Maylene was floating in a darkness. There were sounds, but they seemed so far away…and it was so peaceful there, in that darkness, that she didn't want to leave. Just…float; just be.
"Maylene!"
Huh, Maylene thought. How odd. That last sound sounded like…
"Miss Maylene!"
Just a little longer, Maylene thought. Just a little…..
"Miss Maylene! Please wake up!"
Maylene blearily opened her eyes. The London street looked blurry through her eyes. There was a hand on her shoulder, shaking her. Her sleepy eyes roamed around and fell on someone lying down across from her. He looked familiar. Maylene squinted.
Blonde hair, a white outfit, and a large gun next to him…..Bard.
Maylene gasped as she sat straight up, then coughed the smoke from her lungs. Her friends were lying around her; Bard, Finny, and Pluto. Agni was sitting over her, worried as she looked around quickly.
London was burning to the ground. People were screaming, running for safety with the little they could save. The flames had engulfed the entire city, licking away at the night air through the shattered windows of falling buildings, manifesting all that was chaos and destruction. It resembled Hell, with the flames and screaming surrounding them. Maylene shuddered as she fell forward into Agni's arms, coughing and shuddering at the destruction. Entire buildings that had once been painted white were now charred black and glowing red from the fire and its havoc.
"Quickly, Miss Maylene," Agni said, "we need to get out of the city! Prince Soma is waiting for us!" Agni tugged Maylene upright, pulling her away from her friends. "We must leave! Quickly!"
Maylene weakly went after him, half staggering and half being dragged away. "Wait! What about Bard and Finny! We have to- *cough, cough*- we have to get them!"
Agni grimaced and turned away from her. "Come on!" he shouted, pulling her towards the park where Prince Soma was waiting. Maylene protested as much as she could, trying to pull away from Agni, not wanting to believe what she had seen in his grimace.
They couldn't be – could they? No…no…!
Maylene was dragged by Agni away from the fire, towards wherever their destination was. All the while, as Maylene was being dragged away through the wreckage and chaos, the screaming and the destruction, coughing through the smoke, away from her newly gone friends, tears stinging her eyes, caused by the sadness and agony as much as the soot and ash, questions rang through her foggy mind.
Firstly, where was the Ciel Phantomhive, her young master? Why did her friends die, and not her? Why did Pluto have to start this horrible fire? Why did this have to happen? But most importantly, about the one she loved, that perfect, unchanging Phantomhive butler…..
Where was Sebastian Michaelis?
~X~~~0~~~X~
Afore said demon was on an unknown island, dragging the dead body of Ciel Phantomhive across the barren clearing. His left arm had formed anew, Ciel's soul having fueled his regenerative abilities after having been starved such a long time. However, the wait had been worth it. This soul had tasted exceptional; an evil one to be sure, with a touch of the sadness that had plagued the child since his parents' passing. The demon was now more powerful than he had been before coming into the child's service, after devouring that master's soul.
The demon pulled his previous master's body behind him, dragging it through the dirt. The small boy's dead body did not complain or make demands like it had when it was alive.
All the better, the demon thought, looking around him. Ah, there it is. The demon came upon an area where there was a slight pit, surrounded by a ring of dirt mounds. A smirk showed itself on the demon's face as he picked up the body and threw it into the pit. The demon then sat down on one of the mounds around the pit as his own dark aura swirled around him. He raised his left hand. His demonic eyes gleamed red, and the pentacle on his hand glowed brightly in response. Suddenly, ravens swooped down from above with incredible speed and were soon feasting on the small boy. The demon smiled and let his hand drop, pleasantly watching the grotesque scene.
Many a time had this certain demon come to this island for his masters' final moments. He would watch as their bodies were devoured, ripped to shreds by the local birds, or as they plummeted to the murky depths of the surrounding ocean. He would smile, watching the bodies being mutilated, recalling any humiliations and troubles that he had gone through and thinking: It had all been worth it.
This certain master had caused him much pain and hunger, not to mention troubles galore. However, as he watched the small body being ripped into pieces, being devoured by the ravens as his master had wished, he felt better. With any luck, the others were gone too. The useless servants were probably dead, saving him the trouble of cleaning up another one of their messes ever again, and if Agni were to die in the fire – well, it was better for a demon to not have any friends. Such things could have very bloody results.
