CHAPTER 31 - "FORGIVENESS AND RESIGNATION"

There were very few lights on in the Phantomhive Mansion - but Thann and Spencer still managed to find their way through its seemingly labyrinth maze of corridors. Thann was quite impressed by the integrate design and somewhat gothic decore of the mansion.

He had heard the original Phantomhive Mansion had burned down more than three years earlier but it was rebuilt brick-by-brick to resemble the old mansion - the same exterior and interior. The remains of the old mansion were out beyond the main grounds, surrounded by a small stream that passed through the property. Ciel Phantomhive's family wealth maintained his accustomed life style, inherited from his parents.

In fact, according to England's richest families, the Phantomhive's were in the top five along with the Von Strauss family. The Phantomhive's were either second or third, he couldn't quite remember. The Von Strauss family was fifth, but there was another family quickly coming up from the sixth family, and if he recalled the name correctly, he believed that family name was Trancy and its sole heir was named Alois, a fourteen year old boy with a flare for the over-dramatics. But he did have a uncle who over-sought a lot of the family fortune, or claimed to do so…but it was Alois Trancy that lain claim to his parent's estate.

However, the Phantomhive's were beyond rich, stinking rich, as some would say. And when it came to influence within the Magistrate and with the Queen - Ciel taking over his father's unofficial mantle as her royal guard dog - Thann would have to say, the Phantomhive's indeed surpassed all easily.

The Funtom Cooperation among other subsidiary businesses kept funding their wealth. And with Lukas Phantomhive consistently drumming up dealings with his suave business sense, the Phantomhive's not only had the toy market sealed, but they were also expanding into the food and clothing industry, among others.

Weeks ago, Lukas Phantomhive had even asked for a meeting with the Von Strauss family to possibly strike up a business partnership in their leather business. Their father had not decided, and with the recent investigation by Inspector Abberline involving Lukas Phantomhive at the time with information fed by Spencer, he was probably more concerned about the connection with the Illuminati, that the meeting with the Phantomhive's to talk business was not among his first priorities.

But anyone who was in business with the Phantomhive's had a good future. Every other business associated with the Phantomhive's showed a large profit margin due to their brand and quality name.

And now Thann was the head of the Von Strauss family. With his father dead, perhaps it was time he looked into seeking new allies to help his family business expand. He had vowed to fully disassociate himself from the Illuminati and all its members. If he kept his mouth shut maybe they would leave him alone. But he was only hopeful thinking. Nothing stopped the Illuminati once they made up their minds and if they indeed, as he assumed they might, come after him for what he knew about them, it was best to make certain assurances to keep the legacy of the Von Strauss family alive.

Perhaps along with a business association would also come other perks…like maybe protection? As Sebastian Michaelis was the Phantomive's butler, and a demon, could be also be persuaded to help them with the Illuminati like he did with Ciel Phantomhive against the Inner Circle? But the Inner Circle were nothing compared to the Illuminati and he wondered if one demon would even be a match against them?

"Where's the armory in this place?" Spencer said. "A place this big has to have a weapon's room or, at the very least, a Game's Room with a hoard of guns!"

"What do you plan on doing, Spencer?" Thann said, turning his attention to his anxious looking brother. Spencer's eyes seemed to be examining every room they came across for some form of something. "You heard the Reaper, Ronald Knox, Mathu Kelvin is beyond our touching. He's something supernatural now. Bullets can't hurt him."

"He must have a weakness, Thann," Spencer said, entering into what appeared to be a large study. "Everyone does, everything does. We just have to find it and exploit it."

Spencer immediately went to the desk near the large bay window and attempted to rummage through the drawers, but when he tried he found the top drawer was locked. He pulled at the handle and unfortunately yanked too hard, it came off in his hand. But he continued the search the rest of the desk and the room.

The words: "exploit it", rang in Thann's ears. He had exploited his brother's weakness and Decco had then used it to his greatest advantage which then brought about a series of events resulting in Thann's death. It was only by the grace of God that things had reversed themselves and Thann's life was restored. The neck bands with the crucifix's he and brother once wore had one time been a fashion statement, but now, at the first opportunity, he would adorn another one and truly thank the Lord for shining His grace upon thee.

