Explaining Asra
Alright! Before I begin on my tangent about Asra and his connection with Julian, this is a warning! There will be Arcana Spoilers talking about Julian and Asra’s route. So, if you don’t want to be spoiled then don’t read and go play the game! Its really fun! You will enjoy it. A lot of this is based on speculation on what I know. So, don’t get upset if you think that isnt what happened. But I would like to hear your thoughts about what you think did happen. Let’s be friends and theorize together! As for the art…. I have no skill! So, I didn’t make any of it. I’ll try to link what ever I can to the creator but a lot of this I just had saved on my phone so…. If you know who it is…. Could you message me? I’ll edit the post and add their link or account name to the photo. But also, the ones that are mine are just the screen shots I took of the game for evidence. Also, I haven’t finished reading Nadia’s route yet…. Just so you know… ANY WAY!
(PS: I couldn’t find any of the creators T^T. Any way artists your art is beautiful! sorry I couldn’t find you! I found these all on Pinterest. Except for the screenshots.)
From what we know by not looking to deep into it is that Julian and Asra were once friends. At some point they were more and then something else. We know what ever it was it didn’t end well for either of them. So I’m going to look into their past and try and connect the dots.
So, from what Asra has said that you (The apprentice) and Asra have known each other for 9 years. Some where in that time He began to develop feelings for you and some how met Julian and became friends with him. Asra has said that you two met at the masquerade 9 years ago in a tent behind the magic shop. The same magic shop you two now call home. Don’t know much about what happened in those 9 years. Just that Asra fell in love with you and the plague and stuff like that. I can assume before the plague began that Asra and Julian were friends at this point in time. It would make séance. I believe Lucio found them and kind of brought them together and that’s how they met. In heart hunter when you run into Lucio on the dock, he brings up how he found Asra there. I’m guessing Asra was still fairly young when found because we know at some point and time Asra and Muriel moved to the woods for safety.
Now for how he found Julian I don’t really know. I think he became the counts Physician before the plague. But Julian also had his own clinic so I don’t know. He could have had both. Everyone needs a doctor through out their lives. Not only when there is a plague. So, this is how I think Julian, Asra, and even Nadia met. They met through Lucio….
GETTING BACK ON TRACK! So Asra has told us in his route that you and him had an argument before he left. He wanted you and him to leave because of the plague. But you wanted to stay and help find a cure for the plague. You couldn’t leave the people behind to suffer. So, you became an apprentice to Julian to help find a cure for the plague. This! Is where it all goes downhill. Asra ended up leaving. But I don’t think he would have left you behind if he didn’t think you would be safe. I believe he entrusted Julian his friend to look out for you. This is Asra we are talking about. He wouldn’t do anything if he thought it would put you in danger.
But even so you died of the plague any way. What makes it worse and what actually brought me to tears (Bringing me to tears right now as I type this) was the thought of you dying alone. Julian was to busy and to invested in finding a cure that he didn’t even notice you were sick. I don’t even think he realized you had died for a while.
I keep thinking about how Asra found your body. I believe he used the compass to find your heart’s desire so he could find you. It led him to the Lazaret and lead him to your ash and chard bones. The lazaret is a large island covered in people’s ashes and remains. It’s the only way that makes séance that Asra was able to find yours. If you go up the stairs in the beginning chapters into Lucio’s old wing. He asks if you are the one who broke Asra for him…. I believe this was the moment. The moment that broke Asra.
(Man these sure hurt my heart)
Asra said he was a different person back then. That he did some terrible things. I believe after finding you he went to confront Julian. I think this is how Julian found out you had died. What would you feel if you were Asra? Leaving the one you love, believing your friend would help protect them while you were gone. Only to come back and find out the one you love had died. And your friend didn’t even notice they were gone and didn’t even notice that they died. If it was me… I would be furious. I would scream, punch and probably want to kill the friend. I would feel so betrayed and so broken. I believe he fought with Julian. But not with words. I believe he physically hurt Julian. Like full on nearly choke him to death.
I think Julian remembers this fight. In Julian’s route he has a nightmare that makes him say. “No no please! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!” I believe that was a memory of their fight after finding out you had died. He doesn’t remember what the fight was about. He even says “If I could just remember… Then I would know. If what I’ve done is something unforgivable.” This was after spending the night with you running from the guards. It would make séance that just spending time with you would stir up some forgotten memories.
