Chapter Text
Fog was the enemy of certainty. A blanket of humidity obscured what should have been an easy, familiar place. But like worlds glimpsed in snatches of sleep, you could only ever be half sure whether or not this was real.
A slow whine echoed from the shroud of fog ahead of him. He raised his arm, held his hand in front and watched the fog greedily swallow it up. He stepped forward, feeling it nip and grab at him. Blanketing and ominous in every direction.
Given the situation, he wondered if maybe he should have been more surprised to see a Ferris wheel rising out of the fog. He waited until it slowed and a compartment rattled to a stop. Weary and rusted, it looked almost sorry for itself. With a billowing of acrid smoke, the door of the compartment unlocked with a ker-chunk, and a woman stepped out, light spilling out from behind her. She wore a dress suit in deepest royal blue and a gentle smile. The young man felt some of the tension evaporate from him.
”Hello there,” This woman's voice was soft and encouraging, the type you would automatically trust. “You must be the one we’re expecting. Please, do come in.”
With a friendly tip of her hostess cap, she melted back into the soft light of the carriage. A shiver pricked at the base of the boy's spine and he bundled himself deeper into his heavy sweater, watching goosebumps spring up on his chalk white skin. He followed. Where else was he going to go? At least this place looked warm.
“Good evening.” Behind them, the door to the carriage slammed shut and it lurched back into life. The young man fought to keep his footing as the carriage lifted itself up and began a slow ascent. “And welcome to the Velvet Room.”
Velvet Room? That sounded like some sort of club middle aged ladies loved to hang around. It was an odd name by any standards, that was for sure.
The young man sucked in his breath. From the outside, this carriage looked ordinary enough. But inside, it was completely different. For a start, it seemed twice as large. The hefty amount of alcohol sulking in one corner made it obvious that someone lived here. In this Ferris wheel carriage of all places.
An older man sat opposite him – the owner of this place, maybe? How had he only just noticed? He looked the sort of man you’d only see in graphic novels, with a long, slender nose poking between bulging eyes and a devious smile set upon thin lips.
“I am the one they call Igor.” The man spoke in a deep and breathy voice, like he savoured the taste of each and every letter on his tongue. As he spoke, his fingers tapped together. “How interesting that you’ve been called to me. This normally only happens after certain… bonds have been made.”
The boy felt Igor’s gaze sweep intrusively up and down his body. One gnarled hand waved in front of him and a selection of playing cards – royal blue, and backed with peculiar markings – materialised on the table that stood between them.
“Perhaps there is something that awaits you, after all. It seems as though you and Fate have been… intertwined.”
The young man frowned. This was all becoming a little too strange. A man that spoke like a Shakespeare villain living on a Ferris wheel with an air hostess lady and a bunch of playing cards. Was this some sort of crazy fever dream?
The playing cards – six on closer inspection – had flipped over. Strange designs danced in front of his eyes, too intricate to make out properly.
“I sense an oncoming change in your life,” Igor nodded knowingly. “One that, without proper precaution, may prove too much for you to handle. Do you believe in fortune telling, perhaps? A simple deck of cards mirrors life in such a simple, yet perfect way. Care for a demonstration?”
Without even moving his hands, the cards on the table seemed to shuffle themselves around at a blinding pace. Moments later, they were returned to their original position.
“Pick three, please.”
Igor cross-hatched his fingers, and stared down his long nose at the young man. The boy gulped, looked around nervously, and extended a shaking hand towards the first of the cards. It and two others were flipped, and Igor’s eyes flashed.
“How interesting… according to what I see here, you are in for quite an adventure. If you take matters into your own hands, and tread very carefully, you may just be able to prevent matters of a catastrophic nature. But it won’t be easy. You’ll need to forge alliances, learn to adapt under pressure, and above all, assert yourself.”
Their carriage squeaked to a sudden halt, and whatever was in Igor’s glass spilled. The boy looked out of the windows to see lights looming in the distance. Red and yellow glares, shimmering through the fog. A city, maybe?
“Your destiny awaits you,” Igor’s grin widened. “And we will meet again soon.”