"Spencer, you must settle down. There's nothing we can do for Trent. We have to let the Reapers handle Mathu Kelvin. We've been given a second chance at life. Let us not waste it with bitterness and hatred."

Spencer looked at him, his eyes bloodshot from crying, but now they were filled with an anger. "I lost two people I truly loved, Thann - Krystal and Trent. You have no idea how I feel!"

"Spencer, I do understand. And I nearly lost you. We nearly lost each other! And I know you still feel anger towards me for what happened to Krystal. So now is the time - say what you want to me."

"Say what, Thann? That I will forever hate you for murdering our sister?"

"Yes, precisely that."

Spencer shook his head. "I have already forgiven you," he said.

Thann pointed an accusatory finger at him. "No, you haven't! The anger and hatred still burns in your eyes. And I am truly sorry for what I did to Krystal. There is nothing I can do to bring her back. So if you plan on killing anyone with a gun this night you can point it at me and finally quench your feelings."

Spencer's mouth gasped open. "You are being foolish, Thann."

"Like you, thinking you can enact a revenge upon a supernatural being. If we attempt to attack Mathu Kelvin, we will surely die." Thann went to Spencer, he put his hands on his brother's shoulders. "Before all this, I thought the Illuminati were the most powerful thing on this planet. But after meeting Decco, Knox, and all the others, and seeing what they can do, and now knowing all that we know, and that a terrible battle is brewing between powerful forces we can neither fight nor win, all we can hope for is to live our lives by God's grace, that He has granted us a second time."

Thann stared into Spencer's eyes, hoping his words would get through to him. Hoping that all the hate he still had inside him would soon to be replaced with faith instead. And for a moment they didn't move, they just stared into one another's eyes. Seconds ticked by - until Spencer averted his eyes and nodded. Thann let out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding and smiled. He knew it would be difficult for Spencer, but he would help him get through the pain.

"However, let us continue looking for a gun," Thann said.

"But why? You said it would be useless against Mathu Kelvin."

"We are human, and humans have human enemies, as well. And I would feel better if we hand some protection from an enemy we may evoke the wrath of once I tell them to go get stuffed."

"The Illuminati?"

Thann nodded. "With what we both know, the Illuminati may send their assassins against both of us now. Father protected you, but it wasn't until you began to tell Inspector Abberline the Illuminati's secrets, did he send two assassins, and then made sure I brought you back to break you. He wanted me to kill you, but I thought with Decco I would merely scare you straight." He smiled, knowing the double-entondra of the word straight. But he didn't care about his brother's sexuality now, accepting it. "I know it will only be a matter of time before the Illuminati will target me for what I know about them. We are both targets now."

"Then, we will be on the run for the rest of our lives?"

Thann nodded. "I'm afraid so. Unless an accord can not be struck between them and I?"

"An accord? What sort of accord?"

"Like I said, Spencer. I know so much about them. With the secrets I possess, I could easily expose them and bring everyone associated with the Illuminati down."

"But Lazarus doesn't care about the Illuminati anymore."

"Lazarus, himself, was merely a pawn for the bigger fish I know of. As the Illuminati's envoy, I was privy to so many secrets they safeguarded me to protect. So many secrets that I could now use against them."

Spencer smiled, but then he frowned. "But that would mean that they will definitively send out assassins to try to kill you. They'll try to wipe out the entire Von Strauss family to safeguard themselves."

"They can try, little brother, but not only do I remember every little dark secret, but I have also made sure to document them all, too, and have placed them in a safety deposit box buried on the Von Strauss estate. Every name I was privy to, every deed I was told to do and against whom. Principle players, associations, business affiliations and political factions for not only England, but also for the America's, too. So even if they do kill me, you can take everything to the media and expose them."

"You're brilliant, Thann! But I don't want you to die!"

Thann smiled. "One of my truly regretful things for which I only recently have been abided to was getting associated with them in the first place. But I did not want to disappoint father. Notwithstanding, what I should have been doing was being a better example to you, Spencer. I failed in this. You are the better son."

