Hey all!

So this chapter has a bit of a twist at the end and will also be the hook that gets the ball rolling for Ciel's big plan - somewhat. ;D

I also have something at the end of this chapter that I hope no one was expecting, but who knows, maybe you all saw through the great big plot I had all thought out. I won't be disappointed if everyone saw this coming, but I will be a little pleased if I managed to shock at least one of you. ;)


Magnificence

XII; The Truth – His Reasoning (PT II)


It was late in the evening when Claude began his journey back to the manor. Despite the usual characteristics that his former self would have displayed, he found himself feeling hollow and empty when his mate was not in his immediate presence. He had grown accustomed to having her near for such an extended period of time that now his inner demon felt like it needed her constantly. A touch of her hand or a whisper off her lips seemed to sate the beast within, but was only a quick fix. Claude let himself become overly possessive with Aelia and constantly found himself becoming increasingly angry when the triplets would occupy more of her personal time than he himself was.

There was another issue that Claude also had to deal with in regards to the Earl Phantomhive and the ever infuriating Sebastian Michaelis.

After interrogating the triplets and discovering Aelia's whereabouts after thoroughly punishing Canterbury for his involvement in Aelia's secret plans to meet with her sister and later let herself be willingly taken to the Phantomhive manor, Claude had immediately rushed to retrieve his mate. When he arrived, he was surprised to hear the young Earl speaking so openly with Aelia and decided to listen until the time would be right to go in and collect his mate.

What he heard that day caused a stir and would later bring him to the decisions leading up to this point.

Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian Michaelis were working together with Sorben Urbana in attempts to remove Aelia from his side and to kill him.

There was a simple solution, really.

Claude would directly intercept their plans and eliminate them all before they could rip Aelia and himself apart.


"Welcome home Claude!" Aelia smiled small as she watched her male counterpart remove his cloak before handing it off to one of the triplets. "How was your business trip?"

Claude walked to Aelia and reached up to stroke her cheek gently, "It all went well."

She smiled and brought her hand up to cup over his own. Claude leaned down and placed a chaste kiss to her forehead before offering his arm for her to take. The two scaled the stairs and eventually walked the entire length of the hallway leading to their bedroom door. Once inside, Claude closed the door behind them and swiftly hauled the unsuspecting Aelia off her feet before crossing the room to unceremoniously dump her onto the bed.

"C-Claude!" Aelia felt her cheeks burn as she looked up at him with wide eyes.

His eyes flashed a vibrant fuchsia before returning to their golden color as an amused smirk splayed out on his lips. "My dear, you look rather vulnerable looking up at me like that," He reached down to place his hands on the bed to support his weight as he trapped her beneath him, "Do these situations still make you uncomfortable?"

"N-No," Aelia squeaked as he leaned closer towards her. "You just surprised me, that's all!"

The smirk on his face grew as he leaned down to finally capture her lips in a heated kiss. Aelia responded almost immediately and reached up to lace her fingers into his hair to draw him in closer, her own lips clashing furiously against his own. She hadn't realized how much her body desperately wanted his touch until this moment as the inner heat began to pool in her lower abdomen like once before. She could feel his own desire for her with his touch and the way he pressed himself against her once his own figure had fully climbed over her, and soon the two were wrapped together in a passionate dance of naked flesh and carnal desire that lasted almost the entire night.

Aelia sighed contently as Claude nuzzled the crook her neck affectionately. After their recent activities, the two settled into a comfortable embrace with Aelia cuddled into his chest while Claude held her.

"What brought this on?" Aelia mused as she continued to stroke the back of his arm with the tips of her fingers.

Claude glanced down at her, his voice laced with amusement, "Is it so wrong of me to seek affection from my mate?"

"Absolutely not!" Aelia giggled and looked up at him.

In one of the rare moments between the two, Claude's lips pulled back in a charming, real smile that caused a flutter in Aelia's insides. With another content sigh, Aelia leaned up to claim his lips in a gentle kiss before assuming her position snuggled into his chest once more.

"I missed your company," Claude suddenly admitted, "It's been too long since I've embraced you, let alone showed you any manner of attention."

Claude felt Aelia smile against his chest, "Is this your way of apologizing for being busy, Claude? In that case, I should also apologize for my absences' as well."

