Problems

Diego groaned dramatically, grabbing the nearest pillow and hurling it at Noah with an exaggerated scowl.

"I'm bored," he whined, sprawled out on the couch like a man on his deathbed. "What now? What's next? Entertain me!"

Noah barely looked up from his book, flipping a page with all the enthusiasm of a man ignoring a very persistent toddler.

Diego scowled harder. "Rude."

Across the room, Tatiana was busy admiring her own reflection in the mirror, tilting her head to the side with a soft, satisfied hum.

"Ahh," she sighed. "I'm stunning."

Diego threw his hands up. "We get it, Narcissus."

Before Tatiana could shoot back, Klaus suddenly materialized in the room, appearing out of nowhere as he collapsed onto the couch with a lazy yawn. Noah spared him a glance, brows furrowing.

"Where's our pleasant lady, Cassia?" he asked, ever so polite, though the curiosity was evident.

Klaus smirked, resting his chin on his palm with a rather smug expression.

"She left," he answered, sounding far too pleased with himself.

Tatiana narrowed her eyes. "Why do you sound so smug about it?"

Klaus just stretched, saying nothing.

Before anyone could question him further, he waved a hand lazily. "Anyway, where's Isaac? The sun's about to rise."

Diego shrugged, pulling out a deck of cards and shuffling absentmindedly.

"Who knows? Probably still gambling."

As if on cue, the door creaked open, revealing Isaac—grinning, swaying slightly, and looking just a little too pleased with himself.

Tatiana's eye twitched.

"It's four in the morning," she deadpanned.

Isaac shut the door behind him, raising a curious brow. "And?" His grin widened. "I've been playing poker with some guys."

Tatiana's entire body stiffened. She inhaled deeply, arms crossing as her patience rapidly wore thin.

"…Playing poker with some guys?" she echoed. "You can pack your bags and leave. Fuck off, you damned disappointment. At least life will be easier that way."

Instead of looking remotely offended, Isaac howled with laughter, slapping his knee like he just heard the funniest joke in existence.

"PFTTTHHAHAHAHA—KEKEKHAHAHAHAHA—"

Everyone just stared at him.

Klaus squinted. Diego blinked. Noah sighed, rubbing his temples.

Then Isaac took a deep breath, grinning at them all like a cat who just ate the canary.

"so can you, sweetheart," he said, voice still laced with amusement. "This ain't our fucking mansion anymore."

Silence.

Pure. Stunned. Silence.

Then, all at once—

"WHAT!?"

Tatiana's jaw dropped. Noah closed his book very slowly. Klaus finally looked genuinely surprised. Diego straight-up gasped.

"You what?" Klaus asked, tone calm, but the absolute disbelief was undeniable.

"Oh, you fucking idiot!" Tatiana lunged at Isaac, tackling him to the ground in an explosion of hair and pure, unfiltered rage.

"YOU FUCKING MORON! HOW!? HOW THE FUCK DID YOU EVEN LOSE!?" She shook him like a ragdoll between punches.

"I HAVE NO FUCKING IDEA!" Isaac cackled, utterly delighted by the chaos.

Diego dropped the cards. "Dude—your abilities literally make you incapable of losing! HOW!?"

Isaac wheezed, struggling under Tatiana's furious assault. "I—I DUNNO, MAYBE I GOT COCKY!?"

"YOU BET OUR HOUSE!?" Tatiana shrieked.

Klaus just sighed, rubbing his face. "Fantastic. We've officially hit rock bottom."

Noah exhaled slowly, then got up and walked toward the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Diego asked.

Noah didn't look back.

"To make coffee." He paused. "I'll need it to cope with the fact that I now technically live on the streets."

Isaac wheezed. "C'mon, guys, it's not that bad—"

Tatiana punched him again.

After a few minutes of absolutely wrecking Isaac, they all collapsed into their seats, catching their breath. Diego and Klaus exchanged a look with Isaac, both nodding in unison. Klaus broke the silence with a sly grin.

"There's only one way out of this."

Tatiana nearly choked on her drink.

"No way. No, no, no, no, no, NO!"

Isaac's grin stretched wider as he massaged his sore neck.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, YES, love. We're going to win it back, of course. That's the only way forward."

Diego sighed, shaking his head with resignation.

"Sure, why not? Bet big or go home. Though technically, we don't even have a home left…"

Klaus snickered behind his hand, but quickly stopped when he caught Tatiana and Noah's piercing glares.

"Ahem. But, hey, there's still a chance. Isaac, can you actually pull this off?"

Isaac rolled his eyes so dramatically it looked like they might fall out.

"Who do you think I am? Of course, but we'll need to throw in everything—soul shards, resources, anything shiny and valuable."

Tatiana's face paled. She leaned back in her chair, holding her head as if the room was spinning.

"N-no... We lose again and... we'll have nothing left! Can't we just, I don't know, kill that guy? Please, let's just kill him and take it all back!"

Diego laughed, ruffling her hair affectionately.

"Come on, sis. We're not barbarians. And what's our rule? Don't kill unnecessarily. Besides, the guy's innocent. It's our dumbass who blew it."

