xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Near Shirotsume Town, 3:03 p.m. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

With the black curtains closed in Alfana's caravan and the candles lit with purple flames to restore the mystical atmosphere it had originally, Bernard sat in a chair with a small Lacrima orb in front of him on the table as Alfana proceeded to organize the Barendkoff: Fate Makers card tablets. With Vulp on all fours on one side and Corvus perched behind Bernard on the backrest of the chair, the pacemaker needing young man made a face filled with nervousness as he wasn't sure what was going to happen.

"Now, place your hands on the Lacrima to set yourself up." Alfana said with a slightly excited tone in her voice as she stood next to her son.

"Hold on!" Bernard exclaimed as he looked up at his mother. "I'm not "setting up" a single thing until you explain to me how this works!" He said with a defiant tone as Alfana pouted from his reaction.

"You don't have to be so mean about it, it's just a game." Alfana said with a bothered tone.

"Yeaaahh... A game that "makes fate..." Sounds like fun." Corvus said with a sarcastic tone as he looked at Alfana.

"More like "sounds like horse dung."' Bernard mentally complained as Alfana sighed.

"You have no sense of fun, do you?" Alfana said. "Buzzkill..." She thought, mentally condemning her son's personality.

"Among other things people say I lack..." Bernard thought as he shifted his eyes away from his mom as the Celestial Spirits looked at him. "Fine, I'll play it. I just want an explanation for the game first, okay?" He asked towards his mother.

"I was going to explain it the moment you put your hands on the Lacrima." Alfana said as she walked away from Bernard, Corvus and Vulp, taking a seat in the chair opposite of the trio. "But fine, I'll explain before you do if it alleviates some of the mental stress." She said as she scratched her head. "Barendkoff is a two-player game but only one player is getting their future told." Alfana explained.

"Then why is two people needed?" Corvus questioned.

"A regular "crystal-gazing" session requires two individuals: the "teller" and a "client." Or in the case of Barendkoff: a dealer and a player." Alfana said while pointed at herself and then at Bernard. "The player is the one who receives the fortune, whereas the dealer is the one who offers counter fortune." She continued.

'"Counter fortune?"' Bernard reiterated.

"Take a look at the stacks of tablets but don't pick them up." Alfana suggested as Bernard and his pet duo looked at the card tablets, all face down in the bottom of the game box. "On all of the cards are a symbol, represented by an animal. And in the top corner, you'll find a numerical value ranging one to ten." She said. "Each of the animals represents an aspect of events to follow. The numbers are the likelihoods." Alfana continued as Bernards eyes slowly widened.

"...Ummmm..." Bernard thought as he processed the rules.

"This is pretty complex for a board game." Corvus said with squinted eyes as Vulp raised an eyebrow.

"Best ones have the most amount of thought put into them." Alfana said with a smug expression forming on her face. "But I'm not done explaining the rules yet. Once the player touches the Lacrima, designating themselves as the one looking for their fates to be made, the player and the dealer have to take five cards out from any of the stacks after they've been shuffled around." She explained as she pointed at Bernard.

"Sooo... What does that mean that you and I have a hand?" Bernard asked. "I'm... Partially interested in where this is going now." He thought.

"The Lacrima, which I've ever so wisely dubbed "The Time Bauble," will begin its effect once the preparations have been made. Essentially, the magic of the Lacrima will coat the player in a layer of "fate altering magic."' Alfana said with a smile on her face as a bead of sweat went down Bernards face. "Like I said, time can affect magic, but magic can also affect time. Once the aura from the Lacrima covers you, Barendkoff will alter the state of your future via the hands we play!" She loudly proclaimed as she pointed at her son. "The number of rounds is also determined by the player beforehand. The max you can go for is ten with the minimum being one. A "basic" session is five, smack dab in the middle." Alfana explained further.

'"...Huh?"' Bernard and Corvus muttered in confusion as Alfana's eye twitched, growing concerned about whether her explanation made sense or not.

"...Do I need to repeat myself?" Alfana said as she lost some of her composure.

'"Fate altering magic?"' Bernard questioned with a sheepish voice.

"And why do you need a hand again?" Corvus said as he rubbed his beak with his wing as Vulp scratched his head with his tail.

"Okay, in simpler terms, the cards in Bernards hand will consist of animals with numbers in the corner. I will also have the same number of cards in my hand that may or may not be different from the ones he has. Both Bernards hand and mine will consist of potential futures that Bernard will have." Alfana explained further.

