Prologue II: World of Spirits

7th September 2022—Setagaya, Tokyo. Sangen-Jaya

Kazuto had thought that life could never ever get insane for him. He had been all the more prepared for a typically ordinary life.

Well, for someone of his situation, he supposes that his life is practically normal. Sure, his birth parents died when he was young and he got adopted into the Kirigaya family; his surname was meant to be Narusaka, but that's just a small tidbit.

Anyways, he was pretty sure that life couldn't get any crazier than how it is.

Oh, how he was proven wrong.

First off, he got to play one of the most amazing video games that he's ever seen in his life. It just finished recently, and that wasn't exactly a problem.

The crazy part comes afterwards, and not in-game, but in reality; literally, some girl shows out of nowhere and suddenly asks him to come with her to meet her master, whoever it is. And then, when he does end up coming to wherever he's meant to go, he somehow finds the world around him literally changing like the snap of the fingers, and he meets…

This guy.

"Ah, you've brought him here?" Someone spoke up as they descended the stairs, and he was prepared to greet a gentleman… and he gets someone completely different. "Hero… Welcome to Café Leblanc. Or should I say, my Velvet Room."

In contrast to his rather intimidating appearance—he looks like a human man, though with a certainly odd look of course. Long nose, hunched back, pointed ears and bulging, bloodshot eyes, a massive and creepy smile that is permanent. He has a black suit and white gloves, so that certainly speaks gentleman—his voice is just soft, for a lack of a better term. Courteous and surprisingly nice.

Well, this meeting just got weird.

"I personally welcome you to my Velvet Room, Hero. I apologize for not being able to contact you directly, as I was confident that you were busy."

"A-Ahaha… Not necessarily, no…"

What the heck is this? Why is he so nice? He looks monstrous (no offense), but has the mannerisms of a gentleman and the voice of an angel. Well, that's the best he's got, really. But man, his looks and voice are just different from his everything else!

If Vabel told him that her master was going to be a typical wealthy 20 years old man, he might have just believed her, even if it was technically weird for them to be meeting in a rundown café. But rather, it's an old creepy-looking dude, who makes it really hard for Kazuto to call him a human.

Maybe he is, and just has a creepy look because he's just born that way, but he isn't certain on what to feel.

And he doesn't want to say, do or think anything that may just offend the guy, so he'll just shut up—both with his mouth and thoughts.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Hero. I had been hoping to have met you a little earlier, though Vabel couldn't find you a little earlier," he says from where he was seated behind the counter, looking over to the girl and letting out a small chuckle. "Well, it matters not. I'm just happy to finally be able to meet you in the end. And of course, I am Igor, the master of the Velvet Room. How do you feel, Hero?"

"…Yeeaah, about that. Why are you calling me… that?" He was probably being incredibly rude to this man, but he desperately needed answers. "And where am I?"

"We shall begin with your second question then," nodded the long-nosed man as he looked around. "This is actually the Velvet Room. This realm exists between dream and reality, mind and matter. Only those with a 'contract' may be permitted to enter this room."

"In this case, it would be right to say that you have formed a contract allowing you to enter this room," added Vabel.

"But… when? I don't remember meeting you or Vabel before, and I've certainly didn't write a written consent. So how is it that I've formed a contract with you?" He asks then.

"That happened following our encounter, actually," the girl chose to answer that one, something akin to excitement in her tone, though it was buried incredibly well beneath her inexpressive voice. "Within you, you possess a power, and that qualified you to become a visitor of the Velvet Room. Hence, I personally formed the contract between yourself and my master."

Without telling him first. Well, he supposed that's how things work here, but really. He's lost all energy to be surprised anymore.

Though, it does make him pretty curious. So this Velvet Room only grants entry to those with a contract, which is supposedly a bond of sorts between the visitor and the master of the room, which is Igor here. It's a little odd, but nothing too hard to understand.

Yet.

"Now then, onto your first question," his words is quick to draw forth the ravenette's attention, his gaze moving towards the old man with a curious look. "You are the Hero. I mean to call you this not to stoke your ego, but simply because I have read your person… and it seems that such is the proper term that I could ever come up for you."

Will-o-wisps burned above their heads and danced around, forming a halo of pixies before they slowly materialized into a card.

The image on it is a man wearing fine clothing and perhaps jewels, carrying his supplies on the stick-and-cloth thing and with a dog right beside him.

"The one before you is called 'The Trickster'. A human boy just like you, though he was a little older," explains Igor with an impressive amount of patience, one that makes Kazuto guilty because he had the audacity to be afraid of him despite how nice he is. "Although…" He starts looking around himself, that smile still stuck on his face. "The state of the Velvet Room reflects the state of your heart. And for the room to be accessible by the device that Vabel has given to you…"

"I believe it has to do with the fact that Kazuto enjoys playing videogames, master."

"A-Ah… Y-Yeah…"

Admitting that is a little embarrassing, but he knew that it was the truth. He is a diehard gamer, and he's all the more excited for 'Sword Art Online'.

