Chapter Nine: Origins…

The fire only had embers burning this night, the remaining members of Caleb's family had long since run out of wood, and Caleb sat wrapped in blankets and his breath was visible to his eyes, but he was ecstatic despite his condition and how his mother was shivering, her teeth visibly chattered but she had denied to allow him to give her his blankets.

Caleb looked at his mother with an excited smile but also concerned eyes, it was the day before Christmas and she had managed to buy him a present, his eyes filled with tears of happiness… his friends had always called him a crybaby, and said that he got all emotional whenever somebody he cared about went to great lengths just to make him happy. They said it less politely of course, but most of his friends were dead and now… he would end up just like them.

He suddenly started coughing and the pain in his chest forced his tears to fall. It was earlier that day the doctor spoke to mother about how he only had a few more days of life left at best, he had been hidden around the corner while they whispered, but he heard every word of it. "I'm sorry, mother." Caleb apologized and looked at his mom through teary eyes with blurry vision, he wasn't strong enough, he failed his mom... and now he was going to die because he was weak and his mother would suffer the most.

She smiled and placed a hand on his cheek. "It's okay, Caleb. You're going to be fine." She stated and her eyes teared up. He could tell, and knew that she was lying to him… but he didn't mind… he didn't want to anyways. Who could tell their second-born that they were going to die? "You'll be fine…" She whispered again, this time she was whispering it for herself.

Caleb smiled slightly, and nodded. "Yes mother." He responded with a false smile, and stood up and started to walk upstairs, he felt tired, more so than usual… but he'd open his presents tomorrow!

When he arrived at the top step he sluggishly made his way to his room and collapsed on the bed, entering deep sleep… after coughing hysterically for the next three minutes.

…the next day…

Caleb slowly opened his eyes, and he was still alive, the sun was shining through his blinds and directly onto his face. The boy sighed and waited for himself to cough up his morning blood, it had become routine after so many days of suffering… but, no cough came. His eyes opened slightly wider and he threw himself out of bed. He then charged to the other side of his room and opened the door to his room to find himself staring up at a man wearing spectacles and a cold-expression, his clothes were pretty snazzy.

"Huh?" Caleb looked up at him curiously and paused. "W-who are you?" He asked and the man smiled slightly, adjusting his spectacles with a strange spear.

"I am William T. Spears, I am a grim reaper and I was sent here to collect your soul because you were scheduled to die this morning."

Caleb's eyes widened with shock at this man's intrusion… and the fact that he said he was a grim reaper. "Mom!" He cried out, he felt his heart start beating faster and the panic built-up within him.

"She's dead." Spears stated bluntly and he closed his eyes and then looked at the boy. "I will make it quick, just don't resist." The man stated, mom was dead? He inhaled sharply with the frankness the man gave. This feeling felt worse than his morning cough, a ever present pain as his head ached, and it felt like his heart had just been ripped from his body, then chewed up and spit out by some sick sack of worthless scum that deserved to die, he sobbed.

"It's not true." Caleb stated, his words were forced out of him and he choked, then let out a growl and he felt his eyes grow hotter as more tears fell to the ground. "It's NOT TRUE!" He started sobbing harder and William lashed out at the boy with his spear… and it struck him in the chest, blood dripped from the boy's chest who cried out in shock.

He did not fall however, he simply gasped with shock as his body was pierced by this spear, and he gasped for breath… but he couldn't inhale. "MOM!" He managed to scream in a choked cry. It was then that he fell to his knees, and grasped the spear; his vision was beginning to fade.

Caleb started choking and watched as he coughed up blood, and he smiled slightly, licking the blood from his bottom lip, he was now in a bloodlust…

There it was… his morning blood…

…The boy grasped the spear and let out a pained growl as he pulled the blade from his flesh, his expression was angered. "I…" He grunted with effort and the blade exited the wound, blood flowed out of it quickly and sickened Caleb, but he noticed the wound close and he felt his eyes grow even hotter, his hand started to glow and he felt the blade turn to liquid in his hand. "Will…" He stated through still-gritted teeth and the man looked at him with a frightened expression. "Kill…" Caleb added and he felt himself grow hungry, and this man was beginning to look like an enrapturing meal… but the man turned to run. "You." Caleb said with a higher-pitched and playful voice. He started laughing playfully.

