The Harlequin sat calmly atop Big Ben, slowly twirling his hat in his hands.
He rose to his feet, drew his arm back, and hurled the hat far into the Morning sky. With his other hand, he touched his mask and whispered:
"Time… for the show!!"
He shaped his fingers like a gun and pointed at the spinning hat.
"Bang…"
Lines of crackling lightning shot outward like veins of pure chaos, stretching far across the sky before snapping back toward the hat. A small smile formed behind the mask.
The hat ignited in mid-air. A massive explosion erupted dangerously close to Big Ben—powerful enough that the shockwave and thunderous roar clearly announced the beginning of a performance. A performance meant to bring the kingdom to its knees.
At that exact moment, a group of Night Keepers passing beneath Big Ben on their way to Carlton House Terrace saw the blast. Several of them immediately broke away and rushed toward the clock tower.
The moment part of their group split off, seven more explosions of equal magnitude tore through different districts of London.
One of the Night Keepers inside a moving carriage—his hat embroidered with a red crescent moon—smiled and ordered:
"Abandon the suspect… Head to the explosion sites immediately!!"
The three other Night Keepers in the carriage looked at the man with the crescent moon.
"But… the orders—"
He gave them a gentle, chilling smile.
"I will take full responsibility. Go."
He was the first to kick open the carriage door and vanish in the blink of an eye.
The three remaining Night Keepers exchanged glances. One of them shouted:
"You heard the commander! Split up!!"
He leapt out first. The other two hesitated for a moment, then followed.
One of the seven explosions had occurred directly above Buckingham Palace. Servants and knights stood outside in panic, worried for the King—when suddenly several tall figures emerged from the palace wearing heavy armor and carrying large swords or shields. One of them, holding his shield in front, placed it on the ground when he reached the servants and gently laid the unconscious King George V upon it. He sat down right there on the ground to guard him. The rest of the armored figures glanced at each other, then charged toward the other explosion sites with their heavy armor.
One of the servants asked a knight who these armored men were. The knight replied:
"They… are members of The Guardian division of the Night Keepers!!"
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I was sitting behind my desk, lost in thought about why that book marked "XII" had appeared in my dream. Why the entire dream had been black and white. How I was still alive.
I gripped my head tightly, ruffled my hair in frustration, and muttered under my breath:
"Enough… I need to get some air."
I hadn't even risen from my leather chair when the entire manor suddenly shook violently—then fell silent.
The moment I tried to stand and look out the window behind me, the glass shattered with explosive force.
Thankfully, I dropped back into the chair and ducked just in time. No shards struck me. But I no longer dared to look behind me.
My heart hammered. Cold sweat covered my skin. Right now—when I needed Frederick or William the most—neither of them was here.
I whispered to myself:
"Does that mean… they might be dead!!"
I clutched my head harder and stared at the wooden desk. I didn't even want to consider the possibility. If those two were gone, who among these new servants and advisors could I actually trust?
My mind was drowning in those dark thoughts—when Frederick suddenly kicked the door open with all his strength and shouted:
"My lord! I called your name five times! Why didn't you answer? I was worried sick!!"
I slowly raised my head and stared at him. I had never been so relieved to see him in my life. I stood up. I didn't care if I cried in front of him. Right now, I just needed something solid to lean on.
The moment I tried to walk toward Frederick, I felt a searing heat behind me. I spun around.
A massive fireball hovered in the sky directly in front of Big Ben.
The sight snapped me back to reality. I shouted at Frederick:
"What the hell is happening here!!?"
Still breathing heavily, Frederick answered:
"I don't know. I suddenly saw a huge explosion, then the manor started shaking. The moment it happened, I ran straight to your room to protect you. That's all I know!"
I gripped my head again.
"Where's William?"
Frederick gave a nervous smile.
"He left early this morning and hasn't returned yet."
I glanced once more at the shattered window and the raging inferno in the distance, then leaned against the desk and asked:
"Old man… what should I do in a situation like this?"
Frederick gave me a kind, gentle smile.
"First, you must check on the King's condition. Then tend to the people who have been injured."
I stared at him for a moment, then muttered under my breath:
"That sounds… incredibly boring…"
Frederick tilted his head slightly.
"Did you say something, my lord?"
I smiled, and with a strange, sudden confidence I didn't know I possessed, declared:
"I want to go fight whoever caused these explosions."
Frederick's eyes widened in shock.
"Wh—what!? But my lord—you are a Duke! Fighting is not something you should be doing!!!"
I gave him a calm, gentle smile. I was about to reply—when the sound of remaining glass shattering came from the window.
I turned.
Sebastian was crouched in the broken window frame.
With a strange grin he said:
"I heard… someone here is looking for a fight."
My smile faded into a smirk. With perfect calm I replied:
"Wait for me at the front door… I'll be right there."
Sebastian nodded and leapt down.
I walked to the coat rack to grab my long coat. Frederick protested:
"But my lord!!!"
I put on the coat, turned to him, and said:
"Don't worry about me… I've learned spells."
Frederick exhaled deeply, then said:
"I understand. In that case… I'm coming with you!!"
My eyes widened in surprise. I was about to speak when Frederick knelt and continued:
"If I do not accompany you, then—with all due respect and loyalty—I cannot allow you to leave the manor in the current state of the capital!!!"
I gripped my coat tighter.
"Fine… do as you wish."
Frederick smiled, stood up, and left the room.
I exhaled deeply and muttered:
"I need to find William too… What a mess."
A few minutes later, Sebastian and I stood waiting at the main entrance for Frederick—when a carriage suddenly stopped in front of the manor. At the same moment, Frederick emerged from the building.
I was about to ask if he had called for the carriage when William stepped out and straightened his coat.
We all stared in surprise. Frederick hurried over to William and spoke with him briefly.
Sebastian and I stood there like two perfectly ordinary people, watching the carriage, William, and Frederick—when Frederick suddenly announced:
"William will be joining us as well. It's best we travel by carriage!!"
We all climbed into the same carriage William had arrived in.
Once inside, I fell into thought for a moment, then asked:
"So… where should we go?"
Sebastian took a deep breath.
"Best to head to the Royal Arsenal. There was an explosion there too!!"
Frederick and William nodded. I gave a proud, crooked smirk.
"No problem… Let's go there."
The streets were eerily empty. These explosions had clearly caused casualties. Most people had probably taken shelter inside their homes by now.
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Meanwhile, on the second floor of a watch shop in Mayfair, a man with long black hair and crimson eyes sipped his tea calmly—as if nothing had happened.
A cane rested beside his sofa. Across from him, a younger man read a newspaper.
The younger man lowered the paper slightly and said quietly:
"Master… you don't seem to have any reaction to these events."
The man with crimson eyes smiled, gently placed his teacup on the table, and replied:
"And why… should I?"
At the same time, not far away near the Tower of London, the man with the red crescent moon hat took his final step and respectfully removed his hat for a moment before placing it back on his head.
A man sat atop the Tower of London, wearing a dark cloak that covered his head and body. In his hands were two scythes, designed differently from ordinary ones.
The man with the crescent moon hat smiled and said:
"May I… ask whether you caused those explosions or not?"
The man sitting atop the Tower slowly stood. His cloak fluttered in the wind as he replied:
"Perhaps… and perhaps not."
The man with the crescent moon hat gave a gentle smile.
"Then… I suppose I'll have to do something to get a proper answer!!"
The wind grew stronger. The long coat of the man with the red crescent moon hat billowed forward, while the cloak of the man atop the Tower fluttered behind him.