Tonight was the night, she was finally going to do it. After months of failed practice and dedication, she was going to perform this spell correctly. She had done it correctly for the last few months, but there was obviously something going wrong. Maybe the crystals were too much of a distraction of energy during the process. Or perhaps they just weren't authentic, after all, she had bought them from some sketchy shop downtown. Whatever the case may be, failure was not an option tonight. It was going to work, so help her God.
Truly, this wasn't Cosima's usual gig as far as her magick skills were concerned. She usually didn't venture outside of protection and healing spells. But she wanted to push herself, and from that desire, the young woman decided to dabble in astral projection. There wasn't much need for the skill, but she was curious about the concept of out of body experiences. She was also hoping to prove to herself that there was something more to this whole magick thing. Raised in a Christian household up to the age of fifteen, the young woman felt skeptical. But she knew it had been more than the power of God that helped her escape with her life years prior. As she would come to find, the truth is often stranger than fiction.
Everything was going great, the full moon was at its highest place in the sky. The candles she had brought for purification flickered softly in the brisk winter air. All was calm and quiet, and she closed her eyes, reciting the words she had written specifically to help her reach a meditative state. She said the words many times, being sure to speak them loudly and clearly. Cosima waited for what felt like years before opening her eyes, letting out a sigh when she realized that the spell, or rather she had failed, yet again. The witch was about to get up when the candles began to pop and spark, causing her to curl away in fear. She stared in surprise as the protection circle she had made began to glow, brighter and brighter, until finally it was too much for her to take. The woman was enveloped by a warm feeling as the light touched her. And as suddenly as the light had appeared, it was gone, and in its place was nothing. A cold, black, nothingness that was much less welcoming than the light and warmth she had first experienced.
Cosima awoke somewhat, feeling her body laying on cold, wet grass. Which didn't make sense, because she had drawn her protection circle in a rather large patch of dirt (it had been a small baseball diamond in a park near her dorm). Her damp orange hair clung to her porcelain neck and shoulders, and she wanted to brush the hair away. But it was only a passing thought, as she quickly slipped back into unconsciousness.
When she regained her senses, she was warm, the familiar feel of cotton wrapped around her body, and she burrowed deeper into the soft bed. The girl sighed and blindly felt around for the spare glasses she kept beside her bed. But there was nothing there, and her brow furrowed in confusion. Had she fallen asleep in another dorm by mistake? Come to think of it, she didn't even remember leaving the park. She couldn't remember much of anything, and the realization filled her with an all too familiar sense of dread. Where the hell was she is she wasn't in her dorm or the park? She felt tears of panic prick the corners of her eyes when a voice made Cosima flinch.
"Ah, I see you have awakened. I shall fetch my master to come speak with you." A smooth, and oddly familiar male voice spoke. She couldn't tell who the speaker was from across the room, but they were tall, and seemed to be dressed in a dark suit. She said nothing and the figure quietly left the room, the door clicking softly behind him. The young woman stared at the spot where he had stood only moments ago, utterly dumbfounded and confused. What the hell was going on? Where was she, who was that, and who the hell is his 'master'? And why did his voice sound familiar? The voice didn't belong to anyone she worked with or had classes with, so who was he? Cosima sat up carefully, unsure if moving would disturb whatever warped reality she was suddenly living in. An impossible thought crossed her mind and she quickly shook her head, once again feeling tears try to work their way out of her eyes. That man is dead, she reminded herself, taking in a deep breath to calm herself.
That's when she realized just how vulnerable she was; under the heavy blanket, she was almost nude. What was left of her clothes were in tatters, and her feet and legs were covered in dried mud. The witch heard hushed voices outside the door and scrambled to wrap the covers around herself before the mystery man and his so-called master could enter. The first to walk through the door was a different person than the one she had woken up to. They were shorter than the other man, and dressed in a lighter colored suit. He had what the girl could make out to be a walking stick in his hands, and he stopped about five feet from where she sat in the bed. There was only silence as he observed her, before he let out a disgruntled huff.
"Since it seems as though you need an invitation to speak, I'll get straight to the point. What are you doing on my property?" The figure demanded sternly. Cosima's brow knitted together at his accusing tone.
"Your property?" She parroted, not sure what he meant.
"Yes, my property. My gardener found you unconscious in the garden. I want you to explain to me how you got there and what your business is, being here so late at night." He returned coldly, clearly not holding any patience for the young woman.