A deep chuckle rumbled deep within his chest as he brought a hand up from her waist to play with her long, silver locks.

'Soon,' Claude thought to himself, his eyes trained to the girl huddled so closely against him. 'Soon I will put an end to this game those who appose me and threaten what is mine.'


"I'm surprised you left her alone inside on a peaceful night like tonight," Sorben said aloud, "Weren't you the one who insinuated that there's been a lack of personal time spent together?"

Sorben and Claude now stood facing one another in the centre of the giant labyrinth behind the mansion, both with casual postures but both ready to defend themselves.

"I regrettably have some unfinished business to take care of first before I dedicate the necessary time to Aelia and Aelia alone," Claude answered calmly.

Sorben grinned, "So you're finally going to come and face me," He pulled his hands from his trouser pockets and lifted them so his arms were stretched wide at his sides, "Well then, lets settle this like men, shall we?"

"You mistake my motives for coming to see you as a threatening one," Claude observed the elder demon, "I simply wish to talk."

"Oh?" Sorben let his hands fall back to his sides and his eyebrow rose, "What about?"

Claude's eyes became cold and hard like they were before his meeting with Aelia, "I simply wish to know your part in Ciel Phantomhive's plot to kill me."

"Ah, that!" Sorben chuckled and pocketed his hands once more, "That child really is a protege, isn't he? He even managed to pair himself with a demon like Salpsan."

"You may continue your vocalized admiration of the young earl at a later time. For now, I wish for you to answer my question," Claude narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.

Sorben grinned, "A little impatient, are we? Very well, I'll tell you what I can although it is the earl you should be interrogating."

Claude stood patiently waiting as the elder demons lips suddenly pulled into an amused grin.

"My task is easy," Sorben began to explain, "Ciel asked me to remove Aelia from the manor and hand her over to Sebastian."

Claude narrowed his eyes dangerously, "And what does your role become after you steal your daughter from me?"

"I help Ciel and Sebastian kill you," Sorben suddenly became serious and the normal cheery aura around him radiated with dangerous intent, "Although, I was not exactly given the honor of delivering the final blow. Ciel wanted to save that one for himself once Sebastian and I stripped you of your limbs."

"I see," Claude smirked suddenly, his golden orbs staring the elder demon down with a mixture of hate and something Sorben could not quite catch. "Then, I shall have no choice but to retaliate and kill you."

Sorben snorted, "You can try, but you forget who you're dealing with."


Aelia shifted slightly and reached out to drape her arm over Claude's stomach only to have it lay flat on the sheets where the male demon should have been. Her eyes slowly fluttered open as she frowned slightly at the discovery of his absence.

"Claude?" She slowly pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked around the room, "I wonder where he went?"

Aelia climbed out of the bed and pulled her clothing on before venturing out into the halls. She called out his name several times but to her displeasure, the only reply she got were the sounds of her own echo down the empty hallways.

"Where in hell did he go?" Aelia frowned.

"Miss Aelia!"

Aelia looked forward to see the triplets rushing towards her, all three looking worse for ware.

"What happened to you three?!" Aelia went wide eyed, immediately rushing to the three as she began to fret over their wounds.

Timber frowned and bowed politely despite his abdominal injury, "It's Lord Sorben and Claude!"

"They're fighting 'bout somethin'!" Canterbury added.

Thompson nodded quickly, "Claude's mighty pissed off at Lord Sorben too! Both of them are in rough shape!"

"WHAT?" Aelia yelled loudly, her eyes impossibly wide.


With a gasp Ciel's eyes snapped out as his body shot upwards into a sitting position. His chest heaved with each heavy breath he drew and soon he was able to calm himself enough to focus on his surroundings. Still in his master bedroom sitting beneath the silk sheets to his king size bed, he threw the bedding off his legs and swung his legs over the side.

"Sebastian!" Ciel called as he hopped down off his bed and grabbed his robe. Once his demon butler appeared, looking rather shocked to see his master awake so early, he locked eyes with Ciel, "Prepare some tea and meet me in my study."

"As you wish, my lord," Sebastian bowed at the waist and soon disappeared once more to complete his task.

