Trigger warning needed here: torture, physical and mental, is portrayed here. I will star where it starts and ends for you if you arent comfortable

His silence was unbearable.

"I love what you've done with the estate," Elise tried for what felt like the hundredth time to gain some reaction from the earl."It's very...accurate."

He just stared at her, a slight glare etched into his pale features. It was rather intimidating, despite his slim frame.

"The tea is nice."

Ciel stared.

"Very...aromatic," Elise coughed, covering up her nervousness by taking another sip."Is that jasmine?"

Ciel stared.

"Maybe not, I wouldn't know," Elise willed herself to stop talking nonsense, but her mouth carried on regardless."I'm not an expert. Lovely weather today, isn't it?"

"No," Ciel spoke finally, taking a sip of his own tea."The sun is weak and the air is damp. The tea is called White Monkey Paw. The estate...was merely rebuilt."

He placed the teacup down with a click.

"And you are dead. Or apparently not."

Right. She had been wondering when he would bring that up again.

Elise sighed, not quite knowing how to approach this matter. Her life since she had last been with him had been...wildly complicated. The witch doubted she could explain it properly, but supposed she could try. Ciel deserved that, and much more.

"I know," she muttered.

Ciel's scowl deepened,"I saw you burn. I saw your body. Do you hate me so much you would fake your corpse?"

"No!" Elise interrupted hurriedly, mortified he would even consider that."That is not what happened, I promise!"

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Ciel scoffed coldly."You say I am incorrect, yet here you are, alive. So how did you do it? Whose body was it? I'm curious."

"Mine."

"Excuse me?"

"It was mine, it was my body," Elise shivered, her mind travelling back to that time. She could almost smell her own burning flesh again."I burned. I remember burning. It is horrible; you cannot move because you can feel your flesh melting and your bones warping. You cannot breathe anything more than ash and heat. You cannot smell anything other than your own burning skin and hair. I died, but I was lucky. I got to come back."

Ciel's face had lapsed into cool blankness again,"Explain."

"It'll be hard."

"Try."

"You probably won't believe me."

"That's for me to decide," Ciel sniffed, settling back into his chair."Go on, then. I'd like to get to the bottom of this before daylight ends, thank you."

His icy, cynical demeanor was rather off putting. This was not the little brother she had played with as a child, that had stared up at everyone with big, innocent eyes and a happy little face. No, this was a boy who had experienced something terrible that made him a cold shell of his younger self, and Elise wasn't sure if she wanted to know what it was or not.

If you had been with him he might have been fine, the treacherous little voice in her head stated.

Not if it happened whilst I was dead, she countered, trying to make herself feel better.

You weren't dead for that long. A day at most.

I thought he was dead

Then you knew he wasnt, and still stayed away

"What do you know, if anything, about witchcraft?" Elise asked, pushing her less than helpful thoughts away.

"Witchcraft?" Ciel muttered, raising a brow."Why on earth would I?"

You have a demon for a butler and the Order was out for your blood. Forgive me for thinking that meant something.

Well, that was what Elise wanted to retort. Instead, she elected to keep her temper. Just about, anyhow.

"Alright, I will try to give you a brief lesson," Elise delved into her brain, trying to recall all she had learnt about her own kind over the past years. It was a lot harder than she had imagined, to try to order everything into something coherent.

"We're all born with this...power, inside us, every human child," Elise decided to start right at the beginning, thinking it wise."We...call it the Craft. Most are never aware, or are unable to use it. But some...well, they can. That's what they are...what I am. A Craft user."

"Hmm," was Ciel's non committal response. Clearly, she was not convincing him."So, what you are telling me is you're...a Witch?"

"Yes."

"And you expect me to believe that?"

"...yes," Elise shifted defensively under his piercing stare. Though she was telling the truth, Ciel seemed to have gained the ability to make people feel like they were guilty, even when innocent, with just a look. It...disturbed her, somewhat.

As did the eyepatch, the cane, his general demeanour, the too damn accurate rebuilt version of her burnt former home, the fact that someone had ordered his death (someone powerful enough to enlist the Order's assistance), the incredibly odd servants that apparently had access to flame throwers, the butler...

Oh, yes. Especially the butler.

"Show me," Ciel spoke-well, commanded, more accurately."If you are a so called witch, then prove it to me."

"What...do you want to see?" Elise asked, half dreading the answer. God knows what was going through his icy little brain. Probably something incredibly tricky, or bordering impossible, to catch her out. He clearly thought she was lying through her teeth.

Ciel did not answer immediately, instead taking his time in finishing his tea, seemingly ignoring her. Elise pushed her lips together tightly, fighting the urge to give him an acidic tongue lashing. Their parents definitely had not raised them to be such arrogant brats.

The ornate teacup was placed down again with a click,"Move the cup."

"What?" Elise blinked.

That...is surprisingly reasonable

"Is that a problem?" The earl questioned, tone already touched with accusation.

"No, I just thought you would ask for something flashier," the witch admitted. She sighed, flexing her fingers; they were rather stiff, still, from her extended rest."Moving inanimate objects is simple, relatively. Well, depending on the size. We can't really create something or do something from nothing. I can move it, but it won't be using my mind, it will be using the air."