Having a memory like that where having Asra so angry and hurt but not know what you did to hurt him like that…. It would make you wonder what you had done to get him so worked up. You could only assume it was something unforgivable and for some it is pretty unforgivable. But it wasn’t like he just let them die. He was working on finding a cure. If he had found it, I’m sure he would have given it to you as soon as possible. Once realizing you were dying.
After confronting Julian Asra cut ties with Julian and began to look for any possible way to bring you back. Eventually Asra learns he doesn’t have nearly enough to find a way to bring you back with out the palace’s help. So, he goes to work for the palace telling the palace it is to find a cure for the plague. But he has ulterior motives. To find a way to bring you back. To Asra’s displeasure Julian is there working too, but to actually find a cure for the plague.
Asra is then forced to work along with Julian. From what we see in flashbacks Julian is wanting to be close to Asra. So, I believe he tries to do whatever he can to please Asra or at least impress him. Trying to make up for the loss of the apprentice. Julian wants to be useful to Asra more than anything. But Asra in the beginning wants nothing to do with Julian. Now this is where it gets kind of dark. Not that a plague killing millions of people isnt dark but…
Asra is a broken man who lost the person he loved most. People mourn in many different ways. In Asra’s case I think he falls under two categories. Denial being one of them. Asra doesn’t accept that you are gone. As we see in a flash back Asra talks about how Julian thinks Asra likes him but his heart belongs to some one else. Faust asks where they are. Asra replies some where he can’t follow, yet. And even tells Faust they are getting close. Showing he fully intends to see you again and that he will see you again.
The second one is… I don’t know the word for this… Whoring your self out? LMAO! That’s not it! I guess the best way to describe it is finding a temporary replacement that makes him forget the pain of not having the one he loves in his arms. I guess that’s called a rebound. Asra is a broken man who lost his world. Asra sees how vulnerable and open Julian is and uses that to his advantage. Asra is purely using Julian for his body nothing more. But this confuses Julian. Julian begins to believe it is something more than what it really is. A booty call!
It’s pretty obvious Asra doesn’t really care for Julian, not the same way Julian cares for Asra. I wouldn’t blame him. (Even though Julian is my boy!) When ever Julian shown his affection towards Asra, Asra always seemed pretty disgusted by it. But also sees opportunity in it. If you paid to see the past in Asra’s route. You will see Julian ended up following Asra to the shop where he finds Asra doing a ritual of some kind. Asra takes full advantage of it and uses Julian as a test subject. Julian completely gives himself to Asra. All he wants to do is be useful to Asra. The sexual tension is pretty dang high in that part! It even fades out hinting that Asra ends up kissing Julian. Now we never find out what the ritual was for but Julian for sure remembers it. I believe its why he became so uncomfortable with magic. He even references this moment in his own route. I believe the ritual was an attempt to bring back the apprentice that didn’t end up working. It seemed like a pretty dark spell that needed a lot of power. From what we see magic is pretty easy to do. Especially from a trained magician like Asra. You don’t always need a book or a catalyst to make it work. In Asra’s route you even see him make water from sand! With out any of that! But he needed those things for this certain spell. I don’t think he fully knew what would happen to Julian if he used this spell. I don’t even think he cared. In his eyes Julian is the reason the apprentice isnt there. While at the same time Julian is beating himself up for the same exact reason. Julian wants to redeem himself for the loss of the apprentice.
But eventually I believe Julian wanted more with Asra. He began to confuse their “After hour visits” with more than what it was. Asra immediately shot this down. Like… “Are you an actual idiot? Fuck you! No!” I think this is around the time Asra found a way to bring the apprentice back. When he became close to the apprentice. This was the time where Asra tells Faust they are close to getting the apprentice back.
So some time has passed and the masquerade is over. Asra has the apprentice back but with their memories gone. Lucio is said to be dead and that Julian is the culprit. What we find out is that Asra stole the body that was meant to replace Lucio’s dying body, and uses it to bring back the apprentice while also giving up half his heart. Julian made a trade with the hanged man for the power to heal and take peoples wounds and have them be inflicted onto himself in place of the memories he didn’t want.
