#118 Arcana Cards: Tools from the Northern God
Arcana Cards were tools prepared by the Northern God for his believers. The Northern God Hrun Dahl bestowed gifts equally upon all his followers, but the types varied from person to person. Depending on the life one had lived, the kinds of cards they could wield differed.
"Oh... impressive. You've received quite a few cards."
As Ian spoke about the cards bestowed upon him, Phaira muttered in a voice laced with admiration. Which cards to grant depended on Hrun Dahl's whim. However, it was widely accepted as fact that the more experience and talent one had, the more cards they received.
'Gathering eight cards at an age not even twenty...' Phaira thought, gazing at Ian.
Talent was relative. Generally, when someone achieved feats beyond their years, they were called a genius. But talent wasn't fixed; it could deplete or mutate over time.
Throughout history, there had been several shamans who accomplished as much as Ian at his age. And not all of them became great shamans. There were plenty of dropouts along the way.
But...
'With achievements like that... he'll surely collect all the cards.'
Conversely, that meant some of them had become great shamans.
"You could become the Master of Keys."
"What?"
Ian didn't understand the old Northern tongue. So Phaira kindly translated it into ancient Imperial for him.
"The one who becomes Master of Keys. Called 'Lemegeton' in the Golden Empire tongue. The shaman your Imperials fear most."
Northern shamans viewed sorcery as akin to keys. Keys that connected unlinked places, that made impossible rules possible. Those who gathered all the Arcana Cards were called the Master of Keys.
The ancient Golden Empire folk recorded such shamans as Lemegeton.
"Lemegeton!"
Takarion, who had been listening nearby, yelped in surprise.
Ian caught on quick. This Ten-Virtue Heavenly Faith otaku knows something!
"What's Lemegeton?"
"In the Gospel... like the arch-enemy of the saints? A freak who summons demons and mocks nature..."
In short, Lemegeton—the greatest Northern shaman—was the arch-nemesis who popped up often in the Heavenly Faith Gospel as the saints' foe.
It wasn't odd for the top Northern shaman to be the Heavenly Faith saints' nemesis. It fit the worldview perfectly, made for a solid opponent in fights, and was an ideal villain spot! Just like how China or Russia played the bad guys in American movies.
"Summoning demons? That's ridiculous."
Phaira was dumbfounded by Takarion's "lore."
Demons were evil beings, naturally wieldable only by equally evil humans. Just look at the manticores—monsters bundled with malice toward humanity. Handling evil beasts like that was already a nightmare. How utterly deranged would you have to be to command demons, which were even more wicked?
The Master of Keys was a sage who mastered the world's principles, not some psycho freak. They might have the skill to summon demons, sure, but they'd never actually do it. Everyone knows stealing gets you free stuff, but only a madman acts on it. Same logic.
"Why would a Northern shaman fight Heavenly Faith saints in the first place?"
"Well, Lemegeton coveted the Heavenly God's sacred relic and stole it..."
"??? A shaman coveting a Heavenly Faith relic? Why?"
"Because it's holy..."
"Holy to Heavenly Faith folks, maybe. To Northerners, it's just junk."
Phaira picked apart Takarion's lore holes point by point with a baffled look. Takarion sweated bullets, desperately defending the Heavenly Faith Universe canon.
"It's the standard setup, y'know? Lemegeton's usually the villain..."
"What nonsense."
Ian patted Phaira's shoulder. "Phaira, subculture's always like that."
"Sub... what?"
"Just type 'fr lol' and call it a day."
"...?"
Phaira stared at Ian with a weirded-out expression. This guy's no slouch in the weirdo department either...
"Anyway. If Hrun Dahl-sama summoned you, Ian, you'll meet him soon. Straighten your body and mind, and approach with proper etiquette."
"He didn't say when, where, or how."
Phaira let out a mad cackle. "Kihihik! You're not a full shaman yet! Figuring that out is a shaman's skill!"
I'm a mage, you lunatic...
Ian grimaced, clutching his Arcana Card deck. He couldn't deny being a shaman now that he'd gotten the cards, but... for now, he'd learn to handle them slowly and figure out how to meet Hrun Dahl.
"Everyone's waiting. Let's head back."
"Yeah. I'm starving too."
Phaira, in high spirits, skipped ahead lightly, waving his mangled hand—missing a finger—energetically. Watching it left Ian with a strange feeling.
"Back already? Shaman?"
"Perfect timing! Things went great!"
As soon as Ian arrived, the makeshift camp started prepping dinner. While the food cooked, Phaira pulled Ian aside for a quick lesson.
"Ah, Ian. Fresh off getting your Arcana Cards, let's start with the basics of reading."
Phaira spread the cards out boldly on a leather blanket. He already saw Ian as a sort of informal disciple. Not the heir to the Red Bear Tribe shaman role, but someone he could claim to have taught.
A young man favored by Hrun Dahl. No reason for Phaira to skimp on instruction.
"Sure."
Ian sat obediently before Phaira. Sitting like this reminded him of learning magic under Eredis. Magic, now sorcery... Fantasy life's got it all.
"I'll teach the numbers first. This is 1, the Magician card. Symbol of omnipotence. 2, the High Priestess. Symbol of knowledge and wisdom. Then 3..."
