The girl couldn't remember how she had come to this alleyway. Certainly, she had to have walked here, but she didn't remember how or why. It wasn't where she wanted to be. It wasn't on the way to her destination. It wasn't some sort of shortcut. It was a desolate and isolated location where she felt completely alone in the dark. She had just been out with her friends, where had they all gone? She couldn't even see the moon from where she was. Why was she here? How had she gotten so lost? She'd walked these streets plenty of times, and yet she didn't even recognize this alleyway.
Part of her was cursing herself for staying out so late. But... shouldn't it have been fine? She had been surrounded by other people, and it had been so brightly lit. There shouldn't have been anything that could have gone wrong.
And yet now she was here. Now she was alone in a nearly pitch-black alleyway, that seemed to stretch long enough in both ways that she could just barely see the light on the street. But... at least this gave her a destination, didn't it? If she could just get to the light, she'd be out of this horrible alleyway.
The girl took a deep breath, steeling her nerves before making her way as quickly as she could towards the light. For a while, it almost seemed as if she wasn't making any progress, but slowly, slowly, the pinpoint of light began to grow. It felt as if it was taking hours to reach it, but she was getting there.
Where had she even gotten lost? Where was this?
Heart hammering in her chest, the girl pushed herself onward. She had to escape this terrible alley. She had to get back to her friends and let them know she was okay.
But then...
It was getting harder to see. But it wasn't getting darker.
Fog. There was fog rolling in around her. Suddenly mist was filling the alleyway and obscuring the light she had been striving for. How had something like this happened?! It was a perfectly clear night, and now... now she was lot in the fog, so thick that she could barely see her hands in front of her face.
"... I-is anyone there?" she called, finally, desperately, "Th-this isn't funny, it's not! J-just... if this is some kind of prank... I..."
There was a noise behind her. Wide-eyed, the girl immediately grabbed her phone.
Before she could attempt to call emergency services, to call
someone, a jolt went through her spine as she felt fingertips run down her back.
There was a voice.
"I must take everything you have."
There was a searing blast of pain through her torso and abdomen. For a few scant moments, she could see them, her internal organs splayed across the ground, barely visible through the mist.
And then...
Nothing.
Jack the Ripper of 2019
It was midday.
For those who undertook lessons at the Tower, London's prestigious Mage Circle, this meant for some that they were attending a lecture. For others, it meant they were finishing up their work for the day. Students were currently walking the halls, be it to make their way to another class, to study, or to return to their dorms, or perhaps their homes if they lived close by. The myriad of magi in-training filled the halls and many of the rooms.
There was one hallway in particular that was less occupied. Shafts of light shown in through the windows, though from the outside the building itself wouldn't even be visible. Given the day's brightness, the lamps lining the top of the hall were dimmed.
Walking through this hallway, however, were two notable figures.
One was a petite blonde girl, childish in appearance, wearing grey-blue clothing. The other was a somewhat taller, though still not by much, silvery-haired girl, trailing her movements.
"I wonder if they're all squirming in their seats as I keep them waiting~" mused the blonde girl, a small smile on her lips as she spoke, "I wish I could see, but it's difficult to be in two places at once."
She shrugged to herself, with a mock sigh. The magi she had recently called into her service via contract had all been ordered to meet in one of the Tower's lounges, a place usually reserved for relaxing and studying between classes. Normally, she would have asked them to meet at her home, but in this case it was simply easier to summon them to the west lounge rather then take a detour to her mansion.
Arinne Velvet Ar-Rynesarte wanted to have something of a discussion. Recent events in London had caught her attention, after all. A certain figure appearing in the news.
This Jack the Ripper of 2019.
"Well, as long as they all show up," the small blonde said, waving her hand as she did. If they didn't, well, there would be consequences. The contracts forged by her family certainly weren't impotent, after all. It was right in the terms. As the head of the Ar-Rynesarte, she was able to call them to meet whenever she desired, to watch them squirm under her command. That thought was always exciting to the girl.
But there was a goal she was chasing beyond simply seeing those beneath her struggle.
Arinne paused for a moment, glancing back towards the girl trailing her.
"I've had some tea and biscuits delivered to the room for the both of us, Saturday," she stated, "It won't do to go without a snack."
They would be there when Arinne and Saturday arrived, of course.
Soon enough, both girls reached the dark oak door to the west lounge. Without being touched, it simply opened inwards on its own. The lounge itself was lit with small lamps and candles, featuring a soft red carpet and numerous large, cushioned chairs, and a long dark table in the center. Indeed, on it was the plate of biscuits and freshly-brewed tea, just as Arinne had ordered.
Of course, there were the occupants of the room as well.
"Hello there," said Arinne, with a wave of her hand as she took her seat on a red velvet armchair, crossing her legs and cocking her head to one side, "Have you been waiting long? Fufu, I don't really care if you have~"
She waved her hand dismissively.
"But, I wonder... can any of you guess why it is I called you all here today so suddenly?"
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