Chapter 5: Cards of Fate

Upon opening my eyes I saw myself in a completely different place, in fact, I don't even know if I could call this a place or room I'm currently floating in space.

Yes, I'm not crazy or anything, neither I'm tired nor delusional too. All of this I'm seeing are a hundred percent real; from the stars far away, some floating rocks that are clearly made out of the same mineral as asteroids, and also the lack of gravity.

What's not normal is that I can perfectly breathe in space like there's oxygen here, also the fact that I'm not dead yet is proof that this isn't the ordinary space that I know of.

Also... "Can anyone hear me!* I shouted as loud as I can. Looks like I can also talk in this abnormal space for some reason, also I can hear my voice perfectly.

"What's happening?" I scratched my head and gritted my teeth, I'm almost in a panic but I'm doing my best to calm down. Heck, how the hell am I not even panicking? This isn't normal! Anyone in my situation would be panicking right now, but for some reason, I cannot.

It's not like I'm really doing my best to remain my composure, but even I, the son of the Andromeda family would panic in a situation like this! Something has got to be wrong with me, even if I hate to admit it I would be panicking right now, yet I'm not.

So something must've happened to me, like some kind of weird force stopping me from panicking, but what could it be?

"It's nice to meet you, chosen one."

I looked around to see where the voice came from, upon looking behind I saw a mysterious hooded girl, she appears to be about the same age as me, not only that but there's something odd about her.

I couldn't properly explain it, but going by feeling it feels like she's empty- like one empty shell found on a beach waiting for a host.

Also but when I look at her my heart starts to beat rapidly, not the kind of love but more of fear, when I stare at her it feels like my mind is panicking, and just feeling it feels awful.

It's making me crazy, it's like I'm experiencing a schizophrenic attack, of course, I don't know what that feels but basically, I'm currently feeling delusional right now.

"Come, take a seat." A table and two chairs appeared in front of us, in the middle of the table appears to be a full deck of cards. "Let's see what you are, chosen one."

I gulped and took her invitation, I sat nervously as I was sweating my ass off, not only that but being close to her is almost giving me a panic attack.

She grabbed the deck of cards and started shuffling it, she did the basic overhand shuffle, but after that, she did the riffle. She spread the cards in her hand like a fan and looked at me with curiosity. "Pick one, chosen one."

"Okay..." I looked at the cards, just getting a good look at them I noticed they weren't playing cards found in gambling, but instead they were tarot cards. I haven't seen one but when I read a book I knew that tarot cards were popular in the past.

From what I remember tarot is a form of cartomancy where the practitioner uses these cards to gain insight into the past, present, and the future, also from what I've read some people use tarot cards as some sort of guidance in life- kind of like therapy but with cards. Not only that but from what's mentioned in the book, it's also used to read one's personality.

So I wonder, what kind of reading will this girl do? Judging the deck of cards in her hand, I see that there are 22 cards on there.

Tarot has a total of 78 cards but it's divided into two groups. The first one is the major arcana which consists of 22 cards, so that means she has the major arcana on her hand, and the second minor arcana has the last 56 cards.

Good thing that she has the major arcana, because I've memorized the major arcana but not the minor, so naming them is easy.

Let's go by order, starting from 0 there's the Fool the main character of the major arcana. The other ones are the Magician, the High Priestess, the Empress, the Emperor, the Hierophant, the Lovers, the Chariot, Strength, the Hermit, the Wheel of Fortune, Justice, the Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, the Devil, the Tower, the Star, the Moon, the Sun, Judgement, and finally the World.

Those 22 cards are what make the major arcana, all those 22 cards are currently right in front of me, being held by a mysterious young girl.

Out of all those 22 cards, the one I wanted the most is the World or the Fool, mostly being I think those two suit a powerful and smart guy like me well.

"Okay, here goes." It took me for a second which card to select, but I decided to pick the 9th card in her hand, I pointed my finger at it and she grabbed it. She turned the card to her face and checked what it was.

She was in silence for a couple of seconds but after that awkward silence, she spoke. "You've attained something everyone feared and desired; sometimes a curse, sometimes a blessing, the power that the card that you chose has given you shall determine the fate of your well-being, fate of your loved ones, the fate of your home, and the fate of the entire Universe itself. Past, present, and future you shall see them, no matter the circumstances, whether good or bad you'll shall suffer the same fate as the touched ones. Chosen one, Andromeda Argus, you are the result of time itself, once again Andromeda Argus, you are chosen by the-"

"Hey, Argus!"

I almost jumped from the shock of Himiko shouting at me, I looked around me in confusion and saw that I was back at the creepy abandoned house.

"What happened to you? You look like you've seen a crime scene or something."

I checked myself and saw that I was out of breath, my chest hurts and my heart is panicking. "What was that..?" I covered my head with my palm and I noticed that my head was burning hot, and when I touched it that's when it started to come out.

