William was the only one that remembered Dantalion, Sytry and the Head Boy, Nathan Cackstone or Camio...those demons. Kevin...is still his butler even if he refuses to talk about such things and seems like he's hiding something.
'They probably erased the memories of the students... of them ever being there in the first place.'
He borrows *confiscates* Isaacs books, making sure he doesn't summon anything...and reads them. He wants to know if all the Heaven, Hell, and Solomon nonsense was just a dream.
However, every time he drinks tea, especially blends with wormwood, he keeps getting visions, memories that aren't his. They were Solomon's...so he switched to coffee.
When he dropped his precious family heirloom, and meets Dantalion again, telling him to take care of the ring...he's mesmerized. He's real...it was real. That wasn't a dream.
"Uh...thank you," William nods as he quickly retrieves the ring, putting it in his pocket. He looks up, and Dantalion's gone. Like he was never there in the first place.
He vows never to put on the ring unless absolutely necessary...since he'd heard that all the previous incarnations either went mad from the surge of memories, completely lost themselves to Solomon, committed suicide or were murdered for the ring.
He somewhat remembers what happened after he first put the ring on… Someone who looks like his father but dressed in ancient clothing. Solomon.
'I can't let Solomon take over again... I won't lose myself again!'
He tries to act normal, to be his usual self, but it's hard. He misses those demons, even if he doesn't want to admit it.
However...one night, a certain repressed memory revealed itself. The day of his parents' accident...someone else was there. That shadow was very familiar, and it...tried to stab him with a knife.
Gasping, William woke up in a cold sweat, abruptly sitting up, panting as he caught his breath.
'That...the accident...wasn't an accident, it was murder...' he lays back down, 'Uncle Barton...'
Gritting his teeth, William lets out a few tears, feeling betrayed, hatred, and anger. After punching his pillow several times, William tries to go back to sleep. It was the middle of the night, after all.
The next morning, Isaac saw William with black circles around his eyes, "Uh...you OK?"
"Yeah...just didn't sleep well last night," William waves him off.
"I'll get you some tea. That should-" Isaac's interrupted before finishing his sentence.
"No!" William yells, surprising Isaac before coughing, correcting himself, "I appreciate it but no thanks, Isaac. I just need some coffee right now."
"Oh…OK!" Isaac accepts that answer, much to William's relief.
Sighing, William does get himself a cup of coffee and tries not to fall asleep in class. He will in Church though, and when he skips boat rowing class again.
Trying to keep up his image is exhausting…
Later, after classes…
William reads the paper. What caught his eyes were the articles of "The Queen's Watchdog: Lord Phantomhive", "Sherlock Holmes Solves the Case Yet Again!", and "The Death of an Evil Noble: The Lord of Crime Strikes Again?"…but he figures they have nothing to do with him. He does make a note to read them later.
"William~! Are you going to return my books?" Isaac whines.
He deadpans, "No. They're confiscated."
"Eh~? But why~~?"
William sighs, running a hand through his hair, "If you actually did summon something, and it tries to kill you, would be able to protect yourself?"
"Uh…" Isaac sweat-drops.
"I thought so," William scoffs.
"But I thought you didn't believe in any of that stuff!" Isaac retorts.
"I'm trying to be more open-minded, OK?! And I said if you actually summoned something! IF!" William replies.
"Right right…" Isaac smiles, which only irritates William.
"Besides, you should put more effort into studying. Do you want to be held back a grade?"
"…I understand. You can hold onto them for me, Professor William!" Isaac immediately changes his tune.
"Of course," William nods.
When William walks into the Church…
"Young Master...what's the matter?" Kevin inquires since it's rare to see William in the Church at all.
"We need to talk, Kevin..."
"Me too... Isaac and Swallow have said you've grown distant lately."
William smiles, "I'm fine...just... There's a lot on my mind right now. I'm sorry if I worried them."
Kevin smiles, "Well...I'm glad you're fine. So...what did you want to talk about?"
Not knowing how to exactly word this, "..." William sighs, "Sometimes people repress their memories because they're too traumatic for them to handle."
"You remembered something..." Kevin blinks.
"Yeah..." William takes a deep breath, "I remembered that the accident wasn't an accident. It was murder...and Uncle Barton tried to...kill me."
"Young Master..." Kevin frowns.
"I...why would he...?" a few tears fell down his face.
Kevin hugs him, "It's OK, Young Master..."
William just sobs into Kevin's chest for a bit before rubbing the tears away, "He did it for the ring, didn't he…?"
"…yes, probably," Kevin sighs.
