Hello, everyone. For those of you who think I'm familiar but don't recognize my penname, that's because I used to be Itachi-21. After I started expanding my collection of manga/anime, I realized that I didn't want my penname to lean towards a certain manga, so I decided to change it to FeatherRose242. I apologize for the confusion.
This story, Diaboli Latebris, was actually inspired by a computer game called Fate. I was just playing it one day when an idea for a story popped into my mind, so here it is. A quick heads-up: this story has monsters and possibly graphic violence. If you aren't comfortable with them, then please don't force yourself to read this story.
Please note that this story will only be updated SPARINGLY. I've long since given up on forcing myself to write, and I will only write when I'm in the mood. Please make sure that you are willing to wait a long time for an update before following this.
Thank you for your time, and I hope you enjoy Diaboli Latebris!
I am grateful to SteelPorcelainMXIV and SecretlyADemon for being my betas for this story.
Chapter I
"We raised the guillotine with our own hands and dropped it on our own necks."
The Town.
That was the name that everyone had given this simple, yet significant place. There were no other words to describe it. In the past, the place was called things like 'Devilgate' and 'Hellguard,' but it wasn't exactly a door to the Devil nor was it guarding Hell. But The Town was technically guarding something, mind you.
And that something was a hole at the base of a mountain.
No, don't laugh. This hole actually leads to one of the most dangerous places that mankind could wander into. Once you entered this hole, you'd find yourself facing all kinds of Dark Creatures. Without the right training and equipment, those who ventured into the hole never came back out. An appropriate name to call this portal to death would be…
Diaboli Latebris. The Devil's Lair.
And members of The Town were in charge of making sure nothing entered or exited from Diaboli Latebris. To do that, they needed to be well-trained warriors to face the occasional rise of evil that bubbled up from underground.
Two households, Phantomhive and Trancy, had long held the title of Battle Commanders. The Heads of the families were formidable warriors, and were designated as joint leaders of The Town. The Phantomhives were known for their exceptional skill at magical tactics and their above-average intelligence. The Trancies stood out due to their expertise with weapons and their excellent vitality. Together, they were a force to be reckoned with.
Both Heads had children of their own. The Trancy heir, called Alois Trancy, was a young boy with unruly blonde hair and ice-blue eyes. He often wore purple and black and had quite a cheerful personality with a slight hint of sadism. He was particularly fond of teasing the people he thought were obnoxious and whiny.
Alois's best friend, Ciel Phantomhive, was one of the few who could understand the blonde well enough to get along with him. Ciel was the only son of the Earl of Phantomhive, and the boy had navy blue hair with blue eyes. The heir of Phantomhive usually wore blue and black and harbored a fondness for sweets. Ciel abhorred it when people didn't take dangerous situations seriously and loathed it when people gushed about how 'cute' he looked.
Ciel Phantomhive also preferred not to get up early.
When his alarm clock rang at eight-thirty in the morning, the young Phantomhive grumbled under his breath and pulled the covers over his head. Since that did nothing to stifle the loud screech of the clock, Ciel sat up abruptly and gave the top of his alarm a sharp smack, silencing the wretched thing.
Still muttering not very nice things about mornings and alarms, Ciel slid out of bed and changed out of his nightshirt into a pair of pants and a long-sleeved shirt. He slid on his socks and his shoes before making his way downstairs.
"Good morning, Young Master!" A maid greeted him as soon as he arrived on the ground floor of his family's mansion.
"Morning, Meyrin," Ciel replied, offering the magenta-haired maid a small smile. Suddenly, two hands grasped his cheeks and tugged on them playfully. Ciel let out a yelp of surprise and pain as the person spun him around and gave him a hug.
"My little boy is as adorable as ever!" Rachel Phantomhive squealed, completely unaware that she was slowly suffocating said boy with her chest.
"Mom…can't…breathe…" Ciel gasped, struggling to get out of Rachel's vice-like grip.
"My Lady!" Meyrin said, putting a hand on Rachel's shoulder to alert the amber-haired woman of Ciel's strife. Rachel immediately released Ciel, allowing the boy to fill his lungs with much-needed oxygen.
