Julian Devorak x Reader/Self-Insert

Chapter One

Synopsis of Chapter One: An introduction to the world, characters, and relationships already built. This will be an introduction to just about everything. I am taking this seriously.

I breathed as I saw the "Now Entering; Vesuvia" sign. Next to me, I heard Asra chuckle softly.

"Excited?" he asked, his voice as smooth as silk. I smiled as I turned to him. He offered me to return to his hometown and proposed we open a witchy shop together. He was the one who introduced me to the Arcana and things other than the Christian God and Satan. I never really connected with the Christian God as I had connected with the Arcana and others. His cloud-like hair rustled in the wind as we drove, and he shot me a quick smile. His purple sunglasses turned a darker shade of violet as he looked at me. I gave him an excited smile, I was excited. I was excited to leave my hometown and see something new. I was excited to take this next step in my life. Asra said that the shop he bought had an apartment above it that we could live in together. That was going to be helpful, I knew I could turn to Asra in times of need.

"You'll get to meet all of my childhood friends! You'd love Muriel, he'd be right up your alley! He's an animal lover just like you!" Asra smiled.

"I know, you've told me twice since we started driving." I laughed, rolling my eyes.

"Oh but, it's true! Come on, you've seen the pictures of his wolfdog, Inanna. You two are going to get along just fine!" Asra slowed as he turned off the exit, the dreamcatcher attached to his rear-view mirror swayed to the left slightly. I shook my head at him, as excited as I was, I was terrified. What if Asra's friends hated me? What if I never make enough money to pay rent? Nothing seemed to calm my thoughts until Asra placed his hand on mine.

"It's going to be alright, River. I promise, if my friends don't like you, then there's something severely wrong with them." He spoke softly, taking my hand in his and kissing my knuckles. As sweet as that was, it didn't soothe my ongoing anxiety. I focused on the scenery instead, letting Asra's folksy music drown my thoughts.

About an hour passed before we made it to the heart of Vesuvia. It was stunning. Buildings and people were everywhere, you didn't need to drive much, and you could walk to everything. There were apartment buildings, an inner city college campus, restaurants, bars, and sports stadiums, everything imaginable was there. It was impressive. It was an extreme turn from the country, farm life I had before. It was beautiful. I took a moment before turning to Asra.

"You don't see the stars much here, I bet," I spoke in an almost whisper.

"No, we won't see many from the shop but, the beach isn't far! It's about a thirty-minute walk from the shop." He smiled reassuringly. He was smiling ever so widely once he saw the sign. It was clear he missed his home. I would miss something as beautiful as this. Asra ruffled my hair as we pulled into a parking spot behind the shop. It was larger than I had suspected, definitely big enough to be an Ulta or Sephora. Asra hopped out of the car, he quickly made sure to check on Faust, grabbed her, and waited for me. I chuckled and shook my head as the ball python made her way around his arm, to Asra's neck to sit like his own personal scarf. I crawled out of the car, stretching my limbs before joining Asra. I hadn't noticed what he was wearing until now. He was in a white tunic, shaped more like a loose tank top. He was wearing lilac harem pants with matching white and purple checkered vans. We entered the shop through the front entrance. Asra was mailed the key a few days before we packed everything. Asra drew a deep breath as he looked around the space. The only thing within the space was an old welcome mat that only said "elco". Asra made his way to a door in the very back of the shop. Upon opening it, we were met with stairs. They led up to a very clean and furnished apartment. The view from the balcony was stunning. Well, it was in my opinion. You could see the city street right in front of you and to the left you could see the horizon line and smell the sea salt emanating from the ocean. It was amazing. I had only been to the beach once or twice on vacation, so I knew I'd be visiting it often. Asra joined me on the balcony, putting a warm hand on my back. I stood to smile at him.