The Mystic Eyes of Harry Potter
Holy Orders
Ten minutes later
The grass crunched beneath my feet as I watched the crystalline structure shatter and melt around me. My uniform was plastered to my body, drenched as I was in the bodily fluids of the youngling I slayed.
That defenceless child.
My glasses were back on my face, shielding my eyes from sensing the death in everything around me. The dull throb in my head was fading away in the background as I surveyed the damage around us.
The bodies of the Sidhe were nothing more than patches of wet earth, the grass growing white from their skin drying up and breaking up into powder due to the lack of internal organs keeping them moist.
Petunia was sitting on a stump, caused by one of her wilder attacks, where she reinforced her blades to simply destroy the tree and the enemy behind it. Wiping the blades on her anti-demon enchanted paper, she kept her eyes firmly on the other person with us.
I looked to my professor carefully. Ciel was standing away from us, looking at the ground with a furrowed brow as she held her Black Keys tighter.
Unable to take the silence any more, I walked up to her.
"Ciel, what's wrong?"
Her animal irises expanded to normal human proportions, and her face became smooth once more as her worry lines vanished.
"Nothing, this ground is now cursed and the grass will never grow again here." Her hand flinched, making the Keys clatter together, "I have the ability to purify the land here, but to do so whilst there is an opponent like her would only result in a further, unnecessary, battle. Also, this is Protestant land, so it would go against the Vatican regulations."
I understood what she meant. Since the Reformation in the 16th century that we were taught in primary school, England had its own separate religious belief. The Anglican Church was still officially Christian, but the main Roman Catholic side is probably still a little upset over the way it was created.
The way she was acting though, was contrary to what her order seemed to be.
"You still want to help though, don't you?"
I could see her fidget, the plain fact of the land being cursed for all time was right in front of her, something she could restore but she was denied permission to do so.
"Yes… Despite everything." She turned away, "I can't hide it though, if I was to perform the ritual here, they would find out."
I shirked back, feeling a sudden pulse of energy from Ciel as she directed her full attention onto me. Petunia got to her feet rapidly.
"What are you thinking, Executor?" Her pose was ready for a fast strike.
"Nothing, Demon Hunter." Ciel stared back at her, her eyes never wavering from me.
Petunia folded her arms, "You're not going to be able to hypnotise him to believe in you, he can break out of that."
Even as she spoke, the pressure lessened as Ciel lowered her eyelids slightly, "I was not forcing anything upon Harry."
"It felt like a suggestion to be honest…" I spoke up, trying to diffuse this electric tension crackling around me.
Her eyebrows moved closer to each other as the stare vanished, only to be replaced with a searching expression.
"Harry, I didn't mean to…" She shut her eyes and turned around, the metal of her Keys turning white and disappearing into the hilt as she hid them beneath her sleeves, "I'll see you back at school for the next term."
She started off without pausing. Petunia scoffed, "Good riddance, the Church are never to be trusted."
I felt that other side of me bubble up, "Shut up." I pointed my blade at her, "I'm not one of you. Ciel may be your enemy, but she's not mine."
She spat on the grey soil, "Fine, if you want to chase her, be that way." Her sneer was dripped in oily tar, "Thanks to your childish promise with your not-girlfriend, there'll be no more targets for you this summer. I cannot teach you without live prey any more. If you think you can learn more from Bow, then go ahead."
Her glare was deadly, and I felt her eyes forcing something onto me.
"Thanks to your Headmaster, I am obligated to keep you in my house for the majority of the summer. He didn't mention me needing to be near you throughout the time." Slashing her weapons at me in a defensive gesture as she was sheathing them, Petunia stamped up to her feet, "So, begone from my sight, and make sure you get home in time for the term to begin."
I took a step back and noticed that she really intended to leave me here, running into the woods and speeding to where the car was parked several miles away.
Without wasting any more time, I leapt over the small hill in the opposite direction and saw Ciel still walking away, an inconspicuous car nearly blending into the background waiting for her.
"Ciel, wait for me!"
I ran to her. No thanks to Petunia's insane training, and the practise I had at school, I knew I could catch up to her, if she was a normal human.
But I knew somehow, she wasn't entirely human, not any more.
Therefore I didn't lower my speed, afraid she may choose to escape at her top speed, which I would never be able to match now. My muscles weren't the greatest for long enduring sprints.
Her quizzical face made me chuckle.
"Harry, what are you doing?"
I saw her fingers gesture strangely, before I realised how odd it must be for her.
She saw a boy like me recently and savagely kill the most vulnerable creature after having slain three others and then having this person run to her when he should have returned home.
I skidded to a stop just as I felt the magic flush the area, her eyes were cautious and calculating.
The sweat beaded on my brow as I panted to release the adrenaline slowly.
She thought I was here to finish her off.
