Nate staring out the window at the orange leafed trees and the warm yellow light of the sun, the sound of carriages and people walking outside, the light fog that seemed to only amplify the chatter and laughter of children and woman
It was almost peaceful, as if the horrors he had seen last night were nothing more than a nightmare and the crimes recorded in the diary were not sickly acts but jokes and the sudden turn in his life was merely a dream as the realisation his him like a slap to the face
If Nate was to survive, to even have the slightest hope of returning back home, to his reality, he has to become Ethan Kendrick...but what did that mean?
from the information in the diary and his fragmented memories, Ethan was a nobody,a ghost, no friends, the only connection he had was to Mr and Mrs Marvin who tragically took their own lives but why?
the more he thought about it, the less answers he could find as if there's something his missing or something Ethan's memories isn't showing him but from his own memories his last moments on earth flashed like lightning causing him to stagger off the chair.
before waking up here, he was in his dimly lit room performing a prayer for good luck because his was a bit lacking, he was struggling with his exams and had no luck in finding a girlfriend, so he went and bought a worn book in same old bookstore with near no hope of it working.
"Was it the prayer that caused all this or maybe it played some important role, in either case this isn't what I wanted" Nate or now Ethan wept before lifting himself off the ground and dusting himself off mumbling to himself and cursing under his breath.
"Damn it I should have known that book was worse than a scam, now I'm trapped in some kind of parallel universe, why couldn't this be like one of those cool webnovel stories or something".
then a loud bang come from the hallway startling him, he peeped his head from the study in order to see where the sound is coming from, it was the door and somebody was on the other side.
...Bang!.....bang!!...bang!!!, each knock louder and more impatience and sounding more like a thunderstorm then a person waiting on the other side, Ethan nervous and trembling quickly rushed to open the door and when it did his eyes widened as he saw a small child wearing raggy, torn clothing and an oversized bag of news papers .
"Took ya long enough mister, I was beginning to freeze outside your lovely home" the young child said with a strained raspy voice before putting a newspaper in his hand and walking away.
'I thought scarred by a kid' the words smashed into his skull,then from outside a eerily stillness filled the air,the hairs at the back of Ethan neck rose as his eyes drifted back to the door and a small note slipped from underneath the white painted door, down to his feet.
He slowly creeped down trying his best to keep his gaze on the door and grabbed the note and opened it.
It was for Ethan,with regards to a meeting with his former college professor...but he couldn't shake the feeling of something was off,the way the paper folded like fabric
The blood red ink used and it's metallic scent and the name B.Ouroboros.
Ethan stared silently for a moment then two before closing the latter and heading upstairs to freshen up.
Moments later...
Ethan stood in front of a large oak door with a golden nameplate on top with the surname Ouroboros written across in runes his seen a million times from his memories.
".... Basilisk Ouroboros"he murmured as if tasting the name on his tongue. Looking over his shoulder at the long stretched hallway he sees a picture of a armour long haired man fighting a lion,he couldn't help by glare at the absurdity of the picture but a muffled voice cut though his thoughts and seemed to echo from everywhere.
"You may enter Mr Kendrick," it whispered.
Ethan began to shiver at the rough sound of the voice and swallowing hard,his breath slightly uneven and hands trembling as he slowly reached for the door handle and cupped his hand around it gently
Slowly opening the door and entering the room, the scent of beeswax and dry vanilla from the old parchment filled his nose along with the faint metallic tang of fresh ink that was sharp enough to sting that back of his throat.
The floor to ceiling bookshelves seemed to groan and hum with the weights of the books,their golden- leaf spines catching the stray rays of the sun illuminated the room with an overwhelmingly bright light, a sharp sting hit Ethan's eyes causing him to squint and duck his head
At the desk in the centre sat a middle-aged man,his hair already graying from the tests of time pulled back but his skin,pale like winter's snow and smooth like porcelain as if he was a newborn, he gently wrote down in his leather covered notebook,his ember eyes like that of a serpent-sharp and predatory never leaving the waxy yellow pages of his book never looking up at the hunched Ethan
Then with a gentle sigh he closed the book,the sound echoing through the room followed by his voice which was as soft as the rays illuminating his white coat and golden cuffing's as he slowly lifted his gaze to face Ethan who had all but been hugged by the shadows of his office
Their eyes met for a moment before a second sharper sigh left the man's mouth and he stared at the twin towers in his desk interested at the young man or his trembling hands
Bowing in greeting, Ethan's eyes glued themselves to the oak plated floor and a single drop of sweat fell to the ground and only his wide eyed pieces though the shadows casted by his hair as a pressure unlike anything he has experienced seemed to hunch him further
'what's with this guy,is he some kind of final boss or something ' he thought unable to comprehend the man in front of him is a Academy professor and how small both himself and the room felt in his presence
A small smile curled into his face as he removes his hat causing the man's eyes to widen slightly at the sight of his white strands of hair
"Forgive me, professor Ouroboros where have my manners gone"Ethan says softly as a nervous sweat crawled down his side" I had received word that you are in need of my presence"
Wide eyed and blank, professor Ouroboros stared at the still bowing Ethan,as a rumble shakes the room around them and a massive shadow flies past his massive windows and for a moment the only source of light was his two Ember eyes now slit and glowing like twin flames
A small nervous chuckle escaped Ethan mouth as he stared into the two ember flames,slowly he adjusted his collar waiting on Ouroboros' next words.The shadow slowly moving away, the light drowning the room as Ouroboros' lips curl slightly into a gentle smile
Slowly closing his book, Ouroboros slowly stands up, his presence becoming even more intimidating as he tips his clawed fingers on a brown envelope
"from today onward you will be my assist, take it as a promotion, for your first task travel to the library at the end of the capital and retrieve a book titled the great journey and do make it quick Kendrick i haven't all day to spare"he said dismissively before gesturing for Ethan to take the envelope and leave his office
Stunned and greatly insulted Ethan forced a polite smile and bow while taking the envelope resisting the urge to grit his teeth and curse at the man in front of him before stepping out and sighing in relief.
Then if on pure impulse he kicked the white hallway wall and growled in rage before fixing himself and walking away
'Just who does that bastard think he is, ordering me around like I'm his slave,hell even my professors knew how to say please, the people of this time are more rude then content creators'
he thought while slowly crashing the envelope