Waves.
It takes some time for your mind to register them, but the sounds you are hearing as your brain awakens from its addled state are definitely waves.
The ocean.
Laboriously, you open your eyes so that you can figure out just where you are that you're hearing such things, yet the sight that meets your eyes does nothing to alleviate your sense of confusion.
You are lying face down on what appears to be a plush blue carpet that stretches across the entire floor of this modestly sized space. But that's not so bizarre, all things considered. No, the large door that monopolizes your vision is much stranger.
It's a huge, gaudy thing, absolutely dwarfing you in size, composed of what looks to be golden, square panels. Each one is engraved with illustrations of eyes pointing-no, moving-in all sorts of different directions. Two enormous chains cross it from corner to corner to form a large, golden "X". It's clearly meant to keep people out. Or perhaps something else in.
Finding the strength to rise to your feet, you feel compelled to touch it, even though you have no key or means of opening it at all. Your fingers are about to graze its surface when a soft voice from behind you arrests you.
"Please don't touch that."
You whirl around to discover a sharply-dressed young man seated on a velvet blue couch behind you, his legs casually crossed as though he had been waiting for you to notice him all this time. He is dressed in highly formal attire – a tuxedo, a pearl-white pocket square, and heavily shined white leather shoes –almost as if he were about to attend a high-class gathering. Only a pair of headphones dangling around his neck beneath waves of shaggy azure hair disrupt the air of panache.
Next to him, a demure-looking blonde girl sits on a wooden chair with an amused expression on her face. She is dressed in a slim, blue jacket with large, brass buttons and a similarly blue short skirt. A thick book rests across her folded legs, which are almost pale white with blue (again!) boots pulled up almost to her knees.
Behind them both is a wide arch with billowing, sheer cobalt curtains draped from it. Beyond that is something that you've never seen in person, but can instantly identify: the prow of a ship, cutting through waves tinted orange by the setting of a distant sun.
"That door is not for you to open," she says.
"Wh-Where am I…?" you breathe. You hadn't meant to say it aloud, and yet, you couldn't help yourself.
The young man smiles broadly and spreads his arms wide.
"Hard to say. This place is both real and not real. It drifts somewhere between mind and matter, dream and reality." It's strange: the young man is the one gesturing, yet the girl is one speaking.
"That doesn't even make any sense. How can something be 'real and not real'? And how the hell did I get on a boat?"
"This room reflects the soul of the one who enters it. Perhaps if the form it takes confuses you, it means you're in need of some soul-searching. But I don't think that it matters at all what it looks like. All that matters is that you are here. And it is very strange that you are here at all, for that matter. As I understand it, you shouldn't have been able to come here. But then again, everything happens for a reason, and stranger things have happened."
"Well then, I want to know how. How am I here?"
"Well, there's only one reason for that: because you have entered into a contract."
A contract? It sounds familiar, but when you try to remember what it means, all that comes to mind are hazy shapes and indistinct voices. Yet you don't feel like she's wrong. And the thought of that makes you uneasy.
"I don't think so. I don't even know what I signed."
"We cannot tell you what you have agreed to, but only that it binds you to a powerful fate. Your presence here is proof enough of that."
"Ah, so 'I'm here because I'm meant to be here,' is that it? Pretty way of saying nothing, isn't it? And you two…I don't think I've ever met either of you before in my life. Who are you?"
Then, the young man in the tux smiles at her, and the girl feigns an expression of mock surprise. "Ah! We've been rude, haven't we, Master? We haven't introduced ourselves at all. That should've been the first thing we did when he arrived. I suppose I'm rather…out of practice when it comes to guests. Let's start over."
The girl turns back to you and bows with a grandiose sweep of her arm. "My name is Elizabeth."
"…And my name is Minato," the young man states, speaking for the first time. "Welcome to the Velvet Room."
The Velvet Room? It sounds more like the name of some cheesy cocktail lounge than…whatever this is supposed to be, but at the same time, it is rather appropriate given the décor.
"So you can talk," you say to Minato.
"My Master's residence here is quite…complicated," Elizabeth offers, "as such, communication can be quite strenuous. So for the time being, I will speak for him unless he has something he wishes to say directly. My Master and I have an...intimate understanding of one another. I assure you that anything that I say can be understood as coming from him. Does this satisfy you?"
"I suppose it'll have to," you respond.
"And you, who fate has guided here, what would your name be?" Elizabeth asks.
She is a stranger in an even stranger place, but you can't think of any reason as to why just giving her your name would be a bad idea.
"Tetsuo Katsuji."
