The carriage wheels clicked against the stone pavement as they rode in silence. Rain began to fall, a gentle drizzle adding its own ambience, while the sun started to rise once more.
Its light revealed the silhouette of a massive castle in the distance, constructed entirely of stone, painted in shades of black and gray. Large diamond-shaped gold inlays, resembling stars, framed a giant emblem of a crescent moon at the center of the fortress.
As the carriage neared the black steel gates, the guards riding along jumped down and exchanged words with those stationed at the entrance. Almost immediately, the gates opened with a heavy creak.
The pink hue faded from Deimos' eyes as he snapped out of his trance.
"What... happened?" he murmured.
Amelia looked over. "Hey, are you alright?"
"Amelia? Y-yeah, I'm fine, but..." He glanced around the moving carriage. "Where am I?"
She gave him a puzzled look. "You don't remember what happened?"
Deimos shook his head. "All I remember is we killed the dragon. Then some reinforcements showed up and... I passed out."
"Passed out? No. You lost it and tried to attack the Prince of Dol Marne." She pointed at the chains wrapped around his arms. "So we had to detain you. We're arriving at the castle now. They're going to put you in a holding cell."
"A holding cell?" Deimos echoed, staring at the chains, then at Amelia, concern rising in his voice.
She sighed. "Yeah. Looks like you're going to be triedâby the Queen herself."
The castle gates fully opened as the carriage crossed into the inner grounds.
The entrance was regal, lit by numerous chandeliers hanging above. The rough stone road had given way to a polished golden path, like something out of a theme park's main attraction.
I... don't remember any of that. Did I really lose control like that? Deimos thought. A tingling sensation from the pink vein on his neck made him roll it slightly to ease the irritation.
"Deimos, your eyes... they were glowing pink, like back at the hospital when you got attacked by those Macabre," Amelia said. "Maybe you've been cursed? Macabre are known for that kind of thing."
He shook his head. "I doubt it, but I wouldn't rule it out. My white flames burn away any poison, curse, or illusion that touches my soul. If something actually took hold... then it must've been cast by a powerful witch or mage. Someone stronger than me."
"I see. Even so, I'll try to get a Soul Weaver to examine your Soul Core. Maybe they can figure out what's going on," she said with a faint smile.
The carriage came to a slow halt at a broad, paved area before the castle's main entrance. The driver dismounted and moved to tend to the horses. Amelia stood.
"Let's go."
Deimos nodded and followed her out.
They stepped into the castle and were immediately struck by a rush of cold air so sharp it made their hair sway. Dozens of maids rushed in and out of rooms, up and down the grand staircase, all carrying cleaning supplies. The floors gleamed, the walls were immaculate, and the servants moved with practiced urgency.
But as soon as Deimos enteredâAmelia clutching his arm, four guards trailing behindâeverything stopped. Conversations halted. Eyes locked on him.
Amelia led him toward a lone door tucked in the corner of the entry hall. Murmurs rose from the maids around them. She opened the door, revealing a dark stone staircase spiraling downward into shadow.
She tapped his shoulder, signaling him to go.
This is bad. Prison's the last thing I need. I need to find Lirael and save her, Deimos thought, stepping onto the narrow stairway. Should I just make a run for it?
At the base, a dimly lit cellar opened up, long and lined with empty cells. The air was damp, thick with the scent of mold and metal. Amelia raised a hand, and the following guards stopped in place without a word.
She walked beside him as they moved deeper into the holding chambers.
"So, what happens if I'm found guilty?" Deimos asked.
Amelia blinked. "In a case like this, it's not about if. It's when. Any attack against the royal family ends in immediate execution."
Deimos swallowed hard. "W-wait, they're going to kill me?"
His voice echoed through the empty corridor. They passed a large cellâfar larger than the rest. The bars were twice as thick, stained with rust and something darker. The air near it reeked of blood. Scratch and claw marks covered the stone walls inside, and a shredded mattress sat crumpled in the corner.
Amelia paused in front of a smaller cell just past it.
"Between us," she murmured, "I doubt it. The Queen seems... infatuated with you."
"Huh? Why?" Deimos asked as Amelia gently pushed him into the cell.
"If I had to guess, it's the same reason the rest of us respect you, Tarot of the Sun. Especially the Queen. Because she..."
She shut the door and locked it.
"...is the Tarot of the Moon."
The Queen of this country is... a Tarot? Deimos thought.