"Sorry…" I walked normally, trying to slow my accelerated heartbeat, "I didn't mean to scare you, Ciel." I was within two metres of her, just outside her range, "I'm not upset about the suggestion thing earlier. Petunia's right, it didn't really affect me that much." I smiled at her, "You could have just asked me if you wanted to know something."
"H-Harry…" The hilts in her hand retreated into her sleeve again, "I don't understand… Why are you here?"
"I need to explain things to you. I'm not like Petunia. Can we go somewhere to talk in private?"
Ciel cracked a real smile now, her guard lowering completely, "We're already completely alone here, Harry. How much more private do you want?"
I coughed, realising how stupid I must sound now, only to feel a warm piece of clothing covering me.
"Come on, you're freezing and you don't even realise it." Her head indicated the car, "I'll put the heating on."
Walking briskly to it, she had handed me her holy robes, which were a little too big for me, but somehow shrunk in size to fit me. They also felt very heavy, something was hard and lined inside the sleeves. They were also generating something akin to an anti-cold field, perhaps a heating charm.
This was when I noticed her body.
The slim outfit she wore beneath it left little to the imagination, and I began to wonder if she was getting a chill given how much of her arms and legs were exposed to the air. There was a slight humming coming from her person, and I could see a faint shimmer about her person, perhaps she was generating a shield of her own. I could even see some faint tattoos flickering, but they were too indistinct to really tell what they were.
"As part of the Church, it wouldn't do for one of her faithful to be exposed to the elements and experience their side-effects." She was simply shrugging off the morning freeze, as she opened the door to her small car "Get in."
Looking at the mini, I pulled off the robe and handed it to its rightful owner, and the size returned to its standard one. Faltering for a second, she smiled and put it on again before patting me on the head.
Once inside the cramped space, she turned the ignition and the engine sputtered into life. Moving her hand, she switched on the heating, the fan blowing into her hair.
"Aah, much better." Her face was rosy, though I assumed that the intense fire being blown out from the vent helped, "Don't you think Harry?"
"Yeah, it's really snug now."
It was the truth, within a minute the whole car was now perfect for room temperature, and even the fogged up window didn't feel so cold even though it was really close to it. I could feel the heat permeating my uniform, and it dried quickly, returning to its normal colour.
"I cast a spell to clean you up; we can't have you walking about like that in polite company." Ciel explained.
After a minute of allowing the windscreen to become transparent again, Ciel began to drive away, her mind now focused on the road.
Her look on concentration was a little too intense for the mundane act of keeping to her lane, and I took a metaphorical stab in the dark at what she was thinking about.
"You probably want to know everything about me now, right?"
Her gaze passed over me for a second, "To be honest, after seeing something like that, I'm not really sure I want to know, but I can't just leave it be both as your teacher and as a member of the Church."
A sigh escaped my lips, at least she was honest. I didn't expect this secret of mine to be kept for too long. The problem was that a teacher had found out, which may make life harder at school.
This is disregarding the obvious factor of her belonging to the Church, a group Petunia has mentioned before we even met her.
"Okay, I don't know what I can tell you, I'm pretty new to all this too, but what do you need from me?"
Ciel raised an eyebrow at this, "I don't need anything, Harry." She changed gear as we neared the motorway, even though it felt like the car was barely moving compared to the other people speeding this early in the morning, "Are you a killer? That is my main question."
"I don't kill humans."
That was my truth. I only feel the need to kill anything non-human. Voldemort in the Professor's body didn't count since in my mind, I couldn't consider him human, the way he possessed him.
"Good response, but that didn't answer my question." Her face hardened, "I can't have you go down the same path as me Harry, there is only suffering in the end."
I had to smile, she was right of course, but that didn't mean that just because of that I would stop.
"You've probably read about how my parents died, how Voldemort killed them and then trying with me." My breath fogged up the glass a little, "I was left without a family, except the Dursleys..." I felt my hand grip my knees tighter, "And Petunia..."
"I was like you once, my family died too, my whole village." The eyes were downcast, before she smiled at me peacefully, "Then I died, and now here I am, atoning. Unable to die again."
"Unable?" I had to see for myself, only my Invisibility cloak was impervious to damage.
I stared at her, peeking over the rim of my glasses, and wasn't surprised to see lines on her. However, they were admittedly small and harder to trace than normal humans and demons.
And a thousand times less than Professor Quirrell...
My stomach lurched badly, the shock of seeing such a dead-yet-living body back then still gives me the creeps, reminding me that my eyes were some sort of abomination. My glasses were plastered back to protect my sanity again.
"What's wrong, Harry?" She flashed the indicator and parked on the hard shoulder of the motorway, "Are you sick?"
"No... Well, not in the usual sense..." I had already given in and told my friends, since they would be most understanding of what my life is like on a daily sense.
I was never going to tell Petunia, even if I had to take it with me to the grave.
But...
There's a part of me that wishes I could somehow let an adult know, someone who could tell me what I was doing was right or wrong, to ask me how I was, to talk to me from a position of experience.
