London, 1897
At a time when the beautiful full moon hung in the city's night sky, a gentle drizzle whispered like a nocturnal symphony. The streets appeared slightly quieter than during the bustling hours, signaling the approach of midnight.
Within that gentle symphony came the sound of hurried footsteps, as though racing against time itself.
"Stop 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 while 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, disheveled hair. He wore a patched coat and a yellowing white shirt that looked as though it had been worn repeatedly without being washed. A sheet 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. His worsening financial condition, coupled with the depression he suffered from, left him with no choice but to steal an item from an antique shop. He was discovered too quickly, so he only managed to grab the nearest object within reach at the time—an old book bound in cowhide leather.
Every moment of Joseph's life felt like a constant swing above death. There was never a happy moment for him. Wherever he went, the world around him seemed dead and gray.
God, what am I supposed to do...? His expression tightened as he thought, unable to imagine what would happen to 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 trash bin, staring at the sky, which seemed darker than usual, and at the moon that appeared strangely closer to the earth.
"Hahh... has the moon always been this close?" Joseph muttered, knowing that his life was over today, right here.
Joseph froze, his face tensing as the two officers stood directly behind him. Slowly, he stepped out from behind the trash bin and raised both hands, revealing the yellow-covered book.
...
At the Police Station
Joseph sat across from an officer, his eyes devoid of light. Every belonging he carried had been searched and placed neatly on the interrogation table.
"From the University..."
Staring at the paper on the table that the police had taken from his pocket, Joseph felt despair once again. It was the paper that had begun destroying his life, the paper that had gotten him expelled from the university.
"Mr. August, do you realize that your actions have disturbed public order? Even if you're facing hardship, breaking the law is not the right thing to do. Do you have a guardian?"
The officer's voice echoed in Joseph's ears as he imagined the punishment he might receive—perhaps even death under the Bloody Code, since the antique book was clearly very valuable.
"No," Joseph answered in a low, slightly trembling voice.
The officer glanced at Joseph and asked no further questions. He understood that in an age where wars broke out everywhere, stories like this were all too common. He then returned his attention to writing the report.
Each stroke of the pen felt like the fuse of a time bomb. Joseph's future was being decided with every line of ink. Time seemed to stop. The November air felt colder than usual.
The officer spoke in a firm tone.
"You may wait in the 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. Slowly, he walked toward the cell. Until he nearly reached the cell door, he did not utter a single word.
His eyes shifted toward the officer's desk when he heard the sound of a page turning. The antique book had somehow opened at an unknown moment.
Realizing that the officer hadn't even noticed, Joseph frowned. His eyes focused more intensely on the contents displayed on the open page.
An image of a silver cross engraved with intricate patterns and adorned with three different gemstones at each end.
The moment he stared at 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.
"Think carefully about what you've done, friend."
Joseph let out a long breath, his eyes slightly reddened. 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 breath, cold sweat poured down his forehead. The next second, his head throbbed as if it were about to explode. Fragments of information surged into his mind. He couldn't help but groan, releasing a hoarse sound like a ghost wandering through the 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 the same time.
At that moment, a head appeared before him, hanging upside down from the top bunk. It was the face of a beautiful girl, around fifteen years old. Her hair dangled downward as she stared at Joseph.
"Arianna?" Joseph said, despite not even knowing who Arianna was.
His pupils widened as he realized something. The voice and the place where he had awakened were not his rented room! He clearly remembered that he had been in the police station just moments ago!
He quickly rushed toward the window and looked outside the house. His head throbbed again and again. What he saw outside was familiar, yet nothing like London!
His gaze swept across the room with its bunk bed. His breathing became irregular as he ran outside and looked upon the city that felt both familiar and foreign. Yet no matter where he searched, 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 tried slapping himself. The pain felt real, and he could hardly contain his shock.
His head throbbed again. Information flowed through his mind.
Ciel Grand, a twenty-year-old orphan who lived 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 University of Political Science there.
Joseph simply stared blankly at the crescent moon hanging in the sky. The sky felt different. The moon felt closer.
Where is this place, really...? he wondered, questioning how such a paranormal event could possibly occur. As a man with a fairly sharp mind, he began reflecting on all the strange occurrences that had happened earlier.
"Was that book the cause? Or the prison cell? None of this makes any sense..." Joseph unconsciously began talking to himself as though possessed while thinking through the situation.
"Ciel?"
A soft voice, foreign yet strangely familiar, called out. Joseph turned toward the source of the voice and saw a young girl who felt oddly familiar. He recognized her name from the memories inside his mind.
"Ah, Arianna. I just had a nightmare. G-go back inside. Don't worry," Joseph replied with a somewhat forced smile.
Arianna appeared thin, her cheekbones slightly visible. Yet there was still a youthful sparkle in her eyes. Her short black hair made her look both sweet and adorable.
The moment he said that, his head suddenly felt heavy again. The pain was intense, and without realizing it, blood began to flow from his nose.
"Huh? Ciel, are you alright!? Y-your nose is bleeding!"
"I'm fine. You should go back inside first." Joseph tried to keep Arianna from worrying as he hurriedly wiped the blood from his nose.
Arianna didn't respond. She simply turned around and walked back into the house with a worried expression. Along the way, she yawned sleepily, occasionally glancing back at Joseph with concern. Joseph unconsciously reached into his pocket and found a pocket watch. Perhaps it had been a habit of the original Ciel to always carry it, since he valued time above all else.
Joseph looked at the watch—it showed one in the morning. His heart was still pounding rapidly, and his body trembled. He stared at the sky and noticed that the moon looked incredibly close.
He entered the house and saw that Arianna had already fallen back asleep on the top bunk. Joseph then looked at himself in the full-length mirror. A tall young man with dark eyes and black hair parted down the middle. His face was thin, yet still retained the appearance of youth.
"So this is Ciel?"
His hand unconsciously reached for his cheek. He still couldn't believe what had happened. His chest felt tight as he thought about everything that had transpired. He clutched it tightly before being overwhelmed by both relief and despair.
Where is this place? What brought me here? I want to go back...