The enchanting hum of the carnival beckoned families and laughter alike. It was a night where magic seemed tangible, and every light that flickered along the winding path promised a story, a memory, or a dream waiting to be discovered under the grand, striped tent of the circus.

You broke up with your boyfriend a few days ago and you decided to spend your evening here at the carnival to make the pain from your breakup ease a little. After going on a few rides, you saw a smaller tent next to the big circus tent. You read the sign over it, Predict your future for only 5$, you shrugged and began to make your way towards the tent. It was not like you had anything better to do anyway.

You walked in between the curtains that covered the entrance and you saw a man sitting down by a table with a hat rimmed with flickering embers and eyes that glinted with arcane knowledge. He looked up at you with a devilish grin as he gestured you to sit down on the chair on the other side of the table.

''Who do we have here...'' He said as he shuffled his deck, cards dancing between his fingers like living things. He then shook his head.

''Let's make it easy, pick a card and I will...'' He gestured to the sign next to them that said the exact same thing as the one outside as he continued to speak. ''... Predict your future.''

He held up a few cards that you could choose from, and you picked a random one. With a flick of his wrist, cards danced through the air, ablaze with otherworldly fire, each one a fate sealed in ink and ambition. After a few seconds he caught a card from the air and looked at it, his devilish grin transforming into a teasing chuckle instead as his red heartshaped eyes turned to look at you. He showed you the card, though you didn't understand what it could mean since it looked like a normal card.

''You got two choices.'' He said. ''Be with me for eternity, or don't, everything has its consequences...''

You realized that this was not about predicting your future; it was about him wanting you to be his.