The young earl walked through his bedroom door to wader the hallway leading towards his study as he pondered over what his dream had been about. It was nothing out of the ordinary for the young Phantomhive to have a dream where friends, family or people he had become acquainted with to die at the hands of a human or demon killer, but this was different. Ciel had not been able to identify the killer in his dream, or eve the victim for that matter. It left an unsettling feeling bottle in the pit of his stomach. That itself bothered the young earl to no end.

Once in his study, Ciel walked towards the window behind his desk and stared out into the darkness. Even when Sebastian entered the room with the cart topped with his tea and assorted sweets, Ciel didn't turn to face him. It was only when Sebastian announced that his tea was served, and handed him the china cup seated on a saucer that the earl finally looked at his butler.

Accepting his earl gray tea, Ciel sipped the liquid absentmindedly as Sebastian stood by his side silently, still somewhat confused as to why his young master wandered out of his bedroom to his study in the middle of the night.

"Young master," Sebastian started slowly, "Is there a reason why you're awake at this hour?"

Ciel opened his unconcealed eye to look at Sebastian, "I have an unsettling feeling and could not relax."

"I see," The elder demon tilted his head to the side, "Perhaps something sweet would settle your nerves–?"

"I don't want any food right now," Ciel cut Sebastian off quickly, "This feeling... It's like something bad is going to happen, and I don't like it."

Sebastian's gaze hardened, "What could possibly go wrong? You thought everything out perfectly and set the game so the pieces would fall accordingly and without fail."

Ciel walked towards one of the mansions large windows overlooking the property and watched as the breeze caused the branches and leaves to dance with one another. His cerulean eye narrowed slightly as he stood silently for another moment before glancing back at the demon standing quietly behind him patiently awaiting his master's words.

"Sebastian," Ciel turned and looked up at his butler with sudden concern flooding into his eye, "Do you think Sorben could be killed?"

Sebastian, thrown somewhat off-guard by Ciel's sudden inquiry, narrowed his eyes slightly as he answered the boy, "Of course, my lord. Any demon, no matter how old or powerful, all meet their end eventually."

"So someone like Claude would even be capable of killing him if he were to gain the upper hand?"

Sebastian nodded, "Unfortunately, yes."

Ciel muttered something to himself before sitting himself down in the cushioned chair behind his desk. Slipping his finger through the loop of the tea cup, he brought the soul-filled china to his lips and took a long sip. Sebastian watched in silence as Ciel closed his visible eye and sat still as if to steady his thoughts.

Sebastian narrowed his eyes slightly as he watched the young lord, 'Is he worried that Claude will somehow manage to take down a demon as gifted and powerful as Sorben so easily? Why, my lord, I've never seen you worry about your pawns before.'

"Sebastian, prepare a carriage," Ciel looked up at him, "I wish to see for myself if this feeling I'm having is an over-active imagination or if there really is something going wrong with our plan."


Aelia's eyes flew open as the breath left her body as if someone had delivered a swift punch to her stomach. What her eyes fell upon as she entered the back of the manor was nothing short of a gruesome disaster. There lay Claude, his body maimed and bleeding profusely as his chest heaved with desperate attempts to draw in precious oxygen. His body lay still aside form the ragged breathing in a large pool of his own blood, his eyes closed tightly with his struggles to cling to life.

What caused the color to drain from her cheeks however, was the sight of a decapitated body with its limbs sprawled out in disfigured ways. The clothing the headless body wore were soaked in blood that wafted through her nostrils, sending chills down her spine at the familiarity the scent gave her.

A few feet away laying on its side facing her, was none other than Sorben's head. His eyes were closed and dried blood lined from both corners of his mouth down the whole lower half of his face.

Thompson, Canterbury and Timber rushed behind her but soon stopped in their tracks as they surveyed the scene. Canterbury, having become the closest to Aelia since her time with them, slowly reached forward to place a comforting hand on her shoulder when he noticed her whole body began to tremble.

"Miss Aelia?" Canterbury spoke slowly as to avoid frightening her, "What are our orders–"

Timber suddenly wretched his brother away from Aelia with a harsh tug as her whole body began to glow with a visible dark aura. Her body continued to tremble as her entire entity screamed with inner rage, her eyes becoming the vibrant fuchsia as they landed on Claude.

