26 Chapter 26: Failures
(Titus's [Charles's] POV)
Since it was nighttime, I could only taxi a short distance. No one wanted to enter Whitechapel, haunted by Jack the Ripper, so I was dropped off near the London River.
"Ugh! This smell…" I didn't know if my current body was weak or due to air pollution, but I felt nauseous. Breathing heavily in this weather was difficult, so I decided to walk towards the murder location of Mary Ann Nichols.
I also didn't know why, but I decided to follow along the riverside. Something about it attracted me, even though the overwhelmingly disgusting smell challenged my sanity. I was also curious about what old London looked like.
However, I soon regretted my decision.
I stood by the murky London River, a somber observer of a city shrouded in gloom. Poverty-stricken people scavenged for dead animals, while thick smog choked the air, tainted by the relentless march of industry.
Amidst this grim tableau, a chilling sight shook me to the core – tiny, lifeless fetuses drifting in the polluted waters. Yes, they were indeed fetuses!
"Why…!" I questioned myself – no, I asked humanity, wondering how it could allow such a grotesque place to exist.
Slowly, everything started to blur. My stomach throbbed with excruciating pain. Instead of receding, the urge to move closer to the river grew as if I should just collapse and die.
"Mister…"
It was then that I heard a voice, a child's voice, probably a girl of three or four, though she looked terribly thin. Her silver, short hair was disheveled, and she wore a single ragged piece of cloth. She was dirty and had an unpleasant odor. Seeing a child like that only intensified my nausea.
"Mister, mister… Why won't you give us something to eat?" The child asked nervously, though I could see a faint grin on her lips. Perhaps it was excitement, excitement to… devour me?!
"Mister, mister! Are you listening? Why don't you give us something to eat? You look so fat, hehe~. You must be eating a lot." The nervousness in the girl's voice vanished. Now she spoke in a mocking tone.
I briefly wondered why she referred to herself as 'us' instead of 'me.' I soon got the answer when I looked behind her in the dim alleyway. Many other children of similar age stared at me with hungry eyes. It was as if they saw me not as a human but as their next meal.
I understood. They were waiting for me to die so they could scavenge my body for food.
A feeling of dread overcame my heart. I was already nauseous, and now even my limbs trembled.
"Mister, mister!! Can you hear me? Give us food. We're hungry!" The little girl screamed and started moving toward me as if my demise was imminent.
"Stop…" I clutched my head and pleaded with her to stop, but she paid no heed.
"Why can't you give us food? Is it because we're filthy? Is it because we aren't born with both parents? Is it because we're here just to be discarded? Tell us! Why can't we just go back to the womb and be born again with both parents?!"
"Tell us!"
"Tell us!"
"Tell us!"
"Tell us!"
"Tell us!"
With each step she took, I saw my own death approaching. I needed to run, or I didn't want to imagine what would happen next to me.
"ARG! GO TO HELL!" I screamed with all my strength and, despite the moment, kicked the annoying girl. The hit wasn't hard, but the girl was so thin that she flew a meter away and didn't move.
Without wasting a second, I immediately ran away from that place. It wasn't until I ran out of breath that I stopped and caught my breath.
"Huff! Huff!" I was panting heavily until I took some breaths to calm myself. It took time, but I was feeling better.
"Why did I have to hurt that child…?" I regretted. Whatever the reason was, I shouldn't have attacked a child like that.
A reason could be that I had started to hate children. Nero and I often discussed how many children we should have, what their names would be, and how we should look after them as a happy family. As a result, not only children but I began to detest everything related to the ideology of a 'happy family.'
"Whatever. I should get going. I don't have time." I dismissed those thoughts for the time being and decided to focus on my mission.
"Since when did the sky turn red, and how did that full moon get here…?" When I looked at the sky, I found that it had cleared with a full moon. However, the moon was dimming with crimson light for some reason. It could be the effect of London's dirty atmosphere, so I ignored it.
I resumed my walk towards the specific Whitechapel location where the first woman was supposed to die. As I turned a corner, I collided with someone.
The person was an elderly individual with silver hair and a mustache. He looked like a doctor from his attire and the smell of medicines. He also had a monocle over one eye. Neither of us was affected by the collision, but the doctor dropped his briefcase, which contained medicines and surgery tools, with some blood still on it. He was probably coming from a nearby hospital, as surgeons often worked late.
"I do apologize for this inconvenience, but I find myself in quite a rush. May I kindly request your permission to continue on my way?" I asked in a polite tone.
"Oh, please, my fair sir~. But please be careful on your way," the doctor replied with a smile.
I nodded and continued to rush towards the location. However, when I arrived, I realized it was too late.
"Shit."
A woman lay motionless in a puddle of blood. Two deep cuts had severed her throat, and her vagina had been stabbed twice. Her grotesque state sent a sharp, agonizing pain through my head, and I immediately averted my gaze. I began to question whether I would ever maintain my sanity on this mission.