Igor does not seem to mind, though, simply letting out a small laughter. "Worry not, Hero. I find it rather endearing, actually. To simply enjoy life and have fun as you wish… It is impressive."

"T-Thanks…" Why is this bothering him? Someone not teasing him for playing videogames, huh? Damn. But still, Hero sounds a little too egotistical for him. "But is it really alright to call me a Hero? Is there nothing else more suitable?"

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that," shook his head the strange-looking man. "Now then, onto business. Hero, I would like to speak with you about several important details. Do you have the time?"

Right onto business. That's what he's come here for, and it certainly dispels the embarrassment that he felt moments ago.

He nods his head, straightening his posture as he looks the man in the eyes.

Igor makes a hum before flicking his wrist. "Hero… The reason why I intended to meet you is because your world is in danger."

His words draw a sharp gasp from the boy, whose eyes went wide. Vabel is quiet, and several orbs of fire form themselves out of thin air before taking form as cards that now lie on the table. He raises a brow in curiosity, tilting his head even.

"These are Tarot Cards," explains the black-haired girl, as if sensing his need to know. "They are often used in a form of cartomancy, to predict a form of answer for something. A reading could be done with perhaps the same type of cards, yet the answer never is the same."

"Haha… That is how life works, don't you think?" Chuckled Igor, drawing a card and flipping it over, revealing a broken tower and two figures falling from the top of it. "«The Tower» in its upright position… How dangerous. This is a sign of an imminent danger in the future," he draws up another card, and it's a skull embedded on a door with small steps of stairs at the bottom. "«Death», upright… Many will die in what shall come to pass in the future."

«The Tower»? «Death»? What sort of cards are he using?

Tarot cards? He's never heard of this type of cards before. He knows of Blackjack, Poker… Uno. is this something completely different? Is it card games or really something else different altogether?

Igor draws one final card, and the picture is that of a lantern. That's the one thing that's the clearest picture that he can make out. "«The Hermit» in its reversed position. It is to mean concealment, fear… Yes. This is possibly a foreshadowing to a certain form of confinement."

"What the hell..?" The reveal of such has him paling, all this information hitting him like a sack of bricks. Kazuto gulps, averting his gaze down to the table as he attempts to digest everything that he's heard.

What was Igor trying to tell him..? He says that countless people were in danger, right? People were going to get trapped and they'll end up killed..?

How the hell do they know? Are those cards some sort of super powerful tool that are actually capable of predicting the future? Is what he's said actually going to happen?

He chances a glance at Igor, and this time… there's an actual frown. The corners of his mouth have actually dropped a little, forming a frown that shows that he was genuine with what he was feeling. And Vabel, too, despite her listless look, was sympathetic, judging by the way her hands seemed to clench a little tighter.

"…People are going to die?" A pretty useless question at this rate, but he needs conformation.

"Yes. When this comes to pass… then I believe that many people are going to end up dying," sighed the man, his smile returning back immediately after. "And that is where you come in, Hero. You seem to have a power within you to overturn this cruel fate and save people. The question now, however, is are you prepared for such an ordeal task?"

"…Why me, first off?" That has to be the most important question that he needs answered. One that still seems to elude him despite it all. "I'm nothing special, you know."

"You needn't underestimate your own strength, Kazuto," shook her head the assistant of the Velvet Room's proprietor. "My master has reached out to you because he knows that you have the potential to become something greater than what you already are."

"Indeed," his smile seems a little wider, if it was even possible. "And though I would love to speak to you about this, it seems that we are running out of time. As such, we shall send you home immediately. And worry no longer about needing to take the train, yes? Vabel here shall arrange for your… transportation, if you will."

The boy looks at the other girl, who simply stares back unflinchingly. His eyes narrows, hers do not blink.

"…You're going to do that weird road-making magic thing, aren't you?"

"Yes."

Well, that answers that.

Sighing, more out of exhaustion than it was of annoyance, he simply nods back at the Velvet Room's master. "Alright, then. Thank you for… all of this, I suppose. I'll see you guys another time. I suppose I'll take my leave now?"

"Of course, Hero," he made a small bow, and Vabel followed suit. "May we meet again in the near future."

Kazuto dips his head a little for a bow of his own, leaving his seat before making his way towards the door—and man, everything looks brand new now. Honestly, this 'Augma' thing is really impressive—

"Oh yeah, I just realized something," he stopped short just before the door, turning his head around to stare at the two, who perked up at the sound of his voice. He points a finger at his face, or more specifically the device he's wearing. "I should probably be returning this to you, shouldn't I?"

"Oh, not at all. You may keep it, Hero," shook his head the smiling man, extending his hand towards the boy in a gesture to allow him to go. "Take it with you. When you next return, be sure to wear that device, yes? Vabel here has only be capable of getting one 'Augma', after all. It will be with you, always."

"I see… Alright then. Thank you," he nods again, and proceeds to leave the café, the soft jingling of bells a pleasant sound to his ears. He shields his eyes for a moment when he finally got out—the café, despite being renewed thanks to the 'Augma', is still pretty dim. "Alright, let's take this off."

