The Beginning of the End of Magic

Grimoire 01 - Chapter 01 - First Meeting in Lindonium [Part 01]

A young boy stood outside a house.

He sported unkempt, raven black hair and held a pair of crystal clear, sky blue eyes. With both hands, he was hugging onto a paper bag full of baked goods, and one could tell he had just sprinted a fair distance, evident from the sweat on his brows and his lack of breath. As the seconds passed, his thumping heartbeat eventually slowed down and his breathing, much more regular.

It was currently the height of winter. Snow filled every possible corner all around him and the occasional breeze would surround his petite frame with an overwhelming chill, piercing his skin even under the ample layers of clothes which he was wearing.

But even so, the young boy did not move an inch. Clutching onto the paper bag tightly, it quickly crumpled inwards around his arms.

The young boy quickly darted with his eyes to confirm the situation once more. As fresh as vivid memories, this place was definitely his home, without a single doubt. Slowly, he returned his gaze towards the front.

Blinking once, and then twice, the scene in front of him did not change one bit.

The wooden main door was ajar.

Normally this would not be a cause for surprise. His family would occasionally leave the door unlocked whenever he was out, especially for a simple errand, since he did not hold the house keys. However, it was the winter season, they may leave the door unlocked, but definitely not ajar. But more so than that, this time, the metal swivels were broken, causing the edge of the door to scrape against the wooden floor of the small lobby. Yet the most important aspect of all was neither the season nor the broken door itself, but rather the stains on the doorknob.

Blood stains.

Swallowing his saliva, the young boy mustered up the courage and with one palm, he pushed the door open with a little force.

The scraping of wood against wood resounded in the tranquil environment.

Now that the door was fully ajar, the evening light illuminated the scene in front of him. Blood could be seen smeared all over the floor with a thin trail leading to the living room further down inside. A few tungsten light bulbs were broken while the remaining few was flickering, creating an ominous atmosphere.

The young boy opened his mouth and tried to shout, but his voice seemed to have been robbed of him.

As if on instinct, he slowly moved and before he knew it, he had already dropped the paper bag full of baked goods and was now running towards the living room, following the trail of blood. The moment the living room came into view, he instantly froze.

"Eh...?"

The living room was a mess, as if a hurricane had passed by. Table and chairs were overturned, various fabric all torn into pieces, and broken shards of glass littered the entire floor. The living room was also extremely cold due to the opened windows and the lack of warmth from the fireplace. In that state of disarray, there was a total of three people in the middle of it all. One was already unmoving and sprawled across the floor in a pool of blood, while the second instantly slumped as a loud sound reverberated across the room. The last one was standing right by the side, looking at the two on the floor while holding onto a silver revolver with a blood soaked hand.

The young boy instantly recognized all three of them. But it was precisely so, that he could not understand.

An extremely sharp pain jolted through his head as various thoughts ran through his mind. He pulled onto his hair in agony as he struggled with the pain. Slowly, he trudged forward and without knowing it himself, tears started to flow down his cheeks. As he continued to move, he kept trying to make sense out of the situation, but not a single answer he came up with could convince himself.