black mag·ic
/ˈˌblak ˈˌmajik/
noun
the forbidden witchcraft in which conducts feelings from its victim; the magic of controlling emotion.
Due to the Treaty of Life made by Lord Death and the witch society in 1640, Black Magic is forbidden on Earth. Anyone caught with it will be sentenced to banishment or in some cases; death.
"Lord Death, it's a pleasure to see you once again."
The deadly sweet voice radiated from the mirror. The eldest reaper stared down at the other party with a bitter taste in his throat. His best ally, Ciel Phantomhive, was contacting him due to a particular "issue" that has been surfacing in Great Britain. He only ever reached Death City if Lord Death himself inticed conversation or something was wrong. The destained look on his face showed that he wasn't in the mood for any messing around if he ever had the heart to take a joke. He had Lady Elizabeth on his left side, the two linked arms. Lord Death knew of the demonic activity at the Phantomhive Estate, which made them one of the best partners. His nobility status also deemed greatness.
"The pleasure is all mine," the goofy tone responded. "Now, what is it that you've contacted me for? You don't call just to chat."
A charming chuckle erupted from the Earl, a smile that only a few knew was false. Lord Death wasn't in those few. "You know my intentions well, I assume?"
"It's 2018, Phantomhive. I've had time to run the track. Now, answer my question, or would you like to sit down for some tea?"
The snarky remark just enhanced the Earl's grin. "As badly as I would like to keep this short, this topic needs more of an explanation than expected." The smirk quickly changed into a look of thought. Lord Death assumed that the Earl of Phantomhive was inventing ways to make this as short as he possibly could. After a moment of silence, it was broken. "A 'Kishin' is what you call them, correct?"
"It took all that time for you to ask such a simple question?" Death teased, Ciel not taking lightly to it. Before there could be a comeback to his statement, he followed up. "Yes, that is correct. A Kishin is what it is called."
"What is the difference between a demon and a Kishin again? It seems that I keep forgetting."
That bittersweet change came back again. It was implied that Ciel wanted this for something else than the reason he was enticing for. However, Lord Death saw no harm in answering a simple question. "The two are mixed up quite often," he started. "A demon makes a contract with the other party, and if the contract is followed, that will make the soul consumption completely legal. Though, if the demon were to break its contract or go on a soul hunting spree, they would be considered a Kishin, or a Kishin Egg. It all depends on how many souls have been collected. Demons make contracts while Kishins take without consent."
Ciel nodded. "It seems that a Kishin has found its way around Great Britain. The Queen has ordered me to track it down and execute it; however, Sebastian and I have little to no experience with Kishins- as you know. It isn't often when I need your help, Death. I don't think my demands are too much."
"It isn't often when you admit to needing help, either." He could tell that Ciel was refusing the urge to roll his eyes at the remark. What he didn't understand was why Ciel was being so nice to him. There had been times where Lord Death has seen his snarky and not-so-nice side. He either really does need the help or there is another motive. Taking that into thought, he decided to trust his beloved ally. It wouldn't be an alliance if he didn't give him the help needed, now would it? "Of course, you would be providing food, shelter, and hospitality for my students, correct?"
"Have I ever not met that demand?" was his response. He had a point, there had never been a time where he had even a complaint about the Phantomhive Manor. Ciel treated his students with respect, that was something he appreciated.
Lord Death shook his head. "That wasn't what I was implying, Phantomhive. I am just seeking assurance that our agreement has not changed."
"I wouldn't ever let you down." That statement hidden with promise was enough to assure the reaper. Ciel really did know how to do business.
Death was now the one nodding at the statement, already coming up with a list of compatible students for the task. His original thought was Maka Albarn and her weapon, Soul Evans. That thought was changed until another part of the story was brought to his attention.
"I suggest you bring a Weapon-Meister pair that knows what they're doing. Sebastian and I have done research, and we are certain there is a witch puppeting this Kishin."
The reaper cocked his head to a side. "What would make you say that?"
A sign of tension left the Earl, his mistress lightly gripping his arm for reassurance. Both of them had almost forgotten that she was there. When Ciel told her to be quiet at his meetings, she listened. "There have been traces of Black Magic left behind." A scoff left Lord Death. "We assume that it was used for luring victims to their demise. Though, we are not sure what to do with these samples, nor how the magic itself works."
"Black Magic, you say?" Death turned away, his hand going under his mask in thought. "Whoever is behind this must be trying to upset both I and the Witching Society. Black Magic is something that has been banned, even the recipe itself was forbidden from being transferred." Soul and Maka definitely couldn't handle such magic. Both of them already had issues with each other that needed to be worked out. Kid was brought to mind. He was strong-willed and could take the case on his shoulders, but Death wasn't a fan of having his son so far away. Though, this could be a chance to see if his son was immune to the magic and to see how much he's grown ever since his last bigger mission.
"But what is it?" Ciel questioned.