The only person that came to mind from my entire life was Miss, but I had a feeling I wouldn't see her again for many years.
In spite of all the original misgivings I had about her during that first school lesson, I knew that somehow she was the best person to talk to about all this.
"H-How many people have you killed, Ciel?"
She drew back at my serious question, "Where's this coming from now?"
"I saw you, the way you fought Petunia and the Sidhe, you've fought in many battles, I can tell." I had to know this first of all before letting her know, "Can you remember everyone you killed?"
Letting out a deep breath, she turned to me fully, her eyes never drifting above my neck.
"Yes, everyone, each man, woman, child, demon, werewolf, and vampire." Her hand gripped my own, "I can't count the numbers, there's too many to list, too many souls that have been lost."
I nodded back at her, "That's good to hear, you are a good killer, like me and Petunia. Although she thinks that she's better than you, you're both the same in that you are suited to fight and kill." I covered Ciel's hand with my other, "Unlike Petunia though, we both feel a part of us die each time we kill. That's why I know I can tell you my secret."
"Secret?" Ciel looked up at me as I took off my glasses.
"The main reason how I can kill anything with my knife."
Half an hour later
Cornwall
The early morning radio was quiet in the trundling Mini as we turned off the motorway to some quiet streets in the middle of some fields.
Ciel was abnormally quiet after I told her about my eyes, the lines where places can be cut, how I used it on inanimate objects, and against the demons Petunia set me up against.
A part of me wondered if I had to prevent her from ever leaving this car alive.
Thankfully I squashed down that impulse before it had a chance to grow and infest me. All the while, the radio was sending out the soft crooning sounds before the static grew too intense.
Ciel switched it off finally when nothing of the music could be heard on the radio.
"By the way, where are we going?"
Ciel nodded ahead of her, "There."
There was a small church in the middle of the plain, surrounded by old rocks and was placed at the top of a small hill. As we got closer I realised the rocks were actually gravestones, and they littered the flat grounds around the hill.
Stopping the car, Ciel opened the door and I mirrored her actions. She seemed tense as he looked up at the building.
"Is there a demon in there, or a vampire?" I asked, partly hopeful too since it would snap her out of this strange silent mood.
"Hardly, quite the opposite in fact, I doubt anything unholy or impure of heart could get this close." She turned to face me, "That fact that you are still here is impressive, since everyone else has more or less abandoned this land, leaving it to return to nature. The fact that this area is Unplottable only enhances that fact."
"Umm... Thanks, I think..."
In a way I think she was saying that I wasn't as bad as she thought.
"You've entrusted me with a terrible truth, Harry. Your ability to cut into lines which no other human or non-human can see defies all magical theory. The only thing it can link back to is from your first real encounter with a spell, being the Killing Curse. It failed in its task, but gave you this curse, your Mystic Eyes do not see only where things can be cut, they can see the death of the object."
"The death...?"
I had never thought of it like that. Of course, if a human had an arm or two cut off didn't die from the shock, they would later die due to blood loss. However, would slicing a finger do the same thing, or just one hand?
Ciel must have seen me mulling this over, since she answered me.
"Yes, you are physically cutting parts away from the body, but at the same time, you are killing that object by severing all ties to the parent. If you did that to a vampire whose sole ability was to split himself into six hundred and sixty six beasts, then each animal you cut would forever be unable to heal and return to the main body. Like removing a piece from a completed puzzle and distorting the connectors, you can't simply clip it back into place; it would forever be loose, broken, and imperfect."
Her face grew stern again, "This power is beyond anything I have ever seen, even in the Scriptures..." She walked towards me, "And it all resides in you, Harry. The offspring of two outcasts of the elite Demon Hunter clans and an ancient wizarding family."
I closed my eyes, realising too late that she lured me here, to die alone in a place where no one could ever find me or my rotting body for years to come.
I felt her hand land on my head, before beginning to ruffle through my hair.
"Good thing for you that there's someone like me to help you out if you ever feel pressured by everything around you."
That's when all doubts were erased in me, that day in the peaceful fields with the sunrise behind her, rubbing my head like a mother would do to an adoring child.
Ciel would never harm me as long as I lived.
"You ready, Harry?" She held out her hand to me, and I accepted it.
"For what?"
"Very few people have ever been to this sacred place, you will be one of the privileged."
She pushed open the creaking oak doors, a series of indecipherable runes and words from a tongue I didn't recognise engraved in the door arch flickered slightly in the sunlight.
As the beam of light entered the chapel, I saw not a speck of dust in the air as you would expect from any location. Somehow this place was blessed to such an extent that time was halted, preventing anything from degrading or slowly eroding.
Ciel walked up the aisle, her clomping boots echoing on the stone slabs, walking past the pews. I was close behind her, eager to see what she was trying to find.
"Wait here, Harry."
Ciel went up the three steps to the altar as the sun shone down upon it from the large stained glass window, streaming yellow, white and blue light onto the large marble block which had a cross engraved on it, facing the congregation.
