Destiny vs Free Will in Gothikana: Prophecies, Tarot, and the Power of Choice

Defining the Thematic Claim

In Gothikana, RuNyx weaves a tense interplay between destiny and free will. The story proposes that prophecies and supernatural signs—from Old Zelda’s cryptic warnings to Corvina’s tarot cards—offer a roadmap, but they are not unchangeable. Characters inherit fates they did not ask for, yet they retain the power to interpret, resist, or reshape those fates through their conscious decisions. The novel ultimately suggests that destiny may set the stage, but free will writes the final act. This analysis traces that claim across three pivotal plot moments and connects key characters and symbols to the theme.

Plot Point One: Old Zelda’s Prophecy and Vad’s Childhood

The first major prophecy appears when Vad is seven years old. The blind caretaker Old Zelda grips his arm under a full moon and declares: "To a castle where none go, you will go, boy." She adds that he will find “purple eyes” and that it is “a matter of many deaths.” Young Vad feels embarrassed and angry; his friends mock him, and he tries to ignore the words.

Yet the prophecy plants a seed. Vad cannot control the fact that he is a poor orphan living in a group home, nor can he stop an old woman from speaking over him. But his reaction—blushing, wanting to escape—shows that he resists being defined by the prediction. Throughout his childhood, the prophecy lingers, but it does not command him. Many years later, he chooses to accept a teaching position at Verenmore, a castle that matches the description. That choice sets him on the path to meet Corvina, the girl with purple eyes. Here, destiny provides the map (castle, purple eyes, deaths), but free will supplies the journey: Vad could have stayed away, but he did not. The prophecy also includes “a matter of many deaths,” which hangs over him, yet his later decisions—especially his eventual choice to leave Verenmore—demonstrate that the endpoint is not fixed.

Plot Point Two: Corvina’s Tarot Deck and Her Mother’s Warnings

Corvina grows up with a mother who hears voices and reads tarot cards. As a child, she learns to treat the cards as “guides, not manuals.” When Corvina suffers a nightmare in Chapter 9, she sees her mother shuffling cards with eerie black eyes. Three cards fall: The Devil, The Lovers, and The Tower. Her mother says, “Once you taste the forbidden fruit, you belong to the devil.” The nightmare disturbs Corvina, but she does not simply accept it as fate. Instead, she takes her tarot deck and walks into the woods to clear her mind.

That walk leads her to the ruins where she meets Vad for the first time. During their conversation, Corvina explains her belief: the cards can “guide and give a sense of direction about something, but not the precise details about how and when and what. That depends on our choices.” She shuffles the deck, and the same three cards—The Devil, The Lovers, The Tower—fall face up on the ground after their kiss. The omen repeats, yet Corvina and Vad still choose to kiss again, to explore the connection despite the warning. Corvina’s family legacy includes voices and visions, but she exercises agency by deciding how much weight to give them. The tarot deck is a symbol of destiny’s pull, but her interpretation of it as a guide rather than a command affirms free will.

Plot Point Three: The Kiss in the Ruins and the Regretful Choice

The kiss scene in Chapter 9 is where destiny and free will collide most dramatically. Corvina finds Vad repairing an old piano in the moonlit ruins. The atmosphere feels fated—the moonlight, the wild wind, the eerie cooing of a bird. They kiss with intensity, a moment that feels both inevitable and chosen. Corvina thinks, “The molecules in her body recognised the molecules in his.” The language suggests a destined connection, a pull beyond reason.

Yet immediately after, Vad’s expression shifts to regret. He pulls back and tells her to go back to the castle. Corvina, hurt, insists the kiss was not serious and has no expectations. Here, free will interrupts the flow of destiny. Vad could have surrendered to the moment, but he makes a conscious choice to stop—perhaps because of the rules against professor-student relationships, perhaps because he fears the prophecy of deaths. His regret proves that even when destiny brings two people together, one person can still say no. Corvina, too, chooses to leave and claim she does not care, a small act of defiance against the pull she feels. The tarot cards that fall are a sign from destiny, but the characters’ reactions—Vad’s retreat and Corvina’s feigned indifference—emphasize that they are not puppets.

Character and Symbol Connections

Characters: Corvina and Vad are the primary vessels of this theme. Corvina’s tarot cards and voices represent inherited destiny, but her philosophy of “guides, not manuals” shows her agency. Vad’s prophecy from Old Zelda is a burden, yet his choice to come to Verenmore—and later to leave it—proves he can act against what was foretold. Secondary characters also reflect the tension. Jade and Mo offer support but also try to influence Corvina’s choices, while the Unknown narrator in Chapter 8 represents forces that seek to manipulate fate by keeping Corvina away from secrets. Ajax and Troy are background figures whose mocking of young Vad highlights how society dismisses destiny, yet they are unknowingly part of its web.