"So, by "potential futures," you mean these cards will give me vague ideas of how certain aspects of my life turn out?" Bernard replied. "...What the hell is this game?" He thought with bewilderment.

"In a certain sense, yes and no." Alfana said with her arms folded. "You already have a fate before you play Barendkoff. The game magically alters elements of that fate by creating a new one after the session of play is over. The cards you pick will change your fate and the cards I pick will also change that fate. And the fates will go against each other based on the numerical total with the highest winning." She said as Bernard's eyes widened.

"I'm still lost..." Corvus said as Alfana's face twitched once more.

"Don't ruin our game, you stupid buzzard!" Alfana thought while glaring in the crow Celestial Spirits direction. "I-if I may, I'd recommend the full ten card session personally. The longer session, the more fates will be altered, and the more potential futures open up for you that could yield the results you're looking for." She explained. "And more importantly, we get to play longer!" Alfana thought, her inner desire to play a board game with her son hidden from the others in the room.

"...I think I'm starting to get it..." Bernard said, catching the Celestial Spirits and Alfana's attention. "Once we set up the game and I put my hands on this Lacrima... I pick cards and my mom picks cards. We both pick a card to play against one another and whomever wins with the highest number in each round... My future is decided based on the card aspect that won that round." He said as Alfana snapped her fingers in confirmation. "Which also means... Whatever specifics of my life was going to happen in the future get completely overwritten by magic. I'm basically changing aspects of my own life with a cheat..." He thought as he looked at the Lacrima.

"Yes! Yes! Bingo! Now we can have some fun and- I-I mean, I refuse to tell you the specifics of your future with a reading but with Barendkoff, the future is entirely in your hands!" Alfana said with an excited tone before switching to a more calmed voice, happy to see that the rules made sense as Bernard and the Celestial Spirits were taken aback by her reaction as she tried to hide how joyful she truly was. "Now, let me see here. This is the sheet describing the various aspects. The dealer has to be one with the paper to read off." She said as she moved over to where the box was and pulled out a piece of paper from underneath the stacks of card tablets, a bright smile on her face.

"Hey, kid." Corvus said as Bernard looked at the crow. "You sure about this? Seems like something pretty bad could happen out of this." The crow asked with concern.

"Don't worry." Alfana said, catching everyone's attention. "I already removed all the mongoose cards from the regular decks." She said to the confusion of everyone.

"...What does that mean?" Bernard said with a raised eyebrow. '"Regular decks?"' He thought.

"...Nothing to concern yourselves about anymore because it was taken out..." Alfana said with a nervous smile as she looked away from her son. "Oh! I should get us some drinks and snacks! I only have booze in the fridge, but the pantry has popcorn!" She said with chipper tone as she walked past her son and the Celestial Spirits, moving some of the darkened curtains out of the way and heading into the kitchen space of the caravan.

"Uhhh, I'm not really that hungry, mom..." Bernard said as he watched his mother quickly grab two bottles of alcohol from the fridge before grabbing two large tankards to pour them in and then pulling out a bowl from a cupboard. "I'm a bit too nerve-racked to eat right now..." He thought as she ignored his refusal and proceeded to fill the bowl with popcorn anyway.

"She seems really excited..." Corvus commented as Vulp nodded in agreement with Alfana facing away from everyone.

"What is this? "Family game night?"' Bernard stated as Alfana overheard his words.

"Pretty much! And I'm loving it!" Alfana said as she turned around while holding the two filled tankards and a bowl of popcorn, walking back over and placing one in front of Bernard on the table and the popcorn next to the Time Bauble. "There we go, now we got a perfect environment for a game! Now that everything is settled, place your hands on the Time Bauble so we can begin." She said, motioning for Bernard to put his hands on the Lacrima on the table.

"Any other rules I should know about?" Bernard questioned one last time.

"Well, there is one. Dealer can't look at their hand, but the player can." Alfana said in response before grabbing a handful of the popcorn and eating it.

"Why is that?" Corvus asked.

"The dealer is a stranger in the context of the game, they know nothing about the future of the player on the other side of the table. So, while both of our hands will be unknown cards, Bernard will be the only one seeing what's in his hand. Every card I pick will be at complete random." Alfana explained.

"This seems like a potentially dangerous game..." Bernard said with squinted eyes at his mother as she looked at him with furrowed brows before grabbing her drink and heading back over to her seat.

"And don't forget to pick a number of rounds." Alfana said before sitting down.

