One month later—

Some events had passed over the last several weeks. Mostly things pertaining to uneventful business matters and some basic murder cases that were carried out either by Ciel and Sebastian or by them along with Aeslin, if she was not already off on a task. There had been only a handful of situations in which Aeslin needed to rush her own tasks to head over to help Ciel with either getting somewhere quickly or to heal a slight wound he'd gotten. The rare times he did take to riding with her upon her staff, the more that he was beginning to enjoy the peace of flying high above the clouds through the night sky. The feeling of Aeslin's soft hair brushing his face was almost, oddly, something he rather looked forward to. "There really is something about being up here, and the world looking so small, that makes everything else seem to melt away," Ciel softly said at one point, his chin pressed against Aeslin's shoulder as they floated along. "It is fleeting... though I can see why you enjoy being up here, away from everything and everyone so much."

Some current between he and the demigod had begun to form recently; like this soft, warm, cascade that flowed between them... a silent knowing between them had begun to blossom. Ciel was not sure what to make of it, resisted it most times, even. It felt, mostly, like a very close friendship.

It was times like his current situation, when it truly was much more difficult to ignore those things. It was still bright and early, Sebastian already having placed his master's tea upon his bedside nightstand and moved his curtains aside to allow the sunlight in. Aeslin entered his room shortly after, before it would be time for him to get changed out of his pajamas. His plain white, large collared shirt lay conveniently open so that Aeslin could easily run through his daily checkup; something being implemented by that pesky butler of his... who currently stood near in the background, like a shadow, as he often did.

Ciel sat tentatively, though somewhat bashfully and unwillingly as Aeslin leaned over him, her ear pressing to his chest, and then his back as she instructed him to breathe in, and out, not needing any instruments given her keen senses. Fingers deftly brushed his bare skin every now and again, large blue eyes averted away as a pink blush dusted his face. Sebastian was musing far too hard over it; surely his Lord could act as if he were only annoyed with it, though Sebastian knew better than that. He was utterly flustered being so close to Aeslin. 'Do I ever wonder how Lady Elizabeth might feel about that fact...'Sebastian nearly chuckled aloud at the thought alone.

Aeslin in turn remained focused most days while she ensured Ciel was functioning at his best. In recent days, she could not really deny the rush that washed over her anytime she made such brief contact with skin—those pesky human sentiments prying at her, to her horror.

"All seems well," she sent on as she finished up, leaning away from him then. "Your asthma is under good control as well. Should an attack arise though, don't hesitate to call to me if I'm not around," Aeslin said to Ciel, who for a moment struggled to look to her.

"Very well," he agreed, trying and failing to hide the shrinking blush on his skin. "You may see to your other tasks for now. Sebastian will be getting me ready for the day."

"Of course," Aeslin bowed, and then slipped on out of his room. As she made her way down the hall, her mind spun a little. It seemed Ciel's heart raced if she got close to him, and funnily enough, hers did as well... the demigod knew though that those were dangerous waters to tread... the Earl was, after all, engaged. Not only that... it would surely make for a painful, dramatic situation... and Aeslin was not prepared to face such an amount of pain and emotion. 'It is better not to act upon on it...' Though they each knew what was building between them. A bond, and understanding of one another though all at once a respect to not pry openly into one another's private issues. It was like a quiet friendship, or even perhaps more. They each resisted, in their own unique ways.

That evening—

Everyone took to their sections for an evening ball at the Phantomhive manor. Aeslin thankfully managed to cloak herself away from the views of any young ladies—or even young men—who might have been inclined to force her to dance like the last ball she'd been a part of. Silvery eyes trailed along, watching in case anything happened, be it paranormal, or even someone perhaps slipping and falling. Ciel seemed occupied putting on his mingling face while things went on, Aeslin smirking at the fact she knew how much he actually hated this type of setting.

'It is to be expected of an Earl, afterall,' Aeslin mused, projecting her thoughts to Ciel.

'Yes, I'm aware,' Ciel grumbled back, having mastered his own thought projecting lately via their stone. 'Really, and here I was hoping you'd never begin sounding like that damned Sebastian,' he jested lightly.

'There's a first time for everything, I suppose.' Aeslin halted her projections then as a young girl stepped close to her. Her large, doll-like eyes looked up to the demigod, and then she smiled. Her eyes were a dark brown, her hair a soft strawberry blonde. She wore a lovely, albeit oddly doll-like, dress in black and blue.

