Asra is the son of Aisha and Salim, two adept magicians. They supplied Asra with magical knowledge, mainly through a book on tarot and, subsequently, the arcana. His father had drawn all the pictures, and his mother supplied the riddles.
When Asra was still a child, Aisha and Salim were tasked by Count Lucio with constructing his prosthetic arm. When it was completed, he had them both imprisoned, claiming he didn't want anyone else to know the secret of how the arm worked. In prison they were each visited by the Devil, who made deals with them both to ensure the safety of their son and spouse; they failed to realize it was all a trick until it was too late. Both were imprisoned in the Arcana Realm for over twenty years.
Orphaned, Asra grew up on the streets of Vesuvia. The spirit of the Magician archetype continued Asra's tutelage in magic, appearing to the boy as a purple-eyed anthropomorphic fox. Seventeen years before the start of the game, he met Muriel, another orphan living on the streets, and the two became close friends. They eventually moved to a house in the woods outside the city.
Another magician gifted Asra with Faust's egg. Asra created the tarot deck himself, choosing the designs and animals based on what he believed fit the archetypes.
Eventually, he began to explore places beyond Vesuvia, as well as other magical realms. During his travels, he came to own a small adobe house in Nopal, which he last visited prior to the outbreak of the Red Plague.
Lucio had manipulated Asra into working for him, which Asra agreed to in order to protect Muriel. Lucio failed to mention Muriel was doing the same thing in order to protect Asra.
Shown through one of Faust's memories, the Apprentice and Asra had attended at least one masquerade together before the fateful masquerade three years prior to the start of the game.

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