*This is the first half of this chapter. In the previous chapter, it was Ciel who was expriencing everything. This time, it is Sebastian / Stolas' turn.
*As always, reivews are welcomed with open arms.
*I apologize in advance for any grammartical mistakes and spelling errors that have escaped my attention.
"Secret Yearnings of the Souls"
Chapter 9i: Watching the Scales Tilt – STOLAS/SEBASTIAN
Written by Second Wind
CH9i CH9i CH9i CH9i CH9i CH9i CH9i CH9i CH9i CH9i CH9i CH9i CH9i CH9i CH9i CH9i
The Undertaker's Shop
An Unnamed Street
London, England
Same Time
"You might be wondering why in the world I, a temporarily reinstated, formerly very highly-regarded, death god, am bothering with a complicated case such as yours."
The Undertaker challenged. His slightly curling lips added an air of mockery. Stolas remained expressionless, save for the slight twitching of the eyebrows.
"Actually, I was. …Until you told me of my true origin. But then, it still does not justify the fact that you are endangering your reputation, your career, your subordinates, and maybe even your life, for the sake of me and Ciel." Stolas's eyes danced with curiosity, and Undertaker decided to humor him.
"…You know, I really can be merciless, and most of the time, I am."
"Merciless?" Stolas's eyebrows jumped again, and Undertaker nodded.
"Yes."
"As you should be. You are among the highest of all Death Gods." Stolas stated matter-of-factly.
"Ask me why you should be begging me for mercy." Undertaker grinned.
"I really don't deserve to, but… 'Why'?"
"Because, Prince Stolas – or, in this case 'Demon Butler: Sebastian Michaelis', you have an overwhelming support in 'high' places."
"Excuse me?" Stolas was genuinely surprised.
"During your time with Earl Phantomhive, nearly all of what you two have done was done for good cause, and you two have unknowingly made this world a whole lot better place than if you two had not joined force. In fact, prince Stolas, you would not have been alive, had it not been for the contract."
"Pardon?" Stolas narrowed his eyes in question and confusion. "I honestly do not follow."
"What did you think those cult members were trying to do by summoning a demon?"
"To do as they wish." Stolas shrugged. The corners of Undertaker's mouth dropped a notch.
"…Yes. With you."
"What do you mean by that?"
"You know about the underground pool that was in the building?"
"I smelled water, but I was too busy…"
"…Caring for the near-death Earl."
"He really was one step away from bleeding out."
"Which masked the scent of the water's properties."
"Which was…?" Stolas waved his hand in the air to emphasize his growing impatience.
"Holy water."
"Holy… What? Why?! They summoned me…!"
"Yes, to weaken you, then exhibit their tortures on you, and use you until death. If they succeeded, they would have made a huge fortune. The Earl was just a bait. They were also going to take your body apart after you eventually 'expired' and sell the pieces off in the black market. In a really similar fashion to how the Earl was to be treated."
The Undertaker kept his tone dry for the prince's benefit, but it failed to take the sting out of this piece of truth.
"How in the world did they think they could actually 'get me' to take the wretched plunge in holy water?"
"They had various tools with them to restrain demons – although, none of them would have worked on you." Undertaker smirked. Stolas laughed humorlessly.
"Let me guess. Holy objects of various kinds, iron restraints, liquefied mercury, that sort of thing?"
"They did not summon 'you' specifically. They did not know who they were getting."
"Obviously. And, you know all this because…?"
"One of our staff – a much lesser-ranking death god, one such as Grell – had his death scythe stolen from him. We did not have the specific location of the ritual, but we suspected that something like this would have occurred eventually."
"You believe one of the cult members I have devoured had it in his or her possession?"
"Well, we 'did' recover it at the scene of the crime. It was easy to find, since that dagger they cut up the Earl with was it." Undertaker watched as Stolas's expression darkened further.
"... Still, they would not have had me in their hands." Stolas dropped his gaze, no doubt berating himself for not noticing it.
