Drip. Drip. Drip.
Rainwater trickled from tiled rooftops into puddles of water that shimmered beneath candlelight. The pale silver of the moon gleamed over black cobblestones, mingling with the warm gold glow of the lanterns.
The air carried the scent of damp stone, cold night, and the faint sweetness of rain on wood.
Splash!
The water from the puddle splashed over its surroundings, streaking dirty water across the shattered glass.
As the waves of muddy water spread unevenly around the puddle on the broken road, a worn, torn shoe jumped out of it.
Huff...
Faint white mist puffed from his mouth as he dashed forward, running at high speed. He was wearing a dirty, ragged brown coat and a red beret over his head. The brown jacket had a V-shaped cut on the back.
He ran past a statue with a humanoid face and wings, but it had a muscular body, sharp claws, and long teeth. The boy paid no attention to it.
He was already busy running away from something.
Behind him, the statue's one eye opened slightly to look at him, before closing back.
Scratch!
Suddenly, a huge claw mark formed inside his coat, as if it went through the coat.
I... need... to.
Blurgh.
He vomited blood on the ground as he escaped the alley, entering the main street.
His body wished to stop and let go, but his heart couldn't.
As he kept running, suddenly his vision began to blur as distortions formed in his sight. A vibrant spectrum of lights shimmered into an aurora across his vision. His consciousness rang; his mind buzzed with confusion.
"Hey, kid! Watch out!"
The voice of a middle-aged man rang in his ears as he finally saw what was in front of him.
A hand clamped around his arm—startling him as he stumbled to the ground.
Clatter. Clatter.
"A carriage?" His voice came out rough with confusion.
As he looked around, the sight of the buildings only deepened his bafflement. In front of him loomed a tower of white, weathered stone, its walls arched and crowned with spires, windows glittering with stained glass.
Ding... Ding... Ding...
Suddenly, the smaller arm of the big white clock reached twelve as a loud bell rang.
Cheers!
Cheering spread through the streets as people clapped, wishing every passerby.
"Happy New Year, old man Edgar!"
"Oh! You are... Miss Morwenna! Happy New Year to you as well!"
". . ."
The roads had become noisy, people happily wishing for another year together with their loved ones.
The little boy looked at the man who had pulled him to the side path built on both sides of the road.
His blurry vision started to clear, but before he could picture the man's image, a distorted vision appeared in his mind.
"Did you do it?"
Three men are sitting at a round table.
A girl was standing in front of them.
Screech.
The image changed again as another scene showed up.
A man holding a stick in his hand and wearing an embroidered black coat held a gun in his hand.
Bang.
Screech.
Another image appeared, this time the girl was facing him directly. Suddenly, she vanished and appeared right in front of him.
She opened her mouth as she whispered something in his ear.
"Welcome home."
Screech. Zoom!
Aah!
huff. Huff.
He huffed as he felt out of breath. The extreme pain that he felt in his head also subsided.
What was that? Who were those people?
Although he could still remember the scene, he could not remember either the voice or the faces of any of those present in that room.
"Are you alright?"
The boy turned his head to look at the middle-aged man.
Have we met before?
The thought lingered in his mind only for a few seconds before he got up, cleaning his pants.
The man wore a black coat with golden buttons and a hat bearing an emblem he didn't recognize.
"Is it so lively because of the New Year?"
The boy spoke, looking around the whole main street.
The tall man slouched slightly to match the boy's height. Smiling gently, he spoke:
"Yes. Happy New Year."
The boy nodded, his gaze drifting toward the bustling crowd.
The man followed his gaze before refocusing on him.
"Are you perhaps lost?"
The boy narrowed his eyes slightly in distrust and turned his head toward the man.
The man laughed inwardly before pointing to the badge on his hat.
"I'm an officer. Maybe I can be of some help?"
The boy blinked at the officer's smile. Reluctantly, he took the officer's hand and nodded. Inside, his mind churned with scattered thoughts.
Where am I...
A voice whispered loudly in his head. As he stared ahead, he suddenly felt a jolt in his arm.
What—
Ouch!
He fell onto the rocky stone pathway, wet from the rain. His gaze darted around.
What are these buildings?
