By My Side | The Arcana: A mystic Romance

1:Stormy Weather

Disclaimer: I do not own The Arcana, or any of its characters. They belong to Dorian. I only own Haya.
This is one of my first works, so there will be many mistakes here and there.
...

It was late at night in the grand city of Vesuvia. A storm raged through its wide and spacious perimeter, thunder booming loudly as flashes of lightning bolted this way and that. The summer had finally brought rain after a long drought, much to the citizens' relief.

Usually, even during the late night, the streets would be bustling with life, however, today they were empty and quiet. The sun had long set and people were at rest in their homes, safe from the pelting onslaught that was outside.

One lonely street had a cosy little shop built at its corner. It belonged to two young magicians, who were known for their power and unique use of magic. The floor above the shop was the cozy little abode which the called their home.

On this night, the shop was lonely and cold as one of these magicians sat in the dark at the counter. She listened to the pelting of the storm outside, fighting hot tears that burned her eyes. With a hand on her temple, she tried to relieve herself of a headache, which she had been victim to for thirty, long minutes. A strong traditional herbal tea would usually do the trick against such but, this time, it hadn't worked. So she gave up and blew out the candles, because the light was only making it worse.

She stared at the small cup in front of her; although its scent was srill strong in tge still night air, the herbal blend had long gone cold. With a sigh the magician rose to her feet and picked up the cup. A wave of dizziness coursed through the young lady, and she found herself leaning on the counter for support. If only she knew how to get rid of the headaches, if only she could remember...

She was forced out her thoughts by the sound of a bedroom door being carefully pushed open. With the cup still in hand, she staggered towards the the steps and waited. She was met with a familiar energy, as the door was pushed closed. The smell of earth, cinnamon and lavender filled her nose as her master tiptoed right past her, not noticing her presence. He was looking for something, he searched for whatever it was for a good few minutes before finally turning on a candle for some light.

The word, “surprise” would not do his expression justice when he saw the girl before him. He had only come to collect something, she wasn't supposed to see him. She never usually did.

"Haya, you're awake...", the man trailed off, trying not to sound guilty or suspicious. However, his not being sure of what to say was suspicious enough in itself.

“You're on your way, are you, master?”, Haya questioned, making sure to make her disappointment apparent in her tone of voice.

The man frowned at the way she addressed him, clearly uncomfortable with it. He pursed his lips, weighing his options before nodding to himself.

“I'm so sorry Haya, I have to do this.”, he confessed, before suggesting to drink tea with a guilty smile. It was the one thing that he could think of that would remotely put her at ease. Too many things were piling up in the ether and if he didn't do anything, Haya could get in harm's way.

They drank a cinnamon and honey tea blend in the dim candlelight, each with a searching gaze.

“You always leave like this. You probably think I'm too weak...”, Haya began, with a small frown. Unable to complete her sentence lest she would find it too bitter a taste on her tongue. Instead, she said, “I'm more than ready for whatever you're hiding. I'm not the weak girl you met three years ago, master...”

“Don't call me that...”, the man trailed off, fighting hard to not avert his gaze in guilt. “Donʼt call me master. Please.”, he pleaded, sounding a tad bit desperate. “I keep telling you, I'm just Asra.”, he insisted. “I don't choose to leave you, Haya, believe me. I want nothing more than to take you with me and show you the grand world of magic outside of Vesuvia.”
He placed his empty cup on the table and stood up. “I just can't risk your life like that. The things I get into, they're too dangerous for you. Hold on, I have something to show you.”

He rushed to the room in the back— where they held their tarot card readings— and came back with the deck in his hand. Maybe if she got a glimpse of the spiritual chaos in her life then she would understand where he was coming from.
“Here, take it.”, Asra said as he took Haya's hand in his. He placed the deck in it and traced a symbol on the top card with his index finger.

At that, Hayaʼs headache suddenly subsided, only to be replaced by whispers so loud that she could no longer hear her own thoughts. Instinctively, she shut her eyes and listened.

Nothing made sense, she couldn't make out anything. Too many voices were speaking at once that all she heard was an incoherent cacophony.
“Stop searching for an answer, just listen.”, Asra gently coerced, trying not to break what little connection that she may have already formed. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her thoughts. Slowly, a faint voice rose above the rest, clearer, much easier to make out. She didnʼt feel when Asra's hands left herʼs, let alone when she slipped into a trance like state.

"Lost... Past... Darkness..." the voice said. Haya's eyes fluttered as she tried to open them, but her eyelids were too heavy. "Death... Ashes... Fool...", the voice said again, before fading to nothing.

The sound of thunder drummed in the distance, and an onslaught of rain beat Haya to her knees. Black sand dyed her light clothes, and a pungent smell overtook her sense of smell. She looked around. It was very dark but she could make out the tall structure of a building, a tower, nearby. Standing up was impossible. She couldn't even move. In the distance she saw another structure... No, not a structure, a being? He was on an island far off from where she was. He hung upside down as if left for death, but he was very much alive. Despite the distance between them, Haya made direct eye contact with the beady eyed being. She started trembling, at the sight of his void black feathers and beady, pitch black eyes. How could this be? This being, this place; they were starting to seem far too familiar, even though she had never been here before.

“Haya?”, a fimiliar voice called, concern evident in its gentle tone, but it only called once before she suddenly fell into an abyss.

A wave of uncertainty came over Haya. She was suddenly surrounded by soft, white light. The rain had suddenly stopped and the tower was nowhere in sight. At that she was relieved, but she was still lost, so a bit of fear rose in her heart. This place felt familiar, she must have been here before. She just couldn't remember when. The grass stood tall in its golden pink glory, swaying slightly in a light breeze.

The sky was a bright mix of pink, purple, red, orange and soft yellow, as if the sun was setting. The sun, however, was nowhere in sight. In its place were three moons, white in clour and positioned evenly across the sky to form a triangle. That's where the soft white light came from. It was a soothing sight, childish as it was, but Haya wasn't soothed in the least. In the distance, still, she could see the Hanged Man's realm. The island loomed at the edge of her sight, never fully coming into view.

“Death... Ashes... Fool”, the voice said once more. “Lost... Past... Darkness...”, it whispered, reaching at the very back of her mind.

Suddenly, a hulking figure appeared not far from her, just a ways ahead of Haya. Its whole body was covered in fur that swayed in the gentle breeze. It was walking away from her on all four legs, a long tail trailing behind it. She couldn't tell what exactly it was, but she made it out to be a feline. A feeling of sorrow overcame her, as if she didn't want the being to leave.
“Wait!”, Haya called, voice breaking and eyes tearing up.

The being stopped in its tracks. It turned its head slightly to give her a sidelong glance. Despite the distance between them, Haya saw that it was downtrodden, almost depressed. Around its neck was a chain that seemed to burn the feline being where it touched its skin. Haya brought herself to her feet, making to follow the being.

The sound of a door banging closed startled Haya from her slumber.