London, 1897
At a time when a beautiful full moon hung in the city's night sky, a light drizzle whispered like a nocturnal symphony. The streets seemed quieter than they were during the busy hours, a sign that midnight was drawing near.
Within that gentle symphony came the sound of hurried footsteps, as though someone were racing against time.
"Catch that thief!" shouted a mustached man wearing a loose raincoat and a tall hat. He was an officer of the Metropolitan Police.
The officer, along with his partner, ran forward carrying black truncheons. They were chasing a young man.
The young man hunched over, concealing the item he carried. His appearance was rather ordinary, with slightly curly, unkempt hair. He wore a patched coat and a yellowed white shirt that looked as though it had been worn countless times without being washed. A piece of paper could be seen sticking out of his shirt pocket.
He was Joseph August, a twenty-three-year-old young man. He had once been a university student in London. He was an intelligent student, but because he lacked the money to pay his tuition fees, he was expelled. Worsening financial conditions, coupled with the depression he suffered from, left him with no choice but to steal an item from an antique shop. He had been discovered too quickly, so he grabbed the nearest object within reach—a worn old book bound in cowhide leather.
Every moment of Joseph's life felt like a constant swing above death. There were no happy moments for him. Wherever he went, the world around him seemed lifeless and gray.
God, what am I supposed to do... His expression tightened as he thought, uncertain of what awaited him.
As his footsteps splashed through puddles, droplets scattered in every direction. Joseph's expression grew increasingly panicked. The road ahead was a dead end. He tried to hide behind a garbage bin, gazing up at the sky, which looked darker than usual, and at the moon that seemed somehow closer to the earth.
"Hah... has the moon always been this close?" Joseph muttered, knowing that his life was over today, here and now.
Joseph froze, his face stiffening as the two officers stopped directly behind him. Slowly, he stepped out from behind the garbage bin and raised both hands, revealing the yellow-covered book.
...
At the Police Station
Joseph sat across from an officer, his eyes devoid of any light. All of his belongings had been searched and laid out neatly on the interrogation table.
"From the university..."
Staring at the paper on the table that the police had found in his pocket, Joseph felt despair wash over him once again. It was the paper that had begun destroying his life, the paper that had gotten him expelled from university.
"Mr. August, do you understand that your actions have disturbed public order? Even if you're facing hardship, breaking the law is not the answer. Do you have a guardian?"
The officer's voice echoed in Joseph's ears as he imagined the punishment that awaited him—perhaps even execution under the Bloody Code, since the antique book was clearly valuable.
"No," Joseph replied in a low, trembling voice.
The officer glanced at him but asked no further questions. He understood that in an age when wars seemed to erupt everywhere, cases like this were all too common. He then returned his attention to writing the report.
Every stroke of the pen felt like the ticking of a time bomb. Joseph's future was being decided with each line written. Time itself seemed to come to a halt. The November air felt colder than usual.
The officer spoke in a firm tone.
"You may wait in a cell until your sentence is decided."
Joseph's skin turned as pale as winter snow, and his vision blurred upon hearing those words. He rose from his chair and was escorted away by the officer in charge. Slowly, he walked toward the cell. Until he nearly reached the door, he did not utter a single word.
His eyes shifted toward the officer's desk when he heard the sound of pages turning. The antique book had somehow opened at some unknown moment.
Realizing that the officer had not even noticed it, Joseph frowned. His eyes focused more intently on the contents displayed on the open page.
An illustration of a silver cross engraved with intricate patterns and adorned with three different gemstones at its tips.
The moment he gazed upon the cross, the officer escorting him turned Joseph's head toward the cell, preventing him from looking around, then gently pushed him forward to enter on his own.
"Take some time to reflect on what you've done, friend."
Joseph let out a long breath, his eyes slightly red. He took a heavy step into the cell, his heart in turmoil.
Suddenly, he felt as though he had just awakened from a dream. Gasping for air, cold sweat streamed down his forehead. In the next instant, his head throbbed as though it were about to explode. Countless fragments of information surged into his mind. He could not stop himself from groaning, releasing a hoarse sound like that of a ghost in the dead of night.
Gradually, his thoughts began to settle. He could not immediately recall the contents that had been poured into his mind. The headache felt as though it were crushing his skull. It was like being struck by dozens of hammers at once.
At that moment, a head suddenly appeared before him, hanging upside down from the upper bunk. It belonged to a beautiful girl around fifteen years old. Her hair dangled downward as she stared at Joseph.
"Arianna?" Joseph said, despite having no idea who Arianna was.
His pupils widened as he realized something. The voice he had heard and the place where he had awakened were not his rented room. He clearly remembered being in the police station only moments ago.
He hurried toward the window and looked outside the house. His head throbbed again and again. What he saw outside was familiar, yet it was not London.
His gaze swept across the room with its bunk beds. His breathing became uneven as he rushed outside and looked upon a city that felt both familiar and foreign. Yet no matter where he looked, he could not find the famous clock tower—only another tower entirely different from Big Ben.
"Where am I? Is this a dream?"
His face trembled as he slapped himself. The pain felt real, and he could not suppress his shock.
His head throbbed once more. Information flooded through his mind.
Ciel Grand, a twenty-year-old orphan living with his grandfather, Michelle Grand, and his younger sister, Arianna Grand. They lived on Blackpearl Street in the city of Goumn, within the Kingdom of Falheim. He had recently graduated from the local University of Political Sciences.
Joseph simply stared blankly at the crescent moon hanging in the sky. The heavens felt different. The moon seemed closer.
Where is this place, really...? he wondered, questioning how such a paranormal event could possibly occur. Being a man with a reasonably sharp mind, he began piecing together the oddities that had happened earlier.
"Was it that book? Or the prison cell? None of this makes any sense..." Without realizing it, Joseph had begun talking to himself like a man possessed.
"Ciel?"
A soft voice, unfamiliar yet strangely familiar at the same time, called out to him. Joseph turned toward the source and saw a young girl he somehow recognized. He remembered her name from the memories inside his head.
"Ah, Arianna. I just had a nightmare. G-go back inside. Don't worry," Joseph replied with a slightly forced smile.
Arianna looked thin, her cheekbones visible beneath her skin. Yet there was still a youthful sparkle in her eyes. Her short black hair made her appear both sweet and adorable.
The moment he finished speaking, his head felt heavy once again. The pain was intense, and blood suddenly began to flow from his nose.
"Oh Goddess? Ciel, are you alright!? Y-your nose is bleeding!"
"I'm fine. Go back inside first." Joseph tried to keep Arianna from worrying as he hurriedly wiped away the blood beneath his nose.
Arianna did not respond. She simply turned and walked back into the house with a worried expression. Along the way, she yawned sleepily while occasionally glancing back at Joseph with concern. Joseph unconsciously reached into his pocket and found a pocket watch. Perhaps it had been the original Ciel's habit to always carry it, as he valued time above all else.
Joseph looked at the watch—it showed one o'clock in the morning. His heart was still pounding, and his body trembled. Looking up at the sky, he saw once again how unnaturally close the moon appeared.
He entered the house and saw that Arianna had already fallen asleep on the upper bunk. Standing before a full-length mirror, Joseph examined his reflection. A tall young man with dark eyes and black center-parted hair stared back at him. His face was thin, but he still carried the appearance of youth.
"So this is... Ciel?"
His hand unconsciously reached up to touch his cheek. He still could not believe what had happened. His chest tightened as he thought about the events that had unfolded. He clutched at it tightly before feeling both relief and depression wash over him.
Where is this place? What brought me here? I want to go back...