When the birds had calmed down and were not picking at the now unrecognizable flesh as viciously, the demon sighed and leaned back. The meal had been better than most, so perhaps he could rest a few months before going back into another mortal's service. As the demon thought of this option, one of the ravens glided over to where he was. The raven squawked hideously, then began to transform into an ugly creature that was more familiar to the demon. Black feathers swirled around it, disguising and amplifying the ugliness of the creature.
The demon looked down in recognition and sighed once more. "Haitius, what are you doing here?" the demon asked of his imp minion. "Is there news?"
The imp looked up with his large black eyes. "Yes, Sire. I've come here to warn you."
The demon raised one eyebrow imploringly. "About what?"
"You see, Sire, that last battle you had with the fallen angel Angela wasn't exactly subtle. You revealed your true form in that battle, thereby revealing your dark energies to the world. While the ignorant humans may not sense it, even a lowly imp like myself was able to locate you quite easily." The imp hesitated, thinking about what he was to say, then went on. "Since it is only if you are searching for a specific energy that a supernatural being like ourselves may sense it, there would usually be little to worry about. However, since you are so powerful –"
"Get to the point, Haitius. I have already learned all that you speak of. What do I have to worry about? My enemies have all stopped searching for me out of boredom or disinterest, and very few know what my energy is. In any case, wouldn't the angel's energy that practically exploded out of her being at death have covered my own energy?" The demon leaned forward. "While I'm at it, I may also add that while you are an imp, you are the only one of my minions who still cares enough to search for me at all. Have not the others given up on controlling me at this point?"
The imp winced and replied, "True enough. However, I was not the only one searching for you. While all of the others may have ceased to care whether you live or die, your father –"
The demon suddenly hissed at the imp, shouting, "Do not speak of him! I have told you this enough times!" The imp stared into the fearsome eyes, glowing angrily down at him. After a moment, the eyes lost some of their intensity and the demon calmed down, and he spoke again. "I am sorry for losing my temper with you. You did no wrong. Go on."
The imp cautiously went on, looking up at his master as he spoke. "Your father was searching for you when you released your energy so recklessly. He had never stopped searching for you, not even when everyone else did. After you ran off, he murdered your elder brother out of insanity. Since you are the second eldest, he has been looking for you, wishing to impose you as the new heir to his power."
The demon's eyes were now widened as he understood what Haitius was telling him. However, the imp continued. "Sire, your father now knows where you have been hiding. His power makes him slow to get here, but he will come. And when he does….you will be brought home once again."
After a silent, motionless moment, the demon stood. He walked slowly over to the beach where the small boat rested, his mind turning over images of his father, of the absolute power he wielded, and the situation came fully to his mind.
"It's hopeless, then." The demon quietly whispered to himself. "Father…he is more powerful than I could hope to be." The demon straightened up, ridding himself of his dark aura, returning to his human form. In a louder voice, he said, "There is nothing for it." Sebastian headed for the boat, determined now.
The imp minion ran after him. "Where are you going, Sire?"
Sebastian turned around, a look of hopeless determination on his face. "Do not call me 'Sire' in this form. I am to be called Sebastian Michaelis, the name I was given, until I say otherwise. I am going back to London to clean up the mess I made there." Sebastian looked forward once more, walking towards the boat. "If anything, Father does not like a mess."
"Si- Sebastian, you surely do not mean to say that you are going to help rebuild London?" Haitius had known his master to be talented, but this?
Sebastian had reached the boat and was preparing to take off. "Of course not. If I were to do such a kind thing it would only be a disappointment to him. No, I mean to cease the existence of Sebastian Michaelis. If there are any who are left to remember and tell of me, that would mean that I had left a mess." Sebastian now had the oar in his hands and looked to the imp once more before departing. "I must see who has lived through the fire. I could more than likely convince people to never mention the name 'Sebastian Michaelis' ever again. I will kill them, if I must." Sebastian sighed and held his face in his hand. "However, that would cause a bigger mess to clean up….I'll fix it somehow."
So Sebastian took up the oar and shoved off of the dead island, off to clean up the mess in London.