"Black Magic is the magic of emotion. It would be used for multiple occasions, each of them being sick in their own ways. The last person who had their hands on it used it for such purposes, causing the Eight Leagues and Witching Society to come together and ban it forever. The witches weren't happy about the change, which is why I see your assumption to be correct. Many witches come to mind when I think of Black Magic."
The explanation had Ciel compelled. The magic of emotion? Well, they did always say that love was a chemical reaction in the brain. Seeing that Lord Death wouldn't be able to tell him how it affected someone's system, he would just pester Sebastian about it later on. "Would any of your students be able to handle such magic?"
Lord Death forced himself to nod. "My son, yes."
"A son?" Ciel asked in shock. "I have never been informed of you having a son."
The reaper smiled with pride under his mask. "Yes, his name is Death The Kid. He is at the prime age of eighteen. He and his weapons would be able to help you solve the case, I'm sure of it. He is an intelligent boy, you know."
How could this reaper spawn be eighteen and Ciel not know about him until now? He was almost irritated. "When will they arrive?"
"I'll contact you when they're on their flight."
A charming smile returned to the Earl's face. "Thank you, Death. I appreciate the help."
Now, it was time to inform his beloved son the mission he was voluntelling him to do. Once heard the door open, the eldest reaper cringed. This would be the first time Kid would be so far away. This would be the first time Kid would be dealing with such a difficult mission. His biggest fear was that his son wasn't immune to this magic as he thought. If Kiddo weren't immune, he would be just as susceptible to death. He didn't even want to imagine the last thing his poor son would see if that were to happen.
"Father? You paged me?" the light baritone voice asked from behind him. He didn't even need to look, he could sense that his weapons were with him. Death had always loved Liz and Patty. They were such good influences on Kid, they teach him how to live life like a rational human being. Only Death knew about Kid's insecurities about being different.
"Yes, I did." Forcing himself to turn around, he faced his son with the undying pride he always had. "I have a big task for you and your weapons."
Kid shifted on his feet. "A big task, you say?"
His excitement was evident, even if he tried his best not to show it. He loved it whenever Death gave him big tasks or missions. It showed that he trusted Kid and that he was one step closer to claiming the Death Throne. Liz's hand went on his left shoulder to keep him still.
Death nodded, "I know that it's been a while since you've had a bigger mission. I've taken notice of how many missions you've been taking at a time from the board, so I've found something that will keep your attention for a while."
"Thank God," Liz chimed it, already feeling the light glare Kid was giving her. "Going from mission to mission is exhausting."
Lord Death chucked at that, "yes, I know. I've raised an overachiever." The tease caused Liz to scoff and giggle under her breath. "However, this isn't your ordinary mission. This is something much different if you care to stick around and listen."
Kid was intrigued. He has only heard of Black Magic a couple of times, never did he know it was such an issue. He just thought that it was banned due to a disagreement between the Eight Leagues and the Witching Society, never would he have thought it was due to the magic itself being so traumatic. "Interesting. It was said by Lord Phantomhive that the Kishin has contact with such magic?"
"That's what he just said," Liz sassed.
"She is really not having it with you today, Kiddo," Death responded, finding amusement in Liz constantly calling him out. Patty wasn't listening at all. Instead, they entertained her with a coloring book so that she wouldn't interrupt Death every two minutes. "Yes. A witch is suspected to be conducting this Kishin, whether they need to use the magic or not. Once you find the perpetrator, you need to report back to me. I wasn't fibbing when I said there would be harsh punishments for whoever contained it."
The young reaper nodded, showing that he understood. "Of course, I wouldn't hide that from you. Is there anything else that I need to know?"
There was a small silence. The only thing that could be heard was the scrape of a crayon scribbling onto paper. Kid's face paled a bit. Was he in trouble? Was there something his father knew about? He didn't pull these silences unless he was in thought or thinking about telling Kid something that he may be in trouble for. "Father?"
"Stay away from the Queen's Spider." The eldest reaper's voice was dark, a tone that Kid didn't hear often. It was giving the impression that there would be punishment if Kid didn't listen. "He is an evil soul that the DWMA has been trying to get for years. Stay away from him, he's bad news. He may seem kind and nice; however, you wouldn't want to know what happens behind those closed doors."
The pale on Kid's face soon flooded back with color. "Spider? I am aware that the Queen has names for her comrades, but I've never heard of the Spider."
"He goes by the name of Alois Trancy. That's all you need to know."
"Creepy," Liz chimed in once again. "Sounds like someone I wouldn't even want to look at the wrong way."
Death nodded once again. "You're correct, Liz. However, Phantomhive should do a good job keeping all of you away from him. He isn't a fan of Trancy, either. If there is something both of us share, it's our hatred towards him."
"Sebastian," Ciel demanded from his study. The Earl sat straight on his chair, paperwork being scattered on his desk. Each of them was stamped with a stamp that could only come from one person; the Queen. There was one letter from Lord Death, though, he hasn't had the time to read it. At this point, he assumed it was the reaper trying to communicate since Ciel didn't talk to him often.