"But, you know that if they came at you, all at once, while you were busy feeding on the boy, and stuck you with the death scythe, followed by buckets of holy water to force down your throat…" The Undertaker let his sentence fade out.
Stolas calculated the risks, and sighed heavily. Death scythe truly was capable of killing him – or wounding him seriously – if it went into his chest, neck, or severed a vertebrae. …Perhaps badly enough to have him trapped. Then, they could have just kept wounding him and kept him within the pool of holy water to keep him weak.
Something – a thread of old memories stirred inside his psyche and Stolas chased it until it escaped him, leaving him once again in oblivion. He gave up. "But, I chose to side with the 'bait', so they did not succeed."
"Not only that, but… Do you remember actually praying?"
The Undertaker asked gingerly, knowing this would most likely ruffle the feathers of this raven.
"WHAT?!" Stolas bolted out of his seat, his eyes wide with shock.
"You prayed. To God. For Ciel."
"Don't be ridiculous." Stolas bared his fangs in anger, and his eyes held a dangerous glint.
"You might remember yourself thinking: 'This pain is the finest spice', while Angela was yelling, 'This pain is praise to God!', and you were thinking: 'This blood is the finest sauce' while Angela was yelling, 'This blood is the finest offering.'"
Stolas grimaced, remembering the sensation of the cursed whip tearing into his skin and the flesh beneath. Not to mention the terrible discomfort they left in the days thereafter.
"I think you were more damaged and vulnerable than you yourself believed to be. Angela was right."
This got Stolas's attention – and recollection.
"OHHHHH…. Damn me." Stolas pinched the spot in between his eyebrows, and sighed deeply.
"You know that you already have. You prayed: 'Bless that lonely, tainted soul.' …Of course, you probably don't remember actually blacking out after that, do you? Even just for a short while. Angela tried waking you up with the red-hot iron sticks, but did not succeed. It was really dawn by the time the wicked angel was done with you."
"So, that is where all the burns came from. I must have been out for hours. I did not notice her leave."
"While you were unconscious, your prayer was delivered – unhindered by your demonic conscious mind – to the right beings"
Stolas's head snapped up with realization.
"No wonder Abberline showed up on the ship. …Heavens moved him!"
"Abberline is also one of your strongest supporters. Along with his guardian spirit."
"But, I am a demon! Even if I am a half-breed, I still am a demon!!" Now, Stolas was stumping his feet in frustration, but he himself could no longer think exactly why he was stressing this point himself. He knew he should be recognizing these facts as something of a compliment, but the demonic half of him – the half that he had so long felt 'right' to dedicate himself to, was still searching for some kind of a ground to hold onto. It was utterly confusing.
Undertaker decided to set the facts straight.
"…Yes. A demon prince, with an angelic heart. You did not even think about your safety, nor your own soul. Your only concern was for Ciel."
With that, Stolas was again stunned into silence. 'It is true, and it still is.' Stolas thought. He sighed, closing his eyes in defeat. 'My dear Ciel. What would your reactions have been, if you were here with me?' Stolas stopped his reminiscing when he heard Undertaker speak again.
"You know, since Angela was still an angel, your prayer had a borrowed express-route to Heaven. However, even if you had been alone with either Randoll or with that torturer, your prayer would STILL have been heard by the right beings, because there was no mockery or lie or dishonesty in your prayer. It only had sincerity and honesty.
"You defied numerous attempts to tempt you by the angel 'Ash' and you never once gave up your contract even under torture. You were always diligent in your duties, and never once truly harmed him, nor acted for entirely selfish reasons."
"…Wait. Stop right there. You are making me sound like a saint of some kind."
"Did I give you permission to interrupt me? I have allowed you to interrupt me to this point, but have you noticed at all, that you have not asked for permission to do so?"
"…"
"I am telling you all this, because you need to know what you have done, as well as what was done to you. Before facing your final judgment, Prince Stolas." Another glimpse of the death god's eyes shut him up immediately.
"…Very well. I beg your pardon for my interruption."
