The Merchant’s Gamble

Joren wasn’t a warrior. He wasn’t a summoner, a strategist, or a scholar of magic. He was a merchant—a simple trader who dealt in rare cards, seeking profit rather than glory. To him, the Splinterlands were nothing more than a grand marketplace, a battlefield of supply and demand rather than swords and sorcery.

But one day, an old man entered his shop, draped in tattered robes. His hands trembled as he placed a single card on the counter.

"This is not for sale," the man rasped. "It is for fate."

Joren scoffed. He had seen countless so-called "legendary" cards pass through his hands, each boasting stories of hidden power. Yet, something about this one felt... different. The ink shimmered unnaturally, the edges seemed to shift as if the card were breathing.

"A trade, then," Joren offered.

The old man simply smiled and vanished before Joren could blink.

Curiosity got the better of him. That night, he placed the card on his desk, studying it under the candlelight. The name etched onto the surface was unlike any Splinterlands creature he had ever seen. "The Forgotten Wager."

The moment he touched it, the world around him twisted. The walls of his shop melted away, and suddenly, he stood in an arena. The crowd roared. Opponents formed before him—true warriors, seasoned summoners. And in his hand, the card burned with a golden glow.

"Summon," a voice whispered.

Joren had spent years watching battles, trading cards, knowing their values but never playing. Now, he had no choice. He flipped the card onto the battlefield.

The creature that emerged was no beast, no warrior. It was a shadowy hand, stretching into the sky. The moment it appeared, the match halted. His opponent froze, eyes wide with horror. The crowd fell silent.

And then, one by one, they began to disappear.

Joren tried to scream, but no sound came. He turned the card over, realizing the ink had changed. A new phrase had been etched onto its surface:

"The game was never yours to play."

His shop was gone. His old life erased. He was now part of the Splinterlands, not as a player— but as a wager yet to be settled.