Author's Note: Unsatisfied with the ending of Black Butler II (I preferred the ending for the first series, but I'm very happy that I guessed Sebastian's reactions correctly upon learning that Ciel would become a demon *read up on the series via wikipedia ahead of time*), I decided to write this: a crossover between Black Butler and one of my favorite book series, The Incarnations of Immortality (specifically the sixth book For Love of Evil, but it it not necessary to have read that book for there are no spoilers), to provide ME with some closure for the series. This will be my ONLY fanfic regarding Black Butler and probably Incarnations of Immortality too (though I LOVE this book series to pieces! ! ! XD)
P.S. First (and only) time writing Black Butler and it's not a series that I'm strongly into, so I apologize in advance if my characterization of them was off.
Disclaimer: I am playing around with the characters of Black Butler and Piers Anthony's Incarnations of Immortality in a blended crossover universe of my own creation, but the idea is mine and I take full credit for it.
Contract Termination
"So, it's that time is it?" said a man with a dry smile, "Our newest demon is arriving Lilah."
"Wouldn't that be the former Earl Ciel Phantomhive?" Lilah, a most seductive demoness, asked in breathy tones as she caressed her lover's ear.
"The one and the same," He replied, not the least bit distracted by His consort's playing. "He brings Sebastian with him. Or rather," He finished with a slight chuckle, "Sebastian is leading him to Hell to Me."
"Ah, Sebastian Michaelis," Lilah sighed in fond remembrance, "He's nearly as old as I am. No small feat. Pity that he returns to You under such inhibiting circumstances."
"All the more reason to end this as quick as possible," the fair-haired man said as he stood up from his seat and crossed the room to the door.
()()()()()()()()
"So... this is Hell...?" Ciel said slowly as he gazed around at his surroundings. "It's... different from how I pictured it," the newly-made demon confessed.
"And what were you expecting, Master?" the ancient demon asked as he spared a glance around him, "An eternally-burning pit? All damned souls go to Hell, my lord, and the sins of some of them do not necessarily require burning for the sake of repentance."
"'Repentance'?" Ciel asked again. They did that here in Hell?
Sebastian answered his thoughts, "Yes, that was Hell's originally-designed purpose after all; to allow sinful souls to repent and once atoned for their sins, allow them passage to Heaven, but the system if flawed. I don't understand how or much more than that, I'm only a demon after all, but My Lord has worked tirelessly to correct it."
Ciel hadn't missed the emphasis in Sebastian's tone when he said 'my lord'. It had never been present during the three years that Sebastian had served him as butler, so he had to have been referring to someone else, but whom? He had just been about to open his mouth and ask that very question when flames suddenly erupted from around them and encircled them. Ciel may have been a demon, but he hadn't been one for very long and he was still plagued by perceived threats that would do mortal injury were he human still.
The order left his throat before he could stop himself, "Sebastian, I order you to get us out of here now!"
"Calmly now, my dear Earl. There's no need for such a hasty departure," a male's voice called out from the flames surrounding them and suddenly, a face appeared before them, "These flames are merely an illusion designed to frighten, and frighten they do. They look and feel and smell so very real until you later realize that you suffered no burns; that all the pain was in your head. You're in no danger from these fires."
Still on edge from his most-recent scare, Ciel wasn't exactly thinking too well when he shouted at the fiery face, "Cut the crap already, just who the hell do you think you are? ! !"
"Master!" Sebastian exclaimed in protest and Ciel faltered slightly. He'd never heard Sebastian used that particular tone of voice with him either. What was going on?
The face in the fire laughed and reverberated all along the infernal ring that surrounded them. "Well, I presume to think Myself Master of Hell, of course," his voice echoed as his face dissolved.