Phaira rattled off all twenty-two cards and their meanings briskly. Even briefly, that's twenty-two. Without much expectation, out of habit, he said:
"That's it. Got 'em memorized?"
Oops. He regretted it instantly. That was his master's catchphrase. Not really asking if they'd memorized it all, but how much they'd retained.
So Phaira was stunned by Ian's response.
"Yes."
"???"
Twenty-two cards... memorized perfectly after one go? Types and meanings?!
"1. Magician. Card of omnipotence. 2. High Priestess. Card of wisdom. 3..."
Ian recited all twenty-two Arcana Cards from his seat.
"...21. The World. Card of completion. Finally, 0. The Fool. Card of beginnings."
Phaira's jaw dropped for the first time in ages. He really... really memorized all twenty-two after one listen?!
This guy's a genius?!
Phaira had a disciple too. A real shaman apprentice to succeed him, the sharpest kid in the tribe. He learned well enough, but... not this level!
Unlike the shocked Phaira, Ian wasn't impressed.
Twenty-two cards? Pfft.
Ian was the freak who'd mastered the Maronius Language—over ten thousand characters. On his first day under Eredis, he'd learned a hundred and aced the test. This? This was word quiz level, something to memorize over snacks.
Ian was a genius. One who could match—or surpass—Eredis's terrifying brainpower...
'Hey. Status Window.'
Ian Eredis Raven
Shaman Novice
Skill: Arcana Cards
Ability to learn and utilize Arcana Cards
Arcana Cards – In Progress
...A genius Status Window holder!
That's right. Ian was a genius con artist. A genius con artist studying via Status Window skills!
Click, click. Ian recited the card list from his Status Window.
~Arcana Cards are too easy~ Twenty-two? Piece of cake~
"Impressive..."
Clueless to it all, Phaira glimpsed Ian's razor-sharp genius and was awestruck. He didn't feel human anymore. If this world had precision machines, Phaira would've pictured one: always perfectly operational, utterly inhuman.
He'd called himself a mage who'd mastered Maronius Language? Phaira figured Ian wielded it flawlessly.
"Now, let's do a real reading."
With Ian memorizing perfectly, Phaira jumped ahead.
"Put your hand on the cards."
Ian did as told, placing his hand atop the Arcana Cards.
"Mysteries don't react to human will alone. The easiest to manifest is the mystery called by your desires."
"..."
Ian already knew this. Sorcery or magic—both dealt with mysteries, so they overlapped plenty.
But blurting 'Teacher, I already know this~ Skip ahead~' would earn him a knuckle-rapping. Disciples had duties. Respecting Phaira, Ian waited for the explanation to end.
"What do you want most right now?"
"...Getting off this mountain."
Ian answered honestly. Great Mountain Gramunt was snow-blanketed peaks. Freezing cold. He'd busted his ass climbing, scored Arcana Cards. Now he wanted down to fiddle with them in comfort... but he still had work.
"Me too. But first, we need the Tears of Hrun Dahl."
Something clicked. If humans desired, mysteries answered. Phaira sensed Ian's enlightenment.
"Now, focus hard on your wish and draw a card."
"...Just like that?"
"Yep. Just like that."
Ian was briefly baffled. Wait, we haven't shuffled?! Drawing straight-up means the last one—0, the Fool—guaranteed!
Is it calling me a fool?
But trusting the shaman knew best, Ian drew as instructed.
"So, what'd you get?"
"The Fool... no, wait."
Ian stared blankly at his draw. 20. The Judgement card.
Phaira burst out laughing at Ian's dumbfounded face. "Get it now? The one handing you cards isn't you—it's Hrun Dahl-sama!"
Ian had to concede. In its incomprehensibility, the Arcana Cards were a mystery.
"Now, interpret your drawn card's meaning."
Ian had drawn wishing to find the Tears of Hrun Dahl. The answer: Judgement.
"Symbol of... resurrection."
"Right. Judgement symbolizes resurrection."
Ian focused, probing the card's sense. Definitely different from Maronius Language. More vague, more ambiguous. But then, an image flashed in his mind.
"...Phoenix."
A being familiar with resurrection lurked nearby. The phoenix.
"I'll ask the phoenix!"
Ian bolted to Kira. Coincidentally, she was looking for him too.
"Ian!"
"Where's the phoenix?"
Kira looked shocked. She'd been seeking Ian over the phoenix anyway!
"Winnie... Winnie's acting weird!"
Ian carefully took the phoenix. It lay utterly still, as if dead.
Ian recalled phoenix lore. 'A being that resurrects from death.'
Phoenixes symbolized resurrection. But to resurrect... it had to die first.
"Kira, don't freak out."
"Huh?"
"The phoenix... might die like this."
Kira's face fell in shock, but she grasped it quick.
"It's... being reborn."
"Probably."
Understanding, Kira didn't whine or rush Ian. She just gazed wistfully at the phoenix.
"Ian. Will the reborn phoenix... be the same one I know?"
"Dunno."
Ian couldn't answer that. First time seeing a real phoenix, after all.
"Hoping it remembers me... too greedy?"
"Pfft, indulge in some greed for once."
Kira beamed. Ian stood beside her, watching the phoenix. It slumbered peacefully, lost in some eternal dream.