Relenting, Bernard stood up from the chair and reached his hands forward, nervously sweating about what could happen to him the moment he touches the Time Bauble. Placing both of his hands on the orb, a number seven appeared on the Lacrima as Bernard moved it around to a five before a blue magic circle appeared beneath Bernard's feet as he and the Celestial Spirits looked down at the floor.

"Th-that supposed to happen?" Bernard asked towards his mother who nodded with a confident smile.

Suddenly, Bernard's body from head to toe was now glowing in a bright blue aura of energy as a series of five threads made of magic extended out of the top of his body, around the areas of his shoulders and head. Looking up, the lines morphed into the shape of chains as they phased through the ceiling of the caravan.

"Five chains, five rounds." Alfana said. "Awwww! I wanted a full game!" She thought, complaining about her son's choice for a shorter game than desired.

"What the heck are those?" Corvus said from the chair as he and Vulp looked up.

"Shouldn't have to explain what those are, yeah?" Alfana said with a smug attitude, much to Bernard's chagrin.

'"Chains of fate?"' Bernard said as Alfana nodded.

"Now officially, you're playing Barendkoff!" Alfana said as she pointed at her son. "Now sit in the chair and pick five cards. Remember, I'm not supposed to see your hand. The stacks are already randomized." She instructed.

"Right..." Bernard said as he sat back down and looked over at the stacks of card tablets. "Random, huh..." He thought as he looked over at the stacks before his gaze switched over to Vulp and then Corvus. "...Vulp, you pick then Corvus." Bernard said as everyone looked at him.

"Hmmm?" Alfana muttered in surprise.

"Whoa, why are you making us decide?!" Corvus exclaimed as Vulp made a shocked expression.

"You guys live inside me, yeah?" Bernard said as he looked back at Corvus. "Anything that happens to me affects you both too..." He argued.

"Still... Aren't you the one playing this weird game?" Corvus said as Alfana glared at the crow. "Just because I agreed to be your protector doesn't mean you should be leaving your fates up to me and Vulp..." The crow thought with worry.

"It's not weird!" Alfana shouted as Corvus looked at Bernard's mother's annoyed face.

"Yeah, I know but... I would just feel more comfortable if you and Vulp drew the tablets for me." Bernard said as he looked at Vulp, the fox Celestial Spirit making a hesitant face towards him. "We're all kind of a package deal, remember?" He said as he petted Vulp to reassure him as the Celestial Spirits looked at each other.

"Anything that happens to him does affect us... He's valuing our opinion... Guess I got no choice." Corvus thought, relenting as he flapped his wings and landed on the table as Vulp's fur begun to move on its own, two tendrils stretching out of him to reach into the box as Alfana looked on, watching what just happened.

"You guys pick two. I'll take one." Bernard said as Corvus lifted up two tablets in his wing, Vulp picked up two with his tendrils and Bernard had one in his hand. "Mom?" He said towards his mother who looked like she was lost in thought.

"Huh? O-oh, right. Sorry. Now it's my turn." Alfana said as she reached into the box and picked five tablets at random before walking back over to the other end of the table, making sure not to look at the contents of the cards as she placed them facing down in front of her. "Now take a look at your cards but remember, don't tell me anything." She said towards Bernard.

Moving all of the tablets into his hands, Bernard flipped them over to look at the image and numbers on the cards as Corvus waddled off the table and perched on the armrest next to Bernard to get a good look as Vulp stepped back some to also get an angle on Bernard's hand. In his hand was a card with a picture of a blue slug and the number five in the corner, one with a whale with the number nine, one with a squid with a number eight, one with a familiar ape-like creature known as a Vulcan with a five next to it and lastly, a card with a draconian creature known as a Wyvern on it that had a nine.

"I got a lot of high number ones... I just wish I knew what these animals symbolize." Bernard thought as he noticed how many cards in his hand were close to the cap of the numerical values as he looked over at Corvus and then Vulp, the pair of Celestial Spirits shrugging in unsureness.

"Alright! Let's get started!" Alfana said as she rubbed her hands together.

"Someone's enthusiastic..." Corvus muttered.

"I don't get to play Barendkoff with other people. Most my interactions with anyone outside of fortune telling clients are spent keeping on an eye on that disgusting excuse for an S-class wizard outside this caravan right now." Alfana complained.

"I'm hoping everyone's okay out there..." Bernard thought as he looked over to where the exit was as he was still glowing with a magical aura. "So, how do we start?" He asked.