The fires then sprang up and gathered together where the face had once been; molding, twisting, and shaping into something tall and thin. Ciel was so mesmerized by the flickering tangles of orange and yellow that he didn't realize the fiery mass was solidifying into the form of a man until the transformation was nearly complete and all the flames died away. He looked relatively-young, like twenty-five or something. His skin was darkened slightly like it had known the blessed kiss of sunshine once and his hair was long, fair, and clean. His features themselves weren't all that special or prominent, but there was something compelling about this man that made him quite attractive, though Ciel couldn't even begin to explain this strange attraction to a man he had only just met that had, literally, been created from the fire. And he was more sturdy than tall; certainly nowhere near as tall as Sebastian, and yet... why did this man seem to tower over his butler?
"So this is Hell's newest demon, Ciel Phantomhive," the man said and his voice rang with a pleasant, but forceful authority that nearly made his knees buckle beneath him, "Quite intriguing. Never have I, nor My esteemed predecessors before Me, ever had a demon created in this manner. Thanantos must be scrambling about in a frenzy these days if he's sending his reapers to battle My demons and all because of My most willful demons and their little games."
Ciel was slightly irritated. Just who was this guy? Who was this Thanantos? And why did he keep placing strong emphasis on the pronouns referring back to himself? He wanted to ask these questions, but found himself balked. Just one look at those dark eyes and the words wouldn't flow from his mouth. Was it... his own will that held him back? Who was he? ! !
"And you..." he turned his attention upon Sebastian who, if it was even possible, seemed to shrink even more under his gaze, "Three years serving in the human world has done wonders upon you. You left with your real name and three years later, you return to Me carrying Sebastian as your given name with a new demon and an incomplete Faustian contract."
Ciel might have felt intimidated by this strange man, but he did not like being ignored at all. He finally found his courage (or his stupidity) to speak again. "Hey! Is it polite where you come from to ignore people who ask a question of you? You still haven't given me an answer yet! Don't you even know who I am!" He ignored Sebastian's hiss of drawing in a quick breath of air through his teeth. What was up with Sebastian today!
"Quite so," the strange man replied readily and returned his fixed gaze to Ciel's currently-blue eyes, "Earl Ciel Phantomhive, age 13. Son of Vincent Phantomhive, the Queen of England's ever-loyal 'guard dog'. Both Mother and Father died in a fire that burned down the family manor as a result of the meddling of a corrupted, rogue angel. Young Ciel survived, but was then captured and made a slave for a few years before he summoned forth one of My demons and made a Faustian contract with him that entailed thus: Revenge on the people who killed his parents in exchange for the eating of his soul," he smirked at the horrified look on the boy's face, "Oh yes, Ciel Phantomhive, I know quite a bit about you. It is not often that a child's soul is so heavily-burdened with sin. However, My dear child earl, it is you who are unaware of whom you speak to. A trial is to be held later today to decide upon your final fates. Sebastian, come. This letter holds all the details of the trial, including time, location, and a general summary of what the trial is about." Even as he said it, a letter flickered into life from flames that erupted from thin air and he held it in his outstretched hand. It was then that Ciel noticed a dark blot upon the skin of the man's wrist, but he paid it no mind. Why should he? Sebastian accepted the letter and returned to his master.
"Who are you to put me on trial?" Ciel demanded, more than a little irritated and utterly perplexed, "I've just arrived in Hell. I haven't done anything as of yet."
The man lifted one eyebrow in amusement. "The trial will explain everything in full detail. It's entirely your decision whether you attend or not, Ciel, but I highly recommend it otherwise your eternal fate will be decided without your input." He made to leave, but paused momentarily almost like an actor about to reveal some key piece of information or a haunting teaser to the audience. "Just one more thing left now." The man made a slight throwing gesture with his fingers and his smile widened, a smile that unnerved Ciel tremendously, "To make the game more interesting, of course." And in a flash of fire and smoke, he was gone.
Ciel wasted no time. "Sebastian, who was that man?"
"I don't know, my lord."
"Don't lie to me!" Ciel shouted, the last of his patience shot, "You know exactly who he is, now tell me! That's an order!"