The architecture was unfamiliar—huge arches, tall spires, and stained glass windows.
Am I in the past?
Gulp!
He swallowed hard. Finding himself in a situation he'd never imagined, his mind went awry.
This place...
As he turned toward the middle-aged man, a thought struck him.
I don't remember living in such a place before. Maybe I should use this officer's help.
He nodded, holding the officer's hand, and they walked slowly along the path. Passersby gave slight bows to the officer before continuing on their way.
"So... start by telling me your name, age, and address, if you know it."
I don't know it—that's why I'm following you!
The boy shook his head when the officer looked at him.
"I don't remember."
"You don't remember your address? That's alright, tell me your—"
"I don't remember any of those."
The officer fell silent, quietly watching the boy. Turning his gaze back to the street, he spoke:
"Don't worry, I'll take you to your home soon."
This is going to be hard.
He tightened his grip just enough to stay close and avoid getting lost in these unfamiliar streets.
As he walked, taking in the infrastructure and people's clothing, he'd already confirmed it.
This is not Earth.
He thought.
Suddenly, a cluster of bats flew from one direction to another, catching Lucen's eye.
Knock. Knock.
Outside a weary, old house in a narrow, sloping alley in the middle of the night, two people in black cloaks stood at the door.
Shortly after they knocked, light flickered from the broken stained glass windows.
Creak.
The door opened, and a young girl stepped out.
"Big Brother!"
She cheered happily before hugging the boy tightly at the waist, burying her face in him.
Two more people came out, smiling at the boy before speaking:
"Officer, thank you for bringing Lucen back to us."
"Oh! No worries. Luckily, the boy had a purse on him that led me to..."
The officer looked at the boy, smiling a little playfully before saying:
"Let's talk about it another time. Lucen has something to discuss with you both. Good night."
He tipped his cap before leaving.
Should I tell them the truth?
The question had hung in his mind all the way here. He had a family—how should he treat them?
If they find out I'm not the real Lucen, bad things could happen.
The concept of transmigration... Would they understand? Accept him for who he was now? What was the guarantee?
In this foreign world... was there truly someone who could understand him?
Heh.
The thought made him laugh.
Don't joke with me.
"Mother... Father... I'm back."
Lucen hugged them both, a smile of longing on his face. They were taller than he, but he hugged them tightly.
"Lucen. You must be sleepy. You can go back to your room to sleep."
As Lucen entered the room, his eyes fell onto the shadow cast by him and his little sister on the ground from the flickering candlelight.
As he looked towards both of his parents' smiling faces, he smiled back as he slightly looked down.
Gulp.
"I'm going back to sleep."
"Yes. Good night, dear."
Lucen nodded before climbing the wooden stairs that creaked on every step.
"You should go to sleep as well, Alice."
"But mama..."
*Thud.*
The door closed. Cutting off the voices of his family from the room.
Lucen's legs trembled as his heart rate quickened. His body shivered with extreme fear as he held his mouth tightly to not let his voice out.
"I knew it."
"I cannot trust anyone here."
His parents. They didn't have a shadow. They had pale skin, but he couldn't notice it at first due to the darkness in the room.
"Who are they? Why do they not have a shadow?"
The image of their smiling faces flashed over his eyes again. This time, he didn't feel warmth from it. He felt...fear.
He got up from the ground, still trembling slightly as he looked around his room. His room was small. It had a slanted roof on the head, a window with broken white glass. There was a single bed, a small wardrobe, and a table on which he used to study.
"Did I use to be a thief or a student?"
He chuckled slightly, imagining the previous scene that had happened with the officer.
"Is that your purse?"
"I don't know, I found it in my pocket."
The officer opened the leather purse to see what was inside, only to find a small photograph of a middle-aged man.
"You—We are returning it. And you are coming with me to apologize."
". . ."
"Ha-ha. Luckily, that man knew where I used to live. Or else I wouldn't have got home anytime soon."
The smile on his face slowly faded as he looked at his table.
I should recollect my thoughts and see what to do next. There is a calamity waiting for me outside this door.
Pulling back the chair, he sat on it as he opened the Journal kept on the desk.
'I'm Lucen Arvel'
'and... I've had dreams. And every one of them...'