Aika running down the corridors arrived at the guestroom. “This room was so hard to find. Why is it in the corner?”, she muttered gasping for air.

Just as she was about to enter the room, footsteps echoed down the corridor. “Mei? What are you doing here?”, she asked startled.

“I got this letter”, Mei murmured trembling holding up the letter.

“This…this”, Aika’s eyes widened noticing the similar dark crow on the back. “I received the same letter telling me to come here”.

"Just who could send us both these letters?”, Mei whispered in horror, as if she was deeply traumatized.

Aika clicked her tongue frustrated, “I don’t know but for now let’s head inside”. She slid open the door entering the guest room, she sat by the window staring out at the river while Mei sat curled up in the corner, trembling slightly thinking of the involvement with a certain individual.

The door slid open once more and two figures stepped inside. It was Reiko and Miyako. Reiko, who usually was intimidating because of her height seemed tired, as if all the color of her skin had drained out. She glanced at Aika with nothing but disdain. Miyako followed behind her, quieter she looked around the room nervously.

Reiko spoke first breaking the tense silence. “What are you two doing here? This room hasn’t been used for years”, she said crossing her arms.

Aika narrowed her eyes. “We received the letters, the same as you. Don’t try to hide the letter I can see it in your sleeve”, she said flicking her wrist revealing the dark crow emblem on the back of her letter.

Reiko’s eyes darkened as she glanced at Mei and Miyako. “You two also received it, huh?”, she said disturbed.

Miyako uncomfortably said, “We shouldn’t be here. This place…it feels wrong”.

Reiko scoffed. “What’s wrong is we’re being summoned like puppets. Whoever did this…has something planned”.

Mei as if she couldn’t bear the burden anymore screaming aloud. “It’s him! Him!”, she whispered desperately. As if she knew who was behind gathering them together.

The room fell silent. Reiko clenched her jaw, “You know who it is?”.

Mei nodded but avoided their eyes. She didn’t know the reason he had gathered the four of them in the room. He wouldn’t tell me no matter how I asked.

“It’s Yoshio, isn’t it?”, Aika said hysterically. “I should’ve known…he’s crazy. But why would he do this? Why did he humiliate me and make Reiko the star?”.

"I don’t know”, Mei murmured.

Reiko’s eyes flashed in anger. “You’re working for him?”, she hissed. “You’re a part of his plan, aren’t you?”. 

Mei shook her head backing away. “I didn't have a choice! He was blackmailing me!”, she cried.

Reiko sneered. “Blackmail? Or are you just playing along his game?”, she spat taking a step closer. But before she could react, she saw Aika lunge at her pulling her hair. “How could you steal my spotlight? How could you?”.

Pain spread through Reiko’s scalp, but nothing compared to the rage she was holding in her chest.

“Yoshio gave it to you. Why? Why to someone as lowly as you”, Aika spat her fingers tangled in Reiko’s hair pulling viciously.

Reiko let out a laugh bitterly as blood trickled down her scalp. “You think it’s about the spotlight?”, she said with resentment. “You think this is about you? I’m sick of people comparing us—sick of being told you’re more beautiful than me. Aika is the number one courtesan. Because of that damn title, I have been under your shadow all my life!”.

Reiko fought back making Aika loosen her grip. “I was always second to you”, Reiko trembled thinking of the past. “No matter what I did—no matter how hard I tried—it was always you, they praised. You shone while I was just—“.

“Just what?”, Aika snapped. “You’re pathetic? Weak? Is that it, Reiko? Is that why Yoshio gave you the spotlight? Because deep down you’re nothing but—“.

Reiko’s hand shot up slapping Aika across her face. The sound echoed throughout the room and Aika stumbled back in shock.

Reiko snarled. “You think I want any of this? All I ever wanted was to be seen more than your shadow. That’s the reason I started playing the Shamisen. To be noticed. To be more than just…nothing”.

Aika recovered quickly but as she was about to strike again, she heard Mei’s voice through the chaos.

“He’s here!”.

The two froze in place, their anger dissipating as they looked at Mei. Her eyes were wide and her face pale as if something terrifying was coming their way.

“Those footsteps”, Mei whispered, trembling in fear. “They’re familiar…I can hear them. It’s him. It’s Yoshio”.

Aika and Reiko exchanged glances as the room fell silent again. The sound of the footsteps grew louder each second.

Mei’s eyes glanced around the room, her lips trembling broke into a manic smile as she muttered a single word.

“Boom”.

A deafening explosion tore through the Pavilion, the force knocking all of them off their feet. The walls shuddered and the ceiling groaned as the flames erupted around them consuming the wood.

Panicked surged through the Pavilion as the flames grew, licking up the wooden walls and catching the delicate paper screen. The women screamed, scrambling to find a way out. Mei stood frozen at the chaos. The items that once signified luxury were now burned, filling the air and making it nearly impossible to breathe.

