The Magician card is the number one (1)-number of new opportunities and beginnings.
It is associated with the planet Mercury.

The magician is standing strong behind the table, with one hand stretched upwards towards the universe and the other pointing down to the earth. This positioning represents his connection between the spiritual and material realms. He knows how to manifest his energy into matter and bring it to the physical world.

The magician's robe is white, symbolising purity.

On the table in front of him are the four symbols of the Tarot suits: a cup, pentacle, sword, and wand, each symbolising one of the four elements: water, earth, air, and fire. It is also a sign that he has all the tools he needs to manifest his intentions. Above his head is the infinity symbol, which signals that he has access to unlimited potential. And in the foreground is an array of foliage and flowers, symbolising the blossoming and fruition of his ideas and aspirations.

UPRIGHT: Manifestation, resourcefulness, power, inspired action

REVERSED: Manipulation, poor planning, untapped talents

****

Five years ago

"Liam, LIAM! Be so kind and bring some towels! Sam has felt with his bicycle, and he has bloody knees," said Samantha when she was washing her youngest son's legs. Mud and little stones were all over the scar he got from the accident.

"It's been for the second time in a week. Be more careful, sweetheart," said the mother to Sam when Liam approached them.

She turned to Liam as she acknowledged him. '' Thank you, love." She took the towel from Liam's hands and gently rubbed Sam's knees to wipe away the water and blood that still kept collecting on top of the bruised skin.

After she was happy with her work, she smiled, hugged, and kissed both of the boys. "Look, all done. Like the accident never happened. One, two, three, and it will be healed. You two are both my courageous boys!" She smiled again and hugged them both tightly.

"Now it's time for dinner. Wash your hands! Both of you! And come to the dining table. Your father is late again; I guess he has some big business to solve again." She smiled and went to the kitchen.

The boys heard the opening of the kitchen counter, and plates were taken from them, and their mother must have put them on the table. Then they heard the sound of the glass being put aside on each plate. The knife and forks join the plates, and for the end, some big, heavy metal dish must have landed in the middle of the table.

"Spaghetti Bolognese time! Boys, dinner is ready!" they heard mothers voice from the dining room.

They looked at each other and ran to the bathroom to wash their hands. They have splashed water all over the bathroom, and the liquid soap made a big bloop on the sink. Liam was quite older than Sam, but he always enjoyed time with him. Eight years was a big year gap for many siblings. Older siblings were most likely different in their ways of thinking, but for Liam, it seemed easier to be immature and play around with Sam.

"Whoever is the first at the dining table wins!" said Liam, gently touching Sam's shoulder. They both raced to the dining room, and Sam almost fell through the dining room door. Liam let out soft laughter. He was sitting on the chair, preparing for the dinner.

"Please don't fall again. We just wiped your knees of blood."

Sam rolled his eyes and sat on the chair next to his brothers. They weren't sitting still. There was an elbow war going on between them. Giggles and laughs came out of their mouths.

"Couldn't you boys please stop for once? Let's have a normal dinner, shall we?" Said mother, with her deep look and curved brows, told boys it was time to sit still and eat. They looked at each other and giggled.

Not many minutes passed; there was the familiar sound at the front door.

"Daddy! Daddy is home!" Yelled Sam, jumping on his feet, and ran towards the front door. As soon as Jack came through, Sam wrapped his little arms around him in a hug.

"Sorry, Samantha, it took me longer than I hoped for. I know you probably prepared a great dinner for all of us. I was doing my best to be with you as soon as possible." Jack said, still hugging his son and awkwardly walking towards the dining room.

"I have a hunch about it. No worries, honey; you came in at the best time possible. The dinner has just been served," said Samantha, who winked at her husband.

"Let me just get this little spider monkey off and wash my hands!" said Jack, starting to tickle his son, hopeful he would lose a grip. Sam giggled, but he was still hugging his father tightly. Somehow they managed to get to the bathroom and back without Sam letting Father go.

