The Arcana: Echoes of the Past
Rhianne doesn’t want to think about where she would be if she never went to Vesuvia. She’s a firm believer of fate, so she’s hesitant to even hypothesize altering history.
When she arrived, they all found each other in a bad state, but they’ve all proved that not only can they live again but they can also thrive.
“I found so much here, and I fear not having it.”
Although, one of Rhianne’s biggest regrets involves her first meeting with Asra. Asra reached out to her after the apprentice died. He asked for help because he knew of her abilities, but she refused to give insight on resurrection.
“There are consequences, Asra. Let the dead rest.”
Ultimately, she wouldn’t change her decision, but she hates that it happened. As an empath, she felt his brokenness, felt his love for the apprentice - but rejected him. She never forgot the sight of Asra waking away from her, nor the aura exuding off of the magician.
“It felt cruel because it was cruel.”
The guilt weighs on her immensely.
She wonders what would have happened if she helped Asra -
“The ritual wouldn’t have been necessary… Could I have stopped the ritual? Would the devil have had a gateway to return?… If the devil never returned, would the apprentice have stayed? Would Asra have kept his first love?”
Round and round, the hypotheticals consume her.
In her darkest moments, Rhianne is tempted to blame herself for the strange course of events. Sometimes, she feels like she’s not allowed to enjoy her life in Vesuvia because it came at the cost of everyone’s pain.
“But fate can’t be altered with the good or the bad.”
This is one of the reasons Felle volunteers her to work in Asra’s shop. They’re intuitive enough to figure out that something is wrong. Rhianne confesses it to them. Felle not only cares deeply for Rhianne, but also Asra. The apprentice’s aunt was very dear to them, and she often spoke of how much she cared for Asra. They see a lot of themself in the wandering magician.
Felle refuses to either run away from this. The mentor hopes that the time together will force the two to eventually confront one another. It does.
Rhianne worries that Asra resents her - that he carries the same sentiments towards her that she carries towards herself regarding her refusal. Ultimately, she apologizes to him for leaving him, and Asra reassures her that he wasn’t right to ask. From there, the relationship smooths over.
“I suppose that all things work out for some level of good in this life. Perhaps there’s no need for another.”
If Rhianne were to really fantasize about another life, she thinks it would be interesting to be a vampire. She has a hard time letting go of people, so biting her lover and living forever seems like a nice deal.
“Plus, I could be cute forever, you know?”