Then he was engulfed in darkness.

A FEW MINUTES LATER…

Caleb stood absent-mindedly next to the body of his mother, she was in the center of some sort of summoning circle, and her eyes were closed… she looked at peace. A note lay in her hands that were crossed on her chest. Caleb's eyes were watery again and he didn't know what was going on… what was he? Why did he want to eat William T. Spears? Why did he want to find somebody?

He opened the letter… and read it…

You're a demon,

Caleb, I know you will find it hard to believe but I offered my soul to the Raven in exchange for your life… the only way to make sure you lived your life to the fullest was to give mine up, do not look for your Brother, but instead search for the Demon-Raven known to me as Sebastian Michaelis.

Do not hate him… It was my decision and it was the only way… He's now the closest thing you've ever had to a father, granting you immortality and life as a demon…

I'm sorry if you hate me for this, but I didn't know what else to do.

Love, Mom.

P.S. Live your life.

"I'm… a what?" He asked and dropped the letter and stood in shock for quite some time… he wasn't sure how long but the sun set and rose several times before he finally left the house and wandered aimlessly and without purpose, all the while engulfed in a blinding fog with a numb body. He was sure that he killed people once in a while…

Present Day…

He smirked as he held the death-scythe with a single hand that glowed as it was encased with what looked like glorious purple flames that stopped the weapon itself in its tracks, the chain of Grell's weapon was slowly grinded away against the hot and seemingly indestructible power of Caleb's single hand. Grell's eyes went cold, and his expression hardened, he was sweating and Caleb could see that despite this creatures status it was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. "I don't have time for you reaper." Caleb stated and grasped the Death-scythe with his flames and the weapon started to glow a blinding bright yellow.

"…" Grell stared at Caleb with the same frozen expression. In turn, Caleb stood valiantly and offered nothing more than a sparkle grin. Causing Grell to blush furiously, at this Caleb forced his hand through the blade of Grell's death-scythe as it melted, "A thousand flames of death!" Caleb shouted and aimed to smack the palm of his hand against Grell's forehead, whose nose started bleeding and-

WHAM!

The impact sent teeth chattering vibrations throughout Caleb's arm and Grell was gone in an instant, flying back with the velocity comparable to a bullet and the reaper smashed into the nearest tree and those behind it, but only after flying about fifty meters from the inside of the tower, into the clearing at the base of the tower and finally shooting past the path the clearing lead to.

"Remarkable…" Sebastian stated quietly and Caleb let his left brow twitch as he noticed the nose of the deer head enter his peripheral vision… but he wasn't done yet…

The shockwave from the blast exploded from the tips of his fingers with such force that Sebastian Michaelis and the Newborn Demon-puppy Alois Trancy were both sent flying into the walls on each side of Caleb Michaelis.

Caleb let out a single soft sigh and with the explosion from his fingers he stopped glowing purple. He then jammed his hands into his pockets and closed his eyes as he started upon the flight of stairs that led to the top of the tower. Whoop, just like the bad guy to make everyone walk up the stairs in a futile effort to tire them out before they eventually got to the top… in this case it was most likely riddled with traps and other awful things that would most likely kill the trio as they advanced. "Come on, he'll be awake in three days… which doesn't give us much time." Caleb said with the same vibrant voice as always, calm and collected… he just physically raped a Reaper… well, it looked like Grell sort of enjoyed it, and it's not rape if you like it… right?

Meanwhile, Alois watched Caleb begin his ascent, breathing heavily and his eyes were wide with, awe, shock and excitement… his heart was pounding. "That… Was… AWESOME!" He exclaimed and charged after Caleb and ascended as well.

Sebastian pretended to not be impressed, "A demon ascending stairs… how dreadful." He said quietly, his voice was hesitant, as though he was trying to forget to remember to remember to forget something… probably what he just witnessed.

"Hey Sebastian, I like cats." Caleb stated, and Sebastian seemed to teleport to Caleb's side and nodded slowly.

"I'm with you until the end."