It was the 1st of November in the year 1849. Hugo ran from the Forest of Choirs, his black coat swaying behind him like a tattered flag. He ran across 5th Street, where residents cast him looks of suspicion and disgust.
"Look at him," said a dirty-clothed man with one eye, sitting on a crate beside a girl with red-tinted hair.
"Yeah... the fuck is a rich kid doing here?" she muttered, squinting at Hugo.
Hugo ran for about thirty minutes, pausing for short, frantic breaks.
'Kuro... evil? Please.'
Eventually, the city center unfolded before him, a chaotic wheel where seven crooked streets converged. Wooden signs suspended on rusted hinges, each etched with a number from 1st to 7th, swaying with the wind.
Hugo sprinted down 3rd Street until he reached the place—the place where the boy and the three men had been found. The boy, of course, was now home. The three men, however, were sprawled on the ground, surrounded by murmuring bystanders and two members of the Cleanup Crew, who were questioning the crowd. Hugo slowed and stopped.
"All I saw was a boy," an old woman said. "He was surrounded by these men. They were harassing him, poor thing—and then suddenly, they all dropped. Just like that."
Hugo's chest heaved as he edged closer, listening.
One of the leather-clad men removed his gloves and knelt, pressing his fingers gently to each man's chest, then hovering a finger beneath their noses.
"None of them are dead," he declared. "Steady heartbeats. Normal breathing. Except for the one with the twisted nose. But no visible wounds."
He stood and turned to the crowd. "Anyone else here know what happened?"
Uneasy glances. No hands raised.
"I know what happened!" a voice rang out. It belonged to a young man, about Hugo's age. He had a bag slung over one shoulder, wore a black coat, white shirt, red tie, and a shirt-pocket embroidered with the initials CA. His curly black hair was messy, his eyes ringed, an effect of countless sleepless night s.
"It was the insect."
The crowd stirred, whispered voices rippled.
"The blessed insect?" a woman asked.
"This can't be true," someone muttered.
Others simply nodded, faces pale.
The boy continued, voice steady. "Someone in the crowd said they saw a boy tap the foreheads of those men and they collapsed instantly. I believe him."
Hugo blinked. Kuro's voice echoed in his mind
'You wouldn't believe me even if I told you.'
'Was it really the insect?' Hugo thought.
One of the leather men turned to the speaker. "And what proof do you have? Beyond hearsay."
"I just know," the boy said,his jaw clenched.
'Does this idiot not believe me?' he thought.
"I know when someone's lying. What that man said, and what the old woman said—it was true. And that sort of thing doesn't just happen. Not without the supernatural. It's simple logic. It had to be the insect. What other explanation is there?"
'I hate trying to convince the ignorant. It's so damn frustrating,' he thought, grinding his teeth.
The leather men exchanged a look.
"Come with us, boy. You too, aunty. We're taking you both to the quarters."
The crowd quieted. Hugo watched the boy scoff, then follow the men without hesitation. The woman did the same. Their silhouettes disappeared into the shifting fog.
'He knows something. He also goes to CA... I should talk to him tomorrow.'
Hugo's eyes lingered on the men's bodies they'd left behind. A knot coiled in his chest.
'Kuro...'
A dozen more leather men arrived, three of them carrying spinal boards.
'I think I've seen enough. Time to go see my friend.'
Inside Kuro's house, Hugo sat on the edge of Kuro's bed, wrapped in his friend's blanket and rambling endlessly.
Across from him, Kuro sat in a wooden chair, elbows on a cluttered desk, a sheet of half-filled paper in front of him. His face was blank, bored, and tired.
"Then she said she was given a gift, and in return, her eyesight was taken. She also had this tattoo on her foot. I thought that was a little weird..."
...Time passed. And more passed...
"They said they saw you tap their foreheads and boom! they all dropped. You also messed up that one guy's nose. Gotta hand it to you. So? What really happened? I wanna hear it from you."
Kuro looked at Hugo, who stared right back without blinking. Five full seconds passed in silence.
Then Kuro turned away and faced the wall.
'What the hell is wrong with this guy?' Kuro thought.
"Yeah... what that guy you told me about said, it's mostly true," Kuro admitted. "I tapped their foreheads. They collapsed. But before all that, I saw an insect. The most beautiful insect I've ever seen. It touched me, and I had a dream... though I'm not even sure it was a dream. I'm just as confused as you."
He turned to Hugo and stared down at his hands.
"How the hell did I even do that? No human could do that. So what the hell am I?"
Hugo smiled. "You're the guy who saved a kid from getting jumped. You're a human being. Same as us. You just got lucky and ended up with a gift. You saw the supernatural, Kuro. Maybe it freaks you out cause it's not normal where you're from—but here, in Greyman? It's plenty normal."
Kuro chewed on the end of his pen. "The Grey Fly. Gifts. Magic forests. Men in leather suits... I hate this place so much."
"Careful, Kuro. Some of us call this home," Hugo whined, grinning as he kept babbling like an overgrown child.
Kuro stared at him, baffled by his idiocy.
'But maybe... this place isn't that bad.'
.....
The Nysderian Monarch rested within towering stylized walls, crowned by a large blue flag embroidered with a gold and silver phoenix. The air was crisp and carried a faint, almost floral scent. Steel gates guarded every entrance, bustling with horse-drawn wagons and caravans. One smaller gate was bisected by a railway stretching far beyond the eye could see, a steady stream of trains passing through.
Inside, well-dressed men adjusted their stiff collars as they walked, most cloaked in dark blue coats that fluttered in the breeze. Their clothes were clean, sharp, and screamed with elegance.
Women, dressed in soft yellows and greys, twirled on the grassy lawns. Their long dresses flowed like gentle waves, trimmed with lace and sparkling buttons that caught the sunlight.
At the northern edge of the land stood a grand marble fountain, its waters shimmering as children laughed and chased each other around its base. Beyond it rose a large stone castle, flanked by twin blue banners bearing the gold and silver phoenix.
Within the castle was a throne, on the throne was a king and on the king was a crown
A golden cape with white fur on it's top draped over broad shoulders. A scar traced a path from his left eyebrow, across his eyelid, and down to his cheek, giving his face a harsh, unforgiving edge.
Beside him stood a young woman in a dark blue military-style coat, lined with yellow buttons down the front. Her pure white breeches were tucked neatly into worn brown boots. At her side was a maid, silently watching.
"Father, please! Let me go see him," the young woman pleaded, tears shimmering in her eyes.
The king's glare cut through her like ice, he looked at her as if staring at a pile of excrement "Maria",one word, the maid's name was all he said and the entire room was filled with unease, "get that thing out of here this instant" His words quite yet echoed like thunder.
The maid nodded solemnly. "Yes, my lord."
Defeated, the young woman broke down, tears spilling freely as the maid comforted her and helped her to her feet. Still sobbing, she left the throne room, her helper close behind.
Maria gently stroked the woman's hair, her eyes full of pity. "It's alright, mistress. I know you will see him soon, Lady Shirokawa."