"Mister?" The young girl inquired. "Would you dance with me?" her small, sickly white hand reached, touching Aeslin's. Aeslin was taken aback, not knowing how to respond, though as soon as the girl touched her hand, her body was overtaken by a force she could not control. The young girl held Aeslin firmly as they mixed into the growing crowd on the dance floor, disappearing within.

"Wh-what are you doing? How?" Aeslin managed through gritted teeth, though her lips were promptly sealed shut.

"Shh, don't speak," the girl retorted, her dark eyes seeming to grow so dark they were nearly black. "I won't be able to hear the music..."

Aeslin, in her mind, frantically tried all she could as she felt the dark energy taking over her body. She tried to project her thoughts to Ciel, her wide eyes turning to him. He was distracted, his servants—inconveniently—taking him aside to help with something.

The girl then was leading Aeslin—who still struggled against the energy fighting madly within her to take full control—to the glass doors leading to the patio. Soon, they made it outside and were leaping high into the air and towards the city.

Back in the ballroom, Ciel realized that Aeslin's energy was drifting farther and farther away. Looking around in the crowd, he realized that she had in fact left. This could easily only mean something came up that she needed to see to, though this was not right... 'Usually when an issue comes up, she will at least let me know.' With that, he moved over to pull Sebastian aside.

"Aeslin's energy is drifting away from the manor. She didn't say where she was going. We need to follow after her immediately," he ordered, his grip firm on the butler's thin arm. Sebastian looked to his Lord's hand, and then to him, noting how frantic he suddenly was.

"It simply won't do to lose your trusty little demigod, hmm?" he mocked, though in a quiet murmur, smirking a little.

"What?" Ciel snipped back, annoyed.

"Oh, it's nothing, sire. Are you certain that we can trust the other three to keep things in order?" he asked, even while Mey Rin, Bard and Finny were already fumbling around a few pissed off guests.

"This can't wait. We can clean up after them when we return," Ciel insisted.

"Yes, my Lord. Let's get a move on, shall we?" Sebastian headed to the patio then with his Lord, whisked him easily into his arms as they made it out into the cool night. "Direct me on where her energy is leading," he told to his Lord, Ciel complying as they traveled quickly after her. Sebastian made turns as his master instructed, and eventually they were led to a barren workshop, of sorts. Sebastian landed before it.

"She's in there," Ciel affirmed as he shifted out of Sebastian's grasp and moving to head inside without hesitation. The doors however, were sealed firmly shut. "Open this door, would you?"

"Yes, of course," Sebastian bowed, and then in one fluid movement sent the door crashing loudly open, breaking it to pieces. Then, they proceeded into the building. It was dark, only a dim light in a bluish green hue up ahead, the black and white checkered floor barely visible beneath their feet. "I would prefer you to stay close behind. I'm sensing very potent, dark energy here," Sebastian said as his brows furrowed in suspicion.

Ciel complied, his mind wheeling for a moment. "Just what would she be doing in a place like this?" he murmured quietly, before the hall they proceeded down expanded into a larger, darker room. An ominous, though familiar tune built up and up until it played in a quiet hum.

"Build it up with evil and dread, evil and dread, evil and dread..."

Ciel gasped as soon as he heard the voice.

"Build it up with evil and dread, my fair lady..."

"Drocell!" Ciel demanded. "Where is Aeslin? What have you done with her?"

"I'm afraid you will not be seeing her again," Drocell clicked faintly, clapped his hands stiffly and then the lights flicked on to reveal a mostly empty room with green walls and a checkered floor. The puppet sat perched up on a balcony overhead, his legs crossed.

"How the hell is he back? I thought you finished him five years ago," Ciel turned his burning blue gaze to Sebastian.

"Yes, in fact I had at the time," Sebastian sent on calmly.

"Well, explain this mess!" Ciel was only growing frustrated, his gloved hands clenching as rage overtook him. He couldn't afford to have Aeslin gone. Not this suddenly...

"There is a dark energy within him, controlling him now. This is likely the reason why he had come back. It is similar energy we had faced last month in Leaventon... only now it seems to have grown in power..." Sebastian observed.

The doors before them crept open as Drocell sang his song, his eyes growing red as he waved his arms about. Four bizarre dolls emerged from the door, each one wielding their own unique weapons. They marched in unison, their bleak eyes turning to the butler and his Lord. "Now, it isn't to the master's liking to have you around here. We will be needing to get rid of you straightaway," Drocell droned, and then, in a sing-song tone, ordered the dolls to attack. Three of them zoomed at impossible speed toward Sebastian, their eyes flickering a red color and evil grins stretching each of their deathly lips. Ciel tumbled out of the way, only to be pinned to the wall by one of the dolls. It drove it's spear directly through his shoulder, drawing a wail from his throat at the sudden seering hot pain.