"My lord, I would never lie to you or hesitate to answer your orders. Our contract still binds me to you. I'm being perfectly honest when I say that I don't know who that man was," Sebastian explained with a solemn look on his face.
Sebastian's logic was flawless. And in personal experience, he had never once slighted orders. However, Sebastian's body language from earlier told an entirely different story and it confused Ciel terribly. How could Sebastian be telling the truth with such contradictory signals? Then he remembered! That man had made a throwing gesture with his fingers right before he left and said something about making the 'game' more interesting. Could that strange man have altered Sebastian's memories so that he wouldn't remember? He had mentioned that he knew a lot about Ciel. His knowledge of his personal history was proof of that statement. That man had probably known he would ask Sebastian who he was and hadn't wanted that to happen just yet. The trial... that was where he would find all his answers.
"Your orders, my lord?"
"We'll attend the trial," Ciel said firmly as he opened the letter, having removed it from Sebastian's hands and read its contents. But the more he read, the more incensed he became. "What? ! ! You're kidding me!"
"What is it, master?" Sebastian asked.
"This! !" Ciel spat as he held up the letter for the tall demon to read it. His finger was pointed at the last line and Sebastian read it quietly.
The accusations against you are the protests of you're having a demon, an equal to you, under eternal servitude.
"This is absolute rubbish! The contract was made when I was a human, not a demon! I'll set them straight on that, for sure, I will," Ciel declared, still seething as he marched off towards the trial's location.
()()()()()()()()
Being a high-ranking earl in high class English society, Ciel was quite used to seeing all manner of decoration styles in sometimes the most-gaudy of fashions, but he had never seen anything quite like this! The walls were rich red, the trim was obsidian black, and the furniture was of a mixed style somewhere between gothic, renaissance, and classical medieval. The man he had met earlier, who had given him the information about the trial, was already there sitting in a high-backed armchair before a broad, dark-wooded table.
He smiled knowingly as soon as he saw them. "Ciel. Sebastian. I see My message was not taken lightly. Please, help yourselves. There is much to discuss," he said and gestured to two chairs across from his on the other side of the table and a fair distance away.
"This... This is the most bizarre-looking trial I've ever seen," Ciel commented as he frowned at his surroundings before taking a seat.
"I am all that is necessary," the man said by way of explanation, "There is no one more qualified to handle this unusual case."
"And just who are you, exactly?"
The man stared at him with those dark eyes and Ciel felt discomfited, as though the man was able to see into his very soul. Then he smiled again. Ciel was really starting to dislike that smile. The man made a flicking motion to Sebastian and his butler jolted in his seat. Wait, that was the same gesture that he had used earlier! Did that mean-!
"Sebastian, who is this man!" Ciel blurted out.
"Sebastian, you will disregard that order," the man said with ageless smoothness.
Ciel wanted to scoff at the man's arrogance. Really, did he think he could get Sebastian to obey an order that was completely contradictory to the one he had given? He still had an unfulfilled contract with Sebastian. He would follow every order to the letter for eternity.
"Forgive me, Master Ciel, but I cannot tell you."
Shock. "You what? ! You're defying a direct order!"
"I have been given two direct orders, master. I must yield to to the higher authority," Sebastian said with perfect calm.
"You still have a contract with me!" Ciel countered, enraged and uncomprehending.
"But he owes his very existence to Me," the man said coldly with a nearly-cruel smirk upon his face, "I think I've dragged out this game long enough. You ask me who I am, Ciel? I am Satan, the Lord of Evil and have other similar titles that I have acquired over the centuries. And it is because of the nature of your Faustian contract and your changed circumstances that I have called you to trial Ciel Phantomhive."