He tries to take off the 'Augma' from his head, but finds it surprisingly tight around his head. He grunts a little, putting in some extra effort into unequipping this strange device, yet it remains stubbornly attached to his head.

"Forgive me for not explaining," Vabel's sudden voice causes him to suddenly yelp in surprise, staring right into her auburn eyes. "But I've configured the 'Augma' to function in a way that, once you've activated it, it will remain attached to your head. To remove it, you must simply say 'Link Off', and you will then be able to remove the 'Augma'."

"I… see," he's not going to question her lack of creativity on that part. Simple tends to be the best in a lot of cases. "Link off."

A beeping sound from the 'Augma' is a clear sign that it's been deactivated, and he's finally able to take it off. Sighing in content, he thought of putting it away before deciding to simply put it back on.

This confuses the girl, tilting her head with an odd look. "Why did you put it on again?"

"Because I'm afraid I'm going to break it," his voice is tinged in nervousness and he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly. "Also, if I do end up activating the 'Augma' when I'm not here, what happens?"

"You needn't worry about that. I've tinkered with the 'Augma' to only allow change your cognition of this café," she gestures to the building from whence they had just come from, and it's returned to its broken state.

"But… that's impossible," he narrowed his eyes. "You said it changed my… cognition, is it? That means how I see things should have changed, yet all my senses were changed too. When it was broken and I walked inside, I could feel how uneven the floor was. And yet, when I activated the 'Augma', it all felt brand new."

He's a natural thinker who just can't help but let his mind wander, realizing just how odd this entire situation is. There is some semblance of logic to things, but other than that, he just can't really make heads and tails of this entire situation.

Perhaps there is more to just mere cognition change, but… well, he wasn't certain. It might just be, because Vabel has reverted to her earlier dress, and the café returned to its ruined state. Still…

"…You are sharp," her voice is barely audible, yet he was able to hear her speak nonetheless. "Regarding your question, I can't exactly answer you just yet. But all of that aside, shall I send you home already?"

'She's dodging,' that's impressive. Really, really impressive, hot damn. "Alright. Where do we go?"

She doesn't say anything more than a simple 'This way', taking him down an alleyway that he did see earlier. Only this time, rather than there being a dead end, there was a clear path straight towards several buildings; a sight that he's certain only he and Vabel could see. But it's nothing short of impressive.

This time, he's not too surprised and manages to take it all in stride. He stays calm and walks with her, hands in his pocket.

This time, however, he does feel something. A small interruption in the spatial field, like walking through a thin web string made by a spider, hanging in the air and barely brushing his skin.

And there he is again. For a second time, he's standing before his home. Only this time, he's in front of his house… with a girl.

The thought makes him gulp. As long as he quickly goes in and bids her farewell—

"Huh? Onii-chan, you're home already?" Suguha's voice is loud, footsteps rapidly approaching him. She's clad in kendo gear, face and neck wet; a clear indication that she had been doing some training. "You got back pretty fa… Eh?"

"Ah, you must be Kazuto's sister," his head snaps towards Vabel, eyes wide and sheer shock. She hasn't left yet?! The girl bows a little, ignorant of his current dilemma. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Persona Vabel, a friend of your brother."

She just called herself his friend so easily! Is this even possible?

For some reason, however, he has a really bad feeling inside of his gut as he looks at his sister, whose eyes immediately narrow upon her introduction.

"…Suguha Kirigaya, his sister," she introduces herself as well, though with clear disdain in her tone.

What is going on?

7th September 2022—Kawagoe, Saitama. Kirigaya Household

What is going on?!

"Ah, so you're Kazuto's friend! Nice to meet you, Vabel. I'm Midori, but you can just call me Auntie, yeah?"

"Of course, Auntie."

And how is Vabel so quick to adapt to this entire situation?!

The entire situation is strangely tense to him, and he's only managed to ignore part of it only if he tries to focus on the subject of the 'Augma' and anything else, but he's forcefully dragged back to reality because of his sister's huffing, or Vabel's voice.

His mother doesn't seem to really mind, though, quickly taking to the mysterious girl while the latter was just making small conversation with her, accepting a cup of tea. Suguha accepts a cup of her own while passing Kazuto his own, to which he simply nodded before taking a sip from his drink, not caring how hot it was.

Honestly, he never thought that he'd be bringing a girl over to his home, much less someone he didn't know. Well, he's already made the assumption that Vabel was some otherworldly being, and Igor was definitely on the ethereal scale as well, though perhaps to a greater extent.

"So… you and Kazuto are going to work together for a project?" She asks. "What sort?"

"Something important yet confidential," coolly answered the strange girl, sipping from her tea without any form of expression. She sets her cup on its placeholder, staring at Kazuto. "The reason why I've come here is because I intend to immediately educate Kazuto pertaining to our project."