"First, pick a card from your hand and place it in view of me. Since I'm dealer, it's important that the game knows which card you chose, then I'll go next." Alfana explained as she looked at her face down cards. "I made the game, so I already know what the images on the tablets symbolize but I'm very curious what's going to happen." She thought as she had her hand out, ready to flip a facedown card over.

"You guys want to pick this too?" Bernard asked nervously towards Corvus and Vulp.

"No... Because my job description doesn't entail "playing card games that manifest fates."' Corvus said with defiant tone as Vulp shook his head left and right to signify a negative response.

"Here's goes nothing I guess..." Bernard said as he took the tablet for "Slug 5" and placed it in front of him.

"Oh?" Alfana said as she looked over to see the card in front of him. "Interesting..." She said quietly to herself as she placed a hand on one of her cards.

Flipping it over, Alfana revealed her card that she chose was a "Vulcan 3," meaning Bernard had won the round. Suddenly, upon seeing that Bernard won the round, the beanie sporting young man felt a weird tingle in his body as he looked upward and noticed one of the five magical chains sticking out of him had disappeared, fading away into nothingness.

"Did you win?" Corvus questioned as he and Vulp looked up at Bernard.

"I... Think?" Bernard replied. "Okay, she had a Vulcan card, I had a slug card, now what do these animals mean?" He thought with frustration.

"Well, that was a peculiar first round... Hmmmmm, I wonder..." Alfana said as she picked up the Vulcan card and put it aside.

"What do both of these cards represent? That's the thing that's bugging me now." Bernard said with a disgruntled tone of voice.

"Vulcans are known for attacking people and slugs are sticky... So, maybe you won't get mauled to death, now you'll just get really dirty?" Corvus said, trying to understand what happened.

"I guess that makes sense... Though granted, I don't really want to get covered in goop." Bernard said, agreeing with the crow. "Bad enough knowing a demonic slime with spikes has occupancy right where my heart is." He thought while placing a hand over his pacemaker where Formosa the Etherious Slime was currently.

"Actually... No." Alfana said, catching everyone's attention. "In terms of the game, the slug symbolizes an acquisition of an unspecified phobia." She said as Bernard and the Celestial Spirit's jaws dropped in bewilderment.

'"What?!"' Bernard and Corvus exclaimed.

"How the hell do slugs symbolize that of all things?!" Bernard questioned in a bothered tone.

"In terms of how Barendkoff works, that's what it is." Alfana said with a nonchalant tone.

"You made the damn game!" Corvus shouted.

"Yes... Anyway. Next round?" Alfana said, blowing off the criticism. "Don't want to admit it but the animal choices and the fates they represent have nothing to do with each other... I did that just to make the game more exciting." She thought, acknowledging a certain aspect of the game might be slightly contradictory.

"Wait, what does Vulcan symbolize?" Bernard asked out of curiosity before they continued. '"Getting an unspecified phobia," huh?... Why am I not surprised...?" He thought.

"Vulcans symbolize a period of respite." Alfana stated as Bernard, Corvus and Vulp looked at her with bewildered expressions forming once more. "Typically, that card winning means that you'd have a period of mental and physical relaxation in the near or immediate future that would leave you in the best of spirits." She continued as Bernard slumped back in his chair and began to stare at the chains magically sticking out of his glowing aura.

"...I just lost a potential future where I had a vacation..." Bernard said to himself as Corvus rubbed the back of his head and Vulp looked at his master with worry. "I didn't even know when the vacation was gonna be, but I lost it anyway!" He exclaimed in frustration as he grabbed his beanie and pulled it over his face.

"Why does a Vulcan represent a vacation of all things?!" Corvus said loudly towards Alfana.

"In terms of how Barendkoff works, that's what it is." Alfana said, repeating what she said earlier.

"Something about this game is bullshit..." Corvus thought with a twitch in his eye. "Yo, kid. Get a hold of yourself." The crow said as he looked at Bernard and reaching his wing over to pull Bernard's beanie up to reveal his disappointedly upset expression. "Pick your next card." Corvus said as Bernard sighed.

"Just got to hope the next one is actually good..." Bernard thought as he looked at his hand once again. "This time I'll go for a big number." He thought as he picked up the "Whale 9" card, placing it down as Alfana glanced at it.

"Huh?!" Alfana exclaimed in shock as she quickly stood up from the table, her face turning blue. "The-the whale card..." She thought with worry.

"Whoa..." Corvus muttered.

"Something wrong, mom?" Bernard asked as Alfana looked at her son and tried to recompose herself.

"N-no-nothing! Nothing! It's fine. Sorry, just... Thought I saw a bug trailing along the floor." Alfana said in an attempt to hide her emotions.