Spencer cupped a hand on Thann's hand on his left shoulder. "To forgive is divine, Thann. And I forgive you. For everything." Spencer smiled.

And Thann truly saw the forgiveness in Spencer's eyes.

"Now, let's go find a gun," Thann said.

When Grell Sutcliffe and Ronald Knox winked in, they found themselves standing in the middle of the Phantomhive family cemetery plot, basked by the hue of a full moon overhead.

Despite it being the night preceding the day of the Winter Solstice - December 20th, (1889) - the temperature was abnormally warm for this time of year, even at night. So when Knox saw both Phantomhive boys without winter attire on, he was not too concerned with their comfort, or the servants. But he also felt a little power emanating around them, as if someone - Salem - was generating an invisible shield of protection around them, not only from the night temperatures but also as a barrier from Mathu Kelvin, who was standing apart from the main company.

Salem was a renown Reaper in the Reaperdem and had earned respect from every Reaper. He was the prime person to go to if any information was needed before going on a mission, as Head of Information and in charge of the Reaper Library. Some said he was even higher than William, the Head of Reaper Affairs. And after Knox told him about William, that truth may even become a reality.

"It seems the whole gang is here," Knox said off-handedly, as he briefly gazed at the others. The Phantomhive servants were gathered, including one person he did not know - a tall, red-hair gentleman in a trench coat. Sebastian Michaelis was laying on the ground unconscious with a ghostly apparition hovering near him standing between him and Mathu Kelvin, whom, at the moment, looked normal, and not as the human lightning rod Knox had last seen him as. "Some of which I know, some I don't," he then said.

Brief introductions were done by Grell.

"Now that you are caught up to speed, Reaper Knox," Mathu Kelvin chimed in, after the introductions. "Care to explain to us why you are here? And what happened to the two humans you brought with you?"

Knox growled. "Don't you touch them. They are under my protection now."

"Your protection? I thought you Reapers couldn't get involved in human affairs?"

"I resigned."

Both Salem and Grell said in unison, "You resigned?"

Knox sighed softly. "Well, I will resign, or I'll be forced out, either one - once William reports me to the High Council after I told him off. Our great leader has aligned himself with a demon. He plans on helping Decco, a very powerful demon, to murder Sebastian Michaelis after he defeats Mathu Kelvin."

"Are they now," Mathu Kelvin said causally, but also inquisitively.

Salem stepped forward. "William has been after the Fallen Reaper now currently possessing Mathu Kelvin's body for quite some time," he said. "After Kelvin was dragged to Hell, William thought he had lost the FR forever. This is his chance to capture it, and he succeeds, he could be in for a promotion."

"Like I said to him before I left him, he only cares about numbers and paperwork," Knox said. "William and that demon are now inside the Von Strauss Manor making plans talking business."

"William is a statistician," Salem continued, "and the High Council think highly of him. William helps them keep order. But there have been rumblings about a new order rising within the Reaperdem that could drastically shift their power, and if certain things happen, then every Reaper who was cast out and labeled as Fallen, will have a new day in court and may be reinstated."

Mathu Kelvin's eyes widened, but then Salem smirked. "But not you. Not for what you did. You nearly changed the course of human history ten thousand years ago, destroying an entire civilization."

"But look at the rumors it started," Kelvin said. "Atlantis, the Antediluvian World, the sea-faring people with a technological so vast in its comprehension that it destroyed them. Who was it that told the original story, the Greek Philosopher Plato, a well respected and truthful man within his society at the time."

"You showed them how to harness the sun's power to build explosive bombs and how to focus the sunrays with crystals into a compressed beam with massive destructive power! If the Reapers didn't step in, authorized of course by the High Council to put an end to your 'playfulness' despite you once being a respected scientist, the descendants of the Atlanteans may just rule the planet right now. You were punished appropriately along with your wife, for which Reapers back them were not allowed to have relationships with one another with your stubborn-as-a-mule, very out-spoken brother-in-law."

