"Edward... Ah, Edward!! Why are you so foolish?!"
"Hah, even those who believe in God and preach justice can display such wretchedness... In that case, reading the Bible will never reveal the truth. Blindly following the teachings of predecessors while abandoning one's own reasoning can only lead to such ugliness."
The boy named Edward Alexander murmured in a tone laced with doubt and mockery, "...Very well, then I shall uncover the truth myself. I shall reclaim the path lost to humanity's foolish blind faith!"
...
Early 20th century, 1919, London, England.
Roy Crowley placed the book he had just finished reading on a slightly aged solid wood table, closing it with a heavy thud.
Rubbing his forehead in exhaustion, he muttered, "...As expected of an original grimoire. Just reading it feels like suffering from poisoning. If an ordinary person were to read it, they'd surely be corrupted by its toxic contents—either driven mad or killed."
"...Hah, am I not normal? Or should I be grateful for the bloodline flowing through my veins?"
Roy chuckled self-deprecatingly. After resting his eyes for a moment, he rose from the chair that matched the table.
He glanced around, taking in the slightly old-fashioned apartment. The furniture appeared to have seen better days.
Everything was meticulously clean, the few decorations on the table were tastefully arranged, and a small potted plant sat by the windowsill.
There were no luxuries in the room—the most valuable items were the densely packed books lining the bookshelf in the corner. From the furnishings alone, it was clear that the occupant was far from wealthy, though not quite destitute.
Roy was quite satisfied with this cozy little home. In early 20th-century London, just after the end of the First World War, being able to live in a residential area with his sister instead of the slums was more than he could ask for.
Should he thank the father he had never met, or the mother who had passed away shortly after giving birth to him and his sister?
Ah, it must be his mother. Though she hadn't been able to raise them, that was due to circumstances beyond her control.
That entity known as father had likely even forgotten about this pair of siblings. Fortunately, Roy was already a working adult before his transmigration. Though starting life over in this world was arduous, his maturity allowed him to successfully raise his younger sister.
With these thoughts, Roy gazed with mixed emotions at the book beneath his fingertips.
The paper felt cold, and the book appeared brand new, devoid of any historical weight. Yet if this volume were thrown into the magical world, it would undoubtedly cause an uproar among all mages.
—The Book of 777, Author: Aleister Crowley
"A Certain Magical Index..."
Roy muttered under his breath before shaking his head helplessly.
Not long after transmigrating into this world, he had already realized which universe he had entered.
A Certain Magical Index was a world both familiar and foreign to him—familiar because he had watched the anime, though many details eluded his memory, he still recalled the general plot.
Foreign because he seemed to have arrived about a hundred years too early. At this point, Academy City didn't even exist yet, and Aleister Crowley—his biological father and the mastermind behind everything—was still alive and kicking, not yet sealed inside a life-support pod.
In this era where he knew neither the people nor the factions, Roy made the wisest possible choice: to live quietly with his sister in this shabby London apartment.
Roy had absolutely no intention of seeking out Aleister Crowley—in fact, he wished the man would stay as far away as possible. If his memories served him right, Aleister was currently being hunted by mages worldwide, making him an enemy of the entire magical society.
If Roy dared to step out and declare himself Aleister's son, he'd likely face an onslaught of vengeful mages by nightfall, making survival until dawn a near-impossible feat.
Right now, Roy was profoundly grateful that Aleister had forgotten about them. If even their own father had no recollection of his children, other mages certainly wouldn't know of their existence—granting Roy and his sister a relatively peaceful life.
Besides, even if Roy wanted to stir up trouble, he lacked the means. He wasn't one of the rare few "Esper" born with innate supernatural abilities, nor did Academy City's power development program exist in this era.
As for magic, Roy knew a little—but only a little. He had taught himself from the books Aleister left behind, having never received formal magical education since childhood.
Roy's mother was likely Aleister's closest lover, and this apartment had undoubtedly been Aleister's residence at some point—otherwise, he wouldn't have left so many of his works here. The books lining the shelves were Roy's greatest treasure.
And among these treasures, the most valuable was the one now resting on the table—The Book of 777.
In Christian tradition, the number seven holds profound significance, symbolizing completeness and perfection.
God created the world in seven days, resting on the seventh.
In the Book of Revelation, God enumerates seven churches, representing all churches throughout the church age.
Seven represents God's seven spirits. In the process of divine judgment, there are seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls, and the pouring out of seven plagues.
After Noah entered the ark, God still granted seven days of grace.
Solomon took seven years to build the temple and observed the festival for seven days.
On the cross, the Lord Christ uttered seven famous sayings.
—And so on and so forth.
'777' is the most significant number in the Bible, possessing immense mystical power.
If someone from the magical world were to see the Book of 777, they would surely suspect it to be related to Christianity. In reality, the book does indeed contain analyses of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, esoteric rituals, the names of angels, and even astrological and divinatory practices.
[Note: The Book of 777 actually exists in reality—it was written by Aleister Crowley.]
However, only Roy, who has studied the book for over a decade, knows that the knowledge recorded within is merely superficial. What the book truly expounds upon is Aleister Crowley's philosophy—it is essentially his magnum opus, the true source of his power.
What is documented in the book is not the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, but an inverted tree personally distorted by Aleister Crowley, also known as the "Qliphoth" or the "Tree of Evil."
'7' was originally a sacred number in Christianity, but Aleister Crowley linked it to the 'Beast', filling this grimoire with 'human evil', brimming with blasphemous rebellion and showcasing his arrogance.
"Truly worthy of being called the 'Beast of the Apocalypse', the 'most wicked man in the world'. This is nothing short of forsaking the world created by God."
Roy exhaled heavily. Just thinking about the contents of the Book of 777 made his head throb faintly. The original sin steeped in 'human evil' threatened to drag his body and soul into the mire of corruption.
At that moment—
"Brother, I'm home!"
A sweet, melodious voice rang out from outside the apartment door.
***
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