He lefts out a discriminating laugh, "Honestly…I don't know whether this ring is a blessing or a curse," he strokes the ring in his pocket, a sad smile on his face, "Is there a way to destroy it, I wonder?"
'Destroy it...' Kevin's eyes widened at what his Young Master suggested, "No!"
"Kevin?" William blinks in concern at Kevin's unusual behavior, his hands gripping his shoulders.
"You mustn't destroy it. It's a precious heirloom," Kevin begs, "Please don't destroy it."
"I-I was just kidding! I would never do that!" William tries to laugh it off, but they both know it's not a joke. He hardly jokes…he actually meant it.
Kevin sighs in relief, letting him go, "Thank goodness…"
Then, William notices the papers peeking out from Kevin's coat. Glaring, "Kevin…you bet on me again, didn't you?"
"Ah…Ahahaha," Kevin flinches before laughing sheepishly, "Well…you see…" as William gets irritated, a dark aura around him.
"Ouch!"
Kevin then got hit without warning, a single white feather falling to the ground. It didn't escape William's notice, even as he was stomping out of the Church, pouting.
'He's…an angel isn't he? Uriel…the one from Solomon's memories…' Putting a hand on his forehead, feeling a headache coming on, William sighs.
After reading up on Uriel, William found out Uriel can see into the future…to an extent.
'That's how he wins all those bets?!' William internally rants.
Sighing, William's head hits the pillow, 'Still…this means I'm the only one with Solomon's soul… I can't go to Heaven, even if I'm killed or exalted.'
He lets out a small laugh, "Heh…at least Michael will be furious when he finds that my soul can't go to Heaven or Hell if I die."
Going to sleep, he dreams…
Waking up, he sees that he's not in his room…but somewhere ancient. In front of him is a blonde man with green eyes dressed in white.
"You…are Solomon?"
"Yes, child. I am," Solomon smiles.
"What am I doing here? Is this a dream?"
"More like a memory…" Solomon says, "Besides, I wanted to meet you."
"Huh? Why?"
"Our souls are fusing together…"
"Am I…becoming you?" William thinks out loud, "No… you're becoming me."
Solomon nods, "Yes… I'd rather not be myself, after all."
William sighs, exasperated.
"William, my child…" Solomon hugs William, ruffling his hair, "You should know everything."
Then, he's suddenly kissed. Solomon was kissing him, his first kiss! However, with the kiss came all of the remaining memories…everything. William closed his eyes from the sheer number of them flowing through his mind, carving into his soul.
Gasping, William woke up in his own bed, panting. Rubbing his forehead, he lays back down, head hitting the pillow, "I…remember everything now…"
William caught Kevin in the hallway after classes, "Pastor Cecil, I need to talk to you. Privately. It's an urgent matter."
"What is it? I still-"
"I remember everything, Uriel," is what got Kevin's attention, causing him to flinch and pause. Plus, seeing that desperate look on his Young Master's face…he sighs, "Alright…Come with me."
In Kevin's room…
"Is Michael not going to Sleep? He should do that soon…" William comments.
Sighing, Kevin answers, "Not unless someone makes him…"
"Uriel…Kevin…aren't you going to kill me?" William asks.
"What?! Of course not!" Kevin yells.
"Then, I can trust you…" He smiles, "Now, onto business."
"Do you know why you can't be exalted, Young Master?"
"Yeah… I'm the last since Barton is the Rider of Pestilence. Even if I die, my soul would just fall in-between Heaven and Hell again…or just end up trapped inside the ring."
"Young Master…what do you want to do now?" Kevin asks.
William just smiles, a bit of mischief in his eyes with a dark aura around him, "A visit to Hell would be nice this time of year… A great time for a tea party, don't you think so?"
Kevin just shakes his head, a small smile on his face.
One their day off school, Kevin and William go back to where it all began. In the basement of the Twining Mansion. The door's still broken off its hinges since they last went there, and past it is the portal to Hell.
"Wait here, Kevin. I'll be back before long," William smiles.
"I'll await your return then, Young Master," Kevin bows, trusting him, "Please be careful."
"You too, Kevin."
William bit his finger until it bled, letting a drop of blood land on the spell circle, opening the portal in a burst of purple light.
After waving to Kevin, William dropped down into Hell once more, leaving Kevin alone, "Good luck."
In Hell, Dantalion's residence…
"…Master William, what're you doing here?" Baphomet asks, sweat-dropping.
"Visiting…You don't mind, do you?" William smiles.
"Of course not," Baphomet bows before escorting William inside.
He sits at the dining table as Baphomet gets tea and cake.