In the chaos, courtesans and patrons alike ran for their lives, but the exits were blocked, and the doors jammed shut. The fire rapidly spread devouring everything in its way with terrifying speed.

Mei’s eyes watered from the smoke, but she could still see the others, their faces in disbelief at what was happening. Aika and Reiko shoved each other trying to escape through the narrow windows but the flames had already caught up to them. And their screams of pain echoed throughout the room.

Miyako sobbed trying to crawl toward the door, her mind filled with thoughts of her lover. The times they had spent together were precious. She could remember the hug she received from him this morning, she wanted to see him. She hoped he escaped the fire, but the ceiling above her cracked and collapsed with a crunch, crushing Miyako beneath the rubble. Her scream was cut short as the weight pressed down on her silencing her forever.

The Pavilion a place filled with lust and control was now burning. The screams echoed throughout the halls, blending with the crackling of the fire but no one came to their aid.

The fire continued to rage. Mei stumbled out of the building, her hanfu smeared with soot. She looked back at the Pavilion sighing in relief. It was now all gone, reduced to ashes and ruin. Mei exhausted and broke sank to her knees outside the burning wreckage, the realization that she was free washing over her.

But did she truly achieve freedom?

The heat from the fire still stung her skin and the sounds of screams echoed in her ears. She closed her eyes for a moment trying to breathe but a voice broke through the haze.

“Mei…you survived”.

Her heart stopped. That voice…No. She repeated in her mind. Don’t look…don’t you dare...look.

But despite her fear, she turned her head slowly, expecting to see Yoshio standing there. Instead, she found Jun. Her eyes glinted coldly in the dim light of the fire, and a sly smile tugged at Jun's lips. Mei's breath caught in her throat; she squinted trying to make sense of what she was seeing.

“Jun…?” Mei said, her voice trembling as the truth dawned on her. “You…were pretending?”.

I smiled mockingly. It was the smile of someone who had long won before the game had even started.

“You finally figured it out”, I said softly, almost bored. “Took you long enough”.

Mei’s stomach twisted. “You…you pretended to be Yoshio? You planned this? All of it?”.

My smile widened in amusement. “It wasn’t hard. Yoshio never existed in the first place. You wanted to be free of the debt so badly you didn’t even notice the strings I was pulling. You played your part perfectly”, I said shrugging.

Mei's eyes burned with anger; her lips parted to speak but she was speechless.

“Zero”, I said calling out my Shade. I nodded at him giving him the signal. Before Mei could react, Zero moved swiftly and in an instant, Mei felt a sharp cold pain in her chest. She gasped, her hands instinctively reaching toward the wound, blood soaking her fingers. She tried to scream but nothing came out.

I never wavered as I saw her collapse to the ground. “Goodbye, Mei”, I whispered. I sighed standing up and dusting my robes finally finishing the task. A soft amused laugh escaped my lips, I threw my head back laughing harder. It was my victory! I won!

Mei’s body slumped lifeless to the ground bleeding out, her eyes wide.

Zero beside me silent as ever, with his job done walked away slowly on his own disappearing into the dark. 

As I stood there, I heard footsteps approaching from behind me. It was Joon-soo. His face was unreadable, but I could see the uneasiness on his face.

“Was this… necessary?”, Joon-soo asked quietly. He had seen the decisions his Master made but this felt different.

My laugh faded and I turned to face Joon-soo. “Necessary?”, I said. “This was inevitable”.

Joon-soo frowned glancing at the burning Pavilion. “She was just…desperate. Like all of them. This wasn’t just about her, was it?”.

“No”, I replied sharply. “It was about the Pavilion. About the people who thought they could control everything, using fear and desperation to bind people to them. This place…it was more than just a business. You should be aware of that. It was like a parasite. They made the slums dependent on them, trapping them in a cycle. People thought they were free, but they were slaves to the system”.

Joon-soo clenched his hands. He had grown up as a slave, he had seen the suffering but the sight of seeing Mei lying dead on the ground didn’t sit well with him. “So, you burned it all down? And killed her?”.

“She was just a tool Joon-soo and also part of the problem. She was a gambler the Pavilion was eventually going to deal with her, but I just sped things up. In the end, it was for the benefit of the district. The Lotus Pavilion had to fall and so did she”.

Joon-soo’s jaw tightened. “And the others? The people inside?”.

I sighed passing a hand through my hair. “Collateral damage. Now the Pavilion can be rebuilt, and people can learn to survive without being controlled”.

Joon-soo shook his head slowly. “You sound like you’re trying to convince yourself”.

My smile faded. “This wasn’t about morality. It was about winning. The Pavilion was the enemy, and I did what had to be done”.

Joon-soo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “You’re ruthless”.

“That’s why I won. It's a new start for us”, I said grinning. “Guide me to the safe house”, I ordered.

Joon-soo nodded shouldering me and walking beside the fire to our safe house as planned. The next phase of the plan was ready to execute, the Tower was finally within my reach.