The Flow Of Life

Alvis couldn't help but laugh in a self-loathing manner inside his head.

Not only was his goal unfulfilled, but now he was stuck with a crazy woman who could kill him at any point in time.

The woman in front of him cheerfully hummed a tune as she navigated the alleyways of Whitechapel with ease.

They were far from London.

'...Never would I have thought I would become the assistant of a murderer as she looks for a victim…'

But such was the 'beauty' of his journey, unpredictable scenarios which he would have never dreamed of before all happen in front of his eyes.

Even though he was a 'watcher' he could also be a 'guide'.

But to become a 'guide' he would need power, something that was currently out of his grasp.

Alvis looked at his sack, all the food that was so hard to procure before was now smashed into pieces and some water bottles were either burst open or badly damaged. His only saving grace were the tin cans that were only heavily damaged, the bread made for a good softener.

'...'

"What are you looking so grimly at, assistant?"

"...My food."

"Oh, did I ruin them by accident? Don't worry, how could I let you starve when you're my precious assistant."

There was a kind of emotion within those words, yet Alvis couldn't tell if it was sarcasm or another emotion.

Gripping his sack more tightly from the unease, Alvis looked apprehensively at the woman.

"No need to be so on guard."

In contrast, all that did for Alvis was make him more wary of the woman.

"Even though we have been talking for a while, I still don't happen to know your name."

For a moment, Alvis felt that he saw a shadow of a smile through the mist covering the woman's face.

"My name?" Her index finger lingered on her mouth, swaying left to right as if she was thinking. "...You may refer to me as Jill, Jill the Ripper."

Alvis froze in place.

'...Jill? As in Jack the Ripper? Hah…'

He felt it more than before, the utter feeling of entrapment and despair.

'...This is truly hell on earth.'

* * *

The cries of an innocent man dying encapsulated around Alvis in a vice.

As he rubbed his temples he counted every person that had been killed thus far.

'...Was it five, perhaps six?'

Time was blurring and his memories felt that they were overlapping.

It was turning dusk yet Jill seemed to have a never ending hunger for humans.

The first person who died had his stomach cut open and hands and legs chopped off. It was a gory sight where the man slowly bled to death as he tried to crawl away with his missing appendages while Jill walked at him with a deliberate slow pace.

At first Alvis' face turned pale watching a psychopath writhing in joy as a man slowly bled to death from her hands. But by the present, he merely prayed inwardly for the man's afterlife.

"...Isn't it about time to stop for the day?"

Alvis sighed, sitting near the crime scene as it unfolded.

He no longer cared about the filth that polluted the ground as he was too tired to care.

"Stop?"

The omnipresent gray sky filled to the brim with the pollution smog had turned a hue of red, signifying that dusk was approaching.

Of course for Whitechapel, where all the heinous people of England lived, dusk merely meant more darkness to hide in, it would become even more lively in some parts.

Even the police would find it hard to find any illegal transactions or shady dealings in the blessings of the night.

As Alvis watched Jill look at the strange sky that mixed gray and red, she turned her head back at Alvis.

"I suppose the day should end."

Her black clothes were so soaked in blood that it took the faint shade of red, much fainter than even the sky. Because it was drenched in blood, the clothes felt sticky as the blood coagulated.

The crime scene was left untouched as Jill started to walk away at a brisk pace, Alvis soon following pursuit.

No words were said as the twisting alleyways of Whitechapel disorientated Alvis, a truly perfect place for criminals to breed and prosper.

Soon, the duo left the labyrinth-like alleyways and into the much poorer side of Whitechapel, incomparable to where Alvis first came into this world.

'...Even slums have their own slums…'

The poorest of the poor was the most apt way to describe the current location. 

The infrastructure was crumbling and the beggars were one step into the grave. It was without a doubt a shame for the Royal Family to have such a place within their country.

'But why are we in such a place…?'

The hidden sun was lowering into the horizon and without a place to stay, this place was akin to entering a tiger's den. They say a wounded beast is the most ferocious, but the same could be applied to hungry beasts.

