Chapter 28
"What do you mean by that?" Bastian demanded, flabbergasted. He knew one of his sisters had to be Viola's ancestor. The fact it was Alyssa was no surprise. They looked similar enough and their demeanors were the same. What did she mean she would cease to exist should any harm come to his fourth eldest sibling?
"The circumstances are far too complex for you to understand," said Michealis. He walked down the hallway and kept a steady pace so Bastian and Viola could follow. "Since you asked so nicely, I'll do my best to explain. In this world there are certain requirements in order for people to be born. Obviously, two people-a man and a woman- must come together to have a child. What hasn't been discovered at this time is that both have attribute or 'genes' unique to them."
"Like how I'm a noble solely through my mom's bloodline while my dad was an American commoner," Viola provided helpfully. "If it weren't for Dad's specific genes, I wouldn't have been born."
"So these 'genes' are important?" Bastian struggled to understand. It was not a daily occurrence Viola flaunted her future knowledge. She avoided doing so for his sake. He knew this matter had to be relevant if they were taking time to explain.
Viola gave him a dumbfounded look, then sighed.
"Right, is it still common knowledge proteins were thought to be the basis of life?"
"Yes. Frustrating, isn't it? To be tutoring someone that has less intelligence than you?" Michealis quipped, stepping over a pile of rotting bodies. They took care to not splash any blood on their shoes in the pool gathered around their fallen forms.
"I know you're making fun of me. I don't appreciate it."
"That is what makes it fun. Anyway, Sebastian," he said, returning to the conversation. "To answer your question, yes, genes are important. They are the building blocks to one's essence no one else can copy other than an identical twin. Then, when they have a child with someone else their building blocks combine where the child will have their own unique essence. Does that make sense?"
"I...suppose..." Science was not an area Bastian was well-versed in. He understood enough to know the basis, but beyond that he would not comprehend. Their explanation barely made much sense to him. For their sake he would try. "So what you are saying is that these...building blocks are needed in order for people to exist? What happens if, theoretically, the building blocks are replaced? Is that possible?"
"No, that is a misconception. It is not possible for building blocks to be replaced. The blocks have to be in a specific order or else the whole thing will crumble. It is either those blocks are there or they never existed at all."
Bastian lost all understanding there.
Viola rolled her eyes as they walked through an open doorway. It led to an open hall full of the walking corpses. Michealis pushed forward to the front in the blink of an eye. As they took out their chosen weapons (Viola had borrowed Lizzy's sword), he had already taken out a good half. The hall became drenched in blood.
"Alright, this isn't going very well," she said, coming up behind Michealis. She stabbed the rapier through a corpse head he head missed. "I'll cut to the chase. Bastian, if your sister dies, I won't exist. She wouldn't have my great-great-great-grandpa and he wouldn't have his son. Your sister's my building block-my foundation. What happens if the foundation is missing to a building?"
"Everything built after will fall," Bastian answered. It clicked into place. He understood what they were attempting to explain. "Are you saying you will die?" If my sister died, you will as well?"
"Viola will not die, per say." Michealis paused long enough in his slaughter to speak. Kicking off a corpse stuck on his foot, he twirled gracefully to him. "If she dies, then it will be as if Viola never existed in the first place. There is a question about what would happen to Viola presently. Would she vanish or would she slowly die a horrible death?"
"God, Ciel! What's wrong with you?" Viola shot him a dirty look.
"Come now. You were wondering about it as well. I can tell."
"Of course I was! But I decided maybe I would slowly vanish away like Marty does in Back to the Future."
"That is a film. It has no real life depiction on what would happen."
"How would you know? Have you ever seen anyone get erased from existence?"
"No."
"Then, there ya go!"
Bastian wordlessly listened to the banter between the two. Viola and Michealis argued while eliminating the corpses, unfazed by it all. He was not surprised they would do so in this situation. It was incredible, really, to listen to such callous words when several corpses fell to sword and foot.
As to the subject on hand, Bastian decided to take the severity for what it was. It did not make any sense. He suspected Viola assumed he wouldn't and needed him to trust her. He did so with no complaint.
The three of them ventured through the infested halls as if they were taking a daily stroll. In reality Michealis was the only one to feel so. Bastian and Viola were on alert the whole time as the threat of the rotting corpses was all too real. Anytime one of those things appeared Bastian's body would jerk into action.
Michealis was unconcerned with the whole venture. He treated it like a game a child would play as he mercilessly destroyed skulls left and right.
It was inhuman, which proved Michealis was not the human he appeared to be.
They went deeper into the ship towards where his mother told Viola where Alyssa was last seen in the tea room with one of her friends. The room was off towards the very back since it was a room that had more sun than the other tea rooms. It took them awhile to reach it seeing as how many of their routes were blocked by hordes of the monsters and the ship's own tilting frame.
