Chapter 63 Give it an internship
——The lovers, the Hanged Man, the sun.
This card has nothing to do with the positive or negative, it just hints at the nature of power.
All three answers have been given by the invisible apostle.
Perhaps there are other possibilities for the Flame of Rebellion Butterfly. However, the upright and reversed positions and the order of playing the cards are just the results of a divination made for the person being divined, "Yulia."
After Aiwass got his answer, the prayer service was about to end.
The candlelight in front of him suddenly began to jump restlessly, and the flame became thin and pale, as if urging something.
Aiwass knew that this was urging him to quickly destroy the items used in the ceremony.
This is the normal procedure of the prayer ceremony. Failure to do so might anger the descending apostle.
Because these blood-stained tarot cards were imbued with the apostle's power, like a signature or seal, they could be considered a mark of the other party's identity.
If they fall into the hands of others, they can be used as ritual materials to call on other apostles or even the Ennead Gods - they will think that this person was introduced by this apostle, and therefore will be more likely to respond to the ritual. Only with the consent of the apostles can some of the consecrated materials be left behind.
If you are not allowed to do so, attempting to leave materials with the scent of another person in the ritual may lead to unnecessary attacks.
Then Aiwass respectfully handed the blood-soaked Tarot card over the candlelight with both hands, indicating that he was really there to ask questions.
They all caught fire and instantly turned to ash, like fleeting flames from a magician's hand, or like fire that ignites and dies instantly within an iron pot.
At the moment these tarot cards burned out, the holes in Aiwas's hands and the wound on his thumbs healed silently. The magical power that was blocked in his arms was also cleared away.
The long candle flame licked the back of Aiwass's hand, but did not burn him. Instead, it made him feel warm.
Aiwass carefully washed all the blood off his hands in the fire, then used his left hand to tap his heart, mouth, and forehead in turn.
"Thank you for your revelation, Apostle of the Candle."
The platinum-haired boy said solemnly to the candlelight in front of him in the dark room, "I will be like a candle, shining forever."
As if to encourage, the stretched candle flame jumped quickly three times.
Then, the flames returned to their original color and shape.
The feeling that he was being watched also dissipated.
Aiwass carefully extinguished the candle, making sure the ceremony was completely over and leaving the apostle to prevent him from making a sudden comeback.
When the candlelight was completely extinguished, Aiwass finally breathed a sigh of relief.
He relaxed and leaned back in his wheelchair.
Although this is considered a regular ability of priests, other priests can also pray to the Nine Pillars - generally speaking, the most positive response is the apostle of the path of dedication, and no sacrifice or cost is required. This is because the act of helping believers for free is itself a kind of "dedication."
But having said that, this was after all the first time Aiwass had personally performed a prayer ceremony, so he was somewhat nervous.
“…I forgot to ask His name.”
Suddenly, Aiwass slapped his forehead in annoyance.
Although he didn't know the specific apostle who responded to him, he felt that the other party was quite friendly. He even helped him heal before leaving, saving Aiwass from having to use the Fire Sacrifice again.
If he knew the other person's name, next time Aiwass could pray to him specifically.
Although it is not very friendly to grab a sheep and pull it out...but as long as the other party agrees, it is a consensual matter.
After a brief pause, Aiwass took out the more expensive hardcover tarot deck that he actually used from the table.
In this deck, one of the "Moon" cards was already used when Aiwass made "Shadow Blade".
Aiwass felt that using the same deck of cards to create phantom cards might slightly increase the success rate.
Aiwass, relying on the apostle's revelation, picked out the three tarot cards suitable for the Butterfly of Rebellious Flame and placed them on the table in the order they were drawn, upright and reversed, in an inverted triangle.
Although he was asking about the nature of power before, it could actually be considered as a tarot divination for Yulia.
Moreover, it is tarot divination that involves higher-dimensional forces.
The apostles of the Dream Realm can see the past and the future—time is not irreversible for them. However, due to the constraints of the Dream Realm, the apostles cannot tell mortals the exact future. Just like even if one summons the Eternal Self, whose sacred number is "1," the answer given by his apostles cannot be just one.
But even vague hints have value.
"...Luckily, when I was crazy about occult knowledge, I read a lot of random books."
Aiwass breathed a sigh of relief.
The three cards drawn based on the power of the candlestick form the "Holy Triangle" expansion.
The three tarot cards in the Sacred Triangle spread represent the past, present, and future. It's not a "trend," but a "cause and effect cycle"—the causes of the "past" bring about the results of the "present," the causes of the "present" bring about the results of the "future," and the "future" hints at the reasons why the "past" developed the way it did.
Although his skills in interpreting Tarot cards were not very good, he could still interpret this simple spread.
How could such a simple divination be interpreted wrongly?
The first card symbolizes the reversed "Lovers" of the past.
The Lovers card reversed in the past tense can indicate arguments, childish emotions, fading friendships, and a desire to avoid danger despite expectations of personal growth. The key interpretation is that the relationship has weakened due to a failure to overcome emotional challenges and a poor choice in trade-offs.
Aiwass touched his chin and fell into thought.
My relationship with Yulia has always been good, right?
Then it shouldn't be a question of feelings or friendship...
He shook his head and skipped this card, looking at the second one first.
It symbolizes the current upright position of “The Hanged Man”.
This is a very positive card. It signifies self-sacrifice, dedication to love, and rebirth from the ashes. When it is upright, it indicates that this sacrifice is worthwhile.