The butler knocked twice before entering the room, bowing to his young master once he had made it inside. "Yes, my lord?"
"How does this 'Black Magic' work on a human being?" he asked, crossing one leg over the other. "Death was speaking about it but failed to inform me of how it works on someone to make them so sick in the head. You will have to take his place in giving me this information. I'm sure you know at least something about it."
Rising from his bow, the butler in black stood straighter. It was 2018, and Ciel had barely adapted to it. He had to change his wardrobe over the years to match whatever style was going on, and boy, he wasn't a fan of this generation. He did keep some things from his age, some coats and shoes that he wouldn't give up wearing. He had just gotten a cell phone and barely knew how to use it, nor did he care to. It usually just sat on the dresser in his room, Ciel not bothering to give it any attention unless needed. "Black Magic is the concoction made by the witches to manipulate people into their trickery," he started, having Ciel's full attention as he spoke. "There are different forms of the spell. It affects the brain directly, making it more powerful than it would if it affected the heart. I will take the feeling of love as an example. Love is a chemical reaction in the brain. Black Magic can conduct that reaction to form a love for the person that has cast it. Witches would use it on humans so that they would adore them enough to do anything they said, giving Death no other choice but to ban it. It caused a conflict between the Eight Leagues and the Witching Society. Once the witches surrendered, the Treaty of Life was born to ban it. It was the treaty that ended all wars."
A grin appeared on the Earl's face. It was a grin of thought about what the witches would make their victims do for the old man to start a war. Lord Death wasn't easily displeased. However, he used to be a very different man than he was now. He has learned the art of patience and understanding. It could be assumed that he learned that from his son. The idea of Death having a son was still something Ciel couldn't quite wrap his mind around. Did Death even know how to take care of babies? It looks like he'll find out as soon as the brat arrives.
"It sounds like magic of manipulation, then. The idea itself is quite interesting. I'm surprised that Alois didn't nab on it when he had the chance." Alois' death was a weight lifted off of his shoulders. Ever since the day he died, Ciel had felt relief. The Earl thought he was strict on his servants until he saw what the Spider has done to his own.
"You and I, we're the same.."
Sebastian gave him a slight nod, showing that he was following the conversation. "Yes, indeed. However, Lord Death was quite serious when he had explained the punishments for containing such magic. I don't care for grim reapers, nor witches."
Ciel noted the new information. "I assume that this one carries innocence, being the youngest heir. Eighteen years old, I was told. With how jolly Lord Death is, I'm sure he was spoiled as a young boy."
"It is no good to assume, my lord," Sebastian scolded. "After these years of proper teachings, sometimes it seems as if you've learned nothing."
The bluenet rolled his eyes at the comment. "This soul will be interesting, Sebastian. I wonder if he can truly feel emotion. If he is as smart as the old man gives him credit for, then the Prince of Death stay out of my way."
The butler shook his head at the arrogant comment. Sebastian knew about this son, he knew a hell of a lot more than Ciel did. He was a half-human, half-reaper hybrid until he matured to take his father's place. It wasn't like Sebastian kept up on Death's personal life, but the news was impressive when it came. "Young Master, the help would be terrific for you. It has been a while since you've had a business partner." Feeling the glare from the Trancy reference, the butler smirked. "And, I don't think Death The Kid will just step out of the way while you try and do all of the work by yourself. He is an expert on Kishins, experienced in the knowledge that we have not even scraped the surface of. You may like him more than you let on."
"You're quite chatty today, Sebastian," Ciel pointed out. Where he got all of this information on was beyond him, but there are many possibilities. Looking back down at his papers, the young lord tried to get back to the task at hand. "Do you think the Queen will assign him a place?"
The question was taken into thought. Sebastian was aware that the Queen and Lord Death did have a good bond, though, he wasn't sure if it was enough for the Queen to bend and give Kid a place under her wing. "Perhaps. It wouldn't be likely since his time here is temporary. If he does, that will give you another reason to treat him with the utmost respect. You wouldn't want the public to start gossiping."
As correct as his butler was, Ciel would never admit it. He hated whenever the public started to gossip and question what he did, which was frequently lately. The Earl didn't understand why they didn't have faith in their Watchdog like they used to. Nevertheless, he was quite popular with the females, many of them writing how he should disband his engagement with Lady Elizabeth.
"Make sure their rooms are ready, we don't have much time before they arrive," Ciel demanded, the butler bowing.
"Yes, my lord."
As he left, the door closed to leave Ciel in solitude. A sigh left his lips, his posture faltering into a slouch. Sebastian was right; he needed someone like Kid now more than anything. This was something he could only admit to himself. Though, with the public endorsement from somebody like the young reaper, Ciel could rise in popularity once again. Reputation was necessary, no, status was everything. He needed to make his arrival warm and welcome.
A party came to mind. It would be a bit suspicious that the Earl of Phantomhive was having a gathering in such short notice, but he was going to do whatever it took to keep his reputation up and puppet this reaper like a show he's never performed before.
This was it. This was the beginning of Kid's Arc.