"This really sucks, you know that?" Viola panted as they ran down an empty, corpse-free hallway. "We're on a sinking ship and running around. I didn't wear the proper shoes to be doing this."
Bastian looked at her. He had to agree that heeled boots were not appropriate attire to run in. Now that she had his attention he found her gait to have a slight limp to it.
"Will you be alright to keep going?" he asked.
"Honestly? No, I don't think so."
She slowed to a stop. Wincing, she rubbed where her ankle was as if to soothe it.
"I'm not surprised you lasted this long," Michealis drawled. He stuffed his bloody hands in his trouser pockets. "It's not as if you had the forewarning this would occur."
Viola let out a huff, wincing as she stood up again. "I know, I know. Events have to happen the way they happened. It's not like you're going to tell me anything. You don't have to remind me I can't change a damn thing."
Michealis' eye softened in a way they normally would around Elizabeth. Bastian was surprised she was able to gain that reaction.
"I don't like this situation anymore than you. I'm sorry you must live through this tragedy."
"Let's wait until we save my ancestor. Then, I might forgive you."
The two smiled, completely trusting one another. Bastian felt like a stranger to this moment. He never had anyone he wholly trusted like these two. He was almost jealous.
Viola got her brief rest as they continued to trek through the halls. The maze-like halls connected to the elevator hall. Bastian heard the loud groaning and knew there would be a large group of moving corpses.
Michealis motioned for them to stay close to the wall around the corner. Bastian was able to look around the corner into the hall.
Just as he suspected there was a large cluster of them. They were gathered in front of one of the elevators. They piled on top of each other to get inside the closed off space. Straining his ears, he heard sobbing and someone attempting to calm another.
"Michealis, whoever is in there needs help," Bastian hissed, softly. It ate at him to see others in danger. He had some compassion left in him.
"Of course they do," he retorted. "Your sister is in there. If we don't help, I lose the whole reason why I'm back in this time."
Viola jolted beside him.
"Grandma Alyssa's in there? How the hell was she able to get herself there?"
"Obviously, someone managed to help her get to safety. Otherwise, she would have perished by now."
"Okay, then how do we save her?"
Michealis gave her a dull look, which questioned Viola's intelligence. Rolling his eye, he simply walked out. Viola scooted forward so she could watch what her friend would do.
The demon calmly made his way towards the gathered horde. When he got close the corpses on the fringes moved to attack him. With a bored look on his face he shoved his hand through their skulls in an elegant manner. It was almost like a dance move rather than a brutal attack. How ironic considering he was unable to dance as his younger self. This drew more attention from other copses. When they approached him he calmly did the same thing.
"Jesus, Patchy. Remind not to piss you off so badly in the future," Viola muttered, shocked at her friend's strength.
"Have you ever seen him like this before?" he asked her.
"Never like this. I've never seen Patchy get super pissed at me before. The time he got mad about his Halloween mistake was the angriest I've seen him. But calm, calculated slaughter like this ? This is new."
"I am relieved he is on our side then." Both demons they associated with were on their side. The question was how long they would be on their side? Michealis was definitely loyal to Viola. Sebastian, on the other hand, was someone they could hardly trust.
They were unsure if he truly was kind to them or if he had an ulterior motive.
The two of them fell silent and continued to watch him destroy the rest of the corpses. As the numbers whittled Bastain was able to see that there was already a pile of corpses in front of the closed off elevator. Whoever was inside there with Alyssa must have been the reason for it. When there were no corpses left to destroy Michealis relaxed. At this point there was not a spot on him left unclean.
Bastian deemed it safe to come out. He removed himself from the wall, Viola was on his heels. As he hurried over to the elevator, upon closer inspection he found the cage was heavily dented inward. That was all he could see when a sharp metal point stabbed through the gaps.
Viola managed to grab his shirt before a metal point buried in his stomach
"Brother!" Alyssa cried. From within the elevator, she appeared before him. Her impeccable appearance was ruined where blood colored her skirts. Her hair was a mess and her face was tear stained. She reached a gloved hand through the bars, smiling. "You are well! I never thought you would come to save me."
"Of course I did. I would never leave you to die, sister." He reached and grabbed her hand, gripping it reassuringly. "How in the world did you get trapped in here. Is someone in there with you?"
"That would be me, sir." Bastian was not afraid to say his mouth fell open as Conrad Brandt appeared at his sister's side.
"Conrad, how you did you get in there?" Viola asked in disbelief.
"We were separated from the evacuees," the Durless Butler explained as he began to open the elevator. It took some effort given the damage on it. He dropped the makeshift lance in his hand. "When Lady Midford was guiding groups to the boats Ms. Alyssa sustained a small injury in her haste to escape. She hurt her ankle and was in the back of the group. I went back to help her once the Madame was safe. Then, the horrible corpses appeared."