"Tetsuo…I get the feeling that your name will be on the lips of many around you in the coming year – a year that will be incredibly vital in determining your ultimate fate. It may sound quite dramatic, but I assure you that we don't exaggerate lightly."
"You keep on talking about this 'fate'. Are you gonna tell me what it is, or just keep acting whimsically mysterious about it?" you ask.
"Eager to learn what destiny awaits you? Very well, shall we consult the cards?"
"Cards?"
Seemingly out of thin air, Minato produces a deck of cards which he begins to rapidly shuffle. He rearranges, flips, and even twirls them about in midair in tantalizing arcs and loops. It seems to defy reality, which you notice has become something of a recurring theme. Finally, he places a number of them facedown on the table between you and stares you right in the eyes. His gaze is now piercing and strong, and you must force yourself not to look away.
"The Arcana is the means by which all is revealed. Allow my Master to read your fortune."
He takes one card between his thumb and forefinger and deftly flips it face up. It reveals the image of a skull, its eyeless black sockets boring into yours.
"Death, upright." His grey eyes are now transfixed upon you.
"Wait, death?"You can hardly keep the edge of panic out of your tone. "Are you saying I'm going to die?"
Elizabeth remains calm, even bemused maybe. "Not necessarily. Although this card is certainly tied to the cycle of life and death, it doesn't always mean that someone is about to die. In all likelihood, it points to a rebirth of sorts, the beginning of a new cycle in your life. However, there is always the possibility that it may be taken literally. It's a powerful card, and one with powerful implications."
Somehow, that does little to make you feel any more confident. Minato ignores your perturbed expression and reaches over to flip up the next card.
"Now, see? This one's much more promising. The Wheel of Fortune, upright. It seems your life is about to go through some dramatic changes, ones that should be favorable to you. It represents the beginning of a cycle of good luck. Now, let's continue."
He turns the card face up, and an image of the moon stares up at you.
"The Moon, reversed. It appears to be warning you against escaping reality by seeking comfort in delusions. You'll need to have the strength to face the harshness of life and see through lies. And finally…"
With a flourish, he flips over the next card and slides it in front of you. It depicts a figure with a bundle slung over his back.
"Ahhhh… somehow I had a feeling that this would be the final card. The Fool. It is a representation of limitless potential and freedom of the soul. For you to draw this card is very intriguing indeed. It comes with a great deal of power. But of course, how much you're able to tap into will be entirely dependent on how much you're willing to share with others."
"This…still doesn't mean anything to me. Honestly, I'm still a little worried about the part where I might die," you say.
"Death is not a hunter unbeknownst to its prey," quips Elizabeth. "It comes for us all at some point or another. But the Arcana do not create futures; they only grant us the means to perceive them. But if you'd like me to summarize, it seems as though your life is about to undergo a serious transformation, yet from that, you will experience a great opportunity for growth. However, during all of this, you must remember to face all these challenges head on, even if it would be more comfortable for you to believe in falsehoods and empty promises. Does that make things a little clearer?"
"It sounds like a lecture. What you're saying is that I should watch out."
"You can take it that way, but I'd rather you were a bit more self-conscious than that."
"It's hard to take this stuff seriously under the circumstances. Be honest, is this a dream or not?"
"It is. Right now, you exist somewhere in between the conscious and unconscious mind. But the Velvet Room is also very real, and you will come here again."
It seems hard to imagine any reason why you would want to return, but seeing as there appears to be no way out besides the door you were told not to touch, you remark that it would be awfully hard to come back to someplace that you never left.
Minato looks about the Velvet Room as if searching for an exit himself.
"I wouldn't worry about that," Elizabeth says finally, "you'll wake up soon enough. But now I know that we'll see each other again. When your potential awakens, you will come to this place on your own, and I think we'll be able to speak with much less confusion."
"I hope you're right, because I'm still incredibly lost here. What should I even look for?"
Elizabeth chuckles and Minato smiles and shakes his head. "Don't let it bother you. The Velvet Room is exactly what I said that it was. It's only a waypoint for those bound by powerful fates. Nothing more, and nothing less. I wouldn't worry about recognizing the entrance once you're back in your world. You'll know it when you see it.
"Now, it seems like our time is at its end…for the moment. Do your best to recall what we spoke of here when you return to the land of the living. This is the beginning of an important journey for you…don't squander the opportunity you've been given, or the consequences could be more dire than you imagine."
There are many other things you want them to explain, but already you can see and feel the Velvet Room melting away into a miasma of blackness. You can only just make out a muffled "Farewell" from Elizabeth as the sound of waves comes to dominate your hearing. Soon, you are falling away into the void of unconsciousness, and you feel no more.