"Why?"


'Dear Aelia,

I know this must be a lot for you to take in all at once my dear, but trust me, you will handle yourself just fine as I have for many years. You are... How do I say this? A fraction of me put into another living form of life. Sorben was sworn to secrecy so once you were of age and had become what you were born to be, you would not know of my existence or why you and I are so close. Although, I did fool him into thinking the child that would be my other half would not be his, but I'm sure now he fully understands that I partially... fibbed to him.

Despite the fact that I did not have the pleasure of meeting you before, you must be wondering why I speak to you as if I have known you my entire life. You see, I am able to see the future. It is an incredibly rare gift amongst even our lineage, being that it is only a gift a female of the Urbana line can inherit. Because you have a piece of me inside of you, this gift is now yours. If you wish to meet with me one day, you may use the gift given to you by your grandparents to call my soul forth from death for a short period of time. Exciting as it may be, you can only use this gift once, and I will not force you to choose between a first meeting with me or to see your father one last time.

Sorben is a good man so please, once you meet him, allow him to become your father figure. Cherish the time you have with him and let him teach you what you need to know. Believe me when I say this Aelia, your father will know best when the time comes.

Now you may be curious as to why you are only receiving this letter now and not at birth. Like I have stated and I'm sure your father has already told you, I was able to pick an appropriate time during my visions into your demonic life and chose this moment to be rather suitable.

I won't attempt to lie to you and tell you that I didn't try everything I could to avoid getting myself killed. I'm sure Sorben told you some things about me, and that I was a cold, heartless ruler who needed no one at her side. The truth is, I am like any other woman. I yearned to be loved by my soul mate, and it was those womanly desires that caused my downfall. I do not regret it, though.

Something I wish to reveal to you is the only secret I have kept from Sorben throughout my entire life, and I wish to share it with you.

During the story in which Sorben would have told you about my destruction, the man who ended my life was in fact my betrothed. It was I who tricked all those around me that he was my real mate, but that was false. My soul mate was in fact Salpsan, the demon who you now know as Sebastian Michaelis. I never had the pleasure of meeting him for myself, but I do recall a vision of him fighting along side Sorben during the end of the war.

So in turn Aelia, you have a decision. With a piece of me inside of you, you could very well terminate the marriage between you and the spider demon for the rights to marry a son born from Satan himself, or choose to live your life the way you have paved it. I've already foreseen your answer, but the humerus side of me wishes to give you your options.

Alas, there is so much I wish to say to you but unfortunately there is only so much that can be written down on paper. I would have loved to meet you, but time was not on our side. Grow up to be a lovely woman and do what is right by you. Times have changed in Hell, so do not let others sway you to their customs. Make change and stand out like the true heir of the Urbana clan. You are the last of our bloodline, so make me proud.

Lastly, I want you to always remember that the entire clan will always be with you in spirit when you are feeling weak and defenceless. You are never alone.

Zelina'


I know, I know... SHITTY ENDING. LOOL

This update was supposed to be posted like... a month or so ago but now that I'm on two weeks vacation, I can cap off this story and finish it so I can begin three others that are due to start. For those of you who will be interested, the following titles will be available shortly:

The Difference Between You and I – Sebastian x OC [Kuroshitsuji]

The Missing Piece – Near/Nate Rivers x OC [Death Note]

Desires – Mephisto x OC [Ao no Exorcist]

I have the first chapters for each story already written out, but I won't post them until I finish Magnificence. I PROMISED myself I would finish this one before I started posting like mad, and besides, I also have a Vampire Diaries story that needs update or else I may have to barricade myself somewhere to hide from the Kol lovers who want updates. o_o

So I just wanted you all to know, that there will be... two or three more chapters left to this series depending on how long I want to actually make the last updates. I'm leaning towards cramming it all into two more chapters with just a crap ton of breaks between each scene, but we'll see. I'm sporadic that way. That, and I have thirteen horses to work so it depends on how much free time I have on my hands after I work two or three each day (and for those of you who aren't horse people, it's roughly about two hours per horse depending on how easy they are to saddle, brush, etc etc.) :)

I'm going to try though! Promise!

Tataa for now my lovelies, and I shall see you all later! :D