"Sorry, dear," Rachel laughed sheepishly, patting her son's head.
"It's okay," Ciel replied, "What did Bard cook for breakfast today?"
"Poached salmon and mint salad, Young Master," said Bard, the cook for the house of Phantomhive, as he came out of the kitchen to greet Ciel. He saluted Rachel and leaned down to whisper to Ciel, "Master Alois is here, too."
Ciel groaned. "Did he eat all of my food yet?"
Bard chuckled. "Don't worry, Young Master. I hid your plate from him."
Ciel let out a tiny sigh of relief. The last time Alois had come here, the blonde had eaten most of Ciel's breakfast, forcing the latter to go to training school hungry. Ciel had been unable to focus on schoolwork that day and ended up being scolded by the teacher for the first time ever. However, the blonde had made up for it by bringing Ciel two slices of sweet chocolate cake the next day.
The very same blonde tackled Ciel when the Phantomhive heir arrived in the kitchen. "Ciel!" Alois shouted cheerfully, "Good morning!"
"Alois, get off," Ciel returned, "I need to eat breakfast." Alois slid off his best friend obediently, used to the blue-haired boy's snappy retorts. Still grinning, the Trancy heir followed Ciel around the kitchen as the Phantomhive found his breakfast and sat down to begin eating.
A man who looked like an older version of Ciel walked in. He nodded at the two boys, "Morning, Alois. Ciel."
"Hi, Dad," Ciel smiled at his father. Vincent Phantomhive returned the gesture and ruffled his son's hair affectionately. Ciel squeaked in protest and patted down his mussed-up hair while Alois laughed at him.
Vincent chuckled. "Don't be late for school, you two. You have your final exams soon, so it's crucial that you focus and study hard." With that, he left the room, wishing Alois and Ciel a good day.
Ciel gulped down his breakfast as fast as he could without choking. Bard's cooking was, to put it nicely, not the best. The Phantomhive chef had a habit of using flamethrowers and other strange 'cooking' equipment that Ciel was pretty sure didn't belong in the kitchen. Even on rare days that the loyal cook didn't use war weapons to cook meals, the food still turned out like the work of an amateur, and that was what Bard technically was.
Ciel knew better than to complain about the food though. "Come on, Alois," he said, pushing his chair away from the table and letting Meyrin take his empty plate, "We have half an hour before class starts."
"Yes, sir!" Alois sang as the boys grabbed their bags and left the Phantomhive manor, heading for Weston Training School.
[~|Diaboli Latebris|~]
"Cieellll!" A young girl with long blonde hair seized the blue-haired boy in a suffocating hug the moment the Phantomhive and his Trancy friend stepped foot into their classroom.
Why me? Ciel pondered to himself as he was once again trapped in a killer hug by a person of the opposite gender. "Lizzie…you're killing me," he wheezed as the girl twirled him around. Alois sniggered at Ciel's misfortune and the latter shot the blonde a glare.
Elizabeth Midford, more commonly known as Lizzie, released Ciel immediately. "Sorry!" she apologized, flustered.
Suddenly, the sound of someone clapping made all the young people look up to the front of the room. A tall man with messy black hair stood at the front, waiting until he had the attention of all of the students. There was an apathetic look on his face as he watched the teenagers scramble for their seats. When the last student sat down, the man cleared his throat and intoned, "Good morning, class."
"Good morning, Professor Agares!" Some students exclaimed energetically while the rest returned the greeting with the same amount of enthusiasm as their teacher had given them.
Johan Agares was strict and calm most of time. He was in charge of teaching the children who were twelve to fifteen years old. In his classes, the students were taught how to distinguish different Dark Creatures and how to combat them. He also tutored the students in utilizing basic magic and gave lectures about the special powers that could be imbued into weapons.
The other teacher, Arthur Conan Doyle, was more commonly known as Arthur Wordsmith, and he taught children from ages six to eleven. Students under his tutelage were taught how to read, write, and perform mathematical operations. Then, they were taught some basic hand-to-hand combat and how to use swords as they grew a little older. Wordsmith was much more lenient than Agares, making him a better instructor for young children.
