Abel's Journal
May 10th, 1030
I'm beginning to think that pawnbroker wasn't lying after all. Perhaps the coin truly does bring luck. How else would someone like me catch Jenny's interest?
She is remarkable, intelligent, graceful, and kind. When I speak of literature, history, and philosophy, her eyes light up with such fascination.
That look… I find myself drawn to it more and more.
Is this what they call love?
Despite her wealthy upbringing, she does not sneer at my station. No, she listens—genuinely listens. She finds me interesting, I know she does.
I wonder… does she think of me when I'm not around?
***
May 21st, 1030
Lately, everything seems to be unraveling.
A few days ago, I misplaced the banknotes that I had been saving for months. I've searched everywhere, but I cannot, for the life of me, remember where I put them. How could I be so careless?
And then today—an accident. A carriage nearly ran me down in the street. I managed to escape unscathed, but my clothes were ruined. I had no choice but to return home and change, which made me late for class. Professor Diggory was not pleased.
It's strange, isn't it? How misfortune follows me at every turn?
And yet, in the midst of all of this, Jenny and I have gotten closer. I think I love her—No, I know I do. And I believe she feels the same.
Every time we meet in the library, a fire stirs in my chest, something wild and new. Today, we held hands. The warmth of her touch lingers still.
Nothing else matters.
***
June 7th, 1030
God must despise me.
Jenny was not at the library today. I waited. I searched. But she never came.
I think her chaperone has grown suspicious. That woman watches me too closely now, her gaze sharp and untrusting. I must be careful. If word of our affair spreads, it would be disastrous—for Jenny, for me, for us.
I only want what is best for her. I swear it. But my heart is selfish. I dream of a life by her side, of marriage, of children with her eyes and my mind.
But dreams are all they ever will be. Aren't they?
***
June 15th, 1030
I was fired today. Again.
Damn it all! I can't keep depending on Tommy for money. I need to stand on my own two feet. But this is the third job I've lost in a month. It makes no sense.
My employers never give me a proper reason. Just excuses, vague dissatisfaction, a cold dismissal.
Could it be the coin? No, that's ridiculous. Superstitious nonsense.
And yet… ever since I found it, misfortune has followed me like my own shadow. But how can I curse the very thing that led me to Jenny?
She is the best thing that has ever happened to me. If the coin brought me to her, then surely, it cannot be evil.
Still… it's design unsettles me. One side bears the image of a skull. The other, a four-leaf clover. Misfortune and fortune bound together.
I should get rid of it.
…But I won't.
***
June 30th, 1030
I saw Jenny today. She was trembling, her eyes red from crying. She collapsed into my arms, tightly holding onto me as though she might disappear if she let go.
Her father. That man. She thinks he has read my letters.
If that is true, what will become of her? Of us?
No, no, no. I cannot lose her. I won't.
God, if you have even a shred of mercy, do not take her from me.
***
July 2nd, 1030
I had a strange dream last night—no, a nightmare.
The coin was there, floating in the darkness.
And it spoke!
A voice echoed over and over—"A debt is owed."
A debt? What debt? What does it mean?
Today was a disaster. I lost more money than I can afford at the gambling hall. My hands were steady, my mind sharp, and yet… every roll of the dice, a failure.
Then, as I left, I slipped, tumbled down the stairs, nearly cracking my skull open against the door.
This… all of this… the misfortune, the accidents, the losses…
Something is happening to me… Something wrong.
And I don't know how to stop it.
***
July 5th, 1030
I went to the library today. Jenny wasn't there.
I waited. I searched. But she was nowhere.
Did something happen to her? Did her father lock her away? Did he find out everything?
No! No! No! Why must this happen to me?!
"A debt is owed."
The words won't leave me. They echo in my mind, crawling under my skin, scraping at my thoughts.
Pain. Suffering. Loss. Why?
"A debt is owed."
No! I refuse this! I refuse to be cast aside, to be forgotten, to lose her!
I won't!
***
July 7th, 1030
A debt is owed! A debt is owed! A debt is owed!
I see it. Everywhere.
Eyes closed. Eyes open. It never stops. The words crawl across the walls, whisper from the darkness, slip between the cracks of my thoughts.
And they are watching me. Strange figures lurking in street corners, in alleyways, just at the edge of my vision.
They know! They are waiting!
My life is in danger. I am in danger.
I must inform Tommy. He is the only one I trust! Only he can help me.