"Huh?" She had said literally nothing to him earlier, and the surprise that shows itself on his face is nothing but genuine. "Wait, what? What do I need to know?"

She doesn't choose to answer immediately, but instead reaches into her handbag—that was definitely not there mere moments ago, he swore!—and pulling out a stack of… cards?

Suguha was the first to make a remark, her voice nothing but confusion. "Cards? You're… going to play a game together? Are you joining a competition, Onii-chan?"

"Not the typical playing cards that you're accustomed to, Suguha, I can assure you that. Rather, these are—"

"Tarot cards…"

His mother had already retreated to the kitchen to brew another pot of tea while the three teenagers (he's just going to assume that Vabel's a teenager too, though she does look a little older than the both of them) remain at the dining table.

She spreads the cards across the table and flips them to reveal their identities. From left to right, up to down, beginning from a zero all the way to a twenty-one.

"«The Fool»," she says at the top left card, then points at the bottom right. "All the way to «The World»."

"Huh… Are these cards meant for games or something?" These cards definitely play a vital role, that much he was certain of after watching Igor do all that magic stuff with these cards.

"Not necessarily. They're mostly prominent in divinations and predictions, though there are several games that make use of tarot cards," replied the girl. "What you see here now are the 22 Major Arcana of the tarot cards. The trump cards without suits. They will play a vital role in our project, Kazuto."

"That so, huh..?" Crossing his arms, he attempts to digest all this information before nodding. "Okay. From what Igor showed earlier, each card holds a significant meaning. «The Tower» meant doom, while «Death» was quite literal. There's twenty-two cards here, so that must mean each one has their own meaning, huh?"

"Indeed. While it isn't compulsory for you to memorize the meanings of all twenty-two cards, which would technically be forty-four meanings as the cards could either be upright or reversed, thus projecting two separate meanings for each card," that causes the boy to sigh in relief, and she could understand why. That would be extremely trying for anyone, really. "Simply understanding the basics behind each card and how it might just define a person will indeed assist you in the future."

"I see… Is there anything else that's important that I should know of?"

"Not at all."

"Uhhh…"

Hearing Suguha's broken voice, the other two simply stare at her, noticing how she was simply keeping her gaze plastered on the cards.

Yeah. He agrees that was just too much info, and that hurt his head to understand.

"For now, just keep in mind that there will be a time for whence the Major Arcana shall play a vital role in your future endeavours," she tells him, stacking all the cards and then passing them to him. "Keep this. If you'd like, you'd only need to call me and I will be willing to help you in understanding anything."

"Suuureee…" He couldn't help the deadpanning tone, but given his current situation—he's literally the only one besides Igor and Vabel to know that the world was in danger, if their words was to believe. And he doubted they were lying in the first place—he should at least have a valid reason to just want to hit his head against the wall. "…Thanks, Vabel."

"Mm," she nodded before suddenly standing up. "Nonetheless, I thank you for your hospitality. Do pass my thanks to your mother as well. I shall be taking my leave."

Before Suguha could say anything, her brother had beaten her to the punch, standing up as well. "Oh, you want me to walk you back?"

"You needn't. I pride myself in being rather quick, after all," she would have liked to accept his offer, but she wasn't planning on troubling him too much. Plus, it must have been exhausting for him to stay in a moving box for six whole hours. "Farewell."

And just like that, she takes her leave through the front door, completely ignoring the deadpanning look from Kirito and the strangely relieved expression Suguha had on her face.

When night came around, Suguha had been the first to take her bath because her brother wanted to get some rest and watch some television, while their mom decided on chopping some fruit for them to eat.

Leaving her bedroom, the young girl sighed, the irritation inside of her lingering from earlier today.

Honestly! She knew who made her as mad as she was right now, but it still perplexed as to why it still continues to bother her all the same.

'She's just Onii-chan's friend. Nothing more than that,' even after telling herself that, she just can't help but feel a little annoyed—scratch that, she felt really annoyed. 'What's her deal with him anyways? So strange…'

You know how, when friends come over to your house, they sometimes bring along a gift like a basket of fruits or a plushie? Well, Vabel did the same thing too, and that's totally fine. No, what the problem here is, is the gift that she gave them.

She comes over to their house and gives Kazuto a deck of cards. Just what was she trying to do?

Unfortunately, said 'present' has been in her brother's hands the entire day, and he's been spending his time actually reading up on tarot cards.

He's been pretty interested in the subject, though. And, knowing him, he's probably trying to memorize the meaning of these cards. And generally looking more… lively.

Now she knows why she's mad. He's actually interested in all of this.

Suguha was not blind. These past few years, their relationship could be described as rocky, as he hadn't exactly talked with her and stuff. She, of course, doesn't hate him for it whatsoever, but this distance just felt unnatural… it scared her.

He had been so quiet, so listless all these years. And for some girl to just march into his life and just… make him talk more. To suddenly make him think of her…

How did she do it?! She's been his sister for all these years, and she barely got him to smile! Well, she did on few occasions, and Kazuto hadn't exactly smiled at Vabel whatsoever—he had that 'I give up' look most of the time when talking to her—but he acts differently with her.

