It was dark.
They were in a pitch black room, locked up in small cages like they were all wild animals that needed to be contained. Each cage held two children; whether or not both were alive, though, was a different matter.
It's been a month since they've been imprisoned. They were tortured countless times and always in different methods, but they still fought for life - they're still fighting for life. While their actual expectations of survival were low, they still had hope. Hope was something a child in this situation could only wish to have, and while most did have it in the beginning, it all but dissipated when the majority of their cellmates perished within the first two weeks.
Although the situation they were currently in was godless and utter hell, the two siblings were lucky enough to be put in the same cage as each other.
The young girl's eyes constricted as she tried to adjust them to the darkness that enveloped the room, "Ciel?" She whispered, reaching aimlessly around the small cage.
"I'm right here." He whispered back in a calming tone, grabbing her hand with a soft squeeze as he intertwined their fingers together.
Just then, a door on the opposite side of the room opened up, causing a blinding ray of light to shoot into the room. Truth be told, it really wasn't that bright, but these kids have been in the dark for days; any light was a bright enough one to temporarily impair their vision.
Two men who wore the same mask and robe then walked through the doorway and glanced around at all of the children. Their gazes were twisted and disgusting, causing any child who locked eyes with them to cringe involuntarily as their skin crawled.
"Alright, brats. Any o' you wanna play a game?" The taller man asked, a wide smirk claiming his cracked lips as he looked at the children with eyes that beckoned for the sight of blood. It was obvious he had lost his humanity long ago.
The other man remained silent, but the expression in his gaze was no different. It was sick.
Ciel masked his worry with a warm smile as he looked over to the trembling girl beside him, gently stroking her tiny thumb with his own in attempt to soothe her nerves. It worked to an extent, but not enough to keep her frame from shaking.
Although it was true that he was just as scared as her (if not worse), he felt that he had to conceal his emotions for her sake. If he showed any sign of fear, hers would only skyrocket. However, if he could manage to hide it, then maybe she wouldn't feel so afraid. This is what has kept them both going for as long as they've been, how they both kept their hope.
The tall man scanned over all of the cages with disinterest; all of the children had empty eyes, like they were just hollowed-out shells of their former selves, and they were, in a way. Death tends to take the shine out of one's eyes, you know? However, once his gaze landed on the cage with Ciel and Cerelia, his face lit up.
"How 'bout one o' you?" He asked with a large smile, strolling over towards their cage. He knelt down to the point that he was eye-to-eye with them. "You two are the only ones that don't look practically dead yet... How 'bout we give that twinkle in yer eyes a little test?"
Ciel moved over slightly, shielding Cerelia from the man's view as he then spoke in a choked-out, panicked voice, "I-I'll do it..!" He was scared to death for whatever hell awaited him, but he couldn't just let Cerelia go through the pain. She had been through enough already; this was only a small sacrifice on his part.
"Ciel..!" Cerelia whisper-shouted, tightening her grip on his hand. She spoke just loud enough for Ciel to hear, but for it to also go undetected by the masked man. The expression those big blue hues held was utterly chilling, full of both fear and fire. Anxiety riddled her voice soundless as she mouthed a silent, "Don't do this."
"Hm... I disagree! The little missy behind ya looks like she's ready for some fun!" The man laughed hysterically, his madness peaking through his joy as he forcefully opened up the cell, reaching in only to roughly push Ciel out of the way, and grab Cerelia by her dirty, matted hair. He yanked her forward, dragging her out into the open without the slightest bit of care as she whimpered quietly under his hold.
A tidal wave of anxiety crashed over Ciel as the man lifted his sister off of the ground by her cerulean locks, and placed her on the metal table in the center of the room. This wasn't at all what he thought would happen; he thought that he would be the one taking the beating - not her.
"Alright, boy! Now, this game is pretty simple!" The man exclaimed, holding Cerelia down as the shorter man fastened the straps around her wrists and ankles. "All ya gotta do is guess how long it'll take for the lass to pass out from the pain! If ya guess right, then we won't bother ya for an entire week, but if ya guess wrong, then yer gonna be gettin' what the gal gets!"
