ease. The cards whispered against each other, a quiet sound that somehow felt louder than the distant movie playing beyond the walls.
Adrian watched calmly.
Blaze dealt the cards.
Thirteen each.
The glow of the private screen flickered faintly across their faces.
Blaze leaned back, arranging his hand.
"Well," he said casually, "let's see if your luck holds."
Adrian studied his cards.
They were not good.
Not terrible—but weak.
Too many middle cards. Too few high ones.
Across the table, Blaze's smile slowly widened.
"Unfortunate," he murmured.
Adrian didn't ask how he knew.
He already understood.
Blaze led the first trick.
He placed a card confidently on the table.
♦ Ace of Diamonds
Adrian's eyes moved to his own hand.
He had only one diamond higher than a six.
He played it.
♦ Six of Diamonds
Blaze chuckled.
"Predictable."
He collected the trick without effort.
Then he tapped his earbud.
"Delay."
One word.
Adrian's team responded almost instantly.
"Boss… someone triggered a delay in the projector restart system."
Blaze leaned back comfortably.
"That buys my people time."
Adrian simply gathered the cards for the next trick.
Blaze led again.
This time he placed:
♣ Queen of Clubs
Adrian followed.
♣ Seven of Clubs
Blaze placed another card from his hand.
♣ Ace of Clubs
He collected the trick easily.
Two wins.
Two commands.
Blaze tapped his earbud again.
"Hallway."
Adrian's subordinate spoke urgently.
"Boss… two suspects just left the stage corridor and are heading toward the east hallway."
Blaze smiled.
"You're losing ground."
Adrian remained quiet.
Blaze leaned forward slightly.
"Your move."
Adrian led the next trick.
He placed:
♥ Nine of Hearts
Blaze glanced at his hand.
Then responded calmly.
♥ King of Hearts
Another loss.
Blaze gathered the cards slowly.
"Three in a row."
He tapped his earbud again.
"Exit."
A moment later Adrian's team spoke again.
"Boss… they're moving toward the emergency exit stairwell."
Blaze leaned back in his chair, satisfied.
"Three commands."
He looked at Adrian with mild amusement.
"You haven't sent a single one."
Adrian said nothing.
But his eyes briefly lowered to the cards still in his hand.
He knew the situation.
Blaze had better cards.
Better timing.
And momentum.
Blaze studied him carefully.
"You know what I like about this game?"
Adrian looked up.
Blaze continued.
"Even a genius can lose if the cards hate him."
He flicked another card onto the table.
♠ King of Spades
Adrian's gaze sharpened slightly.
Spades had already been broken earlier.
This meant Blaze was now controlling the board.
Adrian checked his hand.
He had only one spade higher.
But if he used it now…
He placed the card carefully.
♠ Ace of Spades
For the first time in several tricks—
Blaze paused.
Then he laughed softly.
"Well."
"Finally."
Adrian tapped his earbud.
"Seal."
The response came immediately.
"Copy. Emergency stairwell sealed. Targets trapped inside the west corridor."
Blaze tilted his head slightly.
"One command."
Adrian gathered the trick silently.
Blaze watched him with interest.
"Too late."
Adrian led the next trick.
But Blaze immediately countered.
♠ Queen of Spades
Adrian had no higher spade left.
He placed a low card.
♠ Four of Spades
Blaze collected the trick.
And smiled slowly.
"Last command."
He tapped his earbud one more time.
"Blackout."
The word echoed quietly in the room.
Adrian's team immediately responded through the earbud.
"Boss… they're attempting to shut down the theater's power grid."
Blaze leaned back comfortably.
"That should ruin the movie quite nicely."
The round ended.
Blaze had won the game.
Four tricks to one.
He placed the cards neatly on the table.
"Well."
He stretched his arms lazily.
"That was enjoyable."
Adrian said nothing.
Blaze stood up from his chair.
"You fought well."
He began walking toward the door.
Then—
The lights went out.
Every single one.
The VIP room plunged into darkness.
At the same moment, beyond the walls of the room—
The entire cinema fell silent.
Gasps echoed faintly in distant halls.
Emergency lights failed to activate.
The building was completely dark.
Blaze began laughing.
A deep, satisfied laugh.
"Perfect."
He turned back toward Adrian.
"You see?"
"My final move."
He spread his arms slightly.
"The entire theater goes dark."
His laughter continued.
"Your movie night is officially ruined."
But then—
Something strange happened.
For the first time since the game started—
Adrian smiled.
No.
Not a smile.
A smirk.
Blaze noticed immediately.
His laughter slowed.
"Oh?"
Then the giant screen inside the VIP room flickered.
A faint glow appeared.
The projector came alive.
Blaze frowned slightly.
"That shouldn't—"
The screen lit up completely.
A title slowly appeared across the massive display.
THE RISE OF THE BLUE MOON
Blaze stared.
The movie began playing.
Not the scheduled film.
Something else.
A cinematic opening scene unfolded across the screen—dark skies, a glowing blue moon rising above a vast cityscape.
The sound system activated perfectly.
Crystal clear.
Blaze watched silently.
Minutes passed.
Adrian said nothing.
Blaze didn't leave.
Instead…
He slowly sat back down.
The movie continued.
The cinematography was stunning.
The pacing sharp.
The story gripping.
And the lead character—
Blaze's eyes slowly shifted toward Adrian.
Adrian Skyre.
On screen.
Acting.
Perfectly.
Scene after scene unfolded.
The film ended nearly an hour later.
The blue moon faded from the screen.
The credits began rolling.
Silence filled the room.
Blaze exhaled slowly.
Then he began clapping.
A slow, genuine applause.
"Impressive."
He looked at Adrian.
"Very impressive."
Adrian said nothing.
Blaze continued clapping lightly.
"You lost the card game."
He leaned back in his chair.
"But you won the theater."
He smiled slightly.
"Brilliant acting, Adrian."
His eyes glinted with curiosity.
"I didn't know you were a movie star."
The room remained dark except for the fading glow of the credits.
And across the glass table—
The deck of cards still lay between them.
The game had ended.
But something told Blaze Beak…
The real story had only just begun.