"Oh. Okay then... Vulp, keep an eye on the floor and stab any bugs you might see, please." Bernard said before turning towards Vulp and ordering him to keep watch, the fox complying by looking down at the floor with intent.

"Yeah... You do that..." Alfana said with a suddenly exhausted tone as she sat back down. "Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Why the whale... Why, of all cards, did he pull out a whale?! And it's a nine!" She thought as she glanced at the card as another of Bernard's chains disappeared. "I have to get a ten card of some kind... For his sake... I'd settle on a bear card or even a rabbit card. I just have to beat the whale!" Alfana thought as she glanced at her son before turning her attention back to her facedown cards.

"Is it me or does she look like she just saw a ghost?" Corvus whispered towards Bernard.

"...Well, her hair is a whitish grey so maybe she did." Bernard said with a slight smirk as Corvus looked at him with a disappointed expression.

"You are your fathers' son..." Corvus said bluntly towards Bernard for his poor joke attempt.

"Alright... I can do this... I can do this... I must win this hand!" Alfana thought, anxiety rising from deep within her as she quickly lunged for a card and flipped it over, revealing a "Crow 10" card. "Yes!" She screamed loudly as she stood up again, startling Bernard and the Celestial Spirits with her outburst.

"Huh?!" Bernard muttered.

"Oh... Oh, thank God... Pheew..." Alfana said with sighs of relief as she clutched at her chest.

"Hey, a crow card... Doesn't look like me though." Corvus said as he looked at the card Alfana picked.

"Well, I lost that hand..." Bernard said as he looked at the "Whale 9" card he had. "So, what's crow and whale?" He asked towards his mom, still heavily breathing.

"Eh, uhhh... Right, right..." Alfana said, finally calming down before sitting back down. "Crow symbolizes a cancellation. Effectively speaking, nothing happens. Whatever fate was going to happen from your card will definitely not occur." She explained. "The "God of luck" shined on me today..." Alfana thought as she rubbed her eyes with her left hand.

"Oh?" Bernard replied. "What does the whale represent?" He questioned.

"It symbolizes when I create an expansion pack for this game in the future, I remove the whale card completely from the game..." Alfana said with an angry voice towards her son, Bernard confused over her sudden tonal shift. "...The whale represents a shortened lifespan... You almost gave yourself a death sentence... And I don't know who pulled that; you, the crow or the fox!?" She thought with exhaustion as she shifted her eyes towards Bernard and then Corvus and Vulp. "Let's just move on..." Alfana said as she motioned for Bernard to continue before taking a swig of her drink to finally calm her nerves.

"Okay, one win and one loss... If you can even count those two rounds in that way." Bernard said as he looked at the remaining cards in his hand: "Squid 8," "Wyvern 9" and "Vulcan 5." "Also, "expansion pack?" How much of this game have you come up with?" He thought as his mind focused on what his mom just said. "Guess I'll go with this one." Bernard said as he placed "Squid 8" down.

'"Squid 8?"' Alfana mumbled as she noticed the card Bernard chose.

"...Yeah?" Bernard replied.

"This another one where you have an emotional moment, lady?" Corvus questioned.

"...Okay, I know exactly what this one is about..." Alfana thought as she glanced at her son. "Actually... This one I'm going to tell you about before I make a flip." She said.

"Now I'm extra curious. What does the squid symbol mean?" Bernard said. "Please be something not stupid..." He thought, hoping for a positive outcome.

"Squid is a representation of wealth acquisition." Alfana said plainly as Bernard and the Celestial Spirits looked at her. "It means that, at some point in the future, you're going to come into some money." She explained as Bernard grew curious. "I'm saying this one in advance because I think I know the specifics to what this one might be referring to... You're welcome in advance..." Alfana thought.

"...Is there a specific number on that...?" Bernard asked, facing his head down so only Vulp was able to see his overly excited face.

"All I can say is that it's probably sizable... Can't really give an exact figure though." Alfana said as she turned her head away as Bernard stood up. "Don't act like mother and father never gave you anything besides life and responsibilities, child." She thought.

"Yeahahaahah!" Bernard shouted loudly. "This is it! Fate is telling me I'm going to pay off that debt the royal family saddled me with!" He thought with his tongue sticking out, having an insane freakout at the possibility of paying off his loan in the future actually happening.

"Settle- whoa!" Corvus said until Bernard grabbed him by his sides and raised him high into the air.

"We're in the clear! Woohoo!" Bernard shouted happily as he swung Corvus around.