"Come on, spider monkey, let's eat," said the father. Sam let his grip go and sat down at the table.

They were eating and talking about their day before dinner. There was a lot of laughter and joy in the dining room. Liam has never thought this was their last dinner together as a family. Knowledge of what was about to happen was safely hidden from him. Those were the last moments before his entire life was drastically changed. It was something he couldn't possibly have planned; the circumstances manipulated him into unknown territory where he must've found his untapped talents to survive.

***
"Mister Dalton, you are the alleged guardian of your brother. But don't forget, you will be monitored!" The judge said this half a year after Liam and Sam lost their parents in an unimaginable car accident.

It happened the night after the great dinner they shared at home. Father got the chance to leave his job sooner, and with the call he made to his wife, they made a decision to make a date night after a few years. Mother asked Liam to take care of his brother that night and gave him all the important instructions.

Liam was nineteen years old, which made him an adult. For his age, he was responsible, but sometimes the childlike Liam came to life. He had fair hair and sky blue eyes; he got them from his mother. Sam has his father's brown eyes and darker hair. Both were slim and tall. By taking a few visits to fitness, Liam had built his body up, and Sam was still a child.

Liam was pleased with their parents' decision to take time for themselves. He would definitely rather skate around the city with his friends, but he knows they have deserved it.

London was a great place for a nineteen-year-old boy, or a man as he called himself. With his friends, he explored many things around the town, and many bartenders from local pubs knew his name. Occasionally they went for a stand-up show and a beer, but afterwards they just hung around and did stupid things, which they thought were funny. Somehow they always got away with it, no matter how bad it would've been if the police had gotten them. Liam said to his friends that he loves to live at the edge and enjoy his life to the fullest.

When they were talking about the women, his friends knew he was a charmer and charismatic man who had been around many women. Or, well, they have twirled all around him. He knew how to talk them into some very freaky stuff, and by his actions, many hearts were broken, but surely not his.

"Hello, Kellie. How is your evening?" He said, leaning towards a girl he met the previous weekend. They were familiar with each other because that night she ended up in his bedroom, fully stripped and moaning.

She blushed at his words, but she stood her ground, leaning towards him. They were just inches apart, staring into each other's eyes. Kellie looked in the other direction and hissed. "You don't have power over me!"

"You really believe that!" said Liam, who smirked. She rolled her eyes and put her hand on his cheek. She kissed him strongly and deeply.

"I know it," he said. This night ended up like the previous one, with her in his embrace. For him, this is everything he wanted, i sane, dominating sex. He knew he had power over women, and he was using it greatly. It wasn't just Kellie; there were Kim, Ann, Johana, and a few others whose names he didn't remember. When he got bored, he just left them and didn't look back.

#

Liam was the one who saw their parents after the accident. He was the one who confirmed their identity, even he wasn't entirely sure, but the shock was greater then him. Their barely recognisable faces had been hunting his dreams for many years. That's why he started to lock his bedroom doors. He felt safer behind them when he lost himself in the music. The worst thing was that he didn't know how to explain it to Sam. He didn't have any idea how to explain anything to Sam. Their parents were just... gone.. in a blink of an eye.

Liam heard through his earbuds Sam's whimpers and moans. He has no clue how to confront him with what happened. "I need to do something! He doesn't deserve this!" Liam thought to himself. "Be strong! For your brother! It's time to be strong now!" He almost catapulted himself off of his bed and through his bedroom door to Sam's room.

Sam was sitting in the corner of the bed with his arms around his legs and his head on his knees. Occasionally, he wiped his face with a sleeve. Liam came inside and closed the door. He sat down next to Sam and hugged him. They were sitting there, speechless, for hours.

"I will get us some hot cocoa, okay? And after that, we have to try to sleep. I will stay with you tonight." Liam stood up and went towards the kitchen. Sam could only nod in confirmation of Liam's words.

Meanwhile, Liam was running up and down the kitchen and preparing hot beverages. Sam went to his parents bedroom and took their photo from the night desk. He grabbed it tightly with both hands and squeezed it into his chest and went back in his bedroom. He lay down, still crying and tightly holding the photograph.