"Granted. …You saved not just London, but the whole of Europe and maybe the world beyond from further destruction by refusing to join force with the angel Ash. …You see, your 'friends' in 'high places' consist of higher beings of both ends. We, the Death Gods, had an embarrassing offense against you because of Grell Sutcliffe, and the heavens had the same with Ash/Angela.
"Your contract holder's aunt was killed unnecessarily by Grell Sutcliffe, and the Earl of Phantomhive was falsely accused of assassinating Victoria, the Queen of England, whom Earl Phantomhive served faithfully – at least until Ash tampered with her soul and brainwashed her completely. The Earl's parents had been murdered by Ash / Angela. The cult group which bought, confined, tortured, and attempted to murder Earl Phantomhive had associations with the angel, as well."
Stolas's mind worked furiously, figuring out the pieces of the big puzzle that has become clear to him. The resulting picture did not look particularly appealing. What the future, which looked grim as ever, held in store for him, for Ciel, and for the other souls he had kept in the palace, and what of his son's soul occupied his busy mind.
'I have already forfeited my life. …So, what can I do to protect those souls that are my properties? What will happen to my own soul?' He asked himself, because he simply was too frightened to ask this to the Undertaker just yet.
"You know," The undertaker began, "King Edward the 5th and his brother Richard send you their support, as well."
Stolas looked up, his mind halting in its effort to solve the seemingly unsolvable puzzle, and focused on remembering the young King of England and his sweet brother. Stolas had to admit, he should have been nicer to them. He stared at his hands silently.
"The brothers think of you and your Earl very highly, and they have been very vocal that they would not have 'passed over' and joined their kin in heaven, had it not been for your support."
The Undertaker paused.
"You have also managed to gain some friends within the Death God Management, prince. First by successfully aiding Matilda Simmons' soul to go to Heaven – at great cost to your own mental and physical health. The process actually aided in cleansing your own soul a bit, as well. Secondly, you have gained favors with us when you saved William T. Spears from what was to be a certain and very slow and painful death right in front of my own eyes, and chose to keep that a secret from Spears in fear of upsetting him."
"That was different! It… sorry. Please go on." Stolas shook his head.
"You sidelined your own grief over losing your best guard, and came to Spears's rescue. And no, it is not different. You snapped to action after I told you that Spears was 'hurt'. You are an expert at healing, and you responded accordingly. Not only that, but if you just wanted the tracer out, you could have just stopped with the removal of that offending bug. Instead, you stayed on and finished the entire surgery without anyone asking you to do so.
"We do notice these things, Prince Stolas, where it counts. Besides, as you heard my superior say, Spears really is one of our finest officers and I shudder to think what we would have lost, had we really lost Spears right then."
Seeing that no word was forthcoming from the demon prince, the undertaker continued.
"But, what truly blew me away was the fact that you had help from a foreign spirit. A Hindu spirit, as a matter of fact."
This had a desired effect, as Stolas raised his head to face him.
"Do you mean…?"
"Someone you have helped had a long family history of serving God."
"Agni?" Stolas raised his eyebrows in question. Undertaker nodded his confirmation.
"And his lord …Well, more like his 'charge'."
"You mean, Prince Soma."
"They are both held in extremely high regard right now, what with their charity efforts in rebuilding London and to feed the newly-homeless. I hear that your Earl Phantomhive had been housing them in the London townhouse?"
"Yes."
"You 'cared' for them… and 'educated' Prince Soma while you were with them?"
"I set him straight, it seems."
"…That, you have. Because of that, you have helped quite many people in quite many countries whom the prince and his butler will be visiting in the near future. We expect great things from Prince Soma. …Every action causes a reaction, as we say."
"….."
The Undertaker was thoroughly enjoying Stolas's reaction, seeing that his temporary charge was being 'prepped' accordingly to his secret plan. "How did you get them to accept the child?"