Almost everyone here was desperate enough to attack Alvis for food, it was too alluring not to.

"Why are we here, Miss Jill?"

Alvis asked, confused and more wary than ever.

"I have a place here where we can rest for the time being. Tomorrow you'll see where our actual destination will be."

As they made their way through the slums, Alvis realized that the dwellers that lived in this place didn't dare to attack him, rather, they looked at Jill in fear.

It was uncomfortable for Alvis who only knew how to survive like a street rat for the past year. The look of overwhelming fear persisted until they reached a rundown house, dilapidated and torn down. It was even worse than some of the other residences he had seen before. But it was strange, for what reason would a 'ruler' live in such a place?

"Well then assistant, welcome to my humble abode."

Jill said, her long black hair and black suit-like attire came off. Only then was it that Alvis realized that the suit was a mere extension of her smoke.

But underneath her suit was not her underwear but a long dress.

A dress that only royalty would dare to wear, the extravagant long white dress could even be mistaken for a wedding dress if not for the missing piece of a veil.

"How do you like it, assistant?"

However the smoke that blurred Jill's face stayed like a tease. Perhaps the smoke could replace the veil all together.

Even without her face being revealed, Alvis knew that she was a one-of-a-kind beauty.

"..."

"Too stunned?"

"...Are you perhaps royalty?"

He questioned.

Deep within Alvis' heart, he knew that this was all a mere act of Jill's. Perhaps she was merely getting ready with 'appetizers' by teasing him to make his death all the more appealing.

"Why yes I am. How could you tell?"

It was a brief moment. Perhaps within his head, an illusion that was only born from his imagination.

But he saw her eyes.

Those eyes…

They hid something that Alvis didn't know if he wished to uncover.

Yet, as her assistant, he was to stand by her side. It mattered not if he was willing or not, this monster held his life within her hands like a puppet.

"...Intuition, I suppose."

* * *

There was an underground compound within the house.

That was where Jill chose to stay.

My death sentence was already long decided on my sixth life where I captured this illness.

"Cough!"

Blood landed on my hand.

WIthout the inhibitors that Terra had, my time was severely limited.

'This damned illness…'

It was a parasite, leeching off my life. My life has at times ended by explosion, others by disintegration from the Originium dust that my body turns into.

Due to that, I had become quite proficient at turning my body into a bomb as well.

"Hahaha…"

It was funny, truly it was.

I was perhaps the only person who was so proficient at ending his own life in such a dramatic way.

"What are you so keenly thinking about? I hope that you aren't still entertaining the idea of an escape… Are you?"

Like a ghost, Jill the Ripper appeared behind me.

At times, I still couldn't come to terms with the reality that I was this person's assistant.

"Of course not, Miss Jill."

"I still feel as if you are plotting something. I hope to find that is not the case, assistant."

As the day ends, my head starts to move sluggishly. It's the aftermath of my previous lives and the various mental traumas that does this. Only within the first day could I possibly have hope to survive and find a place to stay.

I looked at Jill the Ripper, inwardly hoping she was not still staring at me.

Ah…

She watched me like I was an animal.

Her smoke persisted on her face, the illusory feeling not disappearing.

"Miss Jill…"

"Yes my dear assistant?"

"...Why are you staring at me? Shouldn't we be going to sleep?"

"Mana is quite extraordinary, although I may not sleep tonight, my mana will still provide me with the energy to work for the day. You have no need to worry about my health, all you need to do is sleep there."

Sweat was forming on my forehead.

'...She is planning on watching me the entire night? Won't she just kill me?'

I value my life even though I may live for a long time. Each life is precious and the value of each life is worth more than gold.

Each moment was proof of my existence in that world. If there is no proof, there is no memory, if there is no memory there is no sense of self.

As I had more time to think, I found myself more inclined to accept my situation. Perhaps… this world would be the first where proper memories could be formed. Not mere writings or tattered cloth on a stick to prove that I had been there.

"...Not to be rude, Miss Jill… But you don't happen to be planning to kill me in my sleep would you?"