"They cornered us and we were forced to seek refuge in this elevator," Alyssa confirmed.
"I'm surprised you managed to survive this long," said Michealis. He smirked at the two. "How chivalrous of you to protect the lady. I'm sure Aunt Ann would be proud."
"Yes, young master."
"I'm very grateful for Mr. Brandt's help." Alyssa placed her hand over her heart. She sent Conrad a grateful smile. "If you were not there to help me, I would surely have perished here. I owe you my life"
"It was nothing, my lady." Conrad's eyes swept through the hallway. His nose wrinkled in disgust. "How horrible. To think such a thing would happen tonight. Many people have suffered deaths I would not wish on anyone."
"Yeah, I know it's bad. Can we leave now?" Viola's hand tapped impatiently at her side. She resembled a squirrel ready to dart away. "I'm sorry for being rude, but the ship's gonna sink at any given moment. We need to leave now."
To emphasize her point the room trembled violently. Bastian's very bones were jarred. Alyssa gripped his arm with a constrictor's grasp. The ship moaned like one in immense pain.
When it stopped they had to take a moment to right themselves.
"You are right, Ms. Viola. We need to leave for the lifeboats. " Conrad picked up his makeshift lance again. "I will escort you back to the lifeboats. It is too dangerous to be wandering around with these things roaming the halls."
"That would be a good idea," Bastian agreed. Surely, there was safety in numbers? It helped to have a near invincible demon at their side
The group swiftly moved given how heavily tilted the ship was. They had to hurry. It would not be long before the whole thing collapsed and sunk.
Just as before Michealis was at the front of the group alongside Conrad. Alyssa clung to Bastian and Viola remained on her other side. He did not mind the closeness since Alyssa was his sister. He could bear it more than he could with Lucinda. They walked through the deserted halls swiftly but silently. The path they had taken before was inaccessible now because of how to tilted the ship was. Without handrails on the walls they were unable to walk slowly angling floors.
The path they took twisted and turned each time they turn a corner or walked down the hallway. Bastian was certain they were getting farther away from the lifeboats. Michealis led them in confidence so he must have known where they were going.
They soon came upon a hallway forked in two separate directions. Michealis stopped.
"Go forward or go right?" he asked, gazing at the two directions.
"What's the difference?" Viola panted. She was red in the face, trembling slightly. Bastian wondered if she was all right. Had she caught a cold again? She was hardly dressed warm.
"One direction would take us to the First Class hall," Conrad replied. He nodded to the right. "Straight ahead would take us to a path leading to where the stairway is located. It would take some navigating, but it would take us to the lifeboats safely."
"Take a longer path and waste time or the short possibly, dangerous one? What a dilemma."
"Would it not be best to take the shorter path?" Alyssa asked.
"It would, but there is a possibility it will be infested with these corpses," said Bastian. Neither path was safe. It was a matter of whether they could risk the mildly dangerous path or not.
A symphony of moans drifted to his ears. They lingered there so long they had not realized more of the corpses were there until they were upon them.
Alyssa shrieked in terror and hid behind Bastian. That wasn't the best place for her to be. He pulled her away to shove her towards Conrad. The corpses were closer to him and Viola.
"Conrad, take my sister! Michealis, get them to the lifeboats," Bastian ordered. He leveled his gun at the approaching horde. "I will try to hold them off while you run to safety."
"No, brother!" Alyssa called. She tried to get to him but Conrad kept her away.
"My lord, I will do as you wish," Conrad agreed. He gave him a stern, confident stare. "But you must return to us in one piece. Madame Durless cares for you deeply. She will want to see you again."
"I will." As odd as it sounded Madame Red had grown on him. She acted like an overgrown child much like Viola. He began to see her as an eccentric aunt he never had.
Conrad pulled Alyssa away down the longer route. Alyssa struggled, calling out to Bastian in desperation. Michealis silently followed after giving Viola a significant look.
Viola was the only one left remaining.
"Bastian, I don't think we actually can hold them off," Viola said, backing away. She was uneasy as she held her defensive stance.
"I agree. I only said that to get Alyssa away." He knew with the size of the cluster he was not going to last long, but he did need to get Alyssa back to safety. She would never do so unless forced. He lowered his gun, took Viola's hand, and ran off towards the only other path they could use.
The two of them ran down the hallways at top speed. Somehow, Viola was able to keep up despite how she ran around in heeled shoes. They ran a path Bastain was not well acquainted with, but it was decorated accordingly enough to give him an idea of where it led. Before long, he reached a set of double doors. Where they were once grand and majestic earlier they were no bloody and marked with scratches. They were made from what looked to be human nails. They burst into a large room,a grand staircase before them.
