Drip…
A drop of water fell from the roof of a shop, creating ripples in a puddle that reflected the orange hues of the evening sky.
On the sidewalk, a man in a suit walked slowly, passing rows of shops adorned with decorative ornaments.
Splash…
His shoe stepped into a puddle, sending small splashes around him.
He was Luke Constantine, a detective.
With dark eyes and a tall, sturdy frame, he wore a neatly pressed dark gray suit, paired with a white shirt and a deep red tie. In his hand, he clutched a few sheets of documents.
Luke turned into a narrow alley, accompanied by two colleagues.
"Senior, I heard you're getting married next month," said a woman with a ponytail, chuckling. "I never thought there'd be a woman willing to spend her life with an old man like you."
The man referred to as "senior" crossed his arms proudly. "Hah! Don't underestimate my looks. I always look twenty years younger!"
"Haha! Senior, you've gotten so cocky now. Look, Luke must be jealous hearing this!"
The woman glanced at Luke, grinning as she held back her laughter.
Luke maintained a stoic expression. "I'm not jealous at all. Dealing with women is troublesome. I'd rather stay single forever than live with someone who's a hassle."
Yes. I'm not jealous. Really. Not at all! Tch… Damn it!
Luke thought to himself, though his face remained expressionless.
The ponytailed woman observed him, as if she could read his mind. "You talk as if you've been in a relationship before. Do you think I don't know what's going on in your head? You spilled everything when you were drunk at the last party."
Luke suddenly tensed. "Huh? W-what do you mean? What did I say?"
"I don't know…" The woman smirked. "Maybe i think senior knows something."
Luke quickly turned to the man beside him, anxious. "What exactly did I say?"
The man paused for a moment, then seemed to recall something. "Ah, about that…"
Pfft—
He quickly turned his face away, trying to suppress his laughter.
Luke swallowed hard and clicked his tongue in annoyance. "What's so funny?! At least give me a hint, damn it!"
Their laughter echoed through the narrow alley, accompanying their steps under the twilight glow. The cobblestone road gradually turned into asphalt, and the shops along the street began to close.
After a while, they reached an intersection.
Luke handed a few sheets of documents to the man in front of him.
"See you tomorrow, Luke. Bye!" said the ponytailed woman, waving her hand along with the man in the black suit beside her.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."
Luke turned around, walking alone down the increasingly quiet street. The shops closed, and the lights went out one by one. He read the documents in his hand, his steps slowing.
Tap…
Luke paused for a moment in front of the old bookstore, he gazing at the darkening twilight sky.
Crows flew across his line of sight. Something felt off.
"Ah… Why do I feel like something's wrong?"
Luke continued walking, but the atmosphere grew quieter and gloomier.
Caw… Caw…
The crows' cries echoed loudly in the silence.
Why does this road feel longer than usual? Did I take a wrong turn?
His heart suddenly beat faster.
Thump…
Luke narrowed his eyes, stopping in front of a bookstore. He looked around, but there was no one in sight.
Then…
Swossh–
A faint, eerie whisper reached his ears.
"Sreshss…"
"Shahh…"
"Sahsh…"
Luke turned quickly. But there was no one.
No… I need to get out of here.
Reflexively, he covered his right ear and ran.
Yet, the road seemed endless.
Buildings passed by, but it felt like he wasn't moving at all.
The sky grew darker, and the whispers grew louder.
"Sessssvresss..."
The whispers pierced his ears, stabbing his brain like sharp thorns.
"Arghhh!"
Luke fell, his body collapsing to the ground.
"What is this sound…?! AARGHHH!!"
Luke pressed his hands tightly against his ears, but the sound continued to gnaw at his mind.
Is this a spell? A curse?
Blood began to trickle from his nose. The veins on his face bulged, as if they might burst at any moment.
He screamed in despair.
"Someone… Help me…!"
But there was no response.
His heartbeat quickened. His chest burned with unbearable pain.
Am I… going to die here…?
Luke began to lose consciousness, but suddenly…
Silence.
The whispers vanished, replaced by a ringing in his ears.
Yet, one voice became clear.
"Arshen…! Archivis...!"
The voice was soft, like a woman's whisper, yet heavy, like a dying old man.
Before losing consciousness, Luke heard one final, fragmented word…
"World."
Then, everything turned dark, as if the entire world had dissolved into an endless void of nothingness.
Drip…
A silver drop fell from the dark orange sky.
Crows flew in circles above.