She knelt in front of the altar performed the sign of the cross and whispered a small prayer, before getting up and nearing behind the altar.
She bent over, and then completely knelt to the ground, but I couldn't see what she was doing.
"It's not here..."
She stood up, holding only a blue shroud, which must have held a large object in it until recently; I could feel that shroud from here, sensing some sort of power from it.
"What's missing, Ciel?"
She shook her head, "I can't tell you Harry, sorry. It's restricted knowledge for almost all wizards." She laid a hand on the altar and felt the smooth, unmarred surface, "Suffice it to say, it is very powerful and ancient, but it has been taken away from its rightful spot." She looked at me neutrally, "I need to report this to my superiors."
She started down the steps, and as I looked up above her, I realised that the stained glass wasn't of who I expected at all.
Petunia and the Vernon weren't very religious, but they took me and Dudley to Mass sometimes just to be seen by the neighbours and the school they wanted Dudley to get into. On their main windows in that church, the cross motive is standard, as was the ever-present image of Christ.
However, this one was different. A group of people, mostly silver colours were kneeling front of a small figure sitting on a throne. Instead of a crown of thorns, there was a gold one there, and the face, while not very detailed, was distinctly smaller and paler, with blonde hair. The person wore robes of blue and silver and the hands were resting on a yellow and white sword which was pointed down onto the space in front of the throne.
This didn't match up to anything in the history I learnt about, which is why it stood out to me. Ciel wasn't going to elaborate further on what she was trying to find, so I jogged after her to the doorway, but not before I gave one more look at that altar and window.
I had to seal that image into my memory, since every sense in my body told me I would never see this place again in my life.
Within minutes we were in the car, returning to civilisation, after a mile, I felt my body grow colder and shivered.
"Don't worry, it'll pass, we've just left the bounded field of that area, your body will return to normal in a few moments." She handed me the blue shroud from the back seat, the one removed from the chapel, "Keep this, it should warm you up."
"So, where are we going now?" I asked, after seeing that she was biting her lip.
"I'm meeting my contact in London. You however, I have to take home." Ciel glanced at me kindly, "I've already shown you too much of my world, you have school to think about and -"
"And killing demons assigned to me?" I scoffed back, "Ciel, I know what you're talking about, but we do live in the same dark side of England, with skills that no else should know about."
She paused after my interruption, "True. But I can't risk you meeting him."
Pulling out her mobile phone, Ciel began to dial a number.
"It's me. The artefact is missing." A voice responded on the other end, "I'm with someone here, so after I drop him off, we can meet." The voice seemed curious from its heightened tone. Ciel took some time to reply before glancing at me, "Harry Potter."
Now I definitely heard laughter before he person continued. Ciel jerked her hand at me, "For you."
Her eyes were murderous as I took the phone, "H-Hello?"
"A pleasure to speak with you Harry, the man who took down the Dark Lord."
The second I heard his oily, patronising voice I took an instant dislike to him, "It was mostly an accident, I didn't do anything to stop him myself."
"Don't be so humble, there are no accidents under the watchful gaze of God." I had nothing to reply to that before he went on, "It would be my honour to finally meet you in person. I trust that Ciel will be the perfect protector for one such as yourself. Until we meet in London, Mr Potter."
The line disconnected and I just stared down at it.
"I don't like him."
"Not many people do." Ciel replied honestly as she increased the gear for the last time, "It's going to be a long drive, we'll stop for a break on the way, so get comfortable, Harry."
Leaning back in the seat, I watched Ciel turn the radio back on to listen to some early morning songs.
Several hours later
The Mini reached its destination in central London, parking in some side street. Popping some money in the black meter, turning the handle for the coins to register, Ciel let out a long breath.
"Be careful around him Harry, he has a way with words. We'll get this meeting underway and hopefully he should leave once I give my report to him." She checked the time from a hanging clock outside a chemist, "Stick close and don't talk much. I don't think I need to say it, but don't tell him about your secret, at all."
'S-Sure…" I watched as we approached a very fancy looking restaurant.
"The Cinnamon Club?"
Ciel nodded, "We're eating here. They have the most delectable curry in London."
Now she had the most curious face I have ever seen on her. Instead of the ultra-serious killer look, or the neutral impartial teacher, or even the kind-hearted smile, she now had a lusty drool as she stared into the doorway.
We went in and were met by the maître d', who after checking the reservations list nodded and escorted us to a table near a quiet corner. As we neared it, an Asian man wearing the same robes as Ciel, and a very conceited smile nodded and stood up.
"Welcome Ciel, I booked our table previously so our discussions should be less public."
He bowed lightly to the maître d' who bowed back in return and left discretely, understanding the implications behind the man's words.
"Please sit, I hear the curry at this restaurant is most likely the hottest in the United Kingdom, care to try some?"