Liam was shocked by the view, but awareness about being a big brother made him look past his feelings, and he decided to play calm for his brother. He collected his thoughts and made his way to his brother's bed. Sam took the cocoa, but the photograph was still pressed to his chest.

"Sam? If you would like to talk about... well, anything, let me know! I am here for you!" Liam has softly put his arm on Sam and pressed his fingers against his shoulder. Sam nodded but stayed quiet.

They emptied their cups and lied under the covers, hugging. Liam's thoughts were empty. He has no idea how to help Sam. His mother would know exactly how to calm him down. But now that she is gone, he honestly doesn't know what's going to happen next.

Liam falls asleep soon, but his parents' faces haunt his dreams. He woke up screaming. Sam turned around and almost pushed Liam off the bed. "What happened?" he said with a soft, quiet voice.

"Nightmares," that's everything Liam could say.

Sam looked shocked and tired. His face was all puffy from the tears. If Liam didn't scream, he would fall asleep.

"Try to sleep a little," said Liam when he noticed his face.

Sam tiredly nodded, turned back around, and closed his eyes. He couldn't keep them open anyway because he was too tired to even try.

#

Many days and nights passed like that. One trouble less was the fact that it was a summer break and they could be wherever they wanted without any questions being asked. The only person who bothered them was their father's ex-company associate.

"Mister Dalton, I think it's time you come around the company soon. We have to discuss major things. You are the CEO now, as I am informed." said the voice on the other side of the line.

"Sam, he is not well. I need to be with him, and the will still hasn't been read to us."

"I know your father's will, Liam. I was there when your parents signed it. You are the CEO, but there are some people who... Look, we should really discuss this in person. Bring Sam with you; Claudia will look at him at the time of our meeting. It's kind of urgent, so there is no time to waste. How about Wednesday at five p.m. sound to you?" said the man, waiting for Liam's response.

"I will try to figure something out. Let me talk with Sam."said Liam and went towards the Sam's room.

"Agreed. See you on Wednesday!" The man hung up the phone.

Liam sighed and shook his head. "Exactly what we didn't need on top of everything," he thought to himself.

"Sam?" he yelled through the house.

"Hm?" he answered from the kitchen. Samuel was behind the kitchen counter, preparing the dough for the pancakes. He certainly was an eleven-year-old boy, but for his age, he was a master chef. He always enjoyed cooking with his mother, and now this was the way he felt close to her.

"I need to talk with you."said Liam, while he stepped through kitchen doors.

Sam nodded without stopping preparing the pancakes. A little smile was on his face, and Liam noticed it.

"Jack Michaels, from Daddy's company, called. I am supposedly the next CEO, and they want to urgently talk with me. I know this is hard for you, but I can't leave you home alone, and Rose is still in Mauritius."

Rose was Sam's nanny, and he loved to spend time with her. Right before the accident, she took a vacation break, and she was about to return in a good week. What happened next wasn't something that Liam would expect from Sam in this situation.

"Okay, I will come with you!" Sam gave a brief smile and turned the pancake.

"Breakfast is ready!" He added and took pancakes to the dining table.

"Please join me. I would like to eat as we did when our parents were still here." His voice broke.

Liam smiled and hugged Sam. "Sure, let's eat. We are still a family, Sam. I will take care of you! And if you need to talk..."

Sam only nodded and dug in the pancakes and jam.

Liam was pleased with Sam's improvement. He was a small boy, and many things could go through his mind. Liam wanted to be there for him, no matter what. His friends and shenanigans down the London streets weren't as important now.

#

Two nights of nightmares came fast, and here was the Wednesday meeting ahead of them. Liam knew he needed to keep his father's company in a great position, as it was when his father was CEO. He was definitely curious why this meeting was so urgent that Mr. Michaels couldn't wait.

The main building of his office was in the London centre, and they took the tube there. It took them half an hour and many stops along the way. They have switched the tube line twice to get to the right spot.

