Chapter 1 — The Fool

The marketplace was as lively as ever.

Merchants shouted over one another, children ran through the crowded streets, and travelers wandered from stall to stall in search of something worth buying.

Parzival sighed.

"...Nothing interesting."

His pouch held only a handful of coins.

Not enough for a decent meal.

Definitely not enough to buy a sword that wouldn't snap in half.

As he continued walking, a small wooden sign caught his attention.

Parzival stopped.

"...Tarot?"

Curious, he pushed aside the curtain and stepped inside.

The bustling noise outside disappeared instantly.

The room was dim, illuminated only by a few candles.

Across a wooden table sat an elderly fortune teller, quietly shuffling a worn deck of tarot cards.

Without looking up, she spoke.

"Ten silver."

Parzival blinked.

"...You're charging before I even sit down?"

"I charge for certainty."

"...That's expensive."

"It usually is."

After a brief hesitation, Parzival tossed ten silver coins onto the table.

The old woman nodded.

"Sit."

He did.

She finished shuffling the deck before placing every card face-down between them.

"Choose one."

"Any card?"

"Any card."

Parzival glanced across the deck.

His hand hovered for a moment before casually pulling the card from the very center.

"This one."

The old woman flipped it over.

《The Fool.》

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"The card of beginnings."

"It represents a traveler standing at the edge of an unknown path."

"Freedom."

"Potential."

"A journey without knowing what lies ahead."

Parzival chuckled.

"Sounds about right."

The old woman nodded.

"Now..."

"Your past."

She picked another card.

《The Hermit.》

"Hm..."

"It seems you've lived a rather lonely—"

She stopped.

"..."

The illustration on the card blurred.

The old man's lantern faded.

The ink shifted.

The image twisted into something else.

A traveler.

A white dog.

A cliff.

《The Fool.》

The old woman's expression froze.

"...?"

Parzival frowned.

"What happened?"

She didn't answer.

Instead, she immediately reached for the final card.

"Your future..."

She turned it over.

《Wheel of Fortune.》

"..."

A crack spread across the illustration.

The wheel slowly dissolved.

Its colors faded.

The ink crawled across the surface like flowing water.

Moments later...

《The Fool.》

Silence filled the room.

Three cards.

All identical.

The old woman's hand trembled ever so slightly.

Parzival laughed awkwardly.

"...Is that supposed to happen?"

No answer.

Without another word, the old woman grabbed the pouch of silver coins and shoved it back into his hands.

"Take it."

"...Huh?"

"Your reading is over."

"What?"

"Leave."

Parzival stared at her.

"I haven't even—"

"Leave."

Her voice was cold.

Far colder than before.

"...Now."

The atmosphere inside the tent had changed completely.

After a few seconds of silence, Parzival slowly stood.

"...Fine."

He slipped the coins back into his pocket and walked toward the exit.

Just before leaving, he glanced back.

The old woman hadn't moved.

She was still staring at the three identical cards.

The curtain fell shut behind him.

Silence.

The old woman remained motionless.

"...Impossible."

Her voice was barely a whisper.

"No..."

"...Something is wrong."

With trembling hands, she reached for the remaining deck.

"This has to be a mistake..."

She drew the top card.

The Fool.

Another.

The Fool.

Another.

The Fool.

Her breathing grew heavier.

She flipped another.

And another.

And another.

Every single card...

The Fool.

"...No..."

The deck slipped from her hands.

Cards scattered across the wooden floor.

She desperately searched through them.

Just one.

One card.

Anything.

Anything except—

The Fool.

Nothing.

Not a single card remained.

Seventy-eight cards.

Seventy-eight Fools.

The old woman's pupils shook.

"...Who..."

"...What..."

"...was that boy...?"

The candle on the table flickered once.

Then...

It went out.