"Please open your books to page five hundred and thirty-seven," Agares requested to his class, "We will be finishing up the chapter on the dragons of Diaboli Latebris today."
A murmur of excitement rippled briefly through the class. Dragons were the last subject that Agares would be teaching them. After that, they would be doing review exercises that helped to prepare them for their final exam.
As Ciel flipped through his book to the section on four types of dragons that slept deep within Diaboli Latebris, Alois pushed a small sheet of paper into his hand. Ciel opened it up curiously and quickly read the scrawled message.
Want to train together later?
Ciel shot a cursory glance at Agares, making sure that the teacher wasn't looking as he leaned over slightly and whispered, "Sure," in Alois's ear. The blonde gave his friend a quick thumbs-up and a grin before both students refocused their attention to their teacher.
"As you all already know, I hope, dragons are some of the most dangerous creatures in Diaboli Latebris," Agares explained, "They are not capable of performing magic, but their armor can block any weak spell that you send at them." He jabbed a finger at the picture of four different types of dragons. "The four known kinds of dragons are the Fire, Ice, Thunder, and Venom Dragons. As you can see below the picture, the different strengths and weaknesses of each dragon are listed."
Agares shut his book with a snap. "I will leave you all to look over that information later." His gaze suddenly turned into a glare. "What I'm going to tell you next is very important, and I expect you to listen well and remember this for the rest of your life, however short that may be."
He paused to let his words sink in before continuing in a firm voice, "Never, ever mistake a Dragon for a Drake. They have the same colors, the same body structure, and the same abilities, but Dragons are bigger and much more powerful than Drakes. While a Firedrake may singe your clothes with a flamethrower, a Fire Dragon will scorch you into a pile of ash with the same attack."
The professor pointed to a photograph of a young man that was hanging next one of the classroom's windows. "Derrick Arden, age 19, died of severe hypothermia for just being in the presence of an Ice Dragon for too long."
A young girl with brown hair and blue eyes raised her hand. "What is it, Doll?" Agares questioned.
"Just how long was Arden exposed?" Doll asked curiously.
"Three minutes and twenty-two seconds," Agares replied flatly. Murmurs of fear and shock slithered through the students. "But there is no need to worry too much," the teacher added, "Dragons dwell deep in Diaboli Latebris. So far, only one other person – besides Arden – has even seen a Dragon."
"Who?" Alois exclaimed excitedly, ice-blue eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Agares frowned at how the blonde didn't raise his hand before speaking but chose not to reprimand the student. "The Seer," he replied shortly, "And if you want to know what happened, go ask the Seer yourself. It is his story to tell."
The rest of the class passed quickly. Agares reviewed information on Dragons and gave the students a worksheet to complete without their notes. When the bell rang, signaling the end of class, the students rushed to turn in their work before grabbing their things and racing to the classroom door.
"One moment!" Agares called. The students froze where they stood as the teacher spoke, "Tomorrow, there will be no need for you to bring anything to class. We will be doing a practical exercise in preparation for your final exam."
He turned his back on the class, signaling that they were dismissed. The teens wasted no time squeezing themselves out the door.
"Meet you at the Grove, Ciel!" Alois shouted as the two boys separated. Ciel waved to his best friend as the latter dashed towards the Trancy mansion. The blue-haired boy headed back to the Phantomhive house, where he was greeted by the butler, Tanaka.
"Welcome back, Young Master," the old man bowed, "How was your day?"
"Same as usual," Ciel answered, handing his bag to Tanaka for the man to hang up, "Has Bard prepared lunch?"
"He has," Tanaka said, leading Ciel to the dining room, "Will you be staying after lunch, Young Master, or will you be going out with Master Alois again?"
"Alois," Ciel grunted as he sat down and took a large bite out of the sandwich Bard had successfully made, "I'll have to borrow a basic weapon from Lau again." He gulped down a mouthful of tea and wolfed down the rest of his lunch.