"Appropriately punished indeed," Mathu Kelvin retorted with an amused snort. "I've heard quite a few other out-spoken Reapers have been exiled like I was since I have taken possession of this host body. And rumors are abound, with other Fallen that I know, that even you do not like them and have said things of their disliking."

"My opinions are my own, but I do not spew them unnecessarily and without facts. The High Council can not argue when validity is behind an argument with others backing me. Regardless of that issue," he turned to Knox, "Mr. Knox, tell me the whole story with William. What exactly did he promise to the demon?"

Knox nodded, turning his attention back to the moment. He didn't know half the things Mathu Kelvin and Salem had been talking about, the politics behind the scene and they were shocking. He blinked, quickly collecting his thoughts. "William's a traitor, he said - "

Suddenly William 'winked in', and stood studiously in front of Knox, Grell and Salem.

"And speak of the devil," Knox finished, grumbling angrily.

William tilted his head slightly to the right. "I am not the devil, Mr. Knox. Control yourself, and your demeanor does not coincide with a man of your profession. Adhere to what you were privy to, allow me to explain and correct any misconceptions."

"You don't need to explain anything, sir, you sealed a bargain with a demon! That was clear."

"Unfortunately, the demon saw through my obvious ploy." A thin smirk crossed William's face. "No bargain was had. Well, not by me anyhow."

Knox narrowed his eyes confused. "But I heard you. You agreed that the demon could do whatever he wanted and we Reapers would do nothing to stop him!"

"That is incorrect, Mr. Knox. I told him it would be beneficial for a revisal of his plans if he attacked Mathu Kelvin first, then if he chose, he could handle his business with Sebastian Michaelis afterwards.

"And why did you pit him against me?" Mathu Kelvin said curiously, putting his hands on his hips.

William sighed, and Knox saw frustration in his face.

"William, I think an explanation is in order," Salem said.

"I was about to get to that, Salem."

"You see, Mr. Kelvin, an hour before, through your eyes, I was listening and watching to Sebastian Michaelis's dreams as you were, and I heard you explain to everyone here afterwards that you were not here to attack him, but to help Michaelis free his mentor, whom has been held captive somewhere - in a void -for a very long time, and for which only Michaelis has the power to free him." He pointed to what was in Kelvin's hand. "That blue gem you have - which is also a piece of the Hope Diamond, a very accursed diamond indeed - along with the Phantomhive children, will help him do so. Lucifer's general Belial has been lost for a long time. Even the Reaper's have lost track of him. So when it was said that Michaelis's master was locked away, it wasn't difficult for me to put the pieces together. And with this Decco on the loose, Belial is the only one, I am sad to say, according to biblical lore, who has the power who to stop Decco in his foolish plight of a engaging in civil war in Hell that will seriously cause a great deal of untold chaos, violence and destruction in multiple dimensions, including Reaperdem itself. Sebastian Michaelis will not be able to defeat him, even after he awakens. He will be much too weak from all the stain placed on his mind in dreaming, put into this state by Renfrew Phantomhive."

"Go on…"

"Fighting you will give Michaelis the time he needs to awaken from his induced slumber, hopefully. Once he awakens, the door to his void can not opened and all this nonsense can be put to bed, so to speak."

"How do we you know Belial won't attack us?" Knox asked.

"Because he will want revenge on the one who put him there, namely Decco, one of his old pupils," William explained. "And after almost 400 years of disembodied isolation, he, like all demons, will want to take out his wrath on someone. And we will provide him with exactly the person to do so. But Decco is a very powerful demon and smart, we can not underestimate him in the slightest."

"So our survival depends on when and if Sebastian wakes?" Grell said.

A sudden clearing of someone's throat brought the group discussion to a halt and those in the Reaper circle looked down at Ciel Phantomhive, whose diminutive statue looked very small compared to all their tallness.

"I do enjoy being kept abreast of things," Ciel said acutely and arrogantly. "Please, do tell the rest of us what you inner circle of Reapers are discussing as it may involved us humans."

"This does not concern you, Ciel Phantomhive," William said tautly. "You and the others will make your way to your homestead and wait until it is safe. A very dangerous demon will be arriving soon."