In the center of their formation, the sky slowly began to melting, like wax melting under a flame, as a black sky gradually replaced the twilight.
A purple moon and red sun began to reveal itself, standing high in the black sky, like an eye gazing down at the world.
As its purple light shone, the ground trembled violently.
Buildings began to collapse. The earth split open.
Luke's lifeless body was slowly buried under the rubble.
...
'Night in a misty forest'
In a dark, misty forest, a bonfire burned deep within the woods.
In front of the bonfire sat a figure holding a lantern that emitted a faint yellow light. His eyes were tightly shut, and his body was as pale as a corpse.
He was a man wearing lace-up leather shoes and black gloves adorned with star patterns. He wore a long, tattered brown coat and had long black hair combed back.
After some time passed, the muscles in the man's head began to twitch and tense. His pale body seemed to come back to life, his heart beating loudly, echoing through the silent forest.
"Hnghh...."
The man's eyes opened, revealing grayish-black pupils that seemed to hold deep mysteries. His expression changed, as if he had just endured cruel and painful torment from hell. The lantern beside him fell, and the spilled oil caused the fire to spread, burning the grass around him.
The man jerked backward, pressing his temples. His eyes widened as he looked around, noticing something strange in front of him. His expression shifted to one of confusion and fear.
Where am I...? How long was I unconscious... Aaahh!, my head...!.
Thought the man in the long brown coat and star-patterned gloves.
Tap...
The man straightened his legs, trying to stand as he observed his surroundings in confusion. He saw trees shrouded in mist, making it difficult to see far.
He looked up at the sky, covered in a fog that was pierced by a transparent purple light. He raised his eyebrows and furrowed his brow.
"What is that?."
"Why does the moon look purple?."
The purple moon stood high in the sky, as if staring at him from afar.
"Where am I right now?, and what exactly happened?."
His eyes reflected the dim purple moon, and he sat back down on the ground, surrounded by a thin mist.
But suddenly, a flood of familiar memories rushed into his head like a storm.
He lowered his gaze and placed his hands on his head, pressing his fingers against his temples to ease the pain.
Strange memories flooded his mind, along with flashbacks that seemed to play two different recordings simultaneously.
The cry of a newborn baby in a grand city filled with statues representing gods was the first thing he saw.
Then, the bodies of a man and woman who seemed familiar lay in a noisy place resembling a battlefield.
The melody and chaotic noise of a circus performance came back to him, along with the strong smell of alcohol. Slowly but surely, he spoke.
"I-I am Arshen Rosselvelt...?, I... sstt..., no, these aren't my memories! Aaahhh!. The Serapian language and— the city of Persepolis, the Goddess of Night and Starlight..., wait! Something's not right!."
Another perception awoke within him, as if two people were inside his body, slowly degrading and merging into one.
Another flashback emerged, but this time it was different.
A bloody scene played out—a man hanging himself beside a woman lying with a knife in her chest.
Like a trauma resurfacing, sweat dripped from his temples. He was angry, confused, scared, and a mix of other emotions that seemed to blend on his face.
The man widened his eyes and stared blankly ahead.
Wait, something's wrong with me, as if this isn't really me, something's not right.., I.., I am Luke Constantine, a detective, I remember those strange voices clearly, I also remember that trauma.
He thought while holding his head with both hands, as if deep in thought.
He lowered his hands and placed them between his legs, closing his eyes as if he no longer wanted to think or do anything.
After some time passed.
The man opened his eyes again and walked closer to the bonfire. He picked up the fallen lantern and sat down, his expression blank, as if indifferent to everything around him.
---
Clak–clak...
Outside the misty forest, two horse-drawn carriages stopped under the light of the purple moon.
One of them was an elegant and luxurious nobleman's carriage. Inside sat a woman with beautiful sea-blue eyes.
She smiled, wearing a red shirt covered by a black hooded cloak, holding a folding fan with a swan motif.
The girl was accompanied by a middle-aged man in a black tailcoat, sitting across from her while fiddling with a pocket watch.
"Rick, are you sure 'it' is really in this forest?"
The woman asked, looking at the middle-aged man beside her.
Hearing the question, Rick put the silver pocket watch back into his pants pocket.
He then smiled and said, "Miss, I've confirmed it. The Elden Mist Forest truly has a hidden magical forest within it."
"But as for the flower itself, I'm not sure if it has bloomed yet."
Rick answered Miss Wednesday's question.
"Good, let's go in. Tell them to get ready."
---