Ciel glanced at the menu, "Not today, but I will have some regardless." She turned to me, "Harry, the Korma should be very mild, and also slightly sweet, would you like to try that?"
"I've never really had Indian food before; the Dursleys didn't really like all that sort of foreign food."
"Then it's decided." The man raised his hand and gestured for the waiter to come over, after taking their orders, he returned with a form for the other priest to fill in.
"What's that for?" I asked, since it was strange for people to need to write something before eating.
He scoffed, "This is a disclaimer stating that I understand that the level of heat is too much for some people, basically saying I understand the risks and that I do not sue the restaurant should I die…"
Signing it with a flourish, he handed it back to the young man who walked away.
"Now, aren't you going to introduce us, Ciel, or should I say, Professor?"
I could see her jaw tighten again, before slackening and speaking to me, "Harry, this is a colleague of mine, Kotomine Kirei." She glared stiffly at him, "Kotomine, this is Harry Potter."
"Mr Kirei, are you from Japan?"
"Please, call me Kotomine, all my colleagues do that." He waved me off, "And yes, I hail from Japan as am currently posted there."
"Hmm, just like Miss." I wondered out loud.
"Miss? Is this a friend of yours?" He inquired with his lop-sided smile.
I felt a sudden rush grip my heart. I didn't like Kirei the moment I met him, so I knew that I had to keep my distance from him, even in the kind of information I feed him.
"Oh, just someone I met a while ago. I can't even remember her name."
Aoko Aozaki.
It took me a while to pronounce it properly, but I never told anyone that name, not even Ciel, not yet at least.
Kirei's condescending smirk remained, he could tell I was hiding something, but whatever it was he didn't go out of his way to gather this information from me.
"Very well." He turned to Ciel, "How did your mission go, and more to the point, why is Harry here?"
Kirei's stare was level with my teacher, and yet she didn't flinch in her explanation, which she had probably been rehearsing for a while.
"While on my way to the mission, I came across Harry and his aunt being attacked by a species of faerie. The twosome did not have any ability to defend themselves, so I took it upon myself to intervene."
The waiter returned with their drinks and a starter course. When he left Kirei continued.
"I see. Harry was quite lucky to survive, though I am curious as to why he is still with you."
"That's my fault, Mr Kirei…" I had to give Ciel a moment so she didn't have to think quickly, "I… don't get on well with my family. I checked with my aunt to see if it was okay to spend some time with my teacher to see if I could learn more. She agreed immediately, and so here I am."
It wasn't a whole lie, I don't like Petunia, and she did let me go to some extent.
Ciel frowned again after hearing me say that, I've not told her everything about my upbringing, but I can always chat about it later.
"Remarkable that you could not defend yourself, I've heard a few stories about you. Your name is of course famous in magical circles, even mixed in with rumours regarding the recent and most unfortunate death at your school."
I slowed my movements as I began to chew into the starter.
"A remnant of the Dark Lord, again defeated by you. How on Earth did you manage such a feat?"
"I wish I knew…" I shrugged, "It was mostly luck and timing."
"Of course it was…" Kirei was grinning as he took a big bite from his serving, "Well, can you show me some of your abilities here?" Kirei raised an eyebrow and shook his head, "Ah, my apologies, the 'Trace'. You cannot use it outside of school during your holidays until you are of age." Kirei sighed sadly, "Such a waste, why teach children in such an old fashioned method using organised education in a specialised environment? Most children your age inherit their skills from their families and are groomed to become stronger within their own homes. I myself am a mentor to one such child whose father perished in the most saddening circumstances." He leaned in closer, "Perhaps you would like me to take you in under my wing also?"
Utter revulsion. No other way to put it.
"No thanks…"
"It is your choice to make; I can understand why the Clocktower allows your school and others like it to exist, since they are imparting freely available knowledge. Avada Kedavra, a simple curse for its sole purpose. Ultimately effective, but useless in a true battle unless you are completely stationary, which is why you are taught the basics to survive in the real world."
"Back on topic now…" Ciel propped her arms on the table, "The mission was a failure. The hallowed sanctuary is empty. The article in question is missing."
Kirei settled back into his seat, "Most troubling. So it was not returned after the previous war. This must mean it is still out there."
I was enjoying my meal so far. I spied the waiter coming over with our main course now. He expertly removed our bare plates and replaced them with the warm chicken, rice and some sort of bread at the side.
"That's a chapatti, Harry. You use it to scoop up a little rice, meat and sauce to eat. Try not to pile too much on it though, it's better to think of it as an edible spoon."
Ciel was an expert with curry from the way she reverted into her teacher mode, so I just acquiesced to her better judgement and did what she suggested.
He looked up at Kirei to continue, "That would be the implication, yes. Without that specific relic, the summoning would be harder as there is very little remaining from that time." Ciel started to dig in to her food, "Why are you so interested in it anyway? Is there to be another one in your city?"