He offered to walk her home!

Whoever that girl was, she was dangerous, and she'd better keep a close eye on—

"Hey Sugu."

"Eep!"

Rapidly spinning around with a loud squeak, frantic black eyes met equally-coloured irises that looked back in quiet amusement.

She took a moment to regain her composure, blinking twice before letting out a sigh. "Jeez, Onii-chan! I didn't need you to scare me like that, you know?"

"Sorry, sorry. I just needed to tell you something," he says with a small chuckle, eyes easing a little and hand on his hip. "Sorry about today. Vabel's… a weird one, though that does make me a hypocrite. She's not bothering you, is she?"

A weird one—he got that one right.

She was almost like a doll, no offense. So quiet, so polite and unresponsive. She was really pretty, though, and Suguha was pretty impressed that her brother somehow became friends with her. Or is it the other way? All the same, while the girl did strike her as odd, she's just that. And his friend.

"…No, of course not," a lie on her part, obviously. But seeing her brother's smile like this… she couldn't find herself saying anything bad about Vabel, even if she personally didn't like her or anything. Her brother's smile was refreshing, and she merely wears her own. "It's fine, really."

"Yeah? That's good to hear," his sigh of relief told her enough to know just how much he's been worried about that, and she genuinely couldn't help but find that cute. "Anyways, I think I'm planning to hit the library tomorrow. I'll be telling mom too, of course."

"Huh? Why's that?" Asking that, she leans against her door and stares right at him.

Her brother merely shrugs his shoulders, holding up a deck of cards in his right hand. "I'm planning to do some extra reading at the library. There might be some things in there that I could make use of to understand all of this a little better. Major Arcana, she mentioned. An interesting topic, for sure."

There it is again. The topic of the arcana has him strangely interested in it, and she can't help but envy Vabel.

Years of kendo training under their grandfather's tutelage hadn't done its job to make him love the sport. So he had chosen to drop kendo, which angered their grandfather quite a lot, yelling and hitting her brother countless of times.

It's why she had chosen to take his place instead. Swearing that she would work extremely hard to fill the space that he has now left empty, to become the kendo prodigy that her brother had been placed onto a pedestal to be.

Kendo hadn't suited him. And when that VR game came out, he had immediately stuck to it; she had no qualms with that, of course. His interest in video games had started a long time ago, after dropping kendo, so she simply respected his decision.

But now he's having fun with something else, and it involves another girl. God, this is stressful. Being a little sister is hard.

"I-I see. Well, I hope you have fun tomorrow then, Onii-chan!"

"And I was hoping you could come with."

Their voices coming out at the same time should have made it difficult to understand one another, yet they were able to comprehend each other despite it all, surprise adorning the younger Kirigaya sibling's faces.

"Eh? You want me to come along?" She blinked, not having expected that.

"Ah, yeah. I just thought… that it'd be nice," at this, he sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, averting his gaze to the ground. "We… haven't really gone out together for quite some time, huh? Plus, I need someone to knock me straight before I lose my mind and whatever. Are you busy tomorrow?"

Suguha had pretty much been rendered into the state of a statue, so shocked over what she heard that her mind simply played his words on loop.

He… wanted to go out with her? He was considering it because they hadn't gone out together for a long time?

That… made her happy. The consideration on his part warmed her heart, and she found herself smiling widely, not noticing the small flush on her cheeks.

"S-Sure! I'd love to come with you, Onii-chan!" Chirped the girl with an excited tone.

This, too, makes him smile a little wider. "Great! I'm going to tell mom after this," before he completely leaves however, he does end up gazing around to meet her eyes, a gentle smile on his face that was wholly unforced, it froze her in place. "Thanks, Sugu."

A simple thank-you. Nothing more, nothing less.

But it does end up making her red in the face, and that gives Kazuto enough reason to laugh at her.

Well, if that makes him happy… No! That's unfair!

8th September 2022—Kawagoe, Saitama. Kawagoe City Central Library

He's visited the public library here only once before, and he has to admit that it's incredibly nice. It's in the area of Sankubocho, and with the number of houses here, it made sense that there were a lot of people, so it kind of made moving around a little difficult.

Still, the Kirigaya siblings managed to navigate the streets and find the library. The building was pretty easy to spot amongst the rest; it stood out thanks to its red paint and large build, so all that mattered was getting through the crowds of people.

Japan is always busy. Probably the same for all other countries.

"Gotta' be quiet," he whispered to both himself and his sister, who nodded back. "Okay, let's go find a place to sit."

When the two of them entered the library… he really shouldn't have been too surprised to find that it was full. Literally, there was people everywhere, reading books that ranged from biology to fun trivia. Some kids from schools hanging out together, a few adults doing work, and a small number of dudes… playing cards.

He almost wanted to go over to them before he realized they were playing Uno. That made him facepalm.

Right. Like anyone in the world would play with tarot cards.