The weird sensation of floating in empty space, talking to a mysterious girl, and accepting her invitation for reading in the tarot deck she was holding. "Wait, tarot... I wonder what I got?" Before she got to tell me what my card is Himiko disturbed me.

"Tarot? What are you talking about?" She asked, looking at me with suspicion. "Seriously, are you okay? When you held that book you suddenly froze from your thoughts, did you perhaps figure something out?"

"Nah..." I replied with a diminished voice.

"Hoy, something is really weird with you. Just tell me what happened." Himiko touched my shoulder and suddenly both of us felt a jolt of electricity shocking us.

"What was that? Hoy, Argus did you feel-" She stopped, upon seeing my face she was speechless.

From her perspective, it's like seeing my soul being sucked by death itself, I was making a face filled with a shock like I've seen the face of God.

For her, it's like seeing me having some sort of panic attack, but for me it was different.

I saw something, like a different world from ours. It was like a dream yet it was reachable, all around me were flames.

Hot burning flames that can melt the skin of anyone it touches like melting ice cream, ruins of fallen buildings were scattered around, and thousands of people were lifeless around what looked like hell.

Looking at this I knew where I was, just from the road some signs of the buildings I knew that this was my hometown. I could never mistake it for some other place, this right here, the one I'm standing on is truly my hometown.

What the hell happened here?

"Just leave me..."

I looked to see where the voice come from, and behind me were two people. As they got closer to me I knew that these two were Himiko and Gareth.

When I looked closely I was shocked to see their condition, Himiko has a few burns but she was still toughening it out while Gareth was badly hurt, his right hand was missing and from the look of his now pale skin, he was about to do from blood loss.

Himiko was carrying him on her shoulder with his left arm.

"Shut up! We will make it! I promise you we will make it! So hang in there and shut-" The two tripped which caused Himiko to be more frustrated. "Sh*t! Why now!"

She stood up and pulled Gareth. "Come on stand up idiot!" She tried to put his arm on her neck to carry her, but Gareth protested and pushed her with all of the strength he has left in his left arm.

Himiko fell in shock but she wasn't surprised, she knew that Gareth has no time left, knowing the city full well she knew there was no way to save Gareth now. The outskirts of the city are still far from where they were and waiting for rescue would only mean her death.

Knowing this full well she started crying, she started punching the ground in frustration to the point her fist started bleeding. "Why?! Why?! Why?! Why Gareth?! Why won't you stand up?! Argus is waiting for us, and both of us promised him that we would meet him again! So stand up now!"

Gareth just smiled, tears were falling in his eyes too. "Don't be stupid... Can't you see? I don't have any time left, so go... Before the monster catch up."

"No! I'm not gonna lose you!" She rebelled, her head were on the ground pleading for him. "Please... Come with me... I don't want to lose anyone anymore... First Arisu, now you? I don't want to see my best friends gone..."

"And I don't want to see you gone too... You really think that Arisu would want you to die pathetically? Arisu without knowing if the three of us are safe, so waiting here would only make her was Himiko..."

"Bu-but!"

"Please just go, thinking about a friend of mine suffering because of me is painful to bear, and if you die here too who'll take care of Argus? Both of us knows that he's the most emotionally weak out of all for of us and him witnessing Arisu's death has taken a toll on his mentality, so I beg of you be there for him..."

Himiko wiped her tears and stood up from the ground, she wanted to take Gareth with her but she knew what Gareth said was right, so she ran and left him there lying on the ground.

Gareth smiled seeing that he wouldn't finally drag Himiko down, knowing that she would be safe he whispered. "Argus... Himiko... Please don't forget Arisu and me..." And slowly he closed his eyes.

Seeing this made me freeze, I was speechless from what I've seen. "What is this..? Wh-what does this mean?" I walked slowly toward Gareth but as soon I took a single step everything started to change.

The place has changed from my city burning on the ground to now what seems to be a small apartment.

There were things here that I don't know of, especially the gadgets and machinery found in this apartment.

I walked around to investigate and saw a picture frame on the desk, on the frame were a photo of me, Himiko, Arisu, and Gareth when we were having fun on the Maldives.

Looking at the photo now I let out a smile just thinking about the fun memories the four of us had there. "I wish we can go there again."

Creak. The door opened and a beautiful women came, from her appearance she looks to be about 17 or 18 years old, but what makes it shocking is that this young lady was Himiko all grown up.

She was wearing what seems to be a school uniform, the uniform of the Kingsman College in fact. She walked toward the table, not seeing me here and grabbed the portrait of the four of us.

Himiko was smiling at our portrait, yet there was a hint of sadness on her face, she started buying her lips and clenching her fist. "Why... Why am I the only one left? Why am I alone? I want to be with all of you..." She whispered.

Seeing this made me realize something... What the hell is going on here?