But the question was, what now?
Since I didn't receive any notification, it meant that it had nothing to do with the victims but rather the killer. And if that was the case, who could be the killer? The street was empty, and I didn't detect anyone except…
"That damn doctor!!" I gritted my teeth and ran towards the direction of the doctor I had stumbled upon. Why hadn't I considered the possibility of him being the killer? Why had I ignored him even after seeing blood on his tools?!
I sprinted while carrying these questions when something lodged in my throat.
"Khh!" I spat out blood as soon as I touched the object that had impaled my throat. It was a surgical knife.
Blood rushed from my mouth and neck. I began to feel an unimaginable pain as it had also penetrated my back spine.
"Aaag…." I couldn't even scream or move. The only thing I could do was to stare at the killer standing in front of me.
"My good fair sir~, weren't you in a hurry for something? What are you doing here?" the doctor spoke nonchalantly.
"Kh!" I could only moan in pain and watch him as he slowly approached me. My vision grew hazy, and strength was also leaving my body. Soon, I stopped trying to stem the flow of blood as I fell to my knees. I could only look at Jack the Ripper, his crimson eyes akin to a devil, instilling fear in my heart.
"My good fair sir~, I think you need to take a good rest." With those words, he inserted his fingers into my throat and removed his surgery knife.
As more blood spurted from my throat, I collapsed onto the street. I watched as the figure of Jack the Ripper disappeared into the fog, and my consciousness faded into darkness.
[You have died. You have failed in this mission.]
"Gya…" I woke up in my study back in 2006. I was panting and sweating, but overall, I was fine. "What the hell just happened?!"
---
[The Dreamshift has begun for the second run.]
Once again, I found myself inhabiting the body of Charles Octavian Hill. The location was my office, but the time had shifted to 6 September at 7:00 PM. This meant I had to begin with the second victim of the canonical five, Annie Chapman. However, unlike the previous time, I had more time at my disposal since Annie's body wouldn't be discovered until 6 am.
"Hmm, Professor? What are you blankly staring at? We should get going. It's getting late." The voice belonged to a young teenager of around 19 years old. He was an ordinary boy named Johnson, who used to be my student but was now acting as my assistant. I hadn't seen him during the first mission, as it had taken place at night.
"No time off today. You will be working overtime. Now, hurry up and start the car!"
"Oh, yes!" Johnson saluted and rushed out of the office.
Meanwhile, I searched and found a box after a minute. It contained a small gun and some bullets. I loaded the gun and concealed it in my coat. While carrying a gun was typically prohibited, my aristocratic status made it acceptable.
Exiting my office, I saw Johnson waiting beside a Benz 3-wheeled motor car. This vehicle was a recent invention, and at this point, it could be likened to the latest models of Ferrari or Lamborghini.
Regardless, I got into the car, and we set off. Along the way, I made sure to keep our distance from the London River as much as possible. Strangely, I found myself more afraid of that water than of the serial killer. Johnson argued as we had to take a longer route, but I insisted on the more complex path.
However, luck wasn't on our side, as the engine gave out just before we could reach our destination. Fortunately, this wasn't a significant setback, given our proximity to our intended location.
As we continued on foot, we came across an old lady selling jerkies.
"If it isn't our little Johnson! Look how much you've grown…" The old lady remarked upon seeing my assistant, Johnson. I felt that she had also appeared in my memories.
"Professor, do you remember the jerkies I always eat? She is the one who sells them." My assistant introduced the jerky-selling lady to me, and moreover, he began purchasing some during this encounter.
"I am sorry, ma'am, but we're in a bit of a hurry. Please excuse us." I bowed slightly to the old lady and promptly pulled my assistant along by his ear. The old lady smiled and nodded, and for some reason, her smile seemed strangely familiar.
"How come the sky turned red all of a sudden?" The sky had turned red, just like last time, with the full moon casting an eerie radiance on the streets. It was exactly as it had been before.
"What are you talking about, Professor? It looks normal to me."
My eyes widened, and I immediately accelerated my pace as I knew what was happening. Soon enough, we reached our destination, but the sight before us was anything but a reminder of hell. A woman lay in her own pool of blood with her throat brutally slit open, and I couldn't find words to describe the horrors inflicted upon her lower region.
"KuaAA!" Johnson couldn't hold back and vomited. I would have been in the same position if I hadn't already witnessed a similar scene.
But it was time for action.
"Johnson, call the police! I am going after the killer!" I ordered Johnson, who nodded in response.
I then loaded my gun and began searching for the killer. I knew I was heading in the right direction when a sense of dread washed over me.
I came to a sudden halt in an isolated alleyway, realizing that this was where I had seen the old lady. Just as I was about to turn to investigate, a long blade sliced around my right arm, the one holding the gun. My arm fell, and blood sprayed onto the street.
"GyAAA!" I screamed in agony while clutching my right shoulder and collapsed onto my knees. I knew my time was running out.