Elise forced herself to concentrate, very well aware she had been out of commission for a few days and was therefore a touch out of practice. Still, it was just a cup, easy to lift given that it was not heavy in the slightest.

Ciel's expression was rather amusing as she lifted her hands and the little teacup floated from the wood of the table. Disbelief, followed by very brief shock, then grudging acceptance, culminating in his cold mask sliding back into place again, his composure back. The contortions that had taken place on his pale features had been quite entertaining.

"I suppose you are telling the truth, then," he sighed, glancing at the floating cup with that boredom once again."Maybe about the rest of it, too, though that remains to be seen."

Elise couldn't stop herself,"I am not a liar, or have you become that much of a jaded brat you mistrust your own sister? Perhaps I should box your damn ears, you arrogant little arse."

Ciel's face reddened, anger flashing in his sapphire iris. Elise could tell that he had grown accustomed to people accepting his bad attitude over the time they had been apart. He was angry, clearly, but he also looked entirely lost as he struggled to take in that he had just been told off.

"How-How dare you speak to me like that!"

"No," Elise stood up sharply; the teacup dropped, and shattered, chipping the table varnish."How dare you speak to me like that. Like you are superior to me. Forgive me, but I dont fancy being talked down to by a boy who I remember running around the manor with no clothes on as an infant!"

The Earl's whole face was the colour of beetroot now. He stood up to match her, managing to look authoritative despite his shorter height,"I will speak however I want to whoever I want! I am the head of this estate, the heir to the Phantomhive title and you have been flitting about England, stirring cauldrons and...and flying around on broomsticks, whatever it is Witches do!"

Elise folded her arms, offended,"I do not ride a broomstick."

"I have been trying to find our parents' murderers," Ciel continued, temper dying down to a colder fury."I have been trying to find your murderer. And what were you doing, then, if not hiding away like a coward."

"I was not hiding like coward, and how dare you accuse me of not trying to find those responsible," Elise spat back, equally as cold now."Do you really think I have spent all this time twiddling my thumbs and learning to float tea cups? I have subjected myself to trial after trial, to immoral deed after immoral deed, keeping myself in the Order, abiding by their damn rules so I can use them to find the bastards and keep you safe. Do you know how witches are really made, Ciel? I'll show you."

Ciel's eye widened, and he scrambled backwards in alarm as Elise's hands snapped out, her temper finally at it's boiling point. She was too quick for him; her palms held his temples fast and tightly.

She did not give him time to struggle before she forced the memories into his head.

"What did you do?!" Ciel snapped, head darting around sharply. Where the panelled walls and elegant furnishings of his study had previously been was dark, wet brick and nothing but a dirt ground beneath their feet."Where have you taken me? Take us back this instant!"

"We're still in your study," Elise shivered, trying not to let the terrifyingly familiar surroundings effect her. It wasn't real, not anymore. And this really was the best way for her to show him what she was trying to explain."This is a memory. Mine."

Ciel had looked...scared, she could have sworn, for a moment. Elise immediately felt guilty. Perhaps this was a tad...overdramatic of her, to pull him into her memories with no warning.

Alright, it was far too dramatic. She could have just calmed herself down and explained with words.

"I...can stop it, if you want," she offered, cursing her rash actions."This is childish of me, actually, to pull you in without warning. And...I'm sorry that I called you a brat. Well, you are rather acting like one but...I'm not exactly being very well behaved either."

"Agreed, you are not," Ciel sniffed, scrunching his nose up at the surroundings.He then sighed, pursing his lips."I suppose I have not been...pleasant."

Elise waited, but he did not continue "Is that it? That is your apology?"

"It was not an apology," Ciel countered, scoffing."I have nothing to apologise for."

"You beat me with a cane and called me a coward. And a liar."

"You let me believe my entire family was dead, broke my fine china and pulled me into this..." Ciel grimaced again as his visible eye scanned the environment once more."...dank hole of a memory, without asking first. What is this place, anyway?"

"It doesn't have a name, not really," Elise answered, deciding now was probably not the best time to get into a battle of wills. She swallowed, trying to push down the creeping, suffocating sense of dread that was rising inside her. She didn't want to be back in that place but...it was the best way to show him what had happened to her."They don't need to give it one, and those who have been here dont want to have to dwell on it long enough to christen it."

"Who is they?"

"The Order," Elise looked at him."The Order of the Triune, more accurately. It's a sect, of Witchcraft. It's who I serve...who I served."

"And that," she continued, pointing to the corner of the dark, stagnant place."Is me."

Ciel looked, and reeled back instantly, sapphire iris horrified.

"Wh-What is that?" The earl forced his face away from the pale, skeletal, bloody figure cowering in the corner, looking quite nauseous. For the first time since she had woken, Elise could see a flash of the little boy who had clung to her dresses shyly, who had begged her to read to him and sobbed childishly when she would not give him her dessert.

She knelt down, holding his arms gently, ignoring how he stiffened at the touch and tried to shift away,"I told you, it's me. I...this is how witches are made, at least by the Order."