"I'm going to alert the Queen of your arrival," Amelia said. "But judging by how everyone reacted to seeing you, she probably already knows."
"How long am I going to be held here before I'm tried?" Deimos asked.
"Shouldn't be long at all," Amelia replied. "Just sit tight. I'll find that Soul Weaver, see if she can run scans on your Soul Core."
Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.
A swirl of smoke coiled around her fingers. Two of the guards from earlier appeared in front of Deimos' cell.
"Watch him. I'll be back," she ordered.
"Understood," one guard replied. Amelia vanished in smoke.
The two guards glanced at Deimos, then turned their backs, standing silently.
Deimos sighed. "What a waste of time," he muttered.
Though... I am curious. Who exactly is this Queen? And why is she a 'queen' at all if she's a Tarot?
What purpose could justify a Tarot becoming ruler of an empire?
And Tarots can't reproduce. So how does she have a daughter and son?
His thoughts froze as the sound of light footsteps echoed down the hallâheels clicking steadily against stone.
The guards turned, confused. "Who are you?" one asked.
"IâI'm a Soul Weaver from Hawthorn," came a voice. "General Amelia summoned me to scan Deimos' Soul Core."
Deimos' eyes narrowed. "That voice... it sounds familiar."
"What's with the box in your hands?" the other guard asked.
"Oh, this? Just a device I use to get a more detailed readout on the nature of his Soul," she replied.
The guards exchanged a glance. "Alright, but no funny business. We're watching you."
"Of course not!" she said, stepping into view.
Revealing none other than Birgitta.
"It's you!" Deimos said as the cell door opened. "Thank the goddess you're okay..."
Birgitta giggled. "Nice to see you too, Deimos."
"What're you doing here? Elizabeth really wasn't lying when she said you were the only Soul Weaver in the area."
"Ehhhâwhy are you saying that like it's a bad thing?!" she said, flustered.
"N-no, I didn't mean it like that. Just... surprised to see you."
"Hmph. Well, when Amelia visited the hospital before the festival, I told her I wanted to scan your soul. I've never done one on a Tarot before."
"She must've remembered, because she came back and brought me here," she added, blushing. "I'm kind of nervous. I've never been inside the royal castle before, and now I'm scanning a Tarot of all things."
She sat on the bed in the corner of the cell, placing a small metal box beside her and began adjusting it.
"I see. So you know what happened," Deimos said.
Birgitta nodded. "I do. Elizabeth told me she saw the whole thing while she was being carried off. I knew those glowing pink eyes weren't a good sign."
She patted the space beside her. "Come sit."
Deimos stepped over and sat next to her as she continued working on the box.
"What is that?" he asked.
"I'm glad you asked. It's something I've been building. I call it the Soul Core Diagnostic." She smiled. "While I'm scanning your soul, this will log, transfer, and print out all your soul's traits in real-time."
"That's... impressive. How'd you come up with that?"
"My older brother lives on the Fifth Layer. Up there, people use machines called consoles to play something called video games. He's addicted to them. I remember watching him as a kidâhe'd always pull up these stat sheets that showed all his characters' data and gear."
"That sounds amazing," Deimos muttered. "Waitâso if you're originally from the Fifth Layer, why come down here?"
"Business opportunities," Birgitta said. "Up there, everyone's so advanced they'd never waste time printing out Soul Core traits. They've got better tools. But here... here I can sell, refine, and fund my work properly."
The box beeped softly as it powered on. "There we go," Birgitta said, standing from the bed. "I need you to lay down."
"Oâokay," Deimos muttered, lying down fully on the bed.
Birgitta stood over him, her fingers glowing with bright turquoise energy. Tendrils, almost like strings, emitted from her hands. One tendril entered the box, causing it to glow the same color, while the others began to circle around Deimos' body.
"This might tickle a bit," Birgitta warned, as the tendrils phased through Deimos, reaching deep into his Soul Core.
Her irises shimmered turquoise as the tendrils wrapped around his soul. Deimos watched in silence, his breath steady, though a growing unease formed within him. A beep came from the diagnostic machine, and a sheet began to slowly print out the data of his Soul Core.
"Your Soul Core..." Birgitta murmured.
Huh... is something wrong after all?
"It's beautiful," she continued, her voice tinged with awe as she observed the glowing white snowglobe-like core, with white plasma trailing around it like wisps of light.