"Could you please come closer? I'm afraid I can't see you very well." The witch said, trying to sound as proper as possible, because he obviously already thought she was worth less than the dirt she had been covered in. Without a word, the man stepped closer, nearly at the side of the bed. And when her eyes finally focused in on the image of him, she was given an answer as to who this master was.
"Ciel Phantomhive." She murmured to herself, suddenly having more questions that needed answering. This was not the Ciel she had grown up reading about. This was not the precocious and intelligent young boy she had watched solve murders and other crimes on her TV. This person was at least eighteen years old, and it certainly showed in his taller, stocky build, as well as the sharpened features of his face. It screamed the question once more; what the fuck was happening?
"You obviously know who I am, so I'll assume you're here for money or other valuables." He assumed, his visible eye narrowing at her with blatant disgust.
"I am not a thief! I don't want anything from you. I don't even know how I got here. As nice as sitting here, half-naked in a stranger's bed, and being interrogated is, I'd honestly rather go home." Cosima snapped back, raising her voice a bit. Ciel's frown deepened and he crossed his arms as the man from before joined his side.
"I'm afraid you won't be going anywhere, my lady." Said the taller of the two, who she now recognized as Sebastian. The girl recoiled defensively, gripping the sheets nervously.
"Don't come any closer, demon. I'm no threat to you or your contract, so just let me leave this place." She hissed, knowing exactly how horribly this could play out for her if they ended up cornering her. Both men seemed to freeze in shock, obviously not expecting the woman to know anything about the true nature of their relationship. Sebastian recovered first, smirking at her and straightening himself.
"You are certainly right, my lady. While you do have minute traces of magick inside you, it isn't powerful enough to cause harm." He teased, putting a finger to his chin. The witch deflated a bit, insulted by his observation.
"Magick? What do you mean by that?" The master asked his servant, looking confused, and even a bit unnerved. He had to have met much worse beings than her, so why would he even flinch at the mention of magick?
"Yes, I'm a witch-" She began proudly.
"Hardly. It's not like you possess any real power." The demon scoffed, still taunting her with his sly eyes. She glared at the tall, dark man, nearly baring her teeth.
"Watch it, dog. You're one to talk when you have yourself tethered to a spoiled brat, you're more like a glorified pet, rather than a demon." Cosima hissed, earning another bewildered stare from the duo. She cocked her head to the side and grinned, looking quite sadistic in the eyes of the two men. "Oh, I'm sorry, I believe I struck a nerve. I almost forgot how much you hate dogs. Almost." She quipped, throwing the blanket off her body, but keeping the sheet firmly wrapped around herself. The woman stood from the bed, and the two actually stepped back, both of them glaring with resentment in their eyes. She walked past the two, quietly fearing one would grab her. "Well, not that this hasn't been pleasant, but I really need to find my way back home. Thanks for the shitty hospitality." She growled, slamming the door behind her.
The hall was a bit darker than the room she had woken up in, and she carefully made her way to the dim light source at the end of the corridor. She half expected either Ciel or Sebastian to come after her at once, but she was alone, halfway to the light, which she realized was coming from a large window. Cosima passed the window, looking out as she did, when she was finally stopped. The young woman was thrown harshly against a wall, and feared the back of her head might have split open from the impact. She gasped in pain, only to have the inhale of air cut off with a hand curling tightly around her throat. She was met with a cruel smile, the teeth behind it sharp like the fangs of a wolf. It was an eerie and familiar smile she had seen on paper many times.
"It really is rude to walk out on someone in the middle of a conversation." He told her, his voice silken, but she knew what lie underneath that charming façade. The girl tried to pull back, to at least loosen the grip on her neck, but there was nowhere left to go. She was cornered, in every sense of the word. "You may dabble in spells, but that does not explain how you know of my contract with my Master. Please, enlighten me." He continued, almost hissing in her ear at this point. She cringed at the malice and hoped to the gods she would make it out of this in one piece.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." Cosima choked out, barely able to speak with him crushing her windpipe. He eased the tension off her throat, enough so she could talk, but not escape.
"I've been alive for hundreds of thousands of years, and I have seen my fair share of the impossible. So, by all means, blow me away." He teased, chuckling a bit. She didn't know what to say, because she was trying to work out what all had happened herself.