'Where are we going to sit..?' He thought to himself, looking everywhere to find a decent place to sit. All tables were occupied, the computer stations were full, and just about every other place that he could think of being comfortable was taken. 'Just great. I brought Sugu all the way here too. Actually, where is—'

"Onii-chan," she says quietly, tapping him on the elbow to get his attention. Smiling, she held up a particularly large tome. "Ta-dah..!"

"Ooh, The World of the Arcana, the Complete Dictionary. Not bad, sis," patting her on the head elicits a few giggling, but she does stifle it well. He looks around once more, and finds a spot. "Alright, follow me."

Together, the two waded through the library and people before they reached their destination; a table quite far from the rest of the shelves and whatnot, which provided this place quite a suitable amount of peace and quiet.

The only problem now was the fact that it wasn't as empty as he thought.

Suguha beside him tensed, and he could understand why. He thought the table was empty just earlier! Someone probably blocked her from his sight or something.

Focused, quiet, calm. The girl had chestnut-coloured hair which had eloquent braids and knots that he couldn't understand, but it does give off a wealthy aura. She's dressed in a simple white dress with a blue sweater along with a blue skirt.

'What is his luck with women?!'

"Umm, excuse me."

He… was surprised that he had just talked to her. He felt that, in most normal situations, he would have just gone somewhere else. He wasn't one for conversation, after all, so this is just plain weird… but not bad. Just weird.

"All the other places are full, and your table's pretty free," he tells her, making sure to keep his voice low, or else the librarian would kick him out. Librarians can be pretty scary. "Can my sister and I sit here?"

The lass switches her glance from between him to his sister, then back to him and finally nodding. "Sure."

"Thanks."

"Err… thank you."

Sitting down opposite of the girl and next to each other, Suguha gently lies the large tome onto the table, its weight almost making the table creak. The girl in front of them quirks a brow but quickly returns her attention to her own book, not wanting to bother them.

Kazuto appreciates this and begins to flip the pages open. "So… where do we begin?"

"What do you need to know?" His sister asked in turn.

"Hmm… I'm not exactly certain, but there's definitely got to be a reason why these arcana are involved in this project I'm part of," he put a hand to his chin, gears in his head already grinding. "Let's see… How are tarot cards often used? Let's start there."

The two begin flipping pages, to its frontmost pages and the two read silently together.

"In cartomancy, tarot cards can be used to define three things; a person, an event, or you, the target," begins the younger ravenette. "Within the twenty-two Major Arcana, each holds a meaning of its own—upright or flipped, it can mean something positive or negative, or both. All the same, however, it is important to understand what each one means, and that you find a correct answer at the end of it."

"Huh, this book's more poetic than I thought," snorted the boy, a small nod of agreement from his sister. He flips the pages a little more, landing on a picture of a familiar card. "«The Fool». Let's see… The ultimate trump card, either a zero or a twenty-two."

"It stands to mean extravagance, jolliness, blissful of ignorance. When reversed, it means negligence, apathy and carelessness," read Suguha before leaning back into her seat, crossing her arms. "So there really are two meanings for each card…"

"I guess it makes sense. Something positive can be twisted to become a bad thing if not managed properly," hummed the boy in thought. "Think about it. For example… This isn't «The Fool», but anyways. A priest is a symbol of purity, yeah? He places his faith in his god and the light. But mere blind faith is wrong too, and that can lead you to a certain ruin."

"Whoa… That's interesting."

"Definitely. Wait, what?"

The two siblings look over to the other occupant of the table, whose eyes were wide and hand snapping over to her mouth, not hiding the redness of her cheeks however.

"S-Sorry," she muttered, dipping her head a little low in a bow of sorts. "I-I didn't mean to bother you..!"

"No, no. It's fine, really," he shook his head. "Trust me, even I'm curious about what this stuff's all about. Hey Sugu, try to find another one. Any which is find."

"Umm, sure," complying, she flips the tome a little better, noticing how the other girl was focusing intently on her now. Great. "Okay, here's one. «The Chariot»."

"«The Chariot» is a sign of triumph and victory despite whatever challenges stand before one's way. In its purest form, it evokes the meaning of triumph and trouble. Reversed, and it means riot and defeat," he hums at this, spotting another section. "A person defined by «The Chariot» is hot-headed, emotional. They are someone who can bring forth victory, but can easily lose sight of themselves when praised by many. They risk themselves, both in mind and in society's eyes."

"Huh… Someone who brings victory, but is easily manipulated by their own emotions…" The rich girl looks at the page from where she sat before looking at him directly. "If you don't mind me asking, why are the both of you reading this?"

"Ah… It's for a project with a friend of mine," he didn't notice how his sister's eye momentarily twitched at the 'friend' part. "I generally don't know what to read on or do, because I'm pretty much left in the dark, though I don't mind. This is pretty interesting to read."

"Yes, it is," hummed the girl with a smile. "I wonder… what would I be?"

