One year prior
“Ciel!”
“Ciel, wake up! Ciel, you’re gonna make us late… again!”
Ciel’s eyes fluttered open with a start.
“Sorry,” he muttered, still half asleep.
He slowly sat upright in his bed, turning to his left to find his older sister Aurore shaking him awake.
She wore a long black dress with an amber necklace that matched her eyes.
She had braided her long brown hair at the back and held it up in a neat ponytail.
Ciel’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Aurore, you’re back from the Academy already?”
Seeing him now awake, she sighed and said with a small smile, “Relax, you didn’t sleep through the entire year. The fall term ended, and I just got back today,”
In a more serious tone, she added, “You sure took your time. Was it that dream again?”
Ciel opened his mouth to speak, but she stopped him by raising her hand abruptly.
“Wait, don’t tell me now. We don’t have time. Get ready first, and we’ll be waiting at the front door,” she said as she left Ciel’s bedroom, shutting the door behind her.
Ciel quickly got out of bed and changed into a pair of black pants with a white buttoned shirt.
He completed his outfit with a warm black coat.
On his way out, he paused at the nightstand before opening his drawer and pulling out his revolver.
He held it up, hesitated, and then put it back down again.
Ciel considered it for a moment before decisively grabbing it and exiting his room.
He walked downstairs, entering the foyer.
There he saw Aurore standing near the doorway next to their younger brother, Leo.
He wore similar black attire, with his short brown hair swept back.
“Took you long enough,” Aurore sighed.
“Let’s go, we’re going to be late.”
“You should be used to this by now, Aurore. Making us late has always been his hobby.” Leo said with a small smile playing on his lips.
The siblings exited the house together, stepping out onto the paved walkway.
The chilling winter air quickly swept through them, even with their layered clothing.
Seeing Leo and Ciel shivering, Aurore formed half a dozen balls of fire.
She suspended them in mid-air, rotating in different directions around them.
Ciel couldn’t help but scoff.
“Show-off. It’d be bad news if anyone caught you using Insight out in public.”
Aurore smirked, “Well, that just means we have to not get caught. Besides, most people are already at the festival. We’re late because of you, remember?”
Ciel conceded reluctantly, and the three siblings made their way out of their estate.
They walked through the streets of Leichren at a brisk pace, leaving the residential area for nobles and entering the city’s center.
Turning off a principal street, Aurore turned to Ciel.
“So, it was that dream of yours again, right? How long has it been bothering you?”
“Bothering is a strong word. It’s just something that comes up now and then. It’s not that important,” Ciel replied bluntly.
Aurore remained unconvinced, “Still, it’s something unusual. You better tell me if anything changes.”
Ciel nodded and didn’t say more.
Afterwards, Aurore caught up with Leo, cheerfully conversing and listening to his anecdotes involving their family in the past few weeks since she had last visited.
Meanwhile, Ciel casually glanced up, admiring the night sky.
Taller buildings mostly blocked it on both sides, but he could still see stars sprinkled throughout.
He also saw the edge of the moon peek over the rooftop.
Its jagged edges resembled a shape that could only be compared to a half-eaten apple core, along with a translucent ring surrounding it.
Ciel sighed, realizing he was not looking forward to tonight.
Just mere blocks from the city center, they entered a narrow back road.
The ground was uneven and too small for carriages to fit through.
Street lamps were placed few and far between, causing deep shadows to form on the reddish-brown walls.
Ciel lowered his gaze and noticed a creeping fog appearing on the left side of the intersection they were about to cross.
It wasn’t odd to see fog during this time, but Ciel found its movement unnatural.
For one, it didn’t hang like normal fog.
Instead, the substance moved forward into the intersection.
It coalesced around the bottom while also moving slightly upwards.
If anything, it could almost be mistaken for smoke, but Ciel knew the difference.
He abruptly stopped, causing Aurore and Leo to stop talking and turn around.
They looked back at Ciel with silent questioning on their faces.
Ciel struggled to articulate before deciding to be frank.
“Let’s go a different way.”
Confused, Leo asked, “Why? We’re only a couple of blocks away. Going a different way would take more time.”
“Ciel, are you just trying to make sure we’re late?” Aurore teased.
Ciel shook his head.
“No, I just think it’d be better if we went a different way.” Seeing that he was refusing to elaborate, and his eyes were shifting around the narrow street, Aurore pondered for a moment before reaching a decision.
She quickly extinguished her flames and said, “Alright, let’s go back. Lead the way, Ciel.” Grateful for his sister’s understanding, he led her and a still thoroughly confused Leo back the way they came from.
They went far around the area where the fog had appeared.
It was significantly colder without Aurore’s fire, causing Ciel to shiver occasionally.
Entering a different street after a few minutes, Leo finally broke the wary silence.
“So… can you tell us why we’re going all the way out here?”
With an apologetic expression, Ciel explained, “I noticed a creeping fog entering the intersection we were crossing. It didn’t seem natural, as if it originated from behind the intersection.”
Aurore listened intently before saying, “That’s strange. I didn’t sense anything. Still… that does sound like Insight. It’s probably best to steer clear for now.”
Having his suspicions confirmed, Ciel decided to keep an extra-careful eye on their surroundings.
He scanned the corners and the ground diligently, looking for any disturbances.
The remaining journey was completed in a complete uneasy silence.
After a few more blocks, it was broken by a booming voice.
Alarmed, the trio quickly made their last turn and laid eyes on their destination.
Fenice Plaza was covered in decorations, with many black banners and flags hanging from the nearby buildings.
In the center was a wide-open space, able to fit thousands of people.
Many stalls were lined up around the edges, selling food, hosting games, and staging live performances.
In the center, a massive group of people was gathered, surrounding a propped-up stage.
On stage, the King of Leichren, Charles Auguste, stood directly in front of a massive, unlit, pitch-black brazier.
A congregation of government officials surrounded him, including the siblings’ parents, Hugo and Jade Drake.
Just like the rest of the crowd, they stood with their heads bowed.
A silence had fallen over the crowd as the king paused his speech briefly.
Startled by their unfortunate timing, the trio inched their way towards the enormous crowd before King Charles broke the silence once more.
“As has happened time and time again, there must first be darkness before the Light shines through. The Light will always come forward to vanquish the dark. With this belief, we begin our year in this darkness, with the belief that the future will be brighter and that we may walk hand in hand with the glory of His Divine Flames.”
“Glory to the God of Fire!”
“Glory to the God of Fire!” the crowd echoed back in response.
King Charles raised his head to the heavens, his arms embracing the sky.
Above, a myriad of stars twinkled in the celestial background, spanning a seemingly infinite space.
However, in the far western reaches, there was nothing.
No stars.
No lights.
Nothing but pure, uninterrupted darkness.
It was as if a chunk had been taken out of this astral tapestry, or as if black ink had spilled in one area.
As the crowd followed suit, the dark portion of the sky seemed to swell and dilate slightly.
The change was gradual, but the movement remained visible.
All at once, it extended from multiple angles and streaked across the night sky heading eastward.
Multiple tendrils of darkness extended outward from the void and blotted out the stars’ light.
From all angles, pitch-black streaks covered the sky, leaving a pattern of lines of light and darkness.
The king suddenly produced a large pillar of fire and used it to light the black brazier.
While the bright orange flames danced wildly in the night, his voice echoed out once again, “Welcome to the first of the Darkest Nights!”