Kirei was sweating mildly, but not by the question since his breath seemed to be condensing in mid-air. His pallid skin was also a shade redder.
"Hot enough for you, Kotomine?" Ciel taunted.
After swallowing his leering half-stare returned, "It is acceptable. My palate is agreeable to such intense flavourings." He put down his fork for a moment, "In response to your question, there are rumours of another event. I was merely enquiring given I will be the moderator this time."
"Right…" Ciel muttered dubiously under her breath as she took another bite of her meal.
"Can I ask what you two are talking about?"
Well, I understood the need for secrecy, especially since this sounds to be secret even in the magical world. Nevertheless, I can't sit here in total silence without a little bit of curiosity nestling into my brain.
"Now Harry, this is privileged knowledge, even to those strong enough to take part." Kirei dictated to me, "It is better for you to live on in ignorance than to realise the truth and folly."
Ciel patted my shoulder, "Don't be disheartened, Harry. Only those who are powerful enough can join. However, seeing as death is a certain possibility, it is only for those who possess a certain ability to kill and survive."
I merely gazed back at her, my smile a little too innocent as Ciel's face mimicked my own, getting the hidden meaning behind my glasses.
"Still, all hope is not lost. Despite the fact it is in my homeland, there is still an opportunity in this very land, so we shall see who will prevail."
Kirei went to eat again, even at Ciel dropped her chapatti, "Y-You can't be serious! Is there something growing here again?"
She had to wait for a few minutes as Kirei took his time digesting his meal. Looking at us, his sneer was pure and unhidden.
"Certainly, there is always more than one of the sacrosanct piece at any given time. There have been many false imitators around the globe, indeed, Fuyuki may be yet another, though only I can determine that from the winner." He folded his arms in a smug fashion, "You think that England would not get the required energy from the numerous leylines threaded throughout the soils that even the heathen Druids recognised for what they were?" He raised a hand, "Forget not, this is the country to which Joseph of Arimathea came to, what is to say the original is still not residing here, awaiting the rightful owner?"
Ciel was silent, which only led to more questions, from me mainly.
"You say something special is going to be here, Mr Kirei? Do you know when?"
He angled his head at me, "Who knows how long it will take for the mysteries to meld together, it could be as soon as next year, or at most three years." Kirei smiled widely, "I'm sure its glory will be something to behold."
I knew that I needed to do some research on this now… What are they both talking about, it's really frustrating me…
"Enough of this, Kotomine." Ciel ended the discussion, "Why are you here? Where is Crown?"
He felt behind his neck, twisting his head to make an audible pop as the air released from within his joints there.
"Crown is indisposed at the moment. He was supposed to be here, but had to withdraw at the last moment thanks to protests from the Clocktower. Given that it was a mere report, I was drafted in to hear you given that I was in the region. No sense in losing any further time on your end by travelling to Rome yourself."
"I see…" Ciel didn't seem satisfied with the answer, "He was fascinated by it and wanted it for his collection. I'm sure you will be able to report to him upon your return to the Vatican of the loss."
"Naturally, he is not one to be disturbed by such an event. For a creature of his age, he is most likely beyond any surprise or shock."
Kirei wiped his mouth with the napkin, his plate was clean, not even a speck of rice remaining.
"Most appetizing, I should really take my protégé with me to this establishment in the future to experience this."
I nodded, "The curry is good, I liked the coconut, very nice flavour."
Ciel smiled in approval, "Glad you enjoyed it, Harry." She looked up at Kirei, "If that is all, we should be going, Kotomine."
"Let's not be hasty. I still have some time before my flight departs tonight." He stood up, leaving a few bank notes scattered around his cutlery, "Let us retire to our quarters for further instruction."
Ciel growled as she stalked after him, before pausing and turning back to me.
"Come, Harry, stay close."
Taking my hand, we walked out of the restaurant, closely following Kirei as he entered a sleek car of his own. Our Mini was close behind him as we weaved through the traffic to a peculiar building.
It was partly circular, despite the main appearance of it being a church, which was something I haven't seen before.
Kirei parked nearby and waited for us at the entrance, before opening it to allow us inside. The walls were decorated sparsely, but I barely had a chance to look further before we were heading down into the crypts, where several stone graves with full body effigies lying on the ground.
Kirei walked up to an unremarkable wall, before muttering a few words, I think they sounded like Latin. After a few seconds he nodded at us before he stepped through the solid rock.
Without warning, Ciel marched us in there following him into the unknown room.
I wasn't surprised by this, since the platform at Kings Cross operated the same way, though without any kind of magical charm needed to enter.
The area was barren stone, and extremely long. From what I could tell, the walls were high up, which was physically impossible given we certainly didn't go that far down into the ground.
"So, Ciel, have you been keeping tabs on your abilities?"
He pulled out the familiar red hilts; I guess that the priests like to use Black Keys often.
"Is this a test?" She snarled but with a hungry grin, "You know I possess an unfair advantage over you."