Entering, Viola slammed the doors closed. She slipped her sword through the handlebars and looked at it.
"Okay. That takes care of that," she sighed. She pushed her hair out of her eyes and she took in the room. "Wow, this did not look like this an hour ago. It went straight to shit."
"Viola, we have no time for this," said Bastian. While he was inclined to agree, he was frantic to find a way out. Making his way to the grand staircase, he took careful steps to avoid the blood that covered the white marble floor everywhere. It was as if a storm swept through the room..
He was about to climb them when voices drifted to where they were. They sounded close. He was proven right when at the right of the staircase at the top a group of men appeared. On their shoulders they carried a large rectangular machine. Its buttons and gauges held no meaning to him. They carefully descended the stairs down to the first landing. They slowly lowered it on the ground yet still jostled it.
"Please be more careful. That's worth more than your life."
That voice...A shiver went through Bastian. He knew that voice so eccentric and gay. It could belong to but one man.
His worst fears came to light as Viscount Druitt walked into view. Although the ship was about to sink, the viscount did not appear remotely worried, his impeccable white suit unstained. In one hand he carried a glass of burgundy wine.
Viola softly gasped. "Why do we keep running into this guy? Why is he involved in every illegal activity there is in London? Seriously."
Bastian agreed. Why in the world was this man not in jail yet?
Viscount Druitt turned his eyes downward. An elegant eyebrow quirked up. "Oh, it would seem we have extras to our cast-a fair young man and dear lady."
"Bastian, Viola, what in the world are you still doing here?" Sebastian and Ciel came into view by the railing on the second floor. The butler held the young master in his arms. Ciel was disgruntled
"We were looking for our cousin. What about you?" Viola asked in kind.
"Why, they are here to be part of our cast!" Druitt was dramatic as he turned his gaze further into the room. "It would seem our main players have arrived."
"Bastard! Why did you take the device?" a man in a medical coat demanded. He gripped the railing, face twisted in rage. Behind him was Ronald Knox and Grell Sutcliff. Bastian did not know the other half of 'Jack the Ripper' would be on the ship as well. Viola was not at all surprised.
Druitt grandly threw out his arms.
"Welcome, Ryan. I was waiting for you. Tonight, the Empire you built will collapse like Pompeii and in its place my new realm will be reborn! With the power of this device I will create a new empire. The one who conquered eternity will rule over everyone with corruption and decadence. It will be called the Aurora Empire!"
"I'm not sure I understand," Bastion slowly said. Then again, most of what Druitt said never made much sense.
Viola's eyes were crinkled. "I don't get it either."
"I'll paint him red right away!" Grell declared, wielding his odd weapon at the ready.
"Oops!" Druitt lifted the wine glass to the machine, tipping it until the liquid barely touched the rim. "Don't you care about the device?" He laughed as no one made a move. "This is the real power! I can win against all of you with one glass of wine."
What was so special about that machine? Bastian wondered. Everyone, including the Grim Reapers, treated it as some kind of special deadly weapon. To him it was an odd machine.
A droning noise of moans broke his thoughts. Glass shattered and doors were knocked down as dozens of moving corpses clawed their way into the room. They were climbing over one another to enter. It was animalistic.
"Fuck! Shit!" Viola cursed. The two backed further into the stairs to get away. Bastian's hands trembled as he drew his gun.
"Please activate it immediately!" Ciel ordered, frantic
"Non! I'm not a viscount anymore!" Druitt said, smiling charmingly. "'Caesar'... I will activate it if you call me that name with that lovely little mouth of yours, cock robin."
The Earl's face went a bright shade of red.
"Enough of this! Viola, Bastian! I order you to get him away from the device," he ordered before Sebastian turned away to fight off the corpses. It was amazing the demon could fight with a handicap like Ciel on his shoulders.
"Ah, ah. Don't move, little birds." Druitt lifted his wine glass again. However, Bastian was ready.
He fired a shot at the wineglass. The bullet pierced through, shattering it in a shower of liquid and glass. Druitt let out a shriek of surprise. A moment later Viola ran up the stairs and tackled him straight to the ground.
"Call you Caesar? Then, call me Brutus!" Viola cackled. It was more like how a child laughed roughhousing with another.
Bastian ran up the stairs to her side. She paused her movements.
"What a pansy. He fainted on me," she sighed, disappointed.
Bastion peered down to see the Viscount lying on the ground, unconscious.
"When am I ever going to find a challenge? Why are all the guys I find so afraid to fight me?"
"Viola, do you not get enough of a challenge with these moving corpses?" He shook his head. There was enough going on around for her to find a challenge.
"No way! I want an actual fight, not cannon fodder."