"I know you're happy and that's a rare thing but calm down!" Corvus shouted as Vulp jumped up and down in a delighted manner, joining in.

"Uhhh, excuse me." Alfana said, catching everyone's attention. "We're still in the middle of playing." She said, trying to get everything back on track. "I'm happy for you regardless but still, never celebrate before a game is completely over." Alfana thought with half-closed eyes.

"Oh right, right." Bernard said, still sporting a smile on his face as he placed Corvus back down on the armrest before reaching down towards Vulp and scratching him behind the ears a few times. "Good boy!" He said as Vulp started to violently wag his tail in enjoyment from seeing Bernard in such a cheery state.

"You should try being like this more often." Corvus said with a smug tone as he folded his wings.

"Wish it was about my cool board game and not because I'll be giving him Jewels in the future but whatever... Just hope this doesn't burst his bubble." Alfana thought as she looked at her relieved son. "Think I'll pick this one." She said as she flipped over another card, everyone looking in anticipation as the card was revealed to be "Badger 4."

"Woo!" Bernard said with his arms raised as the third chain disappeared over his body. "No stopping it now!" He exclaimed in happiness as Alfana stared at the card.

"Alright!" Corvus shouted in a similar happy state as Bernard and the Celestial Spirits celebrated as Alfana picked up the badger card.

"Okay, this was a really weird round... And a bit too much information for my liking... Well, I guess I should take some solace in the fact he won." Alfana thought as she looked at the card.

"What's that one mean?" Corvus said as he caught Alfana's attention.

"This one... Might be a bit too hard to describe." Alfana said as Bernard looked at his mom with a raised eyebrow.

"Does it matter? A good fortune won in the end anyway!" Bernard said with a wide grin as he was so personally content with the outcome that he didn't care what the potential other future was.

"I guess not..." Alfana said as she put aside the badger card. "I guess I should be okay that his future is confirmed to have monetary stability... But the badger card showing up... The vagueness of it leaves me a bit troubled." She thought as she looked at her son. "Well... Anyway, let's continue. Two cards left." Alfana said.

"I wonder how the money will come in?" Bernard said with a smile on his face as he ignored his mom, looking at Corvus.

"Maybe we'll find some buried treasure in a landfill somewhere." Corvus joked as Alfana looked on.

"Should I mention the four hundred thousand Jewels and how exactly it was spent on Barendkoff: Fate Makers?... Nah, let him enjoy this high." Alfana thought with half-closed eyes.

"I'm actually starting to like this game. It's more straightforward as soon as you play it and the aspect about fate is questionable but it's actually kinda fun." Bernard said with an honest tone as Alfana looked at him, her face brightening up by the kind words about the Barendkoff game from her son.

"Ye-yeah! It's pretty sweet, right! Last thing I wanted was for it not to be fun!" Alfana replied with a sincere smile on her face. "He's enjoying it! Yes!" She thought.

"Alright, for my next pick. This one." Bernard said as he placed down "Vulcan 5."

"Another shot at a vacation, huh?" Alfana said as she looked at the Vulcan card. "This game doesn't necessarily have a winner at the end of a session, but hey, if you win, good for you." She thought as she looked at her remaining cards.

"A future where I get a vacation and I'm filthy rich is all I want right now... Please! Please! Please!" Bernard thought with exaggerated tears dripping off his face. "Now that I know what the Vulcan symbolizes, I'm going for it!" He said with an energetic tone.

"Looks like there's some signs of that crazy young boy you used to be in your childhood still left in you... Ahhhh, memories of better times." Alfana thought as she looked at Bernard, feeling nostalgic by the way he was acting. "Well, round four, here we go!" She said with an excited tone as Alfana flipped over her penultimate card, revealing "Swan 7." "...Uh..." Alfana muttered as her body froze.

'"Swan 7."' Corvus said.

"Crap... Another vacation attempt gone..." Bernard said with a defeated tone. "Well, at least I still got money in my future." He said, not feeling too melancholic over the loss of the round.

"Sw-swan..." Alfana stuttered as the trio looked at her. "You... Gotta be kidding me..." She said as she looked at the card before slumping back in her chair.

"Mom?" Bernard said with worry over his mother's actions.

"I think you might want to forget about setting up with a banking guild in the future, Bernard..." Alfana said with a dejected expression on her face as she looked up at the ceiling as the fourth chain on Bernard's aura disappeared.

"...Wha?" Bernard muttered.

