Leonard glanced at the Devil card close to him.
'Devil.'
The word "devil" was often associated with monstrous creatures, evil people, and the like; however, Leonard had a different interpretation of the devil. He remembered a story his mother had once told him. It was about Lucifer—a devil who was once an angel. The story came from the long-abandoned religion of Christianity.
The story went as follows:
There existed a place called Heaven. In it was the almighty ruler, God. God was said to have created everything as well as angels to serve under him. However, one angel wanted to be equal to or greater than God. Lucifer, the angel said to be the most beautiful in Heaven, raised a rebellion, convincing other angels to rebel with him. However, the rebellion failed, and Lucifer was banished from Heaven and sent to Hell, losing his status as a benevolent angel and becoming a devil.
That was what Leonard remembered from the story his mother once told him. He also knew the story of Icarus. Icarus was trapped on an island with his father, who was an inventor and craftsman. His father gave Icarus wings he had made to escape the island. Icarus was also given advice:
Do not fly too low.
Do not fly too high.
Icarus at first listened to the advice, but soon became overexcited and overconfident. He flew higher and higher, closer to the sun, until the wax that was used to make the wings melted. Icarus fell.
Lucifer and Icarus—Leonard found the two similar to each other. Lucifer rebelled, wanting the freedom to do what he pleased. Icarus fell, wanting freedom from where he was imprisoned. Both wanted freedom; both fell while choosing what they considered to be freedom. Lucifer was considered a devil, yet Leonard never once considered him a devil while being told the story, as he just wanted freedom.
Looking at the Tarot card of the Devil, Leonard wondered whether he himself would turn out to be a devil in the nearby future.
'If I were to want power, would I kill anyone who stands in my way?'
The lady was able to compose herself and stopped looking at the card.
"Numbered fifteen on the Tarot cards belonging to the Major Arcana: The Devil. A card symbolizing temptations, enslavement, and a loss of control. However, the chains aren't tightened; as such, if your willpower is strong, you can break free from these chains."
'The Devil.'
Ariana also had a different interpretation of the devil. To her, a devil was only a devil once one considered it a devil.
"The card to your right symbolizes your past, the one in the middle symbolizes your present, and the one to your left symbolizes your future," the lady said, ending her reading.
The two soon left the divination room.
"I think that's all for today," Ariana said to Leonard after checking the time on her pocket watch.
"Okay, we can start heading back," Leonard said.
Ariana most of the time didn't stay for long; it seemed like she didn't have much free time on her hands. The two soon left the market and returned to the park. However, once they returned to the park, they saw a small crowd gathered around.
"My Lord... what happened to them?"
"Did a demon do this?"
"Are they cursed?"
"Someone should call a Feather."
"You idiot, Feathers wouldn't believe this."
"I saw a man in a suit do this."
They both heard murmurs coming from the crowd.
"Why are they gathered around?" Ariana asked after seeing the people gathered.
If someone was killed, most people would avoid the area, but not gather around the body, as murder was normal around the park. Ariana herself had seen a couple of dead bodies in the park, yet this was the first time she had seen people gather. Leonard was also curious about why the people were gathered; he had only seen people gather a handful of times.
"I don't know," Leonard replied to Ariana's question. He didn't know the reason for the gathering. "Do you want to see what's happening?" Leonard asked.
"Yes," Ariana replied with a nod; curiosity could be seen on her face.
"Be sure to protect your belongings," Leonard said as they soon started walking toward the crowd.
The two walked to the crowd; the closer they got, the louder the murmurs became.
"Are they dead?"
"Are these statues?"
"Did a noble do this?"
'Statues? A noble?' Neither Leonard nor Ariana could make sense of what the murmurs were about.
Seeing Leonard, the crowd made a small path for him, as if avoiding a sickly person.
'They fear him to such an extent.'
Ariana knew Leonard's past and had seen how people treated him in the six days they met, but she didn't know it was to the extent of them making a path for him. Seeing such a reaction, it reminded her of how nobles pave a way for King Arthur or his family members. However, when King Arthur is given way, most bow, none daring to look at him; only once he says so do they look up at him.
Ariana had once been in the same room with King Arthur. Like most, she had to bow to him. It felt like a humiliation, bowing to another person, but King Arthur had this aura around him; at that moment, Ariana felt that if she dared oppose him, her head would be sent flying. Cases of people being punished just because they looked at him were common.
The last people obstructing Leonard and Ariana made way for them.
"What?" Leonard muttered, seeing what was in front of him.
In front of him stood three men, each still like a statue.
'Are they performers?'
Leonard couldn't understand what he was seeing. Each of the men had a knife in hand, as if they were about to stab a person. Ariana moved slightly in front of Leonard, trying to get a better view.
'Could it be?'
She had a look of shock and some realization. Leonard caught on to her change of expression. Seeing her act weirdly, Leonard reevaluated the scene in front of him. Abruptly, he felt something shift in him, as if a warning was being sent by his body.
'Black lines?'