Chapter Four- Endless dream, final

Ciel stood for a few seconds, trying to understand what had happened. He saw Sebastian, however, he acted and looked different than usual. He also didn't remember Ciel. The demon looked better without him, actually.

Shaking his head to get rid of the thoughts, Ciel had to forget Sebastian to concentrate on his mission. He needed to discover something, anything, that would calm his heart in order to accept his new life.

Ciel retraced his steps, returning to the waiting carriage. He demanded to be taken to the library. He knew they kept some older newspapers and decided to start his research there.

Finding the right section, Ciel pulled out a stack of newspapers. He searched his memory for important dates, something that summed up the last seven years.

He started on an earlier date, and found news of the death of his aunt Madame Red. Given as a passionate murder, her body was found with her butler Grell.

Ciel flipped a little more and read countless stories about missing children. He and Sebastian ended the culprits almost four years ago. He also found an article about the sinking Campania, where he discovered that the entire Midford family lost their lives.

He kept looking and, all the lives he saved in the past 7 years, were all dead. It was as if he had never saved them. He felt a tightening in his heart. His family was alive, but at what cost? Dozens, perhaps hundreds of innocent people are gone in return.

He looked at the most recent newspapers. In one of them there was a black and white photo of a familiar face. Her hair was shorter, her eyes were sad, and her feminine face had bruises. Mey-rin.

Ciel knew that his maid was a killer for hire, but since he hired her, she was out of this life. She was extremely loyal, just like everyone else. In the matter, Mey-rin was sentenced to death. Another life he couldn't save.

With a heavy sigh, he gave up on the newspapers. He saw enough. He left them where he was and left.

Outside, he looked for the carriage without finding it. The damned employee is gone. He cursed under his breath and went down the stairs. He lost track of how long he was in the library, but the sky grew darker and the night was colder. He hugged himself as a cold, biting wind passed him.

He walked for a while, hopefully trying to find the carriage. In vain. The fearful man is really gone. Ciel held the top hat so the wind wouldn't take it again.

Crumpled paper flew across his face. With a new curse and about to throw it away, the drawing caught his eye.

In faded letters it read "FREAK SHOW: the strongest man in the world". And below, also faded, was a drawing of a boy. Even through drawing, he was recognizable as Finny, the gardener. The boy was in a circus of horrors, where different human beings were displayed as an attraction. Impossible to say whether of their own free will or not.

Ciel wrapped up the paper and shot in the street. He let out a cry of frustration. He was alone and angry. And worse. For the first time in a while, he didn't know what to do.

As he walked aimlessly, he thought about how nothing made sense. His mind was in turmoil. Thousands of thoughts.

But as he walked, he felt like something was following him. Ciel stopped in his tracks and saw a shadow ahead. It was shrinking in size, as if whoever followed him now moved away. Ciel hastened to find the person. He caught a glimpse of a familiar silhouette, and this time he was alone.

"Sebastian!" He screamed.

The man turned around and smiled. Ciel ran and pushed him against the wall. Although the butler was stronger, he was taken by surprise.

"Hey, there! We meet again."

"Don't play with me, Sebastian! What's going on? Why are you following me?"

Sebastian with a gentle gesture pushed the boy away. By his expression, the young man was stunned. It was not difficult to see the confusion and discomfort on his face.

"First, I don't know what you mean. Second, I took a break from my lady. See?"

Sebastian held up the lit cigar almost at the end. To his surprise, the boy looked even more frustrated. And although it was not his duty, he felt as if he should take care of the boy.

"I can take you home, if you like. Then you tell me what ails you."

"Why do you want to help me?"

He shrugged. He took a final drag on the cigar and threw it away. He blew the smoke away.

"Maybe I like you."

Ciel watched as Sebastian called a carriage for them. He helped the boy up, then climbed up and sat across from him. They felt the carriage start to move, following the directions given by Ciel.

The night seemed dark, however the boy did not take his eyes off the road. He felt red eyes on him, looking him up and down. Sebastian always seemed to read his soul, and even in this world that hadn't changed.

Still silent, he looked back at the butler. They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity. It was Ciel who decided to break the ice.

"Have you… ever had a dream, a dream so vivid that when you woke up, reality didn't seem real?"

"Maybe." Sebastian frowned. He didn't really understand the questioning. He opened his mouth to speak, but the carriage's balance waned until it stopped.

The driver got out and opened the door. Sebastian gave a good glimpse of the mansion and hissed. His current lady did not have half the wealth. After the initial shock, he went down and helped Ciel down. He was without his gloves and felt a current of electricity running through them both. He shook his head, sending the unwelcome thought away.

"Wait here." Sebastian demanded, to which the man nodded.

Then he and the young man headed for the entrance to the big mansion. Ciel barely touched the door and it opened. Rachel didn't take long to hug him. Vincent and the twin were close behind, followed by an old man.

"My boy, I was worried about you."

"We all were." Vincent's expression was not at all happy. "One of the servants said that you forced him to take you to London."

"Excuse me ..." Everyone turned their attention to the handsome man who accompanied the boy. "I think I should retire ..."

"Who are you?" Asked Vincent.

"A friend. Now, goodbye."

Sebastian turned his back on the family, yet he felt someone grab his hand. He looked back and it was the boy.

"I think we need to talk. All of us ..."

