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Chapter 6: Shoulder Devil

Ķ̸̨̖̜̪̲̲̿̓͊̀̑͝n̶̲͖̝̫̖̤̓̉͑̽̈̑͜ộ̵̆̈́͌w̴̗̱͕̘̤̤͉̥͜͠ĺ̸̛͈̜͖̺͈͒̆͛̽͗̿͝ḛ̷̼͚̓̽̐̏̽͘͝d̴̜̱̝̥̏̕g̵͙͇͂̀̅̀̆̀̏͒̔e̸̻̓͂͐͌́̍͗̿͝.̴̧̘̪̀͌̆̎̑͋́́̚C̸̝̳̻̤̠̦̟͌́́̿̂̌͂̊h̵̢̺̖̥͚͖͚͚̤́̔͐̓̂͛ǫ̸̙̤͎̤̱̯͛̌͋͑̈͜ĭ̷̤̫͖̹͎̂̆̑̄̿̿͌̕c̶̡̬͕̯̙̯̰̝̳̮̽͂̀̑͒̍̒͝ę̶͈͈̻̝̰͚͈̳͈̎͋͝ ̸̧͇̄̔̊̿̒̍̆Ć̴̣͙̯͔͉̈́̽̈́͆̽͝͠ṟ̵̻̮͔̏͒̈́͐̇̈́ẽ̶̤̝̱̱̮͉̌̄ͅả̵͇͖̠͙̦̯͊̉̌̊̏̀͝t̴̡̰̦̰̼͖̘̾̌i̵̗͔͌̉̌ö̶̠͖̝̦̮́̔̅͋̂͠͝ṉ̵̡̺̺͋͋͛̾̃͒̌.̶͍̀̈́̇̆͐̈̂̚ ̴͌͂̒̍̇.̵̢̭͖̝͉́̿̀̆͝ ̴̲̝̓ͅḒ̷͚̠͈̜̫̓̏͑͑͜ẹ̴̡͉̝͋̑̅̂̊̍̔̈́͠s̵̗̗̜̙͋t̵̨̛̫̤̖̦̳͕͉̩̆̇̏̄̽͘ŗ̷̺̰̠͓͙͖͍̮́̀̊̈̇̉̈́̋̿ù̸͉̻͈̤̭͆̈́͒̀͆̉͆̋c̸̢̳̝̩̘͇͕̔̆̑̌̈̓͆̏̈ͅt̷̬̗̗̗̙̑̅̈́̍͝i̵̫͖͆̈́̌͋o̵̢̝̬̠͈̹͈̯͙͖͋̊̋n̵̢̳͎̦̙̬͈̂̈̕͜.̸̤̀̈́ ̶̛̛̬̠̗̬̄̊͛̈̕B̶̲̮̠̽̇̒͆̿̋̎̔͊͠ͅͅẵ̶̡̛̛̲̦̞̰͕̃͛̋͂̂͜l̸̝̻͈̮̑̾ä̶̡̙̣̰̼́́̀̾̽̈́̿͒̚͝n̸̨̗͎̺̱̭͎̜̆̋͛͛̒̄̾̉c̵̛͇̮͓̏͌̿̿̐̉́e̷̢̞̬̮͈͙̻̽̀̈́́͘͝ḑ̴̫̼̓̆̃͊͂͂.̷̙̙̙̯̓̂͐͌͂̔.̸̡̗̹͇͎͑̂͌.̵̛̳͂̍̿̅͝y̸͖͚̩͚̩͎̲̏͌̀̀̋͊͆̌̈́͜ę̶̙͉͖̮̽̊͌̀̿̚͠ṫ̵͎͚̖͕̞̎ ̷̩̋̂̃̀́̓̈́ṅ̶̠̭̮̖͌͠ͅo̶͙̦͓̱̣͖̎͊̈́͊̈́̇͆̚t̴͔̒͊̓.̵͕̯͎͈͙̹͉̟̬̂͐̍̈́̐ͅ ̷̙̮̆̂̍̊͑̍̊̚͘L̴̨̛̰̱̦̰̭̈́̿̽́͗͛͝͝e̶̡̗̺̟͙͖̘͈̽̿͌̒͗̕t̸̯͚͍̬̩̙̺́̉̓̈́͋͆̏̕̕ ̴̲̯͎̪̓̋̍̔̄̀̂̔ṳ̴̟̼͜͝s̷͍̰͙̿́ ̵͙͔̼̱̝̞̼̻̀͋́͌͊̃̀͌̒͌͜ͅȑ̷̨̛̟̬̠̀̆͂̍̑́͋͝ͅe̵̡͕͇͈̳̰̦̥͗̋̒̒̔̍̕ş̷̞̮͎̤͚̪̪̫͌̓̓͊̆̇̚͜͝ò̵̡̠͕̰̮̓̇̓̋l̸̡͖̣̼̗͓̫̹͂͐̇̊͑͝͝ͅv̸̢̺̩͕͚̹̩̜͐̅̾̋̀̅̚ͅe̵̱̲͍͊ ̸̧̟̰̤̪͚̣̘̥̀͊̓̓̀͋̋͠ͅt̸̲͐̆̆̽̈̉̒͋̚͝h̷̨̖͉͚̻̺͖̬̏͂̒̐͋͋͠͝ĭ̷̢̳̿͆̉̄͝ͅs̴̥͎͓̣͓̠̃̇̈́̍͂͝͝ͅͅ.̶̲̣͙̖̩͓̳̤͈̄́̀̆͝.̸͂̊̾̿͜.̶̰̖̟̜͈̟̯͇̈́̅͜͜

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"You're sure this is the place?" Emerald asked as she stared at the bright neon lights of a nightclub making business.  Mercury scoffed beside her.

"Please, you know any other nightclubs with black suits and red ties for a uniform and 'Fantasia' labeled in broad daylight on the front?" He snarked, earning a glare from Emerald.

"Enough, both of you." The two fell imediately fell silent, waiting for the third person with them to speak.

From across the street, Cinder watched the line of people outside the club, then the logo of the club just above the doorway. A stylized eye in red neon light, surrounded by several arrows pointing outwards in something akin to rays of sunlight, with the word 'Fantasia' placed just below it. Cinder stopped a frown from forming, masking her frustration seeing the symbol with a look of calm indifference. That symbol had too much of a resemblance with Her mark to be a coincidence. Not only that, but Roman refusing to cooperate any further with them supposedly at 'the Fifth's request' no matter how she threatened him made something clear to her. This 'Fifth' person - Fantasia's owner, according to Roman - posed a threat to her.

Roman was more than aware of what she would do to him if he refused to cooperate, but refused to do so anyway? Cinder may not be a criminal mastermind, but serving Her taught Cinder that such defiance said one of two things. Either whoever told Roman to stop working her offered him a better deal that made burning alive seem like a minor risk or Roman was more terrified of them than her, and either possibility could ruin months of work and planning.

So when Fifth actually sent her an invitation to visit his club, Cinder found herself forced to comply. She knew Roman was a survivor; that was the only reason he cooperated with her. If Fifth could convince Roman that refusing to continue working would be better for his survival, then they clearly were in control here. Not her. Cinder resisted the urge to rub her neck as old memories returned to her, the sound of electricity beginning to swell in her ear. She hurried to focus on the lesson she learned that day. 'Follow the ones in power, and when her chance arrives, take it for her own'. The sound of electricity vanished back into her mind.