There was laughter behind Bastian-one so eccentric it was as if everything was hilarious. This sounded familiar to him.
Turning around, he found the reason why.
"Undertaker?" A man dressed in black robes stood behind him. He had long silver hair that reached the back of his knees. The fringe covering his eyes reached his nose and brushed against his cheeks. Perched atop his head was a ragged black silk top hat. A light grey sash was slung over his right shoulder and across his torso.
"As always you never cease to make me laugh, little Dupree," Undertaker chortled. He had a large grin on his face. "Even if months have passed since we last properly spoke, everything you say is hilarious."
"Nice to know you still find me a riot," Viola replied. She stood up to get off the viscount. "Though I'm surprised, Undertaker. I never expected to find you here on the ship."
"Nor did I," Bastian muttered. What was the odd mortician doing there? He and Viola were not as acquainted as they should be. He was merely too strange for him to visit.
The two of them met Undertaker the month after they left the Emrys manor. It was earlier in their stay that Viola had gotten them in minor trouble with the local street gang. She attempted to steal money from one of their members and failed. He was with her at the time, so they were forced to flee. They ran through East End, attempting to lose the five gang members that chased them. They couldn't and were forced to enter a shop with coffins on display inside.
The shop itself was empty of life. It was a shop only the dead visited. Viola urged Bastian to hide in a coffin. He was uncomfortable about it, but he did as he was told. The gang entered to look for them. Not long after they did they left. Most likely because of the eerie atmosphere the shop held.
When they got out of the coffins they found they weren't alone. Undertaker had appeared out of the backroom with his unsettling grin in place. Viola had nearly had a heart attack, cursing under her breath about 'creepy old men and their ghost-like sneaking.' Undertaker burst into laughter.
Needless to say, he took an immediate liking to them.
Undertaker allowed them shelter on rainy days and invited them to tea. He said that anyone who made him laugh each time she opened her mouth was welcome in his shop. Viola became a companion to the mortician, often laughing at his dark humor. Bastian was more wary. Something about the man made him uncomfortable as if he simply had to get away.
"Why exactly are you here?" Viola asked, confused.
"I could ask the same of you, my dear," Undertaker chuckled, controlling himself. "It would seem now is not the time for pleasantries. Perhaps another time?"
"Viola, what are you doing? Activate the device!" Ciel bellowed over the noise the corpses made. It wavered high and low as Sebastian fought them off with a heavy handicap cradled in one arm.
Viola fled towards the device, Bastian on her heels. He stood over her shoulder as she examined the board of complicated buttons and gauges before her.
"Ciel, what button is it?" she exclaimed, panic in her voice making it higher in pitch.
"I don't know!" he replied.
"How can you not know which one it is?"
"It is the Viscount's device, not mine."
Undertaker came over and stood behind Viola's other shoulder. He pointed a finger at a small square button. "Might I suggest that button?"
Why that button in particular? Bastian's skepticism rose. There are many buttons to choose from. How could Undertaker choose that one?
Bastion tried to voice his uncertainties.
Viola pressed the button before he got the chance.
They held their breath in anticipation. What the purpose was for the device was a complete mystery to them. Ciel and the other occupants fighting for their lives to have it protected. Why was it so valued? For several moments they waited. When nothing happened Undertaker burst into gay laughter.
The room froze save for the flesh eating monsters.
"What is the meaning of this" Ciel yelled, incredulously. "Ryan, the device you built isn't working!"
Ryan Stoker's face was slack in growing horror. In what light they had revealed the complexion to be pale. Then, it slowly morphed into rage.
"Bastard, you lied to me!" In their general direction his dark glare was fixed upon someone standing in viola's vicinity and it most certainly was not Bastian.
"What a useless farce!" A red blur jumped over the second floor railing. In his descent Grell slashed his odd roaring weapon as one would a broadsword. It cut through the skulls of several corpses waiting for him. They fell into pieces as his feet touch the ground. In the same momentum he sprinted up the stairs a snarl on his face.
"Wait, Ms. Grell! We can't kill the Bound!" Knox cried out, panicked and frantic.
Viola's jaw dropped.
"You were really trying to kill me earlier!" she accused.
"Of course I was, you daft girl!" Grell yelled, his voice shrill for a man. "You have not only insulted my beauty you have taking Sebbie and William from me. You deserve death as long as this time's Bound is alive!"
"For the love of Christ-Sebastian is my boss! In the future Mr. Spears is my teacher! I'm not interested in either of them."
"You could be dead for all I care!" His lips twisted in a wide grin. Halfway up the staircase he leapt high into the air. His weapon was held over his head and the closer he approached he began to swing it down. "The world doesn't need a useless girl like you. There can be only one heroine to this tale!"