"...Oh no... What does swan do!? I'm expecting something bad to happen now!" Corvus said with a confrontational tone.

"Swan- hold on..." Alfana said before stopping to sit back up in her chair. "Swan represents reversal of fate. It negates the winner of the prior round before swan won and swaps it with the losing card." She said as she put her hands on her face, pulling down on it.

"Ho-hold on... Are you saying..." Bernard said with his face turning sickly as the Celestial Spirits looked at him with exhaustion.

"Effective now... Badger beat squid..." Alfana said with a bothered expression on her face as she picked up the badger card again with Bernard slammed his skull on the table in despair.

"Nrghhhhfhhhhh!" Bernard moaned in personal anguish as his fate was changed as he began to additionally slam his fist into the table.

"Ugghhhh..." Corvus groaned in similar disbelief.

"So much for that chipper attitude he was displaying... And please don't break my table..." Alfana thought, the sight of watching her son in such a sorry state making her feel bad. "And of course, it had to be a badger card." She said aloud.

"I guess you can't scapegoat telling us what that card symbolizes now..." Corvus said as Vulp tried to comfort Bernard by rubbing his face against Bernard's leg as he looked at his mom.

"I... Feel like I shouldn't..." Alfana said as she turned away from everyone.

"Mom... Just get it over with..." Bernard said through gritted teeth with rage forming on his face, Alfana sighing as she placed a hand on her forehead.

"The badger card... Symbolizes... Good luck..." Alfana said as she made an embarrassed expression. "How do I put this...?" She thought, struggling to figure out the exact way she wanted to word what the badger card's aspect of fate was.

'"Good luck?" "Good luck" at what?!" Bernard exclaimed as Alfana bit her lip. "What!? What?! Just tell me now! Please!" He said loudly as he stood up from his chair.

"Guess the good times couldn't last." Corvus said as Vulp nudged against Bernards leg, catching his attention as he took a deep breath and sat back down. "Can we get the "shocking twist" of the badger card now?" The crow asked towards the fortune teller as she put a hand on her forehead

"...The badger... Symbolizes an increase in good luck in any and all matters involving the opposite sex." Alfana said, sweat coming off her face with Vulp's eyes widening, Corvus started to smirk and Bernard slamming his head once more on the table in response to the reveal. "It's a bit of a fuzzy fortune, if I'm being honest... It could mean anything involving you and a girl." She said while putting her hands together.

"Why of all things is that in my future?!" Bernard shouted loudly as he picked his head up, a bruise forming on his forehead. "Don't I already have a girlfriend!? Why do I need a future where I have more success in that field!?" He ranted.

'"A?"' Alfana replied with confusion. "Thought both of those childhood friends of his bagged him?" She thought with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh! I-I, you know what I mean!" Bernard replied in agitation as his face turned red. "She still believes I've been seeing Camilla and Marlene at the same time, and I have to keep up that stupid lie while Warwick is still around..." He thought with embarrassment.

"...I feel like I should say something to him about that kind of thing, but I don't even know what this could entail unless I walk over and read his fortune myself... And I vowed never to do that... And besides, the badger fortune doesn't explicitly refer solely to "romance" or "lust" related events. It could just mean something as basic as you going to a marketplace and a girl gives a discount on beef jerky or something as dumb as that." Alfana thought with a troubled face.

"Well... Look at the bright side." Corvus said, raising a feather on his wing in the manner one would raise a finger.

"What possible "bright side" is there to any of this?! All I got out of playing this game was the fact I'm going to be developing a phobia, of which I have zero idea what it could be towards, and girls may or may not take to me more than before, which I personally don't care about because I'm already committal!" Bernard complained.

"...Well, that's respectable that you're at least not trying to go after every woman that breathes... Like someone I know..." Alfana thought with half-closed eyes, making a negative comment towards a certain S-class wizard. "Alright, one chain left." She said, catching everyone's attention as Bernard looked up towards the ceiling.

"Okay... Just get it over with. I don't even care at this point." Bernard thought with a dejected expression as he propped his head on his hand, laying his left elbow on the armrest that Corvus wasn't perched on as he looked at the "Wyvern 9" he had left in his possession. "...What crazy bullshit will this card represent? My hair falling out? I get an illness added on to my other physical issue?! The pastry shop I love shuts down?! What!?" He mentally shouted to himself.

"Put it down and the aura around you will disappear." Alfana said with a serious tone of voice as the last round had begun.

However, before Bernard could place his last card down on the table to end the game officially, a loud glass shattering noise could be heard from the direction of the door to the caravan, prompting everyone in the room to turn their heads.

