“Is there something special about this card?” Anya glanced at the Wheel of Fortune to her right, unable to hold back her curiosity as she spoke.
“This card’s appearance signifies change. It could be any sort of change you encounter—it is filled with uncertainty.” Amy’s tone was as calm as a still pond.
“What does that mean?” Anya still didn’t quite understand.
“Simply put, your future is full of uncertainty, impossible to predict.” Amy shrugged, tapping the card on the table.
“Maybe a good thing right now will twist into trouble, and what seems like a bad situation might hide a chance for a turnaround. In short, I can’t see your path ahead.”
“My future…” Anya repeated softly, falling into thought.
“Little Anya, what’s the point of overthinking such things?” Suddenly, a casual voice interrupted. Iris chewed on a sugar cube from a cake, “We only live once—what matters is the present. Get things done well in the moment, and your future will naturally be in your own hands.”
Those words were like a ray of light, piercing through the fog in Anya’s heart.
That’s right. Why worry about things that haven’t happened yet?
“But the Wheel of Fortune isn’t all about the unknown,” Amy suddenly changed her tone, putting on a mysterious air. “It also holds meanings of renewal and rebirth. Of course, these are all just interpretations in the realm of the mystical.”
“Fortune-telling at most points out a general direction.” She smiled, flipping over the face-down card in the middle in front of Anya. “Just take it as a reminder.”
The card was completely blank, showing nothing at all.
“Hmm… it’s the Blank Card.” Amy’s voice grew softer. “When it appears here, it usually means you’re standing at a crucial crossroads. You have to follow your heart in making your choice. Every step could influence the direction of your future.”
Having said that, she seemed to let go of a heavy burden. With a sudden motion, she whipped off the pointed hat on her head, and a pair of soft pink cat ears popped out, twitching playfully.
“Finally done with the fortune-telling, nya!” In an instant, Amy returned to the energetic self Anya had seen at first, her cat ears swaying with her words. “Dear customer, how would you rate Amy’s service? Was it a perfect score, nya~?”
Anya couldn’t help but laugh, barely managing to say, “It was… okay, I guess.”
“‘Okay, I guess’? What do you mean by that!” Amy’s face fell immediately, her big eyes full of grievance as she stared at Anya. “Customer, you’re not going to reveal Amy’s identity, right, nya?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.” Seeing Amy like this, Anya quickly tried to comfort her.
“Words alone aren’t enough!” Amy shook her head repeatedly, her ears drooping as well. “What if you go out and sell Amy out, nya?”
With no other choice, Anya revealed her identity: “I swear on the name of Anya Auckland, I will never reveal that you are a Catkin.”
“Nya?” Amy’s eyes widened in shock. “Customer, you’re actually from the Auckland Household?”
“It’s not really a big deal.” Anya didn’t think much of it.
“Please let Amy be your friend!” Amy suddenly grew excited and rushed up to the edge of the table, her cat ears standing up straight.
A moment later, Iris came out of the fortune-telling shop—which looked like a dessert shop—carrying several sweets in her arms, munching as she walked.
All of these had been insisted on by Amy as gifts for Anya, but since Anya didn’t actually like eating too many sweets, she handed them all over to Iris.
“Miss Amy is such a good person! Her desserts are delicious, and she talks so nicely. I really love this place,” Iris said with a mouthful of sweets, endlessly praising Amy’s skills.
Anya also learned from Amy that her hometown had been struck by disaster, forcing her to flee to the Northern Border and pretend to be a Human, living there for decades.
Anya had originally thought Amy was about the same age as herself, but it turned out Amy was old enough to be her mother, which made Anya marvel at the longevity of other races.
When the two of them left the shop, the sun was already slanting low in the west, and there were far fewer pedestrians on the streets.
“Iris, we should head back now.” Anya looked at the glow of dusk on the horizon, narrowed her eyes, and spoke to the white-furred ball beside her.
“Mm-hmm, it’s about time!” Iris’ cheeks were stuffed as she nodded repeatedly, “Let’s call it a day!”
Suddenly, a wailing cry came from the corner of the street, and a small figure stumbled out.
Anya’s eyes sharpened as she heard it, looking over and then heading straight toward the little girl.
“Hey, hey, Little Anya, where are you going now!” Iris was still holding a piece of cake, and seeing Anya walk off, she hurried after her, looking inexplicably comical.
Anya crouched down in front of the little girl, softening her voice. “Little one, what happened?”
The little girl was obviously terrified, shaking all over. She pointed with trembling fingers toward the corner behind her. “A bad person… is chasing me. I’m so scared…”
Anya looked in the direction the girl pointed, and saw a red-haired young woman slowly stepping out.
She was stunningly beautiful, but radiated a cold aura that warned people away. Standing there without expression, she gave off a chill that made one instinctively uneasy.
“Why are you running?” The red-haired girl’s voice was like ice, so cold that the little girl shrank behind Anya, trembling even harder.
“Who are you? Why are you chasing a child?” Anya stepped forward to shield the little girl, her tone questioning.
“She’s the bad person! Big sister, let’s run!” The little girl clung tightly to Anya’s clothes, her voice full of fear.
“Hey, wait!” Iris looked in confusion at the confrontation. “Little Anya, why are you butting in all of a sudden? What if it’s just a misunderstanding? At least ask what’s going on first!”
The red-haired girl glanced at Anya, her lips parting as if to speak, but she swallowed her words.
But Anya, as if she’d changed into someone else, pressed the red-haired girl further. “I don’t know what you’re doing, but please explain yourself. Thank you.”
The red-haired girl was visibly displeased, frowning as she spoke coldly: “What I do is none of your concern.”
Anya was taken aback—she hadn’t expected the girl to respond like that. She answered in a firm voice, “Then I’m sorry, but I’ll have to use a bit of force.”
With that, Anya reached out, intending to restrain the red-haired girl.
The red-haired girl’s gaze grew even colder. She chanted softly under her breath, then raised a pale hand—a fireball burst forth, shooting straight at Anya’s face.
Anya’s pupils contracted slightly as she dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the fireball.
Iris was dumbfounded. She had never seen Anya act so forcefully before. Ever since they’d met, Anya had always seemed gentle and frail.
Had she become a completely different person?
Seeing the girl’s strength, Anya quickly opened the System Panel to check her information.
[Amelia Lorsy: Human, Third Rank, Fire Magic Mage]