"Viola!" Bastian, in what little time he had, tried to grab her arm to get her out of harm's way. He still had time.
However, his fingertips touched black cloth that suddenly blocked her from him. There was a trail of silver hair as a hand raised a stick behind him. Somehow, the stick blocked the sharp weapon.
There was more than one gasp as Undertaker managed to stop Grell in his tracks.
"It's been awhile since I've laughed so much," the mortician chuckled. "To lose such an amusing woman would be like losing the whole world to me. Do you not agree, Grim Reaper?"
"The death scythe cannot cut it?" Grell gasped.
Undertaker whirled around on his heel, simultaneously parrying the odd weapon back. Grell flew backwards into the air astonished. With a flourish the silver haired man threw back his robes' outer layer to reveal more sticks hidden beneath. Grinning wide, he threw the sticks at Grell.
They weren't particularly accurate as they missed their red target. They blew past him to shatter the skylight behind him. Glass shards began to fall like rain. Bastian swiftly pulled his shell shocked incarnation into his arms to shield her bare skin from getting cut.
"How sad it would be should laughter disappear," said Undertaker wistfully over the small chimes of glass.
Bastian glanced over his shoulder, clutching viola protectively to his chest. His jaw dropped upon seeing the mortician had swept his long hair back out of his face. Contrary to his belief that he was an older man, his face was that of a young man's. His pale skin was smooth with high cheekbones and a pointed nose. There was but one stitched and badly healed scar that ran from the top left of his forehead across the bridge of his nose and down to his right ear.
But it was his eyes...Those half-lidded and rather beautiful enchanting eyes...A sickly yellow green color radiated through those irises. That color was only seen on three individuals he had met before and two stood in the room with him.
"A Grim Reaper..."
Undertaker laughed again. It was far chilling than what he was used to. "How nostalgic! It has been half a century since someone's last called me that."
"You're a Grim Reaper?" Viola exclaimed. She managed to get a look over his shoulder. Eyeing him up and down, her breath caught in her throat. "Hot damn! You've got the most gorgeous eyes I have ever seen on a man! Those eyelashes are long."
At that the man with gorgeous eyes was laughing as he would on a normal day. Bastian groaned.
"Viola, now is not the time," he chided. She shouldn't be admiring another man in such a crisis.
"Sorry. I need to get this out of my system. Undertaker, I take back what I said about you being creepy old man. Now you're an attractive creepy old man."
"I am flattered to hear that, my dear." Undertaker caught his breath, wiping a tear in his eye. "I'm sure your suitor is not as delighted as I am to hear such a compliment."
"I can hardly care looking at you. I've got a thing for long silver haired men anyway."
"What is the meaning of this, Undertaker?" Ryan Stoker demanded, running towards the stairs and down it. "Didn't you say we can control the corpses as long as we have this device? Why is it not working?"
Undertaker tapped his chin in thought. "Did I say such a thing? I forget."
"Did you fool me? Was it all a lie? All that about going to America to spread the complete salvation?"
"But you see, I thought it was funny since you were trying to revive the dead in all seriousness. You were the perfect person for my purpose."
"So our goal of making the world healthy was-"
"That is your goal, is it not? Also, you would never be able to perform a resurrection of human beings with the current medicine you possess. In my book from the moment you relied on my skills that cannot be regarded as medicine anymore. The man who would use a treatment he did not fully understand on a patient can no longer be called a doctor, you see."
Stoker was stricken silent. His very faith had shattered before his eyes. He fell to his knees at the devastation of it all.
"No, it can't be…" he muttered, desolate.
Undertaker placed a hand on the man's head, patting it like one would to comfort a child.
"You were a good child who honestly believed my story."
"So in other words you're the mastermind behind the Aurora society's human resurrection experiments, Undertaker," Ciel accused. He deduced everything at this point to be the fault of a single Grim Reaper.
"'That's a secret,'" Undertaker teased, giving him a mysterious smile, "is what I'd like to say, but by doing that phoenix pose you've paid me for an awful amount of information. So I'll oblige. It's true that I was the one who made these moving corpses."
"Why?"
"At first it was probably just my curiosity towards humans…Humans are composed of a 'body' and 'a soul.' If you bring these two together, one can exist amongst the living and keep on documenting their life's memories in the 'cinematic record.' And what the flesh body withers and the Grim Reapers collect their souls the record ends there. Thus, the living become the dead."
Undertaker tilted his head up, lost in his musings.
"Grim Reapers take the soul from the body according to a list, causing an end to their reels. Day in, day out, peacefully, indifferently. I had lived that Reaper life for a long time when one day it occurred to me. What would happen if the end had a continuation? What would happen to the flesh body if you were to connect a continuation to the memories that had come to an end without the soul?"
