NOVEL NEXT Chapter 1: The Book of 777
"Edward… Oh, Edward! How could you be so foolish?!"
"Hah, even those who believe in God and proclaim justice have such grotesque appearances... In that case, reading the Bible will not lead to truth either. Blindly following the teachings of the ancients while abandoning independent thought will result in nothing but this same grotesqueness."
A young man named Edward Alexander murmured softly, his tone filled with questions and mockery.
"…In that case, I shall find the truth. I shall reclaim the path lost to humanity's foolish blind faith!"
England, London – 1919, early 20th century.
Roy Crowley closed the book he had been reading and placed it heavily on a slightly aged wooden table. Rubbing his forehead with his hand, he murmured tiredly:
"…As expected of the magical grimoire The Book of 777. Just reading it feels like being poisoned—it's unbearable. If a normal person read it, the contents would surely corrode their mind, leading either to madness or death."
"…Ha. Am I not normal? Or should I be grateful for the blood flowing through my veins?"
With a self-deprecating chuckle, Roy stood up from the matching wooden chair after resting his eyes briefly.
His gaze swept across the room—a slightly worn-down apartment. The furniture had clearly been around for years, yet everything was immaculately clean. The table had a few carefully chosen decorations, and a small potted plant adorned the windowsill.
There were no luxuries in the house. The most valuable possessions appeared to be the densely packed books lining the shelves in the corner. From the modest furnishings, it was clear the homeowner was far from wealthy but wasn't destitute either.
Roy was content with this cozy home. In early 20th-century London, freshly scarred from the aftermath of the Great War, being able to live in a small apartment in a residential area rather than a slum, alongside his sister, was more than enough for him.
Should he thank the father he'd never met? Or the mother who died shortly after giving birth to him and his sister?
Perhaps his gratitude should go to his mother. Though she hadn't been able to raise them due to circumstances beyond her control, her efforts deserved acknowledgment. As for the so-called father—he had likely forgotten all about these siblings.
Still, thanks to Roy's previous life as an adult, he was able to endure the hardships of starting anew after transmigrating, successfully raising his sister to maturity.
As he thought about this, Roy's gaze turned complex as he looked down at the book his fingertips brushed against.
The pages were cold. The book looked new, devoid of any historical weight. Yet if this book were thrown into the magical world, it would undoubtedly cause an uproar among magicians.
——The Book of 777
Author: Aleister Crowley
"A Certain Magical Index…"
Roy muttered to himself and shook his head helplessly.
It didn't take long after transmigrating to this world for him to realize where he had ended up.
The world of A Certain Magical Index was one he was both familiar and unfamiliar with. Familiar, because he had seen the anime; unfamiliar, because the details were hazy, and the timeline didn't match. He seemed to have arrived a full century earlier than the original setting. There was no Academy City, and Aleister Crowley—the father of his current body and the series' ultimate puppet master—was still alive and far from being sealed inside a life-support tube.
In this unfamiliar era, where Roy had no connections or knowledge of the various power structures, he chose the safest course of action: living quietly in a rundown London apartment with his sister.
He had no intention of seeking out Aleister Crowley and wished the man would stay far away. After all, the current Aleister was a public enemy, hunted by magicians worldwide. Claiming to be his son would be akin to inviting death.
Fortunately, Aleister seemed to have completely forgotten about his children. This gave Roy and his sister a relatively peaceful life.
As for exploring the world or causing trouble, Roy had no means to do so. He wasn't an esper, much less one of the rare "Natural Stones" with inherent abilities, as this was a time before Academy City's scientific development of powers. His magic skills were meager and self-taught, relying on Aleister's leftover books.
The greatest treasure in Roy's possession was the library of books his father had left behind. Among them, The Book of 777 was the most significant.
In Christianity, the number 7 holds profound significance, symbolizing completeness and perfection.
God created the world in 7 days and rested on the 7th.
Revelation mentions 7 churches, representing all churches throughout history.
God's judgment unfolds through 7 seals, 7 trumpets, 7 bowls, and 7 plagues.
Noah had 7 days of grace before the flood.
Solomon built the temple in 7 years and celebrated for 7 days.
Christ spoke 7 words on the cross.
And so on.
'777' is the most sacred number in Christianity, imbued with immense magical power.
If magicians saw The Book of 777, they would undoubtedly associate it with Christianity. Indeed, the book's content explores Kabbalistic Tree of Life analysis, mystical rituals, angelic names, astrology, and divination.
(Note: The Book of 777 is a real work by Aleister Crowley.)
But after over a decade of studying it, Roy knew its true essence. The knowledge within was only the surface; the book truly encapsulated Aleister Crowley's ideology. It was his magnum opus and the source of his power.
The book didn't describe the traditional Tree of Life but a distorted version known as the "Qliphoth," or the Tree of Evil. Aleister had subverted the sacred number 7, binding it to the Beast. The grimoire overflowed with human malice, rebellion against God, and Aleister's audacious arrogance.
"No wonder he's called the 'Beast of Revelation' and the 'most wicked man in the world.' This is outright betrayal of the world God created."
Roy exhaled heavily, his head throbbing at the thought of the book's contents. Its malice and sin felt as if they might drag his soul into the mire.
Just then—
"Brother, I'm home!"