Ciel Phantomhive never saw himself as a god fearing man. He went to church, prayed, and worshipped; but he never truly believed. He never truly felt the power of god pulsing through his veins, entering his very soul and giving him a peace of mind. Where was god when he was suffering for a month; begging for help that would not come? Where was god when he prayed for forgiveness; on his knees at the altar, to right whatever sin he might have done? He was an unworthy soul, a boy not worth saving from the clutches of the damned. At least, that's what he had thought. That all changed when he met him: Father Sebastian Michaelis.
His savior.
The man who made power thrum through his veins like a drug; the man who made him drunk on power. The man who shackled him to the temptation of sin and wouldn't let go. He knew father michaelis wasn't what he seemed. How he hid a wolf's nature behind a harmless sheep's attire. How he pretended to care for each of the children of the church. He knew something wasn't quite right about the man. There was something darker about the man at night; feral and untamed. The way his ruby eyes seemed animalistic in a certain light as he stared into Ciel's eyes. How his tongue flickered out, catching the tip of sharp teeth as the man ate; devouring his food whole like a beast. Watching the power twisting inside the man's form, barely help in check, was darkly enticing.
Ciel knew he was right about his assumption that very night in the empty cathedral; worn down with age and devoid of life, when he watched father michaelis lead a stray nun to his chambers, how the seductive pants of the woman soon turned into a scream of terror. How Sebastian stepped out of the room, adjusting his robe stained with blood; too dark to see in the light of the moon. When he caught the man's eye, Sebastian smiled, teeth gleaming white and red and walked away without looking back. Every night the father would bring a new woman to his bedchamber; some were nuns, others random passerbys, all seduced by the mysterious father. Never in a million years would Ciel think the same fate would await him in a matter of months.
Soon enough the months flew by, the time being passed reading scriptures of the holy bible and praying to the lord for salvation daily, and Ciel had nearly forgotten the incident with Sebastian entirely. Until something strange happened one fateful october night. The night passed as usual, father Michaelis doing unspeakable acts with Ciel spying on him from nearby. It had become a ritual by now, watching to see what the priest would do next. Seeing him exit from the room, mouth bloodied and eyes twinkling, was a normal though suspicious occurrence for him now. Though what Ciel didn't expect was for Sebastian to suddenly call out to him.
"Child, what are you doing up so late? You should be in your dorm sound asleep. A naughty child like you deserves no supper tommorow." he said with an smile.
Ciel slowly stepped out from behind the tree in silence, staring at the priest. "What have you been doing to those women father? Your lips are stained with the blood of the innocent; people you are supposed to lead towards God's light. What harm have you been doing to these people? I can sense you aren't quite human father...Are you some sort of beast?" he asked bluntly.
Sebastian's friendly smile turned cold. His expression was no longer amused, instead, he looked angry. "I see you're more observant than you let on boy. I've seen you watching me time and time again, but let me tell you this,..."
Ciel hadn't realized the man was slowly advancing upon his until it was too late. In a matter of seconds he was pressed against the tree, clawed hands pressing into his small shoulders, the man holding an almost feral look in his ruby eyes as he bent down low to whisper in his ear, the moonlight making him look like an otherworldly creature of hell.
"Close minded little sheep like you are the first to be seduced by the devil's power, young one. I suggest you watch what you say very carefully around me. You might soon find yourself drowning in darkness." he said, pulling away with a smirk, staring down at the boy's pale features that struggled to shown no signs of fear. "Well then, have a good night, my child." he said with a smile.
Ciel blinked and the preist was gone in mere moments. He swallowed thickly, tongue licking nervously at dry lips. Sweat beaded at his upper lip. He knew the priest wasn't human; he was a devil in human skin. So why did the thought of turning towards darkness spread a thirst in his throat that couldn't be quenched? Ciel shivered. Perhaps it would be best to go to bed for the time being, though he couldn't shake the feeling of eyes watching him as he returned to his room, the feeling of father michaelis's hands wrapping around his shoulders imprinted into his mind as he dreamt.