"How can that be?" Bastian deigned to ask. It was unfathomable. A body continuing to live without a soul? Was that not against the laws of nature?
"I found that the body and the brain that holds the memories are the key."
"You edited the records?" Grell gasped.
Undertaker pointed at a few of the corpses.
"How about you take a look at their records with your own abilities?"
The red Grim Reaper did just that. He leapt at the nearest corpses, slicing his weapon through their throats. They fell at his feet. However, Grell stared straight ahead of him, jaw hung open in disbelief. Ronald and Sebastian had a similar reaction.
"What is this?"
"What's going on?" Viola looked between all three of the supernatural beings. "What do you see?"
"They are seeing what is beyond the end mark of the cinematic records," Undertaker explained helpfully to the three humans. "By generating fake records and attaching them to the end, I made it so that the end would never come. Then, the body will mistakenly think that its life is still continuing and starts to move again without a soul.
"All living beings instinctively try to fill up whatever they lack. If your body gets wounded, it will close up. If the spirit feel lonely, one will seek others to fill the emptiness. That's why they also seek what they lack. In order to find a 'soul' they will try and open up the bodies of the living."
"Because those records lack what they're missing," Bastian said, slowly beginning to understand. Something Michealis had said before came to mind and it added all the pieces in his mind. "They are nothing but mindless puppets that do nothing but hunt after our souls despite how they had no hearing or sight. But it is impossible to get their souls!"
Undertaker nodded.
"I can tamper with the records, but I cannot create a soul. I experimented a lot, but most of them never became nothing more than flesh dolls without a self. That's why I call them not living and not dead. The Bizarre Dolls."
"That's-That's horrible," Viola whimpered. "You toy with the only thing in the world that someone leaves behind when they die. How could you?"
"That you cannot understand the beauty is understandable, Ms. Dupree. After all, whenever you perish your body is turned to ash and you leave nothing but a memory behind."
"What do you mean?" Bastian asked, once again wondering about life.
"The soul known by all Grim Reapers as the Bound is unable to freely reincarnate as you believe. A soul promised to a demon with their connection a heart is forever tied to that heart. When you die the heart must be burned to release the soul from its mortal prison in order to seek out a new vessel. Then, the heart is made anew in the vessel, once again tying your soul to the mortal realm. I suppose that is what makes you unique."
"That explains the fires," Viola muttered to herself. She raised her voice. "That still doesn't give you the right to turn hundreds of dead bodies into your playthings. What's the point of doing that? Ten or twenty samples would have been enough to make a reasonable conclusion."
"You are correct. However, for this particular experiment, I needed the same amount of dead samples as there are living. There are those who wish to see the results before they invest in a weapon."
"Weapon? Are you saying people will want to use these things for war?" Ciel gasped, horrified at the thought.
"Yes, that eccentric bunch said they wished to see to what extent they were useful for. So we decided to test them by throwing them with the same amount of humans on a luxury ship. Let them kill each other and see how many survive in the end."
"Oh, hell, no! I've played Resident Evil 2!" Viola jabbed a finger at him, a dark furious glared aimed to kill. "You pulled a Raccoon City! You're so lucky none of your dolls are infectious. I'd strangle you if they were."
"That's quite an idea! But, I don't believe my dolls have such an effect. In any case," Undertaker added as he tapped his chin again, "I never thought we would crash into an iceberg. Having quit being a Grim Reaper I don't possess the List anymore. Considering that it saved me the trouble of making it sink, it's like killing two birds with one stone."
Sebastian frowned.
"I see. You mean this ship was never intended to arrive in America."
Bastian couldn't believe it. This trip, which had almost killed Lucinda and his sister and ruined whatever invisibility he had, was an experiment? Hundreds of people died for scientific results? These were human lives they were dealing with! It became worse as Undertaker took such glee in the situation.
"But because of you fellows it seems more humans than anticipated survived. I wonder if I should be angry?"
"I sure as hell am! How dare you!" Viola raged. She took a step forward and Bastian had to hold her back. "These are human lives you're experimenting with. Women, children, people with futures! All of them kill by such an unnatural way and they were for your petty experiment? That pisses me off!"
"Even more than this being against the rules, the crime of hurting a maiden's face!" Grell equally exploded. "No matter how hot you be, I can't forgive you for that!"
He charged at Undertaker with his odd weapon swinging in for a kill. Ronald followed to aid his colleague.
As Grell and Ronald continued their onslaught on Undertaker, Bastian dragged Viola out of the battlefield. She fought against him every step.
"No! Bastian, let go of me! I want a piece of him," she growled, twisting her body to get loose.
