Back at the intersection, the mysterious fog now dominated over the entire street.
A lone silhouette stood on a rooftop overlooking the intersection.
Down below, two men were sprawled out on the ground, unmoving.
The silhouette jumped, falling to the ground without a sound before turning away from the bodies.
A small silver mirror appeared in their hand.
Looking at it revealed a puzzled face bathed in shadows.
***
The streaks of darkness continued growing and shifting as the night progressed, and they would continue their cosmic march across the heavens for the rest of the week.
Meanwhile, Ciel had entered the long row of market stalls covered in black tarps present on the outside edges of the Fenice Plaza.
The crowd around him looked like they were trying to rival the night sky in color.
One stand nearby sold copies of the Leichren Yearly, an annual newspaper that highlighted the biggest news and events that happened last year.
Ciel was always one to stay informed, so he walked up and purchased a copy like he did every year.
After paying 2 copper, he skimmed through it with tense interest.
As expected, the first pages were mostly taken up by the war.
It had long become unfavorable for Leichren, and the majority of Leichrenese were sick of it.
His eyes paused for a second too long at a mention of Holven before closing the newspaper.
It was all getting a bit repetitive.
Ciel continued passing through the market stalls, taking his time.
The sounds of sizzling meat coming from many stalls was drowned out by the cacophony of voices around him.
The aroma of fresh food permeating through the market made his mouth water.
Before long, he emerged with a baked potato in hand, languidly taking in the loud, festive music blaring throughout the plaza.
His mind returned to that intersection filled with unnatural fog.
Aurore had already gone off to notify the officials about this anomaly, but Ciel still couldn’t shake off his unease.
Consumed by his thoughts, he was startled when a firm hand clamped onto his shoulder.
“Hey Ciel. I haven’t seen you in a while.”
Looking back, he saw that this hand belonged to his old friend from secondary school, Theo.
He was dressed similarly to Ciel, in a black tunic with a large black hat which mostly covered his short wheat-colored hair.
He noticed a short girl next to him with medium length hair the color of honey, wearing a black fur-trimmed coat.
Eve, another friend from secondary school.
“I don’t think three weeks is a particularly long time,” Ciel replied with a smile.
“It’s long enough that you’ve been deprived of me,” Theo countered.
Eve made a face at him before adding, “We tried looking for you before the king’s speech, but it’s hard to find anyone in this crowd.”
“Actually, something came up, and we didn’t arrive until halfway through the speech.”
“Let me guess. You woke up late again?” Theo asked innocently.
Embarrassed, Ciel replied, “Well… besides that, there was another thing.” Seeing their questioning looks, he relayed his encounter with the strange fog again.
“So you’re saying you had a close encounter with Insight just the week before we are set to join the academy?” Theo asked excitedly.
“Well, it’s not confirmed. We still have to wait on the official investigation in the area.”
“The fact that Aurore wasn’t able to detect anything while you could is strange, too. As an Insighted, her senses are naturally sharper than yours,” Eve pointed out.
Ciel sighed, “That’s what’s bothering me too. It makes me believe this involves something else besides Insight, but I don’t know enough to really look,”
He considered his words before finally adding.
“Actually, the reason I bring this up is that this isn’t the first time I’ve felt this. It first happened at the ball my family hosted last month. This feeling of innate wrongness struck me, seemingly at random.”
Sudden realization dawned on Eve’s face, “Oh, so that’s why you feigned being sick back then?”
“I just thought you were scared of all the noble ladies around,” Theo added in an overly serious tone.
This earned him a glare from Ciel, and he quickly held up his hands.
“I don’t blame you, it was rather stuffy in there, even for me.”
“Says the self-proclaimed social butterfly,” Eve taunted.
Unperturbed, Ciel continued, “I did think I really was sick.
It wasn’t until it happened again today that I connected them.
I also later indirectly confirmed that no one else shared this feeling.