"No test, I just wish to put myself up against a superior opponent. Fighting an eternally regenerating person is an experience which I would find mildly entertaining."
"Are you really invulnerable?"
I looked at Ciel questioningly. She was strong, that much was clear, but to heal herself forever? She still had lines on her, though they were much harder to follow than a normal person. She said she was unable to die, I just thought she meant she was immortal somehow.
Ciel cocked her head to one side, "More or less, though there are probably some abilities I would be hard pressed to recover from."
This time her eyes altered to her sharp irises. She was speaking directly about my eyes.
I stepped back from the two as they brought up their Black Keys.
"So, shall we begin this match, Bow?" He angled his head at me, "Take a shot too if you wish Harry, this area is perfectly shielded from the outside thanks to our leader, Narbareck. The Trace will not be activated in this area alone."
I pulled out my wand, eager to cause some damage to that irritating smile on his face.
Ciel didn't reply to his earlier question, and instead crouched and lunged at him, throwing three Keys, one directed at him and two others veering to either side.
Kirei, spotting the only retreat leapt up but brandished his six keys as a shield, which was when Ciel intercepted him, their Keys clashing in the air.
There were few spells I knew which could be used for offense, in fact, only two I could think of.
As they bounced away from each other, Ciel was making many wide running and athletic movements, whilst Kirei was moving barely, keeping his posture firm and energy conserving.
Tired of waiting, Ciel ran in with her Keys ready, Kirei smirked as he leaned back to avoid a strike which would have pierced his skull.
Sending a sharp elbow her way, he planted it into her chest, flinging her up into the air, before vaulting off the ground to keep up the sudden counter.
His Keys slashed out like rain, shredding parts of Ciel's outfit, but not before she kicked out at him, catching him on the knee and sending him hurtling away into the distance.
Landing for only a millisecond, the stone floors cracked as their hyper-powered pounces echoed in the cavernous hall.
I could see that both of them had a similar tactic when it came to the Keys, not using them as swords per-say, but for throwing mainly and blocking other projectiles.
However, Ciel appeared to be relying on them more than Kirei, the latter's movements reminded me of Petunia in some ways, he moved using some form of martial arts, and his strikes with his bare hands were doing much more damage than the normal blades.
Circling towards his blindside behind him, I waited for a single vulnerable moment. We all knew I was not in their league, well, Kirei at least thought that. This meant he wouldn't dare throw any of the Keys my way, since I was only a child and could not avoid it.
I knew better. I could follow all the movements and paths they would take, but I couldn't use this knowledge to fight more, otherwise he would only have more to interrogate me about.
Using my knife was out of the picture completely, as it would give the game away instantly that there was something special.
Ciel was on the attack now, and doing very well, her Keys were removing all his escape paths as she began to move in and punch through Kirei's defences. His robes were becoming much more tattered now, and several hard slabs fell out from the sleeves, could that be armour?
I saw new hilts appear between his fingertips in the hand hidden behind his back, so I took action.
"Flipendo!"
The jinx flew at him and reached his arm in a second, causing his arm to spasm and letting the hilts go as he flew forwards from the blow. Rolling neatly on the ground, he deflected more of Ciel's flung Keys and he performed a few backflips to return to his defensive posture.
Panting a little, he was smiling.
"Excellent shot, Harry. You have an eye for spotting potential weaknesses..."
Skipping backwards, he dodging Ciel's kicks and punches, blocking and parrying her strikes before countering with his own.
It looked like all their Keys were gone now and it was purely battle skills now and physical attacks left.
I couldn't see if any magic was being used among them, and they were both disarmed.
But I still had my wand.
Getting in closer, I could see Ciel was winning, but Kirei remained smiling. I had the impression that he was preparing for some ultimate technique, despite being battered by the clinical pounding being delivered by Ciel.
Then the moment came.
Ciel pulled her fist back, a strange blue power around her fist coiling down her arm, as she pulverised it forwards.
Kirei ducked and set an uppercut upwards parrying her arms completely, but his other hand was curled into a fist, though the clenched fingers were larger than they should have been.
Then my eyes saw it in slow motion.
There were two hilts hidden inside there, the gaps between the fingers large enough for the magical blades to extend, but he was planning on punching her normally.
This could only mean that he was playing for keeps now, and when he struck her, he would unleash the white power and spear Ciel through her lungs.
I couldn't allow that to happen.
"Flipendo!"
I aimed for his wounded knee from the mid-air collision, and managed to make him crumble a little further, reducing the length of his punch. I wasn't about to end it there.
"Incendio!"
Now I shot the flame at his extended arm. I knew it was more or less hopeless since being a holy man he was most likely shielded from any elements.
Then again, as the fire shot up his sleeve and burning his hand, I guessed that somehow I caught him again unawares.
Ciel twisted her body just in time to avoid the extending stabbing implements which were only a second away from being embedded in her. Kirei then dropped to the ground as he fought to contain the blaze with his other arm, casting some sort of spell to extinguish it.
