Be careful... what you wish for

2. Lost between realms: Part I

As they all disappeared in the dark alley, William stepped closer to Yuu and put his coat on her.

"I presume the lady needs a cover, due to her... unconventional clothes."

Yuu didn't expect this gesture from him.

"Thank you, William, you are very thoughtful. Say, can I call you by your name or do you prefer Mr. Moriarty?" Yuu inquired, continuing to walk alongside him.

"William is fine," he smiled.

"Well then, William it is," Yuu replied with a genuine smile.

The night seemed calm, as if the full moon illuminated their path, and the twins slowly regained their senses after the intense incident with the madman.

As the trio navigated through the dark alleys of London, William continued to observe the interaction between Yuu and Victor.

As they walked, Yuu looked around. Carriages passed them, and distant whispers of people could be heard. "It feels like we're in London, but not our London... And since when are there so many carriages here? For tourists? Wait, where are the cars? And the roads look different. My mind isn't cooperating with me at all, or am I seeing things?" Yuu looked confused. She tried to piece everything together, but it felt like her brain couldn't find the correct answer to all the incidents that happened during the day. First the artifact, then the light from it, and the incident...

Victor, finally coming back to his senses after the whole shooting incident, darted his eyes around. "Well, this is London alright... but something is off."

"Can we stop for a bit? I want to check my tablet," Yuu said, taking the tablet out of her bag and attempting to find a signal, but to no avail. "No signal here either. Something is terribly off. Let me try calling you, brother." Yuu dialed Victor's number, but once again, there was no signal.

Yuu looked around again, her eyes scanning her surroundings. The streets were lit with gas lamps, casting a warm glow onto the cobblestone pathways. The moon illuminated the historical buildings, giving them a soft radiance, while the sound of carriages echoed in the distance. The air carried a faint smell of stoves burning coal, adding to the peaceful ambiance of the gaslit street.

Yuu exclaimed, "It feels as if we've traveled back in time, but the idea itself sounds too crazy," she said, her tone indicating disbelief in her own words. Finally, she found the courage to address the matter directly and asked William, "Please, do tell me, William, which century is this?"

"19th century," he replied briefly, awaiting Yuu's reaction.

"19th century?! As in the Victorian era! So, we've traveled from the 21st to the 19th century!!" Yuu exclaimed. "I knew it!! We've come back in time!! This is crazy!!" She tried to grasp their new reality, which deep down she already kind of understood, but it still struck her hard.

"This can't be true. It's insane. As a man of science, I cannot approve of this macabre idea," Victor declared, visibly shocked by the idea.

"I find it hard to believe as well. But this is the only answer that seems somewhat logical, even though it sounds illogical. Then dear brother, how can you explain the loss of our signals on our phones, the absence of internet or Wi-Fi, the presence of carriages, which the police also used to come to the incident? And now that I think about it, the people were wearing different clothes from our era during the incident, and the police uniforms were also different. Furthermore, the officer declared that my clothes were indecent... which was really unexpected."

Sensing the tense atmosphere and the frustration of the twins, William decided to step in.

"Yuu, Victor, would you like to join me for a cup of tea? Together, we could sort things out," he said in a calm but intrigued voice.

"Tea sounds good! And we really need to calm down. A moment of respite. We need to collect our thoughts," Yuu nodded.

"Tea sounds delightful. Thank you, William," Victor added.

Now, sitting in a carriage, the trio headed to Moriarty Manor. They sat in silence, William observing them with his eyes. It seemed to him that Yuu and Victor were lost in their thoughts, trying to grasp their unique situation. The twins looked out the window, but it appeared as if their gazes were clouded. Despite staring outside, they couldn't see much, consumed by contemplation in their minds.