"Young Master!" A boy with short, messy, strawberry-blonde hair and large turquoise eyes came running into the dining room, nearly running into Ciel. "Welcome back!" he cried, giving Ciel a hug that nearly crushed the latter's bones. Literally.
"Finny!" Tanaka said sharply, noticing the brief flash of pain on Ciel's face, "Please be careful. The Young Master will be training with Master Alois later today, and would prefer not to spar with broken bones."
Finny, whose real name was Finnian, gasped and immediately released Ciel. "I'm sorry, Young Master!" he apologized, bowing his head, "Are you okay? I didn't mean to hurt you! I was just happy to–!"
"I'm fine, Finny," Ciel interrupted, raising one hand to stem the blabber that came from the gardener's mouth, "There's no need to apologize. Really."
As the navy-haired teen finished speaking, Vincent walked into the room, putting on his coat. He smiled at his son and asked, "Training?"
"Yes," Ciel returned the smile, "Where are you going?"
"I'm going to a meeting with Lord Trancy," Vincent answered, buttoning up his coat, "I'll be back for dinner. Have fun and be safe with your training, Ciel." He pulled the boy into a one-armed hug. "Don't overdo it and make sure you don't wander too close to Diaboli Latebris. There are the Gatekeepers, but…"
Ciel suppressed a sigh at Vincent's overprotectiveness. "I know, Dad, and the place where Alois and I spar isn't very close to Diaboli Latebris anyway," he reassured.
Vincent ruffled his son's hair one last time before leaving the house, chuckling at Ciel's indignant exclamation as the boy tried to smooth his messy, navy-blue hair for the second time that day.
Not too long after Vincent's departure, Ciel grabbed a handful of money, some chocolate cookies, and his book of magic spells and left the Phantomhive manor. He walked down the dirt path that led from the mansion and arrived in the town square, where all the shops were situated.
The stores were placed in a circle around a stone fountain that was shaped like a blooming flower with narrow petals. The flower, known as the Flos Mollitia or Flower of Resilience, was used to symbolize the long history of The Town and the interminable future that was to come. Members of The Town would gather around the fountain during town meetings, and social events were often held in places where the Flos Mollitia was in view. Any event was started with town members kneeling and bowing their heads to the fountain followed by a speech given by either Lord Trancy or Earl Phantomhive to the greatly-revered flower. At the end of the event, everyone would gather around the fountain and toss a flower head into the pool of crystal-clear water that surrounded the Flos Mollitia as a sign of respect.
Now, Ciel paused in front of the Flos Mollitia fountain and bowed his head to the structure. He stayed in that position for five seconds, and then straightened up and walked to a nearby shop that had a 'Weaponry and Alchemy' sign hanging above the front door. Ciel pushed open the door and stalked inside, loudly calling, "Lau! I need to rent a weapon again!"
Lau's shop was filled with knives and daggers and halberds and swords of all kinds as well as healing, stamina, and mana potions. As he waited for the shop owner to appear, Ciel wandered over to a sword that was on display, thinking about the different weapons he had borrowed in the past. A frown crossed his face as he remembered how the weapons had all been deemed too long or heavy and how difficult they had been to wield. Perhaps he would settle with something shorter this time, like a dagger or a knife.
"Ah, little Earl!" Lau exclaimed happily as he came out from the back of his shop, "I was wondering when you'd come back!"
"Don't call me that!" Ciel retorted, glaring at the taller, black-haired man. Lau was at least a head taller than the Phantomhive heir, resulting in Ciel having to tilt his head back in order to look Lau in the eyes.
"But it suits you, little boy," Lau teased, keeping his eyes closed as the smug smirk on his face grew. He walked towards a wall filled with hanging cleavers. "You say you wanted to borrow another weapon?"
"Yes," Ciel confirmed, following the man around the shop, "But preferably something short and light. I can't stand those heavy lumps of metal."
Lau whipped around without warning, causing Ciel to walk into him. "Little Earl, you shouldn't call swords and poleaxes 'lumps of metal.' Just because they're not suited for you doesn't mean they won't be useful for someone else. Master Alois, for example," he reprimanded lightly.
