I looked down at the card box again. Inside, the top card caught my attention.
The Fool. Compared to the others, it looked newer… cleaner. If this thing had answers, it was the only lead I had.
I didn't need to believe the rules—I just needed to test them.
"…Let's see."
I bit my finger. A small bead of blood formed at the tip of my finger.
Aron immediately reacted.
"Mr. Zekai, what are you doing?! No—blood!"
I ignored him and let the drop fall onto The Fool.
Nothing happened. For a second… nothing.
The throne hall remained quiet. For a moment, I almost laughed.
"Great," I muttered. "Worthless."
I flicked the card away casually.
It stopped mid-air.
I froze.
The card hung there for a fraction of a second, suspended as if gravity had reconsidered its decision. Then everything snapped back.
It was already back in my hand.
It wasn't flying back. It wasn't falling.
It was simply there—
without movement, without a path.
I blinked.
"…What?"
"Hey Aron… did you see that? The card stopped in the air."
He frowned.
"No. It's been in your hand the whole time."
I stared at him.
What was he talking about? I had just thrown it.
I threw it again.
Same result.
The card appeared back in my palm.
My eyes didn't leave the card.
"Okay…" I said slowly. "That's enough. Probably just an illusion."
"Mr. Zekai… you've been standing here talking to yourself."
"You haven't moved at all…
you're just holding the card—
your eyes are closed."
He shook me.
"Wake up… Mr. Zekai."
I tried to drop it.
My hand wouldn't open—no matter how hard I tried.
The card didn't feel stuck. It felt… integrated.
The skin beneath it burned—not painfully, but intensely, like circulation returning after being cut off for too long.
My breathing hitched—once—then refused to steady.
"Hey—no. No, no—"
I grabbed my wrist with my other hand and tried to pull it away.
"Get off… let go!"
The card pulsed.
A dark red liquid spread across its surface. It didn't drip—it moved, slowly and deliberately. The color spread across the card—then into the air itself, spreading outward in thin veins that crawled across the walls and ceiling like ink searching for boundaries.
The temperature dropped instantly.
The throne hall dimmed.
Within seconds, the entire space was covered.
I turned toward Aron.
He was frozen in place—completely still.
Even his breathing stopped, like time had stopped recognizing him.
"Hey Aron… wake up."
He didn't respond.
The card vanished.
Just like that.
I stepped back.
The air felt different—sealed.
Like the hall had sealed itself.
I took a breath, but the air felt thinner than before. My hands started shaking before I even realized it.
Something moved behind me.
Not human.
Before I could react—
Something cold—black hands—covered my eyes.
"WHO THE—!"
My heartbeat skipped—hard.
Then everything broke.
The world didn't break.
It shattered.
Images flooded my mind.
A tall building. A man standing at the edge. His face wouldn't stay clear—
every time I tried to focus, it shifted.
Below him—bodies.
Dozens. Maybe more.
The smell came next.
Metallic. Heavy. Blood.
The man smiled. Not proudly. As if recognizing something.
The man wasn't horrified. He looked… relieved.
Not relief from victory. Relief—like something had finally ended.
A faint scream echoed from below, distant but real.
In his hand— The Fool card.
The air felt thick. Hard to breathe.
I screamed.
Understanding came too late—
and it didn't help.
This wasn't a test.
It was acceptance.
And now it was complete.
My body jerked violently. The floor vanished beneath me.
I wasn't falling. I was being pulled.
The last thing I felt was the ground disappearing.
My vision fractured— then the world folded inward—collapsing into a single point—
then dissolving into white.
White.
I couldn't tell if my eyes were open or closed. My balance collapsed as my feet searched for ground that didn't exist.
The white had no direction. No source. No depth.
It simply existed.
I forced myself to breathe.
"Okay… think."
My voice sounded thin… distant.
Sound didn't travel—it stayed where it was spoken.
There was no horizon. No ceiling. No ground I could trust. It felt like the concept of distance itself had been removed.
Like direction no longer mattered.
I stretched my hand forward.
Nothing resisted.
It felt like touching emptiness.
"This isn't real."
But saying it didn't help.
I stepped forward carefully.
My foot found resistance—not solid ground, but enough to support my weight.
"…good."
At least something responded.
Then shapes began to form.
Slowly.
Like something deciding to exist.
Statues.
But I didn't need to count.
"...Twenty-one."
They stood in a wide circle around me, tall and incomplete. Their faces were unfinished. Their limbs half-formed.
Not broken.
Left incomplete… intentionally.
Some of them weren't standing straight—
like they had stopped mid-movement.
All of them faced inward.
Toward me.
A chill ran down my spine.
They had no eyes—yet I felt watched.
Not curiosity. Recognition.
"What the hell is this place?"
No answer.
Then— a voice.
"Hey, fool."
I froze.
I turned—nothing.
Only white.
Endless. Directionless.
"…Not funny."
"Hey, fool."
The voice came again.
Further away.
The space shifted—not physically, but in perception. White smoke spread across the distance.
At the edge of it—
a figure.
Far away.
Just a silhouette.
Too far to see clearly.
My body stopped trying to understand it.
Because something deeper—
recognized it first.
Something about it felt wrong.
"Who are you?"
No answer.
The figure vanished.
My stomach dropped.
"Looking for me?"
The voice came again.
Closer.
I turned—nothing.
"Over here."
I spun again.
The silhouette stood in another direction.
Still far. Still unclear.
Every time I tried to focus, it shifted.
Like clarity was being denied.
"Who the hell are you?"
The silhouette tilted its head slightly.
Then disappeared.
Laughter followed.
Not loud. Not echoing.
Just… everywhere.
I clenched my jaw.
This wasn't random.
Then more figures appeared.
One appeared close enough that I almost reached it—
and it was gone before I could blink.
One. Then another.
Then several.
All around me.
Same shape.
Different positions.
Watching.
I stepped back.
Then one appeared closer.
Another.
Distance collapsed.
I ran.
It didn't matter.
They didn't chase me.
They appeared in front of me.
Blocking.
Watching.
Every time I tried to focus—
it shifted before I could see it clearly.
"This place… doesn't follow distance."
The moment I realized it— everything stopped.
My body froze.
I couldn't move.
Something unseen pressed down—
absolute and undeniable.
My knees hit the ground before I even realized I had fallen.
I resisted.
Not physically.
Something deeper.
I had never knelt to anyone.
The thought surfaced without pride, without rebellion.
Just fact.
But the pressure didn't care.
The space had already decided for me.
The figures vanished.
All of them.
Only one remained.
The pressure shifted. Focused.
The white smoke parted.
Footsteps approached.
A tall figure stepped out.
The white space didn't move when he stepped forward—it adjusted.
His bare feet hovered just above the ground. A pale coat hung loosely from his frame, stitched with faint gold thread. A worn satchel rested at his side. His pale hair moved softly.
At the center of his chest—a white flower grew.
Not attached. Growing from him.
He stopped in front of me.
His shadow lagged behind him—like it didn't belong.
He tilted his head. Studied me.
Then smiled.
Not kind. Not cruel.
Amused.
Like the result had already been decided.
"…You."
He spoke softly.
"You finally arrived."
As if this had never been a choice.
As if I had always been expected.
The white space stayed silent.
The outcome had already been decided.
✦ End of Chapter 5 — The Vision ✦