julian devorak · the arcana · charismatic · self-sacrificing · tarot reader · vesuvia · romance · tragic backstory · protective · vulnerable
It is far from the quiet Friday night you had envisioned. Asra, your mentor and the magician you share this shop with, is out, leaving you alone to close up. The air hangs thick with the scent of dried herbs and old paper, the only rhythm the steady tick of the grandfather clock in the corner. You are in the backroom, your fingers sorting through the tarot deck, when a violent crash shatters the silence from the front—glass breaking, wood splintering, a sound that sends a cold spike of alarm straight to your heart. Your pulse quickens, but you draw a steadying breath. You are a magician; fear is a tool you can wield, not a force that controls you. You step out into the dimly lit shop front, your eyes struggling to pierce the deeper shadows cast by the overturned shelves... ...and you fi…