The young Phantomhive's glare intensified just slightly before Ciel sighed in resignation and said, "Fine, fine. I apologize. Happy?"
Lau chuckled as he reached up and lifted a small dagger off the wall. "Perhaps you would like to try this knife, little Earl," he suggested, "It's called a Kopis*. I think you will like it."
Ciel took the Kopis from Lau and tested its weight in his hands. It felt very light in comparison to the trident Lau had lent him three days ago. The blue-haired heir unsheathed the silver blade and slashed the air a few times, finding that he rather liked this weapon.
"What information do you have about this weapon?" Ciel prompted Lau, who had walked away to polish the handle of a naginata while Ciel became acquainted with the Kopis.
"The word 'Kopis' comes from the Greek word 'koptō,' which means 'to cut' or 'to strike,'" Lau explained, "That one weighs about eighteen ounces and is twenty-four inches long. It's a single-edged blade and actually originated from an agricultural tool."
Ciel sheathed the blade. "How much for a one-day rent?"
"Thirteen gold pieces," Lau answered, smiling as when he heard the Phantomhive reach into his bag of coins. "You sound desperate to try out that sword, little Earl," he teased as Ciel counted out thirteen gold coins.
"It's not often that I come across a blade that I like," Ciel retorted, shoving the gold into Lau's hands, "I'll have it back before dusk."
"Take care of it!" Lau waved his hand as the door to his store shut with a dull thunk. He stood in the middle of his shop for a few seconds, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. After a moment of silence, the man walked towards his counter, plucked a piece of paper from a drawer, scribbled something on the paper with his quill, and put the paper in his pocket.
[~|Diaboli Latebris|~]
When Ciel arrived at the Grove, Alois was already practicing. Breathing heavily from his long run, Ciel doubled over and watched Alois swing his borrowed war hammer with skill and practiced ease. Unlike his best friend, Alois had developed a liking towards heavier weapons that had a long reach, which was somewhat expected due to the Trancys' area of expertise.
Ciel smirked, having gotten an idea from watching the blonde practice by himself. Raising his right hand so that the palm was facing Alois, Ciel muttered a chant under his breath and focused his spiritual energy into his hand. A red glow appeared, condensing into an orb of fire, which Ciel launched towards the unsuspecting Alois with frightening speed.
"Ahh!" Alois yelped as the fireball missed his face by a few inches. Bristling indignantly, he turned to Ciel, who was howling with laughter at Alois's feminine shriek.
"What the heck, Ciel?" the blonde shouted, stomping his foot childishly, "Were you trying to cook my head?"
"No, actually," Ciel choked out, "You just looked so focused that I had to scare you!" He sat down on the grass and took out the chocolate cookies that he had brought from home. Alois plopped down next to him grumpily, and Ciel handed him a couple cookies as a peace offering, which Alois accepted grudgingly.
"What did you borrow from Lau this time?" Alois shoved a whole cookie into his mouth and chewed. Ciel snickered at how the Trancy's cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk's.
"I borrowed a Kopis," the Phantomhive replied once he had swallowed his laughter, "It's a pretty light weapon. The blade is curved in a way that could make it more complicated to wield, but I like it so far."
Without warning, Alois swung his war hammer at Ciel, who blocked it just in time with his borrowed Kopis. The Phantomhive's arms were jarred by the strength behind his friend's attack, and he stumbled slightly in an attempt to regain his footing.
"Alois!" Ciel exclaimed, "What the…?"
Alois slung his war hammer over one shoulder and smirked. "Since you like that Kopis so much, Ciel, why don't we test it out and start our spar already?" he suggested.
Ciel blinked at the suddenness of Alois's request before smirking back. "You're on," he countered as he raised the glinting blade of the Kopis.
*The Kopis is a real sword that originated in Greece around 400 BCE. It is considered a scythe weapon that has a curved, single-edged blade. Some versions of it have a knuckle guard on the hilt. (Cited from "Knives and Swords: A Visual History")