"What would you be..?" Immediately, he grabbed his deck of cards from inside his bag and begins shuffling through them. Both girls watch him curiously before he spreads all twenty-two cards on the table. His hand somehow reaches out to one card and flips it over. "This is… «The High Priestess», number two. Sugu."

"Got it," quickly flipping the tome, she finally reaches «The High Priestess» section. "A person defined by «The High Priestess» arcanum is capable of solving problems where others would fail miserably. Within you is the key, even if it is not obvious."

The male ravenette nodded his head, crossing his arms. "So that answers my suspicion. You must be a really smart person, huh?"

"Eh? O-Oh, no! Not at all!" She clamps her mouth shut and the three look out to see if the librarian was there or not. A large sigh of relief is quickly replaced by a pout. "Don't say that about me! You don't know if those cards are true or not."

"I don't know, but I like to think that they are," shrugged the boy. He grabs another card and flips it around. "«The Lovers». Sugu, this is for you."

"Me? Umm, alright-y then," a little surprised by that, she does end up flipping the pages again until she reached the appropriate part. "«The Lovers» arcana is simple. It represents one's love for another, thus labelling them a lover. It could represent love… l-lust, s-sex, and m-m-marriage?!"

"Hmm… yeah, that all does make sense," how dense he must be, to not notice how his sister was practically a tomato at that rate. "Love is pretty vast. Virginal love, simple and plain. Then there's sex, emotions, and marriage too. But it doesn't have to mean that too. Simple love for someone too, like a friend," he looks back at the page. "If one evokes «The Lovers» card for themselves, it means that they are the lover—for the moment or always. You are either in search or already have found someone to love. You will certainly act based on your emotions, no matter where that leads to."

"How interesting… So I'm «The High Priestess», and your sister's «The Lovers»," humming, the girl then looked at her. "What of you?"

"Me? Well, I suppose I can try," nodding, he searched a card. For some odd reason, he can just feel what is right and what is wrong, and his hand ultimately settles on… "«The Fool»? Odd."

"Odd? Why's that?" The other girl's curiosity does its work to snap Suguha out of her embarrassment, though she's pointedly trying to not look him in the eyes.

"«The Fool» is pretty self-explanatory. The card represent both the beginning and the end, taking the spots of zero and twenty-two. As a person, it's someone who's jolly and careless, literally a fool," eyebrows furrowed, black irises draw themselves to all the other cards. He flips all of them around, all twenty-two tarot cards now on for display. "Of all the cards, why am I «The Fool»..?"

"Umm… I've a theory," his attention now shifts to his sister, who has a thoughtful look on her face. "You know how, years ago, you stopped kendo?"

"…Oh, God. Yeah, I guess I did," bad memories of the times back then has him shuddering for a little, but he presses on nonetheless. "What about it?"

"I think… your decision to choose to be free from kendo, to do what you want to do instead of being told to by grandpa… Maybe that's why you're «The Fool»?" Her suggestion is accompanied by traces of hesitation, as if she was unsure of herself. "You didn't care back then. All that you cared about was your own happiness, so…"

Silence reigned over the table as Kazuto pondered over her words, his lack of response making her nervous and the other girl to watch his expression in curiosity.

It doesn't take too long before a silent 'Ohh..!' to leave his lips before a smile flits on his face. "Yeah, that makes sense! Huh, that's a little weird. I guess it kind of makes sense, but that's a little much, even for me."

"O-Oh? That's good," if she had offended him in any way, she was pretty certain that she wouldn't be facing him anytime soon. "But if you weren't «The Fool», what would you be?"

"Hmm… Probably «The Hermit»," he pointed at the card, and that gets the other two girls to giggle. He, too, chuckled along. "Hey, it's true, isn't it?"

"Snrk..! Yeah, you do hang out in your room a lot," chuckled his sister in agreement. "Well, that's fine. At least you're out of your room now, huh?"

"…Yeah, I am," at this, he's calmed down enough to realize the truth of things, and he simply smiles in joy. "I'm out of my room."

"Hmm… Oh, it's time," at the rich girl's voice, both of them turn to look at the clock on the wall, noticing that it's already afternoon. "I've piano classes after this. I do apologize for bothering the both of you."

"And again, it's fine. Having you around made things a little more interesting. Plus, we learnt something new about you in the process," grinning back, the boy offers his hand. "Kazuto Kirigaya."

"Eh? Oh, Suguha Kirigaya," hastily added his sister.

"Ah, Asuna Yuuki. A pleasure to meet the both of you, Kazuto-kun, Suguha-chan," she takes his hand and shakes it before replicating the gesture with his sister, though noticing the slight hesitation in her movement. "Well, I should be going. Will the both of you ever be coming here again?"

"Ehh… Maybe, but we can't exactly be too sure," saying that, he grabs his phone. "How about this, we'll just exchange contact info. Sugu, you too."

"Oh? Got it."

"Very well then."

After exchanging contact information, Asuna pockets her phone and bows yet again. "Once more, it's been a pleasure to meet the both of you. Let's meet again in the future!"