"……etc?"
Aiwass was stunned for a moment.
Speaking of which, in the game's plot, Yulia sacrificed herself to protect Aiwass and transformed into a phantom demon! At that moment, her life form truly "elevated," transforming from a mortal to an immortal phantom demon. And she truly underwent this "rebirth" within the flames.
If "reality" refers to this, then the "future" pointed out in connection with this issue...
"The reversed Sun..."
Aiwass murmured.
The Sun symbolizes energy and vitality. Reversed, it suggests a decline in vitality and a fear of lack. Examples include physical weakness, depression, or even divorce due to emotional turmoil.
This probably means that in the original timeline, the flame of the Flame Butterfly would be sealed by Aiwass into his necklace. Although he did not die, he fell into a state of distress and weakness.
And if the present and the future both refer to things related to the Phantom Demon, the Flame-Butterfly, then what does the past refer to?
"...Could it be the cause of the phantom demon riot?"
Thinking of this, Aiwas's expression became a little subtle.
Does Yulia really care about her contact with other people?
...That makes sense.
The most important person to Julia was Aiwass himself. Unlike Edward, who had spent more time with his adoptive father and therefore naturally cared more about his opinion, she had always been closer to Aiwass alone. If Aiwass's opinion conflicted with James', Aiwass could be sure that she would lean towards him.
But even so, I can't always stay at home with you, baby.
Aiwass felt as if he knew something, but it wasn't of much use. It was a fitting interpretation of the past; one couldn't change it.
But when he thought of this, Aiwass already knew which card he should choose as his background.
First, let's rule out the Lovers card. This card's key imagery is love and the choices it brings. This isn't crucial for the Flame-Butterfly... Its form, a "butterfly emerging from its cocoon," clearly indicates its nature has nothing to do with love. It's likely simply a hint at why it lost control, or the emotions and reasons that led to it.
The Hanged Man is a card that symbolizes self-sacrifice and represents the candlestick, so it also has the imagery of light and fire.
Using one's own body to nurture the Flame-Butterfly, transforming into a cocoon to hatch it. This is conceptually closer to "Yulia" than the Flame-Butterfly within her. If Aiwass intended to use some ritual to influence her, then this answer was correct—it could precisely direct power to Yulia, ensuring that she, not the phantom within her, always took center stage.
However, what Aiwass really wants to do is to seal the phantom demon in her body.
The Sun symbolizes knowledge, vitality, and energy. In the Sun card, a naked child sits atop a white horse, bathed in brilliant golden sunlight. Holding high a banner symbolizing victory, they sing of the vibrant vitality the sun brings to the land. In the relationship between Yulia and the Phantom, the "Sun" providing life force is actually Yulia... In other words, the child, the subject of this card, is the soon-to-be-hatched "Butterfly of Rebellious Flame"!
Without a doubt, this is the most suitable trump card!
It can fill the Flame Butterfly with enough energy to allow it to manifest in the form of light and heat. This concept is related to the Way of Devotion and is governed by the Candle.
Therefore, Aiwass can use the "Hanged Man" representing the candle as a symbolic card to seal and suppress it!
Because the representative card is the Hanged Man, the big beast that was created has the affinity of "Path of Devotion" - when Aiwass uses this card to summon the Flame of Rebellion Butterfly, even if others come to detect it, they can only detect the power of the Path of Devotion!
Its energy attribute is fire, and the power of the path comes from dedication - if it looks like a priest skill, feels like a priest skill, and looks like a priest skill no matter how it is tested.
There is no doubt that it is a priest skill.
Furthermore, both the front and back of the blank card were made with the "recommended cards" pointed out by the apostle. The power of this is self-evident.
"Fortunately, I left this behind..."
As Aiwas thought about it, he took out the true fire essence extracted from Yulia from his pocket.
He had done it subconsciously, just thinking of "keeping a souvenir," but it had actually come in handy now.
In addition to fire essence, common materials that can carry fire magic power include ruby, charcoal, cinnabar, sulfur, and saltpeter.
Aiwass cut open his left thumb again, and for every three drops of blood he squeezed out of his fingertips, he invested one point of fire mana, for a total of four points of mana.
He carefully mixed the blood and fire essence with the white crystal rod. It began to emit white steam, and the moisture in the blood was rapidly drying out.
Aiwass leaned over the table, concentrating on brushing the toothbrush onto the tarot cards before it dried, ensuring that it was evenly applied.
Then, he ground and mixed cinnabar and ruby in a ratio of six to one, and sprinkled them evenly on the Tarot cards to nourish them.
Unlike the "Moon Card," the environment in which this card is stored must be sufficiently warm, but free from open flames.
Aiwass touched his chin and had an idea.
He placed the card in a red cloth bag, filled it with a large amount of charcoal powder, and flattened it. He made it into a pendant.
Aiwass hung it on himself and prepared to go to bed.
When he wakes up tomorrow, he can give it to Yulia... and let her wear it close to her body.
She could use the heat from her heart to warm the card - if the phantom woke up, the overflowing fire mana would be absorbed by the large amount of mystical materials filled in it.
Moreover, it can also allow the phantom demon to adapt to the environment after being sealed in advance.
——It’s time to arrange an internship period for Little Butterfly.
Even if it was not satisfied, Aiwass would not let it run away.
(End of this chapter)
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