CHAPTER ONE
THE MYSTERIOUS BOY WITH A PHANTOMHIVE RESEMBLANCE
Ciel Phantomhive was only twelve years old, but mindfully he felt much older. And he had to be, he was the primary head of all Phantomhive enterprises. He sat behind his father's reconstructed oak desk in his office and mused of a great many things.
Everything of the Phantomhive mansion had been rebuilt to their original state just before the fire that burnt it all down two years ago that also took his parents' lives.
He wanted to preserve the memory of everything just as it had been before that horrible day. Which just happened to be his tenth birthday. He lain down a few of his own touches to now his home, as he was Earl Phantomhive and head of the household, but most was like it was, built brick by brick to its original stature.
With his mind presently occupied on business, he read a newspaper article some reporter put together on Fantom Toys, his toy company situated in Germany. It was written in German, then picked up in one of Britian's national newspapers and translated into the Queen's english. It spoke of the excellence of Fantom Toys, and how economically it was prospering. It was doing so well, and the financial numbers even brought a thin smile to Ciel's face.
"Good news I take it, young master?"
Sebastian's voice surprised Ciel. He had been so engrossed in the article that he hadn't noticed the butler enter. Looking up, he gazed at the dapper English gentleman in his black and white uniform of his status with one eye. Ciel's other eye, his right, was covered with an eye patch and covered the covenant both shared.
Sebastian was head butler to the Phantomhive household. Tanaka, Ciel's father's butler, was still around, but his energy levels mostly sidelined his involvement with daily servitude. And Ciel accepted this, to a point. And so did Sebastian. And a man like Tanaka deserved a certain amount of respect and rest, especially after a lifetime of servitude.
Sebastian approached Ciel with a rolling two-level wooden tray and a pot of tea. The butler poured Ciel a cup of tea and placed it on the desk next to the open newspaper.
For a moment, Ciel eyed the butler with his dark long hair and ghostly white pale skin. There was much history between them. Sebastian Michaelis was, in essence and to the extent of all else, a devil. And a devil for whom Ciel would see his own eventual and violent end to. But he was unbothered by this. If he hadn't struck a bargain with this devil, the last of the Phantomhive's would have died in a most horrendous way, on some table covered in blood, slain for ritualistic purposes. With a collective agreement, Ciel had survived. But not without cost.
Ciel Phantomhive was the line of his family line. Sebastian would be Ciel's butler until the murderers of Ciel's parents were brought to justice. Just when that would be, Ciel didn't know. But everyday he thought about what he would do when he came face-to-face with them…
Ciel reached for the delegate looking tea cup imported from China, and took a sip. The taste was familiar. "Earl Grey? I approve."
"Thank you, my lord," Sebastian said. "I recall the many different teas served to you as of late, and I thought this would be appropriate for today as it is your favorite."
Ciel said nothing about the butler's explanation. "So you have already heard?"
"Yes, my lord. 'Fantom Toys' is apparently doing quite well."
Sebastian must have read the article before bringing the newspaper to Ciel's office, the Earl wondered, while still maintaining its crisp appearance as if never read. Sebastian consistently maintained a posh appearance with every activity he engaged in and that even meant the little things. Ciel knew the demon liked to be on top of current events, and it was on rare occasion the butler was ever caught off guard regarding society's events and historical trivia.
"Indeed," Ciel confirmed. "My toy company in Germany is becoming very profitable."
"More profitable. The Phantomhive reputation is renown for its excellent craftsmanship with toys, among other things. Even the Fantom clothing lines are in receivership of excellence. Also, your machinist factories in India is producing sound quality merchandise."
"Quite," Ciel said, not surprised at any of Sebastian's news. Ciel knew all this as well, receiving updates on the financial upcomings of all his business endeavors daily. "I wouldn't expect anything less."
Sebastian smiled, then pulled out a small black book from the inside of his jacket pocket. He opened it, putting on a pair of thin rimmed glasses. He read: "Today, you have a full agenda. This morning you have a dance lesson with Madame Kelly, a luncheon with a Mister Yelts who wishes to discuss an overseas business venture from the Americas, a fencing lesson in mid-afternoon, and later - " He stopped.
Ciel saw the butler gaze inwardly and distractedly. "What?"
Sebastian smiled thinly. "It appears we have a uninvited guest on the property."
"And how in earth do you know that, I ask."
Sebastian merely smiled without explanation, and Ciel knew enough not to question his butler's otherworldly instincts or feelings.