OKAY NOW I WILL BE TALKING ABOUT HOW FLIPPING SALTY ASRA IS IN JULIANS ROUTE! LIKE OH MY GOODNESS! Reading Julian’s route, I actually didn’t look forward to seeing Asra in it. Every time I saw him, I felt like I was ripping out the other half of his heart. And you are probably thinking…. “Well he isnt going to like you being with any one else other then him.” HA! WRONG! In Nadia’s route he actually comments saying You and Nadia make a cute couple. And He even tries to help you and Muriel get together! It’s just Julian! WITH GOOD REASON! I know! I literally just described why he would be so salty in most of this entire post. But we are going down a bit deeper again….
Reading Julian’s route, you can see Asra is not shy about his feelings towards you liking Julian. Which who could blame him really. You know why he doesn’t like it but do you understand? EVEN IF YOU DO, I WILL TELL YOU ANY WAY! OKAY SO! Asra pretty much went through hell and back to try and bring you back. He gave up half of himself for you to come back. But in Julian’s route you never really find out what he did or went through to try and bring you back. You just know its because of Asra that you are breathing and alive. Asra has loved you for years. He loved you so deeply it drove him almost to madness when you died. He gave half of himself to bring you back. Now here is the thing. Like I said… it seems Asra is fine with you being with someone other than him.
He brought you back so you could have that choice. So, he could just talk with you again and just see you laugh and smile again. He wants you to be happy ultimately. That’s what he really cares about. He wants you happy even if it isnt with him. So, he will support you in any relationship you have. Except for 2 (Lucio being one…. That’s right I’m calling you Lucio stans out. Jk jk. We have fun here)
It’s just Julian he has a problem with. Because Julian… in Asra’s eyes is one of the reasons you died in the first place. Which kind of shows Asra that he isnt very responsible. Not just that but he knows what Julian is like. He has seen it firsthand. Julian is pretty self-destructive. But not just that. When you died while Asra was miserably trying to bring you back Julian was trying to get into Asra’s pants.
Even as time goes on and every one notices a change in Julian it seems Asra is kind of okay with the relationship. Or so you would believe. What got me though and what actually kind of hurt was at the end when you and Julian were leaving for your trip. People came to say goodbye and wish you safe travels. All except for Asra. Granted Asra was probably reconnecting with his parents but here is the thing…. If the person you’ve loved for the last 6 years… (Guessing Asra fell in love after the first 3 years) was leaving on a long journey, wouldn’t you go say goodbye? Asra! The person who gave half his heart to bring you back and basically helped raise you for 3 years after being brought back from the dead. He didn’t come and say goodbye. Me being the Apprentice I would still be looking up to Asra like a big brother almost. I would still want to be close to him. After all he is the first person, I can ever remember meeting. He even brought me back to life somehow! I would want him there. I would want to say goodbye. You both are forever tied to each other as well. You both have half of the same heart.
But I also understand why he wouldn’t go. He probably still loves you at this point. I t would be extremely painful to watch the person you love go with some one else. And thinking of that just makes me hurt so much for Asra. He could have been a villain. He could have told the apprentice to stay away from Julian. He could have tried to come between them but instead he didn’t. Despite how against it he was. He didn’t once try to stop you. He tried to convince you to not follow Julian but like he said (In his sassy way) You are aloud to make your own bad decisions.
In the end Asra isnt a bad person. His heart truly lies with you. You are his priority. You always have been. He would do anything just to see you smile. Even if that smile was for someone else. Although I don’t like or support how he treated Julian but I can understand that he was hurting. And for a moment Julian was able to take away that hurt or at least distract him from it. They both kind of got what they wanted. Asra wanted to stop hurting and Julian just wanted to be useful to Asra. They got what they wanted but not what they needed. If they both had done things a bit differently, I bet they could have been a good couple. Julian has even pointed out “Maybe if I had been a little less selfish… maybe things could have been different.”
WELP THAT’S IT! THAT’S THE END! Man! THANK YOU for reading all of this. I know it is a lot. But I had just kept thinking about Asra and how unfair Julian’s route is for him. I know he still gets his parents back so he isnt entirely alone, plus Muriel and Faust. But every time I read Julian’s route I always get this guilt in my heart. I mean… I know I keep saying this but…. HE GAVE UP HALF HIS HEART! NOT KNOWING WHAT THAT EVEN MEANT! Asra is a good boy. He deserves happiness just as much as any one else.