"I did not have to explain much. …I told them what and who I truly am. Agni was about to kill me, but Soma never issued the kill order, and let me explain myself to them. Their God was once a blood-thirsty goddess who hunted down a tough demon. Her husband Siva did bring her back to sanity, but the mountain of carcasses she had piled up before her sanity returned put her very much at odds with Heaven's rulers at one time. …And this particular goddess is the one they worship.
"I was very fortunate, because naturally, Agni and Soma were more open-minded about this particular child than anybody else. …However, there is something I must know right now. Once I am actually sentenced, how will you actually make that 'final judgment'?"
"Well, we first release you from our protective custody. I assume that someone from your side of the world will come to get you arrested. Then, you will be going through …whatever legal procedures that your 'king' sees fit to put you through."
"I am telling you. He will torture me, then execute me. Period. If he is in a merciful mood, which I highly doubt, then he will let me put my affairs in order before the execution."
"That shouldn't be difficult to accomplish, seeing as though you have very little possessions left down there." Undertaker commented drily.
"Did you have to rub that in? At this point in time?" Stolas hated the whining tone in his own voice, but it could not be helped. The Undertaker put up a hand in a gesture of apology. Stolas sighed.
"For however long you are kept alive down in your king's territory, I cannot touch you."
"In other words, no matter what horrific deeds Lord Lucifer will do to me, you will not be compelled to rescue me." Stolas confirmed in a flat tone. To which, Undertaker shook his head, his voice falling flat.
"Sorry, prince. That is the rule."
"…Fine. So, what you are saying is that I cannot come to you, unless I die first."
"You are correct. Unless you become 'a soul' that actually needs judging, I cannot put you in our custody again."
"How do you know that Lucifer himself won't devour me?"
"You are half-angel. You wouldn't taste good, nor do his body any good. You would most likely cause severe indigestion in Lucifer's body."
Stolas wisely elected not to comment.
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Office of the Great Death God
Death God Management Headquarters
Unspecified Location, England
2 Hours Later – Earth Time
William Spears was more than shocked when he reported to the Great Death God's office and found what awaited him.
"Are these…?" Spears asked, pointing to the items lined neatly upon a glass table near his great superior's desk. The stern, aged figure of the great death god remained still, but he did not object when Spears approached closer to the items.
"Yes. They arrived here a short while ago via an emissary who was sent directly to here from the Elder Demon Coucils – which Prince Stolas used to belong as an advisor of sort to Lord Lucifer."
Spears stopped dead in his tracks.
"…So, these items do belong to Prince Stolas himself, and as the formal attire. These cannot have arrived in preparation for his coronation ceremony."
"No, they certainly did not arrive or that reason." The great death god shook his head solemnly.
"Then, may I ask why…?" Spears let his sentence fade out, not wanting to continue.
"Along with the prince's attire, this arrived."
The great death god said as he handed Spears the official document. Spears did not have to read it to know what it was. When he reached the bottom of the document, his eyes locked on with the familiar signature of the king of fallen angels, Spears narrowed his eyes and did a double-take.
"This was …signed by blood, in place of an official ink." Spears raised his head to confirm the fact with his great superior. Receiving a nod, Spears scanned the signature with his right hand, and felt the entire signature echo with his memory.
"This is human blood, and obviously belonged to someone I have either handled or known personally."
Another nod from his great superior narrowed down the list of candidates to one.
"For this blood to be on this particular piece of document, and taking into account Lord Lucifer's love for mind games, I take it… that Prince Stolas's palace is now in complete ruins, and that the 'secure room' which the prince built for Ciel Phantomhive's soul was also invaded."
"That is our assumption, yes."
"Which also leads to the assumption that – Lady Echidna and Cerberus captured Ciel Phantomhive and took him to Lord Lucifer's palace for …interrogation. …And I assume that …whatever Lord Lucifer did with Ciel Phantomhive got him the confirmation he needed in order to sign this, and used the boy's blood in order to do so."
Each word tasted like acid in Spears's mouth. The situation was becoming less and less appealing, and his great superior's expression mirrored his own.