Vincent, Rachel, Ciel, Sebastian and the man, who he discovered to be a doctor, met in Vincent's office. The head of the family sat in his chair while they listened to what the boy had to say. He explains his idea of what was going on, and the doctor took notes. The others listened attentively and were somewhat concerned.

"Okay, maybe I could be wrong and the dream was really vivid, but I can't get rid of that feeling." Ciel decided to follow instinct, believing that something was wrong.

"Honey…" It was Rachel, trying to sound understanding. "Your father and I are alive, your brother too…"

"And demons don't exist." His brother added.

"Well…" Everyone looked at Sebastian. "Just because we've never seen a demon doesn't mean they don't exist. Most believe in a god they've never seen." He paused. "If I was a demon, how did you summon me?"

"Sacrificing my dead brother's soul." He didn't know how to continue. It sounded very unreal, said aloud. "I'm not crazy."

"Nobody said you were." The doctor spoke. "Just let me see how I can help you."

Without much choice, Ciel nodded. Vincent led him into the bedroom and closed the door. They didn't exchange a word and the silence was horrible.

Vincent returned to the office after leaving his son in the room. The boy's behavior left him bewildered. He closed the door behind him with a loud sigh. Everyone was waiting for his return to discuss the situation.

"What does he has?" His voice sounded tired.

"Young master may be exhibiting is stress or some mental breakdown, such as schizophrenia. The affected patients have a schism between thinking, emotion and behavior."

"Well, he spoke of a very vivid dream. Perhaps he is still stuck in it."

The doctor put his hand on his chin, thinking about the hypothesis.

"It's possible." He said. "But if he is unable to leave that world, it can be dangerous for both himself and others."

"How dangerous?" Rachel hugged her husband.

"By confusing the real with the unreal, he can hurt someone or himself if he feels threatened."

"What can we do?"

"The best thing at the moment would be to have him admitted. In the sanatorium, your child will receive adequate treatment."

Both Rachel and Vincent nodded. They would do anything for their son's sake. The real Ciel only agreed with his parents, since Sebastian has refrained from an opinion because he is an intruder there.

Vincent guided the doctor and the rest of the group to his son's room. The door was ajar and the room was dark. His heart stopped a beat as he opened the door and did not find the boy hanging by the window.

"Son!" Rachel whispered, intending to bring her boy back.

"All the people I saved, everything I am. If I don't do something, it will all go away."

"Brother…"

"It ends now!" Vincent demanded.

"It never ends!" Shouted Ciel. "I didn't ask for this life, I didn't choose that. But it happened and if I can do something, I will do it. I wanted to be normal, but I haven't had that choice since I was 10 years old."

"Son, this is crazy! You need treatment."

"Please stay."

But Ciel shook his head.

"It's not real. I lost you a long time ago."

"But we are here with you. Why would the other world be better?"

"Because it has to be. Goodbye."

Ciel dropped his body forward. Vincent and Sebastian ran, but were unable to reach him. They watched in horror as the body fell below the feet under hysterical shouts from Rachel and some servants. The red blood pooled beneath him. It was the end.

The candle flame lit the dark corridor. Sebastian slowly opened the door to his master's room. A day and a half ago he found his master unconscious in the bathtub. He had been sleeping since then and the butler didn't know what to do. Ciel had no injuries other than the cut on his hand, so there was no reason for him not to wake up.

He set the chandelier on the table next to the bed to watch it. Ciel's face contorted in pain, as if he were suffering. There was a silver tray with a plate of soup already cold also beside the bed. Even with his master unconscious, Sebastian prepared meals in the hope of seeing him awake.

He watched the boy's face for a long minute, still without reaction. He sighed and picked up the tray and chandelier. He was about to leave when he heard a low sob. Quickly he dropped the tray and brought the candle flame to Ciel's face again.

A lonely tear ran down his face to stain the white sheet. It was a surprise to see that pair of bicolor eyes open again.

"Master…" he whispered.

"Get out." Ciel's voice came out low and cut with a sob. More tears wet the sheet. Sebastian just nodded and left. He was a few feet away when he felt his stomach tighten. The tray fell from his hands, making a big mess, but he didn't care.

He quickly returned to the master's room.

"Master!" He screamed, for the first time in his existence, feeling fear. The scene in front of him made his stomach churn again.

The weapon that Ciel always kept under his pillow was now pointed at his face. Tears of tears stained his face. Sebastian approached. He held both hands of Ciel, lowering the gun.

"Please, master, I beg you. Don't do that!"

"What is this for you?"

"You haven't finished your revenge yet, master. I can't ..."

"I'm so tired. The things I saw and did ..." He looked at the butler. "It's an order, Sebastian! Kill m…"

Sebastian knelt before his master. Losing all decorum, he hugged her waist.

"Please don't. Whatever you're feeling right now, it will only make you stronger tomorrow. Just ... stay with me ..."

The gun fell on the soft mattress. Sebastian got up and guided Ciel back to the lying position. Passing even further, the butler lay beside him under the covers, wrapping the boy in his arms.

Even though Ciel hated him the next day, he couldn't help it. A shiver ran through Ciel's body when he felt those arms around him.

"I will be happy to take your soul at the right time, master. It is just not yet time. I guarantee that I will be with you until the end. And this is not the end yet." A single tear ran down his face. "It's a promise…"