Beyond the Eternity

I followed behind the High Priestess, Moon Jiyeon, who was clad in all black with a veil, ducking slightly to enter the low tent set up near the station.

The interior of the tent was shrouded in extreme darkness, with only a few beams of light filtering through, which casted faint glows on a table cluttered with scattered paper cards.

With no wasted movement, Moon Jiyeon went around to the table, sat on the opposite end and lit up a candle. She didn't seem like she was affected by the darkness.

Speaking of which, it suddenly occurred to me that players had long transcended the territory of humans. As long as they kept advancing through higher sequences, they would inevitably evolve Infinitely and become unrecognisable from humanity—provided they possessed the necessary amount of coins.

What if the place was shrouded in darkness? Did one truly need sight when their senses were so finely tuned?

Therefore, was there any need for me to be surprised?

"Have a seat."

She gestured toward the seat across from her. I sat down silently, with my eyes scanning the deck. As expected, the cards were tarot cards with familiar names such as The Fool, The Magician, and The Emperor along with many others.

I turned my gaze toward the woman embodying the High Priestess and asked, "So you use tarot cards? Is it because of the High Priestess Arcana?"

"Are you surprised? Tarot cards were originally used for divination, after all. The High Priestess, in particular, represents an Arcana of Knowledge and Hidden Mysteries. Divination is simply the art of predicting future events and occurrences by gathering enough data and information. You might even call it a science of intuition. A way to uncover what lies beneath the surface."

"So it's an Arcana of Science?"

"You could call it that, but I won't go into further detail. Time is of the essence."

I pretended to be clueless, but I already knew everything about the High Priestess Arcana.

The High Priestess Arcana granted mastery over the natural world and the art of crafting, allowing its user to instantly learn and remember anything they saw, down to the smallest detail. Simply put, it transformed the user into a human scanner of sorts. More importantly, the Arcana also endowed the user with the hidden ability to forge any type of weapon using their spirit power. Of course, the hidden effect can only be used a limited number of times.

If you combine two abilities along with foresight, you would have a walking nuclear bomb. A truly formidable opponent.

With the exception of the Fool's Restoration, the World's Creation, and the Black Emperor's Command, the High Priestess was the best card one could choose.

Considering my skills and knowledge of Song of Nightmares, It was the perfect card for Kim Jakga.

Why was I stuck with one good card as my only choice?

I was really unlucky.

Before my envy could take hold, Moon Jiyeon gathered all the cards, stacking them neatly into a deck and sliding it toward me. I looked at it, confused. For some reason, she had given me the deck.

Unable to hold back my curiosity, I asked, "Why are you handing them to me?"

She gave me a wry smile. "Why do you think? You're the one who's going to shuffle them, of course."

"You want me to shuffle the cards?"

Her smile deepened as she replied, "I'm just the reader. Only you have the power to open your destiny."

I fell silent.

Open my destiny with my own hands? Looking at it logically, her words were perfectly reasonable. She seemed to have the experience to back it up, so it made sense to heed the advice of someone more seasoned.

I hesitated, my gaze lingering on the cards for a moment before I finally reached out to cut the deck.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, the High Priestess spoke up. "Oh, I nearly forgot to ask, which would you like to ask about: your past, present, or future?"

"Can I ask about more than one?"

"Of course, you can inquire about all three if you wish."

"No buts?" I raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me this is one of those deals where you charge more for additional questions?"

It was a cliché I had encountered so many times that it had become utterly repulsive.

Despite my skepticism, the High Priestess calmly shook her head, dispelling my doubts. "Don't worry," she said. "As I mentioned earlier, I don't charge for my services. Now, please shuffle the cards while focusing on the three things you wish to see. The answers will reveal themselves once you begin to concentrate on them."

"I'll try then."

With her words in mind, I grasped the deck with both hands, shuffling it skillfully before neatly placing it back on the table.

"Done. Is there anything else?"

"No. This should be enough."

The High Priestess stretched forth her right hand, drew the top card from the deck, and placed it on the table to my left. She said, "This card represents your past."

She drew another card and placed at the middle, directly infront of me. "This card represents your present."

Finally, she drew the last card and placed at my right. "This card represents your future."

Left, Middle and Right.

The cards were laid out, each representing a different time in the history and stories of Kim Jakga.

Moon Jiyeon looked up after placing the cards in alignment with the flow of time and asked calmly, "Now that it's done, which one will you choose first?"

"Hmm... I'm not in a rush, so let's begin with the one on the left."

"Alright. Very well."

She nodded and flipped the card on the left. The character depicted was a horned demon with bat-like wings, seated in a commanding posture and exuding an aura of dominance, with two servants standing beside it. The card was numbered "15."

"The Devil." Moon Jiyeon read the card with a calm voice and unreasonable expression.

"The Devil card? The card of indulgence? Why this one? And how does it represent my past?"

"Don't be alarmed. The Devil card often reflects the past of many. While no one is without their flaws, it also signifies stagnation and unresolved trauma. Have you ever experienced a deep regret or been burdened by past trauma?"

[Many constellations are interested by your story.]

Damn. I forgot the constellations were still watching.