Ciel sneered. "How dare you call my mansion a homestead! It is a - "

William's eyes glowered. His lifted an arm and suddenly Ciel was levitated above the ground to his eye level. "I am normally a patient man, but you are trying it, and I have so much work to do. Being here takes me away from other important things. There are events unfolding that you and the others will get hurt if you are not herded to safety." He snorted annoyed. "Mr. Knox, you will escort Ciel Phantomhive and the others back to the mansion and stay with them, as you accidentally left your Deathscythe at the Von Strauss Manor when you left rather abruptly and will be of little use to us without it."

Knox cursed. He knew he had forgotten something. "You better do as he says, Ciel," Knox said calmly, now that he knew William was not a traitor. Sometimes William's way of doing things was systematic and mechanical like and he not always understood it, but William never stopped thinking. He was like a person who plays serious games and who always thought three steps ahead, knowing just how to manipulate his opponent, in this case, the demon, to do what he wanted. "I'll make sure they stay safe."

"And with my powers, I will protect Sebastian," Renfrew Phantomhive said, stepping into the conversion, "as you battle the demon. I will shield him as best as I can."

William nodded, and put Ciel down as Lukas Phantomhive ran over. "What's going on here?" Lukas demanded.

"We are to stay out of these affairs," Ciel finally conceded, looking a little defeated. "I was told this is not our fight and we are to cower away in our 'homestead' like little field mice."

"That is not how I put it," William said, "but essentially, yes."

"But what about Sebastian?" Lukas said.

"He is to remain here, as he is integral to their plans."

"But he will be defenseless!"

"Not so, Lukas," Renfrew said. "I will be taking care of him until he awakens. And if I am not mistaken, he is nearing the end of his dream and life cycle…"

"I certainly hope so," Kelvin said. "I would like to know what happened with his wife and kids. His life, from what I saw, was very interesting before he came to reside here. I will fight this demon of yours if only for the answer to this interesting tidbit. I will like Sebastian to tell me."

"Kids?" Lukas said shocked. "Sebastian has children? And a wife?"

"Are you surprised, Lukas?" Ciel said. "He is a demon. I would assume he has sired many offspring in his time. But as for a wife…that is surprising."

"There is a lot you don't know about him, do you?" Kelvin said. "He isn't your atypical demon."

"Yes, well. He is my butler and we have a covenant," Ciel said. "That is all I need to know. I called upon him during my greatest time of direst. He has vowed to eliminate everyone who has done me wrong, including Bryon Kelvin - your uncle. It has come to our attention that he is the catalyst in my family," he looked at Lukas, "our family's hardships, and we will find him and we will kill him."

Mathu Kelvin chuckled. "Good luck. He is a very elusive man. And he has many friends."

"That's if we survive this night," Lukas said solemnly. "Strange things happen on the Winter Solstice and we are nearing the ghostly hour of midnight."

Ciel produced a crooked, thin smile. "If we don't survive, then I won't have to worry about buying you a Christmas present."

Lukas's mouth dropped open. "You haven't bought me a present yet? But we were shopping just the other day. Are you telling me we spent hours in town and you only bought something for Lizzie?"

"Did you buy anything for me?"

Lukas averted his eyes. "Well, no. You're hard to buy for and I am still getting to know what you like. We have only been reunited for six months. What do I buy a person who has everything?"

"Indeed."

"Master! Master!" Finny cried out.

"Oh deary me," Mey-Rin then said, cupping her hands around her cheeks, slightly blushing.

"Is he…smiling?" Bardroy said.

Ciel and Lukas went to Sebastian, as did Knox, a Reaper observer, where the Phantomhive servants were all gathered around the demon butler. He looked so peaceful in his restful state, laying on his back but in the dirt with his head slightly askew to the right, his eyes closed. But it surprising to see that Sebastian Michaelis had a broad grin on his face while he was unconscious.

"What could it mean?" Tanaka wondered.

"He must be experiencing a happy memory," Lukas wagered a guess. Ciel nodded, concurring.

Knox wondered the same thing.

To be continued…