My teacher stood over him, her three last Black Keys pointed down at his face.
"I win, again."
Raising his arms in surrender, his self-mocking grin never left his face.
"Very well, far be it for me to compete further in a one-sided competition." Gathering himself, Kirei stood to his feet, "I'm glad to see that your abilities haven't dulled in the time since your last hunt." He turned to me and smiled further, bowing slightly, "Thank you for the opportunity, I rarely compete against wand users, and it was a refreshing change. You possess a lot of power for someone of your age."
"Umm... Thanks, I guess."
"Yes, once again you managed to impress me. You spotted the perfect opportunities to strike at me whilst all my attention was based elsewhere. You certainly are a person to watch, Harry Potter."
I realised my wand wasn't lowered yet, I was beginning to comprehend the danger that lay behind this man's words.
"If you say so, Mr Kirei."
Ciel let her Keys dissipate into the air and hid away the hilts, "Are we done here for today? I need to return to my residence for the evening."
"As do I, I need to make preparations myself to return to my flock in Fuyuki. There are many people who depend on my presence there."
Kirei moved to the wall and cast his spell again, leaving through the wall. We walked out slowly afterwards to the quiet crypt.
"I doubt I shall see you again for a time, Bow. On my return to Japan, I will stopover in Rome to deliver your report to Crown."
As he spoke I lowered my glasses for a second or two to scan his appearance, but then nearly threw up, the bile regurgitating up my throat into my mouth. Thankfully, Kirei didn't see it as he was bowing to us at the same time. Leaving the church, he walked to his car, driving off smoothly.
"Well, Harry, I think you've got yourself an admirer." Ciel's lips had thinned, "Be careful if you see him again."
"I know… He wasn't normal."
I saw it again.
A body laced with lines so thick I could not see his face, it was far worse than Quirrell.
By all rights, that body belonged to that of a dead person.
The only area which was completely free and visible was in the centre of his chest, a solid red dot from which all the lines filtered from.
Somehow, I knew that whatever was lying there was keeping him alive, despite every known law on this Earth. Quirrell was seen to be moving, and I could see that he did still have something keeping him going, but Kirei was on a different level of death completely.
I felt my spine shiver thinking about it too much, only to get an arm to be draped around my shoulders. We were both in the car by now and I didn't even register the moment of getting inside.
"Harry, you can tell me. What did you see?" Ciel's animal vision had returned with her accelerated reactions.
"I... I can't say here..."
"Very well, let's get back to my place and we'll talk there, Harry."
The car trundled along quietly in the streets of London, the background traffic noise barely registering in my senses.
Twenty minutes later we were in her small apartment, located a stone's throw from another church, probably the residence of a priest.
"Harry, sit here…" She patted the bed, since there was little else to sit on in the sparse room, "What spooked you so much?"
And so I told her, everything I saw about Kirei.
Ciel sat in silence, her hand on her chin with her eyes closed.
"This makes little sense. He was in the previous event, but survived despite all the odds. He should not have been involved in the latter stages." He eyes glazed over with blue energy, "An aberrant detail from that time, worth looking into, but not right now." She stared at me, "Thank you for telling me this, I will need to advise Crown for further instructions regarding this piece of data."
"Sorry, I didn't want to give you more work, Ciel…"
She waved it off, "Don't worry about it, my duties are to stay in England for the foreseeable future, so it will be handed off to someone else to monitor." She stood up and turned to face me, "The question is, what should I do with you? Your aunt and presumably one side of your family are descended from the Demon Hunter clans."
I nodded in response, waiting for her words.
"Is her training difficult?"
I shook my head, "Not really, it just hurts, a lot. She doesn't pull her punches at all."
"Good." Ciel spoke, satisfied, "You have a few weeks to go until you need to buy some books from Diagon Alley for your next year, especially with the courses I'm doing. Until then, I have no choice."
She shrugged sadly, before chirping up, her smile beaming out.
"I'll be training you, using my methods."
I felt my heart skip a beat as my lips curled upwards.
"I'd like that, Ciel."
Now, this is what I will call a perfect summer.
Author's Notes
Time for a different style of fighting, courtesy of Ciel, Harry should learn a fair few new stances, though he isn't going to be able to produce Black Keys in case you're worried. I'm sure though he may have one or two as a backup for emergencies only.
And yes, I'm skewing into Fate territory here, I'm looking to create an alternate Grail of sorts there. It's already been stated in canon that there is more than one in the world.
Before you all start flaming, no, Harry won't get a Servant.
Still, that is far off, given the timeline, however I've already thought of some specific Servants to summon. I hope I get a chance to write out the scenes and characters I have for that time.
Kirei is underpowered here because there is no Grail to sponsor his life, and after reading up a bit it seems he would lose again Ciel in a straight match, outside of the war.
However, for the time being, this remains a Tsukihime story, until the fusion begins.
J