Ciel was speechless. Just what was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to do? He just wanted the pain to stop, for his innocent sister's suffering to end even if it meant it'd be projected onto him in compensation. He was willing to trade places with her in a heartbeat if it meant Cerelia would be safe.
"Well? What's yer answer?" The man asked, surprisingly being patient with the boy. He was enjoying watching the life drain from the young noble's face as he sat there, dumbstruck.
Cerelia kept silent where she laid, not wanting to upset their captors in fear she'd receive an even worse punishment. Though, it's not like she could've voiced a single vowel if she wanted to; a lump in her throat rendered her mute as she stayed perfectly still, terrified of what would happen to her within the next few seconds.
Tears welled up in Ciel's azure eyes as his throat began to burn, and he could no longer mask his horror as he spoke up in a shaky voice, "Switch us! Let me be over there instead!"
"It ain't no fun if ya WANNA be the punchbag!" The man sighed as he shook his head and looked away, "If yer not gonna play the game, then just stay quiet." He then glanced over to his partner, "What's yer guess?"
"Mm... Five minutes tops, I'd say." He responded with a low, devilish chuckle.
"Lets see if yer right!" The taller man cackled, cracking his knuckles as he looked at all of the torture weapons that were sprawled out on the other table that stood parallel to the one Cerelia was occupying. He lifted up a metal rod and grinned as he then glanced over to his accomplice, "Light up the fireplace!"
He did as he was told, and in a flash, the taller man already had the end of the rod poked into the roaring flames. He removed it from the fire and admired the bright red glow it had as he turned to Cerelia. The panic etched in her eyes was enough to awaken the beast within him, and without a moment to spare, he was already pressing the immensely hot rod into the flesh on the inner part of her left thigh.
She let out an ear-splitting scream as the metal sizzled against her skin, causing it to swell up and bubble. This only fed into the two men's craving as the taller man dropped the rod onto the ground, discarding it and reaching for other tools with the shorter man joining him in doing so.
Ciel watched in terror as his beloved twin sister was mercilessly tortured, and before he was aware of it, a dark aura had formed just outside of his cage.
"She's going to die at this rate, you know." The entity spoke.
"I know! But... I don't know what I could do..!" Ciel hastily replied in a panicked whisper, his sight never leaving the horrid scene before him.
"You could form a contract with me. I could put all of this to an end in a blink of an eye; I can grant any wish that you so desire for a simple exchange."
"I-I'll do anything - just tell me what you want!" The boy choked out; the words in his throat growing heavy and making it difficult for him to voice them.
"Are you certain you'd be willing to give up your soul? You do know that once the contract is complete, you won't be able to go to either Heaven nor Hell..?"
"I don't care!" He screamed, this time finally looking over to the demon with a fire burning in his eyes so harshly, the demon couldn't help but to grin at this.
"Very well. Once your first order has been made, the contract will be made. So... what shall it be?"
"KILL THEM!" Ciel shouted, eyes closed tightly as a gust of wind blew through the air. In the second it took for his eyes to open, he saw that everyone around him was already lying motionlessly on the ground. The entire room began to wreak of blood, causing the boy's nose to wrinkle up in disgust as he quickly pinched his nose shut with his thumb and index finger.
The demon stood at the entrance of the cage, holding his hand out for the boy so he could help him out.
Ciel reached out with his free hand, accepting the demon's gesture. He quickly exited the small box and immediately ran across the room to his sister who lied perfectly frozen on the table with her eyes closed, glistening tears trailing down the sides of her face as her features were contorted in a pained expression. "Cerelia, look at me! We're going to get out of here, okay?" He spoke, trying to reassure the agonized girl as he rushed to remove the restraints from her limbs.
"I don't believe she can hear you in the state she's in." The demon spoke up, lingering behind the small boy. "By the looks of it, I would say she has less than a day to live. That is, if she doesn't receive proper treatment soon. Then, it will be up to luck if she survives or not."
"Shut up!" Ciel exclaimed as he roughly wiped the tears from his eyes. "Just carry her, alright?"
"As you wish."