"Do you…? Did you… summon me for… You want me to deliver these to Prince Stolas and give him this?" Spears couldn't keep his voice straight, and didn't know why himself. It was not every day that Spears had any trouble forming words.
"I would have done it myself if I could, Spears." His great superior said, simultaneously giving Spears no way out of the situation. Spears sighed.
"Although I… should have been overjoyed for the occasion, I somehow find it difficult to… feel any pleasure out of this situation." Spears admitted, puzzled that he was feeling this way at all. The great death god nodded.
"Believe me, after all the finer details came into light, no one wanted to do it. However, we cannot have just anyone do this. It also should come from someone whom the prince trusts, or at least knows."
Spears sighed again. "I understand, sir. I will get to it right away."
With an uncharacteristically heavy heart, Spears pocketed the previously wax-sealed document and the bundle of clothing gingerly.
"Oh, and Spears?" The great death god stopped Spears in his tracks.
"Yes, sir?"
"Mind the cloth satchel. If you touch the item inside with bear hand, you will most likely be dead on the spot. At least, that is what I was told by the emissary."
Spears narrowed his eyes at the warning, but nodded and slang the satchel from his shoulder before continuing on his way.
When Spears leaped back into his own office, his assistant was waiting.
"Sir Spears, this message just arrived from the messenger pigeon." The young man handed Spears a message from Undertaker. Alarmed, Spears set his parcel down and opened it immediately, then sighed for what felt like a hundredth time this day alone.
"I will deal with this one myself. I will be gone for the rest of the day, and I am not sure when I can return to this office next time. Send me only your best messengers and only in regard to the most important matters. Is that understood?" Spears instructed his subordinate sternly, and the younger man immediately straightened his posture before answering.
"Yes, sir."
With a nod, Spears again collected the items for delivery, and leaped for the Phantomhive Townhouse in London.
Spears was greeted by the sound of a laughing baby, Prince Soma's laughter, and Regina's half-hearted caution for Soma to 'go easy' on the baby boy. As soon as Spears appeared, however, everyone stopped moving. Spears sighed again.
"Ms. Regina… Excuse me. Lady Regina?"
"Yes, Mr. Spears?" The 'adopted' daughter of Stolas replied in a business-like manner.
"We… I will need for you to be informed, without delay, of the following matters." Spears said as he opened the document for the Valkyrie half-breed to read. She blanched the moment she read the heading.
"One, an emissary arrived from the Underworld, informing us, the Death God management Department that an official warrant which allows the execution of one Prince Stolas to be carried out had been issued, and this is our copy of the document."
"OH, MY GOD!!" Soma exclaimed and ran out of the room to get Agni.
"Secondly, if the baby still requires 'feedings' off of the prince, you will need to hurry because the date of execution – although not concrete – is set as 'within the next 2 months'. That is, only 2 days in the human world."
"OH, MY GOD!!" Soma repeated. Regina was too shocked for words.
"Thirdly, there will be no chance for the prince to defend himself for this offense, because the offense is classified as among the worst of crimes to be committed by a demon, and especially not by anyone of Price Stolas's status. Furthermore, they seem to have concrete evidence of this crime which, we suspect that they have obtained when they captured Ciel Phantomhive."
"WHAT?!" Soma strode forward until he came right up to Spears. Spears continued with his unhappy duty.
"This death warrant was signed with Ciel Phantomhive's blood. That is the positive proof of our theory. Lastly, Lady Regina, you will need to come with me to the prince's location. Although we will do the best we can to delay the process, another group of emissaries will be arriving within the day to arrest and take over the prince's custody. We can no longer hold him in our protective custody once they arrive. Besides…" Spears paused, organizing his thoughts. "Besides, I believe he will need your help when putting these on." Spears gestured toward the bundle in his arms. Regina narrowed her eyes, but nodded.
"I'm coming. Besides, the baby does indeed need more blood from him. I will deliver it back to the baby." She answered, trying to stay – and sound – strong. Spears nodded back and gestured for her to come with him, but then changed his mind and approached the now-eerily quiet baby, observing the infant.