I must write to him. Tonight.
Tonight. A debt is owed.
Tonight. A debt is owed.
A debt is owed! A debt is owed! A debt is owed!
***
That was Abel's final journal entry. That was also the night that he died.
Luke's eyes had turned completely bloodshot as he finished reading the journal. Shock, confusion, understanding, and horror filled his very being.
What began as the journal entries of a bright young man resulted in his slow and gradual descent into madness.
His heart churned with tumultuous waves and his mind was a chaotic storm.
He had finally pieced together the events that had led to Abel's death and his subsequent transmigration.
He recalled what the thugs had said to him that night, warning him to stay away from someone named Miss Dawson.
Miss Dawson… Miss Joana Dawson… Jenny!
However, there was one thing that connected him to Abel—the coin!
"No… fucking way!" He blurted out in shock.
He couldn't help but think to himself in absolute terror, Did that coin actually give him so much misfortune that he ultimately met his death?
After reading his journal entries, I'm almost certain that coin had a hand in it. All the small misfortunes accumulated and resulted in… Abel's death?!
How can such a thing be possible? This no longer follows the natural laws of the world!
This… This is something beyond supernatural!
"Ugh…" A tired groan escaped his lips as his hand involuntarily reached out for the wound on his forehead.
He was having a terrible headache and his wound was also starting to act up. He couldn't understand why he was suddenly overwhelmed by fatigue. He thought that he'd had a fairly decent amount of sleep.
Damn it, have I still not recovered from the effects of transmigration? Why am I feeling so sleepy all of a sudden…
His gaze landed on the bloodied letter on the table. This was the letter he was trying to send to his brother, Thomas Bishop, who resided in Winchester.
Luke opened the letter and gave it a read. As expected, it was about Abel writing about his streaks of misfortune and how it might be related to the cursed coin.
Furthermore, he also mentioned that he was being followed. Last but not least, he urged his brother to catch the earliest train to Newport and come visit him.
Luke subconsciously breathed out a sigh of relief as he thought, Fortunately, this letter didn't reach its destination.
If Tommy were to come to Winchester now, I don't know how I'd be able to face him. He'd definitely think I'm crazy!
It's best if we don't meet for the time being lest he becomes even mildly suspicious.
He deeply looked at the bloodied letter and then at the journal. Finally, he decided to burn both of them.
It's best that I destroy all the evidence. If someone were to read those, they would definitely think I've gone insane.
I don't know how they treat crazy people in this era. Who knows? I'd probably be burnt at the stake, or sent to an asylum or something.
Resisting his urge to sleep, he grabbed both the journal and the letter and headed to the kitchen downstairs.
Based on his memories, Luke operated the wood-burning stove, however, it took him a lot of time to get the fire running.
As he threw the journal and the letter into the flames, he watched it burn in a daze. Several thoughts appeared in his head, threatening to drive him insane.
That cursed coin led to Abel's death… I can't believe such a thing actually happened!
The coin brought about so much misfortune that he ended up dying at the hands of those thugs… This, in turn, resulted in my transmigration.
But… why did he not throw that coin away?
That fucking coin… Just what the hell is it? How can something so bizarre exist!
Abel mentioned that the coin said the words, 'The debt is owed', to him. But to me, it says something else…
Did I hear it wrong? No, that's not what's important. How did the coin appear in my drawer in the first place? I had thrown it… so then why… Who placed it there?
Just as he was sinking deep into his thoughts, he suddenly saw something strange in the flames of the stove.
His eyes narrowed and his pupils glazed over ever so slightly. Luke saw a vision of himself standing in a reddish terrain. But the shocking thing was, flames seemed to dance all over his body, consuming him and burning him to ashes!
GASP!
The vision faded as Luke gasped in exclamation. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead and he muttered in fear, "What… What the hell was that?!"
He wiped the sweat from his face and muttered weakly, "I, uh, I need to sleep… I'm beginning to see things now. Just some sleep, and I'll be fine… Yeah."
A lot of bizarre things were happening to him, his feeble mind just couldn't comprehend.
He slowly made his way upstairs, dragging his feet. The exhaustion was overwhelming. He entered the bedroom and locked his door.
Then, he finally collapsed onto his bed, as if every ounce of strength had been drained from his body. Within moments, he was fast asleep.
But little did he know, an item had mysteriously appeared in the drawer of his study table.
The coin.
Again.