Liu Liangwang's hand shook, and the card fell onto the bed. He gave a bitter smile.
"So it really is time." Liu Liangwang sighed. He swayed slightly as he stood up and looked at the fortune-teller. "Well, thank you. At least I'm prepared now. As for what comes next... well, there's nothing else. Thankfully, I never said yes to her, and she doesn't like me that much... I... well... If I... Never mind..."
Liu Liangwang rambled incoherently for a while, then fell silent.
"Take care of yourself." Liu Liangwang stepped forward and patted the fortune-teller on the shoulder.
He tilted his head back and let out a breath. Then, moving somewhat sluggishly, he turned and started walking. His pace quickened as he left the room, and at last, all that remained was the sound of the door closing.
After the echo faded, the room fell silent.
The fortune-teller looked at the tarot card. With a flip of his other hand, he spread out the cards he was holding.
Moving slowly, he picked the Chariot from the deck and laid it over Death. As he pulled his hand back, he drew the Death card back with it and returned it to the deck.
As he did so, a long shaft suddenly pierced through the fortune-teller's chest.
The sight caught me completely off guard. For an instant, I felt as though a spear had pierced my own chest.
When I came to my senses and clutched my chest, I saw the shadow of a skeleton appear on the wall behind the fortune-teller.
Death looked exactly like the image on the tarot card. The only difference was that the banner it held aloft wasn't upright—it had pierced the fortune-teller's chest. The banner was stained completely red, and blood dripped steadily from it as