Ciel glanced briefly at the memory of Elise, and the witch felt him shake for a short second. When he looked back, the fear was gone. In its place was a cold, vengeful fury,"What did they do to you?"

Elise sighed, forcing herself to look at the product of her memories, not yet a witch, but not a Phantomhive anymore either. She had never seen it from the outside. It was quite pitiful, really.

"The Order found me, after the estate burned. There's a time for every Craft user where their potential unlocks. It is like a beacon, almost, that attracts any users nearby. That is deliberate. A Craft user on their own, untrained, with no guidance, is dangerous. Unfortunately, mine happened when I was burning."

"That does not explain...that!" Ciel snapped, pointing to the memory, impatiently. Elise had never seen him so angry, and it was dangerous to witness. The darknessin his young eye was far stronger than any child of his age should ever have.

"I know, I am getting to that," she continued, hoping it would placate him."Because of the circumstances of my discovery, they...brought me back. Apparently, there was still enough of my soul clinging to this plane for them to resurrect and restore me to my pre-death state."

"Death is strange. For myself, my soul was only partially passed over. I was in purgatory, conscious but not...extensively. It was like a dream with no substance. I just...existed, thinking but not thinking, feeling but not feeling. Then, I was alive, and it was...bright. Bright, and painful. It hurts to be alive again, after you think you are finished."

Elise could see Ciel growing further impatient, and ploughed on quickly before he lost his temper again.

"There were 3 of them there, 3 Sisters, from the Order. They explained to me what had happened and I was...bloodthirsty. I wanted to find those who hurt us and split them apart," Elise exhaled sharply, trying to calm herself before continuing. Losing her temper now would not help anything."They said they could help me, to use my Craft, this power I never knew I had until after death, to avenge my family. All I had to do was survive their trial, mentally and physically, to prove I was worth their efforts in resurrecting me. I guessed at that point the trial they were proposing would not be simple. I was correct."

Elise's flinched, the memories hitting her now. She could tell Ciel could see them too, his mind linked with hers.

*descriptions of torture start here*

Young Elise, thrown into the freezing, wet hole that was that place

"They leave you here, alone at first, with no light, no food, no water, no heat...only your mind. They say it is to test how your resilience is, how you hold yourself under imprisonment."

Figures came, with fire. The memory of her screamed. They healed the damage, then left her alone. Still no food.

"Then, they hurt you. To test if you crack, under torture. A member of the Order cannot afford to crack the moment they are hurt."

They came again. The memory bled now. They did not heal her. The blood added to the damp of the ground and the memory sank into it, exhausted.

"You cannot sleep. If they know you are falling into sleep, they stop it. You have to prove your mind can withstand exhaustion along with the solitude."

Her eyes had closed for only a moment. The shadows came with water, scalding, over her head and body. The memory sobbed, but did not speak. That was a rule. At least there was water now.

"You cannot ask for food, for them to relent, for help...or you have failed the trial. Begging is weak. The Order doesn't need weakness."

They came, again. She did not know the number of visits it was now. Her mind was drifting, weak from lack of nutrition and exhaustion. The concoction forced down her throat was bitter and acidic, but it was a liquid, at least. Still, no food.

"If your body passes, they attack your mind directly. This is, thankfully, the last of it. It's a pity, really, that it is by far the worst part," her voice was shaking, laughter bitter as it left her lips."If you surviveall of that, and keep your sanity, then you have passed."

No. She wanted back the fire. The bleeding. That concoction, what had they done to her!?

The dead corpses of Rachel and Vincent Phantomhive smiled down at her, blue and bloated, dripping carrion. Ciel's dead little hands fisted her skirt, the body of the thing that had been her brother begging her to play in a chilling whisper.

*TW ending*

"No," Ciel mumbled, real Ciel. Elise realized he was shaking, and hurriedly cut the memory off.

"Oh,God," she felt harsh guilt then."Ciel, I am so sorry, I shouldn't have shown you that-"

"Who did this to you?" He snapped suddenly, that fury burning again."And dont tell me it was this Order. I want names."

Elise could see him flicker between horror at what he had seen through her memory, and icy thoughts of revenge. She supposed she should be grateful he still cared enough to be so vengeful on her behalf, despite all that had occurred.

Still, that look was far too dark for a child. It frightened her, almost, and sparked curiosity in her once again.

"What happened to you, Ciel?" Elise murmured. As if in a sudden trance, and ignoring his surprised, vehement protest, she reached up and pulled off the eyepatch.

The contract mark stared back at her. Her blood ran cold.

"Ciel."

Not her brother.

No, please, anyone but her brother

"What did you do?"

Okay, this was longer than expected so after next chapter, it will be the main arc starting

I've tried to keep Ciel in character but he is very hard so please tell me if you see something wrong here.

There is some explanation of witchcraft here which hopefully people understand. Please note that this is kind of AU because I've basically inserted a new set of creatures (Craft users) into the universe. Again, hopefully this all makes sense.

Next chapter will be Elise acting on the revelations here. Expect a lot of fighting...

Please review if you have the time :)