The stairs behind the dojo felt different. With each step Ars climbed, it was as if a weight was lifted from his body, the air becoming lighter and clearer.
The climb felt short, and soon he arrived at the final threshold. There was no wooden or stone door, only a curtain of light that rippled softly.
With a slight hesitation, Ars stepped through it, carrying Yuki, who was curled up alertly in his arms.
The sight before him took his breath away.
He stood in a circular room so vast that it felt like being outside on a nighttime. The dome above him was not a ceiling, but a perfect representation of the night sky filled with brightly shining stars.
The floor was made of polished obsidian so smooth that it perfectly reflected the dome of the sky above, giving the illusion that he was floating in the middle of the galaxy.
However, the stars above did not form ordinary constellations. They gathered to form twenty-one giant, glowing symbols—the symbols of the Major Arcana.
There, shining with a golden light, was the Emperor's Constellation, a grand throne formed from stars. Next to it, the Constellation of the Hermit, a solitary lantern shining with silver light. Ars could see Strength, Justice, the Sun, and the Moon, each depicted with cosmic threads of light, a magnificent and terrifying dance of destiny.
This was an observatory. The Observatory of Destiny itself.
"This... is incredible," whispered Ars.
The ancient, genderless voice of the tower echoed one last time, filling the entire room with its majestic presence.
"You have arrived at the summit, Wanderer. The place where all paths meet and begin. You have proven your intention to begin, and your humility to learn. Now, the final test awaits you. The test of understanding."
Ars straightened his body, his heart pounding. He stared at the cosmic expanse above him.
"Twenty-one destinies shine brightly in the sky, each with its own power, purpose, and path," said the voice.
"Among these shining destinies, where is the beginning of everything? Show me your place, Wanderer. Show me where The Fool is."
The final test. Another riddle.
Ars's eyes frantically scanned the starry sky. He searched for the symbol of The Fool—a wanderer with his staff. Nothing.
He searched for the Roman numeral "0". Nothing either. All the major constellations were numbered from I to XXI. The number Zero was nowhere to be found among them.
Panic began to creep over him. Was he not among them? Was his Arcana so insignificant that it didn't even have a place on this map of destiny?
He tried using his ability, `[Observer's Insight]`, on one of the constellations.
> [Constellation VI: The Lovers]
> Type: Symbol of Destiny
> Description: Heavenly representation of the Arcana 'The Lovers'.
> Purpose: [Realize Bonds], [Guide Heart's Choices], [Become a Crossroads]
It gave him no clues. Each constellation had its own grand purpose. He felt lost, a child before a cosmic map he couldn't read.
He was about to give up when the lessons from the previous two trials echoed in his mind. *First trial: create your own path from nothingness. Second trial: find potential in emptiness.*
Emptiness. Nothingness. The number Zero.
He stopped staring directly at the dazzling constellations. Instead, he began to see the space between them. Dark, empty space connecting one constellation to another.
And that's where he saw it. Not an image, but a concept. Between the mighty Emperor and the wise Pope, there was a dark gap.
Between the hopeful Star and the illusory Moon, there was a starless path. The Fool was not a shining destination like the others.
The Fool is *the journey itself*.
He is the invisible thread that sews all these destinies together. He is the wanderer who walks the dark path between the stars, having the potential to visit them all, but bound to none of them. He is the emptiness in which everything can grow.
With sudden understanding, Ars no longer felt small. He felt the uniqueness of his position. He raised his hand, not pointing at the magnificent constellations, but at the dark, winding path between them.
"There," he said firmly.
"My place is not among the stars. My place is the path they travel."
Silence enveloped the observatory for a moment. Then, the entire room shook.
"You have understood," the tower's voice resonated.
"Not as destiny written, but as the pen that will write it. Therefore, accept your gift and your burden, Ars of Arcana Zero. Accept Knowledge."
Light from every constellation shot down, not as an attack, but as a stream of pure data flowing directly into Ars's mind.
His mind was flooded with information, with visions and understanding so vast that he staggered and fell to his knees, his head feeling like it was about to explode.
The first vision was of the place where he had awakened. He saw dense forests, grasslands, rushing rivers, and marble towers from above.
The entire area was enveloped in a faint dome of light invisible to the naked eye. He was given the understanding that this was the "Garden of Dawn," a sacred domain isolated from the outside world.
This place was the Shell of the World, a beginner's zone created specifically for newly awakened holders of The Fool Arcana, to give them a chance to adapt before being thrown into the chaos of the real world. No other humans could enter or even see it. It was his first and last refuge.
The second vision took him across the world. He saw other individuals glowing with their Arcana auras.
A general leading an army with absolute authority from the Emperor's Constellation. A hermit atop a mountain who could see the threads of the future through the Hermit's Constellation.
A wealthy merchant whose luck never ran out under the auspices of the Wheel of Fate. He felt the benefits of being an Arcana holder: the power to transcend human limits, to shape the fate of nations, to become a living legend.
But he also felt the danger: their every action caused great ripples in the ocean of destiny, attracting the attention of ancient powers, and placing the burden of the world on their shoulders. They were the pillars of the world, and if one pillar collapsed, the entire structure would shake.
The third vision focused on him, on The Fool. Unlike the other Arcana, whose powers were clear and defined, his power was pure potential.
This made him the most feared and most desired wild card. To some, he is a threat because of his uncertainty. To others, he is the ultimate tool, a blank canvas that can be painted with any ambition. He will forever be an outsider, wary of other destinies.
And then, the final vision comes. The most terrifying vision.
The scene in his mind transformed into an infernal realm. The sky was blood red and turbulent, and the air was heavy with the smell of sulfur and despair.
In the middle of a plain made of scorched rocks stood a giant throne carved from solid obsidian that seemed to absorb all light. Seated upon the throne was a giant, horned creature, its skin as hard as cracked volcanic rock, its eyes burning with yellow flames full of hatred and eternal greed.
Ars immediately recognized this hellish scene. It was the Throne of Emptiness from the Nether Abyss lore in the game World of Destiny.
And that figure... there was no mistake, it was the Demon King Mordigan, the main antagonist of the game, who in the game's lore was described as the holder of Arcana XV, "The Devil".
In his vision, Ars saw Mordigan clutching a holy knight whose armor had been destroyed. The Demon King laughed, his laughter shaking the world.
His pitch-black, smoky claws pierced the knight's chest. It wasn't blood that flowed out, but pure starlight. With a cruel tug, Mordigan ripped a glowing tarot card—The Star—from the knight's soul.
The light in the knight's eyes dimmed and faded, his body turning to ash, while Mordigan absorbed the card into himself, his dark aura growing even denser and stronger.
The voice of the tower gave its final warning, its words etched into Ars' soul with icy fire.
"Knowledge is your weapon, and also your curse. In the outside world, there is He who is bound by the chains of his own ambition, and seeks to chain everything else. The Demon King is not satisfied with one destiny. He is the strongest Arcana Hunter, aiming to collect all 22 Arcana to destroy the Balance and change all of reality into a reflection of his own hell."
"Keep your identity a secret. Hide your Zero. Never reveal to anyone that you are The Fool. Because when he knows of your existence, his entire army will hunt you down. Your fate will belong to him."
The vision ended. Ars coughed and jolted back to consciousness, lying on the obsidian floor, his body drenched in cold sweat. Yuki licked his face anxiously.
He understood now. This was no longer a game. This was no adventure to find his way home.
This was a struggle for survival against the Demon King, the main villain of the game he once played, who was now real and far more terrifying. He was not a player; he was the target.