The Arcana [Julian's route]

I - THE MAGICIAN

My name is Keeva. I am a student of the magical arts. I live and train in the city of Vesuvia. Tonight, the evening fog is thick, blanketing the city in an ethereal, milky glow. I linger at the window to appreciate the tranquil scene, before drawing the curtains shut.
"I'll miss you" Asra looks at me with sadness in his eyes. My master Asra, the fortune teller. I know nothing of his past. Yet he's taught me everything I know about magic.
"Must you leave tonight?" I can't say I won't miss him either.
"It's the dead of a moonless night. The right time for the beginning of a journey." His eyes twinkle in the low lamplight.
"Here... take this. For you to play around with while I'm gone." A gift? How unusual.
"My tarot deck." That's the last thing I expected him to give me. The tarot deck is Asra's own creation, imbued with great power.
"You think I'm ready, Master?" I look at him.
"You're still calling me that..." his cheeks flush slightly.
"You know I can't answer that for you. You've made incredible progress, but you still won't let go of your doubt. Do you think you're ready?"
"Why don't we ask the cards?" I say playfully.
"Excellent suggestion." Asra smiles. A few rays of starlight peek through the gauzy curtains.
"It's been a while since we've practiced." He looks at the cards.
"Because I've perfected it?" I say proudly.
"Have you now?" He gives me a playful look.
"You really are gifted. I shouldn't have expected any less. Well, then. Let's see that perfect technique." He's always going on about how powerful and gifted I am... His confidence is heartening, but I don't know where it comes from. When we sit down, something brushes along my ankle, smooth and cold.
"Oh?" Asra reaches down form his chair and holds out his hand. A long purple serpent winds her way up his arm. She flicks her tongue at me. It's Faust, Asra's familiar. She's pleased to see me, I think.
"If we're all here... let's begin." I shuffle the deck. His gaze follows the cards as they slip through my fingers. I lay out three cards and look upon them. Picking the bottom one. An image of an owl looks back at me.
"... The High Priestess." I say quietly. Asra leans close, expectant.
"And what is she telling you? Is she speaking to you now?" He asks. When the cards speak to me, it isn't in any human tongue. Nonetheless, when my mind is clear, the answer comes to me.
"You've forsaken her." I look up at Asra.
"I have?" He says shocked.
"Yes. You've pushed her away, and hurried her voice." Asra frowns but says nothing, waiting for me to continue.
"She calls out, but you won't listen. Master, if you ignore her..." A sharp knocking interrupts me and startles all three of us. A customer? At this hour?
"Did we forget to put out the lantern again? Just as well. I can't stay any longer." Asra gathers up his things to leave. I wonder where he's going this time, and what he'll bring back... But I know better than to ask him. He never answers.
"Well then... take care of yourself, Keeva." He still has something to say, but he won't say it.
"Until we meet again." He parts the curtains soundlessly and slips out the back door. Asra's barely left when the mysterious visitor knocks again. Impatient, by the sound of it. I open the door. He figure steps inside and begins to unwind the shawl from their neck.
"Forgive me for the hour... but I will not suffer another sleepless night" the figure says. The elegant cloth slips away, revealing the visitor's face. At the sight of her, my heart leaps into my throat. The Countess Nadia! Here in my shop, in the dead or night...
"Please, you must read the cards for me." She says.
"You've come to the right place!" I saw a little nervously. The Countess relaxes ever so slightly, her gaze sweeping over the shop.
"So I'm told. Your reputation precedes you. Beggars and nobles alike... the people of the city whisper your name in wonder. Though in my dream you were... different. No matter. I come with a proposal." I look up at her.
"What's this proposal?"
"Are you nervous, perhaps? You needn't be. I require very little of you. Come to my palace, and be my guest for a short while. You will be afforded eve ty luxury of course. I ask only that you bring your skill... and the arcana." The arcana... she must be talking about Asra's tarot deck.
"I will alert the guards to expect you tomorrow. But before that... I want to see these talents of yours for myself. Shall we do a reading?" Under her imperious gaze, I usher her to the humble backroom. The Countess seats herself across form me. Her gaze darts around the small space before falling on the cards on the table between us. As I shuffle the deck, she folds her hands before her and closes her eyes. The three cards are laid out. I picks out the top right card.