“So including us, there were plenty of other nobles present, and again you were the only one who sensed it. That makes it even less likely to be tied to any Insight. But if it isn’t, then what?” Eve asked, her brow furrowed in thought.
Ciel sighed, “You’re right. There’s still a lot that’s unknown. I fear there might be something wrong with me.”
“Speaking of Insight, are you finally going to tell us what Insight you’ll be picking next week at the academy?” Theo asked.
Ciel’s face revealed a complicated expression.
The academy, more formerly known as the Leichren Academy of Insight, was the pride and joy of the city.
All the best and brightest nobles, as well as a handful of especially gifted commoners, came here with one goal in mind: power.
The academy was the only method for anyone to gain Insight, a mysterious and closely guarded secret.
It had a wide range of uses divided into four elements: Fire, Water, Air, and Ground.
For those looking to venture beyond Leichren’s walls or to join the army, Insight was a necessity.
Any noble family worthy of its name would ensure each member had an Insight.
Normally, these families have a specialization in one of these elements, with most of their members choosing one specific elemental Insight.
Ciel was adopted into the Drake family, which specialized in Fire.
However, his unique background had allowed him to forgo this tradition, and he was given the freedom to choose his own.
“That will stay as a surprise,” Ciel finally replied with a straight face.
Theo and Eve inwardly sighed, expecting this answer.
They had asked many times before and were met with similar responses.
Before they could press further, they heard a loud boom coming from the sky.
The three of them looked up to see a vividly colorful array of fireworks, lighting up the obscured night sky.
It was a dazzling view; the vibrant explosions created a clear contrast with the pitch-black streaks present in the dark heavens.
Ciel watched the sky for a while before looking down at his friends.
Their faces clearly betrayed their amazement, and he couldn’t help but smile slightly.
Soon after, Ciel said goodbye to Theo and Eve and met back up with his siblings, planning to return home.
The investigation around the intersection had concluded, so they traveled directly.
The fog itself was gone, as well as the feeling that something was wrong.
This change did little to calm Ciel, who had been dreading returning this way.
Much to his relief, their walk was undisturbed, as if nothing had ever happened in that street.
Aurore quickly brought them up to speed, “The reports show that there was indeed use of Insight, with at least 3 people engaging in a very short battle, with 2 of them found dead at the scene.”
Shocked, Ciel asked, “Dead? Here?”
Aurore surveyed the area with caution.
“They looked into the two men’s backgrounds and found they had ‘incriminating evidence,’ but they didn’t explain further. They are still trying to tie loose ends for now.”
Leo furrowed his brow.
“It’s strange that these sort of events tend to happen during the Darkest Nights, almost as if the darkness invites criminals to act. Even last year, there were two robberies that took place in the same week!”
Aurore scoffed, “Leo, how many times do I have to tell you?
Jumping to conclusions like this isn’t a good idea.
It’s ridiculous to think that a cosmic event somehow causes more crime.” Changing subjects, she continued, “Of course, since you two are also the only other witnesses along with me, they are still going to bring you in for questioning tomorrow morning.
We were given the chance to delay because they don’t suspect us.”
Ciel and Leo nodded and didn’t ask further, troubled by the news.
Ciel’s mind was abuzz.
What was that fog?
Was it a leakage?
A sign or warning?
His own imagination ran wild, causing him to shiver.
Thankfully, that could be excused by the cold weather.
Ciel forcefully calmed his mind, praying the police would uncover more of this situation as soon as possible.
They completed the journey in silence, and it wasn’t long before they arrived back at the estate.
Their parents were still at the festival and wouldn’t arrive until late morning.
Ciel entered his room to prepare for bed.
As he pulled his covers up, he noticed his hands shaking subtly.
He turned towards his clock, which read 3:45, before finally settling into bed.
While Ciel could never recall what happened in the dream itself, he always felt nervous before going to sleep.
Despite this, he still grew drowsy and eventually closed his eyes.