"Yeah, we heard you," waving back at her, the two siblings watch her leave before he lets out a sigh. "Man, we've been in here for so long… Want some ice-cream?"

"Ice-cream?!" Her eyes shone like stars in that moment, nodding her head so quickly she might have just given herself whiplash at the speed she was going. "Yes please!"

"Haha, fine," patting her on the head as he laughed, he pushed the chairs under the table before grabbing her hand. "Let's get out of here. Oh, wait a minute."

One large book borrowed, an eyebrow raised from the librarian, ice-cream with his sister and a new friend made—today turned out pretty good.

And the days to come were going to be just as great.

6th November 2022—Kawagoe, Saitama. Kirigaya Household

"Hahaha! Onii-chan, you were supposed to hit down, not sideways!"

"L-Lay off! It was a nervous reaction! I didn't know what to do!"

Seriously, Whack-A-Mole is such an awful game! Those pesky critters just taunted him, peeking up and down, so quick that he couldn't land much hits on them.

God, he hated them. They're the living embodiments of «The Devil».

Many a day has passed ever since, the days becoming weeks and the weeks becoming months. He's been getting along well with his sister, which was something that even his mom took notice of. They go out together a lot to either buy groceries or hang out, and they simply spend their time together a lot—more than they ever have before, anyways.

Sometimes, they'd head to the library and meet up with Asuna. They'd talk together for a bit and sometimes head out for a drink or two. She would bid them farewell and go back home, and the siblings would return home as well.

Vabel had showed up at their homes quite a number of times as well, occasionally helping them understand the arcana a little better while simply enjoying the peace in their home. They'd talk about an assortment of things, and she would return back to Café Leblanc.

All was well for him, he realized.

'And all of this begun from meeting a long-nosed man and his assistant,' he thought with silent amusement.

Kazuto isn't one to believe in Fate usually, but he supposed that this could just be one exception. And it's great.

He hadn't the chance to meet with Igor recently, as Vabel had told him that it 'wasn't time yet'. While that certainly sounded ominous, he supposed that he could wait a little longer, just for the hell of it. Plus, this entire time, he'd had the opportunity to hang out with his sister and friends.

When his sister had managed to calm down a little from her moment of laughter, she turned to look at him with a little smile. "Anyways, all of that aside. Onii-chan, you're gonna' play that game of yours later, right?" She asks him, getting a nod. This, in turn, puts a pout on her face as her cheeks swell outwards. "One o' clock, huh..? I've kendo training to get to today, and I don't have a 'Nerve Gear' of my own. Man, this sucks!"

"Haha, don't worry about it. I'll be sure to finish as quickly as I could," he chuckles back, mind momentarily returning to the floating castle in the sky… though not with much admiration as it did before. He certainly enjoyed being there before, but his time spent with his sister here meant way more than he realized it did. Definitely the same for her on that end as well. "I'll prolly' finish around seven in the evening. No, for you, I'll cut it down to six. How's that?"

"Mmm… Five."

"Ooh… You drive a hard bargain, but very well. Five it is."

Serious tones turned into laughing once more as the siblings parted ways from there; Suguha off for her kendo training and waving back to her brother, who stood outside and waved her off with a smile on his face.

Seriously, he thought. That girl is too much, but he just can't help but love her.

Nonetheless, he returns to his room and lies down on his bed, putting on his 'Nerve Gear'. Even with the excitement of going back to the world from three months ago, his mind was more focused on what he wanted to make for lunch later on. His mom will be home too, so that'll mean more food to make.

Smiling through it all, he shouts the words that he remembered were once used for the 'Augma'. "Link Start!"

Within Café Leblanc, the interior of it begins to shake, as if a slight tremor had just passed. Vabel bows to her master and leaves through the front door; rather than the typical road street, however…

"It seems that the story has finally begun," said Igor to himself, his gaze nothing but determined. "I can only pray for your success, Hero."

Countless other worlds are connected to a single location by a thread of fate, by which it would then become the birthing grounds of countless souls bearing power untold.

Hours later, upon standing in the plaza of the starting city of the first floor amongst thousands of other players, all of whom were staring up in shock at the cloaked figure of Kayaba Akihiko who had just announced this world as a death game, dawning realization finally struck Kazuto, or Kirito in this world, like a bullet train.

Igor's prophecy of a great danger that would befall his world.

His foreseeing countless people dying.

His prediction of people being trapped.

How ironic. That the game he wanted to play for fun ends up being what kills everyone.

When Kayaba had faded away, and the people started panicking, he stares blank-faced to the sky and shouted—not with fear, but with the strong need to bash his head into the ground.

"Are you fucking kidding me?!"

The cards are in place, and the story has begun.

Author's Notes:

And thus, the beginning to this weird story that I hope only ages well.

The collab's video is tomorrow by the time I publish this chapter, so that's one thing to look forwards to. Also, go listen to every Persona music. They're great (Q OwO Q).

Also, writing battle scenes is not part of my forte, so don't expect so much out of that, yeah? I'll do my best, obviously, but just saying.