If Ciel were still human, he surely would have stopped breathing. This... This was the Master of Hell, himself! He had always known his soul was damned to Hell, but he had never given it much thought beyond that. And he certainly hadn't expected the Prince of Lies to look so... human! No horns, no spiked tail, no hoofs, nothing that made him even slightly animalistic! He could have passed for a normal human and nobody would have known! Those foolish artists were nowhere even close to the truth of what this man, of what the Devil himself, really looked like! He had to stifle a dry chuckle at that. If they knew, they would surely be disappointed with what they saw. Nonetheless, he did finally manage to recover himself enough to speak to the lord.
"Lord Satan, I fail to understand why a trial is necessary in regards to my contract with Sebastian. The last order I gave him was that he serve me until he had consumed my soul. As my soul is not consumable anymore, he must serve me for eternity because now I can never die," Ciel explained calmly and logically.
"Demon affairs are never so simply summarized and parceled out, Ciel Phantomhive," Satan replied, "That order was given when you were a human and your soul could still be consumed, but the circumstances have changed. You are now a demon and as such, have no right to Sebastian now."
"But the Faustian contract!" Ciel protested and ripped off his eyepatch, revealing the spiked circle symbol with the pentagram in the center of his right eye, "This would have faded away if the contract was no longer valid!"
Satan laughed and leaned back in his chair, "My dear earl! The Faustian contract is among many of the simplest Hellish contracts at My disposal and as such, it has its flaws. It follows the conditions set at the outset and does not follow up on any changes that would make such a contract invalid. It's like the equivalent of taking a picture; just a snapshot of someone's life at a specific point in time. And since this is My domain, it is up to Me and My assigned subordinates to see to the regulation of Hell."
Ciel thought quickly for a moment before finally speaking, "Lord of Hell you may be, but I suspect you are not without honor in some twisted sense of the word. You would not break a contract out of spite."
"How correct, you are, Lord Ciel," Satan said with a sly smile, "It's something I pride myself on. Upon giving My word in proper form, I will never renege on a deal I have struck and I uphold this law among all My minions. Claude has been the one exception during My term, but he was young; one of the first demons I ever created-"
"You can create demons?" Ciel asked suddenly, knowing that it was rude and unrelated to the true issue at hand, but he was curious.
"That I can. I can destroy them as well with just a simple snap of my fingers. And you are a demon too now, Ciel," he said dangerously as he raised his fingers and held them poised to snap.
"You wouldn't," Ciel said firmly, gazing into the man's dark eyes and willing his pounding heart to calm down and stop panicking as if Satan could hear it.
Satan smirked and Ciel had the horrid impression that Satan could sense his fear. "You're right. I won't. I would lose the very demon that has cost Me two others and the freedom of a third. I could recreate them into existence if I so desired, but that would pose some complications for Me so it suits Me best to let them cease their existence permanently. However, it still does not change the events that you were responsible for."
Only now was Ciel beginning to appreciate what a truly terrible thing it was to be a demon for eternity. Satan was the controller of all demons and so he held his very existence in his hands; hands with fingers that could send him into nonexistence in a second. But still, he refused to give in.
"You were saying something about your honor," Ciel reminded him.
Satan's eyes glinted like he knew that he was trying to change the subject. "Indeed I was. I never renege on a deal given in proper form and had things remained, even I wouldn't have been able to break the contract signed between you and Sebastian. Your contract would have remained untouchable to Me, but for one small detail and I am the master of loophole exploitation."
"Loophole?" Ciel repeated, bewildered, "But there is no loophole."
"There wasn't a loophole," Satan corrected, "One was created as soon as you were turned into a demon as a result of the fulfillment of Hannah's contract with Jim Marken and I am here to exploit it. Shall I reveal it to you or would you like to figure it out on your own?"
Ciel kept his mouth shut. He had an inkling to what it might be, but he refused to pursue that line of thought.
"Very well; then I shall answer for you," Satan's smirk widening even further, "The Faustian contract that you made with Sebastian was this: You would achieve your vengeance and in exchange, he would eat your soul, your human soul. In order to become a demon, your soul was automatically sacrificed to make it immortal and grant it with the other powers that demons possess. Demons don't have souls, and you no longer have one, only the imitation of one produced from your memories of being a human. Since there is no longer a soul to be eaten, the contract is null and void. Sebastian is no longer bound to you as your butler."