"Mm~. It's been a while since I've had your cake Baphomet. It's as good as always," William compliments.
"Thank you, Master William. But…what're you really doing here?"
Taking a sip of tea, William states his business, "Can you call Dantalion, Sytry, and Camio here? I need to see them."
"Of course. Please wait here. I'll get them right away," Baphomet nods before going off.
After some time, Dantalion, Sytry, and Camio were dragged away from their paperwork, asking, "What's this about, Baphomet?"
"Well…someone requested to see you," is all he says.
Then…they're shocked stiff when they see William.
"What took you guys so long?" William asks as he sips his tea.
"W-William…what?"
"How did you-?"
"What're you doing here?!" they ask.
Standing up from his seat, William walks over to them, who are still gaping in shock, and promptly hits each of them over the head.
"Ouch~~! What was that for?!" they complain, holding the bumps on their heads.
He pouts, "That's for leaving me alone!"
"..." 'He was lonely...?' They're all speechless.
After Baphomet got them some ice for their aching heads, they all sit at the table.
"William…you used the circle in your house to get here, didn't you?" Dantalion sighs, shaking his head as William nods.
"What're you doing here though? Did you miss us that much?" Sytry asks.
"…yes, actually," William shyly admits with a slight blush, "But that's not all of it. I remember everything."
They pause in silence.
"Uh…everything?" Camio asks a bit nervously.
William nods, "And it's because I remember everything that I want to call a meeting between the Dukes. I want to settle this once and for all."
"But…Lucifer's awake. There's no need to hurry," Dantalion argues.
"I know…but he won't be there forever. There needs to be a successor," William replies.
"You mean…you've finally decided on who the next ruler is?" Camio asks, very serious.
"…I'll only announce it at the meeting," William sighs.
"…fine. Don't show your cards then," is how Camio accepts that answer.
"Master William, this meeting…?" Baphomet asks for details so he can arrange it.
"Oh. Make it a small tea party, tomorrow at the latest. Only the Dukes, interim ruler candidates, and plus-ones are allowed," William waves off, "We don't want what happened last time to happen again."
At the mention of last time… the demons sweat-dropped, "Right…"
After catching up with them, William decides to sleep at Dantalion's tonight.
"William!" Sytry calls.
"Hm?"
"We missed you too," Camio smiles as they leave.
When they're finally alone, Dantalion hugs William, "Missed you."
William smiles, returning the hug, "Missed you too."
At the tea party…
Astaroth was sitting with Lamia and Dantalion. Next to them is Baalberith and Sytry. Beelzebub and Camio, then Samael. Baphomet and Leonard were serving them sweets and tea. Even Gilles de Rais was there.
"Oi! You weren't invited!" Dantalion complains about Gilles' party crashing.
"It's fine, Dantalion. If it's just him, he can stay," William says, sitting in the middle, sipping his tea.
"Thank you… what do you mean, if it's just me?!" Gilles yells, but no one answers him.
Putting down his cup, William says, "Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to come to this little tea party."
"It's not a problem. However, I heard that you've selected Lucifer's successor?" Baalberith asks.
"I have…but there are some loose ends to tie up," William confirms.
"Where is Lucifer, anyway? I doubt he'd want to miss the moment that his successor is chosen," Beelzebub inquires.
Samuel smiles, "He's resting right now…so I'm here in his stead."
"…I see."
"So~? Who did you pick?" Lamia whines.
"You said something about loose ends?" Astaroth asks, "What are they?"
Sighing, William frowns, "One is Barton Twining, my uncle. He murdered my parents and tried to kill me for the ring. As the Rider of Pestilence, he can't be allowed to get the ring."
"You want him dead…is that it?" Baalberith asks, smirking.
"Yes…" William says with a decisive look on his face, "He can't be allowed to continue like this." 'I won't let him hurt anyone else…'
'William…' Dantalion looks on in worry.
All the Dukes smirk, "That can be arranged."
"Thank you," William smiles, "But I just have to ask… Do you know why Solomon summoned demons in the first place?"
"Hm~… Isn't it because he wanted to overthrow his father, and take over as King?" Gilles answers.
William just shakes his head no, "He summoned demons simply because he was lonely. He wanted acknowledgement, acceptance, and love. That's all he wanted. Honestly, Humans can be so simple yet complicated. It's not my fault you Demons overthink things."
Getting silence, William moves on, "The other loose end to tie up is Solomon's will."
He takes out the ring, holding it in-between his fingers, "Dantalion, get over here."
Dantalion gets up and obeys, walking until he's right in front of him.
"Kneel."