"Whoa! What was that?!" Bernard exclaimed.

"That didn't sound good..." Corvus commented as Alfana turned her head back towards her son.

"Oh no... The others..." Bernard thought with worry as he quickly stood up from his seat. "Forget the game! Corvus, Vulp! Let's get out there!" He said, instructing the Celestial Spirits to follow him.

"Hey, wait! The game's not-" Alfana said as she got to her feet as well before getting cut off by Bernard.

"Sorry mom but this is guild related! Here, just tell me about it later!" Bernard said as he quickly placed down the "Wyvern 9" card on the table, the magical chains from Barendkoff disappearing from his body as he started tapping his pacemaker in his chest. "If that was Camilla's barrier breaking from fighting Warwick, the worst is possibly happening..." He thought with concern as he pulled the curtains out of the way and ran out of the caravan.

"Looks like we're getting some action today after all, Vulp!" Corvus said as he flew behind Bernard with Vulp following, leaving Alfana by herself.

Shaking her head in an annoyed manner, Alfana stood up from her chair and walked over to Bernards side of the table to check his final card from the game. Her eyes widening briefly, Alfana noticed that the card Bernard had was the "Wyvern 9" card.

"Wyvern; all fates prior to this card being placed are null and void, no longer affecting the players future..." Alfana said quietly to herself before turning her head back towards her side of the table and then reached for the last card she needed to flip over, growing curious of what her own card was. "A nine would mean I need a ten in order to beat his last card..." She thought as she reached over and flipped her last card, revealing it to be "Ram 10."

Staring at the card, Alfana's eyes blinked multiple times in surprise as a grin briefly formed on her face before placing the card down. Taking a deep breath, she looked over in the direction of where Bernard, Warwick and the others were before walking past her setup curtains and in the direction of a nearby wall that was adorned with several rod and sword-like objects.

"Looks like I'm going to need this." Alfana thought as she reached forward and pulled an ornamental cane off the wall that had a golden spiral designed handle with a golden tip at the end of it. "Even in a board game that makes it, fate works in mysterious ways." She thought.

Why is a swan a symbol for reversal and a slug for phobias? Better question, why is a Vulcan, those crazy creatures that look like monstrous apes a representation of relaxation? They take over people's bodies for nutrients and then attack people who enter their territories. What kind of shit game is this? I'm buying it on sale damn it! With his beastly allies picking out some of his cards, Bernard played a full session of Barendkoff: Fate Makers with his mother, Alfana. And suffice to say, I don't think Bernard liked what the outcomes were. His chances for a vacation were dashed twice, he might have luck with women that he wasn't expecting, and he lost a future where he was going to make serious earnings... But what about that last card? What does the Ram entail? Will we ever know for certain? Fate ain't set in stone. And neither is me suffering through these damn alterations!

Author's Note: (The confirmed cards and what they represent include:)
1. Squid = Wealth acquisition.
2. Badger = Success with the opposite sex (changed this one from the original "romantic success" fate)
3. Whale = Lifespan shortening.
4. Vulture = Quality of health improvement.
5. Ant = Poverty.
6. Crow = Cancellation of previous fate.
7. Rabbit = Illness.
8. Elephant = Conception of children.
9. Bear = Inconvenience incoming.
10. Vulcan = Period of relaxation.
11. Mongoose = Coup-d'etat.
12. Gecko = New encounters.
13. Swan = Reversal of previous round.
14. Turtle = Outer trust (from the original story)
15. Slug = Unspecified phobia acquisition
16. Weevil = Painful bowel movement in near future
17. Spider = Previous rounds fate afflicts the dealer and not the player
18. Wyvern = Cancellation of all previous fates
19. Ram = To be revealed
20. Shrimp = Unspecified allergy acquisition.

(So, this chapter isn't too altered but there's some noticeable differences if you read the original. The biggest ones being some of the cards are different, mostly Bernards. I felt the originals were a bit too inherently specific, but I wanted to keep the mystery of the final card still prevalent. I'm not gonna lie here: I REALLY enjoy writing Alfana, there's just something fun about writing her, adding in that stuff with her getting snacks and just loving the idea of finally sitting down to play a board game with her son lol. I also removed the original ending where Alfana broke her promise to never read Bernard's future and went in a different direction with it... And probably gave you all a further glimpse into Bernard's moms "style" if you know what I mean. Next chapter... We're going into one of the last of the "semi-old" chapters. There's going to be some big changes in the next one.)