I want a place to live, a place where I could belong. Whether that be with a madwoman was now the least of my concerns.

"No, I would not. If I was to kill you it would be on my own terms…"

Her words trailed off, I felt like she was lying. 

It was through my keen senses that I felt her lying, though I subtly doubted within my head if such a psychopath could even show signs of lies.

But I was helpless in this situation, all I could do was to trust her word and I lied back down on the rough mattress. I ignored the prickly feeling of Jill the Ripper's intense stare and slept comfortably…

* * *

The smell of humid disgusting air was the first thing Alvis awakened to, not Jill the Ripper but to environmental hazards.

'...If only the time period wasn't the Industrial Revolution. If it was only a millennia later…'

As he complained in his mind, Alvis didn't truly hate being in such a world. He had, after all, been to far worse places where the smell of rotting corpses and the insufferable stench of a decaying planet had almost made him go mad.

'Though from what I can see, mana is slowly purifying the smog and the excessive use of coal in Britain. Perhaps the Great Smog of London won't be as severe.'

The prickly feeling of Jill the Ripper's stare had long been gone, he could only wonder where the woman had gone.

"You're awake?"

"Ah yes-"

As Alvis turned around to face Jill the Ripper, he was met with a nearly naked woman with a kind of smoke covering her face like a veil.

"I…"

"..."

As Alvis sat still on his bed, a warm, almost boiling sensation started to make his face flush with a red color.

"Oh…?"

Jill the Ripper seemed amused at his reaction.

"...Are you not going to change?"

Alvis asked, a hand covering his face.

"Are you embarrassed? Should I not be more embarrassed? How cute."

'Cute…?'

"Well, I suppose we should be leaving soon."

"Ah, no need to wash, it would be better if you don't."

The smoke wrapped around Jill the Ripper's body and the lavish dress became hidden once more.

"...Oh, before we leave, I would need you to sign this contract."

'What the hell…'

The absurd clauses within the contract had quite literally made him into a legal slave.

Alvis hesitated as he would be writing off his own freedom if he signed the contract.

Jill the Ripper keenly looked at Alvis as he had his dilemma, further putting pressure on his conscience.

'...This is surely a mistake. It is a mistake.'

But if he didn't sign the contract, Alvis didn't know if he was going to be killed in an instant by Jill the Ripper if he did not sign the contract.

'But… For precious memories. Is my freedom not a small price to pay in this long journey of mine?'

And so…

He signed off his freedom after only a moment of contemplation.

As the unending alleyways that could distort even the best of people came back into view, Alvis started seeing the city of London clearer.

Although it was somewhat better than the slums as there was food and the bustling city life made it seem that all was well, there was an unsettling feeling that he couldn't shake off.

Upon a closer inspection, dark circles adorned people's eyes and a glazed, cloudy look made them look like human shaped puppets rather than true living, breathing people.

"...Are all people like that miss Jill?"

The discrepancies between the rowdy rule breaking delinquents and the puppet city of London was far too large.

"...Yes, within London a large case of people feeling sleepy has been quite a problem for around a month now."

"Don't worry, there is a force currently working trying to figure out if it is a terror attack or some new problem caused by mana. The August Detective Academy's professors and researchers are currently working with our forces to find out the reason and cure for this strange new phenomena."

Soon they were in the heart of London.

People walked around and the glazed look was rarely seen, yet the feeling that felt like thick syrup clinging to his skin remained prevalent.

It was the first time for Alvis he felt such a large sense of unease.

'...Now that I think about it, has this feeling even gone away?'

Even when he first came into this world only a day ago, a sense of unease was always by his side. Of course, he attributed it to his wariness as people there could have easily killed him for his food, yet even when the danger was minimal with Jill the Ripper, the feeling remained.

'...'

It was like the world was watching him.

"My, don't tell me you're lost in your thoughts when I'm right by your side?"

Jill the Ripper's melodic voice rang through Alvis' mind. It was snake-like yet carried a feeling of emptiness.

"Of course not Miss Jill."