The day after passed in tranquility, Ciel barely focusing on his work, his mind too distracted by thoughts of the head priest. Father Michaelis was a demon, he was sure of it. The thought of such power being held in one man, made Ciel lust for a taste of it. So when night fell, Ciel sat in the abandoned cathedral, praying to the fractured statue of the virgin mary, a silver cross in his hands. The door to the cathedral creaked open quietly and Father Michaelis's silk voice rang out. "Oh my, I didn't expect to see you here child. What is someone like you doing praying to the holy mother? I know you aren't truly religious." he said.
Ciel's eyes opened slowly and he spoke, still hunched over in prayer. "Good evening, Father. I've been meaning to speak with you properly for some time now." he stood up slowly, brushing off his robes and dropping the cross at the man's feet. "I know what you are: you're a demon are you not?" he asked, staring at Sebastian unblinking.
Sebastian chuckled. "My how perceptive of you boy. So what if I am, what do you hope to do?" Perhaps destroy me? Or are you going to pray to my father for guidance?" he asked, the heel of his boots stepping on the cross roughly in disgust.
Ciel met his eyes and smiled. "No. You're right, I don't truly believe in god. But I want to believe in something." he said, stepping closer to Sebastian and kneeling down, his head touching the floor. "I want to believe in you. I wish for you to be my god."
The cathedral was so silent, Ciel could hear his heart beating inside of his own ears. Finally Sebastian broke the silence with unrestrained laughter. "Oh this is truly a treat, my son. How amusing to think I would ever accept you as one of my own. But perhaps you may be of some use...I see darkness in your heart. It can be tended to and molded to become a powerful soul if you wished it." the man became silent for a moment in thought. "I'll make a deal with you. I'll give you a bit of my power for a chance at your soul. Will you accept?"
Ciel nodded slowly. "Yes, I accept."
"Lovely. Now, raise your head my child. I shall give you my blessing."
Ciel slowly rose up to see a shadow of pure darkness kneeling in front of him, there faces mere inches apart. Ciel could see the hunger in the demon's eyes. He gulped, unable to look away. The demon held out a hand with a smile, fangs gleaming. Ciel's small hands met the demon's larger ones in acceptance. Their eyes met and Ciel nodded, determined. "I am ready."
The demon smiled. His mouth mumbled words Ciel could barely understand as his hands made some sort of seal on the boy's right eye before he pressed a kiss to the boys skin. At first Ciel felt nothing, he simply waited. The sudden burning of his flesh, deep into his eye sent a scream erupting from the boy's throat, his hands scrambling reaching up to cover the sensitive flesh as tears and blood slowly poured from his eye. As quickly as it began, it was over, and Ciel kneeled panting from exertion, skin slick with sweat. Meeting Sebastian's gaze head on with stubborn determination, he grit his teeth from the pulsing in his right eye and forced out, "I should hope that isn't all you have to offer me demon."
Sebastian chuckled, it was slow, evil. "Of course not child," black wings shot out from the demon's back, and wrapped around them, enveloped the boy in a strong hold. "But I should hope you have more to offer me where you're going." he said with a grin, fangs gleaming.
Ciel bit back a scream of fear. "Of course not. Lead the way...my lord."
Sebastian licked his lips and leered. He nodded, clawed fingers burying themselves into the boys waist as to not allow escape. "Have a delightful trip." he said, as the black flames of hell swallowed the boy whole, the boy's flesh being burned away, his screams of pain being drowned out by the soft singing of Sebastian until finally the screams went silent. The boy was no more.
The door to the cathedral opened and a nun poked her head in curiously. "Father Michaelis? What are you doing here at this time of night?"
Sebastian turned to the woman, his human appearance back in place as he smiled at her kindly. "Please don't worry, my little lamb. I was just doing a bit of cleaning up. You know how filthy this place gets at times."
The nun didn't look convinced. "Are you sure Father? I thought I saw a boy enter here before you..."
"The Phantomhive boy correct? Not to worry, he's gone to his rightful home."
The nun nodded slowly. "Yes..well..it's quite late, so I suggest you finish here and rest Father." she said before leaving the man in peace.
Sebastian watched her leave before he turned his attention to the silver cross at his feet. Placing it in his palm, he pressed a gentle kiss to it as he spoke. "Rest in peace my child. May god forgive you for your sins." he said with an impish smile, before he closed the cathedral door behind him, the silver cross discarded on the stone floor where the boy's robed uniform lay undisturbed.
It was if the boy never existed in the first place.