"...The Magician." She peers down at the card, studying its fox like face.
"How very appropriate. And what does the magician hold for me?" My mind is clear. The answer comes to me as easily as ever.
"You have a plan." I look up at her. "On that is important to you"
"And? Should I set it it in motion?" Her eyes pierce me, flashing brilliantly in the lamplight.
"Yes. Now is the time to act. Everything has fallen into place."
"Say no more." Abruptly, she stands, giving the card one last glance. She throws back the curtains, striding back into the shop proper.
"Your fortunes are straightforward. Much the same as the others I've heard. And yet... you are the first to pique my interest." The Countess crosses to the front door, winding the shawl around her face.
"Ahem" I nearly trip over my feet in a haste to open the door. The Countess merely looks amused.
"I will see you tomorrow, then, at the palace. Pleasant dreams." With that she glides past me and out into the night. For a moment , I'm frozen, staring  at her figure long after she vanishes into the mist. What would the Countess of Vesuvia want with me, a mere apprentice? All the talk of my reputation... could it be that she mistook me for Asra? I'm still mulling it over when I heard harsh, muffled voice.
"Strange hours for a shop to keep." Who said that?? My gaze darts around the shop, chasing shadows in the dark.
"...Behind you." Sure enough, when I turn, I see a figure looming against the door.
"So this is the witch's lair. Then... who might you be?" My heart starts racing as the masked intruder advances. My eyes dart to the door, assessing my chances.
"Up up up. Not so fast." The masked intruder catches my wrist in a firm grip and pulls me backward. My back meets their chest. The mask's beak curves ominously over my head. The intruder's voice drops to a low, affected snarl.
"Tell me where he is and I'll let you go." I throw my head back, knocking the mask away.
"Ah!" I make a break for the backroom, the intruder hot on my heels. But I'm barely across the threshold when he catches up to me.
"You're a slippery one." As he loom between me and the back door, I take in his features for the first time. I know his face. I've seen it on wanted posters all over the city... But his name eludes me.
"Quickly now. Where is the witch?" I glare up at him as I try to catch my breath.
"Master Asra is gone."
"Obviously. Where to?" He snarls. I shake my head. Why is he so interested in Asra?
"He's gone on another journey. He didn't tell me where."
"I see. Well if you don't know, and I don't know... why don't we ask your magic cards?" He gives me a sly smile...Huh?
"This is where you do your fortune telling, isn't it?" He drops himself into the reading chair, looming over the table.
"Go on. No need to be shy." I stand up, my heart still pounding and my face stiff in a confused expression.
"I... I don't even know your name."
"My name?" He looks shocked.
"For your reading. I need to know your name."
"Oh. Ahem. Right. Yes, of course..." his face flushes.
"You can call me Julian." Hesitantly, I take my seat, his eyes tracking my every move. I lay out the cards and pick up the one that calls to me the most. As soon as the card is flipped, my mind starts racing.
"...Death." The card whispers to me, but before I can understand it, Julian interrupts me.
"Death?" He looks shocked, but then he smiles. "Death?" He barks with uncontrollable laughter. He turns away form me and the cards raising his eyes to the heavens.
"Death cast her gaze on this wretch and turned away. She has no interest in an abomination like me." He strides out of the backroom without a backward glance. Overcome with confusion, I follow at his heels.
"Wait! That's not what death means. It's—" But Julian heaves a heartfelt sigh, shaking his head.
"No, no. My fate is sealed. But you've been hospitable, so I'll let you in on a secret. Your witch friend will be back for you. He's taught you his tricks. You may even say that he cares for you." He lifts his mask from the floor, staring into its glassy red eyes.
"But when he returns... Seek me out, for your own sake. Don't let him fool you, shopkeep." After giving me a long, hard look, he fixes his mask in place.
"Well then. The hour is late, and I'm out of time." With the swirl of his great black cape, he throw the door open. It slams shut behind him as he disappears into the early morning fog...