Lies flowed out like water ran down in a river.

"Well, we're here now so act like the beggar you are and we will be fine."

In front of him was a palace and at some point, Jill the Ripper's black suit had turned into a long flowing dress that was pure white. It had no dust and also carried no debris whatsoever. It was paradoxical and mind-bending how such a pure white dress reminiscent of a wedding gown could be kept so clean.

"Open the palace doors."

Jill the Ripper excluded a presence that demanded to be looked at. A sense of nobility and royalty was so prevalent that it couldn't be ignored.

"P-Princess!"

The guards flustered by the appearance of the missing princess quickly opened the gate prohibiting her from entering her own home.

'...So it wasn't a lie.'

There were doubts that Jill the Ripper was royalty but upon the appearance of Buckingham Palace's guards flustered by her appearance, those doubts vanished.

'Though, can they see her face? Why do I only see something blurry?'

It was black yet transparent. A paradoxical smoke that blurred Jill the Ripper's appearance that Alvis couldn't see through.

It was strange being able to see the black smoke that she conjured with ease, yet the 'smoke' covering her face seemed to almost stay there passively.

As the large iron gates of Buckingham Palace opened, Jill the Ripper and Alvis headed inside.

It was indeed large and lavish enough to hold the claim that the royal family lived there.

"..."

Alvis shifted in place, uncomfortable by the sudden wealth in front of his eyes. Even within the other world he had visited, there was no case where he found a sudden influx of wealth as all large structures were decrypted with time and battle.

This was the reason for his current state, no things of true wealth had survived due to reason unknown.

"Don't be so stiff… Though, that might be good for me. No never mind, keep acting that way."

A gaze that held an air of superiority and one so empty that the word 'empty ' could not describe was fixed his way.

Yet since the moment Alvis met Jill the Ripper, he could not help but feel that there was a small almost insignificant change brought about by the ruthless monster who only took pleasure from taking and snuffing the lives of others.

'...I'm probably imagining it.'

Soon they were at the steps of the palace's doors.

The white gown looked ethereal matching the white walls of the palace, as if right out of a painting.

Alvis who was walking behind her felt out of place, like he was ruining the picturesque scene with his mere presence.

"..."

For a moment, Alvis felt Jill the Ripper's gaze on his body, there was no doubt she had noticed his inconsistencies from before and after arriving at Buckingham Palace.

However she said nothing and walked with even steps gracefully as a noble would, even more so for the princess of the country.

"Oh my child…!"

A more older woman appeared, rushing out of the doors.

'...The Queen?'

"Are you alright? Where were you?"

Rapid questions came out until it slowly stopped.

"I'm fine, mother. I was simply lost in Whitechapel when this young man helped me find a place to stay. Since he helped me, I felt compelled to help him by admitting him as a butler."

'...Is this what they mean by 'thick skin'?'

"Oh, is that the reason why you let this… man in?"

"Yes."

Even without seeing her face, he knew she carried a noble smile pointed at the Queen to reassure her of her woes.

As Jill the Ripper conversed with the Queen, Alvis watched the still royal guards who stiffly stood guarding the palace.

From that point on, perhaps it was due to him waking up just some time ago but, everything became like a dream.

Time passed unevenly like knots that twisted and turned through and in itself.

As time blinked by at uneven points, at some parts he found himself walking behind Jill the Ripper who was still conversing with the Queen while other times he was left alone and started his training to become a butler for the palace.

Finally, night dawned and Alvis found himself in the servant quarters with several other butlers who slept around him.

'...'

Fleeting like a feather would be the best way to describe how the day had passed.

A feather dropped from a bird high in the sky.

Dropping and dropping swayed by the wind.

Its descent might have started in a straight line, but it veered off course due to turbulent winds.

Fluttering and fluttering.

From the clouds to the trees its descent was met with obstacles until finally—

Shaking and shaking.

—It landed on the ground.

Was that not how life worked? Mysterious and unpredictable, Mother Earth sends challenges perhaps intentionally or unintentionally.

For that is the flow of life.