He obeys.
William orders, "Dantalion...put on the ring."
Everyone's surprised.
"Eh? But..." Dantalion blinks.
"You should've put it on after you killed me like I asked you to. If you did...all of this would've never happened. But instead, you just hid the ring and ran away," William scolds.
"William...Solomon..." Dantalion just lowers his head in shame.
"I want you to be free from Lucifer's control...and mine. So, put on the ring Dantalion...please," William pleads, his eyes begging him to do it.
Dantalion just can't say no, nodding, "...I understand."
He puts on the ring, red sparks flash, and...he hears the sound of glass breaking. Power overflows in this body...but not to the point that he's lost control. The shackles that have been binding him are all broken. He's free.
William smiles, and Dantalion looks back at him.
"William, you..."
He shakes his head, "It's fine. He wanted it to be this way..."
"But what about Solomon's soul?"
William smirks, "Solomon's soul...has fully fused with mine."
"Fused..."
"Now then...take me back home."
"William!"
"...what?"
Dantalion kisses William on the lips, "Thank you..."
"Y-you're welcome," William blushes.
"Does this mean Dantalion's the ruler of Hell?" Sytry asks.
William shakes his head, "No...you would be more suited to the role, Camio."
"Eh? Me? You pick me?" Camio asks, a bit excitedly.
"...yeah."
"To be honest...I never wanted to be the ruler of Hell. I was just a candidate so I could meet Solomon again," Dantalion confesses.
"But you can do what you want now," William says.
"Now...I just want to spend some alone time with you, William," Dantalion smiles.
William blushes, "J-Just send me home, you meathead!"
Dantalion nods, "Of course."
"And you Sytry?"
"I...just want a place to belong to. I don't belong in Hell," Sytry sighs.
"Then..." William whispers in Dantalion's ear. Dantalion nods before using his newfound power to break the seals on Sytry, finally letting his wings out.
Sytry gasps in amazement, feathers fluttering all around them.
Holding out his hand, William smiles, "Let's go, Sytry?"
"Un!" Sytry nods, almost in tears, taking William's hand before they leave together.
"Good luck, Camio!" they say before they teleport back to the surface.
Waiting for them back outside William's house was...
"Kevin!"
"You alright, Young Master?"
"Of course!"
Kevin sees Sytry's wings, "Sytry..."
Sytry sighs, "I know, I know...but can't I ascend to Heaven now?"
"You..." Kevin looks at William.
"Uriel…" William nods.
Kevin sighs, "Of course. I'll escort you."
"Thanks," Sytry smiles.
"It's just because of the Young Master," Kevin retorts before glaring at Dantalion and noticing the ring on his finger, "And you...behave yourself until I get back!"
Dantalion sweat-drops, "...uh. Sure."
As Kevin/Uriel and Sytry fly off, they leave a few feathers behind...and left Dantalion and William alone.
"William…sorry about…k-kissing you," Dantalion slightly blushes as does William when it's mentioned.
"It's…OK. Besides, that wasn't my…first kiss."
"Eh? Who was it?!" Dantalion gets angry for some reason unknown to William.
"Solomon decided to give me his memories like that…" William admits.
"Oh…" Dantalion nods in understanding.
"Can I kiss you again?" he asks. Looking at William's flustered face is just too cute.
"…" William blushes heavily before nodding.
Gulping, Dantalion leaned in, kissing William on the lips again before parting.
"Dantalion…"
"Be mine, William?"
"…yeah. OK. As long as you're mine too," William mutters.
"Of course," Dantalion smiles.
Just as he was going in for another kiss, Dantalion's struck by an angel feather, "Oi!"
Uriel….Kevin was back, and very pissed off, "You…stay away from the Young Master! I won't let you taint his purity!"
"…" William just watches the chaos that ensues before laughing, "It's OK, Kevin. He has my permission."
"Eh? Young Master?" Kevin pauses as does Dantalion in the middle of battle.
William just giggles as he kisses Dantalion's cheek, "I'm yours."
Dantalion lightly blushes as Kevin was shocked speechless.
"You…if I hear you made the Young Master cry…I'll kill you," Kevin threatens with a dark aura.
Dantalion just nods furiously, slightly scared of Kevin now.
From then on, Camio was named the Ruler of Hell, and Sytry was named Heaven's Representative after "convincing" Michael to Sleep aka knocking him out cold and forcing him to Sleep.
Barton Twining was found dead in an "accident" with mysterious circumstances, which pleased William at least.
As for William…he's living his life as if nothing happened. A Realist as always. With one exception… Dantalion's now his lover.