"I'm not from here. This time, this world. Where I came from, you and your master are...a story, of sorts. It details your contract, your master's past, as well as the present and future for both of you. But Ciel is only 12 in the story, so I'm not sure what still applies here." The witch told him, chancing a look up to gauge his reaction. His brows had knitted together and she couldn't tell if it was confusion, disbelief, or anger. It could have been all three. The demon released her from his grip and took a few steps back. She exhaled heavily and rubbed her neck, trying to soothe the pain there. He stared at the woman, still not saying anything, before he finally sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"You aren't lying. That, or maybe you're just mad and truly believe all that is true. But that doesn't explain how you know about the contract." He growled, finally looking back at her and crossing his arms. "Until I discover another explanation, I will believe your story." He amended before continuing. "If you aren't from here, how did you end up here?" He asked, likely not expecting an answer.
"All I remember is that I was trying to cast a spell and it failed. Or maybe it didn't, I just cast the wrong spell-I don't know for sure. I'm just a casual user who does blessings, protection, and healing spells. This-astral projection thing is new to me, and I obviously fucked it up somehow and...created a portal or thrust myself into another dimension." She rambled, feeling herself get more stressed with each second. The demon sighed again and shook his head at the girl.
"I believe you, because you certainly aren't powerful enough for a spell of that caliber. Getting my master to believe it, however, is going to be a challenge." He confessed, rubbing his temple with a pained and aggravated look on his face. Cosima twiddled her thumbs a little, not sure how she could convince such a stuck up person that magick is real and she had accidentally screwed herself over with it.
"Well, depending on the timeline we're currently on, I could predict things, perhaps? I don't know how much has changed here aside from Ciel and his age, so maybe nothing is the same. What's the year?" She asked, finally able to speak up.
"1888." Sebastian replied promptly, and she started doing the math in her head.
"Uh okay, then that should mean Jack the Ripper is still at large, correct?" The woman inquired carefully, hoping that this timeline was something she could use to her advantage. Sebastian frowned in confusion.
"If you're referring to a criminal of sorts, there isn't one that I've heard of." He replied, and the witch's stomach dropped. Shit.
"What about the White Chapel murders? Has there not been any report of murdered prostitutes in that area?" She asked hopefully.
"There has, however, law enforcement has not noted that the murders are connected." The demon answered and Cosima smiled in relief.
"Okay great! I mean, not great, but great for me. How many victims have been identified?"
"Two." He answered, clearly not sure how this was going to help the girl's case.
"It's only just begun. There are three more victims left to be killed before The Ripper is stopped. What I know about the murders, and what seems to be true about this time line should be enough to at least convince your master that I'm useful. Maybe he won't think I'm sane, but he'll have no choice but to believe my story as more details of the case come to light." She laughed, shrugging dismissively. Sebastian simply nodded and began walking back the way they had come.
"I will inform my master that you have been apprehended. You will explain to him, to the best of your abilities how you got here. If that isn't enough, I will vouch for you." He told her as she joined his side. The woman stared at him in surprise.
"I don't mean to seem ungrateful, but why are you helping me? Why not kill me, or throw me out?" She asked, truly confused by his sudden generosity. He glanced back at her for a moment, but snapped his head forward again.
"I can't kill you, because you aren't from this time period, or dimension, for that matter. Killing you could drastically alter the future in your world, and the last thing I need is a hoard of nosey reapers coming around here." He explained, stopping in front of a door to a room just down the hall from the one she had woken up in. The girl just raised her eyebrows and nodded in agreement.
"Fair enough." She mumbled, walking through the door as he held it open for her.
The lights inside were on, and they illuminated a clearly frustrated young Earl. He sat behind a large desk, his legs and arms both crossed impatiently. Ciel looked to his butler expectantly, and he bowed his head in response. The demon gestured for Cosima to seat herself in a lavish chair, set near the fireplace, which she had completely overlooked. Then again, she didn't have her glasses on, or contacts, so she couldn't see much of anything. With a sigh, the young woman pulled the train of her sheet-dress into her lap and sat down, mimicking Ciel's posture.
"Did you really expect to get away? You can't exactly outrun a demon. And I would know, I've tried many times." He quipped, smirking a bit at her. She scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"You're butler already pointed out that I'm not a threat, so why do you insist on keeping me here?" The girl pressed, glaring at the man, half in an attempt to see him better, and half out of irritation. The young man returned the stare and leaned towards her a bit in his chair.
"Threat or not, you still have questions to answer. You are a trespasser on my estate, and I could easily involve the police. But I'm giving you a chance to explain yourself before I do that. So talk." He ordered, his face cold and unsympathetic. The redhead didn't really expect anything else though. She gave a look to the demon who now stood obediently behind his master. He nodded, encouraging her to begin her shit show of a story.