Ciel waved him off. "Deal with it immediately," he said. "And whoever it is, bring him to me."
Sebastian grinned staunchly and bowed. "Of course, my lord." Then left.
The stone, mason ruins behind the mansion were like a collection of labyrinth-like caves that lead to mere nowhere. They had been sealed off years ago, long before the Phantomhive mansion had been built on the property. These ruins had been here since the turn of the 17th century and were supposedly the last remnants of the mansion to a Baron that once lived on the property before a fire destroyed it, but were never cleared.
However this boy knew this, he wondered why. He just knew. And as he crawled into a small alcove; his breathing slowed to normal. He had been running for quite some time from two men who had been chasing him. Him on foot, them on horseback. He had managed to elude them in the forestry around this land, and now found himself here. And he wondered how he managed to know to come here to hide?
He knew this place, or at least he thought he did. His memory was fragmented. Pieces of his identity were coming back, but in sand grain fills. Like an hour glass with sand sifting grains one-by-one. But the pieces still didn't fit. But he knew his name, and that was all that was clear to him. And yet why these two men on horseback were chasing him, he didn't know that. But they were determined, that's all he knew.
He had escaped some place that was in total darkness, and then the next thing he knew he found himself in the countryside in bright sunshine. It didn't make sense, and he was unconcerned at the moment, and only wanted to flee these two men. And for the moment, he had. They were searching for him in the forest, the forest he could see with his naked eye across his vision straight ahead.
Sitting down, he hunkered deep into the alcove he found and into the darkness where the men wouldn't be able to find him. He made sure to walk in the river to hide his tracks and the river lead here to this hiding spot to these ruins. He felt cold and wet, and the rags he wrote were tattered, dirty and torn. His hair was mated with filth and dripped water into his exposed skin. But he breathed easy now.
"Come on out," a voice sounded, and the boy snapped his head in its direction. "I know you are there." The voice sounded elegant, like one of the elite spoken. It was soft and friendly, and was not harsh and uneducated like one of the two men whom had been chasing him.
The boy tried to squeeze deeper into the alcove but to no avail, and the educated sounding man leaned over and looked into the cave. He was dark looking, the light silhouetting his form. But his eyes were bright and beamed through the darkness like two beacons.
"No need for concern, young man, your pursuers are gone. I made sure of it." The man extended his hand and the boy took it, crawling out of the alcove into the sunlight. "I am Sebastian Michaelis, butler to the Phantomhive household. You are safe now."
The boy still felt apprehensive, but oddly didn't feel scared. "I am sorry I intruded upon your land. Please forgive me. I was being chased by two men on horseback, for which now you have assured me are gone. I will leave, if you request?"
"My, you are a well spoken young man. You are the same age as my master. What, prey-tell, is your name?"
"Leic."
"Liec. Hmm." Sebastian said, and he eyed the boy up and down. "My master would like to speak with you."
"Who is your master?"
"Ciel Phantomhive." Sebastian turned his head sideways slightly as if intrigued.
"Why do you look at me like that? Do I fascinate you?"
Sebastian produced a small grin. "Do forgive me. I didn't mean to stare. In truth, you look very much like someone I know."
Another voice hollowed in the distance, and Finny, the Phantomhive gardener came running towards the pair. He approached, stopping just short of the river edge. "Young master said to come help. He said there was an intruder on the grounds." Finny gasped. "Young master… But I just saw you in the mansion? How did you get out here so fast, and so dirty?"
The younger man, who looked like a typical highland Scottish sheep herder, looked at Sebastian, and the boy noticed their looks of familiarity. "What?"
"Finny, so you noticed the resemblance as well," Sebastian simply said.
"He looks just like…, indeed he does," Maylene's voice chimed in as she appeared opposite Finny on the river edge next to a set of stone ruins. She was the Phantomhive's maid, wearing a red maid's dress and large, circular rim glasses.
"Maylene, you're here too?" Sebastian said.
The boy looked at her, and then at another man who also appeared next to her in chef's attire, and smoking a cigarette. He was just as tall as the butler.
"This is a mystery, aint it?"
"Indeed, Bard," Sebastian agreed.
"What are you all goaking about?" Liec said annoyed.
"His voice even sounds the same," Bard said. "The only difference is he aint wearing any eye patch."
"His name is Leic," Sebastian said. "We are to bring him to the master immediately, after he cleans up, of course."
TO BE CONTINUED