Deimos blushed, unsure of how to respond. The beeping from the device stopped as the sheet finished printing.
"Alright, I think that's itâlet me justâ" Birgitta paused, retracting the tendrils from his Soul Core.
But as she did, her eyes caught a glowing pink crack on the side of the orb.
"Huhâwhat's that?" she murmured.
"What's what?" Deimos asked, his curiosity piqued.
Birgitta tensed. She moved the tendrils back to inspect the fissure. As soon as one touched the crack, Deimos' muscles locked, his eyes flickering pink.
A dark gray liquid smoke began to seep from the crack, quickly engulfing the light from the core, casting the area into a suffocating darkness.
"What's happening?" Birgitta panicked, stepping back as something brushed past her shoulder with a laugh.
She spun, only to see the glowing tendrils from her hands being pulled upward, disappearing into the mass of darkness.
The darkness coalesced into a figureâa woman with magenta-hazed eyes, a mischievous smile on her face as she held the tendrils between her fingers.
"What is that?" Birgitta whispered, her voice filled with dread.
The woman spoke with a mocking tone, "Sorry, he already has a house sitter."
She laughed, severing the tendrils with a flick of her nails and plucking Birgitta out of Deimos' Soulspace. "Your services aren't needed, bye."
Birgitta was flung backward, crashing to the floor. She groaned in pain as the glowing tendrils dissipated.
Deimos shot up immediately, rushing to her.
"Birgitta!" he called out, concern in his voice.
The guards, hearing the commotion, turned to face them. "Hey, what's going on in there, you two?"
"There's somethingâsomeone living inside of you..." Birgitta gasped, still catching her breath.
"What? What do you mean?" Deimos asked urgently as Birgitta stood up, trying to maintain her composure, rubbing goosebumps from her arm.
"You're not just cursed," she said, her voice heavy with realization. "Whatever cursed you... it's alive. It's gained sentience."
She walked over to the diagnostic paper on the bed, examining it closely.
"It's living inside your Soul Core, growing like a plant. I've never seen anything like it." She picked up the sheet, her face tight with concern.
Deimos stood frozen. "Then... how do I get rid of it?"
Birgitta shook her head. "I'm... not sure." She studied the diagnostic more closely, scanning over the error-ridden areas. "Even on the diagnostic, there are a lot of gray areas. I'm almost certain these errors are caused by the curse."
She handed the sheet to Deimos, a solemn expression on her face.
Deimos glanced over the sheet, his heart sinking.
[Soul Core Diagnostic v0.5 â ALPHA]
Core Type: Unique!Core
Core Stability: [N/A]
Soul Polarity: Preservation
Path Alignment: Concord
Depth Rating: [N/A]
Friction: Negligible
"Sorry if it's not much, I'm still working on new features," Birgitta said, standing beside him as they both studied the diagnostic. "Your Soul's Polarity and Path are perfectly aligned. No friction at all between themâthat's good."
Deimos's mind reeled. So, whatever cursed my soul has been living inside me... like a parasite. How can I be sure it was Eirene speaking to me earlier if my own Soul Core is compromised?
"Damnit," Deimos muttered. "I can't even trust myself anymore. If this is true, how can I trust my own thoughts? How do I know they're mine and not just the curse's?"
Birgitta stood there, disappointment clear in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Deimos. I'm not sure why your Soul's been cursed, or even what kind of curse it is."
She walked back to the box. "But please, let me use this device to study everything I've gathered. I'll work tirelessly to find a solution. I promise I'll become the greatest Soul Weaver Enmida has ever seen."
Deimos stared at Birgitta as she spoke with unwavering resolve. She seems so confident, even though she's never scanned a Tarot's soul before. She's determined to help me...
"Thank you, Birgitta," Deimos said, a soft smile tugging at his lips.
"For what?" she asked, genuinely confused.
"For having hope," Deimos replied. "Even though you're not sure how to approach the problem, you still want to tackle it. You're willing to help." He handed her back the diagnostic sheet. "If there's anything you need help with, I'll let you scan my core whenever. I want to help you achieve your goal."
Birgitta's face flushed. "Working alongside a Tarot? I must be dreaming," she stammered, her voice laced with disbelief.
The sound of footsteps interrupted them, catching both of them off guard.
Amelia stepped into view, flanked by three other guards, the two that had been posted outside Deimos' cell now accompanying her.
She unlocked the gate. "It's time for your trial, Tarot of the Sun."