"I have never been a fan of the Elizabeth line!" said Liam, chuckling. Sam returned him with a soft smile and a nod. He kept his teddy bear to himself and hummed a song unfamiliar to Liam. Eleven years old with a teddy was a strange occurrence, but depending on the circumstances, Liam didn't pay much attention to it.

#

A big building with glass windows was right in front of them. They both knew where their father worked, but none had actually been there before. The fifth floor was a place to go with a big elevator, but before they had to turn in at the information table, tell them about their business plan in this building.

The information personnel made a phone call, which confirmed their statements. "Fifth floor, second door left, Miss Dalton. Claudia is already waiting for Sam," said the man in the lobby, showing them the way to the elevator.

Silence took place on their way up. No one came in or got out until the fifth floor. Sam froze right when the elevator's door opened.

"Are you alright? Do you want to leave? Sam, your wellbeing means more to me than that; you have to understand  that..." Sam stopped his brother in the middle of his sentence.

"No, I am fine. I just thought about my father being here that night before. Forget it; I will be fine! I am a big boy now!" He said that and tried to smile to encourage Liam.

"Big boy? You are still my little brother!" he answered, taking his hand. "We can make it together!" he added, and they both stepped out of the elevator.

There was a beautiful blonde woman right behind the desk, looking their way. She smiled, stood up, and came their way. "You must be Liam and Sam. Welcome to Dalton LTD! Mr. Michaels is waiting for you in the conference room. And you." She turned to Sam, "you are coming with me. Mister Michaels prepares us something. Let's take a look, shall we?" She smiled and took Sam's hand. Sam made a soft smile and turned to his brother.

"We got this!" Liam whispered and smiled at Sam.

He was watching Sam leave with Claudia, and after he went for the door, she appointed him to. He took a big breath. "Here comes nothing," he whispered and entered.

The room has a big round table and multiple chairs around it. At the wall against him was a big LCD screen, and at the sealing were small white lights giving enough light for the entire room. Behind the round table were three men. He recognised one of them right away. It was the man who had called him. Next to him was a very scary-looking large man with black hair and dark, piercing eyes.

"Liam! I am glad you could join us!" said Mr. Michaels enthusiastically, giving Liam a hand gesture to welcome him. He squeezed his hand very softly but firmly. "Those are Mister Nichols and Hollers. They are part of the Nichols & Hollers company, and of course our most loyal shareholders, he added and pointed his associates out.

Mr. Hollers stood up. He looked even more intimidating as he was standing. He took Liam's hand and shook it so hard that it almost put Liam out of his balance. Mister Hollers was satisfied with his doing, so he sat down. Mister Nichols, a small man with glasses, a pointy nose, and small green eyes, came behind him. His light brown hair was shaggy, and his face was pale. He said with a squeaky voice, "Nice to meet you, Liam; if you are like your father, we will be good associates!" He shook his hand quickly because Mister Hollers interrupted him with a loud "khm".

"I am sorry, there is something stuck in my throat, he said with a deep, scary voice.
Mr. Nichols grinned at him and sat down.

After Liam shook their hands he sat down on the other side of the table. Facing them from behind the table, gave Liam goosebumps through his entire body. He felt like sitting in the interrogation room, and all the eyes were pointed at him.

"Let's get to the business." said mister Michaels,  smiling.

He gave them files, which he kept right before him. Liam wasn't noticed them until he got his.

'CLASSIFIED' was written all over the file, and there was water stamped in the middle of every page inside. Liam got briefly through the whole file, and he didn't like it. The numbers were all in red, and at the end was a contract without the water stamp.

"Just sign that, and you will have no worries with us!" said a man with a deep voice, giving Liam the most outrageous grin.

"I am sure I can do something about this." said Liam with confidence. He was extremely good with numbers, and he was at the Economics College making his way out to become a doctor in management. He always wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and take over the company. Occasionally, his father gave him some intel about his work, and their discussions took over nights. He was certain not to give up so easily.

