Crimson awoke to find that he was not in his bedroom. Instead he saw that he was sitting in what appeared to be a spacious carriage. He looked to his left and saw that out of the window, was nothing but fog. He thought he was dreaming again and his assumptions were confirmed when he looked to his right to see Bleeding Heart sitting next to him. Right in front of both of them, sat a pale white unicorn with a peculiar grin on his face and a card in the shape of a tarot card on his flank.

"Welcome, to the Velvet Room. My name is Igor. I am delighted to make your acquaintance. Would you care to introduce yourself?"

"I'm Crimson Breeze and this is Bleeding Heart, my Shadow." He felt that it seemed right to inform Igor of Bleeding Heart's identity. It was as if any dreams he had now were all going to be about the pair of them and their search for truth.

"A Shadow you say? This is very interesting. You see, Shadows are not welcome here." Before Igor could finish, Bleeding Heart interrupted him.

"So I should leave then? I cannot leave Crimson on his own in a place like this. It is my duty to protect him."

Igor smiled again, which really confused Bleeding Heart. "I wouldn't think about leaving just yet. There are still tasks that both of you must complete. Your presence here tells me that you are an invited guest in the Velvet Room. Only those who are bound by a contract may enter, which tells me that very soon you will both enter into a contract and return here once again."

"Well at least that explains that. Is there anything else you wanted to tell us?" Crimson said, thinking it was soon time to leave.

"Well that depends. Do you believe in fortune telling?" The instant Igor said that, a deck of tarot cards appeared on the table in front of them and began to lay out on the table in a spread that Crimson knew all too well.

"The Celtic Cross. Am I correct?" Crimson smirked. When he was younger, he had delved into the art of divination. His grandmother was a diviner and when she passed away, he inherited her most cherished tarot deck. He often spent many evenings, studying the deck and attempting to do readings for himself.

"It seems you know of these already. Well then, care to perform the reading yourself? All you need to do is turn over the cards. I trust you will know what they mean." Igor moved his hooves off of the table, allowing Crimson to take over.

Crimson had never performed a successful reading before, but his last one was many years ago. He hoped his skills with the tarot had enhanced with his age. Igor seemed to feel that he was capable, so he trusted the strange unicorn's judgement. He turned over the first card, representing his current situation.

"The upright Fool. It represents unexpected opportunities and major choices." He moved onto the second card, representing himself, only to find that the card was blank, except for its number at the top. "Number 21 is the World. It represents triumph, achievement, success and overall happiness. Why is it blank?"

Igor looked at the card for a moment and looked up at Crimson. "Just continue the reading. All should become clear as the cards reveal themselves."

The cards continued to spell out his future. The upright Chariot, the upright Moon, the upright Death, the upright High Priestess, the upright Tower, the upright Magician, the upright Hierophant, the inverted Sun and the upright Judgement. "I understand it all now. I can read these cards."

"Would you like to explain what the cards have told you?" Igor asked, smiling.

"Right now, I am faced with the opportunity to make a choice and discover the truth, should I make the right one. The card that represents me is blank, therefore it shows me that I am not ready to see myself. This makes sense when I found that Bleeding Heart is not my complete Shadow. Also, my crossing will be faced with difficulties that will require strength to overcome. The foundation for all of this is uncertainty and illusion, represented by the fog that keeps surrounding me. My past was filled with major change, in the form of Bleeding Heart. He was created and then merged with me after I faced myself, allowing my life to change dramatically from what it was. My present life will contain secrets to be revealed and unexplored potential. This can be in myself and also in those around me. My future will involve the destruction of something in my life that was created by lies. Although the Tower is seen to be a bad card, I do not believe this. The card that represents how I see myself is the Magician, revealing that I feel I have the ability to succeed as well as master my potential. My environment contains an individual who is wise that can guide me. Bleeding Heart is that individual. My fears are a lack of success and major depression. The outcome of my future will involve renewal, revival and rewards for past efforts. Does that seem accurate to you, Igor?

"It seems you were able to read the cards better than I in this case. I congratulate you for this display of knowledge. As you can see now, the near future is going to be another turning point in your life. In the coming days, you will be returning here once again. I will be here to assist you in making sure that your future is not lost forever. Oh that reminds me, I have neglected to introduce you to my assistant. Margaret, would you like to meet our new guests?"

A dark blue unicorn appeared from what seemed to be out of nowhere. Her cutie mark clearly depicted a tarot card, but unlike Igor's, her's was of a specific card, the Empress. "My name is Margaret. I am here to accompany you on your journey. As Igor has said, we are here to ensure that you do not lose sight of your future. Over time, your true potential will be realised and one day, your world will be complete. Until then, we will guide you along the path through the fog, assisting you when faced with difficulties that you would not be able to manage on your own."

Crimson nodded to show that he understood what Margaret was saying. He realised that he was being given the chance to find out everything he wanted to know. It was not going to be easy for either of them, but both Crimson and Bleeding Heart knew that it was necessary.

"Well then, now that our business is settled, I bid you farewell. When you wake up, you will be back in your bedroom. I will eagerly await your return." As Igor said goodbye to the pair of them, they began to feel drowsy. They almost instantly lost sight of the Velvet Room as they passed out.

They woke up in Crimson's bedroom once again, just as Igor had said. He climbed out of bed and noticed a box next to his bed. After picking it up, he noticed it was from Igor. Crimson opened it up and found a letter and a smaller box containing a deck of tarot cards. He opened up the letter and browsed through it.

"For one who has a gift at divination, it seems only fitting that they have a medium to channel these gifts. They may not be your grandmother's cards, but I hope you enjoy using them. Let the cards be your guide through this heavy fog."

Crimson did not know how Igor knew of his grandmother's life as a diviner, but at this point, he did not care. He willingly accepted the deck, knowing that he would need it. He went downstairs to get some breakfast and made plans to head out into town for the day. Next Chapter: Old Friendships Made New Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 16 Minutes