Noah, who'd been silent up until now, stared at them all with a blank expression, his voice flat.

"I don't care. If we can't win, we kill him."

Klaus shrugged, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Fine by me."

Isaac stood up with a stretch, cracking his back like an old man.

"Alright then, time to go. Let's get this over with."

Before he could take a step, Tatiana kicked him square in the ass. He barely had time to yelp before she stomped on his head, pinning him down like an unruly bug.

"I said no! I'm resolving this bullshit myself!"

Isaac groaned, his cheek smushed against the floor. "And how exactly do you plan to do that?"

Tatiana smirked, flipping her hair with a dramatic hum.

"What do you think? A lady has her ways."

With that, she strutted out, leaving her brothers behind.

Silence.

Diego raised an eyebrow. "Soooo… should we be worried?"

Klaus leaned back, arms crossed. "Eh. We should probably feel worried, but let's be honest—if anyone can fix this, it's her."

Noah, still deadpan, simply nodded. "If it works, it works."

And work it did. A few days later, they found out that Tatiana had—through some combination of charm, persuasion, and sheer witchcraft—brainwashed the poor guy into returning their mansion and erasing the whole incident from his memory.

Isaac, of course, could've won it back anytime. They all knew it. The guy was literally Ascended with an Aspect dedicated to gambling, luck, and probability manipulation. The only way he could've lost was if he did it on purpose.

And knowing him? He definitely did it just to mess with them.

Tatiana glared at him as they sat in their recovered home. "You lost on purpose, didn't you?"

Isaac leaned back with a smug grin, swirling a glass of wine in his hand.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, dear sister."

Klaus snorted. "I'm gonna beat his ass again."

Noah nodded. "I'll hold him down."

Diego sighed, rubbing his temples. "For once, I'm not even against it."

Isaac sighed, rubbing his temples. "Why are my siblings so bloodthirsty? Such cruelty. Such savagery. Truly, a pack of psychopathic bastards."

Tatiana threw a pillow at his face.

"Shut up, you were the one who lost our house in a poker game."

"Details, details," Isaac waved dismissively. "Anyway, let's talk about something actually important. Klaus… you're joining them for the Nightmare, right?"

Klaus leaned back with an infuriating smirk, steepling his fingers like a cartoon villain. "Who knows… Who, indeed…"

They all grimaced.

Diego groaned. "For fuck's sake, man, just say yes like a normal person."

Klaus just winked.

Noah, ever the serious one, ignored the theatrics and spoke solemnly. "It's time." His gaze swept over his siblings. "I'm ready for the Third Nightmare. We all are… except for Klaus, but he's close. The problem is—"

"The Great Clans and the Government breathing down our necks," Isaac finished for him, stretching lazily.

"Exactly. They won't let us challenge it. Not unless we find a loophole."

A thoughtful silence followed before Noah spoke again, his voice calm but firm. "Antarctica is the only way."

They all turned to him, and he smiled pleasantly.

"What?" he said innocently. "It's the perfect excuse. The war there is heating up. If we happen to challenge the Third Nightmare while participating in a world-scale battle, well… no one's going to question it."

Klaus nodded, his grin widening. "Ahh, that's my little brother. Always so strategic."

"And now that you're becoming a Master, your sorcery should evolve," Noah continued. "You could probably craft a relic to conceal our auras, meaning—"

"We can stay hidden even after becoming Saints," Klaus finished with a satisfied nod. "Antarctica is the perfect opportunity."

Isaac grinned, cracking his knuckles. "Sounds fun. I'm sure Antarctica could use a little… luck, correct?"

Diego and Klaus exchanged excited looks, their grins practically identical. Tatiana, meanwhile, let out a long, dramatic groan.

"And what about me?" she whined. "I am a delicate woman who requires care and comfort, not war and bloodshed. A beautiful flower will wither in the cold, you know? That's no place for me."

Diego gave her a deadpan stare. "What are you even saying? That doesn't make any sense." He smirked. "Besides, think of all the fights—ahh, that'll be glorious."

"Glorious?" Tatiana scoffed.

Diego nodded sagely. "And, knowing you, I'm sure you'll seduce some spectacularly ugly Abomination just for the fun of it."

Tatiana blinked. Then, without a word, she picked up her shoe and hurled it at his head.

"You bastards! What kind of brothers are you?!"

Isaac sighed, rubbing his eyes like a disappointed parent. "Enough with the drama." He straightened. "It's a good opportunity.... And Millions of people will die as well."

That sobered them up instantly.

Klaus cleared his throat, his usual playfulness dimming. "Yeah. Many will die. Maybe even us." His gaze sharpened. "If we're doing this, we commit. Half-measures and hesitation get people killed. If anyone isn't up for it, back out now."

Silence. No one moved.

Klaus nodded approvingly. "Good. Then let's start preparing. Memories, Echoes, whatever we need. Power is power. None of that philosophical bullshit. Get strong. Now."

A smirk tugged at Isaac's lips. "Finally, a speech I can get behind."

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Shut up and get to work."