"I must admit. …I have never seen an offspring of a demon …be fated to bear such destiny and… carry so many burdens… for all of us." Spears spoke softly, before offering Regina his arm and leaping, not without so much as a nod of acknowledgment to the Indian prince and his butler who just came running into the room.
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Undertaker's Shop
An unnamed street
Downtown, London
England
Three Minutes Later
Stolas's reaction to the news of the emissaries arriving from the Underworld, and the death warrant Spears presented him with, was a typically stone-faced expression, and without a fuss.
"Just as I expected." Stolas nodded.
…That was, until he furrowed his eyebrows upon seeing the familiar signature at the bottom of the document. Spears mentally braced himself and shot a warning glance to the Undertaker, who was examining the same document.
Stolas surrendered the document quietly to the older death god when the man reached for the piece of parchment, but both Undertaker and Spears felt the force of pure rage blaze through the condemned prince, and actually stepped back to a safe distance.
An unfortunate metal box which was in the direct collision course with the prince's gaze began to melt with a hiss. However, the death gods could take a good guess at who the prince was actually seeing with his fiery eyes. They weren't disappointed.
"Your Majesties…" Stolas ground his fangs as he bit off each word. 'First, you lied about my origin, then murdered my real mother, and allowed Lady Echidna to invade and trash my territories.' Stolas flared his nostrils in utter rage. 'Then, you had to do this to me!'
Undertaker looked around his shop, and the two death gods began hearing the very air of the room – along with every object in the room – began releasing their complaints due to the amount of energy they were being subjected to.
"Prince Stolas, stop!" Spears cautioned their temporary charge, but Stolas was beyond listening.
Each word out of the demon prince was like bubbles of molten lava bursting out of an active volcano. "If you thought that taking away my most treasured soul and subject him to who knows what would break me down, you were sorely mistaken!" …Then, he finished his thought aloud for all occupants of the room to hear. "Youhave crossed me once too many."
The two death gods stiffened when they felt the very ground they all stood on trembled, then looked each other quickly before looking at Regina, who stayed firmly rooted to the floor. The death gods realized then that she had seen the prince in this state of mind before.
"Stolas! Don't release so much energy in here, on this portal site! It's not safe!" Undertaker yelled, hoping also to bring the enraged prince out of his wrath. Everything was hanging in a fragile balance, and they could not lose this particular creature to darkness so late in the game.
"My lord!" Regina knew what to expect when her adopted father was in such a level of rage, and knew that only she could bring 'him' back. However, still unable to find anything suitable to say, she threw herself into his arms, instead. She began moving her hand, palm flat, over a trembling Stolas's back. The two death gods could hear a faint voice from her which sounded like a chant or a song, or maybe a string of complicated spell, coming from her throat. Her other arm was kept over the back of his head, the fingers busy caressing his hair which stood at attention due to the sheer force of the energy Stolas was releasing.
For a while, all the three other occupants of the room heard was Stolas's heavy breathing and the deep growls that sounded unlike any earthly creature. However, Undertaker could see that the 'pure rage' this prince was broadcasting had its origin in equally pure 'love' for the late Earl, and 'grief' over his soldiers, his subordinates, and his real mother's demise. Furthermore, Stolas never pushed Regina away, and that was another encouraging sign.
In another 5 minutes, Stolas was back to his former self: hair flat, irises back to chocolate brown, breath normal, and above all, 'approachable'. The only difference was, he was tired from the exertion of energy as well as from the energy he was still using in order to 'contain' his former rage.
Once again, Regina and Undertaker came to the tormented prince's rescue.
"My lord, your son needs to feed." Regina said, knowing how and what to say in order to capture Stolas's attention. Stolas locked gaze with her, silently thanking her for anchoring him to sanity. Undertaker smiled inwardly at seeing the exchange.
*To be continued to Chapter 9ii
New source of inspiration (For me, at least): "Soon, You'll Go" by Howard Jones
