Hypnosis branch

The Thrift Shop Ring

Torino, Italy – Evening

Stefano Bianchi trudges home through the rain, his once-proud shoulders slumped. The museum’s laughter still echoes in his skull—"The great Stefano Bianchi, reduced to guiding tourists past relics he’ll never touch again." His fingers brush the crumpled paycheck in his coat. Pathetic.

A flickering neon sign catches his eye: "Antichità Senza Tempo" (Timeless Antiquities). A thrift shop. Dusty, cramped. Something pulls him inside.

Behind the counter, an elderly man with milky eyes smirks. "For you, signore... something special." He slides forward a tarnished silver ring—the sigil of Osiris coiled around a phallus. The moment Stefano touches it, a jolt of heat sears his veins. His reflection in the shop’s grimy mirror... was his jaw always that sharp?

Meanwhile, Rebecca stretches in her bedroom, her toned thighs glistening post-shower. She bites her lip, scrolling through her phone—another DM from a classmate. Ugh. Boys her age are so... immature. Her gaze flicks to the framed photo on her desk: her and Stefano at her regional championship, her dad's arms around her waist, his pride in her... She misses that light in his eyes.