"My my, if it isn't the professor who was with my little Johnson…?" The same old lady who had been selling jerkies just moments ago was now holding a long butchering blade. Her eyes were glowing red, and she emitted the same curse as the doctor who had killed me in my first attempt. She was Jack the Ripper too!
"Geh!" I gritted my teeth and somehow mustered the strength to reach for my gun, which wasn't very far away. I lifted my gun and aimed it at the old lady. "DIE, YOU UGLY OLD HAG!"
Bang!
!!!
'What the hell?! She dodged the bullet! But my aim was right!'
If this were some kind of Dragon Ball universe, I wouldn't question it. However, no matter how notorious a killer you are, you can't just dodge a freaking bullet, and we're talking about a 60-year-old lady here. She was either not human or heavily drugged. Either way, she wasn't dead. So, I loaded my gun again and fired rapidly.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each time I fired, the old lady moved ever so slightly, evading the bullets as if it were second nature to her. Ultimately, I ran out of shots and strength due to the loss of blood. I could only stare at her blankly as she raised her blade.
"You need rest, professor." The old lady smiled one last time and swung her blade, slicing my head horizontally.
[You have died. You have failed in this mission.]
---
[The Dreamshift has begun for the third run.]
I had never failed in any test twice, but this mission just let me taste the bitter flavor of failure once again. Not only was all my knowledge rendered dormant, but I also fell into a deep depression because I couldn't figure out anything.
My third run started a day before the death of the third victim, Elizabeth Stride. I inquired about the old lady with Johnson, but he said he didn't remember anyone like her.
Determined to avoid any mistakes in this run, I took lodging near the place where the third victim would die, close to the working lodge of tailors and dressmakers.
I believed my preparations were complete, and I would prevent the murder this time, but there I stood, looking at the body of the third victim, drenched in blood.
"What the hell is going on?" I gritted my teeth and ran in the direction of Jack the Ripper, sensing I was getting closer with the same feeling of dread.
I entered an alleyway and took a turn, but I soon came to a halt when I noticed something.
"Thread? No, a metal wire…!" My eyes widened as I saw a complex web of metal threads adorning that narrow alleyway.
However, it was too late, as my head was separated from my torso and rolled until it came to a stop under the boot of a person.
"I am sorry, Professor, for ending things here. I will return the lodging fees to your assistant, so please rest." The person was the retired tailor in whose inn we were staying. He was just another man of my current age. Soon, he smiled and crushed my head.
[You have died. You have failed in this mission.]
---
[The Dreamshift has begun for the fourth run.]
Once again, a different time and a different scenario. None of the previous killers existed in this reality, and I was back to square one. I had failed to save the fourth victim, and now I found myself standing in another alley, gazing at the bright crimson moon.
"Hmm? Professor, what's going on? Weren't you just chasing after the killer?" Johnson asked, standing behind me.
I turned around hesitantly and looked at him, "I don't need to chase him because this time, you are the Jack the Ripper."
My assistant raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Haha, I am embarrassed to be caught so early. But yes, you are right. I am what the police call me, Jack the Ripper."
I gritted my teeth and spoke, "Why are you doing this…? Does killing innocent women give you any pleasure?"
This time, I decided to resolve the situation through dialogue. I possessed a special skill related to dialogue, and I believed it was meant for this event.
"Hmm? Professor, are you seriously calling those women innocent? Did you already forget about those unborn children in the London River?"
I widened my eyes. How did he know I was at the river?
"Anyway, the short answer is yes, I enjoy killing those prostitutes. Sometimes other people too. But torturing is the best part. Now, do you have another question?"
Hearing his answer, rage surged within me, and I had an overwhelming urge to tear this killer to pieces. But somehow, I managed to restrain my anger.
"Johnson, please don't do this…! H-how about help?! Yes, I can help you if you are struggling with anything…!"
Johnson responded with uproarious laughter as if hearing the biggest joke of his life. "Professor, what the heck?! You should be a comedian instead of playing this detective game, pff!" He continued to mockingly laugh, "Let me guess, you'll ask me to turn myself in or hide me under your care, right?"
I couldn't find the words to counter his taunts; these were indeed the only solutions I could think of to stop his murderous rampage.
"I…"
"Well, time's up, Professor! Thanks for the jokes. It was a good laugh." Johnson abruptly cut me off and sprinted towards me. With his arm raised, he stabbed me with his bare hand.
Pain coursed through me, but I had already grown accustomed to it. I soon collapsed into my own pool of blood and helplessly watched as Johnson's figure faded from my sight.
I had done everything within my power to prepare for this mission, yet I consistently met the same grim end. For a brief moment, I contemplated the futility of my struggle, realizing that the answer to this quest must lie elsewhere. With that, my consciousness sank into darkness.
[You have died. You have failed in this mission.]
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Many may not be satisfied with this chapter but it is important for a character to face failures so that you can relate. Also...
POWER STONES AND I WILL GIVE BONUS CHAPTER!
