Ethan's face flushed bright red as he stared at the images on the revealed cards.
"They're just pictures, you know. You really are green and naïve, Ethan,"
Camellia giggled.
Ethan didn't mind The Fool, that card was easy enough to look at. But he couldn't bring himself to keep staring at the illustrations on The Devil and The Lovers.
The Fool depicted a balanced scene: distant mountains in the background, a bright sun shining above. The figure in the card was a young man with a flower in his left hand and a knapsack hanging from a stick in his right. He walked forward, head tilted skyward, utterly carefree. A little white dog at his heels barked frantically - likely in warning - but the boy seemed oblivious to the cliff's edge right before him.
Camellia pointed to The Fool and explained:
"This card represents the past. You were once an innocent boy, just stepping into a new adventure. You were so optimistic, so caught up in the scent of that beautiful flower you held, that you didn't see the dangers right under your nose. You missed all the warning signs."
"Everyone already knows I'm the new student at Harmony this year…"
"Look, even the setting in this card hints at your name. The sun high above - that's Duong. And those distant mountains… they're your homeland, aren't they?"
"That's just coincidence," Ethan replied, almost defensively.
Camellia raised an eyebrow as she turned her attention to the second card.
The Devil gave Ethan an undeniable sense of unease.
It depicted a goat-headed demon with a human torso, sitting on a black pedestal. The demon held a torch in its lowered left hand, while the right hand formed a strange salute - like the Vulcan greeting from Star Trek. Towering horns, bat-like wings, and an inverted pentagram gave it a chilling, almost divine authority.
Below the demon stood a naked couple, bound by chains around their necks. Both had horns and tails, the woman's ended in a cluster of grapes, the man's in a flame. Their chains were fastened to the very platform the demon sat on. The surrounding scene was cloaked in shadows, like some infernal abyss.
"Hmm. This card…"
Camellia tapped her fingers thoughtfully against The Devil.
"Do you know the name of this demon, Ethan?"
"Goat Demon? Satan? Isn't that what it is?"
"No, no. This is Baphomet. People call it a demon now, but in the Middle Ages, the Knights Templar worshipped Baphomet."
Camellia gave him a sly smile.
"In most ancient religions, goat-headed deities symbolized fertility. Baphomet is just one form of those ancient divine figures."
"The more you explain, the less I understand, Camellia."
"You don't read much mythology or theology, do you?"
"I mostly focus on math, physics, chemistry, and tech…"
At this point, Ethan was starting to feel embarrassed about his own limited knowledge of the world beyond the academic subjects his parents had mapped out for him.
Camellia inhaled deeply, then let the air out in a slow, controlled breath. Her expression turned serious.
"I'll keep this short and simple. Human history is full of brutal wars. And history… is written by the victors. The gods of the defeated often end up as demons in the eyes of the victors."
"Mm."
"So it's hard to clearly define good and evil, light and dark. What's cruel to one side may be salvation to another. It's like the relationship between predator and prey, no ending is fair to both."
"Yeah…"
"Haizz… Ethan, you still look lost. Maybe I should lend you A Song of Ice and Fire or Pillars of the Earth, or even The Witcher. They explore the duality of war pretty well. Anyway, whether Baphomet is good or evil depends on your perspective. You get me?"
"Sort of. Keep going, Camellia."
"Baphomet symbolizes fertility, creative potential, and primal energy. There was a time when people thought sexual energy was evil, something demonic that had to be suppressed. But clearly, libido isn't just about sex. Most people misinterpret Freud. Only Carl Jung truly understood, though even they had a falling-out. Now, in the 21st century, people are flocking to yoga just to activate their sacral chakras."
Confusion spread across Ethan's face. He was starting to doubt whether he truly deserved all those compliments about being "smart."
"Sorry, Ethan. I went a bit off-topic there. What I'm trying to say is, fertility isn't just about reproduction. That's such a narrow view. True fertility is boundless creativity. All great minds create in their own way."
Camellia closed her eyes and spread her arms wide. The gesture was theatrical, like she belonged on stage.
"Writers write. Painters paint. Composers compose. Scientists invent. Pharaohs left pyramids and embalmed themselves for eternity. Every great figure leaves something behind for future generations. They achieve immortality, not through DNA, but through the legacies they leave behind."
"I think I'm starting to get it…"
"Shh, Ethan. Let me finish. That's why Baphomet represents an immense well of creative energy, one you can tap into, if you manage to break free from these chains."
Camellia pointed back to the chains binding the naked couple in The Devil card.
"You and her are both bound by a curse. Your fates are tightly interwoven. You are each other's addiction. You're like a fine wine to her… and she's the fire that lives in you. The question is, can the two of you rise above base desires and unlock something greater within yourselves?"
Reflexively, Ethan reached up and touched the bite mark on his neck at the mention of "her." Camellia noticed.
She turned her eyes toward the final card.
The Lovers card shared a similar composition with The Devil, but the atmosphere felt completely different, bright and serene, with a radiant sun shining overhead and distant mountains in the backdrop.
At the center stood a beautiful and gentle angel, wings outstretched, resting on a cloud and gazing down lovingly at a naked man and woman on either side. Another naked couple!
Ethan guessed the card portrayed the Garden of Eden and humanity's fall from grace. Behind the woman was a fruit-laden tree wrapped by a serpent. The drawing was too stylized for Ethan to tell if the tree behind the man bore red leaves or was engulfed in flames.
"This card is about love and the fall of man, right, Camellia?"
"If you want to see it that way, then sure. The Lovers is all about choices."
Camellia nodded, thoughtful.
"There was a time when life was so harsh that people saw Adam and Eve eating the Forbidden Fruit and being cast out of Eden as a sin. The original sin that meant every child had to be baptized from birth."
"I see."
"But think about it," Camellia continued. "If Adam and Eve hadn't eaten from the Tree of Knowledge, they might still be the only two humans living in Eden, forever. And if you're immortal, there's no need to reproduce. Humanity wouldn't be here at all."
That, Ethan found himself agreeing with completely.
After all, increased lifespan often went hand in hand with decreased birth rates. His parents had only two kids: him and his younger brother, Victor. Meanwhile, his grandparents had four children, and his great-grandfather had been the eleventh of twelve.
Camellia went on:
"To me, the Lovers card is about the choice. Will you and she remain shackled - accepting a prewritten fate - living safely but blandly in your comfort zone? Or will you and she break free - risk everything - to expand your world and write your own story? The choice is always ours."
Ethan said nothing. He stood still, mind swirling like a fog had settled over his thoughts.
Rrringgg!
The alarm on his phone rang. Normally by now, he would be heading to the boys' nap room for the Harmony High lunch break.
"It's almost time for afternoon class. I have to go. Thanks for lunch and the reading, Camellia."
"No problem, Ethan. Come back tomorrow at noon, I want to show you a few books worth reading."
Camellia got up and slowly walked with him toward the entrance of the library.
"Oh, and… can you remind your Mistress to return my copy of The Legendary Adventure of Sir Sol and Lady Luna?"
"Your… Mistress?"
Ethan asked, startled.
"You're Autumn's Bloodbound, aren't you? I can still smell her lily scent faintly lingering on Mark of The Bloodbound on your neck."