Symbols: The purple eyes are a physical marker of fate—Vad was told he would find them, and Corvina’s eyes allow her to see too much. They are both a gift and a curse, but Corvina cannot change her eye colour; it is destiny. What she can change is how she uses her sight. Crows and ravens are ancestral spirits that watch over Corvina and her mother. They appear naturally, but Corvina feeds them out of choice, building a relationship that goes beyond prophecy. The piano is a symbol of Vad’s past—he repairs it, perhaps trying to fix something broken in himself. The decision to work on the piano is his own. The tarot deck is the most explicit symbol of destiny, yet Corvina holds it, shuffles it, and decides how to read its messages. The cards do not force her hand; they merely speak.

Complexity and Contradiction

The theme is not simple. At times, destiny seems to win. Corvina’s nightmare predicts the exact cards that fall in real life, and she later hears voices telling her to “help him” and “the tower, Vivi.” The prophecy of many deaths hangs over the narrative, and the characters cannot escape the setting of Verenmore, a castle built on dark history. The Unknown force in Chapter 8 explicitly states that Corvina’s purple eyes see too much, and that a diversion must be created to keep her away from secrets. This suggests a deterministic structure: no matter what Corvina does, forces beyond her control will push her toward certain events.

Yet contradiction arises in the characters’ internal fight. Vad’s decision to leave Verenmore—a choice not shown in the supplied excerpts but integral to the plot—represents a defiant break from the prophecy. He was destined to find purple eyes and be involved in deaths, but he chooses to walk away, perhaps to protect Corvina or to reclaim his own life. Similarly, Corvina’s habit of ignoring her mother’s warnings and seeking out Vad even after the tarot cards fall is an act of free will. The novel never resolves the tension completely; instead, it leaves the reader wondering whether the characters are fulfilling destiny or rewriting it. This ambiguity is the heart of the thematic claim: fate and free will are not opposites but partners, and the story’s dark academia gothic atmosphere amplifies both the sense of doom and the possibility of rebellion.

Study Questions and Answers

1. How does Old Zelda’s prophecy to young Vad establish the theme of destiny? Does Vad ever try to escape it?
   The prophecy sets a clear path: a castle, purple eyes, and deaths. As a child, Vad is embarrassed and tries to dismiss it. As an adult, he goes to Verenmore, which fulfills part of the prophecy by choice. However, his later decision to leave Verenmore shows he can alter the outcome—the prophecy does not dictate his every action.

2. What does Corvina mean when she says tarot cards are “guides, not manuals”? How does this reflect her view of free will?
   She believes the cards offer direction but not exact details. This philosophy allows her to acknowledge signs without being controlled by them. For example, after the nightmare, she still goes to the ruins, and after the same cards fall during the kiss, she decides to downplay its importance. She uses the cards as tools for self-reflection, not as commands.

3. Why does Vad regret kissing Corvina? What does his regret say about free will in the story?
   Vad’s regret stems from the forbidden nature of their relationship (student-professor) and possibly from the fear that the prophecy of deaths is coming true. His choice to stop and send her away is a deliberate act of free will, resisting the romantic pull that destiny seemed to orchestrate. It shows that desire can be overruled by conscious decision.

4. In Chapter 8, the Unknown narrator says they need to keep Corvina away because her purple eyes see too much. Does this make the theme deterministic?
   Not entirely. The Unknown represents a hidden force trying to control events, which does push the plot toward determinism. However, Corvina continues to explore and make choices that defy being “kept away.” The theme becomes a struggle between external manipulation and internal agency. The Unknown’s plan may fail if Corvina and Vad act on their own free will.

5. How do the symbols of the tarot deck and the piano work together to express the destiny/free will tension?
   The tarot deck represents supernatural guidance—messages from the universe or from Corvina’s mother. Vad’s piano, which he repairs by choice, represents human effort and the desire to create something beautiful from brokenness. One is fate speaking; the other is a person acting. When they meet in the ruins, both symbols are present: the cards fall, and the piano is being mended. The kiss happens in that intersection, suggesting that destiny and free will must work together to produce meaningful moments.

*For more on the characters and symbols explored here, visit the main book page, learn about Corvina Clemm and Vad Deverell, or explore symbols like purple eyes, crows and ravens, the piano, and the tarot deck.