Blue eyes watched as Sebastian was, more difficulty, pinned by the other three dolls, who drove their weapons though his legs and torso. "Sebastian, no!" Ciel screamed, his eyes wide and then squeezing shut as he projecting his thoughts to Aeslin. 'Aeslin, whatever you're doing... you have to wake up! Try harder!'

In the other room, within the cage she was being held inside of, Aeslin's eyes snapped open. The girl from earlier, or rather, the doll was still staring at her, the darkness inside still trying to take hold of her to prevent her from escaping.

"You will obey, you will not escape," the doll droned on, eyes never blinking. "Our master cannot allow it. You are in the way, don't you see? You must die."

Ciel's desperation, his pain was bleeding through to her. It was the most vivid thing Aeslin had felt in so many years, decades, perhaps even centuries... for so long now she pushed it all away, vowed never to get invested. Feeling that desperation, that pain... she could not ignore it anymore. It overtook her, and she stood, holding a hand out as the greatest amount of rage washed over her like a tide. Energy surged within her now, the cage she was in shaking under the pressure of it.

"I will not stand by!" Aeslin uttered as a large surge flew from her palm, sending her cage flying open and the doll crashing into the wall and shattering to pieces. "I won't let you hurt him!" Flying forth in a blur, she was before Ciel in a flash, who was cringing as the doll holding him still moved to plunge it's spear into his heart.

With a shriek, Aeslin pried the doll away from him hurdling it with immense strength into the wall. Sebastian had managed to get away from the dolls holding him back and was currently fending them off as best he could. Aeslin directed a huge surge toward them, so much energy exploded from her hand that it resulted in a blinding white light enveloping in the room for a long moment.

Ciel shielded his eyes, gasping for air and crumbling to the floor, gripping his bloodied shoulder. "A-Aeslin," he managed as the light died away. He was in utter disbelief at what was happening now. Drocell was moving towards him then, a cackle flying from his lips, though Aeslin stepped before Ciel and an even larger surge of energy that rung in their ears blasted from her staff, sending the puppet-man into the wall. His body had broken, though was still held by mere threads, to which Sebastian interrupted his soft cackling by driving his fist into him, causing him to at last break apart.

The dark entity was shifting out of him then, and that's when Aeslin motioned to bind them, weakened from all the energy she used up, though was kneeling next to Ciel, her other hand mending his wounds as she caught her breath.

"No, you won't escape this time. What is it that you want? Out with it!" Aeslin demanded as Sebastian, too, assisted with holding the dark shadow being still.

"Master's grand vision will be achieved..." the being said, and then vanished into the ground like ash.

"Truly, these beings are so utterly vague..." Sebastian murmured as he stood.

"These beings are extensions of the being I saw back at Leaventon. They are carrying through his plans, it seems... and after today, I'm heavily under the impression they must get rid of me in order to make it happen," Aeslin said in a quiet voice. "I won't allow it. It is my duty to keep things balanced here. They are trying to tip the scale in their favor so that darkness and evil will take over this country, and soon thereafter, the world."

Ciel's eyes lowered a bit as his wound mended, gaze trailing over the dolls that were broken beyond recognition now. Aeslin turned her eyes to Ciel then. She felt guilty, and he could sense it so clearly... she was angry with herself for not getting there sooner, to avoid anyone getting hurt, especially him. "Those dolls," Ciel sent on, "they weren't... humans... were they?"

Aeslin looked to him, his blue eyes fixed upon hers now, steadily, though emotion pooled within... it was hard to pinpoint, even with their link. Though to Aeslin it felt nearly like some stone wall was falling away, like his heart was opening up to her own. It was apparent to her that he didn't always care if he got hurt, though if others had been involved in all of this, that he would not be able to live with himself.

"No," Aeslin affirmed. "They were purely synthetic..." Ciel closed his eyes in relief, a hand resting upon hers where she mended his shoulder still. After then tending to Sebastian's wounds, the three of them made way back for home, Sebastian taking to zipping over rooftops as Ciel took his place on Aeslin's staff. His arms rested around her waist, his cheek pressed to her back. Blue eyes slipped closed, as he pictured the same scene he'd now seen enough to know Aeslin was unfalteringly his second protector; the sight of her back to him, her hand extended as energy flowed from her... her form always, without hesitation standing between he and these terrible monsters, when Sebastian might be in an equally rough spot... his grasp around her tightened as he hugged her.