"Viola, you are but a human. You can't go out there," he attempted to dissuade. He managed to bring her to Ciel's side now that it seemed Sebastian had joined the fray. Ignoring the yells and sounds of destruction, he spun her around to get her to look straight into his narrowed glare. "They are supernatural creatures who could very well kill you in one hit. You said you will not die by your own hand. Do not have someone else do it for you."
"I know that. It's just-" She sighed in frustration. "It's not fair! I want to fight, but I'm so useless like this. Why is everyone a creature or a powerful being that could snap us humans in half like a twig? It sucks!"
"I know how you feel, but this is beyond the both of us. There is nothing we could do other than get in their way."
Viola's shoulders slumped, robbed of the fire she was known for. She pressed her hands against her face and her breathing grew heavier.
"I hate this. I'm so tired of all of this. I-I want to go home."
"It's not as if begging for home will make things better," Ciel scathingly remarked. "Problems will follow you no matter if you are in public or in the safety of home."
"God, Ciel. Don't remind me. I'll have to deal with Grim Reapers in the future, too."
Bastian hadn't considered that a possibility. Grim Reapers would have to reveal themselves to Viola were she to return to her time. Surely, they they would suspected black magic on his portrait.
I do not envy her, Bastian thought, observing the destruction the three Grim Reapers and a demon laid waste to the Grand Hall. Death's guides were a hassle to begin with. Intruding in on Viola's life would ensure it would never be peaceful again. The amount of destruction they caused to others was evidence enough.
This proved true as twin screams-one a youth's and the other shrill-wavered in the air. Ronald and Grell were heavily injured and they slid across the marble floor. Red blood streaked after them. Bastian glanced at them, then to Undertaker.
His eyes widened at the sight of the weapon which harmed the official Grim Reapers. In Undertaker's right hand was a long scythe with a dark grey handle. Towards the top it was stylized like the top half of a human skeleton where a long, gleaming blade sprouted from the skull's back. Black thorns twined around the skeleton.
Dressed in black, Bastian likened Undertaker to the image most humans believed Grim Reapers to be-Death itself.
"That's one scary looking scythe," Viola softly said. Her hands were removed for her to study the scythe as well. "That's the most impressive one I've seen so far, actually. Most intimidating one, too, if I'm not counting the chainsaw."
"Quite," Ciel murmured, studying the gardening tool apprehensively.
Undertaker sampled his prowess with the blade, raking it sideways through a nearby support pillar. It was cut through easily. Chair, tables, and other things not sealed to the floor cascaded down the second floor like a hazardous waterfall. Bastian grabbed the railing to balance himself. Viola did so as well while hugging Ciel to her chest.
This is not appreciated.
"Viola, release me!" Ciel ordered, attempting to push against her embrace.
"Ciel, you're injured," she argued. "I think it's better if you stick with me where you won't get hurt."
"Do not treat me like a child. I am your master and you will do as I say."
"I'm a servant, not a slave. Which means I don't have to listen to every order."
"Viola, let the boy go," Bastian sighed. Now was not the time to be arguing about labels.
She shot him a look that she often made when she wanted him on her side. It swiftly turned to terror. She gasped.
"Bastian!"
A weight pressed against him, wrapping around his neck. Bastian didn't understand what happened when he suddenly was face to face with a charming smile and acid eyes set on a scarred face. He was gripped at the front of his shirt, unable to escape.
"U-Undertaker," Bastian stuttered. His heart was pounding at a hummingbird's pace. Facing death itself, how could he not be?
"I've always desired to dress a Bound," Undertaker said in a way one would discuss trivial gossip. "Would you care to help me fulfill it, little Count? I'd treat you as if you were a king yourself."
To his embarrassment he was unable to make a sound to reply. A sudden fear gripped his heart, clutching his breath.
Bastian was caught off guard as he was thrown off the stairs and into the air. He was airborne for a moment. Then, hard arms wrapped around his shoulder and under his legs. Staring up, he saw Sebastian's frantic gaze. This furthered his shock. He had never seen such an expression on his face before.
Undertaker's cackle broke his daze.
"I knew you would go after your precious heart. Though, I wonder why you are so adamant on following this particular soul. Perhaps I shall find out through her?"
Bastian craned his head to find Undertaker towering over Viola. His scythe held over his head, he brought it down. Viola shielded Ciel with her body, twisting to turn her torso.
He watched in horror as the blade sliced down her back, her blood drenching the tiles and her undergarments. Undertaker grinned.
"Now show me your memories, Maria Salvatore."
XXX
I know it's been awhile since I've update, so here's a long chapter for you all! I've finally introduced Undertaker, which some of you were wondering about. He's a huge part of his arc so he kinda does need to appear. And if you haven't guessed from Undertaker's descriptions Bastian made and some of Viola's dialogue, I'm definitely his fangirl.
What can I say? I've got it bad for long silver haired men.
Please review!