Indeed it was so. The symbol for the contract faded from Ciel's eye and Sebastian's faded from his left hand.
Upon seeing this, and with some inspection just to be safe, Sebastian rose up from his chair and knelt down, bowing low before the Lord of Hell, "My Lord, You are most generous. Thank You."
"It is small payment for the loyalty you've shown since My arrival. I always reward those who serve Me faithfully. It is only regretful that you spent three years in the mortal realm all for naught. In room 666, you will find Lilah waiting for you at My request."
Sebastian's eyes widened slightly, but he did not raise his head and his smile broadened, "What a gracious reward indeed, My Lord. I'm only five centuries younger than her, but it has been nearly an eternity's lifetime since I have been conferred the pleasure with that luscious demoness of Yours. I shall not let Your gift be wasted, My Lord."
Ciel had never seen Sebastian do it for he had never had that kind of power on Earth, but with his very own eyes, he saw Sebastian teleport out of the room and out of sight. He felt... empty. Empty like he had never been before. Was it because of Sebastian? No, it was deeper than that, but losing Sebastian didn't help; he hadn't felt this empty even during the time he had lost his parents and hadn't found Sebastian yet. Was it... because he really didn't have a soul anymore.
"I see that your starting to fully realize your true nature," Satan said in a mockingly soft tone, "So now that Sebastian is gone and no longer bound to you, you may ask Me why I bothered. The truth is thus; having a demon serving another demon would upset the hierarchy of Hell. All demons answer to Me, so having multiple loyalties is unacceptable in My realm. It would breed chaos, disorder and inefficiency which is useless for the evocation of the hidden evil within human souls. So now that your remaining obligations have been freed, what shall you do? I could give you an ultimatum and decide for you, but I am merciful. You have two choices: Serve Me for eternity or be destroyed and cease to exist. If you think I will ever let you see Sebastian during your tenure of eternal servitude, I won't. That will be your punishment for your reckless involvement in My affairs. So what will it be Ciel Phantomhive? Eternity or nonexistence?"
Ciel did think. It was indeed merciful of the Lord of Evil to give him a choice to his fate. Satan had proved just how easily he could destroy him if he really wanted to and was feeling particularly unforgiving. Serving Satan for eternity? He couldn't handle that. He couldn't serve a master ever; not in life and not in eternity. But to cease to exist permanently? He hesitated for a moment, but he didn't know why. It would have been the same thing if Sebastian had actually been allowed to eat his soul. It was his destined end. There was no question.
"Destroy me, Satan!" Ciel declared strongly as he stood up from his chair and spread his arms wide, "End my miserable existence as it was always meant to be!"
"And it is so," Satan said as he too, stood up and raised his fingers to eye level. There was an audible snap and Ciel immediately disappeared with an anticlimactic pop.
Ciel Phantomhive was no more either in the realm of the living or the realm of the dead. Just as it was always meant to be.
If this isn't the closure you're looking for, I'm sorry, but it satisfies me. I honestly didn't know how I was going to finish it when I started writing, but when I came to the conclusion, I realized that Ciel would never want to answer to anyone. He's too proud for that, so he chose the next best thing: eternal destruction. I love Piers Anthony's Satan so much (once I read the end of the fifth book and the entirety of the sixth book that is! XP) and I'm happy that I got to write something with it even if there are only a TOTAL of 18 fics and that doesn't even eliminate those in languages I can't read! D: This is such a good series (even though it's a little old like 1980s old) and I'm greatly saddened by such a lack of knowledge about it. I must confess; Anne McCaffrey and Piers Anthony have greatly influenced my ability to accept adult content in original fiction (not fanfiction, that's different) and not be completely turned off by it. I very much enjoy the manner in which they professionally-handled it.