In any case, I responded, "Not really. I've lived a pretty ordinary life. Of course, I wouldn't claim to be a saint or say I've been without sin, but there's nothing in my past that I regret doing."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. But there was a time in highschool when I broke someone's nose, but I don't regret it. In fact, if the situation arose again, I'd do it without hesitation."

Needless to say, the person in question was Kim Minhyuk.

Ugh... Just thinking about it made my blood boil.

"I see. It seems your childhood was... quite eventful."

"Actually, no. Other than that, the only significant event was the death of my mother. So, yeah, I guess you could say my life was pretty unremarkable."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

I shrugged. "It's fine. She passed a long time ago. Anyway, let's move on to the middle card."

Moon Jiyeon nodded and flipped over the card in front of me.

The second card depicted a colourfully dressed young man standing at the edge of a cliff, with a stick slung over his shoulder with a bindle hanging from it. A small dog playfully accompanied him. It was numbered "0."

I immediately recognized it. Coincidentally enough, I had something similar to the card infront of me. Continue your journey on m|v-l'e -NovelBin.net

"The Fool?" I murmured.

The High Priestess nodded. "Do you know the symbolic meaning of this card?"

"Yes. The Fool, card number 0, represents new beginnings filled of infinite possibilities. I did some research on Tarot cards sometime ago."

"Good. So do I need to explain what this card says about your present?"

"Not necessarily. I already have a pretty good idea of what this card signifies about my present."

Considering that I possessed the Joker Arcana, which was the embodiment of the Fool, deciphering the card's meaning wasn't difficult. But I wasn't even a casual tarot enthusiast, so I could only make a rough interpretation based on my own understanding.

"Let's see the last card."

With that, Moon Jiyeon flipped the third card on the right, preparing for the final part of the divination.

I started at the final tarot card.

The third card depicted a regal female character, a queen adorned in an opulent gown and crowned with a majestic diadem. She held a scepter in one hand and a shield in the other, sitting confidently upon a throne, exuding an aura of power and authority. It was numbered "3."

What was this? The Empress was my future?

[Some of the constellations are confused.]

[Some constellations are questioning the fortune teller's credibility.]

The High Priestess studied the card for a moment before saying, "The Empress. She represents fertility, beauty, nurturing, and abundance, symbolizing the power of creation and dominion over the natural world. The scepter embodies her authority, while the shield signifies protection. And then…"

I interrupted her before she could continue further.

"Wait, hold on a minute. I understand that the Empress represents the authority that comes with rulership. But what exactly does it has to do with my future?"

"Why ask if you already know the answer? The Empress signifies kinship and authority, meaning you might become a king or someone of high status in the future."

"I already know that much. I'm asking, why the Empress instead of the Emperor? Wouldn't it make more sense for me to receive the Emperor? Are you sure you didn't make a mistake?"

My words wiped the smile from the High Priestess' face, with her brows furrowing for just an instant before she forced it back. The corners of her lips twisted, as though she'd suddenly remembered to keep smiling.

"My divination is always accurate. You haven't questioned it until now, have you? If you're uncertain, feel free to reshuffle and cut the deck again."

Her voice was calm, yet there was a steely edge beneath her words that was hard to ignore.

Was she truly that confident in her capabilities as a fortune reader? I guess even the High Priestess would be prideful of her abilities.

It wouldn't be wise to keep testing her patience. She might just start charging me for her services. I sighed. "There's no need for a redo."

"Don't focus on the tarot cards themselves, but on what they represent. If you look at things from a different perspective, you may find your answer."

"I see. If I'm the only one who can open my destiny, then I'm the only one who can read it. Is that correct?"

The High Priestess only smiled. Was this one of those scenarios that I had to figure out on my own?

In that case, let's start from the beginning.

The Devil "

15

", The Fool "

0

", and The Empress "

3

."

No matter how you sliced at it, the Tarot cards were just tools of divination, meaning they simply used provided information and data to predict the future unlike the direct approach of true foresight.

The Devil symbolized indulgence, the Fool represented new beginnings, and the Empress embodied authority.

The Devil represented the past of Kim Jakga, the Fool represented the present of Kim Jakga and the Empress represented the future of Kim Jakga. While the first two were straightforward enough, the Empress was a bit harder to grasp. How exactly did the Empress signify my future?

Sure, it was simple to conclude that I might gain some high status. But was that really all?

There was also the fact that I drew the Empress, not the Emperor. While both cards represented authority, the Emperor's meaning was far more straightforward.

A woman could become a king, but could a man ever become a queen?

Of course not. Such a scenario had never occurred in the history of humanity. Besides, just because I drew the Empress didn't mean I was destined to become one. This could only mean that someone symbolizing the Empress was somehow tied to my future.

The Question was who.

... Wait, someone representing the Empress? Was it possible

"Moon Jiyeon-nim!"

Before I could ponder further, someone rushed into the tent, with a sense of urgency as he looked at Moon Jiyeon. "They're looking for you."

"Wait, don't tell me—it's time already?"

"They started the meeting early."

"Tch. What's the rush? Can't they hold back their greed?" Moon Jiyeon groaned.

From their interaction, I roughly understood the situation. It seems those people were becoming impatient.

Moon Jiyeon turned to me with a mysterious smile. "It seems we'll have to cut our session short. The other kings of Seoul are waiting for us."

It was time to decide the fate of Seoul.