Chapter 4: Akuma

I began to shake my head in denial. "Oh no,'' I took a step backwards. "No, it can't be." Ciel looked at me, a perplexed expression on his face.

"Are you alright?'' he asked.

''Ciel,'' I murmured, putting a hand over my mouth. I didn't even know how to answer him.

''Sebastian," Ciel called, walking over to me, "get a chair for Cynthia."

I shook my head. "N-no, I'm alright. Really." Although I could feel my knees shaking.

''Then what's wrong?'' the Earl questioned.

I looked at his face, and saw his red eye had returned to its natural blue color. ''I was, um, a little taken aback by, um…'' I took a step backwards, bumping into the chair Sebastian had taken out for me. ''…Your height." I finished, looking up at Ciel. ''You've gotten taller since I've last seen you.'"

A surprised look crossed the Earl's face. ''Really?'' he exclaimed.

I nodded, trying to sound nonchalant. "I noticed it right away."

Ciel let out a small chuckle. "Well, I do hope that won't affect the discussion we're going to have."

I let out a nervous laugh. "N-no, not at all."

Ciel gestured to the chair. "Please, sit. I'll have Sebastian prepare us tea."

I listened to the Earl and gingerly sat back on my seat. Sebastian left the room, leaving me and Ciel alone. Butterflies filled my stomach as Ciel sat down across from me by his desk. Had I realized that Ciel was a demon earlier, I wouldn't have agreed to coming. But of course Sebastian left that detail out.

''So,'' Ciel began, ''my butler informed you of the reason why you were summoned here?''

''Sort of,'' I said, shifting in my seat slightly, ''he said it had something to do with a deal. Or an exchange?''

''Indeed it does,'' Ciel responded, a grin forming on his face. I couldn't help but feel anxious when he smiled. No wonder something seemed off with Sebastian earlier. From what I could tell, Sebastian hadn't exactly been thrilled when Ciel made his demonic transformation. From the moment it happened, Sebastian became Ciel's eternal slave. He would never be able to obtain the boy's soul…or any other soul, for that matter.

''You see,'' continued the Ciel, "since your last visit here, a lot has changed. Moreover, my intentions have…drifted from what they originally were set on."

''Oh,'' I murmured. ''So you're not interested in Alois anymore?"

Ciel locked his fingers together. "Alois Trancy is dead."

I dropped my head. Of course he was. It was useless to keep playing dumb. ''Then it's true, isn't it?'' I said, my knees shaking even more.

Ciel raised an eyebrow. "What is?"

I looked back up at him. ''That you're not the same person as you were when I last met you. Your eye…it was red, Ciel. I saw it flash that crimson color when I walked in."

"So you did see that," he muttered.

A moment of silence passed between us. I kept my eyes locked on the Earl, contemplating whether or not I should have spoken up.

Finally, Ciel looked at me again. ''Well, this certainly makes things easier since you already know. In fact, now I can just be straightforward and tell you what I want." He paused, smirking a little. I gripped the side of my chair tightly. I had to be ready for anything.

''I want to go to your world.''

I straightened up in my seat, my heart beating faster. "My world? What do you mean?''

Ciel's smile didn't waver. "You know what I mean, Cynthia."

My mind started racing. He can't come to my world. He just can't! It would mess everything up. ''W-why?'' I asked. "What's wrong with this world?''

"Quite frankly, I'm bored here," he answered. ''As an Earl who's already passed, I've fulfilled my duty to the queen. I've seen everything else that London has to offer me, and I'm not impressed."

''I don't understand," I exclaimed, "what could my world possibly have that yours doesn't?''

Ciel pushed his chair back, crossing his arms. ''As of this moment, I'm unsure." Then he stood up, leaning over his desk. "But I'm sure you do. After all, it was your blood that Sebastian tasted that one time. And being the loyal butler that he is, he wouldn't do that unless he thought one of us would benefit from it. Your world must have something that this one doesn't." I stared at him, stunned, unsure of how to respond. My mind couldn't seem to process the words I was hearing.

Then all of a sudden, the office door opened up. Sebastian walked in, rolling a tray with a teapot and two tea cups on it into the room. He set the cart by the desk, pouring tea into each of the cups. He handed one to me and one to Ciel. However, as I looked down at the cup, I realized it was empty.

''This is New Moon drop tea," Sebastian stated, placing the tea pot back down, ''a new kind of tea which my master has taken a liking too.'' I looked into the empty cup, a twinge of sadness shooting through me. Demons have no taste for normal food.

Nonetheless, Ciel took a sip from his cup. It was eerie watching him go through the process, even though I had witnessed it before from my screen. ''Anyway,'' the Earl continued, ''in order for me to be able to go to your world, you must want to take me with you."

''Why can't you just travel there on your own like Sebastian did?"

''Because I ordered Sebastian to go to your world,'' he responded, ''and according to him, the only way someone can travel from here to your world is if they are bound to you in some way.''

I narrowed my eyes. ''What are you saying?''

Ciel smirked, and extended his hand. Then he uttered the words that I was dreading to hear. "I want you to make a deal with me."