"You are just a kid; don't mess up your life. It's a fair price." Mister Hollers added, seeing Liam is thinking about how to act next.

"Well, I am not happy with what I am seeing here. I need to get to more files and recalculate. I will get to you in a  month." Liam answered, closed the file, and stood up to leave.

"Don't you even think this is over. You don't want to get there, son." said Mister Hollers.

"Are you threatening me?" Said Liam and stood up, too appear more serious.

"No, but this is the best for you and Sam. You will get the money to take good care of him—even get him to college. Be smart!" Mister Michaels said this before Mr. Hollers could act.

They all stood up. Mister Michaels and Mister Nichols went outside right away, discussing their situation. But Mister Hollers stood by and looked at Liam with his piercing eyes.

"Young man, may I give you some advice?" he asked rhetorically. "You took our offer, or..."

"Or what? Will you threaten me again?"said Liam, looking straight into mister Hollers eyes.

"No, it's advice. If I were you, I would take it! Your other chance is to become a part of our family, but I don't think you are man enough for this!" Mr. Hollers answered, grinned, and left the room. "See you in a month!" he added on his way out. "I can be patient when I know I will win!" He looked back with a grim smile.

Only when Mister Hollers was outside the room, did Liam notice he was holding his breath. He felt dizzy and in shock. "What did my father got into?" he thought.

When Liam was on his way to the hallway, Mr. Michaels came back to him. "There isn't much thinking about this, my boy. I went through these numbers with your father on many occasions. This has been going on for months, and I can't see any other solution." Liam didn't say anything, so Mr. Michaels continued. "You will get a lot of money. Think of Sam! He deserves the best. Mister Hollers is good at giving us a month, but he probably won't go any longer than that. Keep that in your mind, and call me when you decide." he added, just before he left Liam in front of the elevators on the fifth floor.

Liam looked around to see if he could see Sam anywhere close by. "Sam?" he yelled down the hallway.

From the middle of the hallway, he heard the happy sound of his brother. He went in the direction of the sound and found himself looking at the door with a large sign saying "The Kitchen". He knocked and slowly opened the door. Samuel was sitting behind the kitchen table and chatting with Claudia.

"I must tell you, this was his third ice cream. Hopefully he won't have too much energy; I know how sisters' kids get after some sugar rush." Said Claudia and giggled.

Sam looked better, smiling and having fun. He looked happy after a long time, and Liam couldn't help but make a big smile.

"Come on, you ice cream termite. Let's get ourselves home." said Liam, and Sam ran towards him.

He hugged him very tightly before they left the kitchen. Claudia was right after them, smiling.

"I am glad I could help, after your father. He was a great man!" she whispered to Liam as he walked to the elevator with Sam. She stayed by her desk and waved goodbye.

#

It was getting dark. The last sunshine came from behind the clouds and showed beautiful tamarind colours all over the sky.

Sam was in the living room, watching his favourite cartoons. Meanwhile, Liam went through all the papers, Mister Michaels sent him. He was turning those pages for the fifth time, cursing. Deep sigh came out of his mouth. He throws papers at the end of the desk and leans back on his chair. With both hands, he went through his fair hair and just sitting there, staring at the ceiling.

"How could he be quiet about this? It looks so bad. Did my mother know about this? Was he willing to sell his company to that douchebag?" A million questions were swapping his mind until someone knocked at his door.

"Liam, I am bored; let's go outside!" He heard his brother from the other side of the door.

"Fine, let's go. I need time away from this anyway. Maybe I will get new perspectives on those numbers when we return." He said this on his way through the door.

He hugged his brother around his shoulders, and they went out. The day was almost over, and they both enjoyed sitting in the darkness. The playground set wasn't far away from their house, so they were there just like they were before, when they occasionally escaped their parents and went on the playground. At night, not many people were walking around, and they had a peaceful time with each other.

"How bad is it?" asked Sam.

Liam's forehead wrinkled. "What are you talking about?"

"I have seen father papers before; I know what you are handling in your room. Father tried to hide them from me, but I have seen an expression on his face every time he had them at home. He looked concerned and tired. So, tell me, how bad is it? Are we losing the company?" Liam was staring at Sam; he certainly didn't expect this wisdom from him.

There was a piercing silence between them for some moments. Liam sighed and went with a hand through his hair. He leaned back and looked at Sam again. "It's really bad!"

They were sitting on a set of swings and were deep in their thoughts. The cold wind put some air into their backs, and the sky was full of stars. "You think one of those are our parents?" Asked Sam, disconnecting Liam from his thoughts.

"Yeah, they are right there near Orion's belt, shining bright." Liam pointed at two stars left and right from Orion's belt.

Sam giggled, and Liam looked at him, unaware of why Sam was giggling. "Is it funny?"

Sam nodded.

"Those aren't the stars; those are the planets, Sirius A and Sirius B; the aliens supposedly come from there. Please don't say our parents have become aliens." Sam giggled again.

Liam rolled his eyes. "No, that's not what I was saying, you smart pants. Remind me not to allow you to watch those alien documentaries; you are getting too smart for me."

They both giggled and hugged as much as the swing set allowed them.

"And don't worry, we will figure something out. I don't plan to sell my father's company; I will do my best to keep it and give you a chance at college." said Liam and looked up at the stars.

After a few moments in silence, they decided it was time to go home. Sam prepared himself for a nap, and Liam cooked dinner.

"Mum's was certainly better than this!" said Sam and giggled.

Liam rolled his eyes. "I know, I have improvised. Mum works this through so easily; I think I put in too much salt."

"It's too much of everything." Sam replied, but he was still eating.

"But you are still eating it..." Liam stated obvious.

"Hopefully, I won't be sick!" was Sam reply after he put last bite in his mouth.

"Alright, that's it; it's going to the trash bin!" said Liam, and they threw their dinner in the bin.

He went for his smartphone and ordered pizza. After they ate up, they said their goodnights and went to their rooms.

This evening, Sam fell asleep right away. He was thinking about how he teased his brother with an awful dinner to get pizza. "I am a mastermind." he said softly and giggled.

In the other room, Liam returned to the papers and noticed that some dates were missing. He didn't get all the balances he asked for. There was something fishy going on, and he decided to get to the bottom of it. " I have a month to figure this out, and I need to call Claudia over the missing files." he thought to himself.

The next day, he got a disappointing answer to his question. He got every known balance document; there is nothing missing. He scrambled Claudia's answer on a piece of paper and decided to make a note about his father's work. He pulled an unused notebook out of the work desk and wrote down everything he remembered. Sam joined him by telling him everything he noticed when his father brought home the same documents. Liam was on the edge of a breakthrough, and the answers to his prayers weren't so far away.

However, the last month of the vacation passed faster than Liam had hoped, and Sam had to return to school. Before that, there was a will reading from their parents and as Mister Michaels said, Liam became the CEO of fathers company.

#

At the same time Sam started taking classes, the social services knocked at their door. "Mister Dalton, I know you are the right age to be Sam's guardian, but we have to check up on some things before we give you that right. You will get three visits without any notice ahead. We will check your income, and this house seems like the right place for Sam, so you have less trouble. But still, you will have to report your income, as I said before. I heard you became the CEO of Dalton Ltd., as it seems the company is in red. Fix that, and Sam will have no problems with his future with you," said Miss Trainer, a small, dark-haired woman with big glasses.

"In the coming month, you will see me a lot!" She added, drank up the tea Liam offered her when she came and left their house.

#

Parents didn't leave them a lot of money behind. No matter how successful their father seems to be, the company was in big debt. Clients were leaving, and only a few new contacts were made. Liam knew he has to figure out something, if he wants to keep Sam.

What he did next was dangerous and kind of reckless, but a decision was made